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ULM Basketball CIT Preview: Kent State

ULM Basketball CIT Preview: Kent State

Men's Basketball Mar 20
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – ULM basketball fans who enjoyed watching their high-scoring, guard-oriented team play at Fant-Ewing Coliseum this season are in for another treat this week. 

When the Warhawks play host to Kent State on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the matchup will provide two teams with similar offensive profiles.  

"They are very similar to us, very guard-oriented," said ULM guard Michael Ertel, a third-team All-Sun Belt selection who averages 15.3 points and hit 76 3-pointers this season. "They have one guy who scores a bunch, just like Daishon Smith has this year for us. It's a good matchup for us. I'm glad we got a home game and this place should be rocking." 
        
Kent State (22-10, 11-7 MAC) averages 75.1 points entering the CIT opener, which is dubbed the "Lou Henson Classic." Senior guard Jaylin Walker leads the Flashes with 21.8 points per game, which also led the MAC, along with 90 3-pointers. 

ULM can counter with its senior guard Daishon Smith, who averaged 21.2 points and made 104 3-pointers to earn All-Sun Belt First Team honors. The Warhawks' 78.3 scoring average is the program's highest in 19 years (since averaging 78.4 ppg. in 1999-2000). In addition, ULM has shattered the school single-season record with 330 3-pointers made, breaking the previous mark set last year (288 made in 2017-18).

"There are some similarities now," ULM coach Keith Richard said. "They have a guard averaging 20 points, just like us. Good guard play, one, two and three. They have a little bigger guy at the five. But very similar."

A 6-foot-3 guard, Walker scored a career-high 36 points in games against Detroit Mercy and Toledo and had back-to-back 30 point games against NIU and Toledo, a first for a Flash since 1984. He produced a team-high 16 20-point outings this season.

ULM was 13-2 in Fant-Ewing Coliseum this season and ranked third in the Sun Belt in both overall average home attendance (3,003 per game) and third in average attendance for league home games (3,602 per game). 

"I thought it was a big-time improvement from last year," Ertel said. "I thought we had a true home court advantage this year. The fans were really into the game and I hope that they are into this one Thursday too."

"Kudos to the administration for supporting us and getting us this home game," Richard said. "The interaction between the fans and the team this year has been good. We've played well at home and they've supported us at home. It's been a good marriage, so why not do it again if we can." 

To help bring in another supportive crowd, Richard purchased 500 tickets for ULM students.

"I want these students in here," Richard said. 'They've been great all year and I don't want them to have to pay. I want them to come and I think they will. I'm hearing that ticket sales are going real well and we'll have a nice crowd."

The Flashes were the No. 4 seed in last week's Mid-American Conference Tournament and lost, 89-81, to Central Michigan in the quarterfinals.

"The MAC this year is the ninth-ranked league in the country," Richard said. "Kent State and a lot of teams in that league are traditionally good basketball schools. This is the league right under the Big Ten. There are a lot of transfers from the Big Ten right into the MAC. This is good basketball." 

ULM is making its 13th postseason appearance in program history. It marks the Warhawks' fourth trip to postseason play in the last five years, including their third appearance in the CIT (2016 at Furman and 2018 at Austin Peay).

Kent State will make its fifth appearance in the CIT. The Flashes advanced to the quarterfinals in 2015 by winning on the road at Middle Tennessee State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before falling to Northern Arizona, 74-73, in overtime.

"It is kind of neat to play another mid-major conference and matchup and see how we do," Richard said.

ULM's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in Smith, Ertel, forward Travis Munnings (14.6 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) and guard JD Williams (12.3 ppg.).
 
Smith, the Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, is the only player in NCAA Division I who is averaging at least 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season (research: Sports Reference CBB). His 104 3-pointers are the second-highest single-season total in ULM history (school record: 115 by Paul Marshall, 1995-96).

The game also gives Munnings a chance to reach another career milestone as he'll play his 133rd game for ULM, most in program history. Earlier this season, Munnings became just the fourth player in school history to score at least 1,000 career points and collect at least 800 career records. He is listed among ULM's all-time Top 10 in scoring (sixth with 1,672 career points) and rebounding (fifth with 937). With his start against Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt Championship quarterfinals, Munnings tied former guard Nick Coppola (2013-17) for the most games played in a Warhawk uniform at 132.
  
Tickets for ULM's upcoming CIT first-round game are priced at $25 for courtside, $12 for reserved seats, $10 for faculty/staff reserved seats, $8 for general admission and $5 for ULM students and youth (18 and under). CIT tickets are on sale now on ULMWarhawks.com.
 
 
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