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Kent State vs. Akron Prediction, Odds, and Key Players for MAC Tournament Final

By Iain MacMillan

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Giovanni Santiago (11) calls out to his guys during the first half
Kent State Golden Flashes guard Giovanni Santiago (11) calls out to his guys during the first half / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Kent State went just 8-10 in MAC play during the regular season and barely claimed the eighth and final season in the conference tournament. Now, they're one win away from winning it all and claiming a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Flashes upset No. 1 Toledo in the opening round and then took down No. 5 Bowling Green in the semifinals. If they want to complete their Cinderella run, they'll need to pull off another upset when they face No. 2 Akron in tonight's final.

Can they pull it off? That's what I'm here to find out.

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Kent State vs. Akron odds, spread, and total

Kent State vs. Akron betting trends

  • The OVER is 4-2 in Kent State's last six games
  • Kent State is 15-5 straight up in its last 20 games played on a Saturday
  • Akron is 4-2 ATS in its last six game vs. Kent State
  • The UNDER is 11-4 in Kent State's alst 15 games

Kent State vs. Akron how to watch

  • Date: Saturday, March 16
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
  • How to watch (TV): ESPN2/ESPN+
  • Kent State record: 17-16 (8-10 in MAC)
  • Akron record: 23-10 (13-5 in MAC)

Kent State vs. Akron key players to watch

Kent State

Giovanni Santiago: He may not be the Golden Flashes' leading scorer, but Giovanni Santiago is the one who dishes the rock, leading the team with 4.2 assists per game. With a team like Kent State which has several players averaging double-digit points, it's typically the one moving the ball around that's the most important player. It's also worth noting Santiago is averaging 1.4 steals per contest.

Akron

Enrique Freeman: The MAC Player of the Year is the most key component of this championship game. He's averaging 18.6 points and 13.0 rebounds per game while shooting 59.3% from the field. This team will go as far as Freeman takes them and if Kent State wants any hope of completing the Cinderella Run, they need to find a way to shut him down.

Kent State vs. Akron prediction and pick

Kent State has gone on this run because of hot shooting but I can't see that continuing today against this stout Akron defense. The Zips rank 87th in the country in opponent effective field goal percentage whereas Kent State coming in at 237th.

The best players in college basketball are those who take over in the biggest games and that's what Enrique Freeman does. He has scored a combined 54 points in their first two tournament games and combined for 47 points in Akron's two games against Kent State in the regular season.

This is a tough stylistic matchup for Kent State and the Golden Flashes simply don't have a player that can shutdown the MAC Player of the Year. I'll lay the points with the Zips.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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