Kent State vs Ohio Odds, Spread & Picks (Jan. 13)

• The Kent State Golden Flashes tangle with the Ohio Bobcats on Friday January 13th
• The Golden Flashes are riding a 7-game winning streak, having not tasted defeat in over a month
• Below, we dish out the Kent State vs Ohio odds plus prediction for this game

The top team in the Mid-American conference, Kent State (13-3, 11-3 ATS) pays a visit to the Ohio Bobcats (9-7, 8-7 ATS) – who have a spotless 7-0 home record – on Friday, January 13th, at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

Tipoff for this contest is set for 6:30 pm ET, with both teams coming off conference victories on Tuesday. While the Golden Flashes own a stellar 13-3 record, they are just a game above .500 on the road at 4-3.

Oddsmakers still like the Mid-American conferences top team to hand Ohio their first home loss of the season, with Kent State opening up as 3.5-point favorites.

Kent State vs Ohio Odds

Odds as of January 12th from  FanDuel. Unlock the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code to  bet on this game.

Not only does Kent State have an impressive 13 wins in 16 games, but from a betting perspective, they’ve managed to cover the spread at a spectacular 78.6% rate. As -176 chalk on the moneyline, the Golden Flashes have an implied win probability of 63.77%, while Ohio’s probability for victory is 40.65% with +146 straight up odds.

Kent State on Roll in Moneyline Odds

With a perfect 3-0 conference record and seven straight victories, the Golden Flashes roll into Athens, Ohio with a head full of confidence. They’ve only lost three games all year, and two of those defeats were to teams who are leading candidates in the odds to win the NCAA tournament, Gonzaga and Houston.

Defense has been the strong point of this Golden Flashes side that rank 30th in adjusted defensive efficiency according to the KenPom ratings. They are ball hawks on the court, averaging over 10 steals per game which places them in the top 10 programs in that category in the country.

Senior guard Malique Jacobs ranks tops in the nation in steals per game with an incredible 3.2 thefts per outing. He’s one of only four Division I players who averages three or more steals per game.

Malique Jacobs Career Stats…

1,469 points, 721 rebounds, 465 assists, 249 steals, 83 blocks

107-33 W-L Record…

Kent State currently 13-3/3-0

When you keep climbing day by day, you eventually look back and see how far you’ve come up! @JacobsMalique pic.twitter.com/I0n4Cs0cY9

— Hank Plona (@HankPlona_IHCC) January 11, 2023

The Golden Flashes are basically forcing teams to turn the ball over once every four possessions. They have held opponents to under 70 points in all but three contests so far. To further compliment their defensive resume, opponents average only 62 points per game against them, putting them top 30 in the nation.

Ohio Bobcats Perfect on Home Court

Not only are the Bobcats a perfect seven for seven when playing host to other teams, they’ve also covered three straight at Convocation Hall while going 1-3 against the spread on the road.

They may feel slighted since Kent State are the chalk in the college basketball odds for this tilt, but can take some confidence in the fact that they defeated the Golden Flashes on their own court last season and covered the spread in the process.

Contrary to their opponents, this Bobcats side is a more offensively geared squad. With an adjusted offensive efficiency of 105.0, they rank 117th in the nation according to KenPom, but it’s beyond the arc where they really do their damage.

DOWNTOWN MILES BROWN!!#OUohyeah pic.twitter.com/TFwzLCQ0nb

— Ohio Men’s Basketball (@OhioMBasketball) January 7, 2023

Ohio hits on over 37% of their three-point attempts, putting them amongst the top 50 teams in the country. Kent State would be wise to keep an eye on Miles Brown in particular. The senior guard throws up about four attempts from long distance per contest and hits on over 50% of those shots.

Kent State vs Ohio Pick and Prediction

Last season, the team designated as the home side won and covered all three head-to-head meetings.

Kent State vs Ohio Recent Results

Undoubtedly, Kent State has been very impressive through the first two months of the season and their only losses have come against pretty stellar competition. Those are teams that you can’t compare Ohio to.

However, the spread in this one is tight for a reason. The Golden Flashes have failed to cover as favorites in their last two on the road and Ohio provides a stern test when playing host. Our prediction is that the Bobcats cover as home dogs in the Kent State vs Ohio odds on Friday night.

Pick: Ohio Bobcats +3.5 (-105)