Men’s basketball voted to place third in MAC preseason poll
October 28, 2014
The Kent State men’s basketball team has been selected to place third in the Mid-American Conference East Division in the 2014-2015 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, the conference office announced Tuesday morning.
The Flashes received 66 points, finishing behind Ohio and Akron. Kent State’s longtime rival, Akron, was selected as the preseason favorite to conquer the MAC East Division with 117 points and 17 first-place votes.
On the opposite side of the aisle, the heavily favored Toledo Rockets were picked by a large margin to win the MAC West Division, collecting 118 votes and an overwhelming 18 first-place votes. The Rockets were also selected as the favorite team to claim the conference title, too, receiving 15 votes.
Team Predictions
East Division — Predicted Order of Finish
1. Akron – 117 points (17)
2. Ohio – 92 points (2)
3. Kent State – 66 points
4. Buffalo – 58 points
5. Bowling Green – 52 points (1)
6. Miami – 35 points
(First-place votes in parentheses)
West Division — Predicted Order of Finish
1. Toledo – 118 points (18)
2. Western Michigan – 94 points (1)
3. Eastern Michigan – 68 points
4. Northern Illinois – 63 points
5. Central Michigan – 49 points (1)
6. Ball State – 28 points
Tournament Champion:
Toledo (15), Akron (1), Bowling Green (1), Central Michigan (1), Ohio (1), Western Michigan (1)
Player Predictions
East Division — Preseason All-MAC Team
Demetrius Treadwell, Sr., F, Akron Maurice Ndour, Sr., F, Ohio Kris Brewer, Sr., G, Kent State Richaun Holmes, Sr., F, Bowling Green Will Regan, Sr., F,
Buffalo West Division — Preseason All-MAC Team
David Brown, Grad., G, Western Michigan Karrington Ward, Sr., F, Eastern Michigan Julius Borwn, Sr., G, Toledo Chris Fowler, Jr., G, Central Michigan Justin Drummond, Sr., G/F, Toledo
In addition to the Flashes’ third-place finish prediction, the team’s starting shooting guard, Kris Brewer, was appointed to the five-player MAC East Division Preseason All-MAC Team. Last season, Brewer received an All-MAC honorable mention as a junior.
A 6-foot-3 integrative studies senior from Memphis, Brewer started 27 games last year and led his team in both the points per game category and the assists category, averaging 11.8 points per game and 2.8 assists per game.
Both preseason polls were voted on by a 20-member MAC News Media Panel, according to kentstatesports.com.
A brief look ahead
Rob Senderoff is entering his fourth season as the Flashes’ head coach. After leading Kent State to back-to-back 21-win seasons (2011-2012, 2012-2013) in his first two seasons, Senderoff guided the Flashes to an even par 16-16 record last season.
Under Senderoff’s direction, Kent State will look to regain the success it attained two seasons ago, as seven letter winners, including three starters (Brewer, junior guard Kellon Thomas, redshirt senior Derek Jackson), will return for the Flashes this season. Seasoned veterans Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer, both junior forwards, also return to provide leadership and starting experience to the team’s front court, a crucial area in which the Flashes proved deficient last season.
The Kent State men’s basketball team will kickoff the season with a short road trip to a proximate rival, the Youngstown State Penguins, on Saturday, Nov. 15.
The Flashes’ home opener inside the M.A.C. Center is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18 against Malone as the first of four-game home stand as part of the inaugural Men Against Breast Cancer Classic.
Contact Richie Mulhall at [email protected].
