Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Northern Illinois

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Northern Illinois 50, Kent State 49

No poise for Kent State in the second half

First win for the Huskies here since February of 2003.

Flashes were 7-for-21 from the field in the second half ... 11 turnovers against just four assists.


0:05.2 ... Huskies up 50-49 after two free throws by Baker ... Flashes had taken a lead with 11 seconds to go on two Manley free throws.

1:09 ... Huskies have the ball after this timeout ... A Henniger slipped screen for a wide open layup has Kent State ahead 47-46.

3:52 ... A very ugly second half. Both teams playing poorly, but Huskies have a hustle advantage.

Kent State's offensive playmaking has been blind at times ... players attacking with no real purpose or plan to what they are doing.

Lots of poor shots, turnovers and near turnovers.

Huskies haven't been much better.

7:33 ... Kent State has simply been too careless with the basketball in this half. A total of 8 turnovers so far, and nearly many more.

Flashes clinging to a 43-40 lead, and really ahead in large part because of the play of the bench ... Ortiz, Henniger and Simmons combined for 18 points and 10 of the team's 23 rebounds.

Huskies on a 10-0 run.


11:49 ... A K.K. Simmons three has the Flashes up 43-30 at the second media timeout.

Flashes bench now outscoring the Huskies' 18-2.

Huskies just 4-for-17 from the field in this half.


15:24 ... The Flashes coming out hot to start the second half, leading 38-26 behind threes from Kellon Thomas and Darren Goodson. 

Thomas ended an 0-for-5 start with an early three, then hustled to save a possession after Brewer lost the handle, reclaiming the ball with a dive into the lane and setting up Goodson for his three.

Northern forced to call timeout. Huskies are 2-for-9 from the field with two turnovers in first 4:36.

FIRST HALF

HALF ... Derek Jackson's three at the first-half buzzer has Kent State ahead 28-21 at the break. Darren Goodson set it up perfectly with a pass to the corner against a double team.

Marquiez Lawrence made that last shot possible, entering the game just to pressure in the back court and forcing a 10-second violation.  The turnover was Northern Illinois' 13th of the half as Kent State outscored the Huskies 13-4 off of turnovers.

The Flashes bench was also outstanding, outscoring the Huskies 15-2. Ortiz, Henniger and Simmons all making an impact when they checked in.

Jackson leads the Flashes with 7 points and 3 steals.

Henniger has 6 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. Ortiz also with 6 off the bench.

Bolin leads the Huskies with 7, but all of his points came in the game's first nine minutes.

The Flashes honored their 3.0 student-athletes at halftime. Photo is at the left. Well done!


1:23 ... Kent State lead is 25-19. Flashes still taking some poor shots offensively, including some early 3's (2-for-10 from the arc), but defense has been excellent.


3:59 ... Despite a nearly six-minute drought, Kent State leads 23-17. K.K. Simmons has played a big part in the Flashes holding on to this advantage with some hustle plays off of the bench.

Simmons also hit the three that ended the drought.

Flashes have forced 12 Northern turnovers ... lead 10-2 in points off of turnover. Also 13-2 off of the bench.


7:37 ... Northern Illinois has switched to a 2-3 zone and the Flashes are having some trouble with it.

Kent State is settling for threes and shooting just 1-for-7 from long distance.

Chris Ortiz has been excellent off the bench. In his one four-minute shift he was 3-for-3 from the field for six points with a rebound. Working hard on both ends.

Derek Jackson has three steals as the Flashes have forced 11 turnovers. Not getting much out of all the defense, however.



11:16 ... Other than two Aksel Bolin threes since the last media timeout, the Flashes defense has been excellent all night.

A whole lot of talk as they ice and plug defensively gainst Northern Illinois' screens.

Now eight turnovers by the Huskies.

The Kent State lead is just 14-11, though, as the Flashes have settled a bit for long-range jumped. KSU is 5-for-13 overall and 1-for-5 from three. Darren Goodson the only connection from long range.


15:45 ... Kent State with an 8-3 lead at the first media timeout.

The Flashes are shooting a modest 2-for-6 from the field and 1-for-3 from three-point range, but offensively they have been patient and the spacing has been good. Only one of the threes was somewhat questionable shot selection.

Defense has played a big part in this lead with two Derek Jackson strips leading to free throws at the other end.

Kellon Thomas also has a steal. The Flashes have forced six turnovers already.

PREGAME

6:19 p.m. ... Northern Illinois is in town to try to avenge its overtime loss to Kent State back on Jan. 15 in DeKalb.

Kris Brewer was the hero in that one, recovering from a slow start to take over the game late in the second half and in the extra session. The Golden Flashes will need Brewer at his best from the start tonight and really for the rest of the season. He is the go-to player offensively for Kent State. We saw in Sunday’s loss at Toledo that the insertion of Kellon Thomas in the starting lineup has made it easier for Brewer to at least share some of the point-guard duties, freeing him to look a bit more for opportunities to score.

The Flashes got into some trouble early against DeKalb by settling for long-range jumpers early in the shot clock. They learned at Toledo, however, that patience and running their sets can lead to better looks at the basket. They also attacked the Rockets’ defense for 40 points in the paint. There will be opportunities to score inside against a Northern Illinois interior that isn’t particularly big or athletic at the post positions. 

Northern’s defensive strength is pressuring the basketball in man-to-man, so the Flashes need to space the floor well and create opportunities to make plays the way they did late in the last meeting. Being able to watch the first half at DeKalb and compare it to the second half in DeKalb and having those memories fresh in the minds should be a benefit for KSU.

Brewer scored 25 in that win over the Huskies and Derek Jackson added 14. That duo is also building off of good individual efforts at Toledo, so look for them to build on those outings.

Aaron Armstead was a beast off of the bench for Northern in the last meeting, going for 15 points and 10 rebounds. He is likely to start tonight. Armstead is 6-foot-5 and athletic. Jackson will likely get the assignment on him. 

The Flashes did a nice job on Travon Baker earlier this year. The point guard connected on just 3-of-11 from the field and had a 2-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio. Brewer’s length defensively on Baker could be a benefit. With Baker on the floor, though, it will take a team effort to get back defensively. The Huskies like to push the basketball in transition and Baker and Daveon Balls are the keys to that. They love to push the ball. 

Sophomore Darrell Bowie is Northern’s top scorer at 9.7 per game. He is shooting 36 percent from the field and just 16 percent from the three-point arc. He is also a 54-percent free-throw shooter. The lefty loves to attack the rim, and he is a good rebounder at 6-6 averaging almost seven per game. He scored eight points and grabbed eight boards earlier this month against KSU.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Toledo

SECOND HALF

0.00 ... Kent State loses 81-78.

A Jackson three with just over 4 seconds to go cut the Toledo lead to just two, and the Rockets' top free throw shooter, Juice Brown, could only make 1-of-2.

Kris Brewer had a chance with a running three from in inside half court, but it missed ... although he claimed he was whacked on the wrist by Boothe without a call.

A valiant effort, but it's hard to beat the best team in the MAC when you can't get a call. The final foul numbers ... 29 against Kent State ... 15 against Toledo.

The Rockets shot 39 free throws compared to just 14 by the Flashes.


11.3 ... A Brown driving layup around Spicer followed by a Jackson missed three will force KSU to hope for a miracle.

A brave battle so far by Kent State.

Kent State whistled for 28 fouls. Toledo for 15.

Toledo 25-for-37 from foul line. Kent State 9 of just 14. Very one-sided whistle.

47.3 ... A Drummond dunk and foul for a three-point play gave Toledo a 5-point lead with one minute to play... That was followed by a Jackson three from the left corner.

It's 77-75 Toledo.

Henniger has fouled out on the Drummond dunk.

2:11 ... Toledo has forged into the lead on a dunk by Weatherspoon after Boothe blocked Brewer at the other end. A wild leap by Goodson at 3/4 quart helped Toledo get numbers the other way.

It's 72-70 Toledo and a timeout by Kent State.

5:03 ... Kellon Thomas has made several hustle plays ... two good box outs, a dive for a loose ball and a timeout ... Helping KSU build a 67-63 lead.

Brewer has 11 of his 14 in this half. He has been outstanding.

7:41 ... Flashes leading 63-59 and playing remarkably poised basketball for an 8-on-5 game.

Foul situation is getting a bit ridiculous. The Rockets keep going to the line ... 19-for-29... thanks to 23 whistles against Kent State.

Toledo has committed just 12 fouls, and the Flashes are 6-for-10 from the foul line.


11:47 ... Flashes lead 54-50, but will have to hang in there with some serious foul trouble. Derek Jackson and Mark Henniger both on the bench with four fouls.

Goodson just called for his third on a 50-50 block-charge call. Looked like he beat his man to the spot. Goodson coming out of timeout is arguing with Terry Wymer.

So far 20 fouls on Kent State, just 10 on Toledo.


14:57 ... Defense to quick points has Kent State in the lead at 46-45.

The Flashes needed a quick timeout after the Rockets jumped out to a 4-point lead with around 17:30 to play. Since then Kent State has answered the bell ... and with points in transition. Goodson leading the break twice in a row set up Spicer for a dunk and then K.K. Simmons for a three. 

Then the 7-0 run was completed with a Spicer block leading to a fast break layup by Simmons.

Brown stopped the run with a floater to cut it to 1.

FIRST HALF

Halftime ... A three by Goodson at the buzzer cuts Toledo lead to 37-36 at the half.  The Rockets had it to seven points at 33-26, but a nice little finish to the half by the Flashes.

Toledo had the ball trying to add to a four-point lead late, but a nice defensive play by Brewer forcing Brown to the baseline forced a turnover. Marquiez Lawrence cut off Brown's path, forcing him to step on the baseline.

With just six seconds to play, the Flashes did a good job of setting up Goodson for a three over the 6-foot-10 Zach Garber.

Flashes shooting 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from the field and 27.3 percent from three (3-for-11), which is positively blistering when compared to Thursday vs. Western Michigan.

The offense has been much more patient. Despite a few second chances by Toledo late in the first half, KSU won the rebounding battle 21-17.

Goodson has 12 points to lead Flashes on 4-for-10 shooting, 3-for-3 from the line, 1-for-3 from three, and also three rebounds in a difficult matchup with the athletic Weatherspoon (10 points, 4 rebounds to lead Toledo).

Spicer did a nice job in his starting role, going 2-for-2 from the field and grabbing four rebounds in his 11 minutes. He had a plus/minus of plus-6 ... the best on the team in the first 20 minutes.

Thomas struggled a bit, committing two fouls and going 0-for-3 from the field in his six minutes.


3:47 ... Brown just found his way into the lane for a layup ... his first basket of the game after an 0-for-3 start. Until that play, the Flashes had done a nice job of keeping the Rockets' star point guard out of the lane. Brown used a Garber screen to get to the basket.

7:57 ... Kent State and Toledo are tied 17-17. Manley just drilled a three from the left corner, ending KSU's 0-for-5 start from three. They've been good looks, too, coming off of inside-out action. Wide open, just unable to knock 'em down.

Good to see that Manley can hit from long range even with his wrist heavily taped.

11:20 ... Flashes lead is 12-10, and the best news is that Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson have combined for eight of the Flashes early 12 points. And they've done it by attacking the rim rather than settling for jumpers.

Dev Manley has checked in with his wrists wrapped.

15:41 ... Spicer and Thomas already having an early impact as KSU leads 6-4 at first timeout. A Spicer tip-dunk accounts for one of the Flashes' baskets. Thomas also with nice defense inside, holding his ground as the Rockets tried to post up the bigger Drummond.

PREGAME

5:53 ... The expected lineup changes for tonight: Khaliq Spicer starts at the five, Kellon Thomas starts at guard. Mark Henniger will come off of the bench, as will Dev Manley, who has a hand injury and is expected to try to play.

I wonder if the addition of Thomas to the starting lineup will allow Brewer to focus more on scoring and get him going by removing some of the playmaking responsibilities. Thomas can handle some of the point-guard responsibilities.

Thomas may also give the Flashes a chance to start fast defensively. He'll need a bulldog mentality giving up five inches while guarding the 6-4 Justin Drummond at the start of the game.

5:15 p.m. ... The Kent State's team bus has arrived at the Savage Arena - easily the classiest renovation of an old Mid-American Conference barn in recent years.

The new bleacher technology that allows for angled seating in the corners would be a nice option for the future of the M.A.C. Center. Toledo had more space with which to work than KSU will after it raises the money needed for a renovation, but this beautiful facility can still serve as a blueprint.

The coaching staff has done some tinkering with rotation and lineups heading into this one. That's of course long-standing tradition for KSU teams in a funk ... Coaches going back to Jim Christian have sat down veterans, often seniors, to give them a new perspective, hopefully jump starting them on and off the court.

I've talked to several fans who are frustrated and concerned, but I don't subscribe to the sky-is-falling philosophy. Some may say that is because I work for Kent State athletics, but I believe it comes from being around this program for a very long time. I've seen this before with past coaches. I even remember last year when the Flashes limped to even slower start before righting the ship in another 20-win season. That team had players who could go out and get 20 on any given night in Randal Holt and Chris Evans. While some fans think that is missing in this year's team, I see the guys who could fill similar go-to roles. One of tonight's lineup changes could help another player find that scorers mentality a little easier. We'll see.

Toledo is a dangerous team, of course. Making changes is always a little more risky against an explosive roster like this one. In Julius Brown, Rian Pearson, Justin Drummond, J.D. Weatherspoon and Nathan Boothe, the Rockets boast five starters all averaging in double figures.

Brown and Pearson are the guards who make everything go for the Rockets, though. Brown is averaging 14.2 points and a league-best 6.5 assists per game. While he is averaging 37 percent from the arc and has hit some big threes during their 4-1 MAC start, "Juice" is even more dangerous when he gets into the lane to create for himself and others. If he can get to any spot on the floor when he wants, tonight could be a tough one for KSU. Kris Brewer will get the assignment on him with the hope that his length at 6-foot-3 can create some problems for the 5-foot-10 Brown.

Derek Jackson gets the assignment of stopping Pearson, who is the team's top scorer at 14.7. The 6-4 Pearson will have the reach advantage in that one against the 6-1 Jackson.

With the shooting slumps suffered by Brewer and Jackson during the Mid-American Conference season, how they get going on offense is possibly even more important than how they defend. They just have to rediscover their shooting touches for the Flashes to turn around this 2-3 MAC start. The good news is that while the Rockets are a dangerous scoring team, they have been just average at best on defense so far this season.

The Flashes are also going to have to find someone to match Weatherspoon, an above-the-rim 6-foot-6 power forward who averages 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and will be the most athletic player on the floor.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Western Michigan

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Western Michigan 75, Kent State 59

A brutal shooting night.

The Flashes shot 21-of-65 from the field and 7-of-29 from three-point range. KSU had to get hot at the end just to shoot 32-percent from the field for the game.

Goodson and Brewer both scored 10 points to lead the Golden Flashes.

Whittington led all scorers with 18 for Western while Brown scored 17, Haymond and Richie 11.


4:12 ... Kellon Thomas with a three from the corner cuts lead to 69-55.

Thomas is 3-for-3 from field and 2-for-2 from three. He has been a bright spot.

7:07 ... Flashes down 61-45 and have had a few chances to cut deeper but have missed several transition threes.

Brown leads all scorers with 16 while Whittington and Haymond both have 13 for Western.

Goodson has 10 for KSU.

Flashes shooting 26 percent in the game and 25 percent from floor this half.


11:56 ... Western lead is 56-33 and Kent State is trying to find a way to build on some positives. The Flashes are actually hustling, diving for loose balls, work hard in full-court pressure ... but with few results.

Kent State is 3-for-12 in the second half.

Coaches try to cut the remaining time into short games ... win the next four minutes, then the next four minutes after that ... etc.

Starting guards are 4-for-24.


16:13 ... A very poor start to the second half sees Kent State down 46-27 and in deep trouble.

Flashes are not settling for threes. They are getting right on top of the rim and just can't convert a layup. 

Shooting 1-for-8 in the first four minutes.

FIRST HALF

HALF ... Kent State trails Western Michigan 34-24

Kent State is lucky to be down by just 10 after shooting 9-for-34 from the field (26.5 pct) and 2-for-13 from three (15.4 pct).

Kent State's starting guards, Kris Brewer, Dev Manley and Derek Jackson, are a combined 3-for-16.

And all of this with 6-11 center Shayne Whittington playing just eight minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble.

Disappointing, but need to turn it around here with a fast start to the second half.

Goodson leads Kent State with 8 points and 4 rebounds. Khaliq Spicer has six rebounds (5 of them offensive) and a blocked shot in 10 minutes.

Marquiez Lawrence has three points off of the bench.



3:43 ... Kent State cut the Western lead to four on a couple of occasions, including one with the ball ... but some empty possessions and threes by McCormick and Brown have helped Western to a 29-20 lead.


7:56 ... After a 3-for-20 shooting start (1-for-9 from three), the Flashes are finally starting to try to take advantage of what should be a size and athleticism advantage and are attacking the rim.

A Goodson layup has cut the lead to 19-13. Flashes fortunate to be this close while getting out-rebounded 16-11 and out shot 43.8-percent to 19-percent.

11:40 ... Losing Whittington has actually been a plus for the Broncos.

Western Michigan's bench has been up to the challenge of making up for the early foul trouble to arguably the best center in the MAC. The Broncos reserves have outscored KSU's 6-0 in the last four minutes, helping Western to a 10-6 lead.

Kent State is 2-for-12 from the field and 1-for-7 from three-point range.

Offense is settling again for early shots from three and failing to take advantage of a size and athleticism advantage with Whittington on the bench.


15:27 ... Darren Goodson wins his second battle with Western Michigan center Shayne Whittington. Two drives by the 6-11 senior and twice Goodson has drawn a charge.

Whittington will have to sit down.

A three by Manley on the last possession has the Flashes up 5-4.

PREGAME

6:56 ... Good to see Gene Steratore on the game. He is one of the best, as is Larry Scirotto, who is also on this officiating crew.

Steratore is in Kent just a few days after working as the referee at the NFC Championship Game in Seattle where the Seahawks beat the 49ers.

The third official is Doran Gotschall, who regularly works the WAC and Mountain West.



4:50 p.m. ... Tonight's tip is a little more than two hours away. As always, the game will be broadcast on WHLO 640 AM, and tonight's internet simulcast is on iHeartRadio at http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/

I had posted the wrong link last week when there was some confusion due to the Kent State women's basketball team playing at the same time. When that happens, the women's game will be simulcast on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio station while the men's game is on the WHLO 640 iHeartRadio station.

There's a lot of Jekyll and Hyde play going on in the Mid-American Conference this season. We've seen it here at Kent State. Western Michigan seems to be going through some of the same issues, averaging better than 81 points per game in their nine wins and struggling to score 58 in their seven losses.

Forcing turnovers is a big key tonight. The Broncos are averaging 18 turnovers per game in MAC play and have turned it over 51 times in their two losses. The Flashes need to turn those turnovers into some easy points ... similar to the first half on Saturday at Buffalo.

The obvious matchup to watch is Derek Jackson vs. Western Michigan senior guard David Brown. The Flashes shutdown defender will try to slow down the MAC's leading scorer, who is averaging 18.9 per game. Brown takes 1/3 of the Broncos' shots. He is extremely dangerous in transition and loves to drive hard to the rim while trying to draw contact. While he is only shooting the three at about 25 percent on the season, he is closer to 40 percent since the MAC season started.

At center, Shayne Whittington is a concern. The 6-foot-11 senior is averaging 15.1 points in just 28 minutes per night. He scored 21 and had 13 rebounds against Kent State last season. He is strong and athletic. Can Kent State's bigs push him off the block and keep him from getting deep touches?

At the four, 6-foot-5 sophomore Connar Tava is coming on in MAC play, upping his 11.9 season scoring average to closer to 15 per game. He is also a dangerous offensive rebounder, so the Flashes have to keep him off of the boards.

Live Blog: Kent State men's basketball at Buffalo

SECOND HALF

FINAL … Buffalo 71, Kent State 60.

Two completely different halves for the Golden Flashes. Devareaux Manley had an impact on both ends, scoring 17 points, grabbing four rebounds and playing good defense for most of his 34 minutes.

The rest of the efforts were pretty inconsistent. Kris Brewer couldn't build on his big finish at Northern Illinois. He ended up with 11, but had to hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to do it after large stretches when he struggled to have much of an impact. Derek Jackson scored seven points and shot just 3-for-9.

With 8 minutes to play in the game and KSU trailing by double figures, Brewer and Jackson were both 1-for-8. While they put up some late offensive numbers, it was too little and too late.

Poor free-throw shooting also hurt Kent State. The Flashes connected on just 6-for-13 compared with Buffalo's 21-for-23.


3:21 … Kent State just can't crack into this lead. Henniger missed two free throw with a chance to cut Bulls' lead inside 10 points.

Buffalo offense operating at high efficiency … At half, Bulls had 6 assists and just 9 turnovers. In 2nd half 8 assists and just 2 turnovers.

6:41 … This one is starting to get away from Kent State.

Two minutes ago, the Flashes were within nine and had an inbound under their own basket. A miss three by Manley turned into a three-point make for Regan, who now has 19.

The Bulls have continued to pull away, now up 57-43.

In this half alone, Regan is 5-for-7 from the field, 3-for-4 from three-point range, and has seven rebounds.

11:14 … The Bulls have caught fire from three-point range and are now leading 49-40.

Buffalo is 4-for-6 from three-point range in first nine minutes of this half. Also leading the rebounding battle now 24-21… a 9-4 advantage in this half.

Assistant coach Eric Haut had some fiery words for the Flashes in the bench before Rob Senderoff drew up the play during this timeout. KSU will have the ball with 15 seconds on the shot clock after a kicked ball.

Need a score … but won't get it … A five-second violation.

Will Regan has 14 points and six rebounds. Josha Freelove has a 12 points.

And Kris Brewer just picked up his fourth foul


14:55 … Buffalo leads 37-36 after a Freelove 3-pointer. 

The Flashes have committed a few careless turnovers in this half and missed some easy shots right on top of the rim.

Dev Manley has it going, though with 14 points. He is playing extremely well on both ends.

FIRST HALF

HALF … Kent State 29, Buffalo 27

Kent State's first three-pointer of the game arrived with five seconds to go and put the Flashes in the lead at halftime. Derek Jackson with a great drive and find set up Dev Manley for the three from the right wing.

The Manley three ended an 8-0 Buffalo run late in the half after KSU had grabbed a 26-19 lead and appeared to have momentum.

Javon McCrea has been held to just six points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. The Bulls big man also has two fouls at the break.

Dev Manley leads the Flashes in scoring with seven, but his defense has been excellent. He has been very active.

Melvin Tabb has four points, both on offensive rebounds and stick-bakcs.

The Flashes offense has been effective despite going just 1-for-8 from three-point range. Take away those numbers and KSU is 12-for-18 inside the arc. That's a big reason the Flashes own a 22-14 advantage in the paint.

0:37 … Kent State holding on to a 26-24 lead, missing a chance to build from the foul line as Khaliq Spicer is 0-for-3 from the stripe in the last couple of minutes.

McCrea has two fouls. Kris Brewer also two fouls for KSU.

3:35 … Kent State building momentum, up 26-19 with the ball coming out of timeout after forcing another Bulls turnover… No. 7

Darren Goodson is playing the facilitator role. He just set up Spicer for another layup on a perfect pass.

KSU is 0-for-5 from three-point range, but KSU offense is operating very well. Not settling for threes.

In last 8 minutes, KSU has 5-1 advantage on offensive boards.

7:30 … A pretty entertaining game. The Flashes lead it 20-18 with Melvin Tabb getting a chance to complete a three-point play coming out of this timeout. Tabb has two put-backs and is playing extremely well despite a nagging injury. He did not do much in shoot around or practice here in Buffalo during the last two days, and Senderoff was worried he may not be available.

11:58 … Buffalo answered a 10-0 Kent State run with its own 9-0 run and now leads 13-10.

Flashes are having some trouble keeping Buffalo off of the offensive glass. So far, McCrea hasn't done much, scoring just two points ad picking up an early foul. He is on the bench at the moment.


15:48 … Defense has been excellent for Kent State in first few minutes. The Flashes lead 8-4 thanks to three steals leading to six easy points at the other end.

Flashes have done their homework. The Bulls run a ton of sets, but the KSU coaches seem to know the calls for each one … yelling them out to players on the defensive end.

PREGAME

5:32 p.m. … Radio partner Ty Linder is ready … We are on the air now for our pre game show.

UB Arena is never a comfortable place for me. I've seen too many good teams struggle here, including the 2001-02 Elite Eight team. That squad suffered its only MAC loss right here.

Last year, the Flashes had to survive some of the most serious foul trouble I've ever witnessed to come from behind and beat the Bulls 80-68 behind a big second half.

The Flashes won all three meetings with Buffalo last season in large part because of the play of seniors Randal Holt and Chris Evans, who averaged 24.0 and 21.3 points per game, respectively, in those games. But Holt and Evans are gone now, and Darren Goodson is the only player on the Kent State roster who enjoyed some success against Buffalo last year. He averaged 12.7 points while shooting 48 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range.

Kris Brewer really struggled against the Bulls last season, playing 35.7 minutes in three starting assignments, but shooting just 15.8 percent from the field and missing all six of his three-point attempts while averaging 3.7 per game. Of course, Brewer is coming off of a heroic effort at the end of Wednesday night's game at Northern Illinois. The Flashes need him to continue to take over as a leader. Senderoff believes he is developing into that kind of guy. The challenge is to do it two games in a row on the road.


3:11 p.m. … We are a little more than an hour away from the team bus leaving the hotel for UB Arena where the Golden Flashes will play Buffalo at 6 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on television for those of you who have Time Warner Cable. Ty Linder and I will have the radio broadcast live on WHLO 640 AM beginning with the pre game show at 5:30 p.m.

I had the wrong link for the radio simulcast on iHeartRadio on Wednesday when we were at Northern Illinois. The women's basketball team was on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio site while we were on WHLO 640 AM's iHeartRadio station.

Tonight we are back on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio station. Here's the link: http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/

The team just finished its pre-game meal and its personnel review of Buffalo here at the hotel.

Obviously, there is quite a bit of concern about guarding Javon McCrea, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound Buffalo senior who has put up some big numbers against Kent State during his career and is arguably the best player in the Mid-American Conference.

McCrea averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds per game against KSU in three games last season. In those games, the Flashes did a good job of keeping other players from beating them.

McCrea tends to get a favorable whistle, and if we see a repeat of last year's trip to Buffalo, Kent State will likely need every post player available … and all of their fouls.

Mark Henniger draws the early assignment on McCrea. Khaliq Spicer's length will also be a key to keeping the ball from entering the post. Melvin Tabb has the ideal size to lean on McCrea, but he has suffered through some nagging injuries in recent weeks. Marquiez Lawrence has worked his way into the rotation up front as an energy guy off of the bench, but after getting poked in the eye at Northern Illinios, he is not expected to play.

Lawrence's minutes against the Huskies were not the result of Senderoff grasping at straws during a difficult first half. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound freshman has been working hard. He has the length to give Senderoff some options at the four defensively, similar to the way Mike Scott was used to double team in the post after he switched to the four during his sophomore year.

Getting Jarod Oldham back this season has been a big boost for the Bulls offense. He is a very solid, pass-first point guard who is important to a Bobby Hurley system that runs a ton of sets. The addition of fifth-year transfer Joshua Freelove gives the Bulls another shooter to surround McCrea. Derek Jackson will get that assignment. At the four, 6-8 junior Will Regan is also a guy who can get hot from long range.

One of the most interesting match ups could come at the three, where the Bulls have been starting Xavier Ford a bit out of position in recent weeks. Does Manley get free for some looks on the perimeter, or does Buffalo take advantage with the athletic Ford getting to the basket?

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Northern Illinois

OVERTIME

The Flashes out-scored Northern Illinois 15-6 in overtime to steal a 73-64 victory over Northern Illinois. 

Kris Brewer finished with 25 points and took the game over after being a non-factor in most of the first 30 minutes of tonight's game. 

Shocking comeback with so many Flashes in foul trouble.

We are racing to catch the team bus, so check out www.kentstatesports.com for the game story.

SECOND HALF

END OF REGULATION ... Tied at 58-58.

Huskies inbounded with 29.8 seconds to play and couldn't get off a shot before the violation.

With 1.3 to play, Brewer's heave at the buzzer didn't go...

Overtime ... and it took a miracle to get here.

0:43 ... Officials change the call ... replay shows ball off of Bolin's foot

And Manley takes advantage with a 3-pointer ...

Now need a stop with 35 seconds! And a Huskies timeout.

0:43 ... Brewer loses the ball out of bounds. Flashes wanted a block on Bolin, but Brewer just lost the ball into the Kent State bench.

0:48 ... Huskies have just one field goal in the last 14-plus minutes...

Everything coming from the foul line for Northern Illinois, and yet they lead 58-55 ...

Kent State with the ball coming out of this timeout.

3:33 ... Huskies last field goal was at the 15-minute mark.... just ended on a Bolin three...

Huskies lead 55-54.

One of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country gets one when they have to.

6:13 ... Goodson gets into the middle and sets Jackson up for a three-pointer to cut the Northern lead to 52-49 ... then the Flashes force a turnover.

Kent State somehow in this game despite pretty much everyone in foul trouble.

7:59 ... A great finish at the rim by Brewer has cut Huskies lead to 51-44 ... but of course that was followed by another Kent State foul.

Both coaches are frustrated as can be with the officiating.

John Gaffney, Charles Bullock and Brett Gearhart are blowing their whistles on almost every possession.

And to make matters worse, the two teams have combined for 22 missed free throws.

8:31 ... Ironically Kent State coming back at the foul line... Two by Manley and two more by Brewer have cut Huskies lead to 8:26.

11:32 ... The Flashes are letting the frustration get to them... The Northern lead is 45-36 and ... and the Huskies are heading back the foul line. They have lived there this half.

Kent State has to do a better job of blocking out on the defensive end. The Flashes also have to hit some free throws when they are lucky enough to find themselves at the line.

Derek Jackson and Mark Henniger are both on the bench with 14 fouls.

Huskies have outscored Kent State 17-6 in the second half.

15:38 ... Flashes trail 36-34 and have to overcome a pretty shaky whistle by this officiating crew. Kellon Thomas with a phantom foul will send Armstead to the foul line. 

Rob Senderoff just came over to ask what the free-throw differential is... 19 attempts for Northern. Just 9 for Kent State.

FIRST HALF

HALF ... Jackson drilled a three to tie it late in the shot clock of Kent State's final possession of the half, then good defense shut down the Huskies at the halftime buzzer.

After trailing 22-11, the Flashes have battled back to tie at the break, 30-30.

Khaliq Spicer has been very active defensively and on the boards.

Jackson leads the Flashes with 8. That three by Jackson late in the half came on an inbound pass with just two seconds on the shot clock. Spicer has four points and three rebounds.

Momentum is on the Flashes' side, outscoring the Huskies 19-8 in final 10 minutes of the first half.

Northern Illinois is just a 26-percent three-point shooting team this season, but the Huskies have hit 3-of-5 in the first half.

Flashes shooting just 34.6 percent from the field tonight, including 6-of-16 from three-point range.

Manley has taken just two shots, but he gave Kent State its first lead late in the half.

Again, ball movement has been better. Defensive effort has picked up. Keep that going in half No. 2 and Kent State should be in good shape.


4:10 ... Flashes trail 25-23 with the ball coming out of the timeout.

Goodson and Ortiz were such keys to KSU's win over Ball State on Saturday, but both have been on the bench for most of this half with 2 fouls.

7:43 ... Marquiez Lawrence has provided a spark given a chance to play here early in the first half. Unfortunately, the freshman forward was just injured after blocking a shot, leading to this timeout.

Flashes are down just four now at 24-20, but there is more flow to the offense, they are talking and working hard on defense. Slow start, but getting it together.

11:35 ... Flashes trailing 17-11. Offense is starting to get a bit more flow. Defense needs to do a better job of getting back in transition.

14:22 ... So much for the hope for a four-or-five point possession. Flashes settling for threes and missing, then doing a very poor job of taking away both the driving lane and the passing lanes to the Northern bigs... now trailing 15-6.

Flashes shooting just 1-for-8.

15:51 ... Tough start for Kent State that was reminiscent of last year's trip to DeKalb. The Flashes missed their first five shots from the field and fell behind 8-1, but they appear to have weathered the storm a bit.

A three by Darren Goodson broke the seal. A silly hanging-on-the-rim technical against by Kevin Gray of Northern Illinois has given the Flashes a chance at a four or five-point swing. Brewer hit two free throws and now the Flashes have the ball coming out of the timeout down 10-6.

PREGAME

7 p.m. (Central) ... About an hour to tipoff here at the Convocation Center at Northern Illinois.

It's nice to be back on the road with the Golden Flashes after missing the trips to both Princeton and Charleston. I sat in on today's film session at the team hotel and the guys appear to be extremely focused. They have some frustrating memories from the last trip to DeKalb that I'm sure they would like to purge from their systems.

This is a better Huskies team, though, than the one that upset the Flashes at the buzzer last season. Instead of coming in off of a embarrassment on a national level, they should come in feeling very good about themselves after winning on the road and outscoring Bowling Green 11-1 in the closing minutes to do it.

The top scorer for Northern is Dontel Highsmith at 10.5 per game, but the is out with a knee injury. The Huskies miss him, considering he was one of the few players on the roster hitting above 30-percent from three-point range.

This is a shaky team from the perimeter, and from what I can tell teams have been packing it in defensively, trying to take away their athleticism and daring them to beat them from the outside.

The starting guards, Travon Baker and Aaric Armstead, are hitting just 28 and 14-percent from three, respectively. The starting three, Aksel Bolin is making just 25 percent, the same percentage as 6-foot-6 Darrell Bowie, and starting five Jordan Threloff hasn't hit a three this season.

Threloff and Petro Rakocevic give Northern some presence in the post. Both are capable of scoring over either shoulder. Cavs fans can think of the 255 pound Threloff as a MAC version of Vitaly Potapenko. Similar styles.

Bowie is the most dangerous scorer at 9.6 per game. The sophomore is a lefty, and he loves to drive to his left. He's also an effort guy who will run the floor and hit the boards hard. He averages 7.4 rebounds per game.

The Huskies as a whole like to push the ball on makes, misses and turnovers. When they can't score in transition, they pull it out and run the clock. With few scoring options and averaging only three 3's per game at 26 percent as a team, they want to keep scores low, and if they can't score off of their late offense, they want to hit the glass. Right now they are No. 58 in the country in offensive rebounding at 14.6 percent.

So the keys are obviously stop the ball in transition, defend the post, and keep the Huskies from second-chance opportunities.

Win the battle of the boards on both ends and Kent State should be in good shape. Lose that battle and who knows.

Live Blog: Kent State men's basketball vs. Western Michigan

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 86, Ball State 74

Kent State used a dominating second-half performance to capture its first MAC win of the year. The Flashes outscored the Cardinals 54-35 and just as importantly several key players broke out of a funk.

Goodson finished with 23 to lead the Flashes. Brewer added 18 on 4-for-4 shooting in the second half. Jackson was 4-of-7 in the second half on his way to 12 points.

Turnovers were the big key. The Flashes forced 16 of them and outscored the Cardinals off of turnovers 26-11.

3:19 ... Close this win out and it may mean more than just a win. This could be the turnaround in the struggles of Darren Goodson, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson, who have all been fantastic in this second half.

Kent State lead is 75-67. Goodson has 23, Brewer now has 11 and Jackson 10. After going a combined 1-for-8 in the first half, Brewer is 4-for-4 in this half while Jackson is 4-for-7.

After an 8-turnover first half, the Flashes have just one in the second half.


6:57 ... Goodson is dominating the action. He now has 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also has six rebounds, an assist and a steal, and no turnovers.

Flashes are up 70-60 after a short baseline jumper by Kris Brewer and a driving hook by Goodson.

This game has completely flipped in the last seven minutes. Guards are also starting to get hot as Jackson is 4-for-7 in this half and Brewer is 2-for-2.


9:31 ... Kent State is on a 16-0 run after a Ortiz steal led to a Brewer layup.

Flashes lead is 65-57. Momentum completely on the Flashes' side.

11:46 ... Chris Ortiz with two old-fashioned three-point plays is leading a Kent State comeback. The Flashes pressure defense also has a hand in it, forcing turnover after turnover.

Flashes have the ball back ... a Kellon Thomas layup prior to this last turnover cut Ball State lead to 57-56.

15:53 ... Darren Goodson almost single handedly keeping Kent State in the game. He has 17 loins on 7-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 from 3-point range.

Add in a Jackson steal and soaring dunk and the Flashes are down 49-42. They have momentum at the momentum, but need to keep putting on the pressure. To this point Ball State has answered every mini run.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Kent State pulled to within a point at 33-32 as Goodson hit a driving layup, a turnaround jumper and a three in a short spurt.

But in the final two minutes, the Cardinals answered with a four-point play by Mark Alstork and a layup by Crhis Bond to regain momentum, up 39-32 at the break.

The Cardinals have been as sloppy as any team I've seen in the M.A.C. Center, and Kent State hasn't been able to take full advantage.

The good news is Goodson appears to have resurrected his game. He is playing like the Darren Goodson of last MAC season.

Goodson has 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field, three rebounds and no turnovers so far.

Brewer and Jackson continue to struggle, though, at a combined 1-for-8 from the field.

Henniger and Spicer have been in foul trouble, but Tabb has been a positive in their place with five points and improving defense inside against Majok Majok. The Ball State big was quiet late after a fast start.

3:43 ... Opportunity to close strong here at the end of the first half. Flashes are within nine at 32-23 and have a chance to cut it closer after forcing another turnover heading into this timeout.

Defense has been good for the most part, forcing another turnovers by the bunches.

7:10 ... A brief run by Kent State highlighted by a Melvin Tabb layup, a quick Ball State turnover, and a Dev Manley three cut the Ball State lead to 25-18. The Cardinals have answered however and now lead the Flashes 30-18.

Frustrating stat of the night so far – Kent State has forced 8 Ball State turnovers but has just 5 points off of turnovers. Ball State has forced just 3 Kent State turnovers, but has 9 points off of turnovers.

11:53 ... Flashes starting to show some life with the Thomas layup. He missed the free throw, unfortunately, but a Jackson steal led to two more free throws. The makes have KSU within nine at 20-11.

12:30 ... Ball State has extended its lead to 20-7.

Flashes are flat offensively, taking poor shots and they are continuing to do a poor job on Majok inside. The Ball State center is now 5-for-5 with 10 points.

Need to turn it around on this possession... and start to do just that with Kellon Thomas driving hard to the rim, finishing and drawing the foul.

15:34 ... Ball State leads 10-6 early at the first media timeout, and Majok Majok has 8 of the Cardinals' points on 4-of-4 shooting.

The very first play of the night was a turnover as Mark Henniger overplayed Majok in the post. The entry sailed out of bounds at the baseline. Since then, the Flashes have not done a good job against Ball State's biggest inside threat.

Offensively, the first four-plus minutes have looked a whole lot like Wednesday night. Already three missed layups. The Flashes are working the ball a bit more, making the extra pass.

PREGAME

6:43 p.m. ... Tune in to WHLO 640 AM for the radio broadcast of tonight's game. The game is also simulcast on the internet on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel... http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/

If you have any questions or comments, tweet me @CarducciKSU or post below and Ty and I will discuss on air during tonight's radio broadcast.

Tip coming at 7 p.m.


5:30 p.m. ... Darren Goodson was on the M.A.C. Center floor very early tonight, running drills and getting up extra shots with assistant coach Eric Haut. It was as hard as I've seen a regular in the Kent State rotation work during early pre-game, which is usually a time for players who are sitting out to get a workout with assistant DeAndre Haynes.

Clearly Goodson is feeling a sense of urgency to get back to where he was last year during the conference season, and that's a good thing. Winning teams have players who take ownership in the program.

It's no secret the Golden Flashes need a win to get back in the swing of things. They also need to see a few shots go in just to get some confidence back in their shooting stroke. This is the same team team that set a school record for 3's in a game and scored over 100 points in a game just a few weeks ago. The swagger just needs to return.

Priority for beating Ball State is limiting Majok Majok, keeping him from ducking in and getting the ball in the post and from getting to the offensive glass. At 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Majok will be a load for Henniger to handle inside, so he'll need some help from the KSU guards.

Chris Bond is also dangerous. Like Majok he is averaging just over 11 points per game. Bond is a veteran wing who is a capable three-point shooter, but more dangerous as an athletic slasher. Jackson likely gets the assignment on Bond.

Zavier Turner is a freshman who is averaging almost 13 points per game at the point. He is a small but ultra-quick lead guard who has demonstrated deep range while hitting better than 45 percent of his threes. His quickness will be a difficult matchup for Kris Brewer, although the KSU point has an advantage in size and length. The Flashes have good length at the guard position, and they'll need to use it to pressure and bother the Ball State freshman. Turner will turn it over – 47 times so far this year.

With Turner and Mark Alstork, the Cardinals have been starting two freshmen in the backcourt. Alstork can really shoot it from the perimeter – 48 percent from beyond the arc.

Turner likes to push the basketball, so the Flashes need to get back on defense after makes and misses. For the most part, they did a good job of that against Ohio University.

Look for Kent State to try to push the ball early and often to try to get some easy looks and take some pressure off of the half-court sets. I talked to one of the assistants earlier tonight and he said the Flashes are also putting an emphasis on getting back to playing inside-out basketball. They got good looks from three, but couldn't knock them down last game. They can get even better looks by continuing to stress this key. After missing 16 layups against Ohio, the Flashes have talked quite a bit about finishing strong at the basket.

Kent State should have a major size advantage. Majok Majok is the only true post in the rotation. Every other player at the 4 or 5 is in the 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-6 range.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Ohio University

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Ohio 59, Kent State 53

Guard play is supposed to be the strength of this Kent State team, but tonight starters Kris Brewer, Devareaux Manley and Derek Jackson combined to make just 5-of-32 from the field.

You are not going to make many shots when your starting guards combine to make just 15 percent of their 32 field-goal attempts.

Here's a link to the wrap-up on KentStateSports.com:

http://www.kentstatesports.com/news/2014/1/8/MBB_0108143745.aspx

0:39 ... Bobcat lead is 55-49 after two Kellogg Free throws.

Flashes still too many empty possessions. KSU coaches furious with the officials at a series of no calls at the basket on shots by Brewer and Henniger.

3:46 ... Ohio is up 51-46 as Kent State has suffered a few empty possessions in a row.

Senderoff thought Dev Manley was whacked on a 3-point try from the right corner but there was a no call. Ohio sprinted down the floor for a Wilkins 3-pointer. Instead of up three, the Flashes found themselves down three. That might be the key series of this game to this point.

The 5-point lead came on a miss by Jackson on a difficult driving layup that led to an easy bust-out dunk by Ndour.

Kent State guards are struggling. Manley is 2-for-10, Brewer is 2-for-11 and Jackson is 1-for-8. A combined 5-for-29 from the starting guards.


7:46 ... Mark Henniger put Kent State into the lead with a perfect slip to the basket on an inbound play. Ohio had no idea where he was on the layup.

Flashes defense continues to be excellent, forcing the third turnover by Ndour as the Flashes guards helped on the forward on his drive down the lane.

Flashes shooting only 36 percent from the field in the second half, but it doesn't seem that bad. Offense has been significantly better in the last 12 minutes, maybe because they are playing with more of a purpose, more of a plan.

9:16 ... Kent State and Ohio University are tied 42-42 as the starters check back into the ballgame.


12:27 ... Kent State has battled back into the lead at 38-36 on a Dev Manley transition three-pointer on a pass from Goodson, who stole the ball under the Ohio basket and led the break.

Flashes offense is clicking in the second half with the exception of several missed layups. Better shots. Better patience.

Defense has still been very good as Khaliq Spicer has two blocks in the last few minutes. The defensive rotation.

A foul and another quick media timeout will have Darren Goodson going to the free-throw line with 11:52 to play and trying to extend an 8-0 run and the 38-36 lead.

FIRST HALF

0:00 ... HALFTIME ... Ohio 26, Kent State 19

The defensive effort has been outstanding.

The offense ... not so much. Flashes shooting just 8-for-30 from the field with more turnovers (6) than assists (5). KSU is also 2-for-12 from three-point range. Too many shots early in possessions. Too many turnovers. Too many individuals trying to do too much.

Defensively, however, the Flashes have limited Maurice Ndour to just 3 points on 1-for-4 shooting. Nick Kellogg has heated up a bit after a slow start with 7 points on 3-of-7 shooting.

The lead changed nine times in the first 11 minutes. Since then, though, Kent State has really struggled.


2:48 ... Dangerous period of the game as KSU has fallen behind by a 22-17 lead and the Flashes offense is really struggling. Too many early shots in the possession. Too many turnovers. Guys are just trying to do too much.

They need to get back to moving the basketball.

Numbers at this point ... Flashes 7-for-26 from the field ... 6 turnovers against 4 assists.


7:54 ... Defensive intensity is up ... Shooting is poor.

Both teams are 5-for-17 from the field.

Good news is the Flashes have found a way to slow Kellogg and Ndour in the early going. That duo is a combined 1-for-6.

11:39 ... Great to see Darren Goodson back to work as a facilitator in the offense. His post-to-post pass to Khaliq Spicer for a spinning baseline dunk has Kent State leading 9-8 at this timeout.

Just before the break Goodson also did a nice job of playing the passing lane to knock a Bobcats look to the post out of bounds.

The best action right now is on the Kent State defensive end with Derek Jackson chasing Nick Kellogg all over the floor.



15:32 ... Kent State leads 4-3 at the first timeout.

Excellent defensive effort for Kent State so far. Stark difference between this and the loss to Cleveland State here just after Christmas.

Chris Ortiz is working hard in his matchup with Ndour.

Thomas, Simmons, Spicer and Goodson check in during the timeout, joining Kris Brewer.

PREGAME

6:10 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes will wear their new white uniforms tonight.

Here is a look at the shorts as modeled by Derek Jackson during pre-game today. (UPDATE: the front of the jersey is also below)

As we have all year, Ty Linder and I are trying to make our radio broadcast more interactive, so we'd love to hear from you during the game.

If you post here or tweet me @CarducciKSU, we will discuss your questions and comments on the air.

The radio broadcast is on WHLO 640 AM and simulcast online on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio network:  http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-FlashesRadio-6068/

5:15 p.m. ... We are an hour and 15 minutes

away from the tip here at the M.A.C. Center.

I took a peek in earlier this afternoon as Ohio University held its shoot around on the M.A.C. Center floor, and it is still unusual to see Jim Christian in the green of the Bobcats.

Quite a bit was made last year about the friendship between Christian and KSU head coach Rob Senderoff. They served as best men at each others weddings. Christian's hire here is what brought Senderoff to Kent in the first place. Now here they are as rivals in a one-bid league. That's not easy, and yet their friendship hasn't taken a hit ... other than the fact that they can't talk quite as much on the phone and share what is going on with their respective teams, like they did when Christian was at TCU.

Senderoff will have to deal with a similar rivalry against an old friend on Saturday when Ball State comes to town. As he did with Christian, Senderoff was once in the wedding party of first-year Cardinals head coach James Whitford. They became close friends when they were graduate assistants under Herb Sendek at Miami of Ohio, and that was on the same staff where Christian was an assistant coach.

So, of course the friendships are on hold tonight and Saturday night.

Looking at Ohio University, there are several keys for the Golden Flashes. Stopping the transition game of the Bobcats is priority No. 1. Ohio is probably the best transition team we've seen this year, with Nick Kellogg, Javarez Willis, Stevie Taylor and T.J. Hall. Their bigs also run the floor.

Finding a way to slow down Kellogg and Maurice Ndour will also be extremely important. They are the MAC's two-headed monster. Kellogg is more than just a shooter in his senior season. While he is still dangerous from three-point range, shooting 46.2-percent, he is putting the ball on the floor more and getting to the basket average his 14.7 per game. Ndour is giving everyone problems this season while averaging 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. He is long and athletic at 6-foot-9 and has a motor similar to Treadwell at Akron. He can also hit from the perimeter, where he is 7-for-19 on the year. Pressuring him will be important as he already has 29 turnovers on the year.

Mark Henniger is likely to get the assignment on Ndour. He will likely need some help with guards digging the post. Derek Jackson is certain to be the one chasing Kellogg all over the floor.

Welcome to Kent State's 12th President Dr. Beverly J. Warren

It has been an exciting day here at Kent State University with the naming of the school's 12th president in Dr. Beverly J. Warren.

I've been asked by several fans of Golden Flashes athletics over the course of the day what I thought about the announcement of Warren as the next president would mean for Kent State athletics.

She was asked today if it was important to have a winning football team, and this was her reply:

    I will tell you that Virginia Commonwealth is undefeated in its football program. We have no football program.
    I think athletics is a great window into the university. It is a public stage … My philosophy is we are going to pursue excellence at every level. That is in athletics, in football, in fraternities and sororities in how we conduct ourselves. It is important that we exemplify excellence in all we do.
    There is something to say for overall excellence, so the fact that the athletics program has won the Reese Cup and the Jacoby Cup for its overall competitiveness I think is something to celebrate. You have to make those choices. Do we look at really celebrating athletics and student-athlete performance on all fields, on all courts, on all levels? Or do we focus on one sport at the expense of others? I think Kent State really has it right.
    I don’t know how much you know about VCU, but we do have a fairly good basketball team. And I will tell you that the run to the Final Four in 2011 made a tremendous difference for Virginia Commonwealth University. Student spirit. Student pride. The hits on our website were astronomical in that three weeks of march madness.
     It’s important. I do understand that. But I don’t know that we should sacrifice and place all of our marbles in one basket for that risk of notoriety because you don’t get to a bowl game or a Final Four every year. I like the parity. I like the general level of excellence. 

She has a strong background in athletics. As provost at VCU, the athletic director reported directly to her. That was during the VCU run to the Final Four.

Warren was also a board member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the president of the Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. Prior to becoming provost at VCU, she was a professor and division head in health, physical education and recreation. She obviously values athletics, and that is exciting.

We are excited to get to meet her tonight when she and President Lefton attend Kent State's men's basketball game with Ohio University at the M.A.C. Center. We hope to see you there, too!

Kent State men's and women's basketball teams get ready for MAC play

The M.A.C. Center has been a bit of a ghost town in these last few days following the start of the new year.

There is an exception, though. While much of the athletic staff is still finishing off winter break or trying to make their way back to campus by fighting the winter storm that has crushed much of the midwest and east coast, the Golden Flashes men’s and women’s basketball teams have been hard at work on the parquet floor in preparation for the starts of their MAC seasons.

The Kent State women open MAC play on Saturday at 2 p.m. against the run-and-gun Eastern Michigan Eagles. Kent State’s men will welcome old friend Jim Christian to the M.A.C. Center when Ohio University visits for a 7 p.m. Wednesday MAC opener.

I watched both teams practice for a bit on Thursday and Friday and then caught up with women’s coach Danielle O’Banion and men’s coach Rob Senderoff. Both talked about where their teams are coming out of the non-conference portions of their schedules.

Senderoff is in a bit of a different position than O’Banion in that he believes his team has settled into its rotation. He has a good feel for who will play and how much. His players also appear to know their roles and what they need to do to help the Golden Flashes win.

It’s a bit different for O’Banion in that “you like to use those non-conference games to figure out who your top seven-to-ten players are. But we haven’t developed that consistent seven-to-ten because of foul trouble or injury or just inconsistency of performance,” she said. “Right now we don’t have a crystal-clear vision of who that is. That can be a positive thing in that we can play a couple of different styles. It can be negative thing in that we can play a couple of different styles out of necessity.”

Eastern Michigan will play for 40 minutes tomorrow with just one post player on the floor and four wings who want to get out and run. If the Eagles are in an offensive set for more than 15 seconds, that’s a lot. And while that fast-paced style is similar to the ultimate vision O’Banion has for her program, she doesn’t quite have the roster in place to fit the up-tempo game. For now, Kent State’s women use with two posts on the floor most of the time.

“It’s an exciting matchup because we intend to play the way Eastern Michigan is playing,” said O’Banion. “I think we are another year away from playing that way for 40 minutes, though. In some ways this game is going to resemble watching a tennis match, with (fans’) heads turning back and forth, left to right, left to right. But if we are going to be successful, we need to find ways where it doesn’t always look like that.”

Kent State center Cici Shannon leads the MAC in blocked shots with 30 (four more than Buffalo’s Christa Baccas). A big key for Kent State in the MAC season will be finding a way for Shannon to stay on the floor by avoiding fouls. As a player who is used to being the tallest on the floor ever since she was in youth leagues, Shannon’s job has always been to stand in the paint and block shots. That role has created some natural instincts that can lead to a high number of fouls at this level.

“She certainly has the wingspan at 6-foot-8 or 6-9 to disrupt things in the paint, and that’s a bonus for us,” said O’Banion. “But she now has to be disciplined enough to challenge without trying to tomahawk everything.”

O’Banion is very happy with the development of several key players. Montia Johnson leads the Flashes at just over 10 points per game. She has always been an effort player, but in recent weeks she is becoming a more vocal leader. Most junior college transfers feel their way through their first Division I season and then blossom as seniors. O’Banion believes Johnson can be see that big jump arrive earlier during the MAC season of her junior year.

Sophomore Rachel Mendelsohn is starting to play much better after a slow start. Freshman Larissa Lurken is also starting to shoot with more confidence. Those are important developments for a team that needs to find more production from the perimeter.

“There is no question that our best two long-distance shooters need to make more shots,” said O’Banion. “We are averaging only around 57 points per game right now, and that needs to go up for us to be successful in MAC play. Both Rachel and Larissa have come along nicely in the last two weeks.”

Freshman guard Krista White is another player who has turned a bit of a corner in the last few weeks. 

“Krista and Larisa have both really found their voices,” said O’Banion. “Both are very competitive and they very much understand they are here to be a part of this continued transition. It’s fun to see that start to materialize.

While Senderoff has a better feel for the rotation on the men’s team, he is eager to see several of his key players make some important strides as the MAC season starts. Key among those are senior forwards Darren Goodson and Melvin Tabb and sophomore point guard Kellon Thomas.

“Those are guys we are counting on and they are going to play,” said Senderoff. “We need them to play well, though, when they get their minutes… Darren needs to be a facilitator. He has to be a guy who can score. He needs to make good decisions. He has to shoot a better percentage from the floor and rebound better than he is right now. 

“Melvin needs to be a physical interior guy. He’s played better lately, but his shoulder is bothering him, and that’s as big an issue as anything for him. He is not 100-percent, but he has to battle through it. He doesn’t have many days left, so he has to battle through, show me in practice htat he needs to play more, and then go into games and play well.

“Kellon has to take care of the basketball. He was doing a phenomenal job of that early in the year. He is still doing fine, but not at the level he was earlier.”

Senderoff watched Goodson pick up his game last season during MAC play after a slow start to his first season in Kent. He hopes the senior will make a similar jump this year.

“I would have argued that Darren should have been a preseason All-Conference guy from the East based on his league numbers from last year,” said Senderoff. “He didn’t get voted for it, but I would have argued that he should have been. He is not playing at that level right now at all. But Darren is a good player. I believe in him and the team believes in him.”

Kent State will limp into the MAC men’s basketball schedule a bit after losing three of their last four non-conference games. The Flashes may have won one or two of those with better free-throw shooting. Senderoff hopes that poor shooting was an aberration.

“Two weeks ago we were in the top 25 in the country in free-throw shooting,” said Senderoff. “Then in the last three games we have not been very good. I hope that was an aberration and that being in the top 25 through the first 10 games was not. Sometimes with free throws, the more you talk about it, the more it gets into your head. We shoot, we practice, but we don’t talk about it.”