Kent State University
Buffalo
Flashes Travel to Two-Time Defending Champ Buffalo on Friday
1/23/2020 3:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio-Â The Kent State men's basketball team hits the road again to two-time defending Mid-American Conference Champion Buffalo on Friday night at the Alumni Arena. Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
Both the Buffalo and Kent State coaching staffs will be participating in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week, a collaborative initiative of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, is taking place during January 21-27, 2019. The KSU coaching staff will be wearing sneakers with their suits during games to raise awareness and support those affected by cancer.
THE GAME
Kent State (13-6, 3-3 MAC) vs. Buffalo  (13-6, 4-2 MAC)
Friday, Jan. 24 | Alumni Arena  | Buffalo, NY | 6:30 PM
BROADCAST
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Ty Linder (pbp), WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio
BUFFALO HEAD COACH
Jim Whitesell
Record at Buffalo: 13-6 (1st season)
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 174-115 (ninth season)
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State leads the all-time series with a 32-19 record.
Kent State is 11-12 when playing in Alumni Arena
Kent State is 7-12 against the Bulls under head coach Rob Senderoff.
Last season Kent State was swept by the Bulls. Kent State fell at home, 88-79 (Jan. 25) followed by a loss in Buffalo, 80-57 (Feb. 22)
LAST TIME OUT
The Kent State men's basketball team dropped to 13-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play after a 76-96 loss oat home to NIU. Despite Kent State building an early 10-point lead, 16-6, the Flashes were unable to keep their momentum throughout the remainder of the game. Kent State fell behind by as much as 12-points in the second half, 45-33. The Flashes were able to cut the Huskies' lead down to two, 55-53, all off NIU turnovers, but the Huskies answered right back and pushed the lead back up to nine with four minutes left to play. Kent State climbed within five in the final minute, but that was as close the Flashes would get. Three Flashes scored in double figures, led by 18 points and nine rebounds from junior Danny Pippen. Senior CJ Williamson scored 14 points and grabbed six boards, while senior Antonio Williams had 13 points.
On the season, the Flashes are shooting 45.8 percent (543-1185) from the floor and 174-488 (35.7 percent) from long range. Williams leads the team averaging (14.1ppg) and Pippen leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.7 boards a game.
FLASH FACTS
- Senior Phil Whittington joined the 1,000 career-point club as he reached the mark in the NIU game. Whittington has a total of 1,003 career-points.
- The Flashes have five players averaging in double-figure scoring with Troy Simons (12.7 ppg), Anthony Roberts (13.1 ppg), Antonio Williams (14.1 ppg), Danny Pippen (13.6 ppg), and Phil Whittington (10.0).
- Kent State ranks 31st in the country and third in the conference in scoring offense (78.5 ppg).
- As a team, Kent State ranks 49th in the country and leads the conference with 4.5 blocked shots per game.
- Danny Pippen leads the team with 35 total blocks, five of which he had against Towson. Kent State ranks 38th in the nation in total blocked shots (86) and lead the conference. Pippen also ranks 50th in the nation and is second in conference stats averaging 1.84 blocked shots per game.
- Troy Simons ranks 27th in the nation in 3-point FG per game (3.00) and is second in conference stats.
-Kent State ranks 42nd in 3-point FG per game (9.2) and ranks 3rd in conference stats.
- In conference stats, KSU leads the league in FG percentage (45.8) and ranks 75th in the country. Â
-Flashes rank 58th in the country and lead the conference with a +9.4 scoring margin. Kent State ended the non-conference schedule with the highest scoring margin during the non-conference schedule in 20 seasons. (+12.5).
- Defensively, the Flashes have held its opponents to 69.1 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting from the field and 34.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Kent State has forced 276 turnovers (14.5 tpg) while collecting 136 steals (7.2 stl/g). On the glass, the Flashes have out re-bounded their opponents 696-678Â for a +0.9 margin.
SCOUTING BUFFALO
The Bulls, stand 13-6 overall and 4-2 in MAC play under first-year head coach Jim Whitesell. Buffalo is coming off a 90-79 win over WMU . The Bull are currently riding a four-game win streak. Ahead by just two, the Bulls went on a 9-1 run as a three-point play from senior Antwain Johnson put Buffalo ahead 77-67 with 4:25 left. A fast break dunk from Jayvon Graves gave the Bulls their largest lead of night at 88-75 with just 1:10 left and Buffalo went on to win 90-79. Josh Mballa also reached a career high with 18 points as he added eight boards and three assists. Segu had nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
Buffalo has five players averaging in double-figures in Graves (16.9), Jordan (12.3), Williams (11.9), Johnson (10.8), and Mballa (10.5).
Defensively, UB has held its opponents to score 76.3 points per game on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulls have 261 turnovers (13.7 tpg) while collecting 164 steals (8.6 stl/g) On the glass, UB has out-rebounded their opponents 789-721 for a +3.6 margin. In league games only, Buffalo leads the MAC in scoring offense (79.17 ppg), rebounding offence (41.00), and blocked shots (5.17)
FOLLOW ALONG
Flash fans unable to attend the game can watch the game on the CBS Sports Network 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://ubbulls.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
