Kent State University
Buffalo
Kent State And Buffalo Square Off In Key MAC Game Tuesday Night
2/13/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Complete Notes (.PDF)
The Game
Two of the hottest teams in the Mid-American Conference square off in a key East Division showdown on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm when Kent State (18-6; 8-3 MAC) hosts Buffalo (16-6; 9-2 MAC) in the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes have won six straight while the Bulls bring an eight game winning streak into the contest that will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.
Kent State returns to East Division play after sweeping through the West Division for the fourth consecutive year. The Golden Flashes win streak against the West reached 30 games with a 76-55 win over Ball State on Saturday.
Senior forward Justin Greene was up to his usual antics scoring 10 of Kent State's first 19 points on the way to an 18-point, 9-rebound performance. Greene has reached double figures in each of the last 12 games and ranks second in the league during conference games with 16.1 points per game and third with a 56% field goal percentage.
Buffalo recently completed its first cross divisional sweep in school history with a 59-57 win over Western Michigan last Saturday. The Bulls stake claim to one of the best frontcourts in the nation with 6-7 forward Javon McCrea and 6-10 forward Mitchell Watt. McCrea leads the team with 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds while Watt is averaging 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.
TV / Radio
SportsTime Ohio/ESPN3 (Michael Reghi & Steve Mix)
ESPN3 Video Link
WNIR 100.1 FM (Ty Linder)
Next Up For Kent State
Kent State completes a three-game homestand on Saturday by welcoming Charleston to the M.A.C. Center as part of the 10th annual Sears BracketBuster event. The Golden Flashes will be honoring the 2002 Elite 8 team with an appearance from Antonio Gates at halftime of the 6:00 pm contest.
Quick Flashes
• Kent State ranks 13th in the country averaging 8.8 steals per game
• The Golden Flashes are 13-1 when forcing at least 16 turnovers in a game
• Kent State leads the league averaging 74.4 points per game and shooting 48.3 percent from the field during MAC play
• During the six game winning streak sixth man Chris Evans is averaging 14.7 points and shooting 63 percent from the field
• Evans' streak of six straight double figure scoring games off the bench is the longest by a KSU player since Trevor Huffman had 11 in a row in 1999-00
• During MAC play Michael Porrini is the only player in the league averaging more than 9 points, 5.0 assists & 5.0 rebounds per game
• Kent State is 14-2 this season when Randal Holt hits more than one three-pointer in a game
• Kent State owns a 67-7 (.905) home record against league competition since the start of the 2003-04 season. The Golden Flashes have also lost just one February home game in the last seven years
Kent State - Buffalo Series Notes
• Kent State leads the all-time series 25-8.
• Kent State is a perfect 14-0 at home in the series.
• Justin Greene led the Golden Flashes with 16 points in only 20 minutes of action in the first meeting this season won by Buffalo 66-65.
• Greene is averaging 15.5 points per game against the Bulls in the last four meetings
Elite 8 Reunion Set For Feb. 18 And Will Include Appearances from Antonio Gates and others
Kent State will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Elite 8 team on Feb. 18 when the Golden Flashes host a SEARS BracketBuster game
Former Kent State standouts Antonio Gates, and others from the team that produced the best record in Mid-American Conference history will be in attendance and honored at halftime
Kent State will be hosting the College of Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 18 as part of the 10th annual Sears BracketBuster event
The Game will be broadcast on SportsTime Ohio at 6 pm
