7:00 PM EST. With a 9-5 conference record, the Buffalo Bulls are a near lock to finish as a top four team in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. That's important because the MAC is a one-bid league, so only one team is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The top four seeds in the conference tournament get a first round bye. A team only has to win three games instead of four to make the main event so it's a much easier road to the MAC title and the at-large bid. The Bulls have played their way into the top four on the backs of a six-game winning streak. It's been an impressive run, but there's not a lot of work left for them in the regular season, aside from a home date with first place Akron on Saturday. That’s a big game for Buffalo and at the very least, it has to be in the back of their minds or take away some focus from this game. With seven straight wins over Kent State, it might be easy for the Bulls to overlook the Golden Flashes in this spot tonight and that would be a big mistake.

Kent State got a big signature win over the MAC's number one team in Akron last Friday night.  That win by K-State snapped the Zips 30-game home winning streak. The Golden Flashes are 7-7 in MAC play and are a game back of Ball State for the final first round bye. When these two teams played in Kent just over a month ago, the Golden Flashes lost by double digits as a three-point home favorite. Now, K-State is getting 7-points on the road against the hottest team in the conference but that 10-point swing in the number is what stands out. Every year there are some surprises in the conference tournaments. Last year for instance, it was Holy Cross that took a below average regular season and turned it into an at-large bid by winning the conference tournament. Kent State is one of those dangerous teams that can do the same. They are a rebounding machine (top-5 in the entire country), which means second chance points are available and that makes them dangerous. Remember, the odds makers gave this visitor a ton of respect when they made them a 3-point choice over the Bulls a month ago. The Flashes are also peaking at the right time and they’ll take  a ton of momentum and confidence into this game against what could possibly be a disinterested host. Upset alert is on. 

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