Kent State is coming into this game after a season where they finished 17-17 and they were 8-10 in their conference. They had a better record in non-conference games as they were above .500 in those, and they are returning some key players to the team this season. They are returning a little over 50% of their scoring and minutes played last season, but 2 key pieces have returned as well. Jalen Sullinger and Voncameron Davis were the top 2 scorers on the team last season and both will be returning this year. Davis also led the team in assists on average so he is a key piece to making this offense flow. They also have some very good players who were on the bench last season that will be getting a chance this year so they will be looking to prove they are starters and will get up for these early games before conference play. They are going up against a Louisiana team that was not great last season either, going 19-14 and 10-8 in their conference. They are returning a little over 50% of their minutes players as well as over 45% of their scoring from last season, but they did lose 2 key pieces and that is going to hurt them early on as they look for replacements. Kobe Julien is no longer with the team and he led the team in scoring last season by quite a bit, averaging 17.3 points per game while the next closest player was averaging 11.9 points per game. That is a huge piece of their offense missing now and it is not going to help that Joe Charles is also no longer with the team. Charles was another big piece as he not only averaged 11.3 points per game, but he also led the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game. Those are going to be 2 big roles for Louisiana to fill and Kent State is going to be more ready for this 1st game with Louisiana still trying to figure things out with their new lineup. Kent State will win this game.