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Kent State vs Indiana Basketball Prediction & Picks (March Madness 2023 First Round)

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Kent State vs Indiana Basketball Prediction & Picks (March Madness 2023 First Round) cover

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After earning their highest March Madness seed since 2013, Indiana will attempt to advance to the second round tonight with a win over Kent State in a Midwest Regional matchup in Albany, New York (9:55 pm ET, TBS).

The contest between the fourth-seeded Hoosiers (22-11) and the #13 Golden Flashes (28-6) is a matchup many have pegged as a potential upset.

But will that possibility come to fruition at MVP Arena? Read on for our Kent State vs Indiana prediction and picks.

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Kent State vs Indiana Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, March 17, 2023.

Spread

Kent State +4.5 (-110)
Indiana -4.5 (-110)

Over/Under

Over 140.5 (-105)
Under 140.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Kent State +162
Indiana -196

Is Indiana Being Underrated?

Given that Indiana was the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten title, started the season 7-0, and was ranked in the top 10 at one point, there’s a lot to look at as a disappointment.

The Hoosiers did finish tied with Northwestern for 2nd in the Big Ten standings, but they suffered eight conference losses and finished three games behind Purdue, who they beat twice.

Freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino emerged as the team’s second-best scorer as the season went on, but this is a team that is still very much largely dependent on Trayce Jackson-Davis to be at or near his best almost every time out in order to compete.

Percentage wise, they are one of the better teams in the country in shooting the three–37.0%, which is 43rd in Division I–but the caveat there is that they average only 15.3 three-point attempts and 5.7 three-point makes per game.

It’s no real surprise that they beat Purdue twice, but it’s also equally surprising that they ran into a lot of trouble against teams equipped to make a big game by Jackson-Davis irrelevant.

That said, for as limited as Indiana is, it is a bit odd to see such a small spread in this matchup. Is it off, or is it spot on?

This is the smallest spread of any of the #4 vs #13 matchups in this year’s tournament. Virginia was a 5.5-point favorite against Furman, a team I had pegged as one of my top March Madness sleepers.

I had that pegged correctly, at least as far as the first round goes, as the Paladins stunned the Cavaliers in the final seconds after trailing by 12 with under 11 minutes left.

But is Kent State likely to join Furman in the second round?

The Golden Flashes won 28 games. And they are one of the hottest teams in the field, having won six straight and 22 of 25. And though they lost all three games, they were impressive against Houston (five-point loss), Gonzaga (seven-point loss), and Charleston (two-point loss).

Based on what they did against Houston and Gonzaga, Kent State certainly has the goods to pull the upset. But it still feels a little off that Indiana is favored by such a small margin. Even San Diego State was favored by a larger margin over Charleston in their #5 vs #12 matchup yesterday.

Kent State vs Indiana Prediction and Picks

Prediction for Kent State vs Indiana: Indiana to win

Pick for Kent State vs Indiana: Indiana to cover (Best Value: -3.5 @ BetUS)

I don’t have high hopes for the Hoosiers when it comes to a deep March Madness run. But TJD will be able to have his way inside, and I think that will prove to be Kent State’s undoing in this matchup.

Where to Bet on Kent State vs Indiana

Here are four legal sports betting sites that we highly recommend and have reviewed, where you can bet on this year’s NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments, as well as the 2023 NIT.