Kent State men's basketball hosts Ball State in Mid-American Conference showdown Friday

Staff report
·2 min read

The game: Kent State plays host to Ball State, 6:30 p.m. Friday at the MAC Center.

TV/radio: CBS Sports Network / 850 AM ESPN Cleveland

Kent State guard Sincere Carry puts in a lay-up off a breakaway during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Toledo Rockets, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 at the Kent State M.A.C. Center.
Kent State guard Sincere Carry puts in a lay-up off a breakaway during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Toledo Rockets, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 at the Kent State M.A.C. Center.

Records: Kent State is 15-3 overall and 5-0 in the MAC after a 77-63 win over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday. Ball State (13-5, 4-1) edged Western Michigan 71-70 the same night.

The coaches: Rob Senderoff is 234-143 in his 12th season at Kent State. Michael Lewis is in hist first season with the Cardinals after spending three seasons as an assistant at UCLA.

Series history: Kent St. leads 46-41. The Flashes swept the 2021-22 games, winning 66-65 in Muncie, Ind., and 93-82 at home on Feb. 22.

Kent State lineup: 6-1 R-Sr. Sincere Carry (17.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists per game); 6-8 R-Sr. Miryne Thomas (11.6, 6.1, 0.6), 6-1 R-Jr. Giovanni Santiago (8.1, 1.8, 1.8), 6-3 R Sr. Malique Jacobs (12.7, 4.6, 3.1) and 6-9 Soph. Cli’Ron Hornbeak (6.0, 5.8, 0.3).

Ball State lineup: 6-7 Soph. Mickey Pearson Jr. (7.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.7 apg); 6-9 Soph. Payton Sparks (13.1, 8.1, 1.9); 6-5 Jr. Jarron Coleman (14.6, 4.9, 3.6); 6-2 Sr. Demarius Jacobs (12.3, 3.4, 3.1), and 6-4 Soph. Jaylin Sellers (13.6, 4.2, 0.8).

Notes: Ball State is not a particularly deep team. Only eight players saw action Tuesday and four of the starters – Coleman, Sellers, Jacobs and Sparks, are averaging 28 minutes or more. … The game will match KSU’s No. 1-ranked (in the MAC) defense (opponents are shooting just .390 from the floor) against the Cardinals’ effective offense (Ball State is No. 2 in the MAC in shooting percentage, .477). … Ball State also gets to the free throw line, a lot. The Cardinals are third nationally with 25.3 attempts per game and the next closest team in the MAC, Toledo, averages 21.4. However, Ball State shoots just .684 at the line.

Next: Kent State plays at Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State men's basketball plays Ball State Cardinals