Central Michigan was the preseason favorite to win the Mid-American Conference and played one of its best games of the year.

Presley Hudson was MAC freshman of the year last season and a preseason all-MAC West selection. She probably played the best game of her career.

All that was too much to overcome as Kent State lost its conference season opener to the Chippewas, 91-78.

“There are certainly things we could have done better, but Central Michigan was picked first in the conference for a reason,” Kent State coach Todd Starkey said. “They have really good personnel. They capitalized on our mistakes, and that’s what good teams do. When we made a mistake, they scored. When they did, we didn’t.”

“That,” he said, “and Presley shot the lights out.”

Presley had about as good a game as a point guard can have. She made 8 of 11 three-point shots, at least four of them from at least 26 or 27 feet. She was 13 of 19 shooting overall, had six steals, five assists and two blocks (though she’s all of 5-foot-6). Her points, three-pointers and steals all were career highs. She played all 40 minutes.

Her scoring tied for the third most points in CMU history.

KSU’s Larissa Lurken — preseason scoring leader in the MAC — had 29 points but didn’t shoot nearly as well as Hudson. She was 8 for 23 and 3 for 10 on three-pointers. She led a hard-driving Kent offense that forced fouls constantly on Central. All four Chippewa starters finished with four fouls.

Jordan Korinek had 18 for Kent State. McKenna Stephens had 10 points on 4 for 5 shooting, including two three-point baskets, along with a team-leading eight rebounds. Megan Carter also had 10 points.

Central Michigan’s 91 points was 19 more than its season average. Its 52 percent three-point shooting was a season high. Three nights ago the Chippewas scored 69 in a loss at 5-6 Middle Tennessee State. Presley had 10 points and one three-pointer.

Central is now 9-4 on the season. Kent State is 6-7.

Kent State took a 10-8 lead in the first quarter until Presley hit four three-point baskets. 

The Chippewas built the lead to 31-19 in the second quarter, when Starkey called a timeout. Then the Flashes played 13 of their best minutes of the season.

They outscored Central 24-12 over the rest of the second quarter and the first six minutes of the third and tied the game 43-43 on a three-pointer by Lurken.

But Central called a timeout, then went on a 19-5 run. Kent State never got the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter.

“We got hit pretty hard in the first quarter,” Starkey said. “But we kept fighting, and I’m pleased about that. We played well at times, and lost our head sometimes.”

Notes:

• Central outrebounded Kent State 40-31, including 16 offensive rebounds. The Chippewas outscored KSU 18-10 on second-chance points and 42-22 in the paint. Unlike the three-guard offense most teams use, Central starts three forwards who go 6-2, 6-1 and 6-foot, and the 6-footer leads the MAC in rebounding.
• Central had three players in double figures. Tinara Moore, another preseason all-MAC West player, had 20 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Casssie Bereen had 17, including three three-pointers. She leads the MAC in that category.
• KSU’s Carter had four assists to go with 4 of 7 shooting and 10 points. She also played good defense on Hudson, especially in the second quarter. “That’s her second solid game in a row,” Starkey said. Carter had 13 points and six assists at Minnesota. “Remember she hasn’t played that much college basketball,” the coach said. Carter was injured in the third game of last season and redshirted. She played 10 minutes or less in nine of KSU’s 12 preseason games.
• Stephens’ 10 points was her second straight game in double figures. Her eight rebounds were her second best of the season. “We’ve been harping on her about that,” Starkey said.
• Overall CMU was 12 of 23 from three-point distance. Kent State was 8 of 18, which equalled its most three-pointers of the season.
• KSU had 16 turnovers, and Central scored 19 points off of them. Central had 14, which led to 17 Kent State points.
• Kent’s 78 points were its second highest of the season (80 against Eastern Kentucky was most) and second highest in MAC play in six years. The 91 points allowed were second highest of the season. (Minnesota had 92.)
• A major part of Kent’s game plan every time is to force its opponent into foul trouble. That worked very well Saturday. Five Central players had two fouls in the first half, and two starters had four by the middle of  the third quarter. But CMU got good minutes — if not many points — from the three reserves who played.

From Central coach Sue Guevara via the CMU website:

“It was nice to see that we could withstand the attacking that Kent State did with Reyna Frost with four fouls, Jewel Cotton with four fouls, Cassie Breen with four fouls.”

“Coming out of halftime they just punched us in the mouth. They just went after us, but I thought we responded very well by going after them.

Guevara on Presley:

“I thought she was much more aggressive shooting the basketball, and I think she even passed up three or four shots. She had a couple layups today, she had a couple of floaters. She has a lot of weapons in her arsenal.”

—

Kent State next heads on the road for two games, playing at 8-5 Ball State Wednesday. Ball State upset Toledo at Toledo Saturday, 51-45. Toledo had been 9-2.

Box score

Game story from CMU website.

Game story from KSU website, including video highlights and interview with Starkey.

 

Other MAC scores

Ohio (10-2) 69, Bowling Green (4-9) 58, at Bowling Green.

Western Michigan (10-2) 73, Akron (7-5) 60 at Western.

Northern Illinois (8-4) 85, Eastern Michigan (5-8) 73 at Eastern.

Buffalo (10-1) 71, Miami (6-8) 45 at Buffalo

MAC standings and some team statistics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kent State’s women’s team doesn’t get an easy one to start the Mid-American Conference season.

The Flashes open against 8-4 Central Michigan, the defending MAC West champions and preseason favorite to win the league championship.

The game is at 1 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. It’s the first pre-New Year’s conference game I can remember in many years.

“They’re very good,” coach Todd Starkey said. “They have four players average in double figures in scoring. And their fifth player is leading the league in rebounding. They’re balanced inside and out and very well coached.”

Central has some of the best starting players in the MAC:

• 5-6 point guard Presley Hudson was league freshman of the year last season and a preseason all-MAC West choice. She’s averaging 14.3 points, 2.4 three-pointers and 4.8 assists per game.
• 6-3 foot junior forward Tinara Moore is another preseason all-MAC West player. She’s averaging 11.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and a MAC-leading 2.0 blocks per game.
• 6-foot sophomore Reyna Frost leads the MAC in rebounding at 11.3 a game and averages 7.4 points.
• 5-10 junior guard Cassie Breen leads the MAC in three-point baskets a game with 3.3 and is sixth in three-point percentage at 41.2. She averages 14.1 points a game.
• 6-2 senior forward Jewel Cotton averages 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She’s had some problems with an ankle injury and didn’t start in CMU’s last two games, though she played 19 minutes Wednesday.
• Only two other CMU players average more than 7 minute per game. They score a combined 9 points a game.

Central has yet to win a road game this season. The Chippewas have lost to three teams with RPIs in the top 100, plus Purdue (No. 153). They’re coming off a 79-69 road loss Wednesday to 6-7 Middle Tennessee State (No. 93). After long bus rides to Tennessee and Kent, they could be (a) road-weary (b) a little down from the loss (c ) mad at losing and/or (d) sharper with less of a Christmas layoff than Kent State, which hasn’t played since Dec. 22.

Kent State’s last game was a 92-62 loss at Minnesota on a Big Ten road trip that also saw them lose at Iowa, 83-58. The two teams have a combined record of 18-10, and both have RPIs under 75.

Starkey saw the trip as mixed.

“We played well for pockets of time,” he said. “There’s such a small margin for error against BCS-level teams because of their size and their talent. We got off to a great start at Iowa (an 11-2 lead), then got a little careless and turned the ball over. And as soon as they got a little momentum on their side, they just ran with it.”

At Minnesota, “they jumped on us out of the gate,” Starkey said. “We got some great looks — missed layups, wide-open threes, short jumpers we usually can make.”

Kent State went 1 for 20 in the first quarter. For the rest of the game, Minnesota outscored the Flashes by eight points.

“We showed moments of what we’re capable of,” Starkey said.

In the non-conference season, “There have been times when we played really good MAC-level basketball,” the coach said. “There’s been significant growth from Day 1 to where we are now.”

To improve more, he said:

“We have to do better in capitalizing on other people’s mistakes. Every team makes mistakes in the course of a game. When we have a chance to take an opportunity, we have to convert — whether it be on offense rebounds or turnovers. We can’t get an offensive rebound and not get a field goal attempt.

“We need to execute offensively a little bit better than we have been. And we have to get back to the brand of defense we were playing about three or four games ago.

“I look at the first three quarters at Wright State, and that was really good basketball for us.”

Kent State led the Raiders 66-41 after three quarters, shooting 61 percent and holding Wright State to 31 percent. Wright State,  now 8-4, came back in the last quarter to make the final score 79-69.

Central Michigan coach Sue Gervara has noticed Kent State’s improved play.

“This team has always played hard, but what they’re doing so different right now is they are attacking the basket,” she was quoted on the Central Michigan website preview. “You’ve got to keep them in front of you, get some helpside (defense), and understand personnel and matchups.”

Preview from KSU website, including links to statistics, roster and schedule/results.

Preview from CMU website, including links.

If you can’t go to the CMU game

• Video starts at 1 p.m.
• Audio at about 12:45 on Golden Flash iHeart radio and 640 AM WHLO.
• Live statistics though the KSU website.
• In-game updates on Twitter at @KentStatwbb.

 

Flashes’ first four are season in microcosm

We will know a great deal about KSU after its first four MAC games. They play:

• Central Michigan, a good team, but at home.
• At Ball State, a team with a slightly better record (7-5) but a slightly worse RPI (238).
• At Eastern Michigan (5-7), a second-division team KSU needs to beat to have a chance at a .500 season.
• A home game against high-scoring Northern Illinois (7-4), a team the Flashes beat in Kent last season.

It’s a stretch when they could go 0-4 or 4-0, though I’d think neither is likely.

Buffalo loses its first game

The Bulls (10-1) lost their first game against the best team they’ve played so far, Harvard, which is now 11-1 and an RPI of 28.

Buffalo trailed through much of the game but pulled within three with about two minutes to go. But the Bulls missed five straight shots and had a turnover while Harvard made seven of eight foul shots in the last minute. (Game story.)

Buffalo goes home to play its third game in three days in the MAC opener against Miami (6-7). The loss knocks the Bulls’ RPI to 22 from 16.

MAC opening day matchups

• Ohio (9-2) at Bowling Green (4-8).
• Ball State (7-5) at Toledo (9-2).
• Akron (7-4) at Western Michigan (9-2).
• Eastern Michigan (5-7) at Northern Illinois (7-4).
• Miami (6-7) at Buffalo (10-1).
• Central Michigan (8-4) at Kent State (6-6).

MAC standings

MAC statistics

 

 

 

 

“If you’d have told me at the beginning of the year,” women’s basketball coach Todd Starkey said in an interview this week, “that we were going to be 6-6 going into conference play, I’d have said, ‘I’ll take that right now.‘”

Starkey’s team — with essentially the same players who went 6-23 a year ago — has surprised its fans, the league, and likely the players and coaches themselves.

In non-conference games, the Flashes split against two teams picked to win their leagues, beat two teams picked in the first division their leagues, and took another to overtime.

They struggled against their big-time opposition, losing to Baylor, Iowa and Minnesota by an average of 36 points. But those teams have a combined record of 30-11, and only two mid-majors have come within 15 points of any of them.

Now comes the important part for KSU: the MAC season.

The Flashes open league play at home Saturday against Central Michigan, the conference preseason favorite. KSU’s record is ninth best in the 12-team MAC, its RPI is eighth best.

So can they keep the .500 season — which we barely dreamed about in October — going? Could they go beyond it?

The quick answer is that it’s certainly possible — as possible as their 6-6 non-conference record turned out to be. But the Flashes will have to do some things even better for the next two months.

So let’s revisit our “keys to the season” with an eye toward conference play. Here’s what I think Kent State has to do to be a .500 or better team in the MAC:

1. HOLD TEAMS UNDER 67 POINTS A GAME. Starkey emphasizes defense every time you talk to him. While the team and players are clearly better defenders than they’ve been in years, they’re not there yet. They’re allowing 70.5 points a game. Even adjusting for playing the three good Power Conference schools, the average is still 67.5. (“Adjusted” is a Starkey suggestion that we not count the games against Kent State’s best three and worst three opponents.)

Statistically, the difference is in shooting percentage. KSU opponents have made 42.1 percent of their shots, which is worst  in the conference. (Adjusted it’s 40.2, which would only move the Flashes up to 10th.)

Current defensive average in the conference is about 37 percent. Last year’s average was about 39. So let’s make it a subgoal to hold opponents to 38 percent shooting.

Most of that is going to have to come by stopping two-point baskets, which means defending layups, mid-range jumpers and transition scoring.

The Flashes actually are doing pretty well at containing the three-point shot. They rank seventh in the conference at 30.9 percent; adjusted it’s 26.5 percent, which would be second. No opponent of any size has done better than 42.

KSU is actually doing considerably better than I thought on transition points. The Flashes actually have scored more fast break points against mid-majors than they give up (60-50). Points off turnovers are about even (143-142).

2. SCORE AT LEAST 67 POINTS PER GAME. The Flashes average 66.3, but the number jumps of 70.5 adjusted. (They scored just 51.3 against the power conference schools.) KSU’s shooting is about average, especially adjusted. So subgoal one is to average about 39 percent shooting.

Kent’s advantage this season in scoring has come at the foul line, where the Flashes average five more free throws and five more attempts than their opponents. Subgoal two: Keep that five free-throw margin.

Kent’s three-point shooting percentage is markedly better this season, and the Flashes are averaging 0.6 more a game than last year (1.5 adjusted). So let’s match that 5.7 three-point mark to reach our scoring goal.

3. FIND MORE SCORERS. This was a subcategory earlier in the season and becomes more important now. The Flashes have only two players averaging in double figures and only one other  averaging more than six.

Senior guard Larissa Lurken has been tremendous — 21.3 points per game, eighth in the country and seven more points than last season. I’m not sure she can keep that up as other teams build game plans to stop her.

Junior forward Jordan Korinek scores 11.7 a game. But that’s four below her average a year ago on a team that’s scoring seven to nine points more points. A goal has to be to get Korinek back near last season’s average.

Starkey says he’s like four players close to double figures in conference play. I’d be happy with three more players around eight points. That would have to come from freshman guard Ali Poole (now 7.1 points per game), junior forward McKenna Stephens (5.8), junior point guard Naddiyah Cross (5.6), backup post player Chelsi Watson (4.9) and sophomore guard Alexa Golden (4.2). All have scored in double figures at least twice this season. But someone is going to have to be consistent.

4. BEAT THE TURNOVER MONSTER. One thing that sadly hasn’t changed a whole lot under Starkey is the team’s problem with turnovers. The Flashes have been close to the bottom of the MAC in turnovers and turnover margin for six years. They’re currently tied for ninth in turnovers (18.2), and 11th in margin (-2.1). Adjusted numbers are a little better — 16.5 in turnovers, which would be about ninth — and -1.5 in margin, which still would be 11th. It would be a lot easier to have a .500 season if they could break even.

5. BELIEVE THEY CAN WIN ANYWHERE. The last two early season keys were “win some on the road” and “believe in themselves.” The Flashes broke their 16-game road losing streak against a solid Wright State team. Obviously they’re going to have to win three to five games away from Kent to hit .500.

The Kent State players believe, and that may be their and Starkey’s greatest accomplishment. Listen to them in interviews, and you know that they think they can win. It’s been a long time since we’ve heard that confidence. Now they have to prove it again.

The bottom line

9-9 in the MAC is no more out of reach than 6-6 was in the non-conference season. That would be a 15-15 season and far beyond my preseason expectations.

Kent State statistics, with links to roster and schedule

Kent and the MAC

The Flashes could go anywhere from 3-15 to 12-6. That’s last place to fourth place.

The 3-15 scenario assumes beating Miami, Eastern and BG only at home. That essentially would be a regression to the last five  seasons and be a horrible disappointment.

But look at the league RPIs:

• Buffalo (10-0) – 16.
• Ohio (9-2) – 83.
• Toledo (9-2) -106.
• Northern Illinois (7-4) – 123.
• Central Michigan (8-4) – 185.
• Western Michigan (9-2) – 186.
• Akron (7-4) – 196.
• Kent State (6-6) – 204.
• Miami (6-7) – 233.
• Ball State (7-5) – 234.
• Eastern Michigan (5-7) – 249.
• Bowling Green (4-8) – 277.

Now assume this as a base:

KSU beats Miami, Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green home and away. They’re significantly ahead of those teams in RPI and have a better record.

The Flashes split with Akron; they have about the same rank.

That’s seven wins. For more, they might (in order of possibility):

• Beat Ball State at Ball State.
• Beat Northern Illinois at KSU.
• That would be 9-9.
• Beat Akron at Akron.
• Beat Central Michigan in Kent.
• Win at Western Michigan.
• Win at Northern Illinois. (Actually I think Western is the better team.)
• Win one of the six games against Toledo, Buffalo or Ohio.

All that goes perfectly, and it’s 14-4.

Don’t count on it. But I can say most of it is at least slightly  plausible with a straight face for the first time in six years.

Look at Kent State’s non-conference record against mid-majors.

Western Kentucky is picked to win the Conference USA, a better league than the MAC. Florida Gulf Coast is picked to win the Atlantic Sun, not quite as good a league.

Those teams certainly are similar to Central and Western, though probably not as good as Buffalo, Ohio and Toledo at this point.

Detroit is picked second, Youngstown State fourth and Wright State fifth in the Horizon League, not as good a league. Robert Morris was picked second in the Northeastern Conference, a fairly weak league. But say those teams are similar to Northern Illinois, Central, Western, Akron and maybe Ball State.

Bradley (Missouri Valley), Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley) and Fort Wayne (Summit) are second-division teams. Call them equivalent to Miami, Eastern and Bowling Green.

In the non-conference season, Kent State proved it belonged on the same court with all of those teams, except for a bad loss at Detroit.

Now it has to prove things on the court to the MAC.

MAC statistics

Starkey on conference play

(From an interview this week)

“So much of conference play is matchups. Perfect evidence is last season. You had by far the best team in the league (Ohio), and they couldn’t get past Buffalo because the matchup wasn’t favorable to them.

“That’s what conference play comes down to. Unless you’re just more talented than everybody, it’s going to come down to small things, and a lot of it comes down to matchups.

“There are teams we’re going to play against that we’re probably going to look bad against because the matchup isn’t favorable to us. There are going to be other teams we may look better against.

“I don’t know who those people are yet. I’m kind of flying blind in this because it’s my first time through. It’s like a first-year teacher. Every lesson plan is new. The second year you can go back and revise, but you sort of know what works and what doesn’t work.

“It will be interesting. I’m excited for it.

“But we’re still on a path here. We’re definitely far from our best basketball, and I hope that we can stay on course to getting to our best basketball by the end of February.

“I still don’t quite yet know who we are compared to the MAC.

“What I do know is that: That before we went to Iowa, only two teams in the MAC had below a .500 record. You look at some conferences, and you have two teams with a winning record, and everybody else has a losing record.

“As I’m watching results, the MAC is going to be really, really tough. I don’t think you’re going to have a runaway team — Central Michigan, really good; Toledo, really good; Ohio, really good; Buffalo, really good.”

Buffalo wins big one and other MAC scores

Undefeated Buffalo may have won its biggest game of the season Thursday when it beat Fordham (9-4) 58-54 at Fordham’s own holiday tournament. Fordham has an RPI of 104. Buffalo trailed by five points after the first quarter, but came back to take a seven-point in the fourth quarter. It held on when freshman center Summer Hemphill took a charge on a drive that could been the tying basket with 1.1 seconds to go. (Game story)

Buffalo is 10-0, the best start in school history. The Bulls get another big test tomorrow when they play Harvard (10-1) in the finals of the tournament. Harvard’s RPI is 43; Buffalo’s is 16.

On Wednesday, both Ohio and Central Michigan were upset in away games.

Wednesday scores

North Carolina A&T (3-9) 63, Ohio (9-2) 57, in North Carolina.

Middle Tennessee State (5-6) 79, Central Michigan (8-4) 69 at Middle Tennessee.

Division II Malone (6-4) 78, Bowling Green (4-8) 65 at BG.

Miami (6-7) 70, Division II Cedarville (6-4) 57 at Miami.

Ball State (7-5) 93, Division II Urbana (2-5) 49 at Ball State.

Akron (7-4), NAIA school Ohio Christian (9-6) 52 at Akron.

MAC standings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coaches picked Central Michigan as preseason favorite to win overall league title and the MAC tournament. And so far the Chippewas have been good at 8-3.

But Toledo has been very good at 9-2, including a near-miss at a signature win for the league in a 77-75 loss to No. 10 UCLA.

Western Michigan also is 9-2 and has won eight in a row. But the Broncos had the weakest non-conference schedule in the league.

Northern Illinois is the surprise team. Picked fifth in the division, the Huskies are 7-4 and second in the country in scoring at 91.5 points a game.

Toledo (9-2)

• RPI 102, schedule strength 215 (opponents’ record 44-52). Preseason poll — Tied for second in Western Division. 20th in latest Mid-Major Top 25.
• Best wins: At Dayton (RPI 119, 6-6), 76-72, At Cleveland State (RPI 151, 5-6), 92-59.
• Losses: Vs. UCLA (RPI 29, 9-2), 75-73 in Thanksgiving tournament. Notre Dame (RPI 2, 12-1), 85-68.
• Key stats: 77.3 points per game (second in MAC). Scoring margin +17.6 (first). 11.3 steals (first). Turnover margin +7.4 (second).
• Top players: 5-10 junior guard Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott (13.6 points, 44.1 three-point percentage, 2.7 three-pointers per game, preseason all-MAC West). 6-foot senior forward Janice Monakana (10.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, preseason all-MAC West). 5-7 sophomore guard Mikaela Boyd (10.8 points, 46.1 shooting percentage, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 steals).
• Overview: Rockets have routed all competition except No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 31 (No. 10 in AP Poll) UCLA and No. 102 Dayton (four-point win on the road). Team website.

Western Michigan (9-2)

• RPI 185, schedule strength 343 (opponents’ record 36-77). Preseason poll — fourth in West.
• Best wins: At Detroit Mercy (RPI 169, 4-7), 75-65. Bradley (222 RPI, 3-7), 83-64.
• Losses: Michigan State (RPI 31, 10-3), 68-64 in overtime. At Michigan (RPI 36, 12-3), 66-40.
• Key stats: Scoring defense 58.3 (third in MAC). 42.4 field goal percentage (third). Rebounding margin +3.5 (third). 4.3 three-point baskets per game (12th).
• Top players: 6-1 sophomore forward Breanna Mobley (14.2 points, 57.6 field goal percentage, 9.1 rebounds). 5-10 senior guard Meredith Shipman (11.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals). 5-7 sophomore guard Deja Wimby (6.0 assists, 2.5 steals).
• Overview: Broncos have won eight in a row after two losses to top 50 RPI schools. But schedule strength is ninth worst in entire Division I (teams Broncos beat are 17-80). Team website.

Central Michigan (8-4)

• 8-3. RPI 184, schedule strength 295 (opponents’ record 43-71). Preseason poll — first in West.
• Best wins: Oakland (RPI 205, 6-5) 70-67, Illinois (RPI 200, 6-8), 82-51.
• Best losses: At Notre Dame (RPI 2, 12-1), 107-47, Elon (RPI 30, 7-4), 71-57, at Purdue (RPI 146, 9-5), 62-51.
• Key stats: 71.0 points per game (third in MAC), 66.3 scoring defense (10th), 34.0 three-point percentage (third), 8.1 three-pointers a game (third), 36.4 three-point defense (12th).
• Top players: 5-6 sophomore guard Presley Hudson (14.7 points,  4.6 assists, 91.7 free throw percentage, preseason all-MAC West, last season’s freshman of the year). 6-3 junior forward Tinara Moore (11.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks), preseason all-MAC West). 6-foot sophomore forward Reyna Frost (11.6 rebounds). 5-10 junior guard Cassie Breen (3.5 three-pointers, 42.2 three-point percentage).
• Overview: Though Central won the West last season and picked to win it again, the Chippewas have yet to beat a team with a winning record. They have tons of talent — five players are among MAC leaders, including top rebounder, No. 2 shooter, top three-point shooter, top shot blocker. Team website.

Northern Illinois (7-4)

• RPI 122, schedule strength 223 (opponents’ record 49-59). Preseason poll — fifth in West.
• Best wins: Milwaukee (RPI 141, 8-3), 114-104. SIU Edwardsville (RPI 212, 3-9), 97-78. At Bradley (RPI 222, 3-7), 81-51.
• Best losses: At Drake (RPI 33, 6-4), 95-85. At Iowa State (RPI 99, 9-2), 97-89. South Dakota (RPI 60, 10-2), 97-83, at December tournament.
• Key stats: 91.5 points a game, second in the country and first in the MAC. Allowing 81.9 points a game (12th in MAC). 80.7 free throw shooting (first), 44.8 field goal shooting (second), 39 percent three-point shooting (first), 9.0 three-pointers a game (first). Assist/turnover ratio 1.3 (first).
• Top players: 5-10 senior guard Ally Lehman (17.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 53.8 percent shooting, 6.9 assists, 3.6 assist/turnover ratio, two triple-doubles, 48 points/21 rebounds against Milwaukee), preseason all-MAC West). 5-11 senior forward Cassidy Glenn (18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 48.1 shooting percentage, 48.9 three-point percentage), 6-foot sophomore forward Courtney Woods (18.0 points, 42.4 percent three-point percentage, 3.3 three-pointers per game, 92.6 percent free throws).
• Overview: Two years ago, Northern Illinois averaged a league-worst 54.8 points a game. Then they got a new coach in Lisa Carlsen, a Division II coach of the year at Lewis University, and now they’re averaging almost 40 points more. They’re second in the league in field goal percentage, first in three-point percentage and first in free throw percentage. Six Huskies average in double figures. They also give up a league-worst 81.9 points per game. They’ve beaten just one team with a winning record (Milwaukee), but three of their four losses have come to teams in the top 100 RPI. Team website.

Ball State (7-5)

• RPI 235, schedule strength 302 (Division I opponents’ record 44-67). Preseason poll — tied for second in West.
• Best wins: At Oakland (RPI 205, 6-5), 66-59. At Butler (RPI 228, 3-9).
• Best losses: Vs. Auburn (RPI 33, 9-4), 54-40, at Thanksgiving tournament. At Western Kentucky (RPI 131, 8-4), 68-61. Purdue (RPI 145, 9-5), 58-42.
• Key stats: 45.5 field goal percentage (first in MAC). 36.5 field goal defense (third). 18.3 assists per game (second). 69.3 points per game (fifth). 60.7 points allowed per game (fifth).
• Top players: 6-5 senior center Renee Bennett (17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 57.4 field goal percentage), 6-1 junior forward Moriah Monaco (13.6 points), 5-8 sophomore guard Carmen Grande (7.9 assists, 2.0 steals), 5-7 senior guard Jill Morrison (10.8 points).
• Overview: Picked in a tie for second in the MAC West, Cardinals have fifth-best record in division. Have beaten teams they were supposed to beat, lost to ones they were supposed to lose to — except for a home loss to 2-10 Lipscomb. Will be interesting to see whether preseason prediction or non-conference record is better indication of how good they are. Team website.

Eastern Michigan (5-7)

• RPI 251, schedule strength 233 (opponents’ record 53-58). Preseason poll — sixth in West.
• Best wins: St. Bonaventure (RPI 186, 6-7), 75-56. Vs. Georgia State (RPI 210, 3-7) at November tournament, 69-59.
• Best losses: Vs. Tulane (RPI 44, 9-4), 62-50, and Northern Colorado (RPI 124, 7-3), 58-57 at Thanksgiving tournament.
• Key stats: 63.8 points per game (10th), 64.3 points against (eighth). 36.1 field goal percentage (10th), 28.1 three-point percentage (11th). Rebounding margin -0.5 (11th), assists 10.2 (12th).
• Top players: junior Sasha Dailey (19.1 points, 42.1 three-point percentage, 2.0 three-pointers a game, 2.5 steals), junior Micah Robinson (12.0 points), senior Phillis Webb (11.1 points, 8.3 rebounds).
• Overview: The Eagles lost coach Tory Verdi to Massachusetts and four starters, including second-team all-MAC guard Cha Sweeney, who graduated early and transferred to Georgia Tech, and third-team all-MAC forward Janay Morton, who transferred to Nebraska. Dailey, who didn’t start at all last year, now is third in the conference in scoring. New coach Fred Castro was a successful assistant at Washington. But the Eagles likely will take a step back this season. Team website.

MAC standings

MAC statistics

RPI and strength of schedule from WarrenNolan.com.

(Updated to include results from 12/28)

Ohio and Buffalo were picked to battle for first place in the MAC Eastern Division, and they have the best records in the conference. Buffalo was ranked third and Ohio fourth in the latest Mid-Major Top 25. Bulls are one of eight unbeaten teams in Division I and have an  RPI of 20, very high for a mid-major and a MAC team. Ohio lost at Michigan, a substantially higher-ranked team than any Buffalo has faced, and was upset Wednesday by North Carolina A&T.

Other teams are far behind. Kent State is the surprise team of the East, having equalled its win total for all of last season.

Buffalo (9-0)

• RPI 20, schedule strength 144 (opponents’ record 46-46). Preseason poll —second in Eastern Division. Third in latest Mid-Major Poll.
• Best wins: At Duquesne (72 RPI, 6-7), 71-69. Central Florida (107 RPI, 10-3) 66-65. Niagara (80 RPI, 4-7) 73-63.
• Key statistics: Allowing conference best 54.1 points a game and has +13.2 rebounding margin (seven better than anyone else in MAC).
• Top players: 5-8 junior guard Johanna Smith (13.7 points, preseason all-MAC East). 6-1 freshman forward Summer Hemphill (7.0 rebounds and 68.2 shooting percentage). 5-6 junior point guard Stephanie Reid (6.0 assists, 3.0 assist/to ratio, 2.1 steals, preseason all-MAC East).
• Overview: The Bulls went 8-10 in the conference last season but won the MAC tournament. They were the only team to beat regular-season champion Ohio and did it three times. Coach Felicia Legette-Jack calls her team “the deepest and best in my 28 years of coaching.” She had 20-win teams as a head coach at Indiana and Hofstra. Team website. Nice feature on the team here.

Ohio (9-2)

• RPI 83, schedule strength 257 (opponents’ record 48-56). Preseason poll — first in East. Fourth in latest Mid-Major Poll.
• Best wins: Duquesne (72 RPI, 6-7), 64-46. At IUPUI (93 RPI, 8-3) 71-65. Illinois (200 RPI, 6-8), 80-68.
• Losses: At Michigan (36 RPI, 11-3), 69-46. At North Carolina A&T (266 RPI, 3-9), 63-57.
• Key stats: Allowing 56.9 ppg (second in MAC) and has +8.3 turnover margin (first). Makes 8.3 three-point shots per game (second), although three-pointer percentage, 40 percent last season, is last at 27.8.
• Top players: 5-9 senior guard Quiera Lampkins (19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, preseason all-MAC East). 6-2 senior forward Jasmine Weatherspoon 10.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks. 5-9 junior guard Taylor Agler (transfer from Indiana) 2.8 steals.
• Overview: Two-time defending conference champion lost all-MAC guard and super three-point shooter Kiyanna Black to graduation. Lampkins and Weatherspoon make formidable post combination. Team website.

Akron (7-4)

• RPI 197, schedule strength 299 (Division I opponents record 36-54). Preseason poll — third in East.
• Best wins: At Georgia State (210 RPI, 3-7), 78-66. At Canisius (255 RPI, 2-9), 73-64.
• Best losses: vs. Elon (30 RPI, 7-4) at holiday tournament, 65-62. At Penn State (59 RPI, 10-3), 84-71. Bucknell (RPI 63, 8-3), 61-47. Duquesne (72 RPI, 6-7), 67-57.
• Keystats: 28.8 percent field goal defense (second in MAC). 7.6 three-pointers per game (fourth). Generally in the middle of the league in everything.
• Top players: 5-9 senior guard Hannah Plybon (20.3 points, 2.9 three-pointers, 83.6 foul shooting percentage, 39 points vs. Canisius, preseason all-MAC East). 5-11 senior guard Alex Ricketts (10.4 points, 48.1 shooting percentage). 5-8 senior guard Britany Gordon (transfer from Pittsburgh) (2.1 assist/turnover ratio).
• Overview: Zips have beaten five weak Division I teams (combined record 9-43) and lost to four good ones (combined record 31-16). They’re 0-2 at home and 5-1 on the road against Division I teams. Team website.

Kent State (6-6)

• RPI 202, schedule strength 236 (opponents’ record 60-62). Preseason poll — sixth in East.
• Best wins: vs. Florida Gulf Coast (RPI 166, 8-6), 74-64 at holiday tournament. At Wright State (232 RPI, 8-4), 79-69.
• Best losses: Western Kentucky (RPI 130, 8-4), 79-73 in overtime at holiday tournament. Robert Morris (RPI 236, 4-6), 68-65 in overtime. Beaten badly by Minnesota (RPI 17), Baylor (27) and Iowa (65).
• Key stats: 66.3 scoring offense (ninth), 70.5 scoring defense (11th). 72.2 free throw percentage (fourth). First in conference in free throws taken and made. 42.1 percent field goal defense (last).
• Top players: 5-9 senior guard Larissa Lurken (21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 92 free throws — 36 more than second place in conference). 6-2 junior forward Jordan Korinek (11.7 points, 44.8 shooting percentage, preseason all-MAC East).
• Overview: Under new coach Todd Starkey, Flashes have their best non-conference record in six seasons and have won as many games as all last year. Two of their six losses were in overtime. Team website.

Miami (6-7)

• RPI 233, schedule strength 234 (opponents’ record (54-55). Preseason poll — fifth in East.
• Best wins: At Austin Peay (RPI 282, 4-7), 73-58. At Northern Kentucky (RPU 274, 3-8), 60-50.
• Best losses: Cincinnati (RPI 224, 8-4), 49-43. IUPUI (RPI 93, 8-3), 65-53. At Wright State (RPI 232, 8-4), 65-57.
• Key stats: 59.2 points per game (12th), 35.6 field goal percentage (11th). 73.2 free throw percentage (second).
• Top players: 5-3 freshman guard Lauren Dickerson (16.2 points, 3.3 assists, 82.4 percent foul shooting, 33.9 three-point percentage, 3.3 assists). 6-0 junior forward Molly McDonagh (6.0 rebounds)
• Overview:  Division I teams Redhawks have beaten have combined 11-29 record. Dickerson looks like a freshman-of-the-year candidate. Team website.

Bowling Green (4-8)

• RPI 277, schedule strength 200 (opponents’ record 47-47). Preseason poll — fourth in East.
• Best wins: Saint Peter’s (RPI 263, 2-9), 73-68, at neutral site. Lafayette (RPI 289, 1-11),69-42 at neutral site.
• Best losses: Chattanooga (RPI 127, 5-8), 54-49 at neutral site. Cincinnati (RPI 224, 8-4), 68-58. Lost to Virginia Tech (RPI 14), Louisville (24), Virginia (91).
• Key stats: Scoring 61.0 points per game (11th), 34.6 field goal percentage (12th), +6.5 rebounding margin (second), -3.1 turnover margin (12th).
• Top players: 5-10 sophomore guard Carly Santoro (12.8 points). 6-2 senior center  Abby Siefker (8.5 rebounds). 5-8 sophomore guard Sydney Lambert (34.8 three-point percentage, 2.1 three-pointers a game).
• Overview: Only two Division I wins came at neutral site. 0-3 at home and 0-3 on road vs. Division I competition. Team website.

MAC standings

MAC statistics

RPI and strength of schedule from WarrenNolan.com.

 

(Updated to include games of 12-28)

It looks like a good year for the MAC.

Consider:

• Buffalo is one of eight undefeated teams in the country at 9-0
• Five of the league’s 12 teams have records of 8-4 or better. (Ohio is 9-1, Toledo and Western Michigan 9-2, and Central Michigan 8-3).
• Eight have winning records. Kent State is at .500 (6-6).
• League non-conference record is 77-50 against Division I competition.
• Two MAC teams are in the top 100 in RPI. Buffalo is 20, Ohio 83rd.
• The conference RPI is 10th best in the country, third among mid-major conferences. The Colonial League (William & Mary, Drexel, Elon) is first. West Coast Conference (Gonzaga, San Diego, BYU) is second.
• Four MAC teams are in the latest Mid-Major Top 25, most of any conference. Buffalo is third, Ohio fourth, Toledo 20th, Central Michigan 23rd.

All that isn’t hugely different then last season, when the league ranked 11th in RPI. But it is better, pretty much across the board.

MAC RPIs are Buffalo (20th of 349 teams), Ohio (83), Toledo (102), Northern Illinois (122), Central Michigan (184), Western Michigan (185), Akron (197), Kent State (202), Miami (233), Ball State (235), Eastern Michigan (251) and Bowling Green (277).

No MAC team has an RPI above 300, the first time that’s happened in several years.

The rub in all that is that MAC teams haven’t beaten a really good team. They’ve beaten some power conference schools — Illinois of the Big Ten, Butler of the Big East, but both are below average teams.

But the highest RPI team anyone in the MAC has beaten is No. 72 Duquesne, which doesn’t even have a winning record (6-7). The only other top 100 teams the MAC has beaten are Niagara (80th but 4-7) and Indiana-Purdue at Indianapolis (93rd and 9-3).

The MAC’s RPI score has come from winning a lot of games against lower-ranking leagues and playing and losing to some top teams.

The league’s best loss is probably Toledo’s 77-75 defeat at the hands of No. 29 (No. 10 in AP Poll) UCLA. Western Michigan took No. 31  Michigan State to overtime before losing 68-64.

MAC teams have lost to No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 27 (No. 3 in AP) Baylor and No. 24 (No. 8 in AP) Louisville.

But overall schedule strength is not good. Buffalo’s is best at 159th. Its opponents have a 46-46 record. Bowling Green is second at 200. Then come Toledo (215), NIU (223), Miami (234), Kent State (236), Ohio (257),  and Akron (299), Central Michigan (295), Ball State (302) and Western Michigan (343). Not one set of opponents has a winning record.

Non-conference plays ends Thursday, when Buffalo plays at 9-4 Fordham (97 RPI, 9-4). League play begins Saturday.

RPI is a way of ranking teams based on their records and strength of schedule. Rankings are based 25 percent on a team’s record, 50 percent on their opponents’ record, and 25 percent on their opponents’ opponents’ record. Road wins are weighted at 1.4, home wins at 0.6. RPI is used to some extent to determine seedings in the NCAA tournament.

MAC standings

Current MAC statistics

RPI rankings are from WarrenNolan.com.

 

Kent State scored the first basket 32 seconds into its game with Minnesota Thursday.

Then Minnesota scored the next 24 points and went on to beat the Flashes 92-62 in KSU’s last non-conference game of the season.

The Flashes will go into MAC play on New Year’s Eve with a 6-6 record, their best out-of-league performance since 2010.

Minnesota is 9-4.

It’s the second 30-point loss this week against Big Ten teams for Kent State, which lost at Iowa 83-48 on Tuesday. The 92 points is the most the Flashes have allowed this season, though the 62 points they scored were the most they had scored against the three power conference teams they have played. KSU lost to No. 3 Baylor 84-42 in the Gulf Coast Showcase at Thanksgiving.

The Flashes went 0 for 19 after making that first shot in the first quarter. For the game, they were 23 of 79 or 27.8 percent. That’s slightly better than the 24.7 percent they shot at Iowa. Take away the first quarter and they were 22 of 59 for 37.3 percent, which is about their season average.

For the second straight game, Kent State actually took more shots than their Big Ten opponent — 79 to 71. But they missed 22 more.

Redshirt freshman point guard Megan Carter, playing the most minutes of her career because of foul trouble for starter Naddiyah Cross, led the Flashes with 13 points. In 24 minutes, she made 3 of 12 shots, 7 for 10 free throws and had six assists and a steal. She also had four turnovers.

McKenna Stephens had 12 points and Alexa Golden and Jordan Korinek 9.

Larissa Lurken, who went in the game averaging 22.7 points a game, had 8, her second lowest total of the year (lowest was 5 against Detroit Mercy). She did have 8 rebounds in a return to her home state.

Golden had a career-high 10 rebounds to go with four assists and two steals. Korinek had 9 rebounds to equal her high for the season. Kent State had a season-high 50 rebounds, the same as Minnesota, including 22 offensive rebounds. Previous high was 48 against Iowa. KSU got only 13 points from those offensive rebounds, though. Minnesota also had 50 rebounds.

There were times during the game that the Flashes played Minnesota fairly evenly. KSU outscored the Gophers 22-20 in the second quarter, but the Gophers went on a 16-0 run over two-and-a-half minutes in the middle of the third quarter to take a 34-point lead.

Notes:

• Kent State was 1 of 16 from three-point distance. Against Iowa, the Flashes were 5 of 28. The road trip knocked down their season three-point average from 36.4 percent to 31.0. The two Big Ten losses also reduced their overall field goal percentage from 41.0 to 37.7.
• Minnesota made 36 of 71 shots for 51 percent, including 8 of 19 three-pointers.
• Lurken didn’t make a three-point basket for the first time this season. She was 2 of 15 overall. At Iowa, she was 7 of 27.
• Minnesota outscored KSU 24-2 in fast break points. In his pregame interview, coach Todd Starkey said he was worried about the Gophers’ transition game.
• Merissa Barber-Smith, the 6-4 sophomore, had season highs in points (4), minutes (12), blocks (2) and equaled her high in offensive rebounds (4).
• Minnesota had five players in double figures, led by Kenisha Bell’s 20 points, seven assists, four steals and two blocks.
• The Gophers outscored KSU off turnovers 28-12 and in the paint 46-18.
• Starkey skipped his postgame radio interview for the second game in a row.
• Minnesota coach Marlene Stollings on the first quarter: “I thought we were very locked into the scout in the first quarter. They ran exactly what we had prepared for,  and I thought we reacted, got to the right spots and made those spots tough. For the most part, they got rattled pretty quickly because the looks weren’t clean.”
• KSU players and coaches had dinner Wednesday at the Lurken family home in suburban Cottage Grove.

The Flashes now break for Christmas. They’ll return to campus next week to prepare for their MAC opener, which is against 8-3 Central Michigan at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the M.A.C. Center.

In the only other MAC game Thursday, Ohio (9-1) won its game over a Big Ten opponent, beating Illinois (5-8) 80-68 in Athens.

Minnesota game box score

Game story from Kent State website, including links to season statistics, record/schedule and roster.

Game story from Minnesota website.

 

The  women’s basketball team finishes its Big Ten road trip and non-conference schedule tonight at Minnesota.

The Flashes take on the 8-4 Golden Gophers, a team with the highest RPI on Kent State’s schedule, at 8 p.m. Kent time.

It’s a homecoming for Larissa Lurken, Kent State’s senior and leading scorer. She is from nearby Cottage Grove, Minnesota, where she set scoring records for her high school. Lurken leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring and is fifth in the nation with a 22.7 average. If she kept that up, it will be the highest average in Kent State history.

Lurken had 13 points last season when Kent State lost to Minnesota in Kent 85-73. It was one of the best games of the season for the Flashes, who led by eight points in the third quarter and were tied with four minutes to play. The Gophers were led then by all-American Rachel Banham, who averaged 28.6 points a game last season and was Big Ten player of the year.

Banham has graduated, but Minnesota still has an outstanding guard in Carlie Wagner, who averages 19.1 points a game. 6-3 center Jessie Edwards is averaging 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds and was just named Big Ten player of the week.

Minnesota has played one of the country’s toughest non-conference schedule. The Gophers have lost to No. 6 South Carolina, No. 7 Florida State, 7-3 Georgia and 8-2 North Carolina. They have beaten 8-2 Georgetown, 8-1 Harvard and 8-2 Army and 7-2 Seton Hall. Its RPI, which is 75 percent based on strength of schedule, is 13th in the country.

Kent State is 6-5, having lost at Iowa 83-48 on Tuesday. Kent State led in that game 9-0 before Iowa went on a 37-4 run.

After tonight’s game, the Flashes go on Christmas break and will open the MAC season at 2 p.m. New Year’s Eve in the M.A.C. Center.

Kent State season statistics.

Preview from Minnesota website.

To follow the game

• Video starts at 8 p.m. on the BTN2Go network. (To watch, you’ll need to pay $14.95 for a monthly subscription. If you pay, make sure you cancel this month, or it will automatically renew.)
• Audio at about 7:45 on Golden Flash iHeart radio.
• Live statistics are available through the Minnesota website.
• In-game updates on Twitter at @KentStatwbb.

Wednesday MAC scores

Buffalo (9-0) 68, St. Bonaventure (5-7) 47 at Buffalo.

Elon (6-4) 65, Akron (6-4) 62 at Georgia State Holiday Classic.

Wright State (8-4) 65, Miami (5-7) 57 at Wright State Invitational.

Western Kentucky (8-4) 68, Ball State (6-5) 61 at Western Kentucky.

Toledo (9-2) 72, Detroit Mercy (4-7) 66 at Toledo.

Western Michigan (9-2) 64, Chicago State (0-12) 51 at Chicago State.

Eastern Michigan (5-7) 65, Air Force (2-9) 44 at Eastern.

Cleveland State (5-6) 64, Bowling Green (4-7) 56 at Bowling Green.

MAC standings

MAC statistics

 

 

 

For about seven minutes of Tuesday’s game, Kent State’s women’s basketball team looked very much as if it belonged on the same court with the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes.

And then Iowa took over.

The Hawkeyes finished the first quarter on a 17-4 run, went on a 20-2 streak to start the second quarter and beat the Flashes, 83-48.

The win breaks a four-game winning streak for Kent State and leaves the team at 6-5 on the season. Iowa is 9-4. The Hawkeyes are in the top 60 in the country in RPI rankings, second highest of any team KSU has played this season.

Larissa Lurken had 20 points for the Flashes, but it took her 27 shots to get there. She made 7 baskets and just 2 of 11 three-pointers. Jordan Korinek had 11 points. But after she scored two quick baskets in Kent State’s opening run, she picked up two fouls in three seconds. She played only 11 minutes for the rest of the game.

Ali Poole had 10 points on 4 of 14 shooting.

As a team, KSU made a season-low 24.7 percent of its shots. The Flashes made 5 of a season-high 28 three-point attempts. That’s 17.9 percent, barely above their worst of the season.

After Kent State built its early lead, Iowa called time out and went to an extended 1-3-1 zone for much of the rest of the game. The Flashes struggled with it, though a lot of their missed shots were fairly open. Point guard Naddiyah Cross especially struggled, with seven turnovers and one assist. Her ratio had been 1.7 going into the game.

Notes:

• Iowa made almost 50 percent of its shots — 33 of 67. Kent State actually had 10 more shots but missed a lot more.
• Kent State had a season-high 48 rebounds, led by McKenna Stephens’ career-high 10. Lurken had 9, just missing her fourth double-double of the season. Korinek had 8. Iowa had 50 rebounds.
• The Flashes, who had taken the 11th highest number of foul shots in the country going into the game, had only eight free throws Tuesday. They made five. Iowa was 10 for 19.
• Score by quarters was strange. First: Iowa 19-13. Second: Iowa  27-8. Third: Kent State 19-13. Fourth: Iowa 26-8.
• Lurken’s scoring was the eighth time in 11 games she’s scored more than 20 points. She’s averaging 22.7 points a game, best in the MAC.
• Unless it was so short I missed it in switching from the Iowa TV broadcast to Kent State radio, coach Todd Starkey skipped his postgame radio interview.

Kent State was to take the bus tonight north from Iowa City to Minneapolis, where they’ll play Minnesota on Thursday. Minnesota is 8-4 on the season. The Gophers’ RPI rating is 13, the highest KSU will have faced this season. That’s in part because of a tough schedule for Minnesota, which has lost to No. 6 South Carolina and No. 7 Florida State.

Game story from KSU website.

Game story from Iowa website.

 

Box score

Other MAC scores

Akron (6-3) 78, George State (4-6) 66 at George State tournament.

Northern Illinois (7-4) 86, Missouri-Kansas City (5-6) 75 at Roo Holiday Classic in Kansas City.

Miami (5-6) 65, Eastern Kentucky (3-8) 54 at Wright State Invitational.

MAC standings and some team statistics.

 

Kent State game starts at 5 p.m. Central time, which is 6 p.m. Eastern, best I can tell.