Kent State University
Miami University (OH)
Kent State Opens MAC Tournament Monday Night at Miami
3/9/2014 6:36:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kent State begins play in the 2014 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on the road with a first round matchup against Miami University on Monday, March 10 at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio. The game is slated for 7 p.m.
The Golden Flashes seek to become just the second No. 9 seed ever to win the conference tournament. This will be no small task, as the Flashes would have to win five games over the next six days.
The ninth-seeded Flashes (16-15, 7-11) split their regular-season meetings with the eighth-seeded RedHawks, winning 75-63 at Miami on Feb. 19 and falling 73-61 in Kent last Tuesday.
Kent State concluded the regular season in a hard fought battle Friday night at rival Akron, but came up just short in a 58-54 defeat. After building momentum with a three-game winning streak in mid-February, the Flashes have lost four of their final five games entering the postseason.
Guard Kris Brewer leads the Flashes at 11.7 points and 2.9 assists per game on the season. Brewer will look to continue his stellar play on the road this season, where he has scored in double-figures in 10 of 13 games and averages 15.5 points per game. In his first visit to Millett Hall this season, Brewer torched the nets by making all seven of his three-point attempts on the way to matching his career-high 28 points in leading the Flashes to victory.
Guards Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley join Brewer to form one of the top perimeter scoring trios in the MAC. Jackson averages 11.0 points and team-leading 1.8 steals per game, while Manley averages 9.7 points per game and leads the Flashes with 70 three-point field goals.
Point guard Kellon Thomas has increased his production greatly over the past month. Thomas is averaging 10.6 points over the past eight games and has scored at least nine points seven times during that span.
Senior forwards Darren Goodson (9.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Mark Henniger (7.3 ppg, 51 rpg) look to lead the Flashes inside in their final attempt to capture a conference title. Sophomores Chris Ortiz (3.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Khaliq Spicer (4.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg) have registered career-high scoring games in the past month.
Scouting the RedHawks
Miami (12-17, 8-10) enters as the No. 8 seed after falling in overtime to Ohio on Saturday, 82-76. After losing five straight during February, the RedHawks bounced back with wins in three of their final five contests.
Forward Will Felder leads Miami with 14.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game on the season. Guard Geovonie McKnight adds 9.7 points per game, while guard Will Sullivan averages 9.0 points per game and shoots 43-percent from the three-point line.
Radio
Ty Linder (play-by-play) and David Carducci (color) will bring you the action on 640 AM WHLO and the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel.Â
Next Up For Kent State
With a win, Kent State will advance to the MAC Tournament second round on Wednesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of Monday's game between No. 5 Ohio or No. 12 Ball State.
Kent State in the MAC Tournament
• Kent State is making its 32nd appearance in the MAC Tournament.
• Kent State is 34-26 in MAC Tournament games. The Golden Flashes have advanced to the semifinals 16 times.
• Kent State has won MAC Tournament titles in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2008.
• Kent State appeared in the championship game four straight years from 2001-04 and has played for title 11 times overall.
As the Lower Seed
• The Golden Flashes are 4-21 all-time in the MAC Tournament as the lower seed.
• The last win as the lower seed came in the quarterfinals of the 1998 MAC Tournament. The 6th-seeded Flashes defeated 3rd-seeded Akron, 95-88, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
As the No. 9 Seed
• This is Kent State's first time as the No. 9 seed. Â
Postseason History vs. Miami
• This is ninth time Kent State and Miami have played in the MAC Tournament .
• Miami won the first four games (1984, 1995, 1997, 1998) and Kent State has won the last four games (1999, 2001, 2004, 2008).
• Two of the previous games have been played at Millett Hall in Oxford. Miami won both, defeating Kent State 77-49 in 1995 and 75-65 in 1997.
