Hey, would you look at that, another upset in this crazy Championship Weekend! And don’t you worry, your man is back on the case to cover this awesome game! The game featured the six seeded Kent State Golden Flashes taking on the mighty one seeded Akron Zips. The Golden Flashes came into this game having to play three games prior to the final game compared to Akron who only had to play one game as they were the one seed. Let me tell you, Kent State pulled off some late-game heroics in almost all of their games. They beat the 11-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas, then had two major upsets! Their game on Friday they upset the three-seed Buffalo Bulls and then the very next game they had another upset when they took down the two-seeded Ohio Bobcats. So Kent State was on a run and looking to take home the crown in the final, but they knew it would be a tough one against Akron.
The Golden Flashes knocked off the tournament’s top three seeds, like I stated above, Buffalo, Ohio, and Akron to win their sixth conference title in history. They barely advanced to Cleveland, needing overtime to edge 11th-seeded Central Michigan in the opening round. But Kent State finally found its groove at Quicken Loans Arena and is headed back to the big dance!
Akron’s Isaiah Johnson (MAC player of the year) scored 24 and Jimond Ivey tallied 18 as the top-seeded Zips had their postseason dreams dashed by their hated next-door neighbors, who ended their 30-game home winning streak just 22 days ago. Akron also lost in the final last year so you know this one has to hurt even more. Walker, who hit a game-winning layup with 4.1 seconds left to beat Ohio in the semifinals and get the Zips to this game, scored 18 in the second half and was selected the tournament MVP even though they lost the game.
This was, in fact, the third game in three weeks between the schools separated by 11 miles lived up to its reputation as the MAC’s best and fiercest rivalry.
As they first half came to a close, we saw Kent State holding a three-point lead at 27-24. The Golden Flashes played a very impressive first half and looked to build off that in the second. But as we fast forward to about nine minutes left in the game, (that’s where the fun began) Akron was trailing for much of the game as they couldn’t get any stops on defense, but they eventually pulled even at 49-all with nine minutes to go on a 3-pointer by Josh Williams.
There’s no love lost AT ALL between the schools as the rivalry has divided families, neighborhoods and probably small Ohio cities for years. The last title game between these two schools in 2011, which was an overtime victory by Akron, ended with punches being exchanged at midcourt.
There’s no love lost between the schools as the rivalry has divided families, neighborhoods and small Ohio cities for years. The last title game between the schools in 2011 — an overtime victory by Akron — ended with punches being exchanged at midcourt. Here is the pretty significant brawl for a nice little trip down memory lane.
Scheduling Problem?
Kent State played an extremely solid game and they deserved this win and trip to the big dance. There has been some schedule questioning in the MAC mainly by the MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. He thinks that MAC teams need to start doing a better job scheduling outside their conference to build resumes and make them more attractive for multiple NCAA bids. Kent State gets their automatic bid with a record of 22-13 and 10-8 in conference play, BUT Akron had a fantastic record at 26-8 and 14-4 in conference play. His point is Akron, barring a miracle come Selection Sunday, will be sitting at home during the tourney. But they have a better record than most teams going to the dance and probably better than most teams who are going to receive an at-large bid. It will for sure be interesting to see what happens next year. Scheduling
Big Picture:
Kent State can thank Jaylin Walker for pouring in those 30 points also with his six rebounds and one steal. They also can give a hardy handshake to Jimmy Hill who tacked in 19 points with a solid 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. They were also coached beautifully by Rob Senderoff who turned this team around from HEAD TO TOE. It was a nice turnaround for the Golden Flashes, who started 1-4 in conference play and missed getting a first-round bye because of a home loss to Akron on March 3. Kent State will watch Sunday’s NCAA selection show to see where they’re headed and might cause some trouble if they get the right matchup. Congrats to the Golden Flashes!