Update: Kent State to meet Akron in MAC Tournament title game

Kent State and Akron will square off in the 2022 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. after winning their respective semifinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Friday night the second-seeded Golden Flashes (23-9) defeated No. 3 seed Ohio (24-9) 67-61, while the fourth-seeded Zips (23-9) took out top seed Toledo (26-7) 70-62.

Kent State holds off Ohio, advances to MAC Tournament Championship Game

"It really doesn't matter who you're playing when you have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament," said KSU head coach Rob Senderoff, when asked about the title game matchup following Friday night's win. "The fact that it's Akron, that’s going to make the atmosphere here better. We'll be excited. We know them, they know us. Whoever plays best (Saturday) night will be cutting down the nets."

When the two teams last met, Kent State’s players and Akron’s student fans exchanged words and gestures, and had to be separated after the Flashes completed a regular season series sweep with a win at James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 11.

Three points from Kent State's 66-64 win at Akron on Friday

Is anyone truly surprised these two bitter backyard rivals will meet again one month later for all the MAC marbles?

"I hope it’s the best atmosphere I've ever seen in my life," said Flashes junior guard Malique Jacobs.

Kent State swept Akron during the regular season for the first time under 11th-year head coach Senderoff. The first win, back in January, changed the entire complexion of the Flashes’ 2021-22 season.

Kent State had just lost for the second time in three MAC home games, an ugly 65-63 setback to a Northern Illinois squad that wound up not making the eight-team MAC Tournament field. The Flashes were 7-8 overall and 2-3 in conference play when they hosted a Zips squad that had won seven of its last eight games.

Junior guard Sincere Carry poured in 32 points, and Kent State held the Zips to their lowest point total since late November while rolling to a 67-55 victory at the M.A.C. Center.

Since that Friday night in mid-January, the Flashes have gone 15-1. They closed the regular season with 12 straight wins, including a gritty 66-64 triumph on Feb. 11 at Akron. Kent State connected on 10-of-17 3s in that contest led by Carry, who hit 4-of-5 bombs and scored 19 points.

After hearing it from the Zips student section all game long, Carry and Jacobs sprinted over and confronted those fans immediately after the contest ended. Their Flashes teammates followed, and the two groups had to be separated by coaches and security.

"There's going to be a lot more energy in the gym just because of the rivalry game," said Carry, when asked about Saturday night's title matchup. "But we're just going to treat it like another game, prepare for it the same way and be ready to play."

Kent State and Akron have met three times for the MAC Tournament title. The Flashes own a 2-1 edge, winning in 2017 (70-65) and 2008 (74-55). The Zips claimed the 2011 championship matchup 66-65 in overtime.

Akron is seeking its first MAC Tournament crown since 2013, while the Flashes haven’t won it since that ‘17 squad led by Jimmy Hall and Jaylin Walker closed the season by winning nine of its last 11 games.

Kent State will carry a 14-game winning streak into Saturday night’s title tilt, its longest streak since the 2002 team won a MAC-record 21 straight while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. With a win, the Flashes would tie Ball State and Ohio for the most MAC Tournament championships with seven – all coming since 1999.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State and Akron will play for the MAC tourney title on Saturday