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The Ohio Bobcats will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in the semifinals of the Mid-American Tournament. After splitting the season series at one apiece, which team will get the final win between the two? Let’s see what the NCAAB odds for this matchup tell us!
Ohio Bobcats vs. Kent State Golden Flashes
Friday, March 11, 2022 – 7:30 PM EST at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
The Ohio Bobcats will take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in the semifinals of the Mid-American tournament. The Bobcats were smacked around last time they faced Kent State, losing 75-52. However, earlier in the season, Ohio beat Kent State, 80-72.
Ohio finished the regular season, losing three straight games but bounced back with a 10-point win over Ball State last night. The Bobcats limit turnovers to 15.4 percent on the season and continue to shoot a high volume of threes, where the Bobcats are hitting 34.2%.
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Inside the arc, Ohio is knocking down 50.5% of shots and from the foul line, Ohio is shooting close to 74%. Kent State, on the other hand, fouls at a high rate and should put Ohio at the line plenty of times in this game.
The Golden Flashes have held opponents to 30.6% from deep and 49.6% from inside the arc. On the glass, Kent State has also been solid, limiting teams to 26.9% offensive rebounds. The Golden Flashes will also earn 19.9% of turnovers, but the one thing I love about Ohio is how they've been able to take care of the ball. That's crucial in tournament play.
On the other hand, Kent State's offense isn't as good analytically. The Golden Flashes are shooting just 31.8% from deep and 50.8% from inside the arc. From the line, Kent State knocks down just under 75% of shots but Ohio has limited teams from getting to the foul line at a solid rate this season.
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Kent State also earns 30.8% offensive rebounds, however, Ohio is only allowing 25.5% offensive rebounds. Everything Kent State does well, Ohio has an answer outside of defending inside the arc, where Ohio allows teams to shoot 51.7%.
But just like Ohio, Kent State won't shy away from taking threes and will likely not earn nearly as many offensive rebounds as it is used to. Ohio is earning 20.8% steals and has an edge in turnovers knowing that Kent State is giving up the ball 18.4% of the time.
Prediction
To me, this game is more even than oddsmakers are letting on. Ohio shoots a better percentage from the field, should be able to win the turnover battle, keep Kent State off the glass, and should get to the line more frequently.
Ohio will need to take good shots on the offensive end while limiting getting blocked. Then on the defensive end, Ohio will need to continue to be active on the defensive end and earn takeaways. If all of this goes as planned, Ohio is going to win this game. For my NCAAB picks, we'll take the insurance with the +2.
NCAAB Pick: Ohio +2 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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