Senderoff's tenure, the Flashes became the first Division I program in any team sport to sign a recruit diagnosed with autism to a National Letter of Intent. Kalin Bennett, a center from Little Rock, Arkansas, was signed in November 2018 and arrived on campus in August 2019, making his debut in the last minutes of the Flashes' 2019–20 season opener. MAC season results Overall conference titles shaded in ██ gold. East division titles shaded in ██ light yellow. * – Overall record includes tournament and postseason results; Regular-season conference record contained in parentheses. ** – The MAC tournament was first held in 1980. From 2000–20, it included all conference members. MAC tournament Kent State has appeared in all but three Mid-American Conference tournaments since the tournament began in 1980 and through 2020 has an overall record of 41–31 in tournament play. Through 2018, the Flashes have appeared in 12 MAC title games, winning six. The six tournament championships are tied for second-most in conference history with Ohio, behind Ball State's seven titles. The 12 title game appearances are the most in conference history. Postseason NCAA tournament The Golden Flashes have appeared in six NCAA tournaments. Their combined record is 4–6. NIT Kent State has appeared in nine National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 5–9. CollegeInsider.com Tournament and The Basketball Classic Kent State appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament five times with a record of 3–5. They have made one appearance in The Basketball Classic, the successor to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, and have a record of 0–1. Awards All-Americans Retired numbers Rivalries The principal rivalry for the Golden Flashes is with the Akron Zips from the University of Akron, located in Akron, Ohio, approximately southwest of Kent. The series dates back to February 19, 1916, when the two teams played in Kent in the basement of the old heating plant, won by Akron 37–16. Kent State recorded their first win in the series, a 23–21 win at Wills Gymnasium, in 1927. Through the 2021–22 season, the Flashes lead the series 81–80. Akron's longest winning streak in the series is a nine-game streak from 1942 to 1949, while Kent State's longest winning streak is five games, which has occurred three times. Kent State had a 19-game home winning streak against the Zips, which spanned from 1964 to 1998. Despite the length of the rivalry and close proximity of the campuses, the series