Men’s Basketball Announces Complete 2018-19 Schedule
8/1/2018 10:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio- The Kent State University men's basketball team announced its complete 2018-19 schedule on Wednesday. Kent State will play 31 regular-season games, including 17 contests at the M.A.C. Center.
Overall, the Flashes will face 11 opponents that reached postseason play in 2018, combining for 12 postseason victories. Eight teams won 19-plus games and two finished in the top-5- of the final RPI ranking. Three of the contests will feature teams from a power-5 conference.
The season kicks off with the fourth-annual Coaches vs. Cancer event (Nov. 10), hosted by Cleveland State this year at the Wolstein Center. The Flashes are scheduled to play host Cleveland State.
The Flashes then welcome Shawnee State (Nov. 13) and Liberty University (Nov. 16) to the M.A.C. Center for the first home games of the season. Matchups with Alcorn State (Nov. 18) and Savannah State (Nov. 20) conclude a four-game homestand. For the first meeting in program history, the Flashes travel for a matchup with Vanderbilt (Nov. 23) out of the SEC,  before visiting Detroit Mercy (Nov. 28) bringing November to a close.
Kent State welcomes Norfolk State (Dec. 1) and Wright State (Dec. 8) before breaking for final exams. The Flashes then visit ACC opponent Louisville (Dec. 15). The Cardinals finished the season with a 22-14 record after falling in the quarterfinals in the NIT to Mississippi State. A rematch with Oregon State is slated for Dec. 20. Last season, Kent State hosted the Beavers defeating the PAC-12 team, 79-78. The Flashes wrap up non-conference play at home with Albany (Dec. 28) and Oberlin College (Dec. 31). Â
Mid-American Conference play has been pushed back to after the New Year and starts with home games against Bowling Green (Jan. 5) and Western Michigan (Jan. 8). The Flashes drew the Broncos and Eastern Michigan (Jan. 12 and Feb. 16) as the MAC West teams that they will play twice. The Flashes will also host Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Buffalo in January, and welcome Miami (Ohio), Eastern Michigan, and Ohio in February.
The Feb. 9 contest will serve as the 151st meeting between rival Akron at the James A. Rhodes Arena. The second meeting with the Zips as part of the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Wagon Wheel Challenge will be held on March 8 at home for the regular season finale.
The 2019 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament gets underway with first-round matchups at campus sites on Monday, March 11. The tournament then heads to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 14. The semifinals will be played on Friday, March 15 with the championship on Saturday, March 16.
Season tickets will go on sale and game times will be announced in the coming months. Call the Ticket Office at (330) 672-2244 for more information on purchasing tickets.
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for news and updates about the team.
