Game Day Essentials:
No. 4 Indiana (22-11) vs. No. 13 Kent State (28-6)
- Tip Time: Around 9:55 p.m. Eastern
- Location: MVP Arena (23,500), Albany, New York
- Television: TBS (Spero Dedes, Debbie Antonelli, A.J. Ross)
- Stream: TBS
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 4.5 point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: No. 27 Indiana 73 No. 70 Kent State 69
- Series: Indiana leads 3-1. IU won last meeting 81-69 on Mar. 23, 2002
More game coverage:
- High hopes for IU basketball in March just feels right
- Watch: Locker room Q&A with IU basketball guard Jalen Hood-Schifino from Albany
- Kent State coach Rob Senderoff declines to discuss his time at Indiana
- Watch: Woodson, Jackson-Davis, Kopp, and Thompson media Q&A from Albany
- 21 years ago IU basketball exacted revenge on Kent State to reach Final Four
- By the numbers: Key stats on Kent State ahead of NCAA Tournament battle with Indiana
- After last season’s chaotic experience, IU men’s basketball is ready for another shot in March Madness
Kent State’s Rob Senderoff:
Rob Senderoff is in his 12th season as head coach of the Golden Flashes.
During his time there, he has won one regular-season MAC Championship, two MAC Tournament titles, one MAC Coach of the Year award and has made two NCAA Tournaments.
He has the most career wins by a head coach in Kent State program history with 247 and has won 20 or more games in eight seasons.
Also noteworthy is that Senderoff was an assistant at Indiana from 2006 to 2007. He resigned after Indiana discovered recruiting violations he was involved with.
Kent State’s results and roster:
Kent State is 9-1 in their last 10 games and 12-3 in their last 15.
They have two top-100 KenPom wins on their resume, both against No. 87 Toledo. They won 75-63 at home and 93-78 on a neutral court in the MAC Tournament Championship.
The Golden Flashes played three top-75 KenPom teams and kept games close. They lost at No. 73 Charleston 74-72, at No. 1 Houston 49-44 and at No. 8 Gonzaga 73-66.
Kent State notes
- Head Coach Rob Senderoff recorded his eighth season with 20+ wins at Kent with their victory against Buffalo on Feb. 10. With his best season to date, Coach Senderoff was named a finalist for the 2023 Skip Prosser Award Man of the Year. The award honors those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity off of it as well.
- During the 20223 MAC Tournament, there were a number of Flashes that contributed to the Flashes’ success. Four players have averaged double-digits in the past three games. Sincere Carry has averaged 20 points per game while Malique Jacobs averaged 17ppg. Jacobs is the team’s defensive engine leading the MAC with 2.7 steals per game and 92 steals this season.
- Miryne Thomas has averaged 15.3 points and 9 rebounds per game in the last three games. Thomas also recorded his third double-double in the MAC Tournament against NIU with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
- After being named MAC Sixth Player of the Year, Jalen Sullinger has been another critical component of the Flashes’ success scoring double digits in all three games during the MAC Tournament averaging 11.3 ppg. Sullinger has shot 52.2. percent from the field, 75.0 percent from the three throws, and 41.2 percent from beyond the arch
Kent State’s 2022-23 KenPom highlights:
Tempo – No. 144 (Offense No. 91 / Defense No. 202)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 111
- Kent State’s effective field goal percentage of 51.3 percent is No. 141 nationally. They are No. 84 nationally in two-point percentage (52.2) and rank No. 217 in three-point percentage (33.2).
- The Golden Flashes take care of the ball, turning it over on just 16.3 percent of possessions, No. 58.
- Assists only account for 45.1 percent of field goals made, No. 319.
- Most of Kent State’s offense, 26.1 percent of possessions used each, run through PG Sincere Carry and SG Malique Jacobs.
Defensive Efficiency – No. 40
- Kent State ranks No. 39 in overall opponent effective field goal percentage (47.2), including No. 29 in three-point percentage (30.9) and No. 72 in two-point percentage (47.8).
- The Golden Flashes take the ball away, turning opponent’s over on 22.6 percent of possessions, No. 20.
- There could be a real opportunity for IU to get multiple opportunities to score, as Rob Senderoff’s team gives up offensive rebounds on 30.2 percent of possessions, No. 261.
- Indiana could also get to the free throw line a lot, as free throw attempts are 38.8 percent of opponent field goal attempts for Kent State, No. 327.
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