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

Both Kent and Buffalo enter Tuesday's game at the MAC Center with 1-3 conference records. Dangerous territory awaits the loser of this one. UB does not have a good looking win on their 7-10 overall record. But that doesn't matter a lick for the Golden Flashes who are in desperate need of a conference victory.

KSU will have to slow down Blake Hamilton. The 6'6 senior is averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds per game. He is just the kind of player that has given the Flashes fits through conference play. It is difficult for Kent to guard long wing players who can shoot. If Hamilton gets hot, it could be trouble.

6'8 260 pound Nate Perkins is another player that the Flashes will have to account for. The sophomore averages 12 points a game and leads the team in rebounds with just under 7 per contest.

For Kent State it is time to put up or look out. No team can withstand A second home conference loss in only 5 games.

But I do believe the good guys will avoid it.

Kent State 81
Buffalo 76
Jimmy Hall gets its done.

(01-16-2017 03:13 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  Both Kent and Buffalo enter Tuesday's game at the MAC Center with 1-3 conference records. Dangerous territory awaits the loser of this one. UB does not have a good looking win on their 7-10 overall record. But that doesn't matter a lick for the Golden Flashes who are in desperate need of a conference victory.

KSU will have to slow down Blake Hamilton. The 6'6 senior is averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds per game. He is just the kind of player that has given the Flashes fits through conference play. It is difficult for Kent to guard long wing players who can shoot. If Hamilton gets hot, it could be trouble.

6'8 260 pound Nate Perkins is another player that the Flashes will have to account for. The sophomore averages 12 points a game and leads the team in rebounds with just under 7 per contest.

For Kent State it is time to put up or look out. No team can withstand A second home conference loss in only 5 games.

But I do believe the good guys will avoid it.

Kent State 81
Buffalo 76
Jimmy Hall gets its done.

fallsdog - thank you for posting these pre-game write-ups. Always enjoy reading them! Can't imagine KSU loses this one. I'm expecting to see lots of Ridenour & Peterson. I think we've seen enough of Zabo & Avery (how did this kid average 29 pts / game in HS? I've never seen him create his own shot and his jumpers isn't good)...

It is my pleasure. I enjoy KSU hoops more than I do NBA basketball.

Sounds like kent state is coming to life against buffalo. These two teams don't get along.

Its going to take a heckuva effort to win this game. Down 8 with 3:19 to play. This can't be good for attendance on Saturday.

This will be a losing season, the first in almost 20 years. Sad.

Do we:

a) yawn and move on because this is what we have come to expect
b) say nice things, despite the loss, that won't upset anybody
c) start a discussion on this fan message board as to whether or not Senderoff should remain
d) some combination of the three

(01-17-2017 09:05 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  Do we:

a) yawn and move on because this is what we have come to expect
b) say nice things, despite the loss, that won't upset anybody
c) start a discussion on this fan message board as to whether or not Senderoff should remain
d) some combination of the three

Good lord not C!!!

(01-17-2017 09:08 PM)Flashketball Wrote:  

(01-17-2017 09:05 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  Do we:

a) yawn and move on because this is what we have come to expect
b) say nice things, despite the loss, that won't upset anybody
c) start a discussion on this fan message board as to whether or not Senderoff should remain
d) some combination of the three

Good lord not C!!!

agree. following the Western Michigan model is rather intriguing!

'Nother week, 'nother loss.

What a mess.

Down 10-0, go on a 21-4 run, Hall gets into a fight and the Buffalo player gets ejected, the team is on a roll and all fired up and still nothing really good happens. Right now I don't think this team thinks it will win any game. Way too many turnovers and once again a 5 point lead with 8+ minutes to go turns into a 13 point loss.

(01-17-2017 09:12 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  

(01-17-2017 09:08 PM)Flashketball Wrote:  

(01-17-2017 09:05 PM)fallsdog Wrote:  Do we:

a) yawn and move on because this is what we have come to expect
b) say nice things, despite the loss, that won't upset anybody
c) start a discussion on this fan message board as to whether or not Senderoff should remain
d) some combination of the three

Good lord not C!!!

agree. following the Western Michigan model is rather intriguing!

No matter what we do I'm afraid "a" will become the selection of the casual fan. Attendance is headed way down.

TO's poor shot selection down the stretch, stand and dribble ball screen offense another late game loss. UGH!!!!!!!!!!!

If it isn't C, then who recruited the players on the team? Yes Walker can shoot but do we settle for the "go wild" approach? If this is the team that we have then we settle for the results. I do not see us as being able to run with the top tier teams in the MAC, or does someone see us one of the "top tier" teams? I will still go to the games-I just know what to expect.

(01-17-2017 09:13 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  'Nother week, 'nother loss.

You might be too optimistic. It's becoming another week another two losses.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I think our post player rotation is absolutely killing us right now. Through the first 205 MAC minutes, we've been outscored by 29. Of those 205 minutes Hall and De La Rosa have been on the court together for 73:42 and in that time we've been outscored by 34. So that means in the other roughly 2/3rds of the MAC minutes we're +5.

The way I see it, it makes a ton of sense that we'd be way worse with them in together than when at least one is out, particularly against the MAC. The MAC has had 3 years of game-planning for Hall and while he's a great player, he has his limitations. MAC teams know how to attack his weaknesses at this point so when you put another big next to him that's slow you're dead in the water. Hall needs an athletic big next to him that can rotate quickly on defense and get out to the arc to challenge threes. On offense, Hall needs space to operate inside so putting 7-footer that isn't particularly mobile with him plugs up the middle. This isn't a knock on De La Rosa by any means. His game simply doesn't fit with Hall's.

To drive this point home, I just stated we're -34 in the 73:42 with Hall and De La Rosa together during MAC play. With Hall and Pippen playing together we're +21 in 32:08 MAC minutes. To be fair, that duo is probably skewed some because they were +17 tonight (vs -13 for Hall with De La Rosa).

Finally, tonight provided us with two nominees for this week's MACtin' A Fool (this should really be a thing). First, there was a play where one ref called a block while the other called a charge. After a review they decided to settle on a double foul. Literally never seen this before...

Second, after the ejection the PA announcer talked through Hall's first free throw. Definitely never seen the PA announcer talk through a home free throw.

How about e) follow the women's team? At least they have their heads in the game.

These games are so painful to watch. This Jekyll & Hyde routine is not cutting it.

Coach Senderoff acknowledged that part of the problem last night was "we have a guy playing point guard who doesn't play point guard."
*To be fair, he was referring to a particular sequence. For all I know Peterson could have been at point, but you get the drift.

Add that to the statistics that have been shared above regarding points in the paint and the fact that this roster has no real upper class depth and it becomes easier to see why the Flashes are struggling.

[quote='fallsdog' pid='14008065' dateline='1484739428']
Coach Senderoff acknowledged that part of the problem last night was "we have a guy playing point guard who doesn't play point guard."
*

Well coach you have 13 scholarships, 5 assistant coaches and you recruited and coach the team then why in a guard dominated league do we NOT have a point guard??? Whose fault is that???

(01-18-2017 08:20 AM)ksu315 Wrote:  [quote='fallsdog' pid='14008065' dateline='1484739428']
Coach Senderoff acknowledged that part of the problem last night was "we have a guy playing point guard who doesn't play point guard."
*

Well coach you have 13 scholarships, 5 assistant coaches and you recruited and coach the team then why in a guard dominated league do we NOT have a point guard??? Whose fault is that???

In his defense, he thought he had a 5th year senior starter returning at the point until late in the game. When Thomas left there wasn't a lot out there. Al Fisher's don't turn up every year.