Game Thread: NCAA R64 vs. Kent State - 3/17 @ 10:45 pm (no lie)ET on TBS

[ALASKA HOOSIER]

This mascot reminds me of Purdoo doo Pete. Don't like him. Destroy the flashes

 

[KingPG21]

Anyone have a good scouting report on Kent State? Seems like a typical mid major tourney team. Real good starting guards, senior led. doesn't look like they really have bigs. 

 

I know guard play is generally more pivotal in the tourney. But TJD is so dominant. Just glancing at their roster I'd assume they are pretty consistently gonna have to throw extra guys at Trayce. 

[Stuhoo]

17 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

1) Cleveland State, which bounced us in the opening round in 1986,the year before we won the National Championship and when we were elite, says hi.

Ironically enough, you know which other team says "hi?"

2) The team that bounced us in the first round in 2001, when we elite and the year before we were the national runner-up. Our team that year had Fife, Coverdale, Hornsby, Jeffries, Newton, Moye, Odle, AND Kirk Haston!

Any idea which team that was??!!??

 

14 minutes ago, Uspshoosier said:

Richmond as well 

Had to edit my post because in the 2001 NCAA first round:

1. The Indiana Hoosiers were the 4 seed.
2. Indiana finished third in the B1G that year
3. Our starting lineup was elite: Jared Jeffries, Kirk Haston, Jeff Newton, Dane Fife, and Tom Coverdale. WIth Odle, Moye, and Hornsby off the bench
4. We lost in a round of 64 game to the 13 seed
5. Our opponent was a MAC team.

Who was that opponent?

You guessed it: Kent State.

[go iu bb]

16 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

 

Had to edit my post because in the 2001 NCAA first round:

1. The Indiana Hoosiers were the 4 seed.
2. Indiana finished third in the B1G that year
3. Our starting lineup was elite: Jared Jeffries, Kirk Haston, Jeff Newton, Dane Fife, and Tom Coverdale. WIth Odle, Moye, and Hornsby off the bench
4. We lost in a round of 64 game to the 13 seed
5. Our opponent was a MAC team.

Who was that opponent?

You guessed it: Kent State.

So you're saying we're elite again! It'll be proven whether or not we can beat Kent State. :)

[Chris007]

18 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

 

Had to edit my post because in the 2001 NCAA first round:

1. The Indiana Hoosiers were the 4 seed.
2. Indiana finished third in the B1G that year
3. Our starting lineup was elite: Jared Jeffries, Kirk Haston, Jeff Newton, Dane Fife, and Tom Coverdale. WIth Odle, Moye, and Hornsby off the bench
4. We lost in a round of 64 game to the 13 seed
5. Our opponent was a MAC team.

Who was that opponent?

You guessed it: Kent State.

So we're going to the final four next year? I'm booking my flight now

[Stuhoo]

6 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

So we're going to the final four next year? I'm booking my flight now

If we're using this theory, we're only going next year if we lose to 13 seed Kent State this year.

Thursday, Mar. 15, 2001  Kent State erases 12-point deficit, ousts Hoosiers RECAP | BOX SCORE

SAN DIEGO (AP) – It was business as usual for Indiana and Kent State in the NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers lost another first-round game and the Golden Flashes said it was no surprise. Kent State played spoiler with a 77-73 victory over Indiana on Thursday, sending the Hoosiers to their second straight first-round loss and fifth in seven years on the same day Bob Knight went job hunting in Texas. Kent State will meet Cincinnati in an all-Ohio matchup in the second round. The Bearcats beat BYU 84-59. "Extremely disappointing to the point of being sickening," said Kirk Haston, who led the Hoosiers with 29 points. A year ago, Indiana was blown out by 20 points against Pepperdine in what turned out to be Knight's final sideline appearance in a red sweater. Knight was at Texas Tech on Thursday to interview for the head coaching job, a position he held for 29 years in Bloomington before being fired in September for violating Indiana's zero-tolerance behavior policy. His replacement, Mike Davis, also is seeking job security. Indiana officials have said they'll decide whether Davis stays after the season. "I do want this job in the worst way," Davis said. "They said they were going to wait until the season is over. It's over, so we'll see next week." The Hoosiers (21-13) clearly want the soft-spoken Davis back, but they couldn't make a case for him by blowing a 12-point second-half lead and committing 18 turnovers.   In turning around a 12-point, second-half deficit, Trevor Huffman and the Flashes found a way into the second round "I thought going into halftime (Indiana led 42-34) we had the game under control," Davis said. "Down the stretch we didn't capitalize on a couple of plays we should have." Making its second tournament appearance in three years, Kent State got 24 points from Trevor Huffman, including 11 of its final 15. "We had a serious mindset coming into this," Huffman said. "I don't think too many guys on our team were surprised that we beat Indiana. We hope we can just keep this business-like attitude going into the next game and the next game, as far as we go." The Golden Flashes (24-9), who set a school record for victories, shot 47 percent against an Indiana defense that held opponents to 39.2 percent during the regular season. "I told my coach I thought I'd feel better about this after the game, but it just feels like a regular win," said KSU forward Kyrem Massey, who added 15 points for the Mid-American Conference tournament champions. Despite what his players said, Kent State coach Gary Waters called the Flashes' win an upset. "It was a Big Ten team," he said. "You have to understand players. Sometimes they say things and they don't know what they're saying." The Hoosiers' No. 4 seed was their highest since 1993.

 

[HoosierHoopster]

2 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

If we're using this theory, we're only going next year if we lose to 13 seed Kent State this year.

 

Don't. Tempt. Fate.

:)

[Stuhoo]

Here's some good news:

Kent State has one "true big" on their team. In two years at Kent he has averaged over 7 fouls per 40 minutes. 

A major contrast in styles. Clearly they will throw guards for a double at Trayce as soon as humanly possible. When they double, Race/Malik will have a small player on them at the opposite post. 

[Golfman25]

52 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

1) Cleveland State, which bounced us in the opening round in 1986,the year before we won the National Championship and when we were elite, says hi.

Ironically enough, you know which other team says "hi?"

2) The team that bounced us in the first round in 2001, when we elite and the year before we were the national runner-up. Our team that year had Fife, Coverdale, Hornsby, Jeffries, Newton, Moye, Odle, AND Kirk Haston!

Any idea which team that was??!!??

Right, but we weren't "worried" about those teams.  :) 

[Stuhoo]

8 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

Right, but we weren't "worried" about those teams.  :) 

True.

Coach should show these knuckleheads the 2001 game video with Jeffries and Haston there to look ******* pissed and embarrassed.

I am worried, but a one point ugly win will make me feel just fine. It's the NCAA tourney - I'm not worried about style points.

Just win.

[Hoosierfan1901]

Unofficial depth/injury report 

IU is 1-1 in against Kent State in the tournament losing against them in 2001 and winning against them in 2002 in the Elite 8. This year, Kent State comes into the matchup winners of 6 straight and 28-6 overall winning the MAC championship.

Probable Starters:

6’5 218 F Voncameron Davis (6.6 PPG, usually a 20+ MPG player)

6’8 215 F Miryne Thomas (10.7 PPG, team’s leading rebounder, 35.3% 3PT)

6’9 225 C Cli’ron Hornbreak (5.5 PPG, 73.1% FG, lives underneath the basket)

6’3 195 G Malique Jacobs (13.0 PPG, team’s 2nd best player and has been on a roll lately, been playing heavy minutes)

6’1 185 G Sincere Carry (17.8 PPG, KSU’s best overall player and one of the best guards in the MAC, pretty much plays the entire game)

Impressively this group has gone 10-0 when playing together. But they have switched up their starters multiple times before, but I will focus on the overall team. Carry, Jacobs, and Thomas can play up to over 35 MPG, while Davis and Hornbreak can play substantial minutes each game too. Seems like Kent State averages around 20 fouls per game, as their interior strength does get into foul trouble. However, their guards are fairly consistent in terms of usage and TO%. While their offense can be questionable sometimes, their defense is consistently strong in games, especially in perimeter defense. Kent State really likes to play about 7-8 players in their game.

The 3 most common names coming off the bench is 5’10 175 G Jalen Sullinger (8.6 PPG, teams best 3 point shooter) and 6’7 215 F Chris Payton (6.6 PPG, has increased his role with Kent State and one of their biggest improvers). Another name that comes off the bench is 6’5 200 G Julius Rollins.

Injury Report

6’1 165 G Giovanni Santiago (7.5 PPG, 27.0+ MPG) has been seemly ruled out since March 4th due to an undisclosed hand injury.

[HoosierFan1994]

I respect Kent State but I'm not worried. I don't think it's as bad of a matchup as some think. I remember back in 2012 it was New Mexico State that was supposed to beat us and in 2016 it was Chattanooga. Just the typical talking points from the national media clowns. Shocker..nobody is picking Oral Roberts (probably the best 12/13 team) over precious Duke. 

I will say that if they don't show up this game will get interesting. A good game from TJD and Jalen is all we need IMO..now going forward this team needs more. 

[Whoozhers]

For those traveling to Albany: 

Hopefully all will be well by Friday…..

State officials said they are mustering resources, including National Guard members and plow crews from other parts of the state to help handle the areas that are expected to receive the burnt of the storm damage. 
The heaviest snow was expected to fall overnight, with the National Weather Service warning between 1 and 2 inches falling per hour could fall at points before sunrise Tuesday.

The storm is very likely to impact air travel throughout the Northeast. Albany International Airport officials urged travelers with flight reservations to check with their airline for information on opportunities to reschedule their flights.

[Stuhoo]

Just now, Whoozhers said:

For those traveling to Albany: 

Hopefully all will be well by Friday…..

State officials said they are mustering resources, including National Guard members and plow crews from other parts of the state to help handle the areas that are expected to receive the burnt of the storm damage. 
The heaviest snow was expected to fall overnight, with the National Weather Service warning between 1 and 2 inches falling per hour could fall at points before sunrise Tuesday.

The storm is very likely to impact air travel throughout the Northeast. Albany International Airport officials urged travelers with flight reservations to check with their airline for information on opportunities to reschedule their flights.

Albany is well-equipped to clear out a Tuesday snowstorm by Tuesday night. Should be zero problem by Thursday/Friday.

[go iu bb]

https://theathletic.com/4300249/2023/03/12/ncaa-tournament-midwest-region-houston-texas-indiana-anaylsis/

What's worrisome is that one of Kent State's strengths on defense is steals according to that article. IU has allowed too many steals this season, so their strength is one of IU's weaknesses.

[go iu bb]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/insider/story/_/id/35844768/giant-killers-10-most-likely-first-round-upsets-march-madness-2023-bracket

IU/Kent State didn't make this list but here are a few notable games that did:

Drake 39% chance against Miami.

Providence 40% chance against pUKe.

Oral Roberts 21% chance against Dook.

[Whoozhers]

30 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Albany is well-equipped to clear out a Tuesday snowstorm by Tuesday night. Should be zero problem by Thursday/Friday.

Most likely they can clear the snow. They’re more worried about power outages.

[Chips&Dipo]

2 hours ago, reconmkd said:

I hope Woody is pumping their heads full of the Talking Heads picking Kent State and gets them angry. Really need them to play with a chip on their shoulders, lets say a little of Kopp vs. Butgers, JHS at Purdue, Bates vs. MSU, Trey vs. Neb, Race vs. Mich, MR vs. OSU, and TJD @ Illinois. That should do it, I think that is 156 points for the game, that should do, lol.

[Scotty R]

2 hours ago, Golfman25 said:

Can't believe some of what I am reading on this thread.  Since when to we "worry" about a MAC school.    It's Kent freaking State.  If you want to be elite, crush them like the bug that they are.  :) 

Have you not watched the NCAA tournament before. No such thing as a gimme game especially when you are a 4 or 5 seed.

[Scotty R]

2 hours ago, TheWatShot said:

I'm not "worried" about playing Kent State. I am worried about how little sleep I'll get if our last game of the season is a loss to a 13 seed that ends after midnight. 

At least it is on a Friday