Kent State Head Coach Todd Starkey will not back down from a challenge with his non-conference scheduling. He recruits players that want to be challenged and compete against the best. Thursday his team will get that challenge as his women head to Raleigh to take on defending Final Four participant North Carolina State.
Kent State, who remains ranked #16 in the CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll, is coming off a bounce back, feel good victory last week against Walsh 113-54 in a game that all ten players who suited up for Kent State scored. After an 0-19 performance from three-point territory against James Madison, the floodgates opened as they hit 13-24 from deep led by Maya Babbit’s five triples, and career high 20 points.
Dayton transfer Riley Rismiller continues to be a presence inside averaging 17 a game. Playing without a seasoned point guard through the first two games has taken some time to adjust. It’s unclear if point guard Dionna Gray or post Janae Tyler will be back for this game still coming back from injury.
Freshmen Journey Hildebrand from Brunswick High has been as advertised so far as a three level scorer and a big, physical wing.
The Pack come in at 1-1, ranked #13 in the AP poll after losing to South Carolina 71-57. With one of the best backcourts in the country, Zoe Brooks averages 16 a game while Aziaha James averages 15 a game.
They have a 61-game winning streak at Reynolds Coliseum against non-ranked non-conference opponents.
Outside of Tennessee and UCONN, Starkey and his program have played just about all the blue blood programs during his tenure.
They own four wins against Power Five opponents since the 2021-2022 season.
Kent State stays in North Carolina to take on Elon Saturday.
The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra, which I am hoping is also part of your ESPN + subscription. Dane Richardson will have the audio call on the Kent State radio network.