Posted at 10:30 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

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Mid-American Conference Tournament

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH

Kent State +5 over Akron

Streaming: ESPN 2

7:30 PM. The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament takes center stage tonight in prime time on “The Deuce,” as we find the #2 and #8 seeds in this MAC Tournament final. First up are the #2 Zips of Akron, who take the top billing here after posting a 15-5 record in the MAC and 23-10 overall. We’re not going to take anything away from Akron, as the Zips had a nice season, and they played a competitive schedule that reflects their quality. However, we are not in the business of niceties; we are in the business of mining for value, which in this case comes by way of the inflated points being offered up here on a neutral site.

Enter the Golden Flashes of Kent State, who finished MAC play at 10-10 while posting a 17-16 record overall. Those middling marks might make Kent State a tough bet today when compared to the sparkling record of the Zips, but that discrepancy in wins presents us with a situation in which we are getting a significant pile of points with a team that is better than advertised. The Flashes got to this MAC final after knocking out #1 Toledo (67-59) on Thursday and then #5 Bowling Green, 73-60, yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Zips played a nail-biter with #3 Ohio, in which they won a narrow 65-62 decision.

For some perspective, Kent State was a +5-point underdog versus Toledo in the opening round, and now they are taking back a similar price here against Akron. We cannot predict if the Golden Flashes will continue their winning ways, but we do know that they are playing footloose and fancy-free here as the #8 seed with a shot to go to the NCAA Tournament, while this bracket has fallen Akron’s way and the Zips' path to March Madness is easier than it was supposed to be with #1 Toledo going down on day one.

There is a saying that goes, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it,” and that phrase rings true here, as the Flashes are rolling, and they figure to compete here again today with nothing to lose. The Zips are likely to get the kitchen sink thrown at them and even if they don’t, the points being offered up here on the Golden Flashes are just too good to pass up.

Sherwood

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