Ohio vs Kent State Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan. 26

Ohio vs Kent State Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan. 26 | College Basketball Season 2023-24

Modified Jan 26, 2024 02:37 GMT

Kent State v Indiana - the Golden Flashes face Ohio next

Ohio versus Kent State is next on the college basketball schedule, and this matchup should be a good one. The Bobcats and Golden Flashes are not among the best teams in their conference thus far, but a win in this game could jumpstart something good if they play their cards right.

Both teams have similar records coming into the matchup. Ohio is 9-10 and Kent State is 10-9, while their in-conference records are identical at 3-4. They're not exactly bad, but middle of the pack in the MAC is considered slang for mediocre. And that's how the campaigns of these two teams have been so far. But something's got to give here.

Ohio vs Kent State Prediction

The Bobcats have only won two of their last five, and they're also coming off a loss against Akron. So fans better believe they'll be looking to bounce back, but they'll also be going up against what could be among the closest-matched teams to them thus far.

Ohio and Kent State are two of the best-scoring teams in the MAC at No. 3 and No. 2, respectively. But the Bobcats are the better defensive squad, being fourth in the conference in terms of points allowed (71.9) and FG percentage allowed (42.9 percent). So while these two teams could try to one-up each other on offense, if Ohio's defense can tighten up at the right times, it should carry them past Kent State.

But that is a big if. The Golden Flashes are the favorites in this game for a reason. They have the better individual scorer in Jalen Sullinger (15.2 ppg, 44.7 FG%) who could easily have his way against an above-average defense at best. He is also coming off a season-high 30-point performance against Bowling Green, which Kent State beat in OT on the road.

Ohio versus Kent State could be a battle of high-octane offenses for a good chunk of the game, but the Bobcats' defense needs to turn up at the opportune time to offset the Golden Flashes' scoring and avoid merely trading baskets.

Ohio vs Kent State Betting Odds

TEAM	SPREAD	TOTAL	MONEYLINE
OHIO	+3.5 (-110)	o151.5 (-110)	+130
KENT STATE	-2 (-115)	u152 (-110)	-140

Ohio vs Kent State Head-to-Head

This is the 156th Ohio versus Kent State men's hoops meeting of all time (via OhioBobcats.com), and the Bobcats handily lead the series, 97-58. However, Ohio has underperformed against Kent State since the 2009-2010 season.

Within the last 13 years, the Bobcats have only gone 12-19 against the Golden Flashes. Furthermore, current head coach Jeff Boals is 3-6 against the team. So one could believe that things should start turning for the better, but Ohio will need to show some effort for this to pass.