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MAC East Report - January 22, 2009

Three teams move ahead of the MAC East pack this week, as we begin to learn more about each squad’s prospects for this season.

Saturday MAC East Snapshot

Miami 66, Kent State 55: Miami had not won in Kent since the 2003-04 season and lost three straight overall to the Golden Flashes. The Redhawks changed that in a game that was closer than its final score indicates. It was a one-possession game at 58-55 with 1:37 left but Al Fisher could not convert a layup. Chris Singletary missed a key one-and-one with the score at 56-55 and Kent State was unable to point up a single point in the last four minutes, which ultimately decided the game. The Flashes’ Tyree Evans was 0-12 from the field but Mike McKee picked up some slack with four three pointers. Miami’s Michael Bramos was only 8-22 from the field but racked up 24 points.

Buffalo 70, Ohio 66: The Bobcats led by as many as 11 in the first half and held a nine point lead with five minutes left, however Buffalo charged back to score the victory. Calvin Betts led the Bulls with 20 points and Jerome Tillman scored 21 for Ohio. Turnovers played a large part in the outcome. Ohio’s 18 turnovers doubled Buffalo’s nine. A win would have given the Bobcats a big jump and they had a chance but Buffalo is proving to be a stout competitor in the East this campaign.

Akron 62, Bowling Green 52: Four double-digit scorers propelled the Zips to their first conference win of the season. Nate Linhart, Chris McKnight and Daryl Roberts all scored 10, while Anthony ‘Humpty’ Hitchens was the top scorer with 15. Both teams struggled mightily offensively. Bowling Green made only 28.3% of its field goals and Akron was not too hot either at 39.6%. Each will have to improve offensively to consistently challenge the rest of the MAC East.

Tuesday - Game of the Week:

Ohio 70, Akron 65 OT

Close games are the norm when the Bobcats and Zips meet. Three of their last four meetings have been decided by five points or less and Tuesday night was no different. Although Ohio was up by as many as 15 in the first half, Akron chipped away in the second half and Chris McKnight followed brother Brett McKnight’s final seconds miss with a buzzer beating tip-in to send the game to overtime.

A lot happened here so I have a bunch of observations. It was an exciting but also ugly contest. The Bobcats made only four field goals and scored 19 points in the second half. Akron pressured on defense and contained Jerome Tillman, allowing him only three second-half points but Michael Allen stepped up with a career-high 17 points. The Zips came back by exploiting Ohio’s lacking interior and forcing turnovers. Staggering stat: Tommy Freeman had 9 turnovers for the season coming into the game; he had 6 against Akron.

Ohio Breakdown

Kenneth Van Kempen (KVK) has shown flashes of improvement but this was not a great one. He did score six points but for a 6-10 guy he does not establish himself as a force inside. He settled for hook shots multiple times rather than forcing the issue. When he did take it at the hoop he looked better. KVK is the only true 5 in the rotation and coach John Groce pretty much has to give him minutes by circumstance. If Groce takes him out, the lineup is small and 6-5 Tommy Freeman has even been relegated to playing out of position at the 4.

Van Kempen has the size but is inconsistent and has some liabilities. Tillman can produce inside but if he gets doubled the Bobcats have to turn to someone else. That guy needs to be DeVaughn Washington.

Washington turned the game around for Ohio in the overtime period. Akron was leading by eight when Washington got into the backcourt, stole the ball and threw down a dunk plus one at the line, turning momentum back towards the Bobcats. Washington scored seven of Ohio’s 14 overtime points, converting clutch free throws.

Akron Breakdown

On Akron’s side of the equation, the Zips showed great fight coming back from the large deficit and really playing better after the break. Humpty Hitchens has the potential to be a really good point guard. His bane is turnovers. While he scored seven points, he also had seven turnovers. Keith Dambrot has recruited a talented guy and if he can limit giveaways, the Chillicothe product can become even more prolific.

Akron still struggled on offense but its scoring was a real team effort, with 10 Zips getting into the scorebook, led by Chris McKnight’s 14. Compare that with the Bobcats who only played eight guys for the whole game. The Bobcats’ small rotation could be a factor in their late game struggles.

One final note on this game: the officiating was some of the worst I’ve seen in a while. There was an inordinate amount of foul calls. Pretty much any contact was getting called and there were tough calls on both sides. However, the refs’ worst moment came in overtime. With Akron in possession and the shot clock winding down a pass went out of bounds off a Bobcat player. The ball never appeared to touch the rim but the shot clock was reset. After conferencing, the referees confirmed. Just inexcusable officiating, especially in a close contest.

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Miami 67, Bowling Green 60

Five Redhawks reached double-digit points as Miami won its second straight on the road. Like the Zips, Bowling Green got down by a large margin but ate away at it, cutting it to a one-point game at the two minute mark. The game’s leading scorer was Bowling Green’s Nate Miller, with 17. Michael Bramos led the way for Miami with 14 points but shot just 1-7 from beyond the arc.

Miami needs to give Julian Mavunga more minutes. The talented freshman hit all five of his shots and scored 10 points in 21 minutes. He has reached double digits in points in all three games he’s played 20+ minutes. Someone to watch out for the rest of this season and the next three years.

Bowling Green improved its shooting a decent amount from its putrid performance against Akron. Miller and Nate Clements both put up points but were under 50% on shots. Once the deficit was cut to one, Bowling Green went cold again from the field connecting on only one field goal the rest of the game, a late Clements three with the game out of reach.

Chris Knight is vital to the success of this team. In the Falcons’ only conference win, Knight scored 22. He contributed 10 boards against Miami but only 7 points.

Bowling Green does not have a concrete inside game of which to speak. Centers Otis Polk and Marc Larson are not cutting it shooting or rebounding. Erik Marschall, although two inches shorter, had as many rebounds as Larson in 19 less minutes.

Wednesday

Buffalo 64, Kent State 53

Talk about two different ways of scoring; two players compiled more than half of Kent State’s points, while ten Bulls scored with only Rodney Pierce (18 points) over 10. Al Fisher carried the Flashes with 26 points and another good performance. Kent State was without one of its leaders though. According to Kent State Athletic Communications, Chris Singletary missed the game with a shoulder injury and is day-to-day.

Julian Sullinger had 11 points and 6 rebounds and was the other main contributor for Kent State. Tyree Evans struggled again going 2-12 from the field. Pierce and his four long-range baskets fueled Buffalo.

This game displays two teams who look to be on opposite trajectories. Kent State is having some big issues for the first time in a decade. It has been able to transition from Gary Waters to Stan Heath to Jim Christian without dropoff. New coach Geno Ford has not had such ease. The Flashes are 8-8 and it looks like they will be hard-pressed to reach 20 wins. They last fell short of that mark in the 1997-98 season. In the last decade it has been a given that Kent will be competing for a MAC title. They’re off to a 1-3 start and Ford will have to right the ship quickly to make that a possibility in 2009.

Al Fisher is still producing but needs Tyree Evans to be his wingman. Even with these two scoring, Kent State is really missing Haminn Quaintance on the inside. His scoring and defensive presence is devoid on this incarnation of the Flashes.

On the other end of the spectrum, Buffalo looks like a team primed to make a run for a MAC title. After losing it’s first conference game to Bowling Green, Buffalo has won three straight and is getting good play from a deep rotation. The Bulls spread the ball around and each player seems to embrace his role. They can rebound and shoot the three. The most impressive aspect is this team’s depth. Twelve players saw minutes Wednesday night and almost all provide quality.

East Beast of the Week: Michael Bramos, Miami

24 pts vs. Kent State (scoring the Redhawks’ last eight points of the game) and then 14 against the Falcons, leading Miami to two road wins it needed to bounce back.

Congratulations…Charlie Coles, who won his 217 th game with Miami Tuesday against Bowling Green. He now stands alone as the school’s winningest coach. Coles is a class act and it’s good to see him back on the bench this season after health troubles last season.

Wait, really?!?: Former Ohio coach Tim O’Shea’s Bryant University Bulldogs lost 61-51 to NJIT Wednesday night. Yes, that is the NJIT that was 0-18 this season, the NJIT that had lost 51 consecutive games. Well, it broke that streak against O’Shea’s squad. This is Bryant’s first season in Division I but it has just gotten attention for a very bad reason. I guess all you can do is chalk it up to “life on the road” in the intimidating gym of the historically winless NJIT Highlanders…right?

MAC Saturday Forecast

- 1-3 MAC teams Kent State and Akron face off in a game that each one really needs. Akron is perpetually in neutral on offense, while Al Fisher carries Kent State. Chris Singletary is questionable, according to Kent State Athletic Communications. It’s at the Zips so maybe that gives them an advantage.

- After pulling out a close victory Tuesday, the Bobcats host Bowling Green. I do not see this one being as close. Ohio takes care of Bowling Green by double digits, with Tillman getting into rhythm.

- The feature game of the weekend and one I really look forward to is Buffalo going up against Miami. Both 3-1, both with two wins in a row. A win would really establish the Bulls as MAC East contenders. I’m not sure if Buffalo will pull it out but I think it will at the least be a back-and-forth affair.

By Connor Kiesel
VanDelay Sports Staff Writer