Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Buffalo at the M.A.C. Center

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Buffalo 71, Kent State 65

The Golden Flashes put together a run that was simply too little, too late.

A difficult loss. This is one of those games where you could say that the seniors need to take a look in the mirror and decide what they want from this season ... but that may not be fair.

It was pretty clear that senior guards Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson are simply tired. They are the only scholarship guards available, and they keep playing big minutes as the Flashes often play three-guard lineups.

Manley finished with 19 points, but missed his first nine three-pointers, shot 4-for-18 from the field, 2-for-12. Brewer was 1-for-8. And any time Jackson has a hard time keeping opposing guards in front of him, you know stamina has to be a factor as he has been the best defender in the MAC all season long.

5:01 ... Everything has been a struggle for the Flashes. The senior guards simply look gassed. They have logged a lot of minutes as the only three scholarship guards available.

Buffalo's guards are getting to any spot they want on the floor.

Brewer just missed 2 free throws with a chance to cut into Buffalo's 12-point lead.

The Flashes are in trouble.

11:28 ... Kent State trails 50-41 and is in a bit of trouble as Jimmy Hall is having a difficult time getting touches, and the senior guards continue to struggle on both ends of the floor.

The Flashes had 4 turnovers in the first half. Already four in the second half.

15:32 ... Not a great start for Kent State in the second half, but still in this one, trailing 43-37.

Khaliq Spicer is back on the bench again with his 3rd foul, which is a shame as he was having an impact with an offensive rebound and put back and a two-handed dunk in the first 2 minutes of the half.

Kris Brewer just hit a 15 footer that hopefully will get the senior guard trio going. Brewer played only 3 minutes in the first half. Jackson and Manley are a combined 1-for-11 from three-point range to this point.

Two turnovers on the first two possessions got this half off to a difficult start for the Flashes. Both turned into easy dunks on the other end for the Bulls.

FIRST HALF

Buffalo will take a 34-31 lead into the break.

The Flashes battled back, but struggled in the closing minutes as Buffalo used a mini run to jump back on top.

Hurley's battles with the officials haven't done him or his team any favors.

Officials refused to give the Bulls several calls in the last five minutes of the half, including an obvious foul on a half-court shot at the buzzer ... and it's pretty clear they are sending the coach a message.

Kent State is fortunate to be in this one after shooting 36.4 pct from field, including 1-of-12 from 3-point range.

Hall has 11 points and 5 rebounds.

Skeete leads Buffalo with 12, but hasn't scored since his opening 4-for-4. He also has not returned after a hard fall on a defensive rebound late in the first half.


3:43 ... Some sideline antics by Bobby Hurley have helped Kent State get back into this ball game.

The Flashes now lead 31-30.

The Bulls bench first got a sideline warning, and then Hurley got hit with a technical foul from about 90 feet away by official Chris Beaver after Hurley waved his hands in disgust following an offensive foul whistled against Raheem Johnson.

Chris Ortiz hit 4-for-4 from the foul line in a matter of seconds to cut the Buffalo lead to 1.

Then after a steal, Dev Manley faked a three and calmly found Marquiez Lawrence alone on the right block for a layup that also drew a foul.

Up 1 now, Kent State will try to add to the slim advantage with Lawerence at the line.

6:30 ... Flashes are starting to get the some hustle plays to get back into this one.

Derek Jackson with a steal led to a Dev Manley driving layup that could get him turned around. He is currently 1-for-7 from the field.

Jackson also added a 3-pointer to cut the Buffalo lead to 5.

Craig Brown has been active on the boards. He had 3 offensive rebounds on one possession, but the Flashes couldn't convert. Lots of hustle by Brown has him with 6 rebounds.

9:35 ... Jimmy Hall is single handedly keeping Kent State in this.

The Flashes trail 25-16.

Hall is 5-for-6 from the field. The rest of the team is 2-for-11. Hall also has 4 of the 9 rebounds.


15:25 ... A tough start for Kent State as Jarryn Skeete lights up Kent State by hitting his first four 3-pointers ... and Buffalo's first four shots.

Jimmy Hall answered with a 3-for-4 start. But Kent State is just 4-for-9 overall and 0-for-4 from three-point range.

The Flashes find themselves down 18-9.

PREGAME

RADIO: WHLO 640 AM

INTERNET RADIO: iHeartRadio WHLO 640 Channnel and iHeartRadio Golden Flashes Channel

We are tracking towards the best atmosphere of the season tonight. An hour before tip-off and already fans are arriving early for the better seats in the upper deck. Usually the sign I look for to predict a big crowd is fans scoping out their upstairs seats about a half hour before tip.

Buffalo's students are already here and loud, sitting in the upper deck of the west stands.

This is becoming a pretty good rivalry. Part of it is because of the Buffalo students who made the game in Amherst such a great college basketball atmosphere in January while also making life very difficult on the Flashes. In my opinion, it was by far the most challenging road setting KSU has faced this season, and that includes the trip to Kansas.

The Bobby Hurley factor also makes this and every rivalry for the Bulls in the MAC a little more interesting. Hurley's sideline demeanor and the sense of entitlement with which he carries himself have made him a natural villain within the league, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It keeps the MAC from being bland. There haven't been a great deal of interesting personalities in the league over the years. Charlie Coles was a larger than life figure within the MAC, but he was pretty much universally loved. He was all class. Hurley is something else.

And while Hurley may not have a likable quality, he appears to be on his way to becoming a pretty good coach. He has the Bulls playing well. He had them whipped into a frenzy when they embarrassed Kent State on Jan. 30.

Transition points were a key to that game. The Bulls forced turnovers and turned them into easy layups. While the Flashes have struggled at times this season with defending in transition, it has usually been for other reasons. Lack of communication and failing to match up were keys to Miami outscoring Kent State 22-0 in transition in a Tuesday loss that was almost as embarrassing as that January trip to Buffalo.

There is a feeling that the Flashes will be playing to atone for quite a bit tonight as they have a long memory to that Buffalo game and the sting of Tuesday could still be very real.

In addition to transition, Kent State's defense needs to be physical without fouling in the paint. Buffalo is No. 1 in the country in scoring around the basket. A good deal of those points also come on offensive rebounds, where the Bulls also rank No. 1.

The matchup between KSU's Jimmy Hall and Buffalo's Justin Moss should be a good one. Moss, of course, leads the MAC in scoring (18.7) and rebounding (9.3).

Hall could actually see most of his minutes on defense matched up with Xavier Ford, who was a nightmare for Kent State in January with a career-high 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Khaliq Spicer will get the assignment on Moss, where the Flashes hope to see Spicer's length create some problems for the 6-foot-7 Buffalo junior.

The Bulls are not a particularly good perimeter team, but they can be streaky.

Derek Jackson has looked tired of late, and who can blame him with the minutes he has been logging. The Flashes need the senior to come out and dominate his matchup with Buffalo freshman Lamonte Bearden. Devareaux Manley also needs to match the Shannon Evans, who is an athletic combo guard and averaging 15.1 ppg coming into this one.

We've been saying it all week. This is a big game. But all three remaining regular-season games are big for Kent State as the Flashes come into the day tied for first place in the East Division with BGSU (a winner of Miami about an hour ago), both one game ahead of Buffalo in the East and one behind Central Michigan for the MAC's best overall record.

If you are Kent State, you know it's just a matter of winning to control your own destiny for a division championship and byes in the MAC Championship. That's a good position when you have five teams at the top of the overall league standings and all separated by only one game.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Miami ... Looking for win No. 20

SECOND HALF

OVERTIME

Miami 86, Kent State 81

An awful finish for Kent State.

The Flashes gave away a 19-point lead. Miami with great heart comes back to spoil win No. 20.

Kent State needs your help against Buffalo at home on Saturday.

END OF REGULATION...

Some craziness to end regulation ... Check out @CarducciKSU and @KentStMBB on Twitter for the play by play...

... But we have overtime

Tied at 77-77.


1:06 ... What seemed like a cakewalk with kent State up 19 at 8:21 is now a grind.

The Flashes lead has evaporated as the Flashes can't make anything and Miami is rolling.

Back-to-back transition 3's by Sullivan and Eustace make it 73-71.

Just a 2-point lead.

7:09 ... Three free throws by Derek Jackson after getting hammered at the top put Kent State ahead 64-45.

Miami has answered with two quick scores, but the Flashes still in complete control of this one. Just need to handle seven minutes of full-court pressure to secure win No. 20.

8:32 ... Flashes now in complete control.

Manley has another 3 on a nice baseline drive and find by Kris Brewer.

Brewer has added his own 3-point play on a driving layup with a little more than 9 minutes to go.

The Kent State lead is now 61-45.

11:55 ... The Flashes are doing a great job of not allowing the officiating to get to them. In what has to feel like playing 8-on-5 basketball, the Flashes have a 52-43 lead after Dev Manley added to his single-season record with 3-pointer No. 91 from the top of the key. Manley was wide open after some great ball movement.

The free-throw situation is really pretty crazy.

Miami is 22-of-28.

Kent State is outscoring the RedHawks in the paint to the tune of 26-14, but not getting the calls.

But no frustration shown by the players (coaches are another story). Flashes keep answering Miami mini runs.



15:14 ... Kent State has a 47-34 lead at the 15:14 timeout.

Miami scored the first bucket of the half, but that was followed by a run that has the Flashes in control.

The big news, though ...

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Kent State 38-30 lead at the break

How the officials missed an all-out tackle by Miami's Chris Bryant on Kris Brewer just before the halftime buzzer is beyond me.

It's hard to have a whole lot of issue with Miami taking 23 FT's in the 1st half. Kent State had trouble stopping Eric Washington and did commit quite a few fouls right at the rim.

But it's hard to believe Mike Sanzere, Jim Schipper and Rob Kruger missed such an obvious call when it's that hard.

Kent State's entire coaching staff gave the officials an earful heading off the floor.

Jimmy Hall was fantastic in the first half, going 7-for-11 with 15 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes.

Miami shot just 28 percent from the field 6-for-21, but stayed in the game by shooting 17-for-23 from the foul line.

Kent State is 5-for-10.

2:39 ... Kris Brewer doesn't have big numbers, but he's playing a very good floor game. His combination of aggressiveness and patience has helped the Flashes handle Miami's full-court pressure.

In half court, he is getting into the lane and finding open shooters. Khaliq Spicer also now adding quite a bit on both ends. A 2-hand dunk on one end, blocking two shots on the other.

Only free throws keeping Miami in this one.

7:53 ... Kent State has settled down after a stretch of rocky play against Miami's 2-2-1 and man full-court pressure.

Now that the Flashes have found a way to get into their offense, they are working Miami over inside with Jimmy Hall. The sophomore has 10 points already and will be trying to complete a three-point play out of the break.

One developing story, though, as Derek Jackson picked up two quick fouls – the second a phantom foul by Jim Schipper after Miami's Eric Washington slipped without contact and lost the ball out of bounds.

11:43 ... A slim 12-10 lead for the Flashes with Craig Brown heading to the line after this break.

I like the look for Kent State defensively over the last few possessions with a 1-3-1 zone featuring Marquiez Lawrence at the top. His length and athleticism can be disruptive in that role, and it has already paid off with a string of stops, including a turnover on the very first look. Unfortunately, Lawrence turned it right back over, losing the ball on a chance for a bust out.

Miami is 3-for-10 from field but 4-for-4 from the foul line.

Jimmy Hall has 6 and Ortiz 5 for the Flashes.

15:49 ... Kent State leads 7-4 at the first media timeout.

Jimmy Hall got the start as expected and so far he is playing well on both ends, having his way against Miami's Chris Bryant in the block offensively while also doing well shutting down point guard Eric Washington on two switches defensively.

Chris Ortiz has an early three to break the 4-4 tie.

Defense has been very good, as expected, with the exception of a good hard cut by Will Sullivan that led to an easy layup for the RedHawks.

Miami is just 1-for-5 from the field.

PREGAME

The Golden Flashes have quite a bit on the line tonight as they prepare to play Miami University at Millett Hall. A win would get Kent State back into the 20-win club. It would also secure a season sweep of the RedHawks for just the 10th time dating back to 1951. After completing the rare season sweep of Ohio University in Athens on Saturday, the Flashes have a chance to go 4-0 against Miami and Ohio in a regular season for just the third time ever. The last two times that happened (2002 and 2008) were MAC Championship seasons for Kent State, both in the regular season and the tournament.


It will be interesting to see just how road weary the Flashes are. They have been away from home since leaving for Athens on Friday afternoon. Following the win over Ohio on Saturday, the Flashes drove directly to Oxford. They practiced at Xavier on Sunday, then chose not to go to a movie that night in favor of a team bonding trip to the bowling alley. The coaches, led by Mike McKee's 200-plus game, were the winners. McKee is one of those guys who is good at just about every sport he tries. I played the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland with him almost two years ago and watched him nearly drive the famous Road Hole 17th. He used driver-putter to reach the green. Pretty impressive.

The good news with regard to the trip is that Jimmy Hall has had no ill effects from his first game back from mononucleosis. Rob Senderoff said Hall told him he wasn't a bit winded after the game.

While he isn't listed currently in the starting lineup, look for Hall to be on the floor for the opening tip.

Stopping Miami's guards will be the key for tonight, and in particular keeping point guard Eric Washington and two-guard Geovonie McKnight from getting into the lane and creating for themselves and others. Their ability to disrupt Akron with penetration was a key to the RedHawks overtime win over the Zips on Saturday. Will Sullivan (10.5 ppg) is the third Miami player averaging in double figures this season, joining Washington (14.3) and McKnight (10.9), and he is the outside threat.

The Flashes need to keep Miami's guards out of the paint and from driving baseline, but also be aware and ready to find Sullivan on the perimeter.  They also need to get back in transition, which was an issue at times in Kent State's 61-60 win over Miami at the M.A.C. Center at the M.A.C. Center.

Kent State did not have Hall in that game. Ortiz played very well at the four spot in Hall's place in the last meeting. But with Hall's return, Chris Ortiz slides back to the three to start tonight' game, but look for him to get most of his minutes at the four with Hall moving to the five after Kent State's first subs come in.

Miami starts with two bigs on the floor, but only plays around 14 minutes per night with that unit. The RedHawks play about 26 minutes with essentially five guards on the floor at the same time, so look for Derek Jackson, Devareaux Manley and Kris Brewer to be on the floor most of the night with Gary Akbar joining Ortiz with big minutes at the four. Hall, while starting at the four, is essentially also Khaliq Spicer's backup at the five tonight. After 18 minutes on Saturday, we'll see how Hall handles bigger minutes tonight. The belief is that he is ready.

Hall and Ortiz can have their way with Miami inside as the RedHawks have no go-to bigs. They start with 6-foot-8 Chris Bryant and 6-foot-9 Logan McLane, who average a combined 8 points per game. Off the bench, 6-foot-10 L.J. Livingston brings some size, but he averages less than 5 per game.

Something to watch ... with his first 3-pointer, Devareaux Manley will tie Randal Holt's single-season record at 89. My guess is we will see that happen early.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Ohio

FINAL: Kent State wins 64-51.

Click HERE for a link to the game story.

Ohio is struggling, but as a wise man once told me, never take a win in Athens for granted!

The season sweep of the Bobcats is secure and the Flashes are now alone in first place in the MAC East. A chance for 20 wins and possibly to lock up a bye in the MAC tournament awaits on Tuesday at Miami.

4:30 ... Kent State has the ball out of this timeout, up 58-46.

With Bowling Green losing at the moment to Buffalo, the Flashes have a chance to move into first place all by itself in the Mid-Ameican Conference East Division.

7:22 ... The Kent State lead is 56-44. A Devareaux Manley 4-point play has helped the cause ... as has an old-fashioned 3-point play by Jimmy Hall on an offensive rebound and putback around the 10-minute mark that led to a double fist pump that said "I'm back."

Hall has 9 points and 3 rebounds.

12:49 ... Ohio cut the Kent State lead to 2 points, but the Flashes have answered the run.

Khaliq Spicer has four quick points heading into this timeout – a pretty jump hook from the right block and a nice adjustment in the air, flipping in a layup on the previous possession.

Spicer also blocked a jumper by Willis with a nice switch off a screen.

Kris Brewer has also been more aggressive going to the basket in the last few minutes.

15:41 ... The Flashes lead 41-34, but Ohio has Khari Harley going to the line trying to finish off a thee-point play out of this timeout.

Manley was whistled for the foul on the fast break, but it didn't look like there was contact on the play.

Some foul trouble now for the Flashes. Manley has 3 as does Jimmy Hall.

Senderoff will stick with Manley on the floor coming out of this timeout. Manley has nine points on 3-of-7 from three-point range.



HALFTIME ... Kent State 36, Ohio 25

Kent State used a 13-2 run to take a double-digit lead into the half.

The offense has picked up. It's been a struggle offensively most of the way, though, shooting 38.7 percent.

Lots of balance with 8 different Flashes in the scorebook, led by Ortiz and Manley's 67 points.

3:50 ... Jimmy Hall just drew a charge ... well, at least he should have. Officials called a block on a call that had Rob Senderoff incensed heading into the timeout.

Hall is moving better and playing better in an extended shift. He has 4 points and 4 rebounds.

Shooting still very poor on both ends. Flashes and Bobcats both at 29 percent. Both teams also have 19 rebounds.

7:29 ... Ohio and Kent State are tied up at 19-19. The Flashes offense has struggled, but work on the offensive glass has helped make up for early misses.

The Flashes are 7-for-24 from the field, but have grabbed the offensive rebound on 7 of those misses, scoring 10 second-chance points.

Hall had one great offensive rebound and put-back, working hard to grab the loose ball rebound, then spinning in the lane for his first basket of February.

10:26 ... It took a while to get to this first update. Internet can be a little spotty on the road. The signal was lost, but back up and running courtesy of a handy, dandy internet card.

The Flashes have a 15-11 lead. Defense has been very good so far for the Flashes, who have held Ohio to 4-for-17 shooting and just 1-of-7 from three-point range.

Willis has struggled for the Bobcats. The streaky senior guard is just 1-for-4.

It took a while for the Flashes to hit their first perimeter shot. Devareaux Manley broke the ice with a three-pointer just before the 11-minute mark. The Flashes are 5-for-17 from the field (29 percent) and 1-of-5 from three.

Chris Ortiz is off to a very nice start with 6 points and 4 rebounds. He is 4-for-4 from the foul line and his one field goal was a thundering 1-handed slam on a run through the lane.

Jimmy Hall is on the floor now for what is his second stint so far. He looked rusty in his first few minutes, going 0-for-2 and turning the ball over with a travel.

PREGAME

The snow has finally stopped here in Athens and the crews are out and hard at work clearing the way for fans to get to the Convo.

Ty Linder and I changed our plans of driving out on the day of the game and made the trip last night. Staying at the team hotel meant getting some good early news ... The Flashes learned during breakfast this morning that star forward Jimmy Hall has been cleared to play today after missing the last five games with mononucleosis.

I talked briefly with Rob Senderoff this morning, and he said he isn't sure how much Hall will play today. He has been doing cardio work since Sunday, and he isn't sure how close Hall is to game shape. Senderoff said Hall will come off the bench.

If today's pre-game shootaround is any indication, Devareaux Manley could be ready for a big night. Manley hit just about every shot he attempted during an extended workout with assistant coach DeAndre Haynes. If Hall can give the Flashes some productive minutes today and demand a double team, Manley should get better looks from the perimeter than he has in the last five games. Manley has still averaged 18.8 points per game in that period without Hall.

The Flashes will be wearing their home whites today as Ohio has planned a "Black Out" game.

Some keys for today:

No matter what happens with Hall, the Flashes are going to need Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer to continue their run of fine play and force Maurice Ndour work defensively in the paint. The Ohio senior averages 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Kent State in the Jan. 21 meeting at the M.A.C. Center. Prior to that game, he had struggled in two previous games with the Flashes.

Kent State needs to keep Javarez Willis from getting off early. He is a very streaky, high-volume shooter who comes in averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range. Willis started out cold at the M.A.C. Center last month and stayed that way, going 1-for-7 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point range.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Ball State

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Kent State 58, Ball State 53

At 18-8 overall and 9-4 in MAC play, the Golden Flashes have moved back into first place in the MAC, tied with Bowling Green. Akron and Toledo are currently deadlocked at 66-66 at the J.A.R.

0:18 ... Bowling Green has lost to Miami, so Kent State with a few free throws will move back into first place.

Manley at the line ... good, good ... and the lead is 58-51.

0:38 ... Short internet outage, but back up and running.

Kent State leads 53-49 and has the basketball. The Flashes have done a poor job on the defensive boards late in this second half as Ball State has kept several possessions alive.

A wide-open three by Bo Calhoun just trimmed the Kent State lead to four points, and the Flashes very nearly turned the ball over against a half-court trap.

Coming out of the timeout called by Rob Senderoff, Chris Ortiz sent to the foul line. One-and-one.

5:00 ... A Ball State timeout creates some time for the stat of the night coming to us from a loyal fan in Memphis:

7:42 ... A Kris Brewer elbow jumper gave Kent State its largest lead at 44-34.

Oddly, the Flashes extend that lead despite a nearly six-minute scoring drought for the Flashes.

Defense continues to be the key for Kent State.

11:35 ... The lead is 42-34 at the under 12 media timeout. A Chris Ortiz offensive foul, his second of the half, will give the ball back to Ball State.

The defense has been very good so far in the second half, holding Ball State to just 33 percent shooting. The Flashes are a matching 3-for-9 though with five turnovers in first 8:25 of second half.

13:24 ... Kent State may have weathered another early storm by Ball State.

The Flashes have kicked the lead back out to 9 points at 42-33, and again thanks in large part to the play of Spicer.

He has 2 more free throws (4-for-4 tonight) to get him to 10 points. Those came on another offensive rebound, his sixth, giving him nine overall.

Spicer won't get credit for another rebound near the 14-minute mark, but he tipped a miss by Jackson right back into the hands of the senior guard for an easy layup.

A transition three by Manley off of a very sloppy turnover by Zavier Turner also played a part in the Kent State run.

15:54 ... An early run by Ball State has cut Kent State's lead to just 2 points at 35-33.

The Cardinals appear to be trying to take away some of the aggressiveness on the backdown by Ortiz, drawing attention to the physical play with a flop one possession after drawing an offensive foul on an Akbar backdown. The first call was a good one. The second, not so much.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIMEm, Kent State 32, Ball State 25

Guards Derek Jackson, Kris Brewer and Devareaux Manley have played a part in this lead, but have not been featured as the Flashes have looked inside first.

Spicer and Ortiz have 8 points each. Spicer also has 8 rebounds and Kent State has outscored the Cardinals 16-6 in the paint.

The Flashes watched the Cardinals cut into an 11-point lead just a bit before halftime. The Cardinals have a short bench with only seven players seeing action so far.

Kent State has outscored Ball State 9-0 off of the bench.

2:59 ... Kent State is rolling now, up 32-21 and with the ball back coming out of this timeout after forcing a turnover with its full-court pressure.

Khaliq Spicer having his best half of the season with 8 points and 8 rebounds already. The junior center has also thrown down a pair of two-handed dunks after Ball State's defenders lost track of him. Those are big plays considering dunks for Kent State have oddly been anything but a sure thing this season.

Flashes outscoring Ball State 16-6 in the paint.

Bo Calhoun has 8 points to lead Ball State.

6:26 ... A 13-0 run has helped the Flashes vault into the lead, which is now 22-19 with a chance to grow as Chris Ortiz will head to the line out of the break.

Ortiz backed down Franko House for the righty hook. That has been a go-to move for Ortiz so far in his 6-point start.

House and Sean Sellers lead the Cardinals with 6 points each.

Spicer continues to be very good on the glass with 7 rebounds, including five offensively. He also has a blocked shot and 4 points in 12 minutes of work.

The size advantage has been key. Flashes outscoring the Cardinals 12-4 in the paint.

10:31 ... The intensity has picked up for Kent State. After falling behind by 8 points, the Flashes have battled back to tie at 15-15.

Khaliq Spicer has been very old on the offensive glass with 3 rebounds and 4 second-chance points.

Gary Akbar has brought energy on both ends. He has 5 points and 2 rebounds.

Flashes are also 3-for-3 early from the line.

15:50 ... A fast start offensively for Ball State going 3-for-3 from three-point range in the first four minutes and 4-for-4 overall.

Kent State has countered by going inside for all of its points. Khaliq Spicer has an offensive rebound and put back. Chris Ortiz has a righty hook. Gary Akbar has a three-point play on a driving layup.

The Flashes trail 11-7 and are now going full-court pressure to try to liven up things defensively.

PREGAME

6:50 p.m. ... Here are the officials for tonight's game: Bill Ek, Steve McJunkins and Kevin Ferguson. Another veteran Mid-American Conference crew.

6:45 p.m. ... We are a little more than 15 minutes away from tip-off.

I'm struggling with a cold tonight and hoping it has an impact to my radio voice similar to Phoebe's raspy Smelly Cat on Friends.

6:32 p.m. ... Jimmy Hall was a nightmare for Ball State when the two teams met in Muncie back on Jan. 24, scoring a career-high 32 points and dominating the play on both ends.

The bad news for for the Flashes is Jimmy Hall is out for tonight's game, and hopefully for the last time after battling mononucleosis. Hall has been working out. He is feeling better. He just isn't quite ready to play tonight. He'll be day-to-day, and the hope is to have him on Saturday at Ohio University or next week at Miami University.

Hall's absence shouldn't change the game plan against Ball State. The Cardinals don't have much size. They don't have a rim protector. Their tallest player, 6-foot-8 Matt Kamieniecki missed the last game with Ken State and is still out of the lineup for the Cardinals.

Chris Ortiz has picked up his game in Hall's absence and has been very good when his game has focused inside first. He shown the ability to finish over both shoulders and is more confident with his post moves. Ortiz struggled to an 0-for-4 game at Muncie, but look for him to be a big part of tonight's focus offensively.

Derek Jackson, Kris Brewer and Devareaux Manley are coming off big performances in Friday's win over Toledo, bouncing back from a tough outing at Akron earlier in the week. They've been putting in the extra time in the gym, and it's showing. Seniors like Jackson, Brewer and Manley are the reason teams like Kent State avoid letdown games against struggling teams like Ball State.

The Cardinals come in as the losers of 10 straight since opening MAC play 2-0 with wins over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. Ball State is a young team that has lost a key player to eligibility and its starting five man. And still, the Cardinals have been in just about every game during their 10-game losing streak.

Sean Sellers is a player to watch. The 6-foot-6 forward is one of the better freshmen in the league. He scored 16 in their loss to the Flashes last month. Bo Calhoun and Franko House are undersized fours, both at 6-foot-6, but are capable of getting the Cardinals going in the paint. They scored 13 and 12, respectively, against Kent State in Muncie.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Toledo

OVERTIME

FINAL ... Kent State 76, Toledo 75

Kris Brewer split a pair of free throws with 2.1 seconds to play to put Kent State on top.

The Rockets threw a home run ball that Chris Ortiz tipped into the Toledo bench with 1.0 seconds to play.

Enter 7-foot-4 Blake Vedder, who challenged the inbound pass by Stuckey Mosley. The Toledo freshman, who could have won the game from the foul line with less than a second to play, was forced to make a desperation pass beyond the 3-point arc for Weatherspoon. When the ball was tipped again by Ortiz, the win was guaranteed.

Toledo's six-game winning streak is now bookended by a pair of Kent State wins.

0:31.7 ... First opportunity to update. We are still tied, now at 75-75, but Kent State has the ball with a chance to win in the final possession.

Two FT's by Weatherspoon just tied the game.

Brewer gave the Flashes a lead just before the Weatherspoon free throws with a beautiful drive and reverse layup on a play drawn up by Senderoff out of the timeout.

Jackson and Brewer both have 20 points while Manley has 17.

SECOND HALF

END OF REGULATION

TIED 67-67

Kent State's missed free throws opened the door.

A Mosley driving layup with a foul for a potential 3-point play tied the game with 0.6 seconds to play. Mosley fortunately missed the free throw.

We are headed to overtime.

The Flashes were up 5 with 18 seconds to play, but couldn't close it out.

0:12 ... Donnie Eppley whistles Marquiez Lawrence on a tip-in by J.D. Weatherspoon. The three-point play has kept Toledo miracle possibility on line.

0:21 ... Manley split a pair of free throws to make it a 3-point Kent State lead. Toledo followed with a turnover as Boothe chucked the ball out of bounds.

Manley back to the line ... good, good ... Flashes up 64-59

0:40 ... The Flashes have missed some chances to put Toledo away.

At 45 seconds, Kris Brewer missed the front end of a 1-and-1 while trying to add to a 4-point lead. The miss turned into a fast break, a foul of Toledo's Drummond and 2 Rockets free throws.

The Flashes lead is 61-59.

2:26 ... A tough swing as Devareaux Manley misses the front end of a 1-and-1 trying to add to a 59-54 lead. Instead, a Toledo three at the other end turns into a potential 5-point swing. And it's now a 2-point game at 59-57.

Swing reminiscent of Akron on Tuesday when the Flashes

2:56 ... After some internet problems, I'm back online ... and Kent State has held off another Toledo run.

Toledo is 17-for-25 from the foul line. Kent State is 4-for-10.

Despite playing 8-on-5 much of the way tonight, the Flashes have managed to keep a lead that is now 59-54.

Derek jackson now has 18 after drilling an NBA three from the top. Kris Brewer has added 14.

Juice Brown has been shut down to 2-of-10 shooting by Derek Jackson.

7:59 ... Juice Brown is just 2-for-8 from the field with 6 points as Derek Jackson is locking up the Toledo star again.

The Flashes have weathered a few Toledo runs and are now leading 52-48 after watching the Rockets tie the game.

They benefitted from an official review as a corner jumper by Brewer was adjusted from a 2-pointer to a 3. Manley added a 3 on a friendly bounce at the 8:25 mark.

KSU is also starting to string together some stops and doing a good job of defending the rim without fouling over the last few minutes.

10:41 ... The 6-foot-10 Boothe just drilled a long thee to tie the game at 46-46. The Flashes have led by 7 tonight, but that lead has disintegrated.

Kris Brewer has hit a few long jumpers to help the Flashes get end some long scoreless stretches. He now leads all scorers with 13. Brewer has also been aggressive, getting by defenders with a quick first step and setting up open shots for teammates.

16:23 ... The Flashes lead 41-36 and have the ball coming out of the timeout. Derek Jackson was forced to take time after getting trapped near the sideline.

Dev Manley has an early three that is a great sign after a 1-for-6 first half. Manley has had some big second halves after some slow starts this year.

Chris Oritz was also 1-for-6 in the first half, but he drew a foul and got to the foul line on the first possession of the half.

FIRST HALF 

HALFTIME: Kent State 36, Toledo 32

The Flashes missed three shots in the final possession that could have added to the lead.

Derek Jackson's 12 leads the way.


Craig Brown has provided a big lift, going 3-for-4 from the field for 6 points to go with three rebounds and an assist. His 6 points match a season high.

J.D. Weatherspoon leads Toledo with 10 points. He also has 5 rebounds.

Some numbers: Kent State shooting 50 pct from the field (15-for-30) while Toledo is 42.9 percent (12-for-28). The Rockets are 2-for-5 from three-point range while Kent State is 5-for-15.

The Flashes are 1-for-5 from the foul line and losing the rebound battle 20-16.

Kent State's bench, though, is outscoring Toledo's 17-3.

A key tonight has been Kent State's transition defense. The Rockets, who love to get out and run, have yet to score a single fast-break point.


1:24 ... Back-to-back layups by Derek Jackson have Kent State on top 34-32. Like Brewer, Jackson rebounding from a tough game at Akron. He now leads all scorers with 12.

3:56 ... A very long delay as the clock malfunctioned and stopped at 4:22.

A tip dunk by Weatherspoon has given Toledo a 30-28 lead going into this delay, and Rob Senderoff has been arguing that the tip should have been basket interference.

While that call appeared to be correct, this crew missed an obvious travel by Nathan Boothe that turned into a Toledo three that deadlocked the game at 28-28.

Brown is now 3-for-4 and has a 6 points in his best performance in a Kent State uniform. He has provided a needed lift.

7:04 ... Kent State has a 25-22 lead thanks to Dev Manley's first three of the game.

Toledo is not hedging hard off of screens and allowing Kent State some open looks. Those are starting to go down as Manley and Derek Jackson have hit from long range in back-to-back possessions.

Also good to see Craig Brown off to a good start, 2-for-2 for 4 points and also active defensive with some double teams

11:58 ... Kris Brewer is having a bounce-back game after a tough outing at Akron on Tuesday. He has come off the bench to go 2-for-2 from three point range and has the Flashes up 15-13 at the game's second media break.

Brewer banked in his first three from above the key, much as he did on Tuesday, but has backed it up with a hit from the left wing.

13:00 ... Kent State and Toledo are tied 12-12, but Juice Brown will head to the line after the game's first foul following this first media timeout.

The Flashes called an early timeout to find some defensive energy, and appear to have found it since Kris Brewer and Gary Akbar checked in.

Dev Manley is struggling a bit early, missing his first four three pointers of the game, all in the opening five minutes. 

PREGAME

5:30 p.m. ... The radio pre game show is on the air on WHLO 640 AM and iHeartRadio's WHLO station.

We are joined again by former Kent State star Trevor Huffman as the sideline reporter.

If you have any questions for Trevor, Ty or me, tweet me at @CarducciKSU.

5:15 p.m. ... The Rockets are wearing baby blue shooting shirts with bow ties to remember Toledo mayor D. Michael Collins, who died earlier this week.

The team's uniforms tonight will also honor Collins.

5:00 p.m. ... An interesting fact for those of you who watch the game on ESPNU, the announcing team calling the game are actually further away from Toledo than you are if you are in your living room in northeast Ohio.

We've been told that the play-by-play and color man along with the director are all sitting in a studio at ESPN's Bristol, Conn. headquarters. Apparently that is happening more and more often.

4:50 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes have arrived at Savage Arena in Toledo, which is a bit more of a feat than you might expect considering one of the back wheels of the team bus came off yesterday after the Flashes' shootaround.

Jimmy Hall made the trip, but will not play, according to Rob Senderoff. He may be close, though. At the very least it looks like the Flashes will have him back in the not too distant future.

Hall is in uniform and going through some of the early work on the Savage Arena floor. But again, he will not play.

The biggest key to tonight's game has to be transition defense and simply getting back to the principles that had the Flashes in first place at the halfway point of the MAC season. Toledo loves to get out in transition with Julius Brown. You can bet Brown will be looking to get off early in this one after being held to single digits by Derek Jackson in the Jan. 21 meeting at the M.A.C. Center.

Brown is No. 2 in the conference in scoring at 16.7 per game, but managed just nine points in Kent State's 67-60 win last month. That also happens to be the Rockets last loss. Since then, they have rattled off six wins in a row.

The Flashes also need to find a way to corral athletic four man J.D. Weatherspoon (12.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and 6-foot-10 center Nathan Boothe (9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Boothe was a problem for the Flashes in the first meeting.

Here's a no brainer. If Toledo shoots 12-for-14 from three-point range again as they did against Buffalo the other night, the Flashes will have no chance.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Akron

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Akron 61, Kent State 52

The Golden Flashes will look back at the missed dunk by Spicer leading to the 5-point swing as the turning point.

There were other factors in this one. Kent State will always be fortunate to lose by a double-digit score when its senior backcourt struggles the way it did tonight.

Devareaux Manley, Derek Jackson and Kris Brewer struggled to just 25-percent shooting (8-for-32) while point guards Jackson and Brewer committed seven turnovers against just two assists.

Manley did fight his way to 20 points, going 5-of-17 from the field and 3-for-13 from three-point range.

Khaliq Spicer had seven points and 10 rebounds, but that missed dunk was a backbreaker.

Chris Ortiz played well with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Akron did a good job of not just relying on the three. The Zips shot just 6-for-19 from the arc, but behind Pat Forsythe (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Deji Ibitayo (11 points 5 rebounds), outscored Akron 30-20 in the paint.

2:53 ... The Flashes used a 7-0 run to cut Akron's lead to 10 points at 58-48, but their inability to corral a defensive rebound allowed Akron a second-chance three-pointer by McAdams. The Zips are up 61-48.

Manley has 18 points to lead Kent State, but the senior guard has made just 5-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-11 from three-point range.

Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson are a combined 3-for-15.

With no Hall, it's tough for the Flashes to win when the senior trio goes 8-for-30.

7:28 ... A big 5-point swing may end up being the turning point to this game.

Khaliq Spicer missed a soaring one-handed dunk at about the 8-minute mark. That turned into a three-pointer by McAdams in the right corner.

Instead of being down just 5, the Flashes find themselves down 51-41. And the Zips will have a chance to add to that lead from the foul line after Marquiez Lawrence picked up No. 4 on a hard foul on Ibitayo.

11:03 ... The Flashes are in some trouble, down 48-40 after getting out-hustled on the boards and three opportunities for Akron ending in a McAdams three from the left corner.

After an 0-for-5 first half from three-point range, the Zips are 3-for-7 in the second half.

12:57 ... Akron and Kent State came into this game as the two worst free-throw shooting teams in the MAC.

Kent State has lived up to that at 5-for-9, but Akron isn't doing its part, going 9-of-10 so far from the line. Two free throws by Ibitayo have extended a mini run for Akron to 6-0 and given the Zips a 43-37 lead.

Far too many turnovers for Kent State. The Flashes' 10 turnovers have led to 13 Akron points.

15:30 ... Both teams starting to catch a little bit of heat from three-point range. Dev Manley has two threes in the early going of the second half and Chris Ortiz has another. But threes by Akron's Cheatham and Gladden have helped Akron extend the lead just a bit at 37-32.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Akron 25, Kent State 23

The Flashes have to feel great about being down just 2 points at the break after trailing by as many as 10 points.

A freak driving layup by Dev Manley with about 20 seconds to go cut the Akron lead to 2. Manley attacked the middle of the lane, tried to draw contact, hung in the air and flipped the ball over his shoulder without being able to see the hoop.

Akron has yet to hit a three (0-for-5), but the scary thing is you have to know that will not continue.

Kent State stayed close enough thanks to defense and rebounding. After the 3-for-17 start, the Flashes were 5-of-9 to close the half.

Manley has 8 points to lead the Flashes, playing hard and finding a way to have an impact despite a 2-for-8 first half.

Khaliq Spicer has six rebounds and has changed some shots at the rim.

For Akron, Noah Robotham has 6 points on 3-for-3 shooting. Pat Forsythe also has 6 points while Deji Ibitayo has 5 points.


3:39 ... The Flashes appear to have righted the ship.

A floater by Derek Jackson broke the ice. Khaliq Spicer followed with a two-handed slam after rebounding a missed jumper by Manley. Those were followed by Kris Brewer banking in a three from the top, ala Darren Goodson.

That cut the Akron lead to 19-16.

It's now 21-16 with the Flashes getting the basketball back out of the timeout after a pretty awful call against Akron for an illegal screen by Kwan Cheatham.

7:27 ... Kent State will have the ball out of this media timeout thanks to a bailout foul call after an ugly miss.

A 10-0 run by Akron has the Zips up 19-9... and Akron has yet to make a three.

The Flashes are now 3-for-17 from the field.

Thank goodness for the Flashes' work on the offensive glass. KSU has five offensive rebounds and 8 of its 9 points have been second-chance.

8:48 ... Ugly start to this one as Kent State is struggling now from both ends.

Four turnovers for the Flashes and a 3-for-15 start offensively. The Flashes haven't even been able to get off a shot since the 11:16 timeout.

11:16 ... The bad news: Kent State is struggling on offense while playing mostly a half-court game.

The good news: Despite shooting just 3-for-15 in the first 8-plus minutes, the Flashes are hanging in there, down just 12-9.

A Devareaux Manley three coming off of a Khaliq Spicer offensive rebound at around the 12-minute mark has helped the KSU cause.


15:48 ... Kent State leads 5-4 at the first media timeout with an off balance, buzzer-beating three by Derek Jackson the difference.

Akron has yet to attempt a three.

You can already see how the loss of Jimmy Hall is impacting this game as Akron is not respecting Kent State's ability to score inside. With no double team, perimeter shooters are not getting many open looks. Hall consistently drew double teams and found open shooters.

PREGAME

6:46 p.m. ... Officials are on the floor, and it's a veteran MAC crew with Glenn "Buddy" Mayborg, Lamont Simpson and Larry Scirotto. Former MAC officiating mainstay J.D. Collins is the observer. Collins was one of the best, and he is missed.

Simpson, by the way, worked the Iowa-Maryland "PokeGate" game on Sunday.

6:34 p.m. ... Ty Linder and I are very excited to be joined by former Kent State star Trevor Huffman on tonight's broadcast. Trevor, who was one of the leaders of the 2002 Elite Eight run, recently concluded a long and successful professional career overseas. He will serve as our sideline reporter tonight, offering insight from the Kent State huddle.

If you have any questions or comments for Trevor, Ty or me, tweet me at @CarducciKSU.

Listen in on WHLO 640 AM and iHeartRadio's WHLO station.

6:05 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes and Zips are getting some shots on the James A. Rhodes Arena floor as we are inside an hour to tip-off.

The biggest key to me in this one is defending the three, and in particular defending it in transition. While Kent State remains one of the top teams in the nation at defending the three, transition defense has been a bit of a problem of late. The Flashes have been outscored 26-9 on the fast break in their last three games – two of them road losses at Buffalo and Western Michigan.

No team relies on the three more than the Zips, who have shot more from beyond the arc than any team in the MAC. We thought Central Michigan liked to fire it from long range a few weeks back, but with 609 attempts, the Zips have attempted 37 more threes than Central this season. No other team in the MAC has attempted more than 465 (Ball State). Kent State has attempted 450. The Flashes hit the three at a higher percentage, though at .362 to Akron's .355. 

Akron is also dead last in the league in opponent's three-point percentage (.364), so Kent State's ability to get hot from the perimeter could be a key. The Flashes are looking more to long-range shooting to carry them through this stretch without Jimmy Hall. This is a game where Hall's length and inside scoring could have been extremely valuable. His ability to help protect the basket also helped to fee perimeter defenders like Derek Jackson, Kris Brewer and Devareaux Manley to defend the arc. With four three-point shooters on the floor at all times for Akron, that group will need to have a big game on the defensive end and continue to challenge even without Hall behind them. The battle cry tonight: get back, protect the rim first, but then find shooters and force them to take contested twos.

This is an unusual Akron team with no true stars since the loss of its player of the year candidate after just one game. The Zips are one of those teams that likes to prove that the whole really can be more than the sum of its parts. This may be Keith Dambrot's best coaching job, and he was already as good as there is in the Mid-American Conference. Rob Senderoff should also be considered for coach of the year. His task is a bit harder as Hall's loss has come in the final third of the season, forcing him to make some major adjustments on the fly with an already short bench due to three redshirts and the loss of Kellon Thomas to injury (there is good news with Kris Brewer is back tonight, however). Dambrot was fortunate to have more time to tweak roles and work new combinations during the non-conference season. He also has a full roster without the redshirts.

Akron is No. 2 in the conference in effective field-goal shooting and a top-50 team in converting jumpers. The Zips are third in the entire nation with a whopping 41 percent of their scoring coming from beyond the three-point arc.

This will also be a battle of the two worst free-throw shooting teams in the conference. Akron has struggled a bit more in conference play than Kent State (59.5 percent), and only 17 percent of its points come from the foul line (317th in the nation.

The Flashes are going to want to get out and run considering Akron's own struggles defensively (292nd in the nation). In the half court, the Zips are very good, ranking 15th in the nation in overall half-court defensive efficiency.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Miami

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Kent State 61, Miami 60

Very few timeouts down the stretch and a wild finish ... For running updates, check out @CarducciKSU on Twitter.

The Flashes were down 8 late, but found a way to battle back and get the win.

I'll be back in a bit with more.

3:03 ... Officials have swallowed their whistles in the last 8 minutes. After early foul trouble for Miami, the RedHawks only just committed their 7th foul with about 4 minutes to play.

Kent State is down 58-54, but Miami will have the ball back after a quick Kent State turnover following a stop on the defensive end.

Marquiez Lawrence has kept the Flashes in this one with his work on the boards ... 10 in total, including 6 on the offensive end.

6:28 ... Losing Brewer tonight is taking its toll.

Playing almost the entire way, Manley and Jackson appear to have run out of gas in the second half. They are a combined 0-for-7 after the break after both scored 11 points in the first half.

Manley just missed a 3-pointer that looked good all the way with 6:45 to play that would have cut into Miami's 54-48 lead.

8:45 ... A dunk by Miami's L.J. Livingston has the RedHawks up 52-48. The Flashes lost track of Livingston under the basket, leaving him all alone.

Turnovers are starting to pile up for the Flashes. Kent State has called timeout to get its best five on the floor.

Jackson and Manley have gone cold, combining for just 2 points in first 11:15 of first half.

10:02 ...  Some head-shaking calls against both teams tonight.

Miami will keep the ball after another call that didn't make much sense. But the officials also missed a pretty clear call early in the possession that would have sent Miami to the foul line.

Kent State leads 48-47.

Marquiez Lawrence is playing well with 6 points and 6 rebounds, and 4 of those boards are on the offensive end.

14:47 ... Kent State and Miami remain tied at the first media timeout, but Devareaux Manley will be heading to the line when play resumes. 

The Flashes are just 1-for-5 from the field so far from the field in the second half. 

The good news is Miami is starting to get into some foul trouble. The foul on the Manley drive late in the shot clock was No. 5 on the RedHawks, who committed only four fouls in the entire first half.

Khaliq Spicer has been much more active in this half. Good to see after just 2 points and 1 rebound in  14 first-half minutes.

FIRST HALF

The Flashes have been shorthanded, but they continue to play hard.

Perimeter shooting from Devareaux Manley and Derek Jackson have the Flashes in this. They are a combined 6-for-11 from three-point range. Miami is just 1-for-4. The Flashes have had a hard time dealing with Eric Washington and Geovonie McKnight.

Washington is just 1-for-5 from the field, but he is 7-of-8 from the line and getting into the middle of the Flashes defense on his way to 5 assists.

McKnight has 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He came into the night averaging only 10 per game.

Chris Ortiz had a very good first half with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. He has been aggressive and  doing most of his damage around the rim.

Rebounding is an issue as the RedHawks have a 17-11 rebounding advantage. The good news is Miami's 9 offensive rebounds have led to just 4 second-chance points.


1:47 ... It took a while to get to the under-four-minute timeout as Rob Senderoff was forced to burn a timeout to get Derek Jackson back on the floor with a little more than three minutes to play. He tried to sneak a break for Jackson by subbing in walk-on Jon Flemming with 4:04 to play, but the Flashes couldn't get a stop after giving up the lead.

Geovonie McNight and Eric Washington have been tough on the Flashes so far. McKnight is 6-for-9 from the field for 12 points and is already 2 above his scoring average. Washington has 7 points (5-of-6 at the line) and 5 assists.

Kent State and Miami are tied at 35-35 after a Devareaux Manley three. His is 3-for-5 from the arc while Jackson is 3-for-4.

Ortiz has 10 points, the last two coming on a slam as the Flashes broke full-court pressure.

7:47 ... Chris Ortiz is off to a nice start offensively with 6 points. It's great to see him bounce back strong after a tough final few minutes at Western Michigan. Ortiz has been aggressive and is doing most of his work from 10 feet and in. His pretty turnaround from the right baseline has Kent State up 24-20 at this timeout.

Craig Brown committed a hard foul on a Miami bustout that official Donnie Eppley said "was very, very close" to a flagrant foul. But Brown, while it was indeed a hard foul, got a hand on the basketball and was clearly going for the ball.

11:24 ... Derek Jackson is on fire (4-for-4 overall and 3-for-3 from 3-point range), and Kent State's defense has been excellent.

Four Miami turnovers and the Jackson show have the Flashes up 20-12 with the ball back coming out of this media timeout.

We had a front court lineup we've never seen over the last few minutes with freshman Raasean Davis at center, Craig Brown at the three and Gary Akbar at the four. They played very well on the defensive end but combined for 0-for-3 on the offensive end.

15:15 ... A sizzling start from the perimeter has helped Kent State to an early 13-8 lead.

Derek Jackson hit two quick threes and Devareaux Manley added another as the Flashes connected from long range on three straight possessions.

An early foul against Jackson on a pump fake by Eric Washington drew some frustration from Senderoff, who insisted "he didn't touch him."

The Flashes can't afford to get Jackson or Manley in foul trouble with Brewer out.

PREGAME

6:15 p.m. ... The already shorthanded Golden Flashes will play without another key player tonight when Miami visits the M.A.C. Center.

Despite missing player of the year candidate Jimmy Hall to mononucleosis, the Flashes showed they can still battle with the league’s best when Western Michigan needed a basket with eight seconds to pull a home win out of the fire against Kent State on Wednesday.

Rob Senderoff’s team needs to prove it can get back on the winning track after adding Kris Brewer to the missing. Brewer will not be active tonight due to a violation of team rules.

No Hall already means everyone else needs to step up – the frontcourt adding minutes and responsibilities to make up for his defense, rebounding and 30 minutes per night, and the backcourt taking on more scoring responsibility.

Now, without Brewer, the Flashes will ask Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley to keep putting more points on the scoreboard while playing as many as 40 minutes each. With Kellon Thomas sidelined and now Brewer out, Jackson and Manley are the only available guards on scholarship.

Jackson will have to expend energy on the defensive end against Eric Washington. We’ve seen this before as Jackson gets the toughest assignment guarding Washington, who is one of the faster point guards the Flashes will face this year and Miami’s top scorer at 13.7 per game. The 5-foot-10 transfer from Presbyterian is dangerous in transition. In the half court he likes to attack and has a quick first step.

Manley’s job isn’t easy, either, as he will guard senior Will Sullivan, who is one of the league’s best three-point shooters at 47.2 percent. Sullivan likes to run the wing in transition with the idea of shooting threes. He’ll also look for the shot as a trailer on the break and on catch-and-shoot in the half court coming off of screens.

Geovonie McKnight is a 6-3 junior who adds more quickness at the two spot. At 17 percent from three-point range, he’s not as much of a perimeter threat… But then, the Kent State has watched a few unexpected players get hot this season when the opponent’s “better” players have found limited success.

Miami is already a pressure team defensively, but look for the RedHawks to amp up that pressure when they find out that Brewer is out. The reality is that there is no true point guard available tonight for the Flashes. Jackson has handled the point well since Kellon Thomas was lost to injury. His assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 13th in the nation. But he came to Kent to play the two.

The Flashes could turn to 5-foot-9 walk-on Jon Flemming to extend a break for Jackson just before media timeouts, and Manley could be spelled by Gary Akbar or Criag Brown playing out of position at the two. While both are listed as G/F, they get most of their minutes at the two.

This one will be interesting. With one player fallen ill, another injured, another unavailable after breaking a team rule, and three players sitting with redshirts, this team will have very little depth. Miami plays four guards much of the time, and Kent State only has two scholarship guards available. The Flashes have to find a way. Miami is better than its 8-14, 3-6 record. And while they have struggled on the road, the RedHawks are going to find what they have to assume will be an easier assignment tonight. At 1.6 per game, Craig Brown is the leading available scorer off the bench for KSU.

Eight scholarship players are available for Kent State.

Men's Basketball at Western Michigan: Dealing with the loss of Jimmy Hall

A difficult task became even harder for Kent State tonight when Jimmy Hall was diagnosed with mononucleosis.

The Mid-American Conference player of the year candidate will miss this week, be reevaluated by team doctors next week, and beyond that is anyone's guess. Based on my experience, you never know what to expect in the recovery process from mono. It's different for everyone.

In the meantime, as Rob Senderoff said in his video blog today, all of the team's frontline players are going to have to step up to pick up the slack. In reality, so too will the backcourt ... which won't be easy with Kellon Thomas expected to miss even more time following surgery this week.

Gary Akbar is expected to get the start at forward next to Chris Ortiz. That should mean Akbar handles the four offensively while Ortiz plays the four on defense. Beyond that, expect Marquiez Lawrence and Raasean Davis to see extended minutes, along with Blake Vedder potentially being worked into the rotation to provide another look that could force adjustments from opponents during this stretch.

The Flashes remain upbeat and concerned first with Hall returning to full health before bringing him back. And while they are upbeat, the simple fact is that is all happening at a difficult time. Akron adjusted to the loss of its player of the year candidate and has retooled, but Keith Dambrot had the time to tinker and teach as roles changed and confidence could build in a non-conference schedule.

An earlier Hall absence would have allowed Kent State to consider lifting the redshirt off of Marvin Jones. The athletic 6-foot-10 junior college transfer could have filled a big part of the void while Davis would have found more playing time to develop. Unlike Akron this season, Kent State has three scholarships locked up by players who are redshirting. There aren't as many bodies available to take over Hall's 30 minutes per game, and most of the scoring slack from the missing 17 points per game will have to be taken up by a backcourt that is a three-man rotation of Derek Jackson, Devareaux Manley and Kris Brewer – the only three healthy guards available who are on scholarship.

There's no doubt Kent State can stay at or near the top of the Mid-American Conference standings, but it's going to be a difficult task. The margin for error is thin, and with what is now a similarly thin roster, there are not a whole lot of options to change things up. Pressuring and trapping all over the court would be a wrinkle that this team is capable of adding, but that's difficult with three available guards for an extended period of time.

We'll start to figure out tonight what Senderoff and his assistants will attempt to lessen the impact of Hall's absence. Hopefully, that absence won't be all too long.

NOTE ... Due to travel issues, I am not in Kalmazoo, Mich. for tonight's game between Kent State and Western Michigan, but I will be watching from home and updating the blog with some comments. Any thoughts, feel free to share them here and we can discuss.

1st HALF UPDATE... The Flashes take a 1-point lead into the break thanks to a Dev Manley three just before the buzzer.

Derek Jackson's 12 points on some clutch three-point shooting has helped to fill in for the loss of Hall. This game feels a bit like last season with a reliance on the three. But Kent State has been more aggressive defensively than last season, carrying over this year's hard work on that end of the floor.

Love the effort. Keep it going in the second half and steal a difficult win on the road without the top player.