Flashes to Face Ohio in MAC Quarterfinal
3/10/2021 2:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio- The Kent State men's basketball team will face No. 5 Ohio in the MAC Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse at approximately 1:30 p.m.
THE GAME
#4 Kent State (15-7, 12-6) vs. #5 Ohio (13-7, 9-5)
Thursday, March 11 | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse| Approx. 1:30 PM
BROADCAST
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Dave Wilson (pbp), Kent State Radio, Tune-In
OHIO HEAD COACH
Jeff Boals
Record at OU: 30-21
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 196-128 (10th season)
ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio leads the all-time series, 96-67
Kent State is 12-7 against the Bobcats under head coach Rob Senderoff
Thursday will be the 10th time that Kent State and Ohio have collided in the MAC Tournament. Kent State leads Ohio, 5-4 when facing the Bobcats in the tournament.
03.09.84 R W 57-53 QTR
03.08.85 R L 55-57 SEMI
03.02.99 T W 68-57 SEMI
03.05.00 C L 68-69 QTR
03.14.03 C W 73-70 SEMI
03.10.05 C L 55-62 QTR
03.10.05 C W 72-59 SEMI
03.11.10 C L 64-81 QTR
03.10.17 C W 68-66 SEMI
Earlier this season, Kent State took an 89-79 victory over Ohio in Athens. Four players scored in double
figures as the Flashes got a huge boost this afternoon from senior Danny Pippen who led the team with 22 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. Pippen scored 20 second-half points on 8-of-13 from the floor.
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State finishes the regular season with an overall record of 15-6. The Flashes 12-3 in MAC play and will be the No. 4 seed in Thursday's Quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. Kent State will face No. 5 seed Ohio. The Flashes dropped their regular season finale to Buffalo, 81-67. Senior Tervell Beck led the way and tied his career-high with 19 points. Junior Malique Jacobs finished with 16 points and a team-high six boards, while sophomore Giovanni Santiago scored 13 points and dished out seven assists.
On the season, the Flashes are shooting 44.6 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, Kent State has held its opponents to 70.5 points per game on 41.6 percent shooting from the floor and 34.0 percent from long range.
FLASH FACTS
- -Since the MAC Tournament moved to Cleveland in 2000, Kent State is 11-6 in quarterfinal games at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Last season, the Flashes were defeated by Central Michigan, 89-81, in the Quarterfinals.
- A KSU win against Ohiowould mean the Flashes advance to the Semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Kent State would play Friday, March 12, against either No. 1 seed Toledo or No. 8 seed Ball State in the semifinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network).
- Kent State had 3 players earn MAC Postseason honors in Danny Pippen (First Team), Mike Nuga (Third Team), and Malique Jacobs (All-Defensive Team).
- The Flashes have three players averaging in double figures in Nuga (17.8), Pippen (19.3), and Beck (11.4).
- Pippen ranks 37th in the country and 3rd in the league in points per game (19.2)
- As a team, Kent State is 2nd in the league in FG percentage defense (41.6)
-The Flashes are the 32nd-ranked team in the country in rebound margin (5.9) and 2nd MAC stats
- The Flashes are 3rd in conference stats in scoring defense (70.5)
-As a team, KSU ranks 5th in conference in forced turnovers (13.00)
-Flashes rank 23rd in the country in total rebounds per game (39.68) and rank 2nd in league stats.
-KSU ranks 17th in the nation and 2nd in league in offensive rebounds per game (12.91)
-Senior Justyn Hamilton ranks 3rd in the league in offensive rebounds per game (2.75). He also ranks 9th in league in rebounds per game (6.8)
-Malique Jacobs ranks 40th in the nation and is 2nd conference stats in steals per game (1.95) and third in the MAC in total steals (43)
-Kent State's Danny Pippen, Justyn Hamilton and Tervell Beck have combined to score 46 percent of the team's points this season and have accounted for 49 percent of all Golden Flashes scoring over the last five games
-Kent State has an assist on 34 of 71 field goals (47.8 percent) over its previous three games.
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats, stand (13-7, 9-5 MAC) under the direction of 2-year head coach Jim Jeff Boals. Ohio, the No. 5 seed, last saw action back on Feb. 27 as the Bobcats saw its 6-game win streak come to an end after falling to Buffalo, 86-66. Sophomore forward Ben Roderick led all Ohio players with 15 points and added four rebounds. Sophomore guard Lunden McDay added 10 points, sinking all four of his free throw attempts. Junior guard Jason Preston scored 10 points and added five boards and six assists.
Ohio has four players scoring in double figures in Preston (15.4) Wilson (15.2), Vander Plas (12.5), and Roderick (12.3) Wilson also leads the team in rebounds averaging 7.3 per game.
Ohio leads the league in FG% (.484) and leads the league in assists per game (18.15)
As a team the Bobcats are averaging 80.2 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting from the field and 35.1 percent from long range.
Defensively, Ohio has held its opponents to score 73.7 per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the field and 35.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bobcats have 239 turnovers (12.0 tpg) while collecting 135 steals (6.8 stl/g) On the glass, the Bobcats have out rebounded their opponents 690-672 for a +0.9 rebounding margin.
WAYS TO FOLLOW
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: https://kentstatesports.com/watch/?Live=336&type=Live
Live Stats: https://getsomemaction.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media
