The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

I also wanted a 7 or 10 seed. Who wouldn't ? You're just being so negative on such a glorious day for our Flashes. Oh, I can name 8 teams that cannot wait to get to Omaha.
[/quote]

I wish they were coming to Denver so I could of seen them up close and in person. But that wont happen now there going to Omaha, wheret he next closest city with any population is Kansas City or Lincoln. Awful place to play.

burden Wrote:We're playing UNLV in Omaha. If we win Kansas will be next. A seed of #9 I believe is are all time high. Believe it or not I don't watch other teams that much so what does everybody think about our chances against both teams?

I hate to say it, but zero chance against Kansas if the Flashes make it past UNLV. Worst possible second-round opponent for Kent. Kanas is tall, athletic, deep, has an inside game, has an outside game, and plays solid defense. The Jayhawks negate any strength Kent brings into the game.

By having a good season, Kent was rewarded with getting thrown under the bus. If the Flashes and Jayhawks end up facing each other in the second round, it could get very ugly. Kent will have to play its best basketball of the season (commit few turnovers, force a lot of turnovers, big games by the top scorers, no early foul trouble) just to keep up with Kansas.

game is at 2:45 pm
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketb...m/20080320

Actually, Omaha is not a bad place for Ohio folks because there are some relatively cheap flights out of Cleve. and Columbus. Who cares about the city? It's all airport-hotel-restaurants-bars-arena for the fans anyway. Could be anywhere, it's all about the same. Omaha probably cheaper than some destinations would be.
I just saw where I could do roundtrip airfare+decent hotel for 3 nights for $500.

For those of you who said UNLV's style is a lot like KSU's, you are right on.

They are a team that just plays hard and overachieves with a smallish lineup. Their 6-5 point guard, Terry, is the brother of Dallas Mavericks Jason Terry.

Its an interesting match up, but with UNLV's size, KSU should have a significant advantage inside with Q and Mike Scott. It's also a good game for Sullinger to have a nice impact. He won't be overmatched.

As for Kansas, well, obviously that's a different story. One good thing, Kansas isn't very physical, so if the refs let them play, that could help. Bucknell and Bradley stunned the Jayhawks in the early rounds in recent years, so anything is possible. If KSU gets to this game, its going to be a matter of just letting it all hang out, knowing they have everything in the world to play for and nothing in the world to lose. Nobody will think they can win.

And on Omaha, I'm fine with that ...

I keep hearing very nice things about their downtown.
Supposedly very convenient. Airport is about 3 miles from downtown, so no need for rental car. Media hotel (the Omaha Hilton) is right across the street from the arena, which is good for me.
Good restaurants, bars, etc. Great steak.
Casinos nearby ... Obviously good for me, too. Chance to get in some poker in a good room almost takes away the disappointment of not going somewhere warm and being able to bring my golf clubs.

Hope to see a bunch of you there!

I'm flying out on Continental's direct flight Tuesday morning out of Cleveland.

Kent State is 1-0 at the Quest Center in Omaha. Beating the Creighton Bluejays 67-58 on December 7, 2004 in the return game of the 2003 espn bracket busters event.

Interesting note...if there are a LOT of huge upsets. We could be play Siena, which has Al Fisher's brother in the Sweet Sixteen. Then, we could play against the Scott Cutley lead CSU-Fullerton. Won't happen, but kind of interesting relation to some of the other teams in our region.

However, this from their forums has me hopeful:

UNLV Boards Wrote:what they say about Kent St. kinda makes me nervous.... granted I don't know spit about that team but if they are as good as advertised defensively, we may have trouble scoring 50 considering our abysmal 41 percent team FG pct on the year and under 70 ppg agains mostly sub-par defenses. Probably just worried about nothing as I have only watched a few REbs games this year, but it seems baskets have been very hard to come by when Wink and/or our outside shooting is off.

Mr. Wink, meet Mr. Mincy. He'll be in your shorts all night, just ask Mr. Dials or Mr. Mills. I'm excited for this one.

DavidCarducci Wrote:And on Omaha, I'm fine with that ...

I keep hearing very nice things about their downtown.
Supposedly very convenient. Airport is about 3 miles from downtown, so no need for rental car. Media hotel (the Omaha Hilton) is right across the street from the arena, which is good for me.
Good restaurants, bars, etc. Great steak.
Casinos nearby ... Obviously good for me, too. Chance to get in some poker in a good room almost takes away the disappointment of not going somewhere warm and being able to bring my golf clubs.

What you hear is correct. I was there last year for business and stayed in the same hotel. Very nice and convenient. Their downtown restaurant district was nice. A walkable distance from the arena, but depends on the weather. I think the casino's are on the Iowa side of the river. Nice little town that loves college sports.

DavidCarducci Wrote:For those of you who said UNLV's style is a lot like KSU's, you are right on.

They are a team that just plays hard and overachieves with a smallish lineup. Their 6-5 point guard, Terry, is the brother of Dallas Mavericks Jason Terry.

Its an interesting match up, but with UNLV's size, KSU should have a significant advantage inside with Q and Mike Scott. It's also a good game for Sullinger to have a nice impact. He won't be overmatched.

As for Kansas, well, obviously that's a different story. One good thing, Kansas isn't very physical, so if the refs let them play, that could help. Bucknell and Bradley stunned the Jayhawks in the early rounds in recent years, so anything is possible. If KSU gets to this game, its going to be a matter of just letting it all hang out, knowing they have everything in the world to play for and nothing in the world to lose. Nobody will think they can win.

And on Omaha, I'm fine with that ...

I keep hearing very nice things about their downtown.
Supposedly very convenient. Airport is about 3 miles from downtown, so no need for rental car. Media hotel (the Omaha Hilton) is right across the street from the arena, which is good for me.
Good restaurants, bars, etc. Great steak.
Casinos nearby ... Obviously good for me, too. Chance to get in some poker in a good room almost takes away the disappointment of not going somewhere warm and being able to bring my golf clubs.

Hope to see a bunch of you there!

I'm flying out on Continental's direct flight Tuesday morning out of Cleveland.

Sorry, David, Omaha is not Denver. It is not even compare to any of the other sites where they could of been chosen. Its easy to say beggers can't be choosers but we earned a better desitnation and bracket then this. They definately are putting the shaft to Kent State and don't want them to advance far. Butler is another story. They received a 7 seed and have to Tenn/Louisville/UNC. This team was ranked 10th in the country and this is how they are rewarded.

As for your hopeful thinking, this is not the same Kansas squad that lost to Bucknell and Bradley. They have leadership and argubably the best backcourt in Rush and Chalmers.. and Arthur, Sasha Kahn in the front court. I hardly call those two pushovers. Kent State got hosed here and has 0 chance of beating Kansas. This goes for any team in the country because Kansas is the most talented team in the country. They are going to the final four. UNLV is no pushover here. I think Kent State could of done more damage if they didn't get suck in this bracket. They got hosed.

DavidCarducci Wrote:For those of you who said UNLV's style is a lot like KSU's, you are right on.

They are a team that just plays hard and overachieves with a smallish lineup. Their 6-5 point guard, Terry, is the brother of Dallas Mavericks Jason Terry.

Its an interesting match up, but with UNLV's size, KSU should have a significant advantage inside with Q and Mike Scott. It's also a good game for Sullinger to have a nice impact. He won't be overmatched.

As for Kansas, well, obviously that's a different story. One good thing, Kansas isn't very physical, so if the refs let them play, that could help. Bucknell and Bradley stunned the Jayhawks in the early rounds in recent years, so anything is possible. If KSU gets to this game, its going to be a matter of just letting it all hang out, knowing they have everything in the world to play for and nothing in the world to lose. Nobody will think they can win.

And on Omaha, I'm fine with that ...

I keep hearing very nice things about their downtown.
Supposedly very convenient. Airport is about 3 miles from downtown, so no need for rental car. Media hotel (the Omaha Hilton) is right across the street from the arena, which is good for me.
Good restaurants, bars, etc. Great steak.
Casinos nearby ... Obviously good for me, too. Chance to get in some poker in a good room almost takes away the disappointment of not going somewhere warm and being able to bring my golf clubs.

Hope to see a bunch of you there!

I'm flying out on Continental's direct flight Tuesday morning out of Cleveland.

Wow, great hotel, good steak, plenty of gambling, and little thing known as March Madness. Must be a tough life!!! Enjoy yourself for the rest of us!

kentalum22 Wrote:Sorry, David, Omaha is not Denver.

So, basically you're upset that they didn't get the region where you could see them play. As you wrote earlier:

kentalum22 Wrote:I wish they were coming to Denver so I could of seen them up close and in person.

I don't understand what's so much better if we got placed elsewhere for the team. We're still an 8 or 9 seed *period*. No matter where we're placed geographically, we still play a #1 in round 2. Hell, I'm not even sure if any of your 'warrants' even continue to support your claim of 'our site screws us'. You go on to write:

kentalum22 Wrote:It is not even compare to any of the other sites where they could of been chosen. Its easy to say beggers can't be choosers but we earned a better desitnation and bracket then this. They definately are putting the shaft to Kent State and don't want them to advance far

The fix isn't in. You really think the selection process went like: *giggle* Laing is out in the hallway, let's f--- with his team *giggle* Oh! I know! Let's make them play Kansas *giggle*

There's no such thing as an easy bracket unless you're a #1 or maybe #2. Even then, you still gotta play your heart out. I just find it hard to believe that our location matters. I don't think Q is going to play better defense because they're a mile high in Denver. I don't think Fisher is going to turn the ball over less because they're playing in sunny Tampa. I don't think Mike Scott is going to jump higher in Anaheim.
Next, you say Butler:

kentalum22 Wrote:Butler is another story. They received a 7 seed and have to Tenn/Louisville/UNC. This team was ranked 10th in the country and this is how they are rewarded.

Yeah, and? Seriously, check what Butler actually did this year and see if you really think they deserved to be ranked #10 this season. Let's do a real quick blind test.
Team A: RPI is 17, SOS is 128, 10-3 against the RPI top 100 (1-1 against the top 50)
Team B: RPI is 22, SOS is 111, 11-3 against the RPI top 100 (2-2 against the top 50)

Almost identical right? Tell me which of those teams gets a 7 and which gets a 9? Team A is Butler, Team B is Kent State. The answer is then "maybe Kent deserved a higher seed". Yeah, maybe we did. But no one here thought we deserved anything higher than a 7. A 7 is what Butler earned with their schedule.
If you go look at the RPI, you'll notice the group right around us makes up 3 of the 8/9 seeds (Indiana, BYU, UNLV). That's half the 8/9 seeds, so I don't think we got misseeded. I don't think there's much of any argument that the teams ahead of us should be lower, and I don't think you're trying to argue that.

But hell, I'm not even sure what your argument is in any of these threads. You just seem to want to complain that we're getting shafted in some way. You offer absolutely no basis for any of those claims besides "damn, we have to play Kansas in round 2" and "Nebraska has a lot of corn". It honestly seems like you just want to find some reason to complain, none of which are grounded in reality. You whine like an Akron fan...

So please, sit down! shut up!

etc....well stated! WHO-AHHHH

Etc. what the hell kind of name is that? You can sit down and shut up. Butler was in the top 10. So they deserve a higher seed. If they aren't a top 10 program, then don't freaking vote for them. I am saying that it's not good for fans to see them. Who in the hell is going to travel to Omaha? NOBODY! Tampa, DC, Denver are all better destinations for Kent fans. That was my point. Omaha is a dump! I am sorry but the nearest town is 50 miles away. Have you traveled through Nebraska? I have. It's awful. It has nothing to do with our performance but it has something to do with the fans trying to see them play. GO SKREW YOURSELF DUDE!

22...I am a reasonable man and understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Realistcally, if this were not the NCAA tournament, and I were traveling for pleasure no way do I choose Omaha, NE. What school would possibly choose Omaha over Tampa (other than those with, logistically speaking, a close fan base). By the same token if you're talking purely based on logistics: Raleigh, or D.C. would be the best/ easiest for Kent fans. If your argument is that D.C., Denver, or Tampa would be better because there is more to do, you've got to be kidding me, of course there is...there is no arguement, but sorry to say this isn't a family vacation for yourself, Mrs. 22, and 22 Jr. Honestly, we're in the NCAA Tournament, I don't care if were playing in B.F.E. , we're in. Complaining about the seed is FUTILE (Such is the life of a Mid-Major). Purposely trying to bash on other Kent fans...inexcuseable. You're starting to remind me of Nick Crials. Whinning about it will get you nowhere...Kent just has to take the opportunity they've been given and do the best they can with it, as I am sure JC will have them prepared to do. Feel free to tear me apart as I am sure you will.....

Nobody on the selection committee votes in the Top 25. Butler's ranking continued to rise because they won through most of their league while other teams lost. Nobody believes Butler is better than all but nine teams in the country, but voters get criticized if they don't drop teams when they lose. It is a no-win situation. I probably would have given Butler a 5, but it is true their resume didn't compare to what they did last year in the regular season.

As I had to explain to several Akron fans at the Q, whining about MAC officials is for losers. When you win, it is amazing how good officiating is. Whining about them not getting to the post season last year was for losers. Win your tourney or play somebody, and you will get in. The same with complaining of seeding. If you complain it means you have the mentality of a loser. Our players and most of our good fans are excited with the seeding and location. Why, because we are going there to be a winner. As for playing Kansas, play them now or play them later. To get to where we want to be, we want to play the number 1. We winners look at this as an opportunity. Anyone who states that we have a 0% chance against Kansas, not only is a loser by nature, but has a stark ignorance of the laws of probability. My guess is that we will be considered close to 50-50 against UNLV. If we get past that hurdle, we will be about a 15 point dog against Kansas. That is far from having 0% chance to win. Playing under the pressure of being a 15 point under dog to a team like us, sometimes has a tremendous effect on a team. I like this draw and I love my team and our chances. We may not win, but we have a good chance.

People don't travel to the locations for tourist reasons, they travel to see the team. And there really aren't a lot of those that do. When you saw people in Cox Arena with KSU apparel, that are alumni who live in that area, that come out to see the team. When we were in SD not a ton of people flew out to see us, but massive ammounts of alumni that live in that area showed up at the hotel looking for tickets. Heck, someone offered $500 for my Flasher Brass jersey. (I said NO.) I was hoping Tampa or DC this year mostly because we have alumni chapters in those locations. But I'm sure we have people in Omaha too.

Also, there will be a watch party at the Kent Stage for those of us who can't fork over the $$$ for the flight.


Eithter way, Akron still sucks!

kentalum22 Wrote:Etc. what the hell kind of name is that? You can sit down and shut up. Butler was in the top 10. So they deserve a higher seed. If they aren't a top 10 program, then don't freaking vote for them. I am saying that it's not good for fans to see them. Who in the hell is going to travel to Omaha? NOBODY! Tampa, DC, Denver are all better destinations for Kent fans. That was my point. Omaha is a dump! I am sorry but the nearest town is 50 miles away. Have you traveled through Nebraska? I have. It's awful. It has nothing to do with our performance but it has something to do with the fans trying to see them play. GO SKREW YOURSELF DUDE!

Look, you can make yourself feel like your opinion is more legit by attacking me, but that doesn't make your claims true. Realize there's 8 spots, each hosting 2 "pods". That means no matter what 8 teams get a 'bad location'. The burden is on you to back up the claim that the NCAA showed malice to Kent State by placing us there. I mean, we're from Kent right? Shouldn't someone from a big city, say Las Vegas, be a bit more angry with that location? Oh that's right, none of the people from UNLV are whining about having to go to Omaha. Funny how that works.

Echoing the above, if you're traveling to a tournament game, it's not a vacation. You're there to watch some basketball games, not to visit the beach. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to visit the beach after the first round game, don't get me wrong. But it's just that -- a nice bonus. I'd bet the primary concern for most people isn't benefits of a location, but the cost of the location. Southwest traditionally has nice fares to Omaha, but I imagine by now those flights are full. We were going to be flying to almost any tournament site (except maybe Raleigh or DC), so we didn't really get shafted in any way that deters people from going.

Even if you're right, that we were put in Omaha to screw Kent. There's no point in whining over it. Don't look further back than Saturday to see how the team adopts that mentality. Not a single call was going our way against Akron, yet they kept taking it to them and still beat them. They could have quit at any point and said "b-b-but the officials". That's the whiney, cop out (the akron thing to do ). Play the cards you're dealt the best you can.

Not to mention the fact you're literally the only person I've seen upset with the location...

I know, Omaha is not the sexiest city to draw for the tournament, but ...

I remember not being very excited about Greenville, S.C., either ... especially after Boston in 1999 and San Diego in 2001.
I actually ended up really enjoying my time in Greenville, and not just because I got to cover two wins.

Sometimes a small city like Greenville or Omaha ends up really rolling out the red carpet for an event like this. It's their rare chance to shine on a national stage.

I have to admit... I would have loved going to Tampa, where I would have been able to play golf at Bay Hill and hang out with one of my best friends from college and his family... I would have loved to go to Anaheim, where I could have played golf at Riviera... I would have loved Denver, which I loved to visit when I covered the NFL ... I have friends in Washington, and that would have been great ... I have an old girlfriend who now lives near Birmingham, that wouldn't have been so great!

Omaha is the city I knew the least about, but it seems to me like it will be similar to Greenville. Small, friendly and very excited to have us coming.

In my still relatively short lifetime, I've been lucky enough to live in England, play golf in Scotland, study in Ireland and travel to cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, Paris, Nice, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Moscow, Leningrad, Samarkand and Tashkent (the last four when they were still part of the Soviet Union).

In the U.S. I've bee to 40 of the 50 states.

In all of my travels, I've never been to Nebraska... So Omaha, I'm looking forward to checking you off the list!

I'll never be upset with going someplace new, and to be honest, Omaha is the only city on this year's list of NCAA tournament sites I have never visited ... So I'm in!

It may not be for everyone, but I'm happy.

(and there is poker)

I do agree, by the way, that its far more than just a little bit unlikely KSU will beat Kansas ... but stranger things have happened.

As a beat writer, I want to take this ride as long as it will take me. There's nothing better in this job than covering an NCAA tournament.

So, while I will be as objective as I can in the newspaper, privately and with my friends (that includes all of you), I'm going to be as positive as I can be, I'm going to enjoy the heck out of this run (however long it is), and I'm going to fool myself into hoping (if it is truly fooling myself)...

I've also been around this team probably more than anyone who is not a coach, player, or immediate support staff, and I'm here to tell you that they've surprised me quite a few times over the years.

There is a formula to beating Kansas. I'm not sure of what it is, and I don't know that Jim Christian will find it. But he's a heck of a coach, and he has a chance with a group of players who are convinced they can do the impossible.

I remember thinking there was no way Villanova was going to beat Georgetown. I also remember thinking there was no way Kent State was going to beat Alabama.

The one thing Jim reminded me of today that really sticks with me is that every game in the NCAA tournament is a one-game opportunity. Its the great thing about the event. Its not like the NBA finals, where you play a best of seven and the better team is eventually going to shine through. In one game, anyone can beat anyone on the right night, with the right gameplan, and the right attitude. Mix in some zone, catch Kansas on an off night from the perimeter and get an officiating crew that will let you play, who knows... as Mike Scott said today, anything is possible.

And if Kent State lets it all hang out and loses the way everyone expects them to ... fans should be thrilled to know they gave it their best shot.

It may be a bad draw ... but if everyone, including Kent State thinks only that they got the shaft with the seeding in this bracket, then nothing good can out of this.

Now that I think of it, the realist in me isn't really all that far off from the optimist...

Wearing both hats, I know Kansas is an overwhelming favorite should KSU get by UNLV (which should be a very good game), and more importantly in both, I know for a fact Kent State's players and coaches will give their best shot and believe they can win.