MAC Tournament: Kent State v. Buffalo

Who will WIN this matchup?

Kent State Golden Flashes (11-8)

Buffalo Bulls (14-8)

Current odds:

Kent State Golden Flashes: (+235)

Buffalo Bulls: (-290)

• The line for this game is Buffalo by 6.5 points.

• It took nearly a year for the teams to meet again, and this will be the second matchup in the past two weeks. The Flashes scored the final four points of that game on February 24 to earn a 65-62 victory inside of the M.A.C. Center. Kent State limited Buffalo to just one three-point field goal and it’s lowest scoring performance during the conference season.

• The Flashes closed the regular season with a 64-58 win over rival Akron, earning a point in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge standings. A dominant 48-24 rebounding effort was key to the victory, as Kent State recorded season-high totals in offensive rebounds (22) and second chance points (21). Hannah Young grabbed a career-high 15 boards to lead the way. Nila Blackford finished with 21 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

• Four players are averaging more than 10.0 points per game against conference opponents. Sophomore Nila Blackford is one of three MAC players averaging a double-double with team-best marks of 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore Katie Shumate (12.2 ppg) has scored at least 10 points in eight of her last nine games. Junior Lindsey Thall adds 10.9 points per game and is the top shot blocker (1.6 bpg) in the MAC for the third year in a row while averaging a career-best 5.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Clare Kelly (9.4 ppg) has averaged 11.0 points per game since moving into the starting lineup after the New Year. Junior Mariah Modkins (6.8 ppg) leads the Flashes with 2.8 assists per game. Freshman Casey Santoro adds 7.1 points per game off the bench.

• The Bulls (14-8, 11-6 MAC) won three of their final four games during the regular season, with the lone loss against the Golden Flashes. Buffalo went on the road and completed the season sweep of regular season champion Bowling Green with a 69-68 overtime win on Saturday. The Bulls rank third in the conference in both scoring offense (74.1 ppg) and scoring defense (68.8 ppg) and are an elite rebounding team, ranking 12th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (16.0) and 15th in total rebounds per game (43.3).

• Sophomore Dyaisha Fair is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the nation’s top point guard. Fair pours in 24.1 points per game, which ranks sixth in the nation, and also ranks in the top-30 in three-point field goals (55), assists per game (5.2) and steals per game (2.8). Backcourt mate Cheyenne McEvans adds 11.1 points per game. Forward Summer Hemphill (8.6 ppg), a Second Team All-MAC performer in 2019, had 10 points in the Bulls’ final two games after going scoreless in her returned against Kent State. Keowa Walters (6.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Loren Christie (3.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Zena Elias (1.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Adebola Adeyeye (4.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Elea Gaba (7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) provide the Bulls with depth in the frontcourt.