CHICAGO -- Kent State shot 48 percent for the game to Illinois State's 40 percent, and that was pretty much the story. Mike Scott led the Flashes with 18 on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor and 7-for-9 from the line. Osiris Eldridge led ISU with 11 points but only shot 4-for-11. Anthony Slack had 10 points and nine boards but also six turnovers. Levi Dyer, the Redbird three-point specialist, was 0-for-4 from long range and the team was 7-for-24.

We're about 15 minutes from the tip in the championship game.

They're playing that Superman song over the PA. I can never think of that song without also thinking of the video of Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan dancing to it. You can probably find that on you tube if you want a laugh.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Kent State finished off Illinois State, 65-59. Without seeing a stat sheet, I'll guess that ISU shot worse and took care of the ball worse. The Redbirds had some moments, but the Flashes were more consistent and that's why they come away with the victory. I'll try to get some stats.

Indiana is taking the floor to warm up, wearing their usual candy striper pants. All they need is those little, paper nurses hats and their costumes would be complete.

Xavier has also entered the arena and started playing a game of hot potato.

Indiana was all Eric Gordon last night, and that's been the case all year. I'm not sure if Xavier has a guy who can check him all night, but I think it behooves the Hoosiers to get DJ White more involved. He was a cipher last night because his teammates ignored him, preferring to play one-on-one ball.

Xavier played well when it played hard last night, but that was only in spurts. The Musketeers will need a full 40-minute effort to stay with IU.

All of a sudden, a Wisconsin football game has broken out. The PA is now exhorting us to jump around. Apparently this crowd does not follow instructions well. We probably won't even have a decent wave.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Kent State used a 10-2 run to extend its lead back up to eight. The Flashes lead, 59-51, at the last TV timeout. ISU missed five straight shots during the KSU run, but did manage a couple of free throws.

The Flashes will have to finish without Rashad Woods, who fouled out with 10 points off the bench.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Some hot shooting, especially from the three-point line, has ISU right back in the game. The Redbirds had tied it at 47, but a couple of free throws by Chris Singletary put the Flashes back up 49-47 with about eight minutes left.

The crowd for the next game is starting to file in and they're getting into it a little.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- The Redbirds have picked up their defensive intensity and are creeping back in the game. Anthony Slack finished off a break with a monster slam to pull Illinois State within 38-34 at the first timeout.

At the half, ISU had nine turnovers to Kent State's seven. The most telling stat was shooting percentage, though, with Ken State at 52 percent and ISU only 42 percent.

Chris Singletary and Rashad Woods are having a good game off the bench for KSU with seven each.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Kent State finally got some shooting going and takes a nine point lead into the break, 33-24. The good news for ISU is that Osiris Eldridge finally found his shot in the final minutes of the half. He hit a jumper in the lane and then followed that with a three, so he has five at the half.

I'll have other halftime stats. Meanwhile, we have the sort-of synchronized floor cleaning crew entertaining us at the half.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Kent State is on a 7-0 run and now leads, 25-18. All of that came while Eldridge was on the bench for ISU. The Redbirds missed a couple of threes, but Mike Scott hit a long one for KSU and Rashad Woods hit a pretty, fade-away jumper in the lane.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- This has been a fast paced game, but a little too fast. Both teams have been pretty sloppy with the ball, although exact turnover counts aren't available, by my count, it's about eight each. Kent State still leads, 16-15, as the teams have traded baskets since Illinois State went up, 7-6. We're already at the eight-minute timeout, and Osiris Eldridge is still looking for his first hoop.

I'm a radio sandwich. The Xavier radio crew will be sitting to my right tonight.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Last night, Illinois State had its way inside with Indiana. Today, Kent State is taking it inside on them. Haminn Quaintance (the KSU radio guy next to me just calls him "Q" missed a dunk, but has two layups and two steals already and will be going to the line after the timeout.

KSU leads, 6-4, at the first break.

During timeouts, they blast music so loud that I can't hear the guy next to me. He leaned over and said that they are trying to make up for a lack of attendance by playing the music so loud. It doesn't work.

Al Fisher, who had a good game last night for the Flashes off the bench, started tonight.

Also, Jordan Mincy of Kent State is playing with his wrist heavily wrapped because of a sprain suffered against Longwood.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO - The consolation game of the Chicago Challenge tips off in about half an hour from the frozen tundra of the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Kent State, a 80-62 loser to Xavier last night, takes on Illinois State, which fell to Indiana, 70-57.

Both teams played better than those final scores indicated. Kent State hung tough until they had to play some desperation defense and Xavier ran away at the end.

Illinois State simply ran out of gas against the bigger, stronger Hoosiers with about five minutes left. I think ISU was the second best team here last night.

Each team has a guy capable of putting up big numbers on the scoreboard. Kent State's scoring leader is Mike Scott, who had a career high 20 last night, although he missed a free throw, breaking a streak of 21 consecutive makes.

ISU will be looking for Osiris Eldridge to bounce back off a tough night. He only shot 3-11 and finished with 8 points. Last night, Eric Gordon was guarding him, so tonight has to be easier. The Redbirds only shot 37% last night, but Indiana can do that to you.

Like last night, I'm sitting with the poor KSU radio guy, who is still trying to get his brand new, out-of-the-box, equipment to work. Like last night, it isn't, so it looks like another night of calling the game on the phone.

Unlike yesterday, this game will tip on time because the previous game between UNCW and Coppin St was a blowout (UNCW 78-57). I'm not sure of the final attendance for that one, but I believe everyone had their own security guard. In the first game here this morning, SEMO beat Longwood 82-78.

Looks like we might have another late arriving crowd. There are about 50 or so ISU fans here. Kent St only had a handful of supporters yesterday, although they were loud. No official attendance numbers were given yesterday, but our crack research staff is trying to get that info.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- All it took was a couple of back door cuts to put finally put Kent St away for good. Once Kent State went into desperation press mode, Xavier was able to get easy looks at the basket and finished off a 78-65 win. The Musketeers will play the winner of the Indiana vs. Illinois State game tomorrow night.

I'll be back with stats if I'm allowed to have any. Stat reporting has been pretty spotty on press row.

Late in the game, Stanley Burrell came running into our table on press row and messed up one of the seating assignment signs. Burrell cleaned up after himself though. He made sure to straighten it out before he went back onto the floor.

Someone call maintenance to replace the net at our end of the floor between games. Play has been stopped four times just since I got here because it keeps getting caught up on the rim after the ball goes through.

For our between game entertainment, we get "Ice, Ice, Baby" over the PA. That's appropriate, because it's freezing in here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Just when you think Kent St is done, they come back. Rodriguez Sherman, who sounds like he was named backwards, scored the last five points of a 7-0 run to cut the Xavier lead to six at the four-minute timeout.

It also appears I have overestimated the enthusiasm of Indiana fans for this event. The arena is maybe half full, and I would have guess at this point, the IU-ISU game is not going to be a sellout or even close.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Josh Duncan stepped aside to let someone else have some fun, and Derrick Brown has taken over again. Brown had a rim-rattling dunk and one as part of the latest Xavier run that has the Muskies up 13 with just under five to go.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- No. 16 Texas A&M has really looked strong in the first five minutes of the second half, and it looks as if Mark Turgeon's team was the one who made the necessary adjustments to go up by double digits.

Right now the Aggies lead, 44-30, at the 14:18-mark, and both teams are in a timeout. Ohio State's Kosta Koufos hasn't looked comfortable against A&M's huge frontline of 7-foot center DeAndre Jordan and 6-foot-9 forward Joseph Jones.

If the Buckeyes can't find some scoring on the interior, it could be a long second half for Thad Matta and company.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Josh Duncan is on a 7-0 run for Xavier and the lead is back up to nine. He hit a three in the corner, then drove to the hole for two and finally took a nice feed from Stanley Burrell and dunked it.

So far, Xavier is playing harder when Burrell is in the game.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Kent State did match Xavier's intensity, or more accurately, Xavier's intensity faded some, and the Flashes are back in it. At the 12 minute timeout, its 46-43 Muskies. Kent State had a 7-0 run started by Mike Scott hitting two free throws and then beating the Xavier defense back for a layup.

Xavier started getting sloppy with the ball and shot selection, but once Stanley Burrell came back in, they settled down.

We're starting to see some folks in the upper deck here as the Indiana fans continue to stream in. There has been no Eric Gordon sighting yet, though. I'm sure we'll hear it when there is.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Derrick Brown has six points early in the second half, including an electrifying drive and dunk, to pace Xavier to a 39-32 lead with 17:25 left. The Muskies have stepped up the intensity a notch to start the second half, and the Flashes better match it soon, or they'll get blown out of here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Xavier leads Kent State, 31-30, at the half in a pretty hard-fought game. This has more of a football feel to it, which I suppose is pretty appropriate since these schools are from Ohio.

It's cold in the arena, and it's not just the shooting. Kent is actually shooting worse than Xavier is. The Musketeers are 11-23 from the floor, while the Flashes are 10-29. Kent is staying in it by crashing the offensive glass. They are outrebounding Xavier, 19-14, and have eight offensive rebounds.

Josh Duncan has 10 points to lead Xavier, and Mike Scott has matched that for Kent.

Indiana fans are starting to file in, but the place is still pretty empty, which is surprising. IU fans are usually an early arriving crowd. Maybe they got caught in shopping traffic. We're not far from Woodfield Mall, which is the largest in the Chicago area.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- At the four-minute timeout, Kent St leads by two, and Xavier has to be happy that its that close. It's been a frustrating shooting half for Xavier, although that is anecdotal. We don't have any sort of live stats here.

I can tell you that the Flashes have 15 of their 26 points off the bench, and their leading scorer, Mike Scott has 8 of the 11 contributed by the starters.

If Xavier ever gets its shots to start falling, they can run away from Kent.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- Al Fisher came off the bench to spark a Kent State rally, and the Flashes lead, 17-15, at the second timeout. Fisher has eight of Kent State's points.

At the other end, Kent is still having trouble closing off the middle, but the shots aren't always falling for Xavier.

Foul trouble could become an issue. Kent State already has six team fouls with 12 minutes left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- At the first timeout, Xavier leads 8-6 thanks to some good play inside. When they are patient enough, they have been able to get good looks down low.

The Kent St radio guy is still having trouble. He's calling the game on the phone, but has been kicked off the air once already.

As exciting as this game us, much of press row is following the LSU-Arkansas football game. There are a lot of Ohio folks here who have an interest in that game because it could help the Buckeyes.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- After Derrick Brown missed two FTs, Xavier scored on its next two possessions for an early 4-0 lead. The Muskies have been tough on D also, forcing a shot clock violation. Kent already used a timeout to stop the bleeding.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHICAGO -- We're about 30 minutes or so from tip off of the first game of the evening session in the Chicago Challenge between Xavier and Kent St, provided the first game ever ends. Coppin State and SE Missouri State are about to go to their second overtime.

Continue reading "Xavier-Kent St Pregame" »

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)