Kent State University
Miami
Flashes Travel to Cleveland for MAC Tournament
3/9/2022 5:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio -- The Kent State men's basketball team (21-9, 16-4 MAC) heads to Cleveland to take on Miami (14-17, 8-12 MAC) in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday afternoon at approximately 4 p.m. inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
The Flashes are fresh off taking home three of the five major MAC Awards including Sincere Carry winning Player of the Year, Rob Senderoff winning Coach of the Year and Justyn Hamilton winning Sixth Man of the Year. Malique Jacobs was runner-up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, while he and Carry were both named to the all-MAC Defensive Team. The Flashes took home Player and Coach of the Year for the first time since the 2011 season where Justin Greene and Geno Ford took home the awards.
The Golden Flashes boast the nation's fourth-longest active winning streak with 12-consecutive wins. Carry leads the Golden Flashes, averaging nearly 21 points per game during the streak. Carry has led the Flashes all season, recording 13 games with 20 or more points, including a 42-point explosion against Ball State. The Solon, Ohio native will return home for the MAC Tournament and look to lead the Flashes back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Carry has won the MAC Player of the Week award each of the last three weeks, while leading Kent State to victories over regular season MAC Champion Toledo, Ohio and Buffalo. He's averaging almost 24 points per game during that stretch and has scored 20 or more in five of those games.
Defense has been the key to the Golden Flashes success all season. The team has held 23 of its 30 opponents under 71 points. Jacobs is the team's defensive engine and players like Carry and Hamilton benefit from Jacobs' tenacity on the defensive end of the floor.Â
The Flashes will take on Miami for just the second time this season. Kent State defeated the RedHawks, 78-65, in the first meeting. The Flashes used a 50-point first half to jump out to a 26-point halftime lead before Miami fought back into the game down the stretch.Â
Scouting the RedHawks
Miami is led by Dae Dae Grant, who scored a team-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the first meeting against the Flashes. Grant is sixth in the conference in scoring (17.6ppg) and assists (4.1apg).Â
Grant along with Dalonte Brown, Mekhi Lairy and Precious Ayah make up the majority of the scoring for the RedHawks. Brown leads the team and ranks 13th in the MAC in rebounding (6.2rpg).Â
Miami leads the MAC in three-point shooting, making 9.2 threes per game. The RedHawks have four players with 125 or more three-point attempts and five players with 30 or more threes on the season.
Follow the Flashes
The highly decorated Golden Flashes will be the No. 2 seed for the MAC Tournament where they will host No. 7 seed Miami. If the Flashes win, they will take on the winner of No. 3 Ohio and No. 6 Ball State on Friday evening in the final game of the four-game schedule. For all MAC Tournament information visit our MAC Tournament Headquarters.Â
For more information on the men's basketball team, follow Kent State Men's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional updates.Â
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