A four-decade March Madness drought can come to an end tonight as Toledo faces Kent State for the Mid-American Conference championship tonight in Cleveland (7:30 pm ET, ESPN2).

The top-seeded Rockets (27-6) haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1980, and after winning their third straight MAC regular season title, they will be playing for the automatic bid for the first time since 2018.

On the other side, the second-seeded Golden Flashes (27-6) are in the championship game for the second straight year, but they have not claimed the auto bid since 2017.

Who will claim the MAC title tonight? Read on for our Kent State vs Toledo basketball prediction and picks.

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Kent State vs Toledo Odds

Odds are via FanDuel as of Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Spread

• Kent State +0.5 (-110)
• Toledo -0.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 149.5 (-110)
• Under 149.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Kent State -111
• Toledo -110

Can Kent State End Toledo’s Winning Run?

When the Golden Flashes hosted the Rockets on January 10, Kent State dropped Toledo to 1-2 in MAC play with a 75-63 win.

To date, that is the Rockets’ most recent loss. Since then, they have won 17 straight games. In that period, Toledo is also 13-4-0 ATS, and 11 of the wins have come by double digits.

Scoring has been a big part of Toledo’s success, as they are second in the nation in scoring behind only Gonzaga. The 63 points they were limited to in the loss at Kent State remains a season low, and it represents one of the two times this season that the Rockets were unable to score at least 70 points.

Last night’s output was an underperformance relative to their season, as the Rockets went for 82 points in a hard-fought 82-75 win over fifth-seeded Ohio.

It was Toledo’s eighth straight game with 80+ points, and they have scored 80+ points in 18 of their 20 MAC games this season and in 27 of their 33 games this season. And in the 25 games in which they have scored 80+ points against a Division I opponent, the Rockets are 23-2 SU and 21-4 ATS.

One team being a high-scoring team doesn’t always translate into frequent overs, but Toledo’s scoring exploits have. When they have scored 80+ points against a Division I opponent, the over is 18-7-0, while it is 3-3-0 when they have scored fewer than 80 points.

Kent State vs Toledo Prediction and Picks

Kent State vs Toledo Prediction: Toledo to win

Kent State vs Toledo Picks: Toledo pick’em (Caesars Sportsbook) & Kent State/Toledo over (Best Value: BetMGM)

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