As mid-major fans, I assume everyone here had Butler and VCU in your final four...

Well, at least one guy did but it wasn't me. Take a look at who he likes to win it all.

ESPN Tournament Challenge

The Darrell Hazell Era got underway Tuesday morning when Kent State opened 2011 spring drills with an a.m. session in the Fieldhouse.

Click the link below for photos from the practice.

Photo Gallery

Good for him and good for the Golden Flashes program! Nothing like the pride you feel for him, is there? Nothing like the sport of wrestling when you have a personal stake, a vested interest in the outcome of a matchup, and nothing like a win over an undefeated opponent in the National Final to boot!

Can any of you help me? Do any of you have the ESPN program for the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Finals recorded in a manner where you can provide a copy on DVD? I had this on my DVR, dumped it to DVD, and deleted the program before I had finalized my disc. The 'finalize' failed, and suddenly I am without options.

If you can help, please email me at steadyed21@hotmail.com. I am willing to compensate for your efforts. Thanks!

Sophomore southpaw Andrew Chafin was just about perfect against Toledo today.

Complete game shutout, 88 strikes on 113 pitches, 15 strikeouts, no walks, threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 30 batters he faced.

His fastball and slider were about as crisp as ever. Coach Stricklin said after the game he knew Toledo would be swinging early to stay away from that slider in two-strike situations.

The game only took two hours and eight minutes because Toledo starter Mike Hamann was great as well.

KSU could only muster a run in the bottom of the seventh on a Cody Koch sac fly to deep right.

How's this for a day?

5-for-5 at the plate; 4 runs scored, 5 RBI, 2 walks, 2 homers.

That's what Ben Klafczynski did in Kent State's 22-2 win over Xavier today.

This post was edited on 3/23 8:13 PM by stevehare Rivals

Full Box score

Follow along as Kent State plays at Fairfield on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in a second round NIT game.

KSR's Ryan Lewis will provide the updates.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Kent State suffered an extra inning loss for the third game in a row Friday at the South Florida Invitational in a 10-9 nine-inning setback to Boston University. The Terriers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to end the back-and-forth battle. Later in the evening No. 20 Oklahoma State topped the Golden Flashes 8-0.

The Terriers rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead, but the Flashes responded in the top of the seventh. Freshman Alex Marcantonio reached on an error and Jess Carmichael launched a two-run homer to give KSU its lead back.

Boston came right back with a run of their own in the seventh with a leadoff double followed by an infield error to score the tying run. Each team took advantage of its runner placed on second in the eighth, scoring one run in the frame. Marcantonio singled to left to give the Flashes their third lead of the game at 8-7.

KSU regained the lead once more in the ninth on an RBI single up the middle by freshman Abbey Ledford. The Terriers then took advantage of two walks in the bottom of the ninth and another infield error, which led to the winning run.

Carmichael went 2-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBI. Sophomore Lauren Grimes went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

Sophomore Danielle Abernathy started the game, was replaced by Markie Pozzuto and came back in for Pozzuto.

Pozzuto and Maleeya Coleman kept the Flashes within striking distance of Oklahoma State for four innings. However. the Cowgirls scored three runs in the top of the fifth and two in the sixth to extend the lead to 8-0.

Grimes recorded her fourth hit of the day against OSU.

Kent State redshirt junior 197-pounder Dustin Kilgore has advanced to the final round of the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Tournament.

He is the first Kent State wrestler to reach the finals since 1942 and only the third ever to make the championship bout. If he wins, he'll become Kent State's first national champion.

Here are a couple of links to check out to prepare yourself for tonight's finals:

Kilgore breaks KSU wins record
Before reaching the finals, Kilgore set a new Kent State career wins record, and he has another full season to add to it.

Kilgore to wrestle for national title
A recap of Kilgore's semifinals match against top seed Cam Simaz of Cornell along with some quotes from head coach Jimmy Andrassy.

Tale of the Tape: Kilgore vs. Foster
A breakdown of tonight's championship bout between Kilgore and Oklahoma State's undefeated senior, Clayton Foster.

2011 NCAA Brackets
Official brackets of the NCAA Tournament. Follow Kilgore's path to the championship round.

Live VideoStream
Can't be in front of your tv? Follow the live video stream online.

Dustin Kilgore match-by-match
A match-by-match listing of Kilgore's 2010-11 season.

2011 Team Scores
Kent State currently sits in 19th place with 31.0 points.

And, click the link below to follow along via Twitter during tonight's championship bout.

This post was edited on 3/19 9:04 AM by stevehare Rivals

KSR on Twitter

I'll be updating Twitter periodically throughout the NCAA tournament.

Click the link below for the KSR Twitter feed.

KSR on Twitter

The Sun Dome at USF is about to get a $30 million renovation to go along with the construction of the Muma Center (see link). This can only help Heath in recruiting at South Florida.

BullsVision: Pam and Les Muma Center Update

CLEVELAND - The Ohio Bobcats and the Ball State Cardinals have been selected to win their respective divisions in the 2010-11 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll. The poll was announced during the league's preseason media teleconference and was determined by a 24-member MAC News Media Panel. The Bobcats also garnered 10 votes to win the FirstEnergy MAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Ten of the league's top men's basketball players were also selected to the preseason All-MAC teams for the East and West Divisions as announced by the league office.

Ohio Head Coach John Groce will welcome back eight letterwinners, including three starters to a team that had a historic season in 2009-10. The Bobcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 and third time in the last 20 years. The 13-seeded Bobcats faced 4-seeded Georgetown and knocked off the Hoyas, 97-83. It was Ohio's first win against a nationally-ranked program since 1998 and advanced them into the NCAA Second Round for the first time since 1983.

Last season, the 'Cats finished with fourth-most wins in school history (22), led the league in scoring by averaging 74.7 points per game and had five players average 10.5 points or more for their 2009-10 campaigns. Cooper, the MAC Freshman of the Year last season and member of the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Freshmen All-America Team, is back for his sophomore season in Athens. The Chicago native averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals against the Hoyas and Tennessee Volunteers in the NCAA Tournament last year.

The Bobcats were followed in the East Division preseason predictions by Kent State, while Akron was picked to finish third. Miami was tabbed to finish fourth, while Bowling Green and Buffalo rounded out this year's selections.

Ball State finished tied for second in the MAC West Division last season after posting an overall record of 15-15 (8-8 MAC). The Cardinals return nine letterwinners from last year's team, including four full-time starters and five players who started at least 11 games last year. The Cardinals are led by four-year letterwinner and lone senior Malik Perry, who has played in 85 career games. Ball State has a core group of four juniors in Jarrod Jones, Randy Davis, Pierre Sneed and Mo Hubbard who have played a combined 228 games, including 136 starts in their first two seasons. Jones earned First Team All-MAC honors last year as he averaged 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds last year.

Central Michigan followed Ball State in the preseason rankings in second, while Eastern Michigan was selected to finish third. Western Michigan was picked to place fourth, while Northern Illinois and Toledo rounded out the West Division selections.

The West Division preseason All-MAC representatives are Ball State’s Jones, Brandon Bowdry of Eastern Michigan, Xavier Silas of Northern Illinois, Flenard Whitfield of Western Michigan and Trey Zeigler of Central Michigan. This marks the second consecutive season that Bowdry and Jones have been selected to the All-MAC preseason squad.

The East Division squad is comprised of Akron’s Brett McKnight, Bowling Green’s Scott Thomas, Kent State’s Justin Greene, Miami’s Julian Mavunga and Ohio’s Cooper. All five East Division preseason All-MAC selections were either on the All-MAC second team (Greene) or honorable mention (McKnight, Thomas, Mavunga, Cooper) selections last season.

The MAC regular season gets underway on Wednesday, November 10 as Toledo travels to Champaign, Ill. to take on Illinois at 8 p.m. (ESPN3.com). Conference action begins on Saturday, January 8 as all teams will start to fight for position in the FirstEnergy Men's Basketball Tournament that will take place on March 10-12 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

2010-2011 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams/Predicted Order of Finish

East Division Preseason All-MAC Team
Brett McKnight, F, Akron
Scott Thomas, F, Bowling Green
Justin Greene, F, Kent State
Julian Mavunga, F, Miami
D.J. Cooper, G, Ohio

West Division Preseason All-MAC Team
Jarrod Jones, F/C, Ball State
Trey Zeigler, G, Central Michigan
Brandon Bowdry, F, Eastern Michigan
Xavier Silas, G, Northern Illinois
Flenard Whitfield, F, Western Michigan


East Division Predicted Order of Finish

1. Ohio ? 128 points (12)
2. Kent State ? 114 points (8)
3. Akron ? 104 points (4)
4. Miami ? 84 points
5. Bowling Green ? 42 points
6. Buffalo ? 32 points

West Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Ball State ? 124 points (12)
2. Central Michigan ? 122 points (8)
3. Eastern Michigan ? 88 points (2)
4. Western Michigan ? 68 points
5. Northern Illinois ? 64 points (2)
6. Toledo ? 38 points

(1st place votes in parentheses)

Tournament Champion: Ohio (10), Kent State (6), Central Michigan (4), Ball State (2), Akron (2)

Since McEntee is not getting much playing time at UConn, perhaps Hazell can convince him to transfer to Kent. See the link below.

UConn's backup QB is a master of accuracy

After losing badly at Buffalo, the Flashes defeat Miami at home 78-57 to extend their record to 12-7 and 3-2 in the MAC. Kent now has to go back on the road and play a good Ball State team that is currently 13-4 and 5-0 in the conference. With 11 more games to play in the regular season, the Flashes will need to string some wins together to build momentum going into the MAC tournament. However, Kent will have to bring its A-game if it is going to win at Ball State.

Go Flashes!!!

Kent State looks to be the favorite, but their are many teams that can contend.

Checking in on MAC-Current Standings

And say congratulations on the new coach!

As a WVU graduate it was an interesting coaching search as two of the coaches who were rumored to be in contention (Jeff Mullen and Curt Cignetti) and the eventual hire all have WVU connections. Darrell Hazell coached WVU's all-time leading rusher, Avon Couborne.

I hope he wins a ton of games for you guys!

Indications are the University of Massachusetts will announce its intention to move from the Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision, joining Temple as a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference, perhaps as early as next month.

UMass would need to go through a two-year transition period before it could be officially admitted to the MAC for the 2013 season.

Thoughts?

UMass expected to join MAC

If you have HBO, you should check out the new documentary on legendary Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi. Even if you are too young to remember Lombardi, it's still worth watching. In the preview, you will see Jerry Kramer discuss how Lombardi motivated him to become an All-Pro guard. I once shook hands with Kramer and got his autograph at a book signing at Lazarus department store in Columbus back in the late 60s. Like so many fans, I idolized the Packers and Lombardi. When Vince died, I felt that the world lost one hell of a man. I don't believe there will ever be another coach quite like him again.

HBO Sports Documentary: Lombardi Preview (HBO)

Looks like he might be your man. Congrats, he's a great recruiter and a decent coach. I think he'll do a good job for you guys if it really is him.

I hardly ever watch the NFL anymore but did see Troy Smith blow up on the sideline yesterday after he threw an interception. From the video below, you can see Smith mouth the words, "I am not perfect!," during the heated exchange with Mike Singletary after the interception. The 49ers lost the playoff game and later fired Singletary who issued the following statement:

"One of the greatest experiences of my life was having the opportunity to coach the San Francisco 49ers. What made it so special were the players. They were some of the most outstanding men I have ever been around in my life. The coaches were truly professionals. I wish the 49ers nothing but the best. I am thankful to the York family for having given me the opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL. I am indebted to them for that. I am also thankful for the Faithful fans, I am just sorry I couldn't give them more."

I personally have tremendous respect for Mike Singletary. Despite his losing record as a head coach, I will always look up to him and view him as a role model that others should follow. On the other hand, I'm disappointed in the actions of Troy Smith and wonder if he is a product of society in which he lives in today. I remember a time when you never saw players shout back at their coaches. Things sure have changed over the years. Perhaps Mike is better off not coaching anymore. Maybe Smith will have better luck with his new coach. But until he learns to control his emotions, I don't believe he will make it as an NFL quarterback.

OT- Troy Smith Sideline Blow up with Singletary

Who is it? any clues?

Who all is in the running?

I know our (WVU) OC Jeff Mullen has interviewed.

As one of the major posters of the KentSportsReport, I would like to welcome you and hope you enjoy your stay at the Nielsen's Nest.

As KSR members know, most of our activity is in The Flash Point, which is the premium forum, but if you are not a KSR member you don't know what you're missing.

Steve Hare, publisher/recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and founder of the KentSportsReport, brings you the latest news regarding the head coaching position and keeps you informed with every single football commitment, as well as the basketball commitments, too.

The KSR membership will undoubtedly grow throughout this coaching search but if you are not a member, you have no idea what you are missing. The KSR gives you information that you will not find anywhere else.... and lots of it.

If you are not a member, give membership a try today. It's only $9.95 a month, or $99.95 a year. You won't regret it!

interviews? even speculation?

We're possibly moving back to the area in a few months. What is the tailgating atmosphere like at Kent State? Who do you think will be the next head football coach?

Kent State is at the Body Bar Invitational at Cornell today.

Here's a look at the early matches:

Preliminaries

125
Nicholas Bedelyon (Kent State) dec. Joe Roth (CMU), 3-0
Steve Mitcheff (KSU) maj. dec. Dominick Giacolone (Ithaca), 15-2

133
Tyler Small (Kent State) fall Brett Hernandez-Henderson (Cornell), 4:48

141
Chase Skonieczny (KSU) dec. Junior Amazan (Ithaca), 6-0

149
Donnie Corby (CMU) dec. Marcel Clopton (Kent State), 4-1
Ryan Dunphy (Cornell) dec. Tommy Sasfy (Kent State), 4-3

157
Zack Cline (CMU) dec. Thaddeus Keklak (Kent State), 4-2
Jesse Shanaman (Cornell) dec. Sli Bostelman (Kent State), 4-0

165
Ross Tice (KSU) maj. dec. Cody Hutchenson (Cornell), 9-1

174
Mack Lewnes (Cornell) fall Brandon Johnson (KSU), 3:15

184
Casey Newburg (KSU) maj. dec. Wil Brown (USMA), 11-3
Keith Witt (KSU) fall Jacob Bachman (LHUP), 4:23
Christopher Estep (KSU) dec. Pete Mesko (Corn), 8-6

197
Ryan Buckner (KSU) dec. Hank Penree (Ith), 5-1
Cory Reed (Bing) dec. Joe Tymosuzuk (KSU), 2-1
Dustin Kilgore (KSU) tech. fall. Clint Podish (CUP), 19-2; 3:56

285
Brendon Barlow (KSU) maj. dec. Jon Max Wright (Drex), 17-5