Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 2/20/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021

Location: M.A.C. Center in Kent, OH

TV: ESPN3

Odds/Point Spread: Eastern Michigan (+14.5)

The Kent State Golden Flashes (13-5) play the Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-8) at M.A.C. Center on Saturday. Eastern Michigan opens this game as 14.5-point dogs. The O/U has been set at 147.5.

Eastern Michigan enters this matchup with a record of 4-8 for the year. They are averaging 71.7 points per contest (175th in the country) while going 41.0% from the field. The Eagles are shooting 28.2% on shots beyond the perimeter (82 of 291) and 75.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Eastern Michigan is pulling in 34.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 130 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 330th in college basketball in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.4 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis. When they are on defense, the Eagles are forcing their opponents into 16.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They are conceding 36.2% on shots from distance and they rank 291st in Division 1 in PPG allowed (75.8). The Eagles defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 48.0% (338 of 704) and they relinquish 37.3 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 111th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 206 conceded on the campaign.

The Eastern Michigan Eagles stepped onto the hardwood against the Akron Zips and ended up losing by a score of 86-65 in their last game. Eastern Michigan ended the contest with a 36.7% FG percentage (22 out of 60) and buried 9 of 30 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Eagles converted 12 of their 17 tries for a percentage of 70.6%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 28 with 3 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 8 assists in the game while earning 6 steals and 2 blocked shots. With respect to the defense, Eastern Michigan allowed the other team to go 36.7% from the field on 22 of 60 shooting. Akron recorded 22 assists and had 3 steals for the matchup. On top of that, the Zips collected 46 rebounds (9 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Akron finished the game at 76.9% when shooting free throws by making 10 of their 13 attempts. They converted 10 of their 29 attempts from beyond the arc.

Ty Groce is one guy who was a contributor for the game. He accumulated 28 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He played for 37 mins and also pulled down 11 rebounds. Groce finished 56.3% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. Someone else that was a determining factor in this game for the Eagles was Bryce McBride. He grabbed 4 boards and accumulated 4 assists. He ended up going 46.7% from the field for this contest by going 7-of-15 (20 points). When all was said and done, McBride played for 34 min.

Kent State has a mark of 13-5 on the campaign. The Golden Flashes are responsible for committing 17.1 fouls per game and they shoot 78.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.8 times per contest (88th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 13.4 times per contest. Kent State has totaled 1,435 points for the year (79.7 per contest) and they average 40.2 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Golden Flashes are shooting 45.0% from the floor, which is 143rd in college hoops. The Golden Flashes on the defensive end are ranked 202nd in college basketball in points allowed per contest with 70.9. They have forced 13.2 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.2% from the floor (83rd in the country). The Kent State defense concedes 33.6% on 3-pointers (148 of 441) and opponents are making 70.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 12.6 assists and 34.2 total boards per game, ranking them 146th and 141st in the country.

For their last game, the Kent State Golden Flashes went home victorious with a score of 76-69 against the Western Michigan Broncos. The Golden Flashes were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 33 in the game. They blocked 5 shots while recording 10 steals in the matchup. The Broncos committed 24 fouls in the game which took the Golden Flashes to the charity stripe for 29 attempts. They were able to convert 27 of those for a percentage of 93.1%. In relation to 3-pointers, Kent State made 5 out of their 18 attempts (27.8%). Overall, the Golden Flashes finished shooting 22 for 55 from the field which had them shooting 40.0%. The Golden Flashes allowed the Broncos to convert 26 out of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 44.8% for this contest. They went 45.0% from downtown via 9 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 8 out of 13 at the charity stripe (61.5%). Concerning how they attacked the glass, Kent State permitted Western Michigan to snag 29 in all (9 offensive).

Giovanni Santiago was important for the Golden Flashes for the matchup. He made 6 of 11 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 54.5%, which earned him 22 points. Santiago grabbed 4 rebounds in his 38 mins and totaled 2 dimes in this matchup. Someone else who came through for Kent State was Malique Jacobs. He was able to score 17 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood via 4 out of 12 from the floor in the game. Jacobs ended up shooting 33.3% from the field while collecting 2 assists and 7 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Eastern Michigan (+14.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here