Kent State at Eastern Michigan live blog …
It’s a reunion night here at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center. I’ve already seen several familiar faces, including former KSU director of basketball operations Mike Brown, who is now an assistant at Eastern under Rob Murphy. Of course, Murphy was an assistant at Kent State on Jim Christian’s first staff before leaving to work under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse.
It was good to catch up with Brown and I’m looking forward to seeing Murphy. Both are part of a long tradition of really good people who have worked in that men’s basketball office at KSU.
Usually we see several parents of former KSU players when we come to EMU. Remember, those teams of Gary Waters, Stan Heath and Christian were built through Detroit, and the families of some of those former Flashes still follow the program.
Obviously, it’s a big game. I’ll be doing some scoreboard watching with the Western Michigan-Akron game. That should be an interesting game. I’m picking Akron, but during our drive to Ypsilanti my travel partner, Ty Linder, said he thinks Western will win.
Senderoff is expecting KSU to shoot quite a few threes against the Eastern zone tonight, but he is hoping those are of the inside-out variety rather than just one pass and hoist.
The Flashes expect Eric Gaines to play tonight. He is in uniform … and those uniforms are …. black
(KSU black uniforms not sanctioned by this blog)
Officials tonight are Glenn Mayborg, Jim Schipper and Dan Nowakowski.
Mayborg is a veteran and he’s pretty good. I don’t know Schipper or Nowakowski, although both have been working MAC games this season … just not Kent State games. Both are young. According to StatSheet.com, this is just the 74th game Schipper has ever worked in Division I. Actually, as I look down his schedule from this season, it turns out I did see Schipper work once this year. That was the night Akron beat my alma mater, Hiram College.
It’s looking like it will be a small crowd tonight, which should come as no surprise. No school draws fewer fans in the MAC than Eastern … less than 2,000 per game in the conference season.
UPDATE … the officials just came out and Bart Wegenke is one of them, so it looks like no Jim Schipper tonight.
Related posts:
- Kent State at Buffalo, live blog
- Kent State vs. Western Michigan live blog…
- KSU at Ohio, live blog from the Convo…
- The Kent State-Akron fixture…
- KSU vs. Alcorn State Live Blog
Category: General Discussions
nice senior leadership by Greene coming out of TO encouraging Manley.
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Hi Gman,
absolutely! He has been a great leader all year.
Guyton really is back … two big threes … and two eyes-in-back-of-the-head assists to Greene in this run… 29-29
WMU over AKR by 6, under 3:00 1st half
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…spoke too soon…WMU by 11 with 1:24 to go in half!
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Wow, only 22 for Akron in the first half.
Justin Greene was a perfect 5-for-5 in the first half… KSU was at its best when Porrini and Guyton attacked the zone and found him cutting to the basket. Greene has a great knack for finding those little creases against zone.
Two quick fouls on Evans really hurt. He was active early, as usual.
KSU isn’t playing bad defense … Lampley just keeps killing them with late-clock jumpers, and they are all contested
Evans on Lampley … which I like
But that led to foul No. 3 on Evans with 14:00 to play
Gaines just hit one of the wildest (read luckiest) shots I’ve ever seen … swatted on the drive, retrieve in the corner, whirl and hit the jumper … 50-46 with 9:46
Managed to outscore EMU 5-0 in last two minutes without Greene on the floor … that’s big, to get him some rest and get a lead … 50-46 with 9:16
90 second possession … killer to come up empty
Bad break… KSU defense deflected the ball, but rolled right to J.R. Sims for an open 15-footer… streak on the line, down 58-56 with 48 seconds
NBA 3 by Holt!
PAT JACKSON blocks lamprey on drive … Biggest play of his KSU career
Intentional on EMU nowhere near ball… KSU will get the ball after Evans free throws!
it just means Akron will score 50+ in the second half
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probably true Bill B
gulp
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holt is amazing! gotta get a stop!!
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offense never really got comfortable with that zone all nite!
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get that weak stuff outta here!
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WMU-AKR tied with 3:33 to go
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we gonna need more plays like that from Pat the rest of the way to get this done. Nice clutch win on the road. Go Flashes!!
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This team continues to be hard on my heart. We still do not play intense KSU defense. But, a win is a win.
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Great info on the EMU staff, I remember Murphy very well from his KSU days, but dont remember Mike Brown? Great to see that KSU families of former players show up to the games and still stay connected.
Great road win @ EMU, as I knew this was going to be a tough 1 with EMU just getting embarrassed by Akron to go with EMU’s zone defense which has been tough in most games this year.
If the ESPN.com box score is correct, than KSU outrebounded EMU (28-26), only committed 6 turnovers (is that right?), and shot 27.8% from 3pt.
Crazy night, Toledo 77 OU 73, BG 61 BSU 54, NIU 62 Miami of OH 59, Buffalo 66 CMU 62, Akron 69 WMU 66 (Akron down pretty much the whole game and only scored 22 in the 1st half) & last but not least, KSU 62 EMU 58.
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glash68 said “We still do not play intense KSU defense. But, a win is a win.”
are you high????
great defensive stops at the conclusion of last 2 games to preserve wins. we’re flying/diving after loose balls.. finally playing kent state basketball these past few weeks
3-game homestand awaits
GO FLASHES!
tonite:
gaines with that great fall-away 3!
guyton with those dead-on 3′s! (net didn’t move!)
greene with those great power drives to the hoop!
holt with that huge 3!
manns hitting free-throws!
evans with another specaular slam & hitting crucial free-throws!
pat jackson with that great block at the end!
TRUE TEAM EFFORT
dave, thanks for all the you do!!
would luv to see the macc packed & rocking for the nationally televised game sat! would love blow ball state out of the building
mike
’86
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My reference to KSU defense is for the WHOLE game, not the just the last possession. In both games we were behind until the last minute because we could not get the stops. That is not the KSU defense that I have grown accustomed to. I know, I am spoiled, but I know slow defensive rotation when I see it. Or, maybe the streaming on my computer is just slow. The win is still the important statistic.
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i hear what you are saying gflash68
still.. i’m no longer frustrated/angry at this team. they have shown me guts & tough aggressive play these past few weeks. very proud happy with this team
hitting clutch shots
making key defensive stops
i think the road warrior mentality has really helped this team.
on a different topic: man, akron is having one helluva Season! that team is dangerous! well-coached… but beatable
can’t believe choked-away that game last night.
with 2 minutes & change remaining: they had the ball & 5 pt lead. gosh dang it western.. why couldn’t you hold-on to that lead!
GO FLASHES!
mike
’86
ps can’t believe miami lost to northern.. yikes!
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I watched the Akron game and Kent game at the same time. Western gave it away with 2 turnovers by their senior point guard getting picked. As much as I hate to say it, Akron has it together thanks to Dambrot.
I too, am proud of our team. They just are not good for my viewing health. The way they close out the games, shows me that they could be better at the beginning of the game also. Our talent level is as good as ever.
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