Women’s Basketball Announces 2017-18 Schedule
9/12/2017 10:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State announced its full 2017-18 women's basketball schedule Monday (Sept. 11) afternoon.
Head coach Todd Starkey, who was named 2017 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Golden Flashes to one of the largest turnarounds in the country and a MAC East Division title during his first year at the helm, pieced together a slate that will include either 13 or 14 matchups against teams that participated in postseason play last season.
For the first time, 10 of Kent State's 11 home games will be broadcast on ESPN3. The Flashes, however, will play their first seven contests away from the M.A.C. Center.
Season-Opening Road Trip
Kent State makes the first of two trips to the Bluegrass State for the season opener at Northern Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 11. Following a contest at Youngstown State on Tuesday, Nov. 14, the Flashes will participate in the Akron Classic at James A. Rhodes Arena on Nov. 17-18. Kent State will look beat a strong Florida Gulf Coast program that has averaged 29 wins with three NCAA Tournament appearances over the past four seasons on Friday and then play Southeastern Louisiana o Saturday.
Flashes #Play4Kay
The Flashes will participate in a tournament run by bd Global, LLC over Thanksgiving weekend featuring a loaded field of teams for the second straight year. After competing at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, Florida a year ago, Kent State will head to Las Vegas for the second annual Play4Kay Shootout on Nov. 23-25, 2017 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The event supports the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, an organization that funds women's cancer research, and will immediately follow the MGM Resorts Main Event men's tournament earlier that week at T-Mobile Arena. Considered the country's best tournament during the early portion of the women's basketball season, the Play4Kay Shootout features six teams that participated in last season's NCAA Tournament. The eight-team field averaged 25.4 wins and an RPI of 60 during the 2016-17 season.
Kent State is paired with national power Stanford in the quarterfinals. The Cardinal advanced to the 2017 Final Four and finished the season with a 32-6 record. The Flashes will then play either Belmont or Gonzaga in their second of three games in Las Vegas. Both teams were NCAA Tournament participants and finished in the top-10 of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 last season. DePaul, Florida Gulf Coast, Memphis and Ohio State fill the slots on the opposite side of the bracket.
Home Opener Set for Nov. 30
Kent State opens its home schedule against Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 30. The Flashes will look to avenge a road loss to the Horizon League Tournament runner-up from a year ago. A matchup against Wright State one week later on Thursday, Dec. 7 rounds out the non-conference home slate. The Flashes will travel to Eastern Kentucky
Rematches Conclude Non-Conference Slate
Kent State heads back to Ann Arbor, where its 2016-17 season came to an end in the first round of the WNIT, to play Michigan on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Wolverines went on to claim the tournament championship and finish with a 28-9 record.
Following the conclusion of finals week, the Flashes will play at Robert Morris on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Colonials snuck out of the M.A.C. Center with a 68-65 overtime victory last season.
Lights, Camera, #MACtion
Kent State opens the MAC season at Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 30 and then at Northern Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 3 as part of a conference slate that has the team on the road for six of its first nine contests. The Eagles and Huskies are the two MAC West teams that the Flashes will play twice.
The first conference home game is against Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 6. Eastern Michigan then visits the M.A.C. Center for a rematch of the conference opener.
Saturday, Jan. 27 marks the halfway point of the MAC season at rival Akron for the first meeting as part of the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge.
Feeling at Home Down the Stretch
The Flashes will play six of its final nine games at the M.A.C. Center, beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 31 against Bowling Green. Other homes games includes Northern Illinois (Feb. 3), Ohio (Feb. 10), Miami (Feb. 17), Akron (Feb. 24) and Buffalo (Feb. 28).
Kent State visits Miami for the regular season finale on Saturday, March 3.
MAC Tournament
The 2018 MAC Women's Basketball Tournament gets underway with first round matchups at campus sites on Monday, March 5. The tournament then heads to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 7. The semifinals will be played on Friday, March 9 with the championship game once again airing on CBS Sports Network at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 10.
