Kent State Vs UCLA Betting Lines, Pick & TV Info

Everyone team enters March Madness with the dream of walking away with a National Championship crown, but not all of them really have a shot at doing so. You can basically break down the teams into three separate groups: the contenders, the dark horses, and the no-hopers. The last of that bunch are the ones looking to be the Cinderella story of the tournament, but the reality is that for most of them, their big reward is actually making it to the dance in the first place.The #3 seeded UCLA Bruins would likely fall into the dark horse category, while their first round opponents, the #14 seeded Kent State Golden Flashes are most certainly in the Cinderella pile. These two are in the South Region, and the fact of the matter is that only one of them really has a shot at making a deep run. The Bruins are that team, and they are coming into this game as a rather hefty 18-point NCAA basketball odds favorite versus the Golden Flashes.

Here’s A Closer Look At The Kent State Golden Flashes Vs UCLA Bruins Betting Lines, Pick & TV Info

When: Friday, March 17 at 9:57 PM ESTWhere: Golden 1 Center, SacramentoTV: TruTVLive Stream: NCAA LiveNCAAB Odds: TBA  

Why bet on the Kent State Golden Flashes

The Golden Flashes have had a very good year, entering the tournament as the MAC Conference Champions after knocking off Akron in the title game. Much of their success this season has been down to the play of Jimmy Hall, who is averaging close to 19 PPG, and who has put together a rather staggering 22 double-doubles this season. The problem that the Golden Flashes have is that they don’t have much going on outside of Hall. Shut him down, and you essentially kill the engine of this team. The best way to do that is force them to the outside, as the 3-point game for Kent State has been seriously lacking. On the plus side, Kent State Golden Flashes are 8-4-1 ATS as an underdog this season.

Why bet on the UCLA Bruins

Unlike the Golden Flashes, the UCLA Bruins have a bunch of guys that can put points up on the board, which makes them a very dangerous proposition indeed. The Bruins will be a little disappointed at losing to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament, but this is a chance for them to show the nation that they are indeed a team to be reckoned with. One thing that could be a problem for them is the health of T.J. Leaf, who is playing on a bit of a wobbly ankle. You can expect to see their scoring average drop a little if he continues to struggle, although that should not become a real issue until the later rounds. The Bruins were not particularly great against the spread this season, going just 14-17 ATS as a favorite.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Bruins should be able to limit the amount of time that Leaf is on the court in the opening round, giving his ankle some time to heal. They will win this one going away.

Kent State Golden Flashes 72 UCLA Bruins 95