Kent State vs. Northern Illinois MAC Tournament Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 9, 2023

The No. 2 seed Kent State Golden Flashes (25-6, 15-3 MAC) are favored by 13.5 points in the MAC Tournament against the No. 7 seed Northern Illinois Huskies (13-18, 9-9 MAC) on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, beginning at 4:00 PM on ESPN+. The matchup has an over/under set at 141 points.

Kent State vs. Northern Illinois Odds

• Kent State odds to win: -1261
• Northern Illinois odds to win: +754
• Spread: Kent State (-13.5)
• Total: 141

Kent State vs. Northern Illinois Promo Codes

Game Time and Information

• Date: Thursday, March 9, 2023
• Time: 4:00 PM ET
• TV: ESPN+
• Where: Cleveland, Ohio
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse

Who Will Win Kent State vs. Northern Illinois?

Kent State and Northern Illinois Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread

In games it has played as at least 13.5-point favorites this season, Kent State is 4-3-1 against the spread.

Northern Illinois has a 3-2 record against the spread when an underdog by 13.5 points or more this season.

These teams average 148.5 points per game combined, 7.5 more than the total of 141.

Opponents of the two teams average a combined 0.6 fewer points per game (140.4) than this matchup’s over/under of 141 points.

Kent State’s average point total in outings this year is 141.4, 0.4 points higher than the total in this game.

The average point total for the Huskies this year is 6.5 points higher than this game’s over/under.

The Golden Flashes are 18-11-1 against the spread this season.

The Huskies’ ATS record is 17-12-0 this season.

Kent State Stats & Insights

Kent State averages 76 points per game (78th in college basketball) while giving up 65.4 per outing (47th in college basketball). It has a +331 scoring differential overall and outscores opponents by 10.6 points per game.

Kent State is 157th in the country at 32.1 rebounds per game. That’s 1.1 more than the 31 its opponents average.

The Golden Flashes knock down 7.8 three-pointers per game (127th in college basketball) at a 33.7% rate (209th in college basketball), compared to the 7 their opponents make while shooting 31.1% from deep.

Kent State ranks 113th in college basketball with 96.5 points scored per 100 possessions, and 12th in college basketball defensively with 82.9 points conceded per 100 possessions.

When playing at home, the Golden Flashes are scoring 15.6 more points per game (83.9) than they are when playing on the road (68.3).

Northern Illinois Stats & Insights

Northern Illinois has a -78 scoring differential, falling short by 2.5 points per game. It is putting up 72.5 points per game, 163rd in college basketball, and is allowing 75 per contest to rank 312th in college basketball.

Northern Illinois ranks 272nd in college basketball at 30.1 rebounds per game. That’s 3.1 fewer than the 33.2 its opponents average.

Northern Illinois connects on 7.4 three-pointers per game (181st in college basketball), while its opponents have made 7.2 on average.

Northern Illinois’ 91.4 points per 100 possessions on offense rank 242nd in college basketball, and the 94.5 points it concedes per 100 possessions rank 269th in college basketball.

At home the Huskies are putting up 77.6 points per game, 8.4 more than they are averaging away (69.2).

Kent State Key Players to Watch

Sincere Carry leads the Golden Flashes in points and assists per game, scoring 17.5 points and distributing 4.9 assists.

Kent State’s best rebounder is Miryne Thomas, who averages 5.1 boards per game in addition to his 10.1 PPG average.

The Golden Flashes get the most three-point shooting production out of Thomas, who knocks down two threes per game.

Malique Jacobs is Kent State’s leader in steals, averaging 2.7 steals per game, while Chris Payton leads them in blocks with one per contest.

Northern Illinois Key Players to Watch

David Coit is the top scorer for the Huskies with 15.7 points per game. He also tacks on 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game to his statistics.

The Northern Illinois leaders in rebounding and assists are Anthony Crump with 5.2 rebounds per game (he also adds 7.6 points and 1.3 assists per game) and Kaleb Thornton with 5.3 assists per game (he also tacks on 8.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game).

Coit is reliable from three-point range and leads the Huskies with 2.8 made threes per game.

Thornton (1.6 steals per game) is the steal leader for Northern Illinois while Oluwasegun Durosinmi (0.9 blocks per game) is the block leader.

Kent State vs. Northern Illinois Prediction

• Pick ATS:

  Northern Illinois (+13.5)
  

• Pick OU:

  Over (141)
  

• Prediction:
  Kent State 78, Northern Illinois 66

How to Bet on Kent State vs. Northern Illinois

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