Since the turn of the century, the Kent State Golden Flashes have been one of the premier basketball programs in the MAC. Gone are the days when it was easy to find cheap Kent State basketball tickets. The Golden Flashes have developed a loyal following and are regularly in contention for conference titles and bids to the NCAA Tournament. Thanks to the team’s sustained success, last-minute Kent State basketball tickets are usually in short supply but well worth the price of admission.

Open the Floodgates

Despite joining the MAC in 1951, Kent State didn’t start to move up the conference hierarchy until Gary Waters took over as head coach in 1996. It took just three seasons for Waters to transform the Golden Flashes from a 9-18 team to an NCAA Tournament team. Waters took Kent State to the Bid Dance in 1999 and 2001, laying the foundation for his predecessors to continue that success.

The Best Year

The year after Waters left Kent State, Stan Heath coached the Golden Flashes during a magical season during the 2001-02 campaign. Kent State went 17-1 inside the MAC, won the conference tournament and knocked off Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Pittsburgh to reach the Elite Eight. The Golden Flashes ended the season 30-6, winning 30 games for the first time in program history.

No Flash in the Pan

Since the success of Waters and Heath, the Golden Flashes have played in a postseason tournament almost every season. The likes of Jim Christian, Geno Ford, and Rob Senderoff have continued the program’s success, keeping Kent State at the top of the MAC hierarchy. The Golden Flashes are now one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the country, and they aren’t going away anytime soon.