KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to Kalamazoo for four of its final six regular season games, beginning on Tuesday night as it welcomes Kent State to University Arena. 
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (6-19, 2-10 MAC) vs Kent State (20-5, 10-2 MAC)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 14 – 7 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Video: ESPN+

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan returns home for four of its final six regular season games, beginning on Tuesday against Kent State.
• The Broncos are coming off of an 81-53 loss at NIU on Saturday afternoon. 
• Lamar Norman Jr. led Western Michigan in scoring with 12 points, while Seth Hubbard added 11 points off the bench. 
• Shemani Fuller pulled down a team-high six rebounds, the first time in his career he's led the Broncos on the glass.
• The Broncos enter the week atop the MAC in both rebounding margin (+5.6) and        offensive rebounding (12.5).
• WMU is 25th in the nation in rebounding margin and 26th in offensive rebounding.
• Western Michigan and Kent State are meeting for the 127th time on Tuesday.
• The Golden Flashes lead the all-time series 68-58, and have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two.
• Kent State won this season's first meeting, 80-72, back on Jan. 3 in Kent. 

HOME STRETCH
Western Michigan returns home on Tuesday night to take on Kent State. The Broncos have six games remaining in the regular season, with four of them set to be within the friendly confines of University Arena. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 81-53 setback at NIU on Saturday afternoon. Lamar Norman Jr. led Western Michigan in scoring with 12 points, while Seth Hubbard chipped in with 11 off the bench. WMU got off to a fast start, as it held a 15-6 lead in the early going. The Huskies had a pair of 13-2 runs in the first half to overtake the Broncos, and then pulled away in the second half. 

WMU VS KSU
Western Michigan and Kent State meet for the 127th time on Tuesday evening. The Golden Flashes lead the all-time series 68-58, and have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two, including an 80-72 win in Kent back on Jan. 3. WMU is 39-22 against the Flashes in Kalamazoo, and its last win in the series was a 67-63 triumph at University Arena on Jan. 18, 2020. 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State became the first MAC team to reach 20 wins this season with a victory at Buffalo on Friday night. The Golden Flashes enter the week tied with Toledo at 10-2 atop the conference standings. KSU boasts the top defense in the conference, allowing an average of 64.2 points per game, the 40th-best mark in the nation. The Flashes are also  atop the MAC in turnover margin (+5.1, fifth nationally), turnovers forced (16.6, 16th) and steals (9.1, 20th). Malique Jacobs has 69 steals, second-most in the country.

WHEN LAST WE MET
The Broncos and Golden Flashes met in the conference opener for both teams back on Jan. 3 at the M.A.C. Center in Kent. WMU trailed by as many as 17 in the second half, rallied to get the deficit down to two, but eventually fell, 80-72. Tray Maddox Jr. led Western Michigan with 18 points in the contest, while Markeese Hastings posted a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds). 

CLEANING THE GLASS
After ranking near the bottom of the MAC in rebounding a season ago, Western Michigan has turned things around to lead the league in rebounding margin (+5.6) and offensive rebounding (12.5), as well as rank third in the MAC in overall rebounding (37.6). Nationally, the Broncos are currently 25th in rebounding margin, 26th in offensive rebounding and 46th in overall rebounding.

MAKING HIS MARK
Markeese Hastings enters the week second in the MAC in total rebounds (244, 22nd nationally), rebounds per game (9.8, 18th) and defensive rebounds per game (6.9, 20th). Hastings is averaging a double-double, 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, in league play.

SCORIN' NORMAN
Lamar Norman Jr. tallied 12 points in Saturday's loss at NIU and has now scored in double-figures in 50 of his 54 career games as a Bronco. The senior has led WMU in scoring 38 times during his two seasons in the Brown & Gold, and on Feb. 7 at Miami, he became the 45th player to score 1,000 career points at Western Michigan. 

LONG RANGE LAMAR
Lamar Norman Jr. is second in the MAC in both made three-pointers (69, 60th nationally) and made three's per game (2.9, 39th).

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Junior center Titus Wright has elevated his game in conference play this season, upping his season averages to 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in league play. For the season, Wright is shooting 61.0 percent from the floor, the third-highest mark in the MAC.

HUBBARD HEATING UP
Following his 11-point outing on Saturday, Seth Hubbard has back-to-back double-digit scoring games off the bench for the second time this season. The freshman has been in double-figures eight times this year, five of which have come in conference play. 

384 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 384 straight games dating back to 2011. 

HALFTIME LEADS TURN INTO W'S
The Broncos own a 54-21 record over the last five seasons when leading at halftime, including a 5-1 mark this season.

ON THE HORIZON
Western Michigan is back at University Arena again on Saturday as it hosts Ball State.