Toledo Rockets vs Kent State Golden Flashes Prediction, 1/16/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toledo Rockets vs Kent State Golden Flashes

Date: Friday, January 16, 2026

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

TV: ESPN+

The Toledo Rockets (10-7) are hitting the road to M.A.C. Center on Friday where they will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes (13-4).

The Toledo Rockets stepped onto the hardwood against Ohio and walked away with a win by a score of 101-85 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Rockets finished with 19 and Ohio racked up 16 fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 24 tries from long range. Ohio finished the contest at 63.2% at the charity stripe by burying 12 of 19 shots. Furthermore, Ohio grabbed 24 rebounds (11 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Ohio recorded 11 dimes and had 5 steals for this game. In the matter of defense, Toledo allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 32 out of 64 shooting. They also dished out 22 assists in the game in addition to creating 11 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to hauling in boards, they compiled a total of 30 with 10 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Rockets converted 16 of 17 shots for a percentage of 94.1%. Toledo ended the contest having earned a 61.9% FG percentage (39 of 63) and buried 7 out of their 17 shots from distance.

Sonny Wilson is one player who was important for the matchup. He left the arena with 25 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He played for 37 minutes played and also snagged 2 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 64.3% from the floor and also recorded 4 assists.

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Toledo will play this game with a mark of 10-7 this season. They are giving up possession 10.7 times per game and as a team are committing 14.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Toledo is pulling down 35.6 rebounds per contest and has 278 assists for the season, which is 88th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Rockets are hitting 33.9% from downtown (115 of 339) and 78.1% from the charity stripe. They average 82.7 points per outing (80th in the nation) while going 47.6% from the floor.

On defense, the Rockets are forcing 13.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They are conceding 35.1% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 290th in Division 1 in opponents points per game (77.8). The Rockets are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 47.9% (508 of 1,061) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per game as a team. They are 303rd in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 268 surrendered for the year.

For their last game, the Kent State Golden Flashes took home the win by a final score of 87-81 when they played Buffalo. The Golden Flashes were able to pull down 33 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for the matchup. They turned the ball over 12 times, while earning 3 steals in the matchup. Buffalo was called for 16 fouls in the game which took the Golden Flashes to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They were able to bury 14 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 77.8%. In the matter of shots from downtown, Kent State knocked down 11 out of their 28 attempts (39.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Golden Flashes shot 31 for 63 from the field which had them shooting 49.2%. The Golden Flashes allowed Buffalo to bury 26 of 58 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 44.8% for the matchup. They went 41.7% from 3-point land by shooting 10 of 24 and ended up shooting 19 out of 27 from the charity stripe (70.4%). When it comes to rebounds, Kent State permitted Buffalo to snag 26 overall (5 on the offensive glass).

Delrecco Gillespie was important for the Golden Flashes for the matchup. He buried 9 out of 12 in this contest giving him a rate of 75.0%, and had 15 rebounds. He earned 20 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 5 assists for this game.

Kent State has a record of 13-4 on the season. As an offense, the Golden Flashes are shooting 48.0% from the floor, which is 60th in the nation. Kent State has tallied 1,537 points for the campaign (90.4 per contest) and they average 39.4 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 18.4 times per game (18th in D-1) and they turn it over 14.1 times per contest. The Golden Flashes have committed 19.7 fouls every game and they shoot 75.0% from the free throw line.

The Kent State defense gives up 35.9% on 3-point attempts (170 of 474) and opponents are making 71.9% of their foul shots. They concede 15.8 dimes and 33.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 317th and 114th in D-1. The Golden Flashes on the defensive end are ranked 338th in college in points given up per game with 81.8. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.9% from the floor (200th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Kent State

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