Kent State 2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Kent State Golden Flashes - Mid-American Conference (28-6, 13-3)

Seed: #9 - Midwest Region

RPI: 21

Big Wins: 11/24 vs Illinois State (65-59), 12/8 George Mason (73-55), 2/23 at St. Mary’s (65-57)

Bad Losses: 11/10 at Detroit (60-61), 2/2 at Toledo (56-59), 3/1 at Bowling Green (83-89)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to Pittsburgh

Coach: Jim Christian (0-1 in 1 NCAA appearance)

Probable Kent State Starters:

• Al Fisher, Junior, Guard, 14.0 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.8 rpg
• Jordan Mincy, Junior, Guard, 2.2 ppg, 2.5 apg
• Chris Singletary, Sophomore, Guard, 10.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg
• Mike Scott, Senior, Forward, 13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg
• Haminn Quaintance, Senior, Forward, 10.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg

Key Kent State Roleplayers:

• Mike McKee, Sophomore, Guard, 5.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg
• Rodriquez Sherman, Sophomore, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.3 apg
• Rashad Woods, Junior, Forward, 5.1 ppg, 1.8 rpg
• Julian Sullinger, Junior, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg

Why Kent State Can Surprise:
Kent State has done so well in the Mid-American Conference because of their dominating post play. At 6-8, Haminn Quaintance might not be the tallest player around, but his ability to use his 220 pound frame to create space for himself in the paint is invaluable. Quaintance has recorded eight double-doubles during the regular season and is a beast on the glass and will put up plenty of points.

Mike Scott compliments Quaintance quite well. The 6-7 Indianapolis, Indiana native will stretch the defense with his outside shooting ability and has enough height to help out in the rebounding department. With Rashad Woods and Julian Sullinger on the bench, the Kent State frontcourt has some quality depth and plenty of weapons.

Why They Can Disappoint:
Despite the talented frontcourt, the Golden Flashes have some problems in the rebounding department. The guards are not the tallest bunch and players like Jordan Mincy and Chris Singletary do not do much rebounding from the wings. Singletary will do plenty of scoring and Mincy is great defender, but rebounding is certainly not their strong point. Turnovers can also be a minor problem for the Flashes. The team commits almost 15 per game and that will not cut it if Kent State wants to beat a bigger, more athletic team.

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Who To Watch:
Al Fisher commits four turnovers per contest, but the junior college transfer from Redlands Community College makes up for it in other departments. Fisher is not a stat-stuffer but was named the MAC Player of the Year in a very close vote. He leads the team with 14.0 points per game, but even that number is a little misleading. It took some time for Fisher to adjust to life at the Division I level and once Christian and his stff moved him to the shotting guard spot his scoring had improved dramatically. Fisher finished the season strong and did not fail to reach 15 points in a game from mid-January to early March. Unfortunately, the turnover numbers have not gotten much better as the season has progressed.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 69.7 (155th in nation, 5th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 62.3 (40, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 47.0 (43, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (53, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.9 (229, 7)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.2 (85, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.0 (108, 5)

Rebound Margin: 1.0 (144, 4)

Assists Per Game: 14.3 (109, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.7 (198, 6)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to UNLV

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