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MAC Tournament Quarterfinals - Kent vs. Buffalo

If you haven’t heard, VanDelay Sports is sending me to the MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to cover this season’s action. You can expect many short, blog-type updates over the next several days of the tournament. Before Thursday’s games though, let’s take a look at each match-up, focusing on each teams keys to victory.

#1 Kent vs. #8 Buffalo

This game matches the best team in the MAC versus a team that has only been mediocre, at best, this season. Kent is once again a top-seed in Cleveland and lots of people are looking for them to roll through all comers on their way to an NCAA Tournament berth. The Bulls say “not so fast” as they always seem to play Kent tough. Buffalo at least has a puncher’s chance with their cast of streaky shooters, headed by Calvin Cage.

KSU keys to victory:

Ratchet up the defense
Don’t let Cage and Idbihi kill you
Play your game offensively

Buffalo loves to find open shots early in the shot clock. They’re the opposite of Miami, in that they like to quickly go to work on the offensive end. This is evident in their league leading average of 70 possessions per game. The Flashes have played hard-nosed defense all season long. If Kent can make the Bulls really work hard for good shots on offense it’s going to be a long night for Buffalo.

UB Keys to Victory

Find open shots early
Get the ball out of the hands of Haynes
Don’t let Gerwig, Scott, and Warzynski out-muscle you on the glass

As covered in Kent’s keys Buffalo loves to find open shots early in the shot clock. If the Bulls are going to win they’re going to need a hot shooting night where they are absolutely lighting it up from the outside. On the other end of the court, if Buffalo can force someone other than DeAndre Haynes to handle the ball, the Kent State offense could stall a little.

What I Think
Much like Akron, I think Kent State is probably too good to drop a game like this in the quarterfinals. That said, if Reggie Witherspoon crafts the perfect gameplan and Buffalo (read: Calvin Cage) shoots lights out the Bulls will pull off the shocker. Buffalo’s team has caught fire shooting the ball before in Cleveland (see: the first half of the 2005 MAC Championship Game), but we all know how that turned out. I think Kent State wins comfortably before really being challenged in the semis.

By Dan Whitmyer, VanDelaySports.com Head Basketball Writer

published 03.08.06

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What are they putting in the water at Kent State?