Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips Prediction, 3/13/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kent State Golden Flashes vs Akron Zips

Date: Friday, March 13, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: CBSSN

Odds/Point Spread: Akron (-8)

The Kent State Golden Flashes (23-8) are on their way to Rocket Arena on Friday where they will try to defeat the Akron Zips (26-5) in the MAC Semifinals. Kent State opens this game as 8-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 164.5.

The Kent State Golden Flashes stepped onto the hardwood against Western Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 86-78 in their last contest. Kent State wrapped up the contest having earned a 46.8% FG percentage (29 of 62) and converted 14 out of their 34 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Golden Flashes converted 14 of 22 tries for a rate of 63.6%. In relation to rebounding, they earned 31 with 11 of them being offensive. They also doled out 15 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When talking about defense, Kent State allowed the other team to go 40.0% from the field on 24 out of 60 shooting. Western Michigan distributed 14 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. In addition, Western Michigan totaled 29 rebounds (10 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Western Michigan finished 73.9% when shooting free throws by burying 17 of 23 shots. They also buried 13 of their 34 attempts from downtown. In regard to fouls, the Golden Flashes ended up with 17 while Western Michigan accounted for 14 fouls.

Jahari Williamson is someone who was a contributor in this matchup. He left the arena with 16 points on 5 out of 9 shooting. He played 29 mins and snagged 2 rebounds. He ended up shooting 55.6% from the field and also dished out 2 assists.

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Kent State comes into this matchup with a record of 23-8 on the campaign. They are giving up possession 13.6 times per game and as a team are committing 19.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Kent State is collecting 39.7 boards per contest and is sitting with 508 assists so far this year, which is 65th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Golden Flashes are hitting 36.1% on 3-pointers (311 of 862) and 74.0% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 85.6 pts per game (17th in the country) while connecting on 45.6% from the field.

Defensively, the Golden Flashes are forcing 12.4 turnovers per game and they draw 21.0 fouls. They are 256th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 455 conceded so far this season. The Golden Flashes defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.7% (835 of 1,912) and they surrender 34.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They concede 34.6% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 329th in the nation in points per game allowed (79.9).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Akron Zips went home victorious with a score of 94-55 when they played Northern Illinois. The Zips snagged 31 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 in this contest. They gave up possession 12 times, while recording 9 steals in this contest. Northern Illinois committed 11 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Zips to the free throw line for 12 tries. They were able to convert 8 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, Akron knocked down 18 out of their 27 attempts (66.7%). When all was said and done, the Zips shot 34 for 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 59.6%. The Zips allowed Northern Illinois to knock down 22 of 58 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.9% in this game. They finished shooting 19.2% from downtown by shooting 5 of 26 and finished the game at 6 of 12 at the free throw line (50.0%). In relation to cleaning up the glass, Akron allowed Northern Illinois to snag 21 in total (4 on the offensive glass).

Bowen Hardman ended up being a major contributor for the Zips in the matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 8 for the contest for a field goal rate of 87.5%, and had 1 rebound. He scored 20 points in his 20 mins on the court and had 2 dimes in this contest.

Akron has a record of 26-5 for the campaign. The Zips commit 15.7 personal fouls per game and they hit 77.1% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 19.0 times per game (4th in Division 1) and they lose possession via turnover 11.1 times per game. Akron has totaled 2,777 pts on the year (89.6 per contest) and they snag 38.2 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Zips are connecting on 50.7% from the field, which is 9th in the country.

The Akron defense surrenders 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (292 of 836) and opponents are connecting on 72.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.3 dimes and 32.7 rebounds per game, which is 180th and 78th in the nation. The Zips on the defensive end are ranked 180th in college in PPG given up with 73.7. They are forcing 13.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the floor (68th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Akron (-8)

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