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.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Buffalo

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Buffalo 80, Kent State 55

An ugly loss. Buffalo fed off of a great crowd.

Kent State fans need to return the favor when Buffalo comes to the M.A.C. Center and give the Flashes the same advantage.

The great news with that is Kent State's students have been fantastic so far this season. I'm sure they'll show up strong on Feb. 28.

Xavier Ford was fantastic for the Bulls with 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

Jimmy Hall led the Flashes with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting.


3:53 ... Some numbers, and none of them are good:

Kent State is shooting 35 percent from the field (15-of-43), 26 percent from three (5-of-19) an dust 54 percent from the foul line (12-for-22).

The defense that has been so good for Kent State all season long has allowed Buffalo to hit 8-of-21 from three ... more attempts allowed than the norm along with more makes. Buffalo is also shooting 48 percent from the field (29-for-60).

KSU is losing 24-15 on second chance points, 34-18 in the paint and 8-3 on fast break points.

7:44 ... The lead has swelled to 67-37.

Unfortunately, Kent State continues to lose track of Xavier Ford. He just had another tip-in that was just shy of a tip dunk as he was above the rim.

Ford now has 25 points, nine rebounds, four of those rebounds are on the offensive end.

Jimmy Hall is still the lone bright spot with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also has five rebounds in 28 minutes.

10:37 ... A Khaliq Spicer gave the Flashes a nice little highlight. A pretty fake to the corner and then baseline drive led to the two-handed slam.

That highlight hasn't been enough, though.

The Flashes are down 65-34.

Bobby Hurley still wants some whistles, though. He has been all over the officials even with a 30-opint lead.

15:19 ... The Buffalo lead has swelled to 58-30.

Kent State's coaches tried to manufacture some energy by going to full-court pressure and then switching to a 2-3 zone in the half court.

17:56 ... Any hope of a comeback has already been made more difficult as Ford has drilled two more threes. KSU is down 51-25.

Ford was just 3-of-9 from three-point range all season long. Tonight he is 3-for-5.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Kent State trails Buffalo, 45-25

This was as bad a 20 minutes of basketball as we've seen in a very long time for Kent State Men's Basketball.

The only bright spot for the Flashes has been Jimmy Hall, who has 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 1-of-1 from three-point range. He also has a team-high three rebounds.

Buffalo is leading Kent State in every phase: 20-14 in the paint, 13-2 off turnovers, 13-5 on second-chance, 8-0 on fast break.

Xavier Ford has been a load, scoring 17 points for the Bulls on 6-of-9 shooting. He also has 3 assists and 3 steals.

Even if this takes a miracle to win, the Flashes need to pull it together at the very least and find a way to cut the lead a bit, win the second half, and go to Western Michigan on Wednesday feeling a little bit better about themselves.

3:36 ... This game is getting out of hand early. Down 37-20 and playing as sloppy on both ends as we've seen this year.

Kent State has made 7 turnovers leading to an 11-2 scoring advantage for the Bulls.

Buffalo is also outscoring Kent State 11-3 in second-chance points and 6-0 on fast break.

The string of turnovers over the last few minutes are hard to believe.

Jimmy Hall on the bench at the moment. He has been the only thing the Flashes have going for them at 4-for-5 from the field and a team-high 3 rebounds.

Buffalo's Xavier Ford has 15 points to lead everyone.

7:46 ... Kent State had pulled to with four points and were handling the Buffalo run.

That was until about the 8:30 mark when a string of Flashes turnovers led to easy baskets on the other end by the Bulls.

The Flashes trail 25-15 but will try to cut into the lead with Khaliq Spicer heading to the foul line.

Xavier Ford has been the difference so far with 11 points and 4 coming on tip-dunks.

KSU has to do a better job keeping Buffalo off the offensive glass. Nine second-chance points on 6 offensive rebounds.

11:05 ... A three by Kris Brewer with just inside 12 minutes to play has helped Kent State whether the storm of a 17-2 Buffalo run.

Jimmy Hall was on the bench for much of that spurt, but he is back in now. It was Hall who recognized the double team and made an easy pass out to Brewer for the open three.

There are shots available with good ball rotation as open shooters are standing alone on the weak side of the floor.

Some good news: It took almost eight minutes for Justin Moss to get his first points for Buffalo. Some bad news, though: It put Buffalo ahead 17-8.

The Bulls, who are not a good three-point shooting team, have made 3-of-7 from three while KSU is 1-for-5.

14:24 ... Bobby Hurley for Buffalo and Rob Senderoff for Kent State are both on the officials early.

And the officials are on the players early. Frank Spencer to Buffalo's Raheem Johnson and Kent State's Jimmy Hall: "You two cut it out"

Lots of pushing early. And knocking Hall to the ground a few times already, which is part of the reason the Flashes are upset.

Spencer has also sent Hurley a message that he isn't going to take a great deal of barking.

Flashes jumped to a 6-0 start. It's now a 10-8 Buffalo lead.

PREGAME

10:02 p.m. ... The game before ours on ESPNU has run a bit long, which will push us to about a 10:07 start time.

This is as good an atmosphere as we've seen in the Mid-American Conference in a long time. The student section is packed for the "Black Out", and the rest of the arena is starting to fill up.

Frank Spencer, Dan Dorian and Kevin O'Connell are the officials.

9 p.m. ... The toughest stretch of Kent State's season begins tonight at Buffalo. Alumni Arena has traditionally been a difficult sites for the Golden Flashes. Their lone loss during the 2001-02 Mid-American Conference season came in this building.

Including tonight, the Flashes play four of the next five games on the road with the other trips to similarly tough venues at Western Michigan, Toledo and Akron.

The Flashes are on the floor now, and they are wearing their gold uniforms. We don't usually see those on the road, but KSU has anointed them the current "lucky" unis, wearing them in all of the home games during the current six-game winning streak.

Buffalo is wearing black as tonight's game will be a "Black Out" for national television. I talked with some Buffalo officials earlier today, and they aren't quite sure what kind of crowd to expect with the odd start time for ESPNU.

While this late start isn't great for the student athletes, Rob Senderoff likes 10 pm tonight from the standpoint that it's the only college game on the air. If you are in any sports bar tonight, coast-to-coast, you'll probably find this one on at least one television. It's us and the NBA. That's the choice. Although, I guess the Super Bowl pre game show may be on already.

The matchup is difficult tonight. If you hoped to catch a break this year against Buffalo with Javon McCrea finally graduated, guess again. He was little-used last year, but 6-foot-7 junior Justin Moss is playing as well as McCrea, if not better. He comes into this game averaging a MAC-best 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Like McCrea, Moss is a load at 240 pounds. He is big, physical, strong in the post, and when he isn't scoring inside in the half court, he likes to run the floor and hit the odd 15-footer.

Moss and Jimmy Hall should both be MAC Player of the Year candidates by season's end. But Hall, who is also 6-foot-7, will not draw the assignment against Moss. According to Senderoff, Hall will go against 6-8 Will Regan while 6-9 Khaliq Spicer will be matched up against Moss. KSU hopes Spicer's length will make have an impact against Moss. Spicer's defense has been better and better as the year has gone on.

Regan comes in averaging 6.3 points per game for the Bulls, but he was a load against Kent State last season, going for 25 points and 10 rebounds in Buffalo' win here, then adding another 15 points in Kent.

Buffalo is another transition team. Kent State will try to get back in transition as it did against Central Michigan and force Buffalo to play a half-court game. The Bulls are a top-60 team nationally in converting in transition.

This should not be like Tuesday night in terms of defending the three. The Bulls are just 244th in the country at 32-percent from three-point range.

Getting physical in the post with Moss is another obvious key. Defending without fouling is also important as Buffalo is 53rd in the country at 73 percent from the foul line. A whopping 25 percent of their points come from the line, which ranks 29th in the country. And Bobby Hurley tends to get a good whistle.

Play well again defensively and Kent State should be able to get out and run. Buffalo's biggest weaknesses show up on the defensive end of the floor. If KSU can score in transition, great. But if not, playing smart and move the ball will still make life difficult for the Bulls.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Central Michigan

SECOND HALF

1:44 ... Kent State clinging to a 55-49 lead.

Flashes struggling from the line at 60 percent on the night 15-for-25, but with several misses in last few minutes with a chance to ice the game.

Central will have the ball out of this timeout thanks to a diving play for a loose ball rebound by Fowler.

3:53 ... Kent State has weathered the storm a bit, kicking the lead back out to 8 points at 53-45 thanks in large part to more defense and Kris Brewer attacking the rim.

Brewer's drive and dish to Akbar for a layup followed by two free throws have given the Flashes this lead.

Hall has a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Fowler the only thing CMU has going on offense with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

Simons finally hit a three after an 0-for-5 start, but then missed again and is 1-for-7 on a very tough night on both ends. He has four fouls.

7:41 ... Central Michigan cut the lead all the way to three points before a three-pointer by Kris Brewer on the right wing stopped the bleeding.

Manley set up the three with a nice drive and kick.

Jimmy Hall will be at the foul line after the time out after a silly foul by DaRohn Scott on a Hall defensive rebound. Impulsive play, slapping down at the basketball will cost the Chippewas.

8:33 ... Central Michigan is using defense, and specifically full-court pressure, to jump start its offense.

The Chippewas have forced four turnovers in last two minutes to spark a run that has closed the Kent State lead to 43-39.

The Flashes have been extremely careless and CMU is starting to build confidence. Two turnovers have led to three-point plays on layups.

Senderoff to bench: "It went from 15-to-4 in what, 2 minutes?"

10:51 ... Kent State defense is dominating the Central Michigan offense.

After a 1-for-11 start to the half, Central finally ended a nearly eight-minute scoring drought.

KSU enjoyed its biggest lead at 16 points (41-25) after a pair of free throws by Hall at the 13:35 mark of the half.

Manley has 13 to lead all scorers. Fowler has 11 for CMU.

Central is 1-for-5 from the arc.

But if the Chippewas get hot, this lead is anything but secure.

15:59 ... Jimmy Hall will head to the line trying to build on a 31-26 Kent State lead.

Defense continues to be excellent as Central Michigan is off to a 1-of-5 start from the field in the 2nd half. Simons has missed two threes on under-control close outs and contests by Kent State bigs Jimmy Hall and Khaliq Spicer.

The fouls are also starting to pile up for Central. Already five whistles against the Chippewas.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Kent State leads 24-23

The Golden Flashes have held the top scoring offense in the MAC to just 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting.

The nation's leader in threes per game (11.3) is just 2-for-6 from beyond the arc.

But Central's defense has matched Kent State's, forcing eight turnovers and holding Kent State to 8-of-19 from the field.

The difference has been the three ball by KSU. The Flashes are 4-of-9, including the back-to-backs by Manley (a 4-point play) and Brewer at the 4:09 and 3:35 marks of the first half.

KSU has not done a good job of getting the ball to Jimmy Hall in the post. He is just 1-for-2 with both shots coming in the opening minute.


0:54.7 ... The defensive battle continues. Kent State trails 23-22 and just called timeout to set up a play after getting another stop.

Too many Kent State turnovers on entry passes. Too many missed free throws (2-for-7), but Flashes in it thanks to defense.

3:17 ... Kent State is up 22-21. A left wing three by Kris Brewer put the Flashes up with 3:35 on the clock. Devareaux Manley drilled a three from that same spot and took a hit for a four-point play at the 4:09 mark.

The Flashes are finally starting to heat up from three where they are 4-for-8. KSU is 8-for-18 overall from the field.

KSU has also turned the ball over six times, but CMU has turned those into just three points.

Fowler has 7 points to lead CMU.

Central averages a nation-best 11 threes per game. So far, the Chippewas are just 2-for-4.

7:30 ... Central scoreless now for 7:15.

The Flashes took the lead at 12-10 on a blocked shot by Spicer leading to a flying alley-oop dunk for Chris Ortiz.

11:19 ... The defense showed up for Kent State, holding Central Michigan scoreless between the media timeout.

Only points since that 14:27 break are a Kris Brewer three from the left corner.

The Flashes just need some more offensive efficiency. They are 3-for-10 from the field and four turnovers.

Gary Akbar will have a chance to deadlock the game from the foul line after the break.

14:27 ... After a slow start, Central Michigan's offense is starting to click thanks to two quick threes by Josh Kozinski off of the Chippewas bench.

The Central lead is 10-5 at the first media timeout.

So far Kent State's guards have been able to get to the rim as expected. Dev Manley has a driving layup as the Flashes backcourt is not settling for the three. Only attempt from the arc is a miss by forward Chris Ortiz.

Jimmy Hall is also getting deep touches when the Flashes are patient enough to look inside. He has a layup on a three-point play.

Central is having some success, though, by extending its defense, forcing three turnovers already. 

PREGAME

13:21 p.m. ... Officials are on the floor. They are one-time Final Four official Mike Sanzere along with Donnie Eppley and Paul Szelc.

Here's the bad news, Central Michigan averages 125 points per game in contests officiated by Szelc this year. He only worked one ... a 125-80 win over Central Penn.

Sanzere is a familiar face to the M.A.C. Center. What you may not know is he worked the NCAA Championship in 1998 after doing Final Four games in 1994 and 1996. Kentucky beat Utah in San Antonio in that 1998 national championship.

5:10 p.m. ... We are inside two hours to tip-off, and there's a bit of a buzz here at the M.A.C. Center. We haven't seen that here in a long time for a Central Michigan game. There hasn't been a whole lot of reason to get excited about this matchup since 2003 when CMU's Chris Kaman was building his NBA resume and going against future NFL star Antonio Gates.

Kaman still never won in this building. The last Central Michigan win at the M.A.C. Center was all the way back in 1997. In the 22 meetings in any venue since that 1997 game, the Chippewas have only beaten Kent State twice –  in Cleveland in the 2003 in the M.A.C. Championship game and last year in Mount Pleasant.

Former Providence and Drake head coach Keno Davis has done more than just breathe some new life into the Central Michigan program during his third season. He has turned the Chippewas into one of the most potent offenses in the nation – 15th in the country in offensive efficiency, 1st in the MAC and 4th in the nation in offensive effective field goal percentage (58 percent), 1st in the MAC and 2nd in the country in three-point percentage (43 percent), top 50 in the country in foul shooting (73 percent)

That's what makes this game so interesting. With Kent State among the MAC's top defenses and in the top 10 in the nation in defending threes, this game should be a classic offense vs. defense matchup.

Central Michigan is easily the best transition team the Flashes have faced this season. The Chippewas will look to push on makes and misses behind 6-foot-1 junior Chris Fowler, who is the team's top scorer at 14.2 ppg and the league leader in assists at 6.3 per game, and quick, 5-foot-9 sophomore Braylon Rayson, who is averaging 10.8 per game.

In transition and in the half court, the Chippewas will hunt threes. At 11 per game, nobody in the nation makes more. They rank No. 2 in the nation in threes as a percentage of their offense at 42.2 percent, and they can shoot the three one-to-five. Central's bigs run to the arc most of the time, so every KSU player needs to close out strong from start to finish.

Individually, this is another great matchup for Kent State defensive ace Derek Jackson, who will be on Fowler for pretty much all of the 30-to-35 minutes he is on the floor.

The good news for the Flashes is that Central Michigan has been just average at best on the defensive end of the floor. The Chippewas will give up dribble penetration. They also don't turn over their opponents. Central is going to want to run. I'm not sure if we'll see the Flashes try to match that and allow this one to turn into a track meet. They might as Central can give up points in transition just as easily as it gets them. But can the Flashes stop the Chippewas enough to jump start their own fast break?

Central isn't particularly physical inside and lacks a rim protector. With that in mind, look for Kent State to try to build on Jimmy Hall's 14-for-17, 32-point performance against Ball State on Saturday by feeding the sophomore in the post.

Overall, I think I like this matchup for Kent State ... but not too much.

These are scary games. Any time you take on a team that can really shoot it, there's a certain scare factor. Yes, Kent State defends the three well. That didn't keep some BGSU bigs who were shooting under 25 percent behind the arc from getting free in the second half and sticking some big threes in a win here on Jan. 7. Central shoots it better from the three at every position.

This one should be fun. Hopefully you can make it out to the M.A.C. Center tonight.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Ball State

SECOND HALF

We apologize for all of the internet issues that interfered with the blog and with WHLO 640 AM and iHeartRadio broadcast

1:05 ... A difficult contested 3 by Sellers with Jackson in his face has cut the KSU lead to 59-50.

The Cardinals have called a quick timeout.

A Kris Brewer missed free throw on the front end of a a 1-and-1 set the stage for the Sellers three.


3:38 ... A 5-0 run has the Flashes up by their biggest margin at 55-43, and KSU has the ball after a miss coming out of the timeout.

4:29 ... We've had some internet issues for most of the day, but back up and running now.

The Flashes lead 53-43 thanks to a Jackson steal leading to a Dev Manley three from the right corner.

Another steal by Jimmy Hall has given the Flashes the basketball again trying to add to this 53-43 lead.

11:39 ... Derek Jackson just made another hustle play, stopping a fast break by racing back to eliminate the passing lane for Zavier Turner. When Ball State missed a contested layup, Jackson batted the ball free and outraced Franko House to the corner for the loose ball, drawing a foul along the way.

That play will have Kent State back in possession of the basketball trying to add to largest lead at 41-31.

14:36 ... Jimmy Hall will head to the line out of this timeout hoping to add to his 20-point night.

A nice up-and-under move by Hall drew a foul by Franko House, who along with Bo Calhoun, has been keeping the Cardinals in it. House and Calhoun both have matching 10-point, 4-rebound nights.

Ball State has found little from the perimeter, shooting 3-for-11 from three. Ball State's top scorer, Zavier Turner has been a non-factor, going scoreless off the bench.

16:48 ... The Flashes are still up nine at 34-25 as the Cardinals have grabbed a timeout. 

Jimmy Hall is shockingly 0-for-1 in the first three minutes here. It's a shock any time he misses today. 

Khaliq Spicer put the Flashes on the board early in the second half with an offensive rebound and put back of a miss by Manley. The Flashes have forced a few turnovers already in this half as defense continues to rule the day.

FIRST HALF

Jimmy Hall's 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting have Kent State in the lead at the break.

3:32 ... Jimmy Hall continues to control the action, and not just with his scoring.

The sophomore forward now has 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He also has four rebounds, and he just dished out his second assist on a great post-to-post feed to Khaliq Spicer under the basket.

Devareaux Manley hit a three at around the five-minute mark that hopefully will get him going a bit after misses on his first two from the arc.

Bo Calhoun has been the best player on the floor for the Cardinals. He has 8 points and 4 rebounds.

7:01 ... The Flashes lead 17-16 and Jimmy Hall has 13 of those 17 points.

Hall is playing extremely well on both ends. Unfortunately, when he has been out (and he was on the bench for a fairly long stretch), there hasn't been anyone to pick up the offensive slack.

Hall's layup at the 9-minute mark ended a 7-minute stretch between field goals for the Flashes.

Who would believe this? Kent State involved in another defensive battle.

The Flashes are holding Ball State to 40 percent shooting at 6-of-15.


11:52 ... The last Kent State basket came at 15:59 when Jimmy Hall hit a three. The 4:07 drought has allowed Ball State to jump into a 10-9.

Bo Calhoun's driving layup at the 12:56 mark put the Cardinals ahead. He drew a foul, but should have been whistled for a travel.

KSU going small out of this timeout with Derek Jackson, Kris Brewer, Dev Manley, Gary Akbar and Chris Ortiz.

Ortiz started at the three. Now he is playing the five.

14:14 ... Kent State's length advantage is noticeable already as the Golden Flashes have grabbed an early 9-5 lead behind 7 quick points from Jimmy Hall ... including a three pointer from the left wing.

Chris Ortiz has made two big plays on defensive rotations, one to block a shot and another to force a travel by Ball State's Bo Calhoun.

PREGAME

1:52 p.m. ... Starting lineups are in.

For Ball State, Francis Kiapaway and Jeremiah Davis are the guards while Bo Calhoun, Franko House and Sean Sellers are listed as forwards.

A familiar lineup for Kent State over the last few weeks with Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley at the guards, Chris Ortiz and Jimmy Hall at the forwards and Khaliq Spicer at center.

1:46 p.m. ... Kellon Thomas continues to be day-to-day for the Golden Flashes, but the junior point guard is in street clothes today in Muncie. That's a disappointment for him and for a large group of friends and family who made the trip from his home in nearby Indianapolis to support Kellon and the Flashes.

Khaliq Spicer will play and start despite an ankle injury suffered late in Wednesday's win over Toledo.


1:14 p.m. ... Looks like it is official that Turner will play. Kamieniecki will not, however. The senior post tweaked his back in the Cardinals' last game. he is here in street clothes.

I'm sure some of you recognize the name, though. His dad is Scott Kamieniecki, the former Major League pitcher who played for the Yankees, Orioles, Indians and Braves from 1991-to-2000.

Meanwhile, point guard Zavier Turner is expected to play today after missing Wednesday's loss to Ohio for disciplinary reasons, he will not be in the starting lineup.


12:41 p.m. ... After a long 4 1/2 hour drive, Ty Linder and I have arrived at Worthern Arena and are courtside watching Kent State and Ball State get up a few pre-game shots.

Zavier Turner is in the arena after what was apparently a mysterious DNP-CD against Ohio this week. Rob Senderoff and his staff had been wondering for a few days if Turner would be back for today's game. His return would make life more than a little more difficult for the Golden Flashes as Senderoff believes he may be the fastest point guard Kent State has faced so far this season. The Cardinals want to get out and run, and he is a big key to their success in transition.

Kent State has done a very good job defending the three so far this season, allowing just 78 so far (13th in the nation). Limiting Ball State's ability to find open looks from the arc will be a key today as the Cardinals can be very good and dependent on the three ball. They have five guys who have made 18 or more threes this season. They also shoot the three at 36 percent as a team, which ranks in the top 100 in the nation.

If Kent State can bring the defense of the last two weeks back on the road today, it should be able to speed up Ball State and force turnovers. At 270th in the country in turnover percentage, the Cardinals are capable of getting rattled by pressure defense.

Another question mark for the Cardinals is the five position, where 6-foot-8 Scott Kamieniecki was dinged up earlier this week. If he plays, he'll give the Cardinals another capable scorer around the rim. If Kamieniecki is out, Ball State's tallest player in the rotation would be 6-foot-7 sophomore Rocco Belcaster, who averages 4.4 points per game off the bench. Whether Kamieniecki plays or not, though, look for the Flashes to attack inside first with Jimmy Hall. Yes, Hall's numbers have fallen off  a bit of late, but don't be fooled. The concern he forces in opposing defenses and his ability to pass out of double teams creates opportunities for teammates.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Toledo

SECOND HALF

The Flashes finish off a 67-60 win.

Here's a link to the final game story on www.kentstatesports.com.

1:31 ... Kent State had its biggest lead at 6 points after another Manley three. But Toledo has the ball now trailing 61-57.

3:23 ... A Dev Manley 3 with just over four minutes to play matched Kent State's biggest lead of the night at 56-51. But Toledo has answered with a Weatherspoon layup, and now the Rockets will go back to the foul line as Garber was fouled by Spicer going over the back trying to keep an offensive rebound alive.

Spicer has been very good with 8 points and 7 rebounds to go with 2 blocked shots and a steal.

Manley has 18 to lead the Flashes. Brewer has 16.

For Toledo, Williams has 12 while Weatherspoon and Boothe both have 10. Boothe has been very good in the post for Toledo, finding teammates out of double teams.


7:44 ... Kent State continues to battle. The Flashes have battled back from a five-point deficit that seemed like so much more.

Gary Akbar with great defense on a switch to a difficult assignment on Brown, forced the long miss, then found Spicer for a fast-break dunk that has deadlocked the game at 47-47 at this timeout.

The Flashes have gone cold from the foul line. After five straight misses, Brewer finally ended the drought from the stripe by splitting a pair just before the Akbar-to-Spicer dunk.

11:58 ... Kris Brewer hangs in the air, draws the foul and flips in the layup with an aggressive take. He will go to the foul line trying to tie this one up coming out of this timeout. Kent State trails 41-40 at the moment, but is overcoming a tough deal with Hall playing through three fouls.

The Flashes decided they couldn't keep Hall on the bench, checking him back into the game at about the 14 minute mark.

Manley has finally drilled his first three, ending an 0-for-6 start from the arc. He has 11 points, though, after trying to get things going by going to the basket.

Juice Brown has 7 points in the second half after going scoreless before halftime. Derek Jackson had locked him down for the better part of 23 minutes, but now Brown is starting to attack the paint with more regularity.

15:54 ... Difficult problem to deal with here for Kent State as Jimmy Hall picked up his 3rd foul on a questionable call just 1:30 into the second half.

The Flashes have struggled to find their offense without Hall in the game. Even with his 1-for-6 in the first half, Hall had an impact, drawing double teams and finding open teammates.

Spicer has tried to keep the Flashes going, powering in a layup and then blocking a shot at the other end, but he is out now as well as the Flashes go small against a big Toledo lineup.

FIRST HALF

Khaliq Spicer has been extremely active on both ends of the floor. His back-tip of a Manley missed three with five seconds left in the half landed right back into the hands of a streaking Manley for an uncontested layup.

Effort plays have given Kent State just enough of an advantage so far. Manley is 0-for-4 from three, but has still been a factor attacking the rim.

Jimmy Hall has struggled to a 1-for-6 start. The last time that happened, he was a big factor in the second half against Eastern Michigan. 

Kris Brewer has 9 points to lead the Flashes so far. 

KSU is shooting just 41 percent from the field. Toledo is at just 40 percent.

3:50 ... Kent State and Toledo tied 21-21 in a very entertaining game.

Khaliq Sipcer with a layup tied the game with just over four minutes to go before the break, and then an alert steal on the other end has the Flashes with the ball going into this media timeout. KSU has 11 seconds on the shot clock.

Spicer has played well again. He has a big two-handed dunk. On the last layup, he alertly waited for J.D. Weatherspoon to soar bye on an attempted block before flipping in the layup. 

7:15 ... The Flashes have lost some of that offensive momentum.

The Flashes have been stuck on 13 for the better part of seven minutes and are now down 14-13. It has been a four-minute drought for the Flashes so far.

A defensive game should favor the Flashes. 

13:10 ... KSU is on an 11-2 run since the last media timeout, shooting 5-for-7 from the field since that 1-for-7 start.

The defense has been excellent thanks to a lift by Marquiez Lawrence off the bench. He came in after the 15:16 timeout and had a soaring blocked shot to ignite this spurt.

Kris Brewer has been in attack mode and has 5 points. Dev Manley has a great diving steal. And Hall is starting to get things going in the post.

Love the officiating so far... Just three combined fouls

15:16 ... Rob Senderoff was forced to call a quick timeout after just three minutes with his team down 6-0 and struggling a bit on both ends. At the media timeout, the Golden Flashes find themselves down 8-2. They are just 1-for-7 from the field.

Jimmy Hall is getting deep touches on the offensive end, but hasn't been able to finish in the early going. Devareaux Manley is off to a tough start at 0-for-3 from three-point range.

The Flashes have to make sure they account for J.D. Weatherspoon on the boards. Weatherspoon with a tip-dunk put the Rockets up 8-2.

PREGAME

6:45 p.m. ... We have a veteran officiating crew tonight with D.J. Carstensen, Chris Beaver and Kevin Ferguson.

This is the first game at the M.A.C. Center for Carstensen, who at one point last season should have applied for residency here after working a string of Kent State home games.

Starting lineups for Toledo: Julius Brownand Jonathan Williams at the guards, Justin Drummond and J.D. Weatherspoon at the forwards and Nathan Boothe at center.

Kent State will start with Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley at the guards, Chris Ortiz and Jimmy Hall at the forwards and Khaliq Spicer at the five.


6 p.m. ... Tonight offers Kent State a great opportunity to get a gauge where they are in their season. Toledo hasn't been playing its best basketball of late, but the Rockets are still considered a favorite to challenge for a Mid-American Conference championship. This a talented, well-coached club led by some veterans who understand what it takes to win at this level. 

Juice Brown is as dangerous an offensive weapon as there is in this league. The shifty 5-foot-10 senior comes in averaging 15.9 points per game while shooting it at 47 percent from both the field and from three. His matchup with Kent State's Derek Jackson is as good as you will see on any night in the MAC. Jackson is arguably the conference's best on-the-ball defender, and he'll try to pick up Brown early at half court, keeping him from getting out in transition and from dribble penetration. 

The matchup of Toledo's J.D. Weatherspoon vs. Jimmy Hall should be just as fun to watch. Weatherspoon is the athlete in that battle while Hall is skilled and maybe a little more crafty in the post compared with Weatherspoon's power. Kent State will hope Hall's length and a slight size advantage will help defend Weatherspoon without fouling. Weatherspoon is bouncy, so the Flashes are going to have to find a way to keep the 6-foot-6 senior lefty from giving the Rockets an an advantage on the offensive glass.

Toledo is a great offensive rebounding team from the three, four and five spot, so second-chance points could be a key in this game.

Chris Ortiz has made some significant strides on the offensive end for Kent State since moving to the three a few weeks back. And while Ortiz has worked hard on the defensive end, guarding the three isn't a natural fit for him. He'll be challenged tonight against 6-4 Toledo senior Justin Drummond, who is aggressive in the way he attacks the basket. Ortiz is bigger, but he'll have to contain Drummond off the dribble and force him to take contested twos instead of open threes, where he shoots it at 35.6 percent.

Toledo is very good from three-point range as a team, leading the MAC in percentage in conference games at 46.7 percent and averaging three makes per game. Brown, Weatherspoon, Drummond, Jonathan Williams, Nathan Boothe and Jordan Lauf – the team's top three scorers – have all attempted between 93 (Brown) and 19 (Weatherspoon) threes this season, and all are shooting between 47.3 percent (Brown) and 35.6 percent (Drummond).

While the Rockets are one of the MAC's best offensive teams (2nd), they can struggle defensively, and especially in transition. Kent State needs to get stops and try to get out and run in search of easy baskets. In the half court, the Flashes should be able to attack inside, where the Rockets defense has shown some weakness of late.

Toledo is coached by Tod Kowalczyk, who is not well liked by the Golden Flashes fan base based on a, well, let's call it a disrespectful post-game celebration at the M.A.C. Center in 2009 when he was head coach at Wisconsin Green-Bay.