Indiana vs Kent State NCAA Tournament Round 1: How to watch, odds and predictions for March Madness

The No. 4 seed Indiana Hoosiers, a squad that could very well make a surprising run with their talented roster, will face a red-hot Kent State Golden Flashes team coming in as a No. 13 seed after winning the MAC Tournament.

Kent State has won 10 of their last 11 and six in a row to finish the year 28-6. The same can’t be said for the Hoosiers, who were sitting pretty at 18-7 on Feb. 11 only to stumble to a 22-11 overall record a month later.

Then again, there’s no denying what Trayce Jackson-Davis brings to the court. He’s been an all-around sensation and one of the best players in the country this season, averaging 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game.

Kent State’s two-guard combo of Sincere Curry (17.6 PPG, 4.9 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.7 SPG) and Malique Jacobs (13 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 3.6 APG, 2.7 SPG) could cause issues for Indiana’s defense, which allowed 68.5 points per game this season (124th in the country) in a relatively weak Big Ten. The Golden Flashes, though they played in the much less prominent MAC, held opponents to 65.7 PPG (53rd in the nation). Indiana will present a much tougher challenge than, say, Toledo … but Kent State did play both Houston and Gonzaga tough this year. We’re in for a good one.

And let’s just say Indiana doesn’t want to be on the wrong side of this upset.

How to watch Indiana vs Kent State in the NCAA Tournament Round 1

Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 9:55 p.m. ET
Channel: TBS
Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live
Announcers: Spero Dedes, Debbie Antonelli

Indiana vs Kent State NCAA Tournament Round 1 odds

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Indiana is the favorite at -4.5 (-110 odds) and -196 on the moneyline (bet $196 to win $100). Kent State at +4.5 sits at -110 odds and their +162 moneyline offers a solid payout (bet $100 to win $162). The over/under (both bets are -110) is set at 140.5.

Indiana vs Kent State NCAA Tournament Round 1 prediction

We’ve already seen a 13 over a 4 when Furman took down Virginia in dramatic fashion. No. 15 seed Princeton upset No. 2 seed Arizona on Thursday, too. The upsets certainly won’t be running out of steam, but Indiana’s firepower and athleticism should be enough to handle Kent State. This is a team that took down No. 5 Purdue on the road just a few weeks ago. They need to limit the three-point shooting and be smart with the ball (Kent State averages 8.9 steals per game) and they should be fine … we think.

Indiana 78, Kent State 70