Kent got through non conference play as well as any team minus a key bench player. Kent went from a lite favorite to anyone's guess when guard Carlton Guyton was suspended indefinitely from the basketball team after being charged with stealing a woman's car
But the shot to depth was absorbed by Justin Greene and Rodriquez Sherman. Still In his first game back Saturday after the five-game suspension Guyton helped power the Flashes to a 69-66 victory over host Ohio. In 28 minutes, Guyton had nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
''There's no doubt he makes us better. 'He's one of our primary ballhandlers who makes plays not only for himself, but for others as well. He gave us a huge lift when we needed it Saturday.'' -- Geno Ford
Kent sits atop the East with Bowling Green and Miami. The Flashes have the only genuinely respectable out of Conference Record in the MAC. Where the flashes have really struggled is on the road. They were 0-4 in true road games during non conference play and sit at 1-5 on the year.
| Buffalo | Kent | Buffalo | Kent | Buffalo | Kent | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPI Rank | 174 | 75 | FG Made PG | 26.7 | 24.4 | RPG | 36.2 | 37.8 | ||
| SOS Rank | 254 | 77 | FG Att PG | 55.6 | 56.8 | Off Rebs PG | 11.4 | 13.9 | ||
| Overall | 9-6 | 11-6 | FG Pct | 48 | 42.9 | Off Reb Pct | 34.3 | 38.4 | ||
| Home | 6-2 | 7-1 | FT Made PG | 14 | 15.1 | Def Rebs PG | 24.8 | 23.9 | ||
| Away | 3-4 | 1-5 | FT Att PG | 21.6 | 22.1 | Def Reb Pct | 67.1 | 64.5 | ||
| Neutral | 0-0 | 3-0 | FT Pct | 64.8 | 68.3 | Assists PG | 14.9 | 13.8 | ||
| Conference | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3FG Made PG | 6.2 | 5.1 | Assist Pct | 55.7 | 56.5 | ||
| Top 25 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3FG Att PG | 16.5 | 16.1 | A/T Ratio | 0.9 | 1 | ||
| Blowout (- 19) | 2-0 | 2-0 | 3pt FG Pct | 37.7 | 31.9 | Steals PG | 8.9 | 7.6 | ||
| Close (- 6) | 2-4 | 6-2 | Effective FG Pct | 53.5 | 47.4 | Steal Pct | 12.6 | 11.4 | ||
| Overtime | 0-1 | 1-0 | True Shooting Pct | 55.8 | 51.2 | Blocks PG | 5.4 | 3.6 | ||
| Pts PG | 73.5 | 68.9 | Free Throw Rate | 38.8 | 38.9 | Block Pct | 9.6 | 6.3 | ||
| Poss PG | 70.5 | 67.2 | 2pt FG pt Pct | 55.7 | 55.8 | TOPG | 16.6 | 13.8 | ||
| Pts Per Poss | 1.04 | 1.03 | 3pt FG pt Pct | 25.3 | 22.3 | Turnover Pct | 23.5 | 20.6 | ||
| Floor Pct | 52.7 | 54.2 | FT pt Pct | 19 | 21.9 | Fouls PG | 19 | 17.2 |
Buffalo finally got their first conference win after two very painful three point losses to Miami and Bowling Green. In both Games Buffalo either had the lead or the chance to take it in the waning minutes of the second half (or in overtime).
Byron Mulkey, who carried the Bulls in OOC play has been bothered by a bad knee. The injury made him non existent in the first two games but he broke out against Akron over the weekend to help the Bulls knock off the Zips. Zach Filzen has also struggled so far in conference. He came in as one of the better three point shooters in the conference but has been terribly inconsistent this January.
The X factor is going to be Javon McCrea who nearly carried the Bulls past Miami all by himself and has been opening eyes all season.