CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University Men's Basketball team will have the opportunity to continue their season tomorrow night against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of The Basketball Classic presented by ERACISM. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM MT, and the game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs Kent State

Date: March 16, 2022

Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. MT

Location: Cedar City, Utah

Venue: America First Event Center

Stream: ESPN+

Watch | Live Stats | Game Notes

Preview

The Thunderbirds (20-11, 14-6) are coming off a disappointing loss to Portland State in the Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinals. After finishing the regular season as the runner-up in the Big Sky, as well as reaching the 20-win mark in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history, a banged-up Southern Utah squad bowed out of the conference tournament in their first game. 

The T-Birds now have an opportunity for redemption with a possibility to end their season on a high note, after being selected to participate in The Basketball Classic. Wednesday night's game will be Southern Utah's third postseason appearance and second time hosting a postseason game in program history.

A 23-win Kent State team stands in the way of SUU advancing to the second round, and they will provide a significant challenge for the T-Birds. The Golden Flashes finished as runner-up in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for the regular season and had NCAA tournament aspirations; however, they fell to Akron in the conference championship game, extinguishing those hopes. The Golden Flashes will instead travel to Cedar City, seeking to pick up their 24th victory of the year and continue their season.

At the helm of the Kent State basketball program is the 2022 MAC Coach of the Year, Rob Senderoff. Senderoff was hired as the head coach of Kent State in 2011 and has compiled a 219-139 record throughout his 11 seasons thus far.

On the court, the Flashes are led by Sincere Carry, a junior point guard out of Solon, Ohio. Carry was named the 2022 MAC Player of the year, on top of being selected as a First-Team All-Conference and MAC All-Defensive Team honoree. Carry leads the team in scoring (18.2) and assists (4.8) while ranking second in steals (1.4).

Kent State has relied heavily on their defense this year, holding teams to a meager 64.7 points per game, which ranked second in the MAC. At the heart of that defense alongside Carry is fellow MAC All-Defensive Team honoree, Malique Jacobs, and senior Justyn Hamilton. Jacobs is a pesky defender, leading the team in steals at 1.5 per game, while Hamilton has been a defensive force in the paint all season, leading the conference in average blocks per contest at 1.3.

The Golden Flashes have struggled at times on offense this season, ranking 8th in the MAC in points per game (71) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.330). 

The T-Birds will continue to play without leading scorer Tevian Jones; however, they hope to have the rest of the roster available for Wednesday. 

After one of Southern Utah's worst shooting performances of the season, the Big Sky's top offensive team will look to get back into their rhythm and find their offensive stroke early against the Kent State defense. SUU is averaging 78.4 points per game on 45.8 percent from the field and 34 percent shooting from three for the season.

Without Jones in the lineup, the T-Birds have relied on a multitude of offensive contributions to make up for his team-leading 14.6 points per game. Over three games in Jones' absence, Nick Fleming, Aanen Moody, and Harrison Butler have combined to average 27.3 points per game, complimenting John Knight III (14.3) and Maizen Fausett (12.3).

Rebounding could prove to be a massive factor in this game, as both teams have posted a near-identical rebounding margin this season. Southern Utah is pulling down 37.8 rebounds per game, while allowing opponents to grab 33.3 boards per contest, resulting in a +4.6 margin. On the other side, Kent State has been grabbing 36 boards per game this season, while their opponents have collected an average of 31.7 rebounds per contest, resulting in a +4.4 margin.

Tomorrow night's game is one of five first-round games in The Basketball Classic that has been designated as a Legends Game. Each of the five marquee matchups is named in honor of a legendary college basketball player. The contest between Southern Utah and Kent State has been designated as the Willis Reed Game. Prior to Reed's storied NBA career, he attended Grambling State University, where he amassed 2,280 career points and averaged 26.6 points and 21.3 rebounds per game his senior year. The winner of tomorrow night's contest will earn the right to hoist a trophy in Reed's name.

Last Time Out

After receiving a first-round bye in the conference tournament, the Thunderbirds' hopes of a Big Sky Postseason Championship were halted in the quarterfinals, as they fell to Portland State, 77-65.

The Vikings knocked down eight of their first 12 shots from the floor to build a 22-6 lead 11 minutes into the game. The Thunderbirds struggled to score throughout the contest, trailing for all 40 minutes of play. 

Portland State increased their lead all the way up to 17 points early in the second half. The T-Birds attempted to respond, reeling off an 18-10 run to cut the deficit to nine; but, that was as close as Southern Utah would get.

SUU shot just 36.8 percent from the field and 12 percent from three for the game, and their 20 first-half points were tied for the lowest they have scored in any first half of a game this season.

Maizen Fausett led Southern Utah with 19 points and nine rebounds, while John Knight III and Dre Marin chipped in 13 points apiece.

Notable Stats

• Head Coach Todd Simon has led Southern Utah to a combined record of 40-15 overall and 26-8 in Big Sky play over the past two seasons.

• Southern Utah ranks second in the Big Sky in offensive rebounding, pulling down an average of 10.4 per game.

• John Knight III ranks first in the conference in steals (2.1), second in field goal percentage (.525), fourth in assists (4.1), and tenth in points (14.5). 

• Dre Marin, John Knight III, Maizen Fausett, and Harrison Butler each rank in the top ten in SUU basketball history for scoring.

• Since the beginning of February, Jason Spurgin is averaging 12.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

• Southern Utah ranks third in the Big Sky in steals per game (6.3).

• Wednesday night's matchup will be the first-ever between Southern Utah and Kent State.

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