The 2-seed Kent State Golden Flashes (27-6) face the 1-seed Toledo Rockets (27-6) Saturday in the MAC Tournament championship game with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line. Tip from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Kent State vs. Toledo odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Kent State knocked off the defending MAC champion Akron 79-73 in the semifinals Friday, one day after racking up a 76-57 victory over Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals Thursday. The Golden Flashes are looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and 7th time in the program’s history.
Toledo belted Ohio 82-75 as a 5.5-point favorite in the semifinals Friday as the Under (162) cashed and defeated Miami (Ohio) 91-75 as a 14-point favorite in the quarterfinals Thursday. Toledo hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1980, although it has made trips to the NIT the past 2 seasons and 3 of the previous 4.
These teams met just once in the regular season, with the Golden Flashes protecting their home court with a 75-63 win as 4-point favorites with the Under (153) coming in on Jan. 10.
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Kent State vs. Toledo odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:37 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Kent State -110 (bet $110 to win $100) | Toledo -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Kent State -1.5 (+100) | Toledo +1.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 149.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Kent State vs. Toledo picks and predictions
Prediction
Kent State 78, Toledo 76
Moneyline
KENT STATE (-110) is worth a look in this title game, as it looks to get it right after losing in the MAC title game to Akron last season.
The Golden Flashes have the offense to be able to hang with the high-flying Rockets. Toledo can roll up big numbers, but it struggles on defense, and that’s what will be its undoing. The Rockets allow 76.1 points per game, which is 321st in the nation, while teams hit 45.8% (297th) from the field and 36.1% (299th) from behind the arc.
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Against the spread
KENT STATE -1.5 (+100) is worth a look if you’d like to chase a slightly better value. However, there is a chance that you can lose this one if the Golden Flashes pull out a 1-point victory.
Over/Under
OVER 149.5 (-105) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at best.
The Rockets are 2nd in the nation with 85.7 points per game and also rank 2nd in 3-point percentage (40.5%), and their defense allows 76.1 points per game, so we’ll see plenty of scoring in this title game.
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