John Groce's Akron is in full flight, winning eight straight to pull clear in the MAC. The short 15-minute ride to Kent State tonight isn't much of a trip, and the visitor role hasn't hampered the Zips, who have won their last three away games by double-digits. Groce has a durable nine-man rotation, sharing the ball as the MAC's top assist team (18.4 pg). Junior G Nate Johnson flashes the most star power, scoring at a 19 ppg pace the past five games. This is a bit more pedestrian Golden Flashes side than we are used to seeing, as KSU has has lost recently at home vs. WMU and Miami-O. Flash subpar three-point shooting (just 28.9%) has been a consistent hindrance this season. Play Akron.