Kent State University
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University of Kansas
Golden Flashes Travel to No. 13 Kansas on Tuesday
12/28/2014 11:05:00โฏPM | Men's Basketball
Game Notesย ย ย ย ย ย Videoย ย ย ย ย Live Statsย ย ย ย Audio
Kent Stateย faces its toughest challenge to-date as it heads to No. 13 Kansas for a matchup at Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
The Golden Flashes (8-3) will play their fifth game of December away from the M.A.C. Center, but have fared well with a 78-75 loss to UTEP in the championship game of the WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational being the only setback of the month.
Despite trailing the Miners by 13 with 6:51 remaining in that, Kent State battled all the way back to within a point and had two shots to send the game to overtime in the final 10 seconds of the game. Redshirt sophomoreย Jimmy Hallย posted his second double-double of the season (20 points, 10 rebounds) and was named to the all-tournament team.
Improvements on defensive end have been the key to Kent State's success during the early part of the season. The Flashes are allowing just 58.8 ppg, which ranks 39th in the country and holding opponents to 39.4 percent shooting overall and just 31.1 percent from the three-point arc. Only three teams have managed to score more than 61 points and shoot at least 40 percent from the field against the Flashes this season.
Hallย has provided a boost on the interior, becoming the first program's first player to score at least 10 points in his first eight games as a Golden Flash since Jay Peters during the 1986-87 season. Hall leads Kent State with 13.7 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.
Senior guardsย Devareaux Manley,ย Kris Brewerย andย Derek Jacksonย lead a talented group of perimeter players. Manleyย (11.7 ppg) scored a career-high 24 points on Friday and ranks in the top 26 in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.27) and 3-point percentage (.456). Brewer (10.8 ppg) and Jackson (10.1 ppg) have combined for a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. The trio is shooting 43.3 percent (71-for-164) from the three-point line.
Scouting Kansas
Kansas (9-2) looks to bounce back in a major way after a 77-52 loss to Temple in its last game. The Jayhawks have won 13 straight games at Allen Fieldhouse and 73 of their last 74 home games against non-conference opponents. Head coach Bill Self owns a 95.2 winning percentage (179-9) at Allen Fieldhouse since taking over the Kansas program for the 2003-04 season.
A well-tested team, Kansas enters No. 2 in the RPI and has two wins over nationally-ranked teams (No. 13 Utah, No. 20 Michigan State). However, the Jayhawks' two losses came by an average of 28.5 points per game.
Kansas features three playersโfreshman Cliff Alexander, junior Perry Ellis and sophomore Wayne Selden, Jr.โwho were named to the Top 50 Watch List for the Naismith Award in early December. The trio was joined by freshman Kelly Oubre, Jr. John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list that was revealed prior to the season.ย
Ellis has been Kansas' top player in the early part of the season and leads the team in scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg). Selden, Jr. has not had the breakout season many expected, as his scoring average (9.1 ppg) has dropped slightly from a year ago.
Alexander and Oubre have primarily filled reserve roles for the Jayhawks. While Alexander plays just 18.6 minutes per game, the 6'8", 240-pounder averages 8.2 points and 6.0 rebounds and is the team's top shotblocker (14). Oubre contributes 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. Fellow freshman point guard Devonte Graham (5.9 ppg) will not play due to a sprained toe suffered earlier this month vs. Georgetown (Dec. 10).
Sophomore point guard Frank Mason III averages 11.7 points per game and 3.9 assists per game. Mason is the Jayhawks' top three-point shooter (55.2 percent) and is coming off a career-high 20 points vs. Temple.
While backup point guard Devonte Graham (5.9 ppg) is sidelined with a sprained to, the Jayhawks still have nine healthy players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game.ย
Quick Flashes
โขย Head coach Rob Senderoff is 2-0 in road games vs. teams from 'Power 5' conferences (West Virginia and Nebraska).
โขย Kent State ranks 10th the nation in 3-point shooting vs. Division I opponents (.414).
โขย The Golden Flashes areย outscoring opponents by an average score of 31.6-27.2 in the second half.
โขย Kent State has held a 252-135 advantage in bench scoring so far this season.
โขย Redshirt sophomoreย Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in nine games this season. Hall became the first player to score in double-figures in his first eight games in a Kent State uniform sinceย Jay Peters, who scored in double-figures in the first 12 games of the 1986-87 season.
โขย The Golden Flashes return the nation's 35th highest-scoring backcourt from last season, asย Kris Brewer,ย Derek Jackson,ย Devareaux Manleyย andย Kellon Thomasย combined for 38.7 ppg.
โขย Senior guardย Kris Brewerย was selected by a MAC Media Panel to the five-player Preseason All-MAC East Team. Brewer was an All-MAC honorable mention selection last season.
โขย Redshirt sophomoreย Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year byย Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
Series Historyย
โขย Kent State owns a 0-1 record all-time vs. Kansas.
โขย In the only other matchup between the schools, No. 25 Kansas came away with an 87-60 victory in Lawrence, Kan. on Dec. 1, 2008.
โขย Kent State is 4-4 all-time vs. schools from the Big 12 Conference with a 70-60 win over West Virginia on Nov. 15,2011 in its most recent matchup vs. a school from the conference.
Broadcast Info
Ty Linder (play-by-play) and Dave Carducci (color) will bring you the action on 640 AM WHLO and the 640 WHLOย iHeartRadioย channel. Dave Armstrong and Chris Piper will have the call on ESPN3.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude their non-conference schedule at the M.A.C. Center vs. Texas-Pan American on Friday, Jan. 2.ย
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