Halftime Report
Akron is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Kent State 48-31.
Akron entered the game having won eight straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it nine, or will Kent State step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Akron Zips @ Kent State Golden Flashes
Current Records: Akron 15-5, Kent State 13-7
How To Watch
- When: Friday, January 31, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center — Kent, Ohio
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Watch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TV
- Live Stream: CBSSports.com or fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $40.66
What to Know
We’ve got another exciting Mid American matchup on schedule as the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Akron Zips are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center. The game is expected to be a close one, with the Golden Flashes going off as just a 1.5-point favorite.
Kent State took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They took down Bowling Green 75-57.
Among those leading the charge was VonCameron Davis, who went 10 for 16 en route to 24 points plus two steals. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in field goal percentage (62.5%). Cian Medley was another key player, dropping a double-double on 12 points and ten assists.
Meanwhile, Akron had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 17.3 points) and they went ahead and made it eight on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 80-70.
Akron can attribute much of their success to Nate Johnson, who had 19 points in addition to six rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Tavari Johnson, who went 7 for 11 en route to 21 points.
Akron smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as N. Illinois only pulled down five.
Kent State’s win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 13-7. As for Akron, they are on a roll lately: they’ve won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.
Kent State and Akron were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, but Kent State came up empty-handed after a 62-61 defeat. Will Kent State have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Kent State is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Akron, 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 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 144.5 points.
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Series History
Akron has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Kent State.
- Mar 16, 2024 – Akron 62 vs. Kent State 61
- Feb 23, 2024 – Akron 83 vs. Kent State 70
- Jan 19, 2024 – Akron 77 vs. Kent State 71
- Mar 10, 2023 – Kent State 79 vs. Akron 73
- Mar 03, 2023 – Kent State 89 vs. Akron 84
- Feb 03, 2023 – Akron 67 vs. Kent State 55
- Mar 12, 2022 – Akron 75 vs. Kent State 55
- Feb 11, 2022 – Kent State 66 vs. Akron 64
- Jan 14, 2022 – Kent State 67 vs. Akron 55
- Feb 05, 2021 – Akron 72 vs. Kent State 61