Kent State ends its regular season with a 2 p.m. Saturday game against Akron at the M.A.C. Center.
There actually may be a few fans at the game. The university changed its policy this week to allow players and coaches to give tickets to two family members or friends. The rest of us will have to watch on ESPN3 or listen online on the Kent State Radio network.
Kent State goes into the game in fifth place in the Mid-American Conference with a 9-6 record. But the Flashes could finish anywhere between third and eighth depending on results of Saturday games.
If the Flashes beat Akron, they can finish no worse than fifth. They could move into fourth if Buffalo loses at first-place Bowling Green and into third if Ohio loses at home to last-place Miami.
No matter what, Kent has qualified for the MAC Tournament quarterfinals at Rocket Mortage Arena in Cleveland on Wednesday.
Akron is in 11th place at 4-13 but is coming off a 71-67 win over Ohio in Akron on Wednesday. It was OU’s first game back after three cancellations because of COVID-19 problems on the team.
When Kent State lost 82-65 at Bowling Green Wednesday, coach Todd Starkey rested starting guards Katie Shumate and Clare Kelly. Shumate hadn’t been 100% all season after having knee surgery last summer. Kelly had an injured foot.
Shumate is KSU’s second-leading scorer at 12.1 points a game; Kelly is fourth on the team at 9.4 points. Both are good defensive players.
After Wednesday’s game, Starkey didn’t know the status of either for the Akron game.
“Both will be game time decisions,” he said. He said the important thing is to have them both ready for the tournament.
Akron started the season 3-0 but lost its first three MAC games and has never been far from the bottom of the league.
Jordan Dawson, 5-11 senior, leads the Zips in scoring (16.3 points per game), rebounding (7.2), assists (4.0) and steals (2.2). Sophomore forward Lonasia Brewer averages 10.8 points.
The Zips rank ninth in the MAC in scoring at 68 points a game and 10th in scoring defense at 73.7. Kent State is eighth in scoring (68.8) and sixth in defense (72.2).
MAC Standings
Through games of Wednesday, March 3
| MAC W-L | Pct. | MAC Home | MAC Away | All games | |
| BGSU | 14-3 | .824 | 8-1 | 6-2 | 18-4 |
| CMU | 12-6 | .667 | 6-3 | 6-3 | 14-8 |
| Ohio | 10-6 | .625 | 4-4 | 7-3 | 12-7 |
| Buffalo | 10-6 | .625 | 6-2 | 4-4 | 13-8 |
| Kent St | 9-6 | .600 | 5-1 | 4-5 | 10-8 |
| NIU | 10-7 | .588 | 5-3 | 5-4 | 12-10 |
| Ball St | 11-8 | .579 | 3-5 | 8-1 | 13-10 |
| EMU | 7-6 | .538 | 3-4 | 4-2 | 10-8 |
| Toledo | 7-12 | .368 | 4-6 | 3-6 | 11-12 |
| WMU | 5-13 | .278 | 4-5 | 1-8 | 6-14 |
| Akron | 4-13 | .235 | 2-6 | 2-7 | 7-13 |
| Miami | 3-16 | .158 | 2-9 | 1-7 | 4-19 |
Saturday’s MAC games
- Akron at Kent State.
- Buffalo at Bowling Green.
- Northern Illinois at Central Michigan.
- Western Michigan at Ball State.
- Miami at Ohio.
- Eastern Michigan at Toledo.