:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/27022587/458769195.0.jpg)
Tomorrow Kent State heads to Western New York to take on the Buffalo Bulls in what looks to be a great matchup between MAC East contenders.
Buffalo has been very good at home this year. Scary good. Seven wins and zero losses to be exact. Just because we like to make things difficult on Kent State around here, lets throw out the reminder that Buffalo was 0-3 against the Flashes last year. One of those games was a two point buzzer-beater loss in overtime and another was a two point loss in last years MAC Tournament to bring the Bulls season to a close.
The catalyst for the two big wins for the Flashes last year was Chris Evans, who is currently playing professional basketball in Greece. If Kent State wants to beat an angry Buffalo team, they are going to have to shoot the basketball well. Kent State will rely on Kris Brewer and Darren Goodson in the points department but production has come from just about anywhere. Some nights Kent State can be a force from three point land and other nights, they hopelessly shoot three after three to no avail.
The Bulls have three players who can shoot the ball as good as anyone in Javon McCrea, Will Regan, and Joshua Freelove. Regan and McCrea dominate on the glass as well so the Flashes usual size advantage will be otherwise nullified.
Kent State comes into this contest riding a two game winning streak. Against Ball State, the Flashes rallied from behind shooting the lights out in the second half and against Northern Illinois, the rally was even more substantial tying the game late in the second half and winning it in overtime. Overall this year, the Flashes have not been an easy out. Even with five losses on the season, they have not been defeated by more than eight points.
Buffalo has gotten off to a good start in MAC play as well. The Bulls crushed Northern Illinois and beat a good Eastern Michigan team by ten before losing a heartbreaker on a buzzer beater to Toledo.
Both teams come into this game headed in opposite directions. We will see if Kent State can notch another MAC win against a high quality conference opponent, or if Buffalo will be able to remain unbeaten at home and shake off the Toledo loss. The winner of this one will take a huge step forward in the MAC East title race.