by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Jan 26, 2023
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: M.A.C. Center, Kent, OH
Where to watch: ESPNU
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Kent State -11
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Kent State -11
Season record
Buffalo: 10-10 (4-3 MAC)
Kent State: 16-4 (6-1 MAC)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Buffalo - Kent State preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Buffalo: won 91-65 at Ball State
Kent State: lost 86-76 at Northern Illinois
The Kent State Golden Flashes will try to bounce back after having a 10-game winning streak end when they host the Buffalo Bulls on Friday at M.A.C. Center.
The Kent State Golden Flashes will try to bounce back after having a 10-game winning streak end when they host the Buffalo Bulls on Friday at M.A.C. Center.
Kent State is coming off an 86-76 loss at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, their first loss since losing 73-66 to Gonzaga on Dec. 5. That loss, and even the loss to Houston on Thanksgiving weekend, has propelled Kent State to this tremendous start.
The Golden Flashes did everything conceivable to win this game. They shot 53 percent from the floor, turned it over just 12 times and got a balanced scoring attack from five in double figures, led by 17 points from Jalen Sullinger off the bench. But NIU shot 52 percent, made 5 more free throws and five more 3-pointers. Not to mention David Coit led all scorers with a game-high 32 points.
Kent State has still won nine of its last 10 but failed to cover for the first time in five games and are just 5-4 against the spread in the last nine games.
Buffalo has lost three of its last five, but is coming off a 91-65 win over Ball State on Tuesday in which the Bulls also covered as 6-point underdogs. Not too bad of a win on the road for a team that needed it. Curtis Jones scored 27 points and Armoni Foster added 20 points on a perfect 8 of 8 shooting.
Foster scored 11 of his points in the second half in which was a runaway for Buffalo.
The MAC is currently a free-for-all from the first half down. Kent State is tied atop the conference with the Akron Zips, who have won five in a row to put them in that position to overtake them at some point.
The only thing I can definitively say is that you should never discount MACtion, no matter the sport. We went through this last year toward March, and we’re on our way to that again. It’s not just football that gets all the fun. When you get teams like Kent State rolling, you’re going to be in for some fun.
Prediction
Buffalo has actually won seven of the last 10 meetings, but it’s always hard to decipher whether or not a team has its number or the better team is ready to turn the corner. With this situation, I think it’s the latter and with Kent State at home, that’s going to make a difference. Kent State 84, Buffalo 70
Betting trends
Buffalo is 14-8 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Buffalo is 12-18 ATS off a conference win the last 3 seasons.
Kent State is 13-4 ATS in all games this season.
Kent State is 33-15 ATS when playing their 2nd game in a week the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Buffalo:
PG: Yazid Powell
SG: Curtis Jones
SF: Isaiah Adams
PF: Laquill Hardnett
C: Jo Smith
Kent State:
PG: Giovanni Santiago
SG: Voncameron Davis
SF: Sincere Carry
PF: Malique Jacobs
C: Miryne Thomas
Statistical leaders
Buffalo:
Points: Curtis Jones -- 15.9
Rebounds: Laquill Hardnett -- 7.3
Assists: Armoni Foster -- 3.7
Kent State:
Points: Sincere Carry -- 17.0
Rebounds: Cli'Ron Hornbeat -- 5.9
Assists: Sincere Carry -- 4.9
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
