The No. 7-seed Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (14-17) and No. 2 Kent State Golden Flashes (21-9) tangle in a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup Thursday. The contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland is slated to tip off at 4 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Miami vs. Kent State odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Miami — which went 8-12 in placing seventh in the MAC — has registered a pair of five-game losing streaks on the season, but it enters this bracket off a pair of convincing wins to close out the regular season. Miami can often struggle on defense, and it did just that in going 3-9 from Jan. 25-Feb. 26. Over that stretch, Miami coughed up 78.3 points per contest. That stretch included a 78-65 loss to Kent State Feb. 1.
Kent State has won four in a row against Miami, while going 3-0-1 against the spread (ATS). The Flashes went 16-4 to place second in the MAC, and they enter this tournament as the conference’s hottest team. Kent has won 12 in a row, last losing Jan. 21 at Buffalo. Kent State plays at a slow pace and with an efficient defense. The Flashes have held foes to a 41.1% accuracy mark from the floor over their 12 straight wins.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
Miami vs. Kent State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:41 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Miami +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Kent State -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Miami +6.5 (-115) | Kent State -6.5 (-107)
- Over/Under (O/U): 139.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Miami vs. Kent State odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Kent State 70, Miami 69
Money line
Miami played poorly in its February loss to Kent State, but the Redhawks have been on a decent trend line since. The more veteran Miami five is worthy of being about a 33-35% choice in this contest. There is value in MIAMI (+220).
Against the spread
Threes are a big part of Redhawks’ game as they have connected at a 39.2% clip on such shots since Feb. 15. Kent may be due a bit of regression with its perimeter defense.
The Flashes are the better team, but the touchdown spread here is a bit much. BACK MIAMI +6.5 (-115).
Over/Under
PASS on a well-made total.
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