The men’s basketball team will host the Kent State Golden Flashes in a huge Mid-American Conference East division game tonight at Anderson Arena. Both teams currently are tied for second place in the division. BG, 15-11 (8-4 MAC), will enter the game having won seven of their last nine, while Kent State, 16-11 (8-4 MAC), has reeled off nine straight victories. ‘The next game is always the most important one,’ head coach Louis Orr said. Through the ups and downs of the Falcons recent games, Orr has managed to keep the team from getting to low. Despite crushing losses to the likes of Canisius and Eastern Michigan, Orr has done a good job of moving his team forward. Kent State is being regarded as the hottest team in the conference coming into tonight’s meeting. After a slow start that saw the Golden Flashes fall to 1-4, they’ve gone on a tear and easily have momentum in their corner. ‘We know they go on runs. We can’t let those runs end the game,’ sophomore Chris Knight said. In the Falcons’ first meeting with Kent State in early January, BG battle to a half-time tie. Then BG shot a dismal 23.0 percent from the field in the second half and lost by a final score of 72-48. That was a seemingly different BG team though. Since that night the Falcons have transformed into a team that is capable of winning games on the road, and that has made them into a conference contender. Had it not been for the team’s slip up against EMU, BG would currently be on sole possession of first place. Nate Miller will enter the game fresh off a career day against Canisius in which he scored 22 points and 13 rebounds. Miller, who now averaging 12.7 points and 6.9 rebounds on the year, each a team high, will once again be looked to step it up for the Falcons. With Chris Knight still out do to an injury suffered in the team’s game against Buffalo a week ago, Miller has been forced to play closer to the basket on defense. ‘Chris, he’ll get up there, me I’m not that tall, so it’s hard,’ Miller said. The game will mark the start of a three game span that will likely decide the fate of the Falcons. After tonight’s game BG will go on the road for games against Akron and Miami, the two other teams with 8-4 conference records, each of which, like Kent State, currently hold the tie breaker with BG. It has all come down to this last stretch for BG. A regular season MAC championship is within reasonable reach, the Falcons just have do to what they need to do to take it.