Kent State University
UC Irvine
Fun in the Sun: Flashes Ready For Sun Bowl Invite
12/15/2019 9:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio-Â The Kent State University men's basketball team will is back on the road as the Flashes make the trip down to El Paso, Texas for the 59th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational, Dec. 16-17.
THE GAME
Kent State (8-1) vs. UC Irvine (6-5)
Monday, Dec. 16 | Don Haskins Center | El Paso, Texas | 5 PM MT / 7 PM ET
TUESDAY'S GAME
Kent State vs. NC A&T/UTEP
Tuesday, Dec. 17 | Don Haskins Center | El Paso, Texas | 5 PM MT / 7 PM MT (7 PM ET/ 9 PM ET)
BROADCAST
Radio: Ty Linder (pbp), WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio
UC IRVINE HEAD COACH
Russell Turner
Record at UC Irvine: 194-133 Â (10th season)
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 169-108 (ninth season)
SERIES HISTORY
- Kent State is 4-3 all-time against the field of teams at the Sun Bowl Invitational.
- This will be the second time the Flashes have met with UC Irvine. Kent State defeated the Anteaters 75-64 back in 2001.
- Kent State holds a 2-1 all-time series advantage over North Carolina A&T. In the most recent matchup, the Flashes defeated the Aggies 61-60 back in 2015.
- Kent State has met with UTEP twice in El Paso, The Flashes defeated UTEP, 90-80, in the Championship game of the Sun Bowl Invitational on Dec. 29, 1999, and fell to the Miners in the Championship game, 78-75, back in 2014.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T •2-1
12.27.74 Raleigh, N.C. L 61-99
12.19.14 Kent, Ohio W 71-57
12.30.15 Greensboro, N.C. W 61-60
CALIFORNIA-IRVINE • 1-0
11.25.01 Moon Twp., Pa. W 75-64
TEXAS-EL PASO • 1-2
12.07.73 Columbia, Mo. L 47-50
12.29.99 El Paso, Tex. W 90-80
12.22.14 El Paso, Tex. L 75-78
FLASHES AT SUN BOWL INVITATIONAL
- This is the third time that Kent State has participated in the Sun Bowl Invitational. The Flashes won the tournament championship in its first appearance in 1999.
- Kent State's most recent appearance in the tournament was back in 2014. The Flashes defeated North Dakota State, 53-52, in the opening game of the tournament.
- In the championship game, the Flashes fell to host UTEP, 78-75.
- Jimmy Hall was named to the all-tournament team.
LAST TIME OUT
The Kent State men's basketball improved to 8-1 on the season after a 81-59 victory over Cleveland State. The Flashes used a 26-3 run to take control of the game. En route to the victory, four flashes scored in double figures. Antonio Williams led the way with a season-high 19-points shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe. Williams also grabbed four rebounds and dished out two assists. Philip Whittington (14 points), Troy Simons (13 points), and Anthony Roberts rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points and also dished out three assists.
Kent State shot a season-best 33-of-63 (52.4 percent) from the floor and hit six three-pointers (31.6 percent). Defensively, the Flashes held the Vikings to 41.5 percent (22-of-53) shooting and 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Kent State dominated in the paint with 42 points and scored 31 points off 18 turnovers committed by Cleveland State
FLASH FACTS
- The Flashes have five players averaging in double-figure scoring with Troy Simons (12.3 ppg), Anthony Roberts (13.3 ppg), Antonio Williams (14.0 ppg), Danny Pippen (13.7 ppg), and Phil Whittington (10.4).
- Kent State ranks 30th in the country and second in the conference in fewest turnovers (102).
- As a team, Kent State ranks 19th in the country and leads the conference with 5.8 blocked shots per game.
-Kent State ranks 43rd in the country in scoring offense (79.9), ranking third in the conference.
- Danny Pippen leads the team with 27 total blocks, five of which he had against Towson. Kent State ranks 22nd in the nation in total blocked shots (52) and lead the conference. Pippen also ranks 12th in the nation and leads conference stats averaging 3.00 blocked shots per game.
- Troy Simons ranks 29th in the nation in 3-point FG per game (3.11) and is second in conference stats.
- As a team, Kent State ranks 28th in field goal percentage defense limiting teams to 37.6 percent from the field. Â
- Defensively, the Flashes have held its opponents to 64.0 points per game on 37.6 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Kent State has forced 144 turnovers (16.0 tpg) while collecting 78 steals (8.7 stl/g). On the glass, the Flashes have out re-bounded their opponents 346-320Â for a +2.9 margin.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
The Anteaters, stand 6-5 on the season under ten-year head coach Russell Turner. In their last outing, UC Irvine improved to 6-5Â after a dominating 120-63 win over Pacific Union on Saturday. Austin Johnson led the Anteaters with 22 points, while Tommy Rutherford added 21 points. The Anteaters shot 66.2 percent overall and sank 5-of-15 from behind the arc (33.3 percent). UCI is led by Collin Welp who averages 14.2 points per game and averages 6.5 rebounds per game.
Defensively, UCI has allowed its opponents to score 66.4 points per game on 36.4 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Anteaters have 169 turnovers (15.4 tpg) while collecting 77 steals (7.0 stl/g) On the glass, UCI has out-rebounded their opponents 459-319 for a +12.7 margin.
UCI has won three of its last four games by margins of more than 20+ points including a 57 point win over Pacific Union.
FOLLOW ALONG
Flash fans unable to attend the game can listen through iHeart Radio and Tune-In and follow along with live stats via sidearm. All the links are located below.
Listen: https://www.iheart.com/live/640-whlo-3520/
Live Stats: https://utepminers.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
