Preview: Ohio Bobcats at Kent State Golden Flashes

KENT, Ohio (Interstat) — A surging Kent State squad will look to protect its home court against a struggling Ohio team when the Mid-American Conference rivals meet Tuesday night at the Memorial Athletics Center.

The Golden Flashes (15-5 overall) enter with momentum from a hard-fought 76-75 double-overtime road win at Eastern Michigan last Saturday. They have won three of their last four and sit near the top of the MAC standings.

Conversely, the Ohio Bobcats (10-10) are looking to halt a slide, having lost three of their last four, including an 86-65 home defeat to Akron this past Friday.

The matchup features two of the conference’s top individual talents. Kent State is powered by forward Rob Whaley, who is coming off a 27-point, four-rebound performance against Eastern Michigan and has scored 27 points in two of his last three games. His interior presence will be a primary focus for the Bobcats’ defense.

Ohio will rely heavily on guard Jackson Paveletzke, who has been a consistent offensive force despite the team’s recent results. Paveletzke is averaging over 19 points per game in his last seven contests, including a 23-point outing in a win over Northern Illinois and a triple-double (10 points, 10 assists) against Massachusetts earlier this month.

Kent State’s recent outings have been high-scoring affairs, with four of their last five games seeing both teams combine for at least 168 points. Ohio’s games have been more volatile; they scored 101 in a loss at Toledo but were held to 65 in their most recent game.

The Golden Flashes won the first meeting this season, a 101-85 victory in Athens on Jan. 13, behind a balanced offensive attack. Ohio will seek to avenge that loss and level its conference record, but faces a steep challenge against a Kent State team that has lost only once at home this season.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Kent State visits Akron on Friday, while Ohio’s next game is at Buffalo on Saturday.