Friday, March 14th, 9:20 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Quicken Loans Arena (20,562) -- Cleveland, Ohio. Television: FSN-Ohio. Home Record: Miami-OH 9-3, KSU 16-0. Away Record: Miami- OH 4-10, KSU 8-5. Neutral Record: Miami-OH 4-1, KSU 2-1. Conference Record: Miami-OH 9-7, KSU 13-3. Series Record: Miami-Ohio leads, 81-40.

GAME NOTES: The last two Mid-American Conference Tournament champions will collide in semifinal action this evening, as the top-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes will battle the fifth-seeded Miami-Ohio RedHawks at Quicken Loans Arena. The defending MAC tournament champions, the Miami-OH RedHawks, collected an impressive 74-61 victory over Ohio yesterday in quarterfinal round play. Miami opened the tournament with a tougher matchup against Buffalo, as the team defeated the Bulls by a mere one-point margin. The RedHawks have a solid 33-22 ledger in the MAC tournament and have won the title four times, including last season's championship. As for the Golden Flashes, they represented the top seed with honor, as they destroyed the Toledo Rockets, 77-57. Kent State, which won the title in 2006, has also claimed four MAC titles and currently has a solid 26-21 record all-time in this postseason tournament. The winner of this matchup will fight for the MAC championship against either Akron or Western Michigan. With respects to the all-time series on the hardwood, the RedHawks have a commanding, 81-40 edge over Kent State. However, despite the large deficit, the Golden Flashes won both matchups this season.

Miami's 74-61 victory over Ohio yesterday can be attributed to the team's tremendous efforts at the defensive end of the floor. The RedHawks, who are surrendering just 60.9 ppg on the year, limited Ohio to a mere 37.9 percent shooting effort from the field, and the included an equally terrible 8-of-26 clip from long range. Miami also did a tremendous job on the glass, outrebounding Ohio by a 42-31 margin. At the other end of the court the RedHawks leaned on Michael Bramos, who scored 23 points in the win. Bramos has been sensational for the entire season, and is currently pacing Miami-OH with 16.7 ppg and 41 blocks. Kenny Hayes (12.5 ppg) added 12 points, while Tyler Dierkers posted 11 points and 13 rebounds. Surprisingly, Tim Pollitz had a horrendous contest, netting just 2-of-11 attempts from the field, finishing the game with just four points and six rebounds. However, despite the poor showing, Pollitz is still averaging 15.7 ppg and a team-best 7.0 rpg.

Kent State absolutely dominated Toledo at both ends of the floor en route to the 20-point victory. The Golden Flashes shot a stellar 56.6 percent from the floor in the contest, and also made 9-of-20 three-point attempts. KSU won the battle on the glass, 34-21 and also dominated Toledo in the paint, outscoring the Rockets down low by a 38-24 margin. The Flashes also posted 23 points off 17 Toledo turnovers, and the reserves for KSU also outscored the Rockets' bench by a 19-point margin. Mike Scott, who is averaging 13.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg, led the way with 23 points in the victory and also grabbed five rebounds. Rashad Woods added 11 points off the bench, while Chris Singletary and Al Fisher both tallied 10 points apiece. Fisher has been the top option for KSU all year, and heads into this matchup producing 14.2 ppg, while also leading the team with 133 assists. As a team, Kent State is averaging a mediocre 69.7 ppg, but more important the Flashes are only surrendering 62.2 ppg.

This will be a tightly contested battle from start to finish, as both teams take pride in their defensive performances. However, one team will have to pack it in, and unfortunately it looks like Miami-Ohio's reign atop of the MAC will come to an end.

Predicted Outcome

Kent State 72, Miami-Ohio 63