The Kent State Golden Flashes (1-0) visit the Virginia Cavaliers (2-1) Friday night for a 6 p.m. ET non-conference contest at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. Below, we analyze the Kent State-Virginia college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Kent State at Virginia: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Kent State +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400) | Virginia -5000 (bet $5,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Kent State +19.5 (+100) | Virginia -19.5 (-121)
- Over/Under: 124.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Kent State at Virginia: Three things to know
- Kent State opened its season with a 90-41 victory over Point Park (Pa.) Wednesday. The Flashes were dominant in forcing turnovers and won the game easily despite going just 5-for-29 (17.2%) from 3-point land.
- The slow-things-down Cavaliers opened last season with seven straight victories, but only one was by more than 20 points. Both wins this season — over Towson and St. Francis (Pa.) — have been by margins of 25-plus points. Most analytic pace measurements peg the Wahoos as one of the 20-30 slowest teams in terms of total possessions in NCAA-I.
- Senior F Jay Huff has averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in less than 20 minutes of action. The 7-footer has also blocked 8 shots already. Virginia ranked third in the ACC a year ago, swatting away 4.9 shots per contest.
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Kent State at Virginia: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Virginia 73, Kent State 51
Money line (ML)
STEER CLEAR, figuring the true odds are well bracketed by the wide 2200-to-10000 berth.
Against the spread (ATS)
The Cavaliers struggled to cover at home last season, especially in the second half of the campaign. From Dec. 18-Feb. 11, UVA went just 1-7 ATS in such games. What helps back this play is the early 61-60 loss to San Francisco (Nov. 27). Virginia bounced back with a 25-point win the next time out (against St. Francis).
None of the shooting, turnover, or rebounding analytics were out of whack in that victory. The St. Francis opponent figures as a solid comp for Kent State.
The slow pace is always a major consideration when trying to peg a big cover, but the overriding pace in this one is the jolt KSU is likely to get going from NAIA schedule fodder to DI top 10. BACK THE CAVALIERS -20.5 (-110).
Over/Under (O/U)
PASS ON THE O/U ACTION. A low-70s vs. low-50s final figures as a probable finish in the tumble of scoreboard digits.
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