Ohio Bobcats vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 3/12/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Ohio Bobcats vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: ESPN+

Rocket Arena is the site where the Kent State Golden Flashes (23-8) will try to defeat the Ohio Bobcats (15-16) on Thursday in the MAC Tournament.

The Ohio Bobcats took the court against Miami and took a loss by a score of 110-108 in their last contest. Ohio ended the game with a 48.7% field goal percentage (37 out of 76) and converted 14 out of their 32 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Bobcats buried 20 of 25 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. When talking about grabbing boards, they earned 26 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 12 assists in this contest in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and earning 3 steals. When it comes to defense, Ohio allowed 50.7% from the floor on 34 of 67 shooting. Miami distributed 12 dimes and had 4 steals for the game. On top of that, Miami pulled down 36 rebounds (10 offensive, 26 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Miami went 75.6% at the free throw line by knocking down 31 of 41 attempts. They also made 11 out of their 26 shots from 3-point range. With respect to personal fouls, the Bobcats finished with 27 while Miami totaled 21 personal fouls.

Jackson Paveletzke is one guy who came through for this contest. He walked away with 37 points on 12 out of 25 shooting. He played 45 mins and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He finished shooting 48.0% from the floor and also recorded 6 assists.

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Ohio enters this contest with a win-loss record of 15-16 on the year. They cough up possession 10.8 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.8 fouls per contest. As a unit, Ohio is pulling in 33.6 boards per game and has accounted for 421 assists so far this year, which is 230th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Bobcats are connecting on 31.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (219 of 706) and 70.4% from the free throw line. They are averaging 78.0 points per contest (127th in the nation) while going 46.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Bobcats are able to force 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.1 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 155th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 411 surrendered on the campaign. The Bobcats defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.1% (850 of 1,844) and they concede 36.3 boards per game as a unit. They give up 36.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 306th in the country in points per game from their opponents (78.4).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Kent State Golden Flashes walked away with a victory by a final of 86-78 when they faced Western Michigan. Regarding cleaning up the glass, Kent State allowed Western Michigan to grab 29 in total (10 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc by going 13 out of 34 and walked away from this one shooting 17 out of 23 from the free throw line (73.9%). The Golden Flashes allowed Western Michigan to make 24 out of their 60 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 40.0% in the game. In all, the Golden Flashes went 29 out of 62 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.8%. In relation to three-point attempts, Kent State knocked down 14 of their 34 attempts (41.2%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 63.6%. Western Michigan was called for 14 personal fouls in this contest which took the Golden Flashes to the free throw line for 22 shots. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 8 steals in the game. The Golden Flashes pulled down 20 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards totaling 31 in the game.

Jahari Williamson was important for the Golden Flashes for this game. He buried 5 of 9 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and added 2 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 dimes in this game.

Kent State has a mark of 23-8 this season. When it comes to offensive execution, the Golden Flashes are hitting on 45.6% from the floor, which is 163rd in Division 1. Kent State has earned 2,654 points on the season (85.6 per contest) and they average 39.7 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.4 times per contest (49th in D-1) and they are turning it over 13.6 times per contest. The Golden Flashes have committed 19.5 fouls per contest and they shoot 74.0% from the free throw line.

The Kent State defense gives up 34.6% on shots from 3-point land (286 of 827) and opponents are knocking down 72.3% of their foul shots. They surrender 14.7 dimes and 34.0 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 275th and 156th in college hoops. The Golden Flashes on defense are ranked 328th in college in points per game surrendered with 79.9. They are forcing 12.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.7% from the field (148th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ohio

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