Preview: Kent State vs. Buffalo

This MAC showdown is one of the best games on Friday's slate

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  • The Kent State Golden Flashes host the Buffalo Bulls Friday in a Mid-American Conference showdown. 

  • Kent State is listed as a 3.5-point home favorite and the total is listed at 150.5. CLICK HERE for live odds.

  • The Golden Flashes are 17-9 overall and 7-6 in the MAC, while the Bulls are 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the conference. 

  • Kent State beat Buffalo on January 20 by the score of 70-66 in Buffalo.  
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BUFFALO 

The Buffalo Bulls are closing strong. They have won three-straight games including a win earlier this week against Ball State. They now stand at 17-9 overall and 8-5 in the MAC, just two games behind first place Bowling Green and Akron in the MAC East. The Bulls are ranked No. 110 in the RPI rankings. They are 11-12-2 against the spread and 11-13-1 against the over-under. Also, they are 5-3 on the road. The Bulls average 78.0 points per game, which ranks 28th in the nation. They shoot 43.4 percent from the floor, which ranks 197th, and 31.6 percent from three-point range, which is 267th. Defensively, the Bulls give up 74.0 points per game, which ranks 291st in the country. Opponents shoot 43 percent against them, which ranks 203rd. They are beasts on the boards, ranking 8th in the nation, and they are 29th in blocked shots. Jayvon Graves leads the Bulls averaging 16.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while Jeenathan Williams averages 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.

KENT STATE 

The Kent State Golden Flashes have hit the skids a bit as they have lost three of their last four games to fall to 17-9 overall and 7-6 in the MAC. They are coming off a really bad 70-49 loss at Eastern Michigan in their last game. Still, they are ranked ahead of Buffalo in the RPI, ranked No. 95. Kent State is 11-12-1 against the spread and 9-2 at home this season. The Golden Flashes are averaging 75.2 points per game, which ranks No. 78 in the nation. The Flashes shoot 44.7 percent from the floor, which ranks No. 120 in the country and 34.7 percent from three-point range, which ranks No. 104. They are 16th in free throws, 10th in rebounds, and 6th in assists. Defensively, Kent State allows an average of 68 points per game, which is 150th in the nation. Opponents shoot 41 percent against them, which is 79th. Also, they are 53rd in three-pointers made. Danny Pippen leads Kent State averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Troy Simmons and Antonio Williams each average 13 points per game. Williams leads the team with 3.6 assists per game. Kent State beat the Bulls in Buffalo last month but the two teams have gone in different directions since then. Kent State has been good at home and they’ll need the home crowd to help them get past a surging Bulls team. 

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