KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Four of the next five games for the Western Michigan men's basketball team are on the road, beginning on Tuesday night with a trip to Kent State.Tip-off between the Broncos and Golden Flashes is set for 7 pm, and the game will  be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-14, 0-7 MAC) at Kent State (9-9, 4-4 MAC)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 25 – 7 pm

Site: M.A.C. Center (Kent, Ohio)

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Video: ESPN3

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan begins a stretch of four of its next five games on the road on Tuesday night with a visit to Kent State.  
• The Broncos are coming off of an 82-75 loss to Bowling Green on Saturday.
• Lamar Norman Jr. led WMU in scoring for the 13th time this season with 20 points.
• It was the eighth game with 20 or more points for Norman this season, and it also extended his double-digit scoring streak to 15 consecutive games. 
• Mileek McMillan netted 15 points for WMU, his highest output as a Bronco.
• Markeese Hastings nearly had a double-double with nine points and 13 boards. 
• Tuesday's contest is slated to be the 125th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Kent State, with the Golden Flashes holding a 66-58 edge in the series.
• Kent State swept last season's series and has won five of the last six meetings.
• The Broncos are 17-41 at KSU, with their last win in Kent coming on Jan. 23, 2014.

LONG AND WINDING ROAD
Four of Western Michigan's next five games are slated to be on the road, starting with Tuesday night's visit to Kent State. 

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan is coming off of an 82-75 setback against Bowling Green on Saturday. Lamar Norman Jr. led the Broncos in scoring for the 13th time this season, netting 20 points, while Mileek McMillan added a season-high 15. WMU grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in the contest, helping lead to season highs in both total field goal attempts (73) and three-point attempts (33). The 33 three-point attempts were two shy of the single-game program record. 

PROTECTING THE ROCK
Western Michigan was a season-best plus-five in turnover margin on Saturday, forcing BGSU into 13 miscues, while only turning it over eight times. The eight turnovers tied a season low for the Broncos, and it was the second time in the last three games WMU has kept its turnover total in single-digits.

WMU VS KENT STATE
Tuesday's contest marks the 125th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Kent State, with the Golden Flashes holding a 66-58 edge in the series. Kent State swept WMU last season and has won of the five last six meetings. The Broncos are 17-41 all-time at KSU, with the last road victory over the Golden Flashes coming on Jan. 23, 2014.

WHEN LAST WE MET
Back on Feb. 16, 2021, the Broncos led for more than 28 minutes, but ultimately fell to Kent State, 76-69, at University Arena. B. Artis White tied his career high with 20 points in the contest, while Greg Lee chipped in 19.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State enters Tuesday's contest at an even 4-4 in league play, having lost at Buffalo on Friday in its most recent contest. Sincere Carry leads KSU in scoring at 17.3 points per game, which ranks fifth in the MAC. During conference play, the Duquesne transfer is averaging 20.1 points per contest, fourth-highest in the league. 

SCORIN' NORMAN
Western Michigan newcomer Lamar Norman Jr. ranks second in the MAC at 19.4 points per game, and sits atop the conference in league play at 21.7 points per contest. With his 20 points on Saturday, the junior extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 15 in a row. Norman is the only player in the league to have multiple 30-point games and has eight 20-point efforts, second-most in the conference. He currently leads the league and ranks 11th in the country with 3.4 made three-pointers per game. 

MAKING HIS MARK
Fellow newcomer Markeese Hastings ranks in the top-10 of the conference in several categories as well, including rebounding (2nd, 8.3), offensive rebounding (3rd, 3.3), defensive rebounding (6th, 5.0) and field goal percentage (7th, .508). In MAC play, Hastings is second in the conference at 10.3 rebounds per game and his 18 rebounds at Toledo on Dec. 29 remains the highest single-game total by a MAC player this season.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Transfers Lamar Norman Jr. (Duquesne) and Markeese Hastings (Butler) have been among the most impactful transfers in all of Division I, as the duo represents two of the 13 DI transfers who have increased their scoring averages by 8.0 points or more from last season. Norman has increased his scoring average by 14.4 points per game (5.0 to 19.4), while Hastings has jumped 8.3 points (0.5 to 8.8). Norman's 14.4 PPG increase is the highest among all DI transfers. 

CHASING 1500
After scoring 10 points on Saturday, Western Michigan senior guard Mack Smith sits on 1483 career points, 17 shy of 1500. The Eastern Illinois transfer is currently 86th on the NCAA DI active scoring leaders list.

347 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 347 straight games dating back to 2011. 

ON THE HORIZON
WMU continues its road swing on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Ball State.