Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Kent State and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. They have jumped out to a quick 41-32 lead against Miami (Ohio).
Kent State came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks @ Kent State Golden Flashes
Current Records: Miami (Ohio) 12-4, Kent State 11-5
How To Watch
What to Know
Miami (Ohio) is 2-8 against Kent State since February of 2019 but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Both will face off in a Mid American battle at 3:00 p.m. ET at Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center. The RedHawks are coming into the contest hot, having won their last six games.
Last Tuesday, Miami (Ohio) didn’t have too much trouble with N. Illinois as they won 84-69.
Brant Byers was the offensive standout of the match as he went 5 for 7 en route to 17 points. Eian Elmer was another key player, scoring 13 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Kent State last Tuesday, but the final result did not. They fell 94-83 to Western Michigan. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Kent State’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Jalen Sullinger, who went 8 for 12 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points, and Cli’Ron Hornbeak, who went 7 for 9 en route to 17 points plus two steals. The dominant performance gave Sullinger a new career-high in threes. The team also got some help courtesy of Delrecco Gillespie, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.
Miami (Ohio) is on a roll lately: they’ve won seven of their last eight games, which provided a nice bump to their 12-4 record this season. As for Kent State, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-5.
Keep an eye on the arc in Saturday’s matchup: Miami (Ohio) has been dynamite from deep this season, having nailed 40.6% of their threes per game. It’s a different story for Kent State, though, as they’ve only made 28% of their threes this season. Given Miami (Ohio)’s sizable advantage in that area, Kent State will need to find a way to close that gap.
Miami (Ohio) is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last four times they’ve played.
Odds
Kent State is a 4.5-point favorite against Miami (Ohio), according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 141.5 points.
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Series History
Kent State has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Miami (Ohio).
- Jan 30, 2024 – Miami (Ohio) 71 vs. Kent State 67
- Jan 07, 2023 – Kent State 69 vs. Miami (Ohio) 66
- Mar 10, 2022 – Kent State 85 vs. Miami (Ohio) 75
- Feb 01, 2022 – Kent State 78 vs. Miami (Ohio) 65
- Feb 27, 2021 – Kent State 64 vs. Miami (Ohio) 51
- Feb 02, 2021 – Kent State 77 vs. Miami (Ohio) 68
- Feb 25, 2020 – Kent State 74 vs. Miami (Ohio) 61
- Jan 14, 2020 – Miami (Ohio) 77 vs. Kent State 74
- Mar 05, 2019 – Kent State 75 vs. Miami (Ohio) 66
- Feb 05, 2019 – Kent State 70 vs. Miami (Ohio) 67
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