KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team begins Mid-American Conference play with a pair of road games this week, starting Tuesday night at preseason conference favorite Kent State. 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-9, 0-0 MAC) at Kent State (10-3, 0-0 MAC)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 3 – 7 pm

Site: M.A.C. Center (Kent, Ohio)

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: SIDEARM

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan begins its Mid-American conference schedule on Tuesday night as it visits Kent State. 
• WMU has won its conference opener in three of the last five seasons. 
• The Broncos are coming off of a 76-66 loss at #15 Wisconsin on Dec. 30 to round out their non-conference slate. 
• Tray Maddox Jr. led Western Michigan with 16 points in the contest, while Lamar Norman Jr. added 12 points. 
• The Broncos won the rebounding battle for the fifth straight game, as they outrebounded the Badgers, 32-28.
• Western Michigan leads the MAC in both rebounding margin (+9.6) and offensive rebounding (12.8) this season. 
• Kent State holds a 67-58 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams.
• The Golden Flashes won last year's lone meeting at the M.A.C. Center.
• With last season's victory, Kent State has won six of the last seven meetings. 

LET THE #MACTION BEGIN
Western Michigan opens Mid-American Conference play with a pair of road games this week, starting on Tuesday night with a trip to Kent, Ohio, to face Kent State. 

FOR OPENERS
The Broncos have won their MAC opener in three of the last five seasons, but Western Michigan has lost its first conference road game in each of the last four seasons.  

LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan dropped a 76-66 decision at #15 Wisconsin on Friday night to wrap up non-conference play. Tray Maddox Jr. led the Broncos with 16 points, while Lamar Norman Jr. added 12. WMU won the rebounding battle for the fifth straight game, as it edged the Badgers on the glass, 32-28. 

CRASHING THE BOARDS
By winning the rebounding battle at Wisconsin on Friday, Western Michigan has had the edge on the glass in five straight games and 10 of 13 overall this season. The Broncos currently sit atop the MAC in rebounding margin (+9.6) and offensive rebounding (12.8). WMU is also second in the league in overall rebounding at 38.8 per game.

WMU VS KENT STATE
Tuesday's contest marks the 126th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Kent State, with the Golden Flashes holding a 67-58 edge in the series. Kent State won the lone meeting between the two teams last season, 75-64, on Jan. 25, 2022, at the M.A.C. Center. The Broncos are 17-42 all-time at KSU, with the last road victory over the Golden Flashes coming on Jan. 23, 2014. 

WHEN LAST WE MET
In last season's meeting between the two teams, KSU got out to a fast start and led by as many as 20 in the first half. Western Michigan rallied after halftime, getting as close as six in the final minutes before Kent State slammed the door. Five players scored in double-figures for KSU, while Lamar Norman Jr. had a game-high 22 points for the Broncos. Markeese Hastings added 14 points and 14 rebounds for WMU.

DUQUESNE DUEL
WMU's Lamar Norman Jr. will be facing former teammate Sincere Carry for the second time since the duo transferred from Duquesne after the 2020-21 season. Each leads his respective team in scoring, with Norman (17.8 PPG) ranking seventh in the MAC and Carry (16.9 PPG) ranking eighth. In last season's meeting, Norman scored 22 points, while Carry tallied 14 in the KSU win. 

MAKING HIS MARK
Markeese Hastings has been a key part of WMU's success on the glass, as he has reeled in double-digit rebounds seven times this season, second-most in the conference. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native's 18 rebounds against Siena Heights tied his career high, and marked the largest single-game total by a MAC player this season. Hastings currently ranks in the top-5 in the league in total rebounds (3rd, 9.2), defensive rebounds (2nd, 6.3) and offensive rebounds (4th, 2.9).

SCORIN' NORMAN
Lamar Norman Jr. tallied 12 points at Wisconsin on Friday, marking the 39th time in 42 games as a Bronco he has reached double-figures. The senior has led Western Michigan in scoring 33 times during his tenure in the Brown & Gold, including eight times this season. He currently ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring at 17.8 points per game.  

LONG-RANGE LAMAR
Lamar Norman Jr. sits atop the MAC with an average of 3.5 made three's per game this season, and has made 42 total, second-most in the conference. The senior's 3.5 made three-pointers per game rank 10th in the nation, and his 42 total triples are 29th.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
WMU's defense has made great strides from last season when it allowed 75.1 points per game. This year's Broncos have yielded nearly seven points fewer per game (68.2), the fourth-best mark in the conference. 

373 AND COUNTING
After hitting 12 triples on Friday at Wisconsin, WMU has made at least one in 373 straight games dating back to 2011. 

HALFTIME LEADS TURN INTO W'S
The Broncos own a 53-20 record over the last five seasons when leading at halftime.

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan concludes its three-game road stretch on Friday night with a trip to Toledo for a 6:30 tip against the Rockets.