Rob Senderoff did not see this coming.

In a way, it's understandable because the veteran men's basketball coach is accustomed to winning at Kent State University.

The Mid-American Conference hoops equivalent to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Senderoff has never finished a season with a losing record at the helm of the Golden Flashes.

He has been in charge at KSU since 2011. He's earned 10 winning records and gone .500 twice. He's 260-161, including 136-92 in the MAC. Nobody has coached Kent State as long or compiled as many victories as Senderoff.

But this has been a weird season for Kent State.

On the heels of Friday's 83-70 loss at conference-leading Akron, KSU is 13-14, including 6-8 in the MAC, with four regular-season games left.

After winning the MAC Tournament last season and thereby earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tourney, the Golden Flashes find themselves in danger of missing their conference tournament. The last time they didn't make a MAC tourney appearance was way back in 1986.

KSU's all-time record in the conference tournament is 46-33. It has appeared in the tournament's championship game 14 times and won seven, including two during the Senderoff era.

Securing a spot to defend the MAC Tournament title is important to Senderoff, and he has been discussing the goal with his players.

Of the MAC's 12 teams, the top eight will qualify for the conference tournament March 14-16 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland.

Kent State is eighth in the MAC standings with games remaining Tuesday against Buffalo (4-23, 2-12), Saturday against Central Michigan (16-11, 10-4), March 5 at Ball State (13-14, 5-9) and March 8 at Toledo (17-10, 11-3).

Ninth-place Ball State is the primary threat to catch Kent State. KSU defeated Ball State 82-69 on Jan. 2 at home, and their rematch will be crucial. The MAC's first tiebreaker procedure for two teams deadlocked in the conference standings is head-to-head competition.

Senderoff's message after being swept in the regular season by Akron had a theme: “The story of our season is still ahead of us.”

Simply put: It's make or break time for Kent State.

KSU's 2023-24 season has been one of unmet expectations thus far, but Senderoff is right to point out it's not over.

Whether Kent State advances to Cleveland will depend on which version of the team shows up during the next two weeks.

In Senderoff's mind, the Golden Flashes who defeated visiting Northern Illinois 85-47 on Feb. 17 and lost 63-57 at Ohio on Feb. 20 after the final minute went awry will punch a ticket to the MAC tourney.

But Senderoff conceded another variation of Kent State has lacked “competitive spirit” this season. It's the one KSU can't afford to emerge now.

Defensive letdowns have plagued KSU at times, and they were glaring against Akron (20-7, 12-2) at Rhodes Arena.

Zips senior forward Enrique Freeman is a dominant post presence, so his 24 points and 12 rebounds isn't an indictment on the Golden Flashes. Giving UA senior guard Greg Tribble a freeway to the basket absolutely crushed KSU, though. Tribble repeatedly drove through the lane to exploit the shaky KSU defense. He finished with 15 points. UA scored 40 points in the paint.

Zooming out to the big picture, it's not shocking Kent State isn't as strong a year after it fell 71-60 to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, finished 28-7 overall, including 15-3 in the MAC, and signed Senderoff to a contract extension through the 2028-29 season.

Guards Sincere Carry and Malique Jacobs completed their KSU playing careers last March, and they were the Golden Flashes' best players. Carry was the 2021-22 MAC Player of the Year. Jacobs was the 2022-23 MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Although Senderoff had concerns in the buildup to this season about who would take the defensive-leader torch from Jacobs, he also thought Kent State possessed enough talent on its roster to maintain a winning tradition and even be in the mix for a regular-season MAC title. He wasn't alone because KSU finished second in the MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Head Coaches Poll, trailing Akron for the top spot.

Senderoff envisioned graduate-student forward Chris Payton Jr. becoming one of the best players in the MAC. Payton certainly has the ability to produce — he posted 14 points and 10 rebounds against Akron — but he has been coming off the bench for the last seven games. He's averaging 12.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Senior point guard Giovanni Santiago is more of a facilitator than an elite scorer like Carry, who led KSU with 17.5 points per game last season and 17.9 in the 2021-22 season. Santiago is averaging 8.5 points and 4.1 assists.

Junior guard Jalen Sullinger and junior forward VonCameron Davis have ascended on offense. Sullinger is in the starting lineup after winning MAC Sixth Man of the Year last season. He's averaging a team-high 14.8 points after posting 8.6 as a sophomore. Davis is averaging 13 points after tallying 6.7 last season.

The top challenge issued to everyone is centered on stepping up defensively when it's needed most.

Akron vs. Kent State men's basketball: How the Zips earned a sweep of their Wagon Wheel rivalry series vs. the Golden Flashes

Senderoff knows it's possible. He has seen it, albeit without enough consistency.

Still, the belief he expresses about his players is convincing. He'll soon learn how much faith they have left in themselves.

A disappointing season can be salvaged, but only by a team with adequate buy-in and fire.

More on Akron's win over Kent State: Enrique Freeman, Greg Tribble guide Zips men's basketball over rival Golden Flashes

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State men's basketball in fight to make MAC Tournament