Game Preview
• The Youngstown State men's basketball team opens the 2014-15 season against Kent State, Saturday, Nov. 15.
• Tipoff is slated for 7:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center, and is part of the "3-Point Play" Day in conjunction with Rulli Bros.
• The game can be heard on 570 WKBN-AM and iHeartRadio and fans can also watch the game live on ESPN3.com.

About Kent State
• Kent State was predicted to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
• Kent State senior guard Kris Brewer was named to the MAC East Division Preseason All-MAC Team.
• Kent State is the first of three Mid-American Conference schools YSU will play this season.
• Last season, Kent State went 16-16 overall.

The Kent State Series
• This is the 47th meeting between Youngstown State and Kent State in a series that dates back to 1929.
• Kent State owns a 29-17 advantage in the all-time series and have won six straight.
• The last time the Penguins defeated the Golden Flashes was on Dec. 22, 2006.

Last Time Against Kent State
• In the last meeting against Kent State, the Penguins trailed by 12 at the half, but used a 14-2 run to open the second half to tie the game.
• The Penguins, though, dropped an 83-76 decision at the M.A.C. Center.
• Kamren Belin scored a career-high 32 points for the Penguins.

A Win Would
• Give Youngstown State a five-game winning streak in season openers.
• Give Youngstown State a 18-29 record against Kent State.
• Snap a six-game losing streak to Kent State.
• Mark YSU's first win over Kent State since Dec. 22, 2006 (62-58).
• Mark Jerry Slocum's 689th career win and his 108th at Youngstown State.
• Mark the 1,042nd victory in program history.
• Mark YSU's first home win of the season.

School Scoring Mark
• The 2,461 points scored in 2013-14 is the school's single-season record and marked the fifth straight season the Guins have scored at least 2,000 points. It marked the second straight year the single-season scoring record had been set. In 2012-13, the Penguins scored 2,426 points.

Slocum In Elite Company
• Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum ranks among the best in the history of college basketball in terms of overall wins.
• Slocum ranks 37th all-time with 688 career victories and eighth among active Division I coaches in all-time wins.

Center Piece
• Junior Bobby Hain is the team's leading returning scorer with 11.1 points per game. He also ranked tied for second in the Horizon League with 7.7 rebounds per game.
• Bobby Hain's 247 rebounds in 2013-14 were the most since Jerome Sims had 327 in 1991-92. Hain's total is also the fifth-highest rebounding mark in YSU's Division I history.

Cole League Leader
• Senior point guard DJ Cole led the Horizon League with a 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio, ranked third in the league with 4.6 assists per game and was seventh with 1.3 steals per game.

200 3's Again
• For the fourth straight season, the Penguins made at least 235 3-pointers with 249 last season. The Guins set the school's single-season 3-point record with 270 made 3-pointer in 2011-12 and  the previous mark of 235 was set in 2010-11. In 2012-13, the Penguins made 245 3-pointers.

Home Cookin'
• The Guins won at least 10 home games for the third straight season. The Penguins won 11 times in both 2013-14 and 2012-13 and 10 times in 2011-12. Over the last three seasons, the Penguins own a home record of 32-13.

Double Trouble
• Junior Bobby Hain emerged as one of the top post players in the league.
• Hain, who ranked tied for second in the Horizon League with 7.7 rebounds per game, posted his seventh double-doubles last season
• Hain had four double-doubles in the last 10 games and scored 10 points with 17 rebounds against Cleveland State.
• Over the last 10 games, Hain averaged 11.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.
• Hain ranked eighth in the Horizon League with a .509 field-goal percentage.
• Against league foes, he has a .530 field-goal percentage.

Cole Takes the lead
• With 143 assists last season, senior DJ Cole led team in that category.
• His assists were the most in a single-season since Derrick Harris had 147 in 2005-06.
• Cole posted nine assists four times last season, including against Milwaukee on Feb. 20.
• He also had nine against South Dakota (12/29), Detroit (1/18) and Oakland (1/31).
• Cole ranked third in the Horizon League with 4.6 assists per game.

15 for 3
• YSU finished the season with an overall record of 15-17 and a 6-10 mark in the Horizon League. The 15 wins marked the first time since 1982-83, 1983-84 and 1984-85 YSU has won as many games in three straight seasons. YSU won 18 games in 2012-13 and 16 in 2011-12.

Slocum Gets 100
• With the win over Bethune-Cookman last season, Head Coach Jerry Slocum picked up his
100th victory at Youngstown State.
• Slocum became just the second coach in YSU men's basketball history to reach 100 wins.
• With 107 wins, Slocum ranks second in school history.
• It also marked the fourth school which Slocum has won at least 100 games.
• Slocum won 199 at Nyack (1975-87), 203 at Geneva (1987-96) and 179 at Gannon (1996-2005).

Most HL Wins In Consecutive Years
• Youngstown State's 23 Horizon League wins over the last three seasons marks a program high.
• The Penguins had just 16 league wins in the previous four years combined.
• The 10 wins in 2011-12 were the most since joining the league in 2001-02.
• In 2012-13 was the third time the Penguins have won at least seven league contests.
•  The Penguins had 20 conference wins in their final two seasons in the Mid-Continent Conference - 11 in 2000-01 and nine in 1999-2000.

Up Next
The Penguins host Oberlin, Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4:05 p.m. at the Beeghly Center