Kent State University
Ball State
Flashes Welcome Ball State on Tuesday
2/3/2020 3:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio-Â The Kent State men's basketball team welcomes Ball State on Tuesday night at the M.A.C. Center. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
THE GAME
Kent State (16-6, 6-3 MAC) vs. Ball State (12-9, 5-3 MAC)
Tuesday, Feb. 4 | M.A.C. Center  | Kent, Ohio | 7:00 PM
BROADCAST
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Dan Griffin (pbp), WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio
BALL STATE HEAD COACH
James Whitford
Record at Ball State: 101-114 (7th season)
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 177-115 (9th season)
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State leads the all-time series with a 46-39 record.
Kent State is 29-9 when playing the Cardinals at home.
Kent State is 11-1 against the Cardinals under head coach Rob Senderoff.
Flashes have won last 16-of-17 against Ball State
Last season the two teams met in Muncie where the Flashes came away with a 83-80 victory in overtime.
LAST TIME OUT
The Kent State men's basketball team improved to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play after a 68-67 victory over rival Akron. Philip Whittington tipped in the go-ahead basket with 20 seconds left. After a timeout, Akron dribbled down the clock before Channel Banks missed a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer. Junior Danny Pippen dominated the floor on both sides with a monster 20 point, 12 rebound performance. Senior Antonio Williams finished with 17 points and five rebounds, while senior Troy Simons rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points.
On the season, the Flashes are shooting 45.6 percent (619-1357) from the floor and 199-550 (36.2 percent) from long range. Pippen leads the team averaging (14.3 ppg) as well in rebounds averaging 7.0 boards a game.
FLASH FACTS
- The Flashes have four players averaging in double-figure scoring with Troy Simons (13.4 ppg), Anthony Roberts (12.1 ppg), Antonio Williams (14.1 ppg), and Danny Pippen (14.3 ppg).
- Kent State ranks 35th in the country and third in the conference in scoring offense (77.8 ppg).
- As a team, Kent State ranks 37th in the country and leads the conference with 4.7 blocked shots per game.
- Danny Pippen leads the team with 41 total blocks, five of which he had against Towson. Kent State ranks 31st in the nation in total blocked shots (103) and lead the conference. Pippen also ranks 46th in the nation and is second in conference stats averaging 1.86 blocked shots per game.
- Troy Simons ranks 20th in the nation in 3-point FG per game (3.09) and leads conference stats.
-Kent State ranks 41st in 3-point FG per game (9.0) and ranks 3rd in conference stats.
- In conference stats, KSU is first in FG percentage (45.6) and ranks 78th in the country. Â
-Flashes rank 50th in the country and lead the conference with a +9.0 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 68.9 points per game on 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 33.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Kent State has forced 323 turnovers (14.7 tpg) while collecting 165 steals (7.5 stl/g). On the glass, the Flashes have out re-bounded their opponents 798-788Â for a +0.5 margin.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
The Cardinals, stand 12-9 overall and 5-3 in MAC play under seven-year head coach James Whitford. Ball State is coming off a 65-54 win over Ohio. Senior Tahjai Teague put the offense on his back with a game-high 24 points for Ball State. It was the sixth time he reached the 20-point plateau this season. Ball State took a 12-point halftime lead and built it to as many as 18 on a couple of occasions midway through the second stanza. Ohio made a charge to cut the deficit to 51-41 only to see Teague put the game away. The forward scored on three straight possessions in the paint and turned two of those plays into three-point opportunities. BSU has two players averaging in double figures in Teague (15.4) and Ishmael El-Amin (14.0).
Defensively, BSU has held its opponents to score 62.0 points per game on 40.1 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Cardinals have 271 turnovers (12.9 tpg) while collecting 152 steals (7.2 stl/g) On the glass, BSU has out-rebounded their opponents 769-732 for a +1.8 margin. In league games only, Ball State leads the conference in scoring defense (63.25 ppg), defensive rebounds (28.63 rpg). The Cardinals are second in scoring margin (+4.38) and in FG percentage defense (.403). Teague ranks second in FG percentage shooting 53.8 percent).
FOLLOW ALONG
Flash fans unable to attend the game can watch the game on the ESPN+, Â Â listen through iHeart Radio and Tune-In and follow along with live stats via sidearm. All the links are located below.
Watch: https://es.pn/37U4K1P
Listen: https://www.iheart.com/live/640-whlo-3520/
Live Stats: https://kentstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/
