Busting Brackets
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Bracketology 2023: 5 things to watch on the first weekend in February

By Jason Burgess

RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 18: Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. #1 and Mikeal Brown-Jones #2 of the VCU Rams celebrate after defeating the Richmond Spiders during a game at Siegel Center on February 18, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
RICHMOND, VA - FEBRUARY 18: Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. #1 and Mikeal Brown-Jones #2 of the VCU Rams celebrate after defeating the Richmond Spiders during a game at Siegel Center on February 18, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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Bracketology Xavier Castaneda #13 of the Akron Zips (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Bracketology Xavier Castaneda #13 of the Akron Zips (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Kent State 18-4 (8-1) at Akron 16-6 (8-1)

Akron, OH, Friday, February 3, 9:00 PM ET, ESPNU

They received eight of the 12 first-place votes in the Mid-American preseason poll, and now that February is here Kent State and Akron find themselves at the top of the MAC standings and will face off in Akron on Friday night. The two teams have combined for a 16-2 conference record with the Golden Flashes and Zips tied for the conference lead heading into this key matchup.

From a Kent State perspective, Rob Senderoff’s team has quietly put together a resume that may get them into the at-large conversation if they do not win the conference tournament. Looking at their resume, they have no wins in the first two quadrants, but three of their losses have come in quad 1 to Houston, Gonzaga, and Charleston by a total of 14 points. Their metrics are favorable for a mid-major, especially their strength of record ranking of 48th. Their predictive metrics are a little lower averaging 75th, but defensively they are one of the best defensive teams in the country. The Golden Flashes are 37th in defensive efficiency, top 37th in effective field goal defense and turnover percentage, and top 61 in both three-point and two-point percentage defense.

Akron has been on a roll for the last two months or so. Since losing to Marshall after Thanksgiving they have gone 13-2 and won games by an average of 14.7 points. Like their opponent, Akron is without a win over the first two quads and the Zips have suffered two quad 3 losses to LSU and Western Kentucky. Akron’s non-conference schedule wasn’t that strong, leaving the Zips with the likelihood of needing the conference tournament title to make the Big Dance and Friday is their first shot at the conference leaders, with the two teams ending the regular season in Kent on March 3.

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