Golden Flashes enter MAC Tournament playing well, cautiously optimistic
According to common college basketball school of thought, the teams best equipped to thrive in the postseason possess elite guards and supreme confidence based on late-season success.
If that adage holds true at the 2022 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, advantage Kent State.
The second-seeded Golden Flashes (21-9, 16-4 MAC) will carry a 12-game winning streak into Thursday afternoon’s MAC Tournament quarterfinal matchup with No. 7 seed Miami (14-17, 8-12) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. They’re built around the conference’s top guard tandem, juniors Sincere Carry and Malique Jacobs, who were dominant forces on both ends of the floor while leading the Flashes to 14 wins in their last 15 games.
As one might expect, Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff — challenged to keep his red-hot team from being overconfident heading into the MAC tourney — had a different outlook on keys to postseason prosperity.
“Guard play is obviously important. But team play is what helps you win in the postseason – how your team plays, the energy, the cohesiveness, the togetherness,” said Senderoff. “Everyone playing their part and doing their job at the highest level they can is what helps you win during this month. As far as the [winning] streak goes, in our eyes it’s over at this point. It has nothing to do with what’s going to happen on Thursday. Now if you say hey, you’re going into Cleveland playing well, yes we are. But in a one-game setting, we have to play well again on Thursday.”
While Kent State would certainly put its group of guards up against anyone in the conference, several other teams in the MAC Tournament field are blessed with talented backcourts as well. Regular season champion Toledo has Ryan Rollins (19.2 points per game) and RayJ Dennis (12.7). No. 5 seed Buffalo has Ronaldo Segu (15.2) and Maceo Jack (9.5). No. 6 seed Ball State has Tyler Cochran (11.5) and Luke Bumbalough (11.1). No. 2 seed Ohio has Mark Sears (19.4).
Miami’s backcourt tandem of junior Dae Dae Grant (17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists) and senior Mekhi Lairy (13.6 points, 3.4 assists, 3 rebounds) has posted numbers that are very comparable to those amassed by Carry (18.7 points, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds) and Jacobs (12 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists).
Several other teams are also riding a wave of momentum into the MAC tourney. Toledo and Akron have both won five straight, Buffalo has won eight of its last 10, and the RedHawks will bring a modest two-game winning streak into Tuesday’s contest.
“(Miami) is probably a little bit better than what they’re seeded in the tournament,” said Senderoff. “I'm sure they’ll be coming in with confidence because they’ve won their last two games, as opposed to limping into the postseason.”
The RedHawks were limping a little when they hosted Kent State on Feb. 1. Playing without its top frontcourt performer, senior Dalonte Brown, Miami was blitzed by the Flashes 50-24 in the first half and wound up falling 78-65.
“We played them in the middle of a tough stretch when they lost five in a row. They’re playing much better now,” said Senderoff. “They're a dangerous team because they shoot the 3 so well and so often. Our perimeter defense, which has been a real strength of ours all year, is going to be tested for sure on Thursday. We're going to have to play really hard and really well to win.”
While Senderoff’s cautious approach to the MAC Tournament is certainly understandable, everyone who follows the Flashes knows that they literally could not be entering the postseason on a higher note. They have the MAC Player of the Year in Carry, the top defensive guard in the conference in Jacobs, and several other solid players who have grown comfortable in their respective roles on both ends of the floor.
But one bad day in Cleveland could do Kent State in.
The Flashes have played like a hungry, desperate team since starting the year 7-8, and must take that same approach into battle this week.
“We’ve talked a lot about staying humble,” said Senderoff. “We’re looking to get a one-game streak starting on Thursday. Whoever gets a three-game streak is going to win the conference tournament. That’s the bottom line.”
The winner of the Kent State-Miami matchup meets the survivor of Thursday’s last quarterfinal game between No. 3 seed Ohio (23-8, 14-6) and No. 6 seed Ball State (14-16, 9-10) in Friday’s second semifinal at approximately 7:30 p.m.
What: 2022 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
Who: No. 2 seed Kent State (21-9, 16-4) vs. No. 7 seed Miami (14-17, 8-12)
When/Where: Thursday, approx. 4 p.m./Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland
TV/Radio: ESPN+/GoFlashes app, Varsity Network
Regular season results: The Flashes won 78-65 on Feb. 1 in Oxford.
RedHawks leaders: Dae Dae Grant, 6-2, Jr., G (17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists). Mekhi Lairy, 5-8, Sr., G (13.6 points, 3.4 assists, 3 rebounds). Dalonte Brown, 6-7, Sr., F (11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds)
Flashes leaders: Sincere Carry, 6-1, Jr., G (18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals). Malique Jacobs, 6-3, Jr., G (12 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals). Giovanni Santiago, 6-1, So., G (8.8 points, 2 assists, 2.6 rebounds). Justyn Hamilton, 6-11, Sr., F (8.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks). Andrew Garcia, 6-5, GS, G (8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds). Tervell Beck, 6-7, Sr., F (6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds)
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State opens the 2022 MAC Tournament Thursday against Miami
