Kent arrives in biggest Men's game at Stroh

It is quite simply the biggest BGSU Men's Basketball game ever played at the Stroh.  I detailed all of the permutations yesterday.  Everything is still on the table but with a win, BG assures itself of a bye to Cleveland and will enter the last game of the season with a shot at the MAC title.  Oh, and by winning it will ensure there will not be another game at the Stroh this year....which means that it will for sure be the last time we will see Richaun Holmes, Anthony Henderson, Jehvon Clarke and Damarkeo Lyshe on the Stroh floor.

So for all those reasons, this is a very big game.  Emotions will be high and I hope there will be a big crowd.  Kent is good and will be a huge challenge.  This will be a big one.

Kent is 19-10 and 10-6 in the MAC.  After losing to BG in their opener, they won 6 straight and now are 4-5 over their last 9.  They've lost their last 2.  They swept UT and beat CMU.

BG won the first meeting at Kent in the MAC opener.  BG hit a buzzer beater to be down 9 at the half and then went on a 15-4 run to take the lead with about 12 minutes left.  Even then, Kent took the lead back and led by 8 again with 6 minutes left.  BG then went on a 10-1 over 2 minutes to take the lead on a Parker 3FG.  BG led the rest of the way, but it was another Parker 3FG inside a minute that gave BG a 4 point lead and led to the final sequence and the win.

College Basketball Stats

BG didn't play great defense, allowing 1.05 points per possession.  BG did well on the offensive end with 1..08 points per possession.  Over the shooting was even, but BG's ability to take better care of the ball while making 53% from 3FG and then 90% of its free throws was the difference.

College Basketball

Jimmy Hall had a huge game, scoring 25 points on 10 of 15 shooting to go with 7 rebounds.  Devereaux Manley had 13 points.  Chris Ortiz had 8 points and 10 rebounds.  For BG, Richaun Holmes had 20 points on 8 of 16 shooting, 4 assists and 5 rebounds.  Spencer Parker also scored 16.  UPDATE: I forgot until I read The Blade this morning that Derek Jackson did not play in the first meeting.

It has been a long time since we saw the Flashes.  Let's take a look at the stats.  As you can see, the big test will be--as it usually is--on the BG defense.  BG's offense and Kent's defense are pretty comparable.  Having said that, BG is going to have to start making some shots.  Even in the Miami win BG did not shot well, but won because Miami made a lot of turnovers.  As happy as we are, BG needs to get its shooting mojo back.

As you can see, Kent is slightly better than BG's defense on the first 3 measures...shooting, turnovers and offensive rebounds.  The biggest difference is Kent's ability to get to the FT line, and that will be a key element for the Falcons.

Speaking of shooting, as you can see, Kent has done a good job defending the shot, putting additional pressure on the Falcons.  The rest of the areas are pretty well balanced.  Kent is not great on their defensive boards so that's a chance for BG.

And yes, I know the chart says OU defense.  It is supposed to say Kent.

The two leading scorers from the first game are also Kent's two leading scorers.  Jimmy Hall, who missed 5 games during the conference season, is averaging 16.8 points per game on 57% shooting and 6.7 rebounds.  Manley scores 13 PPG but on 37% shooting and 35% from 3FG.  Kris Brewer scores 10 PPG on 35% shooting (also inefficient) and Khaliq Spicer averages 6.5 rebounds.  Derek Jackon leads the team with 3.2 assists per game.

One final element.  BG has lost 3 of its last 4 home games and you aren't going to close out a MAC season successfully doing that.  BG needs to turn that around tonight.

Senior Night.  A chance at a MAC title at best and a chance to lock down a bye...against a MAC power with a lot to play for.  Let's hope a full house.  It has all the elements.