Toledo vs Kent State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 11 MAC Championship (Golden Flashes Slow Rockets Down)

Toledo vs Kent State Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 11 MAC Championship (Golden Flashes Slow Rockets Down)

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Toledo vs Kent State Game Info

  • 2022-23 NCAA Basketball MAC Tournament Championship
  • Toledo (27-6, 16-2 MAC) vs. Kent State (27-6, 15-3 MAC)
  • Date: Saturday, March 11, 2023
  • Time: 7:30 PM ET
  • Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
  • Coverage: ESPN2

The MAC Championship is on the line when the Toledo Rockets and Kent State Golden Flashes collide in NCAA college basketball action on Saturday, March 11.

Toledo advanced through the semifinals with an 82-75 win over Ohio that saw RayJ Dennis dominate with a 28-point showing. Meanwhile, Kent State picked up a 79-73 victory against Akron less than 24 hours ago in a game where the Golden Flashes forced the Zips to turn the ball over 18 times.

Will Kent State leave with the championship after coming up short last year? Or does Toledo have what it takes to end its 43-year title drought?

Toledo vs Kent State Odds & Spread

Kent State enters this contest as the slim favorite on the moneyline while the spread is a pick 'em situation per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 148.5 points with both sides sitting at -110 odds.

Toledo vs Kent State Betting Trends

  • Toledo is 21-11-0 against the spread this year.
  • The Rockets' ATS record as 0.5-point favorites or more is 19-9.
  • There have been 22 Toledo's games (out of 32) that went over the total this season.
  • Kent State is 20-10-0 against the spread this season.
  • The Golden Flashes are 4-0 as 0.5-point underdogs or greater.
  • Kent State has seen 10 of its 30 games go over the point total.
Toledo Rank Toledo AVG Kent State AVG Kent State Rank
2nd 85.8 Points Scored 76.1 77th
328th 76.0 Points Allowed 65.3 48th
232nd 31.0 Rebounds 32.4 139th
214th 8.1 Off. Rebounds 9.3 103rd
53rd 8.7 3pt Made 7.8 128th
49th 15.1 Assists 12.3 239th
15th 9.6 Turnovers 11.1 100th

Toledo vs Kent State Prediction & Pick

On one hand, it'd be easy to side with Toledo here. After all, the Rockets haven't lost a game since January 10, winning each of their last 17 outings in a row. Funny enough, that last loss came against Kent State and I wouldn't be surprised if the Golden Flashes handed their rival another defeat tonight.

Toledo might have the country's second-best offense, but Kent State has scored the ball well lately. The Golden Flashes are scoring 81 PPG during their five-game winning streak and have scored 80-plus points in four of their last eight games. Unless they have an off night, they should be able to keep up with the Rockets' attack.

Kent State also has the defensive advantaged, surrendering 66.0 PPG (No. 50) compared to Toledo's 75.6 PPG allowed (No. 305). The Golden Flashes also already proved they could shut down the Rockets when they held them to 63 points two months ago.

It won't be easy, but I see Kent State winning this one.

Final Score Prediction: Kent State: 78 | Toledo: 76

Toledo vs Kent State Best Bet

Kent State has had Toledo's number for a while now, winning six of the previous eight chapters in this rivalry — including each of the last three meetings. It's going to be another back-and-forth contest, but Kent State's defense will be the difference-maker once the dust settles.

While there's nothing wrong with taking Kent State on the moneyline or spread, more value can be had by backing it to win by one to 10 points.

Bet: Kent State Win Margin — 1-10 Points (+198)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.