Rivalries
Kent State's main rivalry is with the Akron Zips, who are located just 14 miles from Kent. The rivalry includes other sports within the MAC, most prominently in football, but has been most competitive between the schools' men's basketball squads in recent years. Games at campus sites usually sell out due to the schools' close proximity with each other and the stakes attached to each game. During the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons the two teams faced each other three times each season—including back-to-back conference tournaments—with Akron winning all three meetings in 2007 and Kent State taking all three in 2008. The Zips eliminated the Flashes from the 2007 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament with a 61–54 semifinal win in Cleveland and Kent State routed the Zips 74–55 in the 2008 MAC Championship game in Cleveland to gain an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament bracket after narrowly taking both meetings in the regular season. In 2009, a 67–63 Kent State win at the MAC Center on March 9 prevented Akron from winning its first-ever MAC regular season title. In 2010, the teams played each other in a nationally-televised game at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron to conclude the season with each team coming into the game with 12–3 conference records and tied for first place in the MAC East Division and overall MAC standings. Kent State defeated the Zips 74–61 to claim the overall MAC title and top seed in the 2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament. The Flashes repeated the feat the following season, defeating the Zips March 4, 2011 at the MAC Center 79-68 in a nationally televised game to clinch the overall MAC regular season title and top seed in the tournament.
Read more about this topic: Kent State Golden Flashes Men's Basketball