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I feel you could make a decent fan committee from just this forum. We have people from all walks of life. Some former players. Many die-hard 30+ year fans. Some more recent grads. Many Akron alumni and a few who weren't that still want to support the local team. Just take 10 people from this board and mix in 2-3 current students and there you go, you have your committee. No need to do a further search.

I've watched parts of a few of the Sun Belt games over the past several days. Game attendance has varied between ~600-2,500 thus far. We give the MAC a lot of crap, but let's take a moment to at least acknowledge the one thing they have done right is the MAC tournament. They put on quite the show. We're easily hitting above our weight class when you see the attendance figures we put up compared to other relative conferences and even some, like the AAC, that you would expect much more out of.

Some talk about donating in other threads and it probably deserves its own spot - it's very easy to setup a recurring donation. I encourage everyone to support however they are able. It all adds up and our program deserves the support. FTR Collective https://www.feartheroocollective.com/contribute-zipsmensbasketball UA Men's Basketball Fund https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/CompExFundNIL/team/MBB

Sounds like they'll be well rested to whack the crap out of Skaljac's hand/wrist.

This might be sacrilegious to say, but I don't think Suder should even be the 2nd choice. Gillespie IMO was the 2nd best player in the MAC this season. I can see Suder at #3.

Word is that as of last week there has been record ticket sales for the tournament. In the neighborhood of a 50% increase over total sales from last year with a week still to go. Rocket Mortgage is going to be rocking!

Our second Sunbelt opponent, Troy, wins their league tournament.

I wouldn't get caught up in trying to keep up with the Jones's. Infocision has financially hamstrung the football department. If you add in what we're spending on the stadium to what we're spending on everything else football related (coach, staff, recruiting, etc) we're near the top of the MAC. The problem is we can't both make debt service payments on the stadium while still having an upper tier G5 budget. That's why we just lost an assistant to Marshall. IMO NIL is a great equalizer for a program like Akron. Facility upgrades are immensely costly and don't correlate directly to success. Two of our G5 peers in the Sun Belt built new arenas in the last 5 years. This season they went a combined 15-21 in conference play. What matters for success and notoriety is players. We already have the training facility and fantastic locker rooms that are in the upper echelon of the MAC. IMO every dollar you spend in NIL equates to $10, $20, maybe more in facilities. You get a greater ROI in NIL.

Outside of Young picking up 3 fouls, not much to complain about in the 1st half. I agree we've been waiting too late into the shot clock. Luckily both Tavari and Scott are capable of making shots in those situations.

My 6 yo daughter was working on her penmanship during homeschooling today. My wife was having her write the letter "Z" and she kept making it big and wide. When asked why, my daughter said, "That's how Akron's Z looks." Her younger siblings have a lot to live up to. She's setting the bar high.

Best thing that could've happened for Akron. Groce can now use that as a wake up call if there was ever a chance to be asleep for the Buffalo game.

Since the coaches vote on this, the only possible reason I can think of is Akron "fatigue".

I just love seeing Groce interact with the players. You can see just how much he loves those kids and his job.

The last line is mostly it for me. Also, I believe all my money going to the collective is going to players and the athletic department would have other uses even if it's all to basketball. I'm not saying there's a bad choice either. I'll get the official athletic link in here too when I have a chance. Bottom line we should all support however we are able imo

Right. I don't see how he's to blame for kids' math test results. Also, no one is taking into account how ridiculous standardized tests are. These kids are from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they likely are behind already before starting at the iPromise school. Just because they don't pass the standardized test doesn't mean the school isn't helping to improve their education. Not all "failure" on tests is the same.

20 mil is the cap, it doesn't mean we just have 20 more million dollars now

We've received 1 vote in the AP top 25 poll

Had the Freeman jersey on at the card shop again today. Several more comments from people saying they like the jersey and are rooting for Akron to win the tourney. Fans: Wear your Akron gear. Akron: Offer more affordable gear for fans to wear.

What a butt kicking. Seniors got to walk off the court to a standing ovation with 5:00 minutes left.

Akron's 34-2 record in MAC play is the best record in MAC history over a 2 year span.

I'd prefer to think that it is more like five to go!

We'll have the same bench. You get to choose by seed and Groce always wants that bench. That's why our school purchased seats were so screwed up in that we got pushed back in those sections by the higher seeded Miami. It was satisfying to move down into some of their seats after they got beat and headed back down I-71. I would have preferred to play PCCC in the final in part because of the PCCC hangover we've all seen and Groce has acknowledged. In event, peel them tonight and play both nights like there's no tomorrow.

There’s no way Suder should have won the PoTY over Tavari…but it happened.

Normally, but I'll take what I can get. She and her younger sister know the fight song words almost as well as the Lord's Prayer. I think I'm allowed to be proud of that. It's funny, she reads basic kids books and I'm half expecting a grad school brochure from Kent to appear in the mail any day now.

Relevant up to date MAC Tournament numbers: 21 and 71. 21- Tavari's points with 9:18 left in the game. 71- As in I-71, the highway Peter Suder is currently on on his way back to Oxford.

If ESPN offered an ambiance-only audio option, it would be more informative than Reghi.

Really good for clothing companies that make khaki pants though. The amount of crap stains on Sunday as they wait to see if they're in will require all new wardrobes.

This is beautiful. Can I steal this? Lol

The circumstances are that no one cares.

I'm excited... I have heard from other coaches outside of Akron that he is a great coach, his players love him and he is a great teacher of the game... Coaching break down from Wikipedia if you are interested .... Garrett Mack... Garrett Mack began his college coaching career as a student assistant at Baldwin Wallace University in the spring of 2013, After gaining head coaching experience at Oberlin High School, Mack transitioned to college assistant roles focused on defensive development. In 2017 and 2019, Mack served as the linebackers coach at Oberlin College, where he emphasized player technique and game preparation for the defensive unit. During the 2017 season, he mentored Von Wooding, who led the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) in tackles with 101, earning all-conference honors and highlighting Mack's impact on individual linebacker performance. Over his two seasons at Oberlin, Mack coached three All-NCAC players, contributing to the team's defensive efforts in a competitive conference environment. In 2018 when he joined Baldwin Wallace University as the wide receivers coach and strength and conditioning coordinator, shifting focus to offensive skill positions while maintaining involvement in overall player conditioning to support team defenses indirectly through improved athleticism. From 2020 to 2021, Mack advanced to Notre Dame College (Ohio) as an assistant coach, serving as tight ends coach in 2020 during a 5–0 undefeated season and then as defensive line coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator in 2021, marking a progression toward specialized defensive front responsibilities in NCAA Division II. In this position, he developed the Falcons' defensive line and contributed to the team's success, including an 11–2 overall record and a No. 9 ranking in the final AFCA Division II poll that year. Garrett Mack was named the fifth head coach in Notre Dame College football program history on February 3, 2022. In his inaugural 2022 season, Mack implemented a philosophy centered on mindfulness and present-focused execution, encapsulated in the team slogan "Only now exists," which encouraged players to prioritize immediate preparation over past achievements. The Falcons compiled a 9–3 overall record, including a dominant 9–1 mark in MEC play that clinched the program's first outright conference championship since 2019. Key to the success was a stout defense under Mack's influence, which led NCAA Division II with six defensive touchdowns and restricted opponents to an 86.73 passing efficiency rating. Garrett Mack joined Duquesne University as the defensive line coach ahead of the 2024 football season, marking his return to an assistant coaching role after serving as head coach at Notre Dame College following the institution's closure in early 2024. In this position, Mack oversees the development of the defensive line unit, integrating defensive schemes tailored to the team's needs, and providing mentorship to players in technique and game preparation. During his inaugural season at Duquesne in 2024, Mack's coaching contributed to significant improvements in the defensive line's performance, with the unit recording 27 sacks—17 of which came in conference play, ranking second in the Northeast Conference (NEC)—while forcing four fumbles and recovering three. He guided three defensive linemen to all-conference honors: A.J. Ackerman and Jack Dunkley earned first-team selections, and Jason Patterson received second-team recognition. Dunkley's standout season included 12.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, tying for the NEC lead and ranking 12th nationally in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in sacks per game. These efforts helped Duquesne achieve an 8-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in NEC play, sharing the conference regular-season title, while establishing the top-ranked defenses in the NEC for red-zone efficiency, first downs allowed, and third-down conversions. In 2025, Mack has expanded his responsibilities to include recruiting coordinator and special teams coordinator, building on his prior experience in these areas from earlier coaching stops.

I would also prefer to beat Miami in the championship game but ultimately, as long as we win the tournament, I won't really care who we beat.

Not TP, but according to Verbal Commits we've offered JUCO 6'4" 2G Mason Costello from Indian Hills CC.

Fantastic article on the Mac tournament from CBS sports.

Amazing what the MAC can be when Balls, NIU, and the Directional Michigans aren't invited.

My wife is an award winning quilter. Very proud of her. 😊

I guess I was not chosen for the zips fan council. I just received this email. I honestly didn’t think there would be a formal process to join, I thought it was just going to be a bunch of fans getting together to voice their opinion. Maybe this group will actually have some swing to decisions then. Thank you for your support of the Zips and interest in joining the Zips Fan Council! While it’s been a hectic time of year with basketball season in full-swing, I wanted to send out a quick update regarding where our department is currently at with creating the Zips Fan Council. We had overwhelming interest in being a part of this council, with just under 100 applicants from across the state of Ohio and beyond. Our goal for this council is to build a group that spans across as many different demographics as possible, and as such we’ve selected limited numbers of individuals across a wide variety of graduation years and backgrounds to accomplish this goal. We are in the final stages of scheduling interviews with applicants and hope to have our council members finalized in the coming weeks, with our first meeting late in the spring. If you were not chosen to move forward in the process, please know that it was based on limited availability and Akron Athletics appreciates and values your support. As this will be a group that ebbs and flows based on availability, we would love to consider you for the group in the future even if you are not ultimately selected in this first iteration.

https://akronzippedup.substack.com/p/previewing-the-2026-mac-mens-basketball ZippedUP tournament preview. good read!

You could have at least lied and said you were attending a heavy metal concert.

I hate to be the realist, but if $8 million NIL (on top of whatever we're spending on everything else) is the cost to compete at the G5 level what's the point of continuing? People (myself included) gripe about MLB with no salary cap, but at least there are rules in place so a Francisco Lindor or Skenes can stay in Cleveland or Pittsburgh for the first half dozen years of their careers. If MLB operated like college athletics they would be on a Yankees or Dodgers roster day 1. Any late bloomers would join those rosters immediately following a breakout season. There is no way for us to compete.

The MAC is really lucky their top teams are consistently within a few hours of Cleveland and typically have a decent alumni presence in the NEO area. The geographic footprint of other conferences is a disadvantage when it comes to conference tourneys.

Remi Agunbiade looks like he leveled up since last we saw him. More composure on the ball. He was a handful for the Vikings every time he touched it.

Another season ending with 6 injured players on the bench. Some good news is that our top recruit from last year whonwas injured in the state finals in Indiana and never saw the floor for us is back practicing and should be ready to play in 26-27. We also have one of the finalists for this year's Ms Ohio Basketball signed for next. Ryan and Bud are already working on who to target in the transfer portal. Eventually our luck has to change.

I haven't followed closely tbh. That could be the case. The MVC is also very deep. Not many games you can feel safe penciling in wins. Key example Belmont during Arch Madness. IMO the MVC is one of the few mid-major conferences that puts on a better conference tournament than the MAC. Mainly because there are usually so many quality teams and fans show up in large numbers.

#CUNIU - stop by to say hi when you come and play Cleveland State. 👋

These early Friday games have been rough on me. Need to watch the replay soon. I did see that Mike LaTulip was the announcer tonight. Mike was the Evan Wilson on Groce’s Illinois team. Very similar in personality and both were incredible glue guys in the locker room.

Ight get the benchwarmers in. We have a busy week ahead of us!

Young could not have found his shot at a better time. It will be huge to have yet another scorer feeling hot next week.