Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman, left, eyes down the ball against Kent State center Cli'Ron Hornbeak when they met back in February. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

MAC Kent State vs. Akron odds, pick: Flashes have that mojo workin'

Originally posted on Action Network | By Matt Cox | Last updated 3/16/24

2022 belonged to Akron. Last year belonged to Kent State. This year, the MAC crown will rest on John Groce or Rob Senderoff's mantle for the second time in three years.

There's never a major motivational edge in a conference tournament title game, but the Zips should have an extra ounce of juice after last year's MAC semifinal showdown, when Kent State abruptly halted Akron's 2022 title defense, 79-73.

Kent State vs. Akron Odds

Saturday, March 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Kent State Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+5 -110	132.5 -110o / -110u	+170

Akron Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-5 -110	132.5 -110o / -110u	-250

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute NCAAB odds here.

The roles now are reversed, Akron as the hunted and Kent State as the hunter, a refreshing change of pace for the Flashes, who struggled through roller coaster ebbs and flows all season.

Akron picked on Kent State in both regular season matchups, so the cliche "hard to beat a team three times" narrative applies tonight for the Zips — though, there's no data to support that angle.

More importantly, Kent's makeup is fundamentally different now, paced by two steady southpaws, Giovanni Santiago and Jalen Sullinger.

Their incendiary shotmaking carried the Flashes to a convincing victory yesterday, but the interior dirty work of Cli'Ron Hornbeak, VonCameron Davis and Julius Rollins was the difference.

That trio must bring their A-game against the Zips' daunting two-pronged frontline attack of Enrique Freeman and Ali Ali.

It's reasonable to bet against Kent State's outlier shooting run, but it's just as wise to trust the current form of this revamped rotation, especially with a cerebral coach in Senderoff at the control panel.

Sendy was 4-2 against the spread versus Groce in 2021 and 2022, both years with Freeman and Ali. He's yet to cover against Groce this season, but the Flashes' current mojo makes the 4-5 point cushion appetizing, especially in what should be an ugly, low-scoring affair.