Kent State University
University of Toledo
Men’s Basketball Goes For Fourth Straight Win Wednesday Against Toledo
1/20/2015 1:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes Video Live Stats Audio
KENT, Ohio – Kent State looks for its first 4-1 start to Mid-American Conference play since 2008 when it hosts preseason favorite Toledo (10-7, 2-2) Wednesday night at the M.A.C. Center. The game is slated for 7 p.m. and features a matchup between one of the conference's top offense and one of the top defenses.
The Golden Flashes (12-5, 3-1) aim to conclude an unbeaten three-game homestand after taking care of Ohio University, 69-59, in front of a crowd of 5,084 Saturday night at the M.A.C. Center for their third consecutive victory. Behind a fantastic defensive effort, Kent State led 30-19 at halftime and never allowed the Bobcats to get within 10 points the rest of the night. In fact, the Flashes led by as much as 21 with 5:00 remaining before a late run by the Bobcats.
Improvements on the defensive end have been the key to Kent State's success during the early part of the season. The Flashes are allowing just 60.5 points per game, which ranks 44th in the country and holding opponents to 39.7 percent shooting. Only six teams have managed to score more than 61 points and five have shot better than 40 percent from the field against the Flashes this season. The Flashes average 4.2 blocks per game and have recorded at least four swats in 13 games.
Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall has provided a consistent low post presence and leads the Flashes with 14.6 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year has scored in double-figures in 15 of 17 games and has pulled down at least eight rebounds on eight occasions. Hall is shooting 50.5 percent from the field and is second on the team with 18 blocked shots.
Senior guards Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson lead a talented group of perimeter players. Manley (11.7 ppg) ranks in the top 30 in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.18) and 3-point percentage (.435). Brewer (10.5 ppg) has accepted the sixth man role and become more consistent, scoring at least eight points in all but two games this season while making game-winning free throws on two occasions. Jackson (10.2 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks fourth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.75) and leads the MAC in steals per game (1.94). The trio is shooting 40.2 percent (103-for-256) from the three-point line.
Junior forward Chris Ortiz (6.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg) has raised his level of play as of late to earn a spot in the starting lineup. In four conference games, Ortiz has averaged 10.0 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting and pulled down a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior forward/center Khaliq Spicer (5.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is second on the team in rebounding and is tied for fifth in the MAC with 1.5 blocks per game. Spicer matched his career-high with four blocks on Saturday against the Bobcats has already recorded 10 blocks during the conference season.
Scouting Toledo
Toledo was the heavy favorite to win the 2015 MAC Tournament after receiving 15 of 20 votes in the preseason poll and is better than its 10-7 record might indicate. Head coach Tod Kowalczyk tested his team in the non-conference season with road games against a pair of RPI Top 10 teams in Duke and VCU. Both of the Rockets' conference losses have been by narrow three-point margins, including an overtime setback to Western Michigan on Saturday night.
The Rockets have a high-powered offense that averages 75.4 points per game, which ranks 34th in the country. Toledo makes 7.0 three-point field goals per game and shoots 39.7 percent from the three-point line as a team, which ranks 20th nationally. The offense is not reliant on perimeter shooting, as the Rockets have made nearly as many free throws (263) as their opponents have attempted (272) on the season. Toledo's 74.1 free throw percentage ranks 30th in the country.
In addition to a good inside-outside balance on offense, the Rockets feature several players capable of putting points on the scoreboard. All five players in the starting lineup average at least nine points per game.
All-MAC point guard Julius Brown is the team's top playmaker with averages of 15.9 points and 4.5 assists per game. Brown is coming off a 31-point performance against Western Michigan. Brown has made a team-high 39 three-point field goals and is ninth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (.476).
Guards Justin Drummond (12.2 ppg) and Jonathan Williams (10.6 ppg) join Brown to give the Rockets the second-highest scoring perimeter trio in the conference. Drummond leads the Rockets with 15 double-figure scoring efforts and averages 4.4 rebounds per game. Williams has made 29 three-point field goals to rank second on the team and has made 38.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
J.D. Weatherspoon (13.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Nathan Boothe (9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) provide the Rockets with one of the MAC's top starting frontcourts. Weatherspoon is a high-flyer who likes to play above the rim and has converted 57.7 percent of his field goal attempts while also leading the Rockets in free throws made (60) and attempted (90). Boothe is the team's top shotblocker (19) and offensive rebounder (29). Both players are capable of stepping away from the basket and knocking down shots, as they have combined to make 16-of-42 (.390) three-point attempts on the season.
The Rockets average just 14.5 points per game from their bench. Guard Jordan Lauf leads the way with 5.4 points per game. Toledo's bench has averaged 16.1 points in its 10 wins compared to just 12.1 points in its seven losses.
Quick Flashes
• Head coach Rob Senderoff needs one win to move into a tie for sixth on Kent State's all-time wins list (71).
• Kent State ranks 30th the nation in 3-point shooting vs. Division I opponents (.388).
• The Golden Flashes are outscoring opponents by an average score of 32.5-29.8 in the second half.
• Kent State is getting 21.1 points per game from its bench compared to just 14.6 points per game for its opponents' bench.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in 15 games this season. Hall became the first player to score in double-figures in his first eight games in a Kent State uniform since Jay Peters, who scored in double-figures in the first 12 games of the 1986-87 season.
• Hall a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
• Senior guard Kris Brewer 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.
• Hall a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
Series History
• Kent State owns a 45-80 record all-time vs. Toledo.
• Kent State has flipped the series since the turn of the century and holds a 13-6 advantage in the 2000's.
• The Golden Flashes have won five of the last seven meetings, but the Rockets enter with a two-game winning streak.
• Kent State had won six straight over Toledo at the M.A.C. Center prior to the Rockets' most recent visit, a 70-58 victory in the 2013 MAC opener.
• That game also snapped Kent State's 31-game winning streak against MAC West schools.
TV / Radio
Ty Linder and Dave Carducci will bring you the action on 640 AM WHLO and the Golden Flashes Radio iHeartRadio channel.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will play just their second MAC game on the road at Ball State on Saturday, January 24.
Fantastic 4 Pack
Kent State fans can take advantage of the Fantastic 4 Ticket Package as part of Wednesday's Superhero Night at the M.A.C. Center. Fans can purchase four general admission tickets for just $24, which is a great value for families interested in watching the Golden Flashes. This deal is available in-person only at the M.A.C. Center Ticket Office.
