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EDITOR’S NOTE: J. Scott Fitzwater authors the weekly MAC Power Check for MRO and has been at Quicken Loans Arena covering quarter-final and semi-final games this week. In addition to his Twitter updates, he offers this preview of tonight’s final.
It's a game many have been waiting for – a repeat of the 2008 finals. The Kent State Golden Flashes and the Akron Zips will renew their rivalry Saturday, with a MAC tournament championship and a bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.
Unlike three years ago, these teams are evenly-matched. In two regular-season games, the home teams won: Akron at the JAR, 65-62, Jan. 8, and Kent at the M.A.C. Center, 79-68, Mar. 4.
There's not much to rehash. Akron likes to shoot the three and work the inside-out game. Kent operates through Justin Greene, who has scored 36 points and secured 22 rebounds in the two games so far in the tournament. Brett McClanahan leads the Zips in scoring at The Q with 34 points in Cleveland.
FORD - FOCUS IS ON THE PRIZE
While the fans are excited about the meeting of archrivals, KSU head coach Geno Ford said the team opposite them doesn't make much of a difference.
“For the players, the focus is to try and get into the NCAA tournament,” he said.
The Zips' primary offensive strength is their balance. McClanahan, Brett McKnight, Steve McNees, Darryl Roberts, Zeke Marshall, and Nikola Cvetinovic all score at least 8 points a game, and all are capable of putting the team on their back. Reserve Quincy Diggs scored 20 in yesterday's win over Western Michigan, and McClanahan scored 20 to lead them Thursday against Miami.
KSU EXPECTS SOME ZONE
The Flashes are usually led by Greene and Rodriquez Sherman, with Carlton Guyton and Michael Porrini occasionally erupting. Ford said he expects Akron to play some zone tonight, as they've struggled against the zone in their first two meetings this year.
Both coaches said the teams are so similar and so familiar with one another that whoever plays better will win. Both teams turned in better performances yesterday than in Thursday's quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see if the Flashes continue to push the ball at every transition opportunity. Ball State did a much better job than Buffalo at preventing fast break points, but KSU kept pushing.
Akron doesn't have all-around guards like Porrini and Sherman, but they have more bigs to throw at Greene. Can Alex Abreu and McNees shake off bad performances this week? They need to.
KENT INSIDE GAME VERSUS AKRON PERIMETER STRENGTH?
Ultimately, it will be a matter of execution. Kent will likely be the better team inside. Greene will be the best forward on the floor, and Kent's guards like to penetrate. Akron will take more threes and get more points from the outside. Neither team is fantastic at rebounding, though KSU has been a little bit better at it this week. It could come down to free throw shooting. Akron survived Miami because they shot better at the line but struggled yesterday against Western Michigan. KSU didn't put BSU away as quickly as they could have because they shot 58.8% in the second half.
It should be a close, exciting affair.
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