Kent State University
Miami University (OH)
Golden Flashes Look for Third Straight Sweep Tuesday at Miami
2/23/2015 4:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes Video Live Stats Golden Flashes Radio
Kent State seeks win No. 20 Tuesday night in a road game against Miami at 7 p.m.
Kent State (19-8, 10-4) and Miami (11-16, 6-8) are among the hottest teams in the Mid-American Conference, as both carry three-game winning streaks into Tuesday night's matchup.
The Golden Flashes are alone in first place in the MAC East and tied for first the overall conference standings after a 64-51 win at Ohio on Saturday in which leading scorer and rebounder Jimmy Hall returned after missing the previous five games due to an illness. The RedHawks are coming off impressive road wins over Bowling Green and Akron.
With just eight scholarship players in uniform, Kent State found a way to get a 61-60 victory at the M.A.C. Center in the first matchup between the teams on February 7. The Flashes will try to complete their third straight season sweep after doing so against Ball State and Ohio in their last two games.
Stingy defense has been responsible for the Flashes controlling their own championship destiny with four games remaining in the season. Kent State is allowing just 60.7 points per game, which ranks 44th in the country and holding opponents to 40.4 percent shooting overall. Only nine teams have managed to score more than 61 points and the Flashes are 18-1 when holding opponents under 66 points. An increased emphasis on defending the three-point line has resulted in opponents making just 122 three-pointers and shooting 30.0 percent from beyond the arc, which rank 11th and 24th in the country respectively.
Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall tallied nine points and four rebounds before fouling out in just 17 minutes of action during his return for the Flashes on Saturday. Kent State went 3-2 with the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year on the sideline. Hall has provided a boost on the interior and leads the Flashes with 14.7 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Seniors Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson provide the Flashes with one of the most experienced and talented backcourts in the MAC. Manley (13.3 ppg) is an elite shooter who is 7th in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.26) and 39th in 3-point percentage (.404). He has been the Flashes' most consistent offensive player in February and is averaging 18.3 points per game during the month. Brewer (10.7 ppg) has accepted his sixth man role and has made the game-winning free throw in final 15.1 seconds on three occasions. Jackson (9.7 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks 53rd in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.34) and is second in the MAC in steals per game (1.8). The trio has made 170 three-point field goals.
Juniors Chris Ortiz (6.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and Khaliq Spicer (5.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) six solidified spots in the starting lineup. Ortiz is averaging 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds over the past five games. Spicer is averaging 7.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over the last four games and recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds last Wednesday vs. Ball State.
Scouting Miami
Miami is on a season-best three-game winning streak. The RedHawks have vamped up their defense during the streak, as opponents are averaging just 58.0 points per game while shooting 38.1 percent overall and 26.7 percent from the three-point arc. Miami is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game since the first matchup against Kent State earlier this month.
The RedHawks average 66.1 points per game while allowing opponents to score 69.0 points per game, both of which rank near the bottom of the conference. Although Miami shoots a respectable 44.5 percent from the field, it is among the nation's worst teams on the offensive glass (8.1 offensive rebounds per game). The RedHawks do a good job of applying defensive pressure and average 7.9 steals per game, which ranks 29th in the country.
Guard Eric Washington, a transfer from Presbyterian, has been a big addition for Miami this season. Washington is the RedHawks' leading scorer at 14.3 points per game and is second in the MAC with 5.4 assists per game and 133 free throws made. Guards Geovonie McKnight (10.9 ppg) and Will Sullivan (10.5 ppg) join Washington to give Miami three double-digit scorers on the perimeter. Sullivan is also the RedHawks' top rebounder (4.4 rpg) and one of the MAC's top three-point marksman (59 3FGs, .454).
Quick Flashes
• Senior Kris Brewer surpassed the 1,000-point milestone February 4 vs. Western Michigan. Brewer is currently tied for 25th with Terry Wearsch on Kent State's scoring list with 1,044 points.
• Senior Devareaux Manley is one three-pointers from tying Kent State's single season record (89), which was set by Randal Holt during the 2012-13 season.
• Manley made five three-pointers in Saturday's win at Ohio to surpass Trevor Huffman (1998-2002) for second on Kent State's all-time list with 211.
• Kent State has allowed the 11th-fewest three-point field goals in the nation (122) this season.
• The Flashes are 11-0 when holding opponents to less than 25 percent shooting from the three-point line.
• Head coach Rob Senderoff is fifth on Kent State's all-time wins list (77).
• Kent State has held opponents to 65 points or fewer in 18 of the 19 games it has won this season.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in 18 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.
Series History
• Kent State owns a 48-88 record all-time vs. Miami.
• The series dates back to the 1948-49 season when Kent State came away with a 70-55 victory in Kent.
• The Golden Flashes have won 21 of the last 33 matchups going back to 2000.
• The Flashes are just 15-50 all-time in Oxford.
• The Flashes and RedHawks have played an extra session on six occasions with the Flashes winning just two of those overtime periods.
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 host Buffalo on Saturday, February 28 in a game that will be aired on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.
