The greatest entertainment value in Northeast Ohio will be at the M.A.C. Center on the Kent State campus, as the Golden Flashes host the undefeated (19-0) and now nationally ranked Miami Redhawks on Tuesday evening.
Miami is excellent. Under the direction of third year Head Coach Travis Steele, after coming over from Xavier, he has the Redhawks trending way up. Their offense is humming, using conceptual offense and position-less basketball. Everyone on the floor for them can handle it, shoot it, and pass it. Even after the loss of point guard Evan Ipsaro, local product Luke Skaljac (Brecksville) has stepped in and done the job very well. Miami hasn’t lost a lot of players to transfers, have built the program mostly through high school recruits and select transfers.
And yes, their strength of schedule is low. Depending on what metrics you’re using, it ranks near the bottom of NCAA D1’s 365 teams. Mid-major scheduling is among the toughest things a coach has to do, especially when you’re good. The schedule doesn’t matter now. The game is played on the court. Kent State has Miami up close and personal Tuesday, in their own gym.
Last year Miami beat Kent State three times, and was the better team. When it came time for postseason selections, Kent State was chosen for the NIT, Miami was not, again due to strength of schedule. The aftermath of that, was Miami fans, administration and other coaches attacking a team in their own league on social media, for simply accepting the bid. Miami’s frustration was with the NIT selection committee and themselves, for blowing a double digit MAC title game lead. The Golden Flashes represented the MAC well by winning at Atlantic 10 St. Bonaventure and the ACC’s Stanford Cardinal. Miami was left to wonder “what happened” after blowing that double digit lead to Akron and Steele’s half brother John Groce.
But that was last year, this is a new year. No trophies, rings or nets will be handed out after Tuesday. By the same token, nobody’s season ends with a loss. You learn and get better, win or lose. But it is a chance to make some sort of statement. It’s a chance to measure yourself against the league’s current best team, and the #25 ranked team in the nation.
Kent State Head Coach Rob Senderoff flirted with Fordham last off-season. He came back for the chance to be supported in games like this. Players come to Kent State to play in games like this, in front of packed houses.
Kent State fans, this is to you. Show up, be loud. Wear your Kent State blue, powder blue, and gold. If you’re an area hoop head, how are you not going to this game?
Kent State fraternities, sororities, show up. There’s beer. That’s right, Senderoff is buying the first 500 beers for students of legal age.
I love the MAC Center. Some of my favorite memories have been in that building. When it is packed, it is among the best mid-major atmospheres in the country.
College basketball is still fun. It still matters. Despite the money, NIL, transfer portal and other issues the game faces, it can still be fun.
Tuesday will be a true college basketball atmosphere. Story lines galore. So show up, take your kids. Get out of your dorm or apartment, bundle up, get a beer on Sendy (21 and over) and have some fun.
As for the game, Kent State will need to be the more physical team. They need to find a way to slow down Miami’s high octane offense. They must dominate the glass, score on top of the basket and protect the ball. A turnover against Miami is as good as a layup or open three.
Kent State is pretty good too. At 14-1 and 5-1, this is a big game, and a fun game. While Miami has finally returned to men’s basketball relevance for the first time since Charlie Coles, Kent State never left. 28 straight years of non-losing seasons. Up and coming programs have cycled through numerous rebuilding jobs in those 28 years. Under Senderoff, Kent State has been a lot of things. Losing, soft and lacking for confidence is not among them. We’re Kent State.
Coles’ press conferences were must see, whether it was at the MAC Center, Cleveland’s downtown arena, or where ever you had a chance to see him. Senderoff was a GA at Miami in the mid 90’s and shared offices with Jim Christian, Coles, Thad Matta and Herb Sendek. The MAC is better when Miami is good. As a longtime MAC hoop head, I tell Miami and their fans, “welcome back.”
This is Kent State’s first game at home against a ranked opponent since 2019 when Nate Oats’ Buffalo team came through.
Kent State last win over a ranked opponent came over Saint Mary’s in the 2008 ESPN Bracket Buster game. I was a student manager on that team, but didn’t make the trip to Moraga. Instead, I had my eyes stretched open for the 11pm tip at my parent’s house, oo-ing and awe-ing at every Al Fisher move. That win propelled Kent State to a top 25 national ranking, only to lose it a week later with a road loss at Bowling Green. That team flirted with an at large bid, but it didn’t matter. They handled their business in Cleveland for the automatic bid.
So Kent State again, show up, show out. Go crazy, yell at the officials. Cheer for Kent State hard, fill up the student section and overflow it!
College basketball is back, it never left. And the greatest show in town Tuesday is at the old barn in Portage County. Let’s make it rock once again.