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The Akron Zips are in the driver’s seat to make the NCAA tournament out of the MAC, but need to turn it back on to secure a bid. Akron sits atop the conference despite losses in three of its past four games and needs to gain some confidence in the regular season finale against the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Akron has been the best team in the conference throughout the year but a loss in the conference tournament could be a replay of last year, when it was the top seed and lost to Buffalo in the championship. The Zips missed out on March Madness because of it and want to enter this year’s conference tournament with some momentum.
Kent State is a formidable foe, especially because the Golden Flashes are playing this one at home. This is an intriguing matchup for both sides and the spread may not be too big.
At 9 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Friday, March 3, 2017, at the Memorial A & C Center in Kent, Ohio.
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Akron is 23-6 straight up and 9-15-1 against the spread. The Zips have played in 12 road games this season and have gone 4-7-1 against the spread in those contests. Akron has only covered in eight of 22 attempts as the favorite this season.
Kent State is 17-12 straight up and 12-12-1 against the spread. The Golden Flashes have played in 10 home games this season and covered in four of them. Kent State has done well as the underdog this season, covering in six of nine tries.
Last Meeting
The last time these two teams met back on February 18th at James A. Rhodes Arena, Kent State spoiled Akron’s long home winning streak that stretched back 30 games with a 70-67 upset. There is no question that the Zips will be looking to avenge that loss with a win on the road this week.
The Golden Flashes led by a point with 30 seconds to go and went six-for-six from the free throw line to seal the victory. Deon Edwin had 21 points and seven rebounds for Kent State and Jimmy Hall and Jaylin Walker combined for another 34 points.
Isaiah Johnson had a team-high 18 points for Akron, which kept things close, but never led. All five of the Zips’ other losses were on the road this season, two coming to teams ranked in the Top 10.
Player to Watch
Jimmy Hall -- Kent State’s senior forward is averaging a double-double this season, putting up 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He finished with 20 points and 10 points in the team’s recent win over Ohio and had 26 points and 10 rebounds against Buffalo on February 21st.
Hall has captured a total of 17 double-double this season. He had 18 points and six rebounds against Akron in the the first meeting between the two squads.
The senior finished with a season-high 28 points against Central Michigan and recorded 19 rebounds against Oregon State in December, also a high for the year. He has the ability to be a game-changer and comes into this matchup with a lot of momentum.
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Akron has to be worried about another late-season swoon which would keep it from March Madness, and Kent State will be confident in this one after winning the first matchup.
However, each of the Zips’ three recent losses have come by four points or fewer, which means it has been a bit unlucky to fall in each game. Akron should be able to bounce back in this one to pick up a critical road win, setting itself up for another run at the NCAA tournament by winning the MAC tournament next week.
College Basketball Odds: Akron 74, Kent State 68
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