Kent State Men's Basketball MAC Schedule Released
9/6/2016 10:24:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND – The Mid-American Conference has released its men's basketball 2016-17 league schedule, with Kent State beginning MAC play at home on Jan. 3 against Ball State.
The league has scheduled Kent State for 18 contests from Jan. 3 to March 3. The schedule is a balanced one, with no conference road trip or home stand lasting longer than two games.
The Golden Flashes kick off the year against Ball State on Jan. 3 and will play their first league road game on Jan. 7 at Ohio. As a whole, January features five home games and four road games. After a Jan. 10 home tilt against Northern Illinois and a game at Western Michigan Jan. 14, Kent State will play its only set of back-to-back games inside the M.A.C. Center. The home stand starts with Buffalo on Jan. 17 and ends with Toledo on Jan. 21. The month ends at Northern Illinois Jan. 24, at home against Central Michigan Jan. 28 and at Eastern Michigan Jan. 31.
February will be slightly more road heavy, with three home games and five road contests. The month begins with the team's first game against Miami in Oxford, Ohio Feb. 4, before the Golden Flashes come home for their Bowling Green game Feb. 7. Two rematches follow, at Toledo Feb. 11 and at home against Miami Feb. 14.
The Wagon Wheel Challenge will start late in the season, first at Akron on Feb. 18. The rivalry game is followed by games at Buffalo Feb. 21, at home against Ohio Feb. 25 and at Bowling Green Feb. 28. The regular season ends with a marquee game, at home against Akron in the second game of the Wagon Wheel Challenge.
The first round of the MAC Championship is scheduled to begin March 6 on campus sites. The remainder of the tournament will be held March 8-11 in Cleveland. The NCAA Tournament is scheduled to begin with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio on March 14. The postseason concludes with Final Four weekend April 1-3.
