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Home: Kent State Golden Flashes - 18-12, 10-7 MAC
Visitor: Akron Zips - 23-7, 13-4 MAC
Tip: Friday, March 3, 2017 at 9 p.m.
Venue: Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center, capacity - 6,327
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- The Kent State men's basketball team will look to sweep Akron in the regular season for the first time since 2009-10 when the rivals face off Friday in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge on ESPN2.
- Kent State will be looking to finish the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Kent State is hot at the right time of the year and has defeated some of the top teams in the MAC during its run. After falling down to a potential 11th seed finish, Kent State went on to defeat Miami, Akron, Buffalo, Ohio and Bowling Green. Three of those wins came on the road, and the Flashes trailed at halftime in every contest.
- Currently the team is in a five-way tie for second place in the MAC with Ohio, Buffalo, Western Michigan and Ball State. Unfortunately, Kent State's loss to Western Michigan in mid January, a four-point game, is holding Kent State out of the top-four seeds and the first round byes. A tiebreaker that involves Western Michigan, plus any two other teams, does not break favorably for Kent State.
- In order to earn a top-four seed, Kent State will have to win with either Buffalo, Ohio or Western Michigan losing at home Friday. Kent State can also get a top-four seed with a loss, wins by Ohio and Western Michigan, and losses by Buffalo and Ball State (Kent State is the four seed in a three-team tie).
- The Flashes' biggest rivalry is about as even as it could be after 146 meetings. Kent State holds a 74-72 advantage over the Zips.
- For two seasons in a row, each team had defended its home floor successfully. However, the Flashes broke the trend with a 70-67 win in the JAR on Feb. 17. The win snapped a 30-game home winning streak for Akron.
- Akron had won 15 of 16 games, but the loss to Kent State was the first in a stretch of 1-3 for the Zips.
- Keith Dambrot is in year 13 with Akron, with previous head coaching tenures at Central Michigan, Ashland and Tiffin.
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