Kent State University
University of Akron
Kent State Set to Open 2015 MAC Tournament Thursday Night
3/11/2015 8:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
  • Game Notes
    • WatchESPN    Â
    • Live Stats    Â
    • Golden Flashes Radio   Â
    • MAC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket (pdf)  Â
    • MAC Men's Basketball Tournament Central
Regular season co-champion Kent State begins play in the 2015 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament with quarterfinal matchup Thursday, March 12, at Quicken Loans Arena. The Golden Flashes will play No. 7 Akron, which defeated No. 6 Western Michigan on Wednesday night.
The third-seeded Golden Flashes, who seek their first MAC Tournament champion since 2008 and sixth crown overall, look to build on momentum gained from thrilling victories over Bowling Green and Akron in the final week of the regular season that resulted in a share of the conference title and a bye to Thursday's quarterfinals.
Defense has been the staple for the Flashes' success this season. Kent State allowed just 63.0 points per game, which ranked third in the conference and held opponents to 41.4 percent shooting overall. Only 13 teams 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 156 three-pointers, which ranks 33rd in the country, and shooting 32.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall has provided a boost on the interior in his first season for the Flashes and leads the team with 15.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. Hall has raised his level of play since returning from an illness that sidelined him for the first five games in February and averaged 17.2 points on 54.8 percent shooting from the floor and 85.7 percent from the foul line.
Seniors Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson provide the Flashes with one of the most experienced and talented backcourts in the MAC. Manley (13.6 ppg) is an elite shooter who is 7th in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.26) and 36th in 3-point percentage (.406). He has been the Flashes' most consistent offensive player since the start February and tallied double-digit points in 10 straight games. Brewer (11.2 ppg) is the top sixth man in the conference and has scored the game-winning points in final 15.1 seconds on four occasions this season. Jackson (10.1 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks 57th in the country in steals per game (1.86) and 77th in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.20). The trio has made 197 three-point field goals.
Juniors Chris Ortiz (6.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Khaliq Spicer (5.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) have both recorded their first career double-double over the past month. Ortiz notched 13 points, 11 rebounds at Miami on February 24. Spicer, who is third in the MAC in blocks per game (1.61) had 10 points and 12 rebounds last against Ball State. on February 18.
The Flashes went 1-2 against Akron and WMU during the regular season. Both losses came on the road and without the services of Jimmy Hall.
Kent State in the MAC Tournament
• Kent State is making its 33rd appearance in the MAC Tournament.
• Kent State is 34-27 in MAC Tournament games. The Golden Flashes have advanced to the semifinals 16 times, recording an 11-5 record in those games.
• Kent State has won five MAC Tournament titles: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2008.
• Kent State appeared in the championship game four straight years from 2001-04 and has played for the title 11 times overall.
MAC Tournament History vs. Akron
• Kent State is 2-4 all-time against Akron in MAC Tournament play.
• The Golden Flashes won the first tournament game between the rivals, 95-88, in a 1998 quarterfinal matchup. The Flashes also defeated the Zips in the 2008 championship game, 74-55, for the largest margin of victory in the six postseason matchups.
• Akron has won the last three MAC Tournament meetings (2011, 2012, 2013) and also defeated the Flashes in the 2007 semifinals.
As the Higher Seed
• The Golden Flashes are 30-5 all-time in the MAC Tournament as the higher seed.
• This includes an 18-game winning streak as the higher seed that was snapped by Ohio in the quarterfinals in 2010.
MAC Tournament in Cleveland
• Since the MAC Tournament moved to Cleveland in 2000 Kent State has a 22-10 record in Quicken Loans Arena (formerly Gund Arena) during tournament play. Â
As the No. 3 Seed
• This is Kent State's third time as the No. 3 seed with a 1-2 record in the two previous years. Â
• The Flashes lost to Ohio, 69-68, in the quarterfinals in 2000.
• In 2011, Kent State defeated Western Michigan, 75-66, in the quarterfinals and lost to Akron, 61-54, in the semifinals.
TV / Radio
Michael Reghi and Dave Cecutti will be on the call on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. The game will also be streamed on ESPN3, WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.
As usual, fans can listen to the game on 640 AM WHLO and the Golden Flashes Radio iHeartRadio channel. Ty Linder and David Carducci will bring you the action.
Next Up For Kent State
With a win, the Golden Flashes will advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals against No. 2 seed Buffalo on Friday, March 13.
