Ohio Bobcats vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 1/27/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio Bobcats vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026

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

TV: ESPN+

M.A.C. Center is where the Kent State Golden Flashes (15-5) will go up against the Ohio Bobcats (11-10) on Tuesday.

The Ohio Bobcats took the court against Akron and went home with a loss by a final score of 86-65 in their last game. Ohio finished the contest having earned a 32.8% FG percentage (20 of 61) and made 4 of 17 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Bobcats knocked down 21 of 27 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. Concerning pulling down boards, they collected a total of 22 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 5 dimes in this matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and having 9 steals. When talking about defending, Ohio allowed the other team to go 49.2% from the floor on 30 out of 61 shooting. Akron totaled 12 dimes and had 2 steals for the game. Additionally, Akron grabbed 40 rebounds (8 offensive, 32 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Akron finished 76.9% from the free throw line by knocking down 20 of 26 tries. They converted 6 of 17 tries from long range. With respect to personal fouls, the Bobcats finished with 19 while Akron racked up 20 personal fouls.

Jackson Paveletzke is a guy who came through in the game. He finished the contest at 36.4% from the floor and also dished out 4 dimes. He played 37 mins and snagged 1 board. He ended up scoring 16 points on 4 out of 11 shooting.

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Ohio will take the court with a win-loss record of 11-10 for the year. They are turning it over 12.2 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.3 personal fouls per game. As a team, Ohio is pulling down 33.9 rebounds per game and has 277 dimes so far this season, which is 223rd in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Bobcats are connecting on 30.7% on shots from 3-point land (141 of 459) and 69.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 77.5 pts per game (164th in the country) while going 47.0% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Bobcats are forcing 12.9 turnovers every game and they draw 19.3 fouls. They relinquish 35.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 286th in college in points per game from their opponents (77.6). The Bobcats defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 45.4% (573 of 1,262) and they concede 35.6 rebounds per game as a unit. They are currently ranked 221st in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 281 surrendered so far this year.

In their last game, the Kent State Golden Flashes took home the win by a final score of 76-75 when they played Eastern Michigan. The Golden Flashes were able to pull down 33 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 in the matchup. They also coughed up the ball 17 times, while getting 3 steals in the game. Eastern Michigan was called for 22 fouls for the contest which got the Golden Flashes to the free throw line for a total of 28 tries. They were able to knock down 22 of the free throw tries for a clip of 78.6%. When talking about three-point shots, Kent State made 8 out of their 23 attempts (34.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Golden Flashes ended up going 23 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.7%. The Golden Flashes allowed Eastern Michigan to convert 27 of their 77 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 35.1% in this contest. They finished shooting 25.0% from distance by shooting 6 out of 24 and ended up shooting 15 of 17 from the free throw line (88.2%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, Kent State allowed Eastern Michigan to snag 33 in total (12 on the offensive glass).

Rob Whaley Jr. ended up having an impact for the Golden Flashes for this contest. He totaled 27 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in the matchup. He made 9 of 16 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 56.3%, and earned 4 rebounds.

Kent State has a record of 15-5 on the season. As an offense, the Golden Flashes are connecting on 47.6% from the field, which is ranked 61st in Division 1. Kent State has scored 1,801 pts on the year (90.1 per contest) and they pull down 40.0 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 17.9 times per game (21st in the country) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per contest. The Golden Flashes commit 20.4 fouls per game and they go 75.3% from the charity stripe.

The Kent State defense gives up 35.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (193 of 548) and their opponents are converting on 71.8% of their foul shots. They allow 15.8 dimes and 33.5 boards every game, which has them ranked 322nd and 125th in college hoops. The Golden Flashes are ranked 349th in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 82.9. They are forcing 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the floor (203rd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ohio

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