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NCAA Tournament: UCLA Basketball vs. Kent St. – Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream, Stats, Odds and More

By Mike Regalado

Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ball against Washington State Cougars forward Robert Franks (3) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) controls the ball against Washington State Cougars forward Robert Franks (3) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 11, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Avery (0) and guard Jaylin Walker (23) celebrate after winning MAC Conference Tournament championship game against the Akron Zips at Quicken Loans Arena. Kent State won 70-65. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Avery (0) and guard Jaylin Walker (23) celebrate after winning MAC Conference Tournament championship game against the Akron Zips at Quicken Loans Arena. Kent State won 70-65. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

UCLA Basketball vs. Kent State Preview

There are a few things you should know about Kent State. First off, they are hot right now. Nine wins in the last 10 games, wins against the #3, #2 and #1 teams in the MAC Tournament which was good enough for a championship.

And now they battle with the UCLA Basketball team.

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The Golden Flashes are very good on the offensive side. Big men Jimmy Hall and Deon Edwin are very active around the rim. They can muscle themselves in down low or take deadly mid-range shots. Along with the feisty Jaylin Walker, all three are scoring over 13 points per game.

Unfortunately, they are the only players that really score for the Golden Flashes. Fourth on the list of their top scores is Kevin Zabo with 5.4 ppg.

They are going to have to match the six players that score in double-digits for the Bruins. All of UCLA’s starters and Aaron Holiday are scoring more than 10.7 ppg. In all, UCLA is scoring a nation-high 90.4 ppg. That is the number Kent State should be concerned about because they are somehow going to need to match that.

But that is if the Bruins can score. They stalled a bit in their last game against Arizona as they shot 40.7%. The Bruins have proven that if their outside game is off, they are beatable. Though they implemented tougher defense during mid-conference season, it is not entirely full-proof.

UCLA might come out of the gates slow, but there is a good chance that they blow things open in the second half. It is rare for the Bruins to have consecutive bad shooting games, so look for an array of shots from the outside that continually push the Bruins’ lead all game long.

Next: ESPN's Joe Lunardi Has Words and Facts for UCLA Basketball Fans

Prediction: UCLA 96 – Kent State 71