Mid-American foes will collide when the Kent State Golden Flashes (16-9) square off against the Western Michigan Broncos (10-15) at Memorial A & C Center. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The Golden Flashes lost to Eastern Michigan 75-70 on Saturday. Khaliq Spicer had a good game for Kent State, putting up 15 points, nine rebounds, and one block. The Broncos are coming off a 74-68 win against Bowling Green on Saturday. Tucker Haymond stood out, accounting for 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Thomas Wilder has upped his play over the last five games for the Broncos, averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Flashes won the first game 87-84. Wilder had a standout performance with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block, and one three-pointer in the loss.
While the Golden Flashes have a good Straight Up (SU) record (16-9), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with an 8-13 record.
On the other side, Western Michigan has a SU record of 10-15 and an ATS record of 10-10. Western Michigan is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the nation, making 17.0 shots from the line per game.
With the Golden Flashes’ last win against Western Michigan, their SU record against Western Michigan moves to 7-3 over their most recent meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – KentSt, ATS Winner – KentSt
Notes
The Western Michigan Broncos average 69.4 possessions per game and 1.055 points per possession. The Kent State Golden Flashes earn fewer possessions with 68.2, but they score more points with 1.089.
The Kent State Golden Flashes average an effective field goal percentage of 49.7% this season. The Western Michigan Broncos are 6-7 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.7% or greater.
Kent State ranks 63rd in offensive rebounding. Western Michigan ranks 128th in defensive rebounding.
Kent State has forced an average turnover rate of 18.1% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 18.1% or higher, Western Michigan is an even 7-7.
