 The Kent State Golden Flashes will be making their second appearance in three years in the NCAA Tournament when they face the UNLV Runnin' Rebels in an opening round game from Omaha. The Rebels are making their first back-to-back appearance since winning the national championship in 1990 and making a Final Four appearance in 1991. Tip-off is set for 2:45 pm Thursday with regional coverage on CBS.
Here is our preview of Thursday's NCAA Tournament contest:
 NCAA FIRST ROUND
(8) UNLV (26-7, 12-4 MWC) vs. (9) KENT STATE (28-6, 13-3 MAC)
Date: Thursday, March 20
Time: 2:45 PM ET
TV: CBS
SERIES HISTORY: First Meeting
KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
OVERALL RECORD: 28-6
CONFERENCE: 13-3 (1st, MAC East)
PROBABLE STARTERS:
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F Mike Scott
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13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg
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F Haminn Quaintance
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10.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
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G Jordan Mincy
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2.2 ppg, 2.5 apg
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G Al Fisher
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14.0 ppg, 4.1 apg
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G Chris Singletary
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13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg
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Coach: Jim Christian (138-57, 6th season)
 About the Flashes: Kent State enters the NCAA Tournament after completing the 2007-2008 campaign as the regular season champions of the Mid-American Conference and secured the MAC's automatic bid by winning the MAC Tournament, defeating Akron 74-55. The Flashes are one of only a handful of teams to have recorded twenty victories in each of the last ten seasons and enter the 2008 NCAA Tournament with their highest seed. The ninth seed is also the highest by a MAC team since Eastern Michigan was also a nine seed in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
Kent State is led by MAC Player of the Year, junior guard Al Fisher, who averaged 14 points and 4.1 assists per game. Fisher has earned the nickname "Big Shot" for his ability to hit the clutch shot, including the game-winner in the regular season finale at Akron, giving Kent State the outright MAC title heading into the MAC Tournament. Another award-winning Kent State performer this past season was senior forward Haminn Quaintance who topped the team in rebounding and blocked shots and will finish his career as the only player in NCAA history to accumulate over 1300 points, 850 rebounds, 250 blocks and 200 steals. Quaintance's 65 blocks on the season were more than the accumulated total turned in by two MAC squads this season, Ohio (61) and Ball State (47).
Jim Christian has been at the helm of the Kent State program since taking over in 2002-2003 and has led the team to a twenty-victory season every year at the helm. Christian, the 2008 MAC Coach of the Year, owns the MAC's all-time highest overall winning percentage of .708 and the second-best MAC only winning percentage (.731).
Kent State set a school record this past season with 25 regular season victories and made its first regular season appearance in the Top 25 after defeating 20th ranked St. Mary's in a BracketBuster contest on February 23. The Golden Flashes are making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Their best finish was an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2002.
Kent State NCAA Tournament History:
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Year
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Opponent
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Result
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1999
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Temple
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L 61-54
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2001
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Indiana
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W 77-73
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Cincinnati
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L 66-43
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2002
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Oklahoma State
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W 69-61
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Alabama
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W 71-58
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Pittsburgh
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W 78-73 (OT)
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|
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Indiana
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L 81-69
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2006
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Pittsburgh
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L 79-64
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UNLV RUNNIN' REBELS
OVERALL RECORD: 26-7
CONFERENCE: 12-4 (2nd, MWC)
PROBABLE STARTERS:
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F Corey Bailey
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6.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
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F Joe Darger
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11.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg
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G Wink Adams
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16.6 ppg, 3.0 apg
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G Rene Rougeau
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9.0 ppg, 1.4 apg
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G Curtis Terry
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11.2 ppg, 2.4 apg
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Coach: Lon Kruger (408-274; 90-41 in 4th season at UNLV)
 About The Rebels: UNLV earned its way into the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season by defeating Mountain West Conference regular season champion, 24th-ranked BYU 76-61 in the finals of the Mountain West Conference. The Runnin' Rebels finished second overall in the MWC during the regular season. UNLV enters the NCAA Tournament on a four-game winning streak and has won seven of its last eight games. The back-to-back MWC Tournament championships are the first consecutive conference titles since UNLV claimed three straight Big West Tournament titles from 1989-1991.
Junior guard Wink Adams paces the Runnin' Rebels attack, leading the team with an average of 16.6 points per game including a season and team-high 33-point effort against Wyoming on January 23. Adams also led UNLV in free throw shooting, averaging 84.1% form the charity stripe, which placed him second overall in the MWC. Adams has registered double figures in scoring in thirty games this season. Also registering among the conference leaders this season, guard Curtis Terry tops the MWC averaging 4.9 assists per game.
UNLV is operating with a ten-man roster after the loss of three players from the program during the season.
Head coach Lon Kruger, the 2008 MWC Coach of the Year, is in his fourth season at UNLV but has been a head coach in the collegiate ranks for 22 years and has experienced success at every stop. Besides his current success at UNLV, Kruger led Florida to a Final Four appearance; a Big Ten title with Illinois; and had an Elite Eight appearance at Kansas State. He has led three different schools to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament thus becoming only the fifth coach in history to do so and is one of only two coaches, joining Jim Harrick, to lead four schools to multiple NCAA Tournament bids.
This will be the 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament for UNLV which has compiled a 32-14 (.696) all-time record in the tournament, ranking fifth among all teams in tournament winning percentage. UNLV claimed the 1990 title and made a return trip to the Final Four the following season.
UNLV NCAA Tournament History:
|
Year
|
Opponent
|
Result
|
|
1975
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San Diego State
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W 90-80
|
|
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Arizona State
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L 84-81
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|
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Montana
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W 75-67
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1976
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Boise State
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W 103-78
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|
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Arizona
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L 114-109 (OT)
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1977
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San Francisco
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W 121-95
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Utah
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W 88-83
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Idaho State
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W 107-90
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North Carolina
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L 84-83
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|
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UNC-Charlotte
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W 106-94
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1983
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North Carolina State
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L 71-70
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1984
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Princeton
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W 68-56
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|
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UTEP
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W 73-60
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|
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Georgetown
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L 62-48
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`1985
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San Diego State
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W 85-60
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|
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Kentucky
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L 64-61
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1986
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NE Louisiana
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W 74-51
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|
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Maryland
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W 70-64
|
|
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Auburn
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L 70-63
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1987
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Idaho State
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W 95-70
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|
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Kansas State
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W 80-61
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|
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Wyoming
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W 92-78
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|
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Iowa
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W 84-81
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|
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Indiana
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L 97-93
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1988
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SW Missouri State
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W 54-50
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|
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Iowa
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L 104-86
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1989
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Idaho
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W 68-56
|
|
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DePaul
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W 85-70
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|
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Arizona
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W 68-67
|
|
|
Seton Hall
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L 84-61
|
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1990
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Arkansas-Little Rock
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W 102-72
|
|
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Ohio State
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W 76-65
|
|
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Ball State
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W 69-67
|
|
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Loyola Marymount
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W 131-101
|
|
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Georgia Tech
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W 90-81
|
|
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Duke
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W 103-73
|
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1991
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Montana
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W 99-65
|
|
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Georgetown
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W 62-54
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|
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Utah
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W 83-66
|
|
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Seton Hall
|
W 77-65
|
|
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Duke
|
L 79-77
|
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1998
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Princeton
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L 69-57
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2000
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Tulsa
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L 89-62
|
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2007
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Georgia Tech
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W 67-63
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|
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Wisconsin
|
W 74-68
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|
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Creighton
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L 76-72
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Tale of the Tape:
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Kent State
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UNLV
|
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Points Per Game
|
69.2
|
70.1
|
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Scoring Margin
|
+7.6
|
+8.0
|
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Field Goal Pct
|
.467
|
.423
|
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3PT FG Pct
|
.369
|
.335
|
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3PT FG Per Game
|
5.8
|
7.7
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Free Throw Pct
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.714
|
.744
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Rebounds Per Game
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33.3
|
34.8
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Rebound Margin
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+1.4
|
-1.6
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Assists Per Game
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14.0
|
14.8
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Turnovers Per Game
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14.6
|
10.6
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Assist/TO Ratio
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-.9
|
1.4
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Steals Per Game
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8.5
|
7.9
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Blocks Per Game
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3.9
|
3.0
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