Kent State 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Kent State Golden Flashes - Mid-American Conference (19-14, 10-6)

RPI: 137

Big Wins: 11/19 at St. Louis (76-74), 3/5 Buffalo (77-71), 3/8 Akron (67-63)

Bad Losses: 12/6 Western Carolina (84-89), 1/11 at Ohio (65-71), 2/26 at Bowling Green (66-67)

Coach: Geno Ford

Probable Kent State Starters:

• Al Fisher, Senior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 3.5 apg, 1.6 spg

• Jordan Mincy, Senior, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 2.8 apg

• Chris Singletary, Junior, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 3.0 apg, 4.1 rpg

• Julian Sullinger, Senior, Forward, 6.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg

• Brandon Parks, Junior, Center, 6.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg

Key Kent State Roleplayers:

• Tyree Evans, Junior, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg

• Mike McKee, Junior, Guard, 4.0 ppg, 1.2 apg

• Anthony Simpson, Junior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg

Why Kent State Can Surprise:

In a league known for its tenacious man-to-man defense, Kent State is one of the few teams that can win games with its offense. And that is mostly due to a trio of guards who can put points on the board in a hurry. Junior college transfer Tyree Evans is the best outside shooter on the team and knocks down 2.5 long balls per contest. Having a player like him come in off the bench and spark the offense is an asset few teams in the Mid-American Conference have. Chris Singletary will attack the basket and finish around the rim. He is also a decent passer.

Al Fisher is the leader of the group and averages 15.2 points per game. He may not shoot as well as Evans or get to the rim as well as Singletary, but he can do both good enough. And it is that versatility, not to mention his quickness, that makes him an absolute nightmare for most people to defend.

Why The Golden Flashes Can Disappoint:
Despite having some shooters like Fisher and Evans, overall this is not a good shooting team. They have the best shooting percentage in the conference at 44.1 percent, but they only hit 33.0 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc and 65.2 percent from the charity stripe. The other problem is on the glass. The Golden Flashes have a few quality rebounders in the frontcourt, but nobody who is going to dominate in the paint.

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Who To Watch:
It is up to Anthony Simpson, Julian Sullinger and Brandon Parks to neutralize the rebounding margin. Simpson is easily the best rebounder on the team and he averages 6.2 per contest. He is also a dynamic scorer who can battle in the paint or step outside and hit the mid-range jumper. He only averages 6.7 points per game, but that does rank fourth on the team. Sullinger and Parks will not step outside and think about shooting very often, but they are decent scorers in the paint. Parks, at 6-10, is also an imposing presence under the basket and will block the occasional shot, although Simpson is the more dangerous shot blocking threat. If those three can score a few points and open up space for the talented guards, Kent State can win a postseason game or two.

Kent State By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 69.1 (149th in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.3 (87, 7)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.1 (152, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (63, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (218, 7)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.0 (208, 7)

Free-Throw Percentage: 65.2 (265, 6)

Rebound Margin: -0.5 (196, 7)

Assists Per Game: 12.9 (169, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.1 (103, 1)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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