The Kent State men's basketball team rolls into Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon looking to build on an eight-game winning streak. That winning streak started against Buffalo in mid-January.
Buffalo (13-9, 6-5 Mid-American Conference) host the first-place Golden Flashes (18-7, 9-2, MAC) at noon in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Coming off of their second-best shooting performance in school history, the Bulls are in search of their third-straight victory. Wednesday night, Buffalo shot 66.7 percent (32-of-48) from the field in its 84-67 win over Eastern Michigan. Without a doubt, the key for Buffalo will be its ability to make shots consistently.
Prior to the first meeting, the Bulls had won their first three MAC games and four-in-a-row overall before matching up with a Kent State team that was struggling to find its identity. The game was close for most of the first half before Kent State went on a late 10-0 run at the end of the half. The momentum built up during that run led to a Kent State-dominated second half by the Golden Flashes and propelled them to an 89-54 victory.
Kent State held the Buffalo offense to one of its worst performances of the year (32.7 percent shooting percentage, shooting 32.7 percent from the field. That was the first of eight straight wins for Kent State, a streak that has made them the favorite to be the MAC representative in the NCAA tournament this season.
The Golden Flashes' offense had no problem scoring as six players scored in double figures. This included senior guard Chris Singletary, who dropped 18 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Slowing down the Kent State offense will go a long way in helping the Bulls get a win on Saturday afternoon.
'We had a day where nothing went right,' said Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon. 'I think for us, we have to start by defending and rebounding, and then we have to be determined to get the shots that are good shots for Buffalo and make them defend.'
Kent State has been the hottest team in the MAC lately, and they have four players that average over 10 points per contest.
'This is a team that, absent a rough beginning of their season, [I think] would be getting votes nationally,' Witherspoon said.
Witherspoon encouraged fans to attend the game, and insisted that a large turnout would help the Bulls pull off an upset Saturday.
'It's an opportunity to see one of the better teams in the country,' Witherspoon said. 'I can remember when we had our first sea of blue, it was against Kent State. It would be great to have a sea of blue, particularly from our students, they can make a difference, we need their help.'
Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Alumni Arena. The first 2,500 fans that attend the game will receive a free T-shirt.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
