Kent St

GameNight: St Louis vs Kent State

Fairway Jay — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:18:56 -0500

Start: Nov 19 2008 - 8:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Fairway Jay

St Louis looked horrible in its opening game win against D-II Missouri, 48-33. The Billikens started 3 freshmen and could find no scoring with senior shooting guard Kevin Lisch (14.6ppg) out with a tailbone injury. St Louis went six minutes at one point without a score and shot only 37.8% with 11 turnovers while only forcing a D-II team to turn it over six times. Lisch returns for this contest and forms a solid senior backcourt with Tommie Liddell.

Kent State has its three perimeter players back from last year and seem to be enjoying a seamless transition with the coaching change to Geno Ford. Last November Kent destroyed St Louis 81-40 and has a majority of this same nucleus back. Revenge motive noted, but redemption usually requires an equal or better team, and St. Louis is the inferior foe here. St. Louis head coach Rick Majerus has noted that this is still a very young and apprehensive team learning their way with his disciplined style and system and deliberate offense, even with Lisch and Liddell in the backcourt. St. Louis was the A-10’s worst scoring team last year, and their solid defense may take a little time to take hold with the influx of new players.

New on-campus Chaifetz Arena for St. Louis, but a similar result to last year expected – a Kent State victory.

Winner: Kent State

College Football: #17 Ball State @ Central Michigan Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:36:40 -0500

Before getting into a preview of the games on tap for Tuesday and Wednesday, there may be an important development in the BCS. Not who plays in it but which network televises the games. ESPN, according to may sources, is on the verge of acquiring the rights to the BCS from 2011-2014 with Fox unlikely to match their offer. If you're like me, you scratched your head the past few years and wondered why a network that devotes little time to college football during the regular season gets to show the season's biggest games. And you were probably celebrating when you heard the news, even though that means all BCS games other than the Rose Bowl (with a TV deal separate from the rest of the BCS) will be shown on cable. Now on to the two games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tuesday: Northern Illinois @ Kent State 7 PM (no TV)

A college basketball marathon takes precedence over this game between teams looking to end their seasons on a positive note. NIU still needs a win to become bowl eligible, but given the strength of the teams ahead of them in the MAC West Jerry Kill's squad has quite the hill to climb to receive an invitation. Kent State is essentially playing out the string even though they beat Temple last week. The Huskies have the best defense in the MAC, and should do enough to slow down RB Eugene Jarvis and get the victory on the road.

Wednesday: #17 Ball State @ Central Michigan 7 PM on ESPN2

This is the game of the year in the Mid-American Conference, with the Cardinals chasing an undefeated season and conference title. But they're on the road in this one, which is fitting since the road to the MAC crown should go through Mount Pleasant. Butch Jones' Chippewas are the defending champions, and they've got Dan LeFevour back at quarterback after he missed time due to injury. But in Nate Davis, the Cardinals have one of the nation's most prolific passers and the odd-on favorite to unseat LeFevour as conference Player of the Year. This is the first game of a tough two-game swing to end the year for the Cardinals, who host Western Michigan on the 25th. As powerful as Ball State has been on offense this season, this is the game where they get tripped up. Central Michigan wins this one and moves one step closer to defending their MAC title.

Houston named FWAA/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.

That tends to happen when you hang seventy on a ranked opponent. Thanks to their 70-30 win over then-#23 Tulsa, the Cougars were named National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Also nominated were Florida (56-6 win over South Carolina), Northwestern (21-14 win over Michigan) and Vanderbilt (31-24 win at Kentucky; bowl-eligible for the first time since 1982).

Two more coaches were fired on Monday, and one unexpectedly resigned.

The unlucky two are Greg Robinson (Syracuse) and Brent Guy (Utah State). Neither was a surprise, given their records and the coals being stirred under their seats when the season began. That's the complete opposite of Rocky Long, who decided to resign as the head coach at New Mexico after eleven seasons in Albuquerque. Long leaves UNM with a record of 65-69, but that record doesn't tell the full story of what he did at his alma mater. The Lobos were traditionally a tough out under Long, with this season's 4-8 record being the exception rather than the rule.

College Football: #14 Ball State @ Miami (Ohio) Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:35:49 -0500

Another week another set of midweek games from the MAC, with the first featuring an undefeated Ball State team looking to work its way into the BCS. But with games remaining against Central Michigan and Western Michigan the Cardinals will have a hard enough time winning the MAC West let alone going undefeated. But tonight brings a trip to Oxford to take on the Redhawks of Miami (OH), who find themselves in the middle of a heated battle for the MAC East. Every team in the division has at least two conference losses, which could make for a serious mismatch (on paper) when the two divisional champs meet on December 5th. The game matching two of the preseason favorites can be seen at 7 PM EST on ESPN2, and look for QB Nate Davis to lead Ball State to a routine road victory.

Wednesday's Games

-Temple @ Kent State 8 PM EST on ESPN360

The Owls find themselves one game out of first place in the MAC East despite having the conference's worst offense. Kent State hasn't been much better, but with four league losses the Golden Flashes still can entertain thoughts of winning the division. Unless Akron, Buffalo or Bowling Green wins the division, there's a strong chance that the East representative could be either playing for bowl eligibility or looking to win the conference even though they wouldn't be bowl eligible. As for this game, look for the Golden Flashes to win at home and further muddle the divisional race.

- Central Michigan @ Northern Illinois 8 PM EST on ESPN2

A showdown in the west that is essentially an elimination game for Jerry Kill's Huskies. Thanks to their loss to Ball State NIU would need a lot of help to win the division, but given the status of the East they could very well be playing for a bowl game in this one. Central Michigan, on the other hand, hasn't missed a beat with Brian Brunner playing quarterback for the injured Dan LeFevour. LeFevour could be back for this one, but there shouldn't be much concern if he isn't. Northern Illinois has the best defense in the MAC, but this two-game stretch (Ball State and then CMU) can kill those numbers in a hurry. NIU will be competitive, but look for the Chippewas to take care of business and set up a showdown next week with Ball State.

FWAA Awards for this week:

- Iowa was named FWAA/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week thanks to their 24-23 home win over then-#3 Penn State. Other nominees were #2 Texas Tech (56-20 win over Oklahoma State) and #8 Utah (13-10 win over TCU).

- Alabama safety Rashad Johnson was named FWAA/Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week due to his performance at LSU on Saturday. Johnson had three interceptions (one for a TD) along with four tackles and one-half sack in the Crimson Tide's 27-21 overtime win in Baton Rouge.

MAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:17:57 -0500

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Conference Rank: 13th

10 year average: 13th

MAC Conference Page

All-MAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Al Fisher	Kent State	Sr
G	Michael Bramos	Miami	Sr
G/F	David Kool	Western Mich.	Jr
F	Anthony Newell	Ball State	Sr
F	Jerome Tillman	Ohio	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Michael Bramos Al Fisher		Points: Anthony Newell (Ball) 16.9 Tyrone Kent (Toledo) 16.9 Rebounds: Anthony Newell 8.0 Assists: Michael Allen (Ohio) 4.0

MAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Kent State	MAC	1	NCAA
73	Miami (OH)	MAC	2	NIT
97	Western Michigan	MAC	3
122	Central Michigan	MAC	4
129	Ohio	MAC	5
173	Akron	MAC	6
178	Toledo	MAC	7
196	Bowling Green	MAC	8
238	Eastern Michigan	MAC	9
256	Ball State	MAC	10
291	Buffalo	MAC	11
298	Northern Illinois	MAC	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MAC?

Other MAC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Charlie Coles: Miami

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: MAC

State of 08: Ohio

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the MAC?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:02:56 -0400

Preseason Mid-Major All-Americans: 08-09

CHN — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:39:54 -0400

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason Mid-Major All-America Team is dominated by a pair of impressive guards: Stephen Curry and Patrick Mills. Not surprisingly, Curry was a unanimous pick amongst all of our voters for Mid-Major Player of the Year honors. Besides Curry and Mills, other returning 2007-08 Collegehoops.net Mid-Major All-Americans include Lester Hudson (2nd Team last year), Al Fisher (3rd Team), and Ryan Wittman (3rd Team).

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Coming up soon is CHN's Preseason All-Freshman team.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Mid-Major Player of the Year: Stephen Curry (Davidson)

CollegeHoops.net First Team Mid-Major All-America

Stephen Curry	Davidson	JR	G
Patrick Mills	Saint Mary's	SO	G
Lester Hudson	Tennessee-Martin	SR	G
Matt Howard	Butler	SO	F
Diamon Simpson	Saint Mary's	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Second Team Mid-Major All-America

Al Fisher	Kent State	SR	G
Josh Akognon	Fullerton	SR	G
Kenny Hasbrouck	Siena	SR	G
Marqus Blakely	Vermont	JR	F
John Bryant	Santa Clara	SR	C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team Mid-Major All-America

Brandon Johnson	San Diego	SR	G
Edwin Ubiles	Siena	JR	G/F
Jonathan Rodriguez	Campbell	JR	F
Ryan Wittman	Cornell	JR	F
Carlos Monroe	Florida Atlantic	SR	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention Mid-Major All-American

Josh Alexander	Stephen F Austin	SR	G
Michael Bramos	Miami	SR	G
J'Nathan Bullock	Cleveland State	SR	F
Garrison Carr	American	SR	G
Louis Dale	Cornell	JR	G
Devin Gibson	Texas-San Antonio	SO	G
Jeremy Goode	Mount Saint Mary's	JR	G
David Holston	Chicago St	SR	G
Robert Jarvis	Oral Roberts	SR	G
Dior Lowhorn	San Francisco	JR	F

Donovan Morris	Long Beach St	SR	G
Courtney Pigram	East Tennessee St	SR	G
Gyno Pomare	San Diego	SR	F
Ryan Thompson	Rider	JR	F
Mike Trimboli	Vermont	SR	G
Desmond Yates	Middle Tennessee St	JR	F
Ben Woodside	North Dakota St	SR	G

2008-09 Kent State Basketball Preview: #41

Joel Welser — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:30:36 -0400

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Kent State Golden Flashes

Overall Rank: #41

Conference Rank: #1 MAC

2007-08: 28-7, 13-3, 1^st East

2007-08 postseason: NCAA

Even with a new coach and a new frontcourt, Kent State is still among the favorites, if not the favorite, to win the Mid-American Conference title. The new head man, Geno Ford, spent the last four years by the side of former coach Jim Christian and the transition should be a seamless one. The Golden Flashes have won at least 20 games in each of the last ten seasons. Coach Ford will make it 11.

Who’s Out:

But it will not be easy without Haminn Quaintance and Mike Scott in the frontcourt. The 6-8 Quaintance was the force under the basket. He could score consistently in the paint, averaging 10.0 points and led the team in rebounds with 7.5 per contest. On the offensive side of the floor, Scott used his outside shooting ability to stretch out the defense. Both were quality defenders and Quaintance blocked 2.0 shots per game. Fellow forward Isaac Knight has also wrapped up his career at Kent State.

Who’s In:

And, of course, this recruiting class will answer the questions up front. There are five scholarship newcomers and all of them are between 6-6 and 6-8. Anthony Simpson is the one who has the highest expectations this year. The 6-8 junior college transfer will not score as much as Quaintance, but he can battle in the paint, grab rebounds and block a shot or two. Fellow junior college transfer Frank Henry-Ala plays a little like Scott. He can hit the outside shot relatively well, but Henry-Ala is not afraid to mix it up in the paint and do his job on the glass. Incoming freshmen Justin Greene and Alex Grimsley will likely spend some time learning on the bench for now. Antonio DiMaria can play the power forward spot in the MAC, but the 6-7 redshirt freshman is better off on the wing where he can utilize his shooting and athletic abilities. Trouble has followed Tyree Evans everywhere he has gone, but the guard will make an impact anywhere he ends up if he can put those problems behind him. Evans committed to Cincinnati out of high school, but ended up at a prep school and a couple community colleges since then. He signed with Maryland in the spring, only to be released from his scholarship following off-court issues. Now he is a walk-on at Kent State and, if it works out, that is one heck of a walk-on.

Who to Watch:

The backcourt might have the talent, but even in the MAC the frontcourt has to do something. Two years ago Julian Sullinger averaged 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Last season those numbers took a big drop. Sullinger is almost a starter by default, at least until the newcomers gain some experience, so it will be vital that he produces like he did as a sophomore now that he will likely see 20-25 minutes a game. Besides Sullinger, Rashad Woods and Brandon Parks are the only returning forwards on the roster. Woods is a decent shooter when given the opportunity but, at 6-5, he is more of a guard who is better off coming in off the bench and shooting threes.

Final Projection:

The Flashes return five guards who started at least 13 games last year. Sometimes having so many players start is a sign that the team was desperately looking for the right combination of mediocre players…that is not the case with KSU. This is a very talented group that, if they can effectively add Evans, will have more talent than many big time programs. Al Fisher is the leader of the group and the team. The 6-1 point guard averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds en route to MAC Player of the Year honors. And that was his first year with the team after spending a couple seasons at the junior college level. Now a senior, Fisher can lead this group to big things. Fisher might be able to score with ease, but he can create shots for his backcourt mates as well. Chris Singletary is most often the beneficiary and tallied 10.3 points per game a year ago. Mike McKee is the shooter of the group, Jordan Mincy is the defensive specialist and Rodriquez Sherman does a little bit of everything. With such a talented backcourt, the team will not need much production out of the frontcourt. If Sullinger, Simpson and company can give the threat of scoring and grab some rebounds and play defense, Kent State will win the MAC and record another 20 win season.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Al Fisher, Senior, Guard, 13.9 points per game

Mike McKee, Junior, Guard, 5.5 points per game

Chris Singletary, Junior, Guard, 10.3 points per game

Julian Sullinger, Senior, Forward, 3.6 points per game

Anthony Simpson, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

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