The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The Golden Flashes, back from Mount Pleasant, hit the road again early this week. This time the destination is DeKalb, Illinois. Waiting for the Flashes will be the 6-10 NIU Huskies. I wish this game was at home.

A win offers a bit of positive energy before the Akron game on Friday. Positive energy...thats the ticket.

GO FLASHES!

I made the 2.5 hour drive to DeKalb last year. Lesson learned. That was a painful game to watch. I’ll stay home this year.

Kent by 20

Did anyone try listening to the game on audio through the app? It was not coming up the whole time and I kept getting a paywall.

Nice win!

(01-16-2024 03:32 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  Kent by 20

Glad to see, but....

Shooting 60-percent for the game against a winless MAC foe and not winning by double digits???

Still, ... better than the alternative.

(01-16-2024 10:16 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(01-16-2024 03:32 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  Kent by 20

Glad to see, but....

Shooting 60-percent for the game against a winless MAC foe and not winning by double digits???

Still, ... better than the alternative.

Well, they had only won one fewer game than KSU.

You can't run away from a team that gets as hot from 3 as they did. I'd bet that will be NIU's peak 3 pt. shooting performance for the season.

VCD is rounding into a really nice player. It's remarkable how inefficient of a scorer be was last year vs how efficient he's become this year, at all levels.

What was going on with Payton's shooting tonight? Don't tell me he's got something going on with a hand or something now too. 1-7 on free throws and air balled his one jump shot. Something was very off.

(01-16-2024 11:55 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  VCD is rounding into a really nice player. It's remarkable how inefficient of a scorer be was last year vs how efficient he's become this year, at all levels.

What was going on with Payton's shooting tonight? Don't tell me he's got something going on with a hand or something now too. 1-7 on free throws and air balled his one jump shot. Something was very off.

I agree with you on VCD. I hope he is becoming a leader. It is nice to watch a player who committed to Kent State out of high school stick around and play a vital role.

(01-16-2024 10:42 PM)axeme Wrote:  

(01-16-2024 10:16 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(01-16-2024 03:32 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  Kent by 20

Glad to see, but....

Shooting 60-percent for the game against a winless MAC foe and not winning by double digits???

Still, ... better than the alternative.

Well, they had only won one fewer game than KSU.

You can't run away from a team that gets as hot from 3 as they did. I'd bet that will be NIU's peak 3 pt. shooting performance for the season.

Well, NIU hit 51% from the floor and over 50% from the three-point line. The question always is, was it poor defense from KSU or were they just "hot"? No doubt a combination of the two, but how much of each?

NIU hasnt beat a D1 opponent since thanksgiving. Their MAC schedule has been tough so id suspect they'll be right around 7-10th of league. But if we are entertaining thoughts of being a top 4-6 MAC team then these (like the CMU and Eastern games) are the road games you need to win.

This team just seems to make things more difficult than they have to be. Untimely turnovers, 2nd or 3rd chance possessions and too open of 3's for opponents are hurting us.

(01-17-2024 10:17 AM)ksu315 Wrote:  NIU hasnt beat a D1 opponent since thanksgiving. Their MAC schedule has been tough so id suspect they'll be right around 7-10th of league. But if we are entertaining thoughts of being a top 4-6 MAC team then these (like the CMU and Eastern games) are the road games you need to win.

This team just seems to make things more difficult than they have to be. Untimely turnovers, 2nd or 3rd chance possessions and too open of 3's for opponents are hurting us.

I've accepted the fact that this team is not going to be one of the better KSU teams of the past 26 or 27 years. Obviously, injuries have played a role.

(01-17-2024 10:17 AM)ksu315 Wrote:  NIU hasnt beat a D1 opponent since thanksgiving. Their MAC schedule has been tough so id suspect they'll be right around 7-10th of league. But if we are entertaining thoughts of being a top 4-6 MAC team then these (like the CMU and Eastern games) are the road games you need to win.

This team just seems to make things more difficult than they have to be. Untimely turnovers, 2nd or 3rd chance possessions and too open of 3's for opponents are hurting us.

One of the most important lessons I learned as varsity coach was that you never apologize for victories. While beating NIU may not be an incredible feat, this team (the team in front of us) needed a win and they got it.

I understand where you are coming from and I understand that NIU is a cellar dweller. But my mentor told me point blank..."Fight like crazy to make your lean years be 4-6 or 5-5. They happen to everybody at some point. Get the most out of them and trust what you're doing."

Go Flashes!

(01-16-2024 11:55 PM)anti-zip Wrote:  VCD is rounding into a really nice player. It's remarkable how inefficient of a scorer be was last year vs how efficient he's become this year, at all levels.

What was going on with Payton's shooting tonight? Don't tell me he's got something going on with a hand or something now too. 1-7 on free throws and air balled his one jump shot. Something was very off.

I think he just gets gassed by end of game. We really dont have a backup and he is being asked to do way more on the defensive end. Other then him we have no D presence inside.

I agree with a lot of the post on this thread. This is not one of our better teams, in fact this team is not playing a Kent State traditional style of basketball. Coach is doing what he can with what he has and this will be one of the most difficult coaching jobs of his career. It looks like Freeman and Bass have never had to play defense. Bass looks to be getting better but Freeman is defensively challenged. We have some other players who are physically weak on defense but at least they are trying hard and they are what we have. I am happy to see that some of us see the value in VCD. I have liked him from day one and it is easy to see that he has worked very hard to improve his game. He may be our most valuable player.

Payton needs help. Thank goodness we have him. Does anyone know the status of Hornbeak? We need him. I will not give up on this team. Sendy will get the most from them.

(01-17-2024 12:59 PM)GFlash68 Wrote:  I agree with a lot of the post on this thread. This is not one of our better teams, in fact this team is not playing a Kent State traditional style of basketball. Coach is doing what he can with what he has and this will be one of the most difficult coaching jobs of his career. It looks like Freeman and Bass have never had to play defense. Bass looks to be getting better but Freeman is defensively challenged. We have some other players who are physically weak on defense but at least they are trying hard and they are what we have. I am happy to see that some of us see the value in VCD. I have liked him from day one and it is easy to see that he has worked very hard to improve his game. He may be our most valuable player.

Payton needs help. Thank goodness we have him. Does anyone know the status of Hornbeak? We need him. I will not give up on this team. Sendy will get the most from them.

I'll say it again, rebuilding season. We have some good young guys that need to learn and grow. Like Jim says, trust the system. Make notes on these guys. Sit back and watch what happens to them after this year. Hopefully fans aren't toxic enough to make them transfer out. Also, hopefully we ca steal a win against Akron. We'll see.

(01-17-2024 11:41 AM)Muskrat Wrote:  

(01-17-2024 10:17 AM)ksu315 Wrote:  NIU hasnt beat a D1 opponent since thanksgiving. Their MAC schedule has been tough so id suspect they'll be right around 7-10th of league. But if we are entertaining thoughts of being a top 4-6 MAC team then these (like the CMU and Eastern games) are the road games you need to win.

This team just seems to make things more difficult than they have to be. Untimely turnovers, 2nd or 3rd chance possessions and too open of 3's for opponents are hurting us.

I've accepted the fact that this team is not going to be one of the better KSU teams of the past 26 or 27 years. Obviously, injuries have played a role.

Kent has spoiled the rank and file being -- consistently -- one of the top defensive teams in the MAC. This Kent team is far from that. Kent ALWAYS had a chance in MAC play due to its defense. That just has not shown itself this season. So many late-game failures.

Perhaps a turnaround is coming, and NIU will be the turning point.

(01-17-2024 03:35 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote:  

(01-17-2024 12:59 PM)GFlash68 Wrote:  I agree with a lot of the post on this thread. This is not one of our better teams, in fact this team is not playing a Kent State traditional style of basketball. Coach is doing what he can with what he has and this will be one of the most difficult coaching jobs of his career. It looks like Freeman and Bass have never had to play defense. Bass looks to be getting better but Freeman is defensively challenged. We have some other players who are physically weak on defense but at least they are trying hard and they are what we have. I am happy to see that some of us see the value in VCD. I have liked him from day one and it is easy to see that he has worked very hard to improve his game. He may be our most valuable player.

Payton needs help. Thank goodness we have him. Does anyone know the status of Hornbeak? We need him. I will not give up on this team. Sendy will get the most from them.

I'll say it again, rebuilding season. We have some good young guys that need to learn and grow. Like Jim says, trust the system. Make notes on these guys. Sit back and watch what happens to them after this year. Hopefully fans aren't toxic enough to make them transfer out. Also, hopefully we ca steal a win against Akron. We'll see.

Yes .. a rebuilding season. But it was predicated on the likes of Rico, Moss, Bass, Rollins and even Hornbeak showing steady progress. But right now, only Bass will likely play the rest of the season.

Have not heard from anyone about any of the above injured returning this season. Not saying it won't happen, but haven't heard any timelines otherwise.

This was not a rebuild, it was a reload. Kent would have been fine and competed at top of MAC, if not for the injuries.

(01-17-2024 05:18 PM)luckyflash Wrote:  This was not a rebuild, it was a reload. Kent would have been fine and competed at top of MAC, if not for the injuries.

I think they would have competed, but I don't think they would have been the champion. Of course, we will never know.