Kent State Golden Flashes vs UMass Minutemen Prediction, 12/20/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs UMass Minutemen

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025

Location: Mullins Center in Amherst, MA

TV: ESPN+

The UMass Minutemen (8-3) are welcoming the Kent State Golden Flashes (9-2) at Mullins Center on Saturday.

The Kent State Golden Flashes stepped onto the hardwood against Portland and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-78 in their last contest. Kent State ended with a 41.4% field goal percentage (24 out of 58) and made 6 of 20 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes converted 24 of their 28 shots for a rate of 85.7%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they collected 32 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 13 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and having 10 steals. With respect to defending, Kent State allowed the other team to shoot 52.4% from the floor on 33 of 63 shooting. Portland totaled 27 dimes and had 14 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Portland totaled 24 boards (5 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Portland finished shooting 66.7% at the charity stripe by burying 14 of their 21 attempts. They buried 8 out of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Golden Flashes left the arena with 17 and Portland recorded 20 fouls.

Delrecco Gillespie is one guy who was important for the matchup. He scored 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 35 minutes played and also collected 14 rebounds. He ended up going 53.3% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist.

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Kent State enters this contest with a record of 9-2 for the season. They average 96.6 points per game (3rd in the country) while hitting 50.4% from the field. The Golden Flashes are connecting on 39.5% from downtown (126 of 319) and 73.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Kent State is snagging 40.7 rebounds per game and has accounted for 216 assists so far this year, which is 12th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.5 times per contest and as a unit they commit 19.0 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Golden Flashes are able to force 14.3 turnovers per game and they draw 22.4 fouls. They are currently ranked 296th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 170 surrendered for the year. The Golden Flashes defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 42.9% (304 of 709) and they surrender 32.3 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 35.4% from 3-point land while they are 330th in college in opponents PPG (81.5).

The last time they took the court, the UMass Minutemen walked away with a victory by a final of 103-95 against Florida State. The Minutemen earned 20 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 13 times, while earning 8 steals in the game. Florida State had 20 personal fouls in the game which took the Minutemen to the free throw line for a total of 21 shots. They were able to make 15 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 71.4%. With respect to three-point shots, UMass converted 12 out of their 22 attempts (54.5%). When the game finished, the Minutemen finished the game shooting 38 out of 71 from the field which had them shooting 53.5%. The Minutemen permitted Florida State to knock down 32 out of their 72 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.4% in this matchup. They went 29.3% from 3-point land by shooting 12 out of 41 and walked away from this one shooting 19 of 23 at the free throw line (82.6%). When discussing how they attacked the glass, UMass permitted Florida State to pull down 36 in total (13 offensive).

Daniel Hankins-Sanford ended up being a factor for the Minutemen for the game. He converted 10 out of 16 in the game for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and earned 10 rebounds. He earned 24 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 assists for the contest.

UMass has a record of 8-3 on the campaign. The Minutemen are committing 21.1 fouls per contest and they hit 64.8% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 17.7 times per contest (41st in college) and they are turning it over 14.3 times per contest. UMass has accounted for 883 points on the year (80.3 per contest) and they snag 37.1 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Minutemen are hitting on 46.9% from the field, which has them ranked 121st in the nation.

The Minutemen on the defensive side of the court are 201st in Division 1 in points given up per game with 73.6. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.7% from the floor (205th in D-1). The UMass defense allows 26.6% on 3-pointers (68 of 256) and opponents are connecting on 72.3% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 13.3 dimes and 31.2 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 177th and 43rd in the nation.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMass

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