Kent State upends Akron to earn NCAA bid
CLEVELAND — Kent State is back in the dance after nine years.
The Golden Flashes rode the play of Jimmy Hall and Jaylin Walker to a 70-65 upset of No. 1 seed Akron in the Mid-American Conference tournament final Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
No. 6-seed Kent State won “the backyard brawl” — the schools are 8 miles apart — and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s not going to sink in until I lay down and start thinking about it, man,” Walker said. “Your dreams really do come true.”
Walker scored 30 points, including two key free throws with 11 seconds left, to help keep Akron at bay and was named the tournament most valuable player.
Hall scored 19, going 9 of 12 from the field, but it was the forward’s tough play inside against Akron’s Isaiah Johnson that stood out more. Johnson led the Zips with 24 points, but at critical moments in the last five minutes he had to deal with Hall, who held him at bay.
“He’s a great player, and I’ve got a lot of pride in myself,” Hall said. “It was mano y mano, and just see who comes out on top.”
Jimond Ivey gave the Zips a shooter’s chance in the last 11 seconds. The second of his two three-pointers in that span cut Kent State’s lead to 68-65. But the Flashes’ Jalen Avery made two free throws with six seconds left to secure the win, and when Johnson fell trying to get off a last shot for Akron, the ball flying short and into the hands of Hall, the Flashes celebrated.
Their last trip to the NCAA Tournament came in 2008 when they also beat Akron in the MAC final. Their last good chance to get back came in 2011 when the lost in the MAC final, again to Akron.
Akron likely won’t be going into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large invite despite its 26-8 record. That’s because the Zips fall short on strength of schedule, probably leaving the MAC with just one participant, as usual.
“If you want to get multiple teams in, you’ve got to build the resumes,” MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said during an informal discussion with several media members before the game. “It’s who you play and who you beat. … We’ve got to move that needle up.”
Akron coach Keith Dambrot understands.
“I'm a big boy, I can take it, but I really feel bad for all the work our guys put in because, you know, we just can't go to the big dance, and it comes down to you can play great for 32 games or win the regular season, you just can't do it,” Dambrot said. “So we bit the bullet, they made all the plays in the last eight minutes, we didn't, and just feel bad for our kids.”