Kent State vs. Miami Ohio Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks - January 7 | 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Season

The Kent State Golden Flashes (11-3) will visit the Miami (OH) Redhawks (6-8) on Saturday afternoon. Kent State has won five straight games, most recently beating Western Michigan in their MAC opener 80-72. But, more importantly, they have been a tough out this season, with their three losses (against Houston, Gonzaga, and Charleston) coming with a combined 14 points. S

ixth-year senior and 2021-22 MAC POY Sincere Carry leads the team with 16.3 points and 4.9 assists per game. Three-year starter Malique Jacobs and Ball State transfer Miryne Thomas also sit in double-figure scoring for the season.

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Kent State vs. Miami Ohio

Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Money Line
Kent State Golden Flashes	-11.5	o145.5	N/A
Miami (OH) Redhawks	+11.5	u145.5	N/A

Odds are courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook

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Former Xavier bench boss Travis Steele coaches Miami (OH). They lost to Central Michigan 68-56 on Tuesday. They led most of the game, giving up the lead when it turned 53-52 at the two-minute mark.

CMU closed the contest on a 15-4 run, handing the Redhawks their first loss in conference play. Wofford transfer Morgan Safford had a team-high 20 points, while Cleveland State transfer Anderson Mirambeaux posted an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double.

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ShotQuality Tale of the Tape

Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.

Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.

The Kent State Golden Flashes own a 0.99 AdjOFF SQ this season, suitable for 209th in the nation. Miami (OH) has the 302nd-best AdjDEF SQ at 1.07. Kent St. does well to average in all key stats, but spacing, where they are in the 11th percentile. Conversely, the Redhawks are in the 87th percentile in defensive spacing and one of the worst teams in the country in defending the perimeter.

The Golden Flashes own high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, isolation, midrange, off-the-dribble three-pointers, off-screen, and post-up shot types. They are in the bottom 75 in all those shot types except in shooting threes, ranking top 120 in those categories. Conversely, the Redhawks are in the bottom 100 in defending all of those categories except in catch & shoot three-pointers, where they are 159th (1.02 SQ PPP).

The Miami (OH) Redhawks have a 0.97 AdjOFF SQ, the 264th-best mark in the country. Kent State has posted a 0.96 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in 74th in the country. The Redhawks are in the top 100 in open three rate but bottom 50 in rim & three SQ PPP. The Golden Flashes are 111th in open three rate and dominate in rim & three SQ PPP.

Miami (OH) is in the country's top-half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, half-court, isolation, off-the-dribble three-pointer, and post-up. Kent State, on the other hand, is in the top 130 in defending all those shot types except off-the-dribble three-pointers, where they own a 1.01 SQ PPP (246th in the country) and cut, where they own a 1.12 SQ PPP (196th).

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Kent State vs. Miami Ohio Prediction

Kent State is on a mission to punch its first March Madness ticket since the 2016-17 season. While Miami has talent, the offense has been abysmal this season, and a senior-laden Kent team should take advantage of their mistakes.

In addition, the Golden Flashes should be able to pull away late with tough defensive sets for the game. So take Kent to cover against their MAC foe on Saturday.

Prediction: Kent State -11.5 (-110)

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