kreed5120

He had 2 fouls. No need to risk him picking up his 3rd.

Have to like where we're sitting. Louisiana is playing a tighter bench. Really have a chance of really blowing this open if they have tired legs sit in.

I noticed too and initially thought maybe they were showing women's but nope not even that.

Ball State looks to be starting off where they left off last year offensively... Edit: 2 points at first media timeout. Both came at the FT line. Yet to make a fg.

I don't follow the women's program all that closely, as there hasn't been a whole lot to get excited about over the years. That said, everything I've heard from Gensler on social media and in the few interviews I've seen suggests he's a genuinely good guy who really embraces the university's sense of camaraderie and the idea of being one team. I believe he was also the only coach who donated to the AK Rowdies on Day of Giving. He just seems like the kind of person who's easy to root for, and you genuinely want to see succeed.

I actually spent some time looking at the team last week. I feel Jessie Joaquim and Macey Fegan will be a formidable front court duo. I think a lot of what will determine this years team success will be what they get out of their guards and what depth they have behind Jessie and Macey.

I thought this part was particularly telling. When Ball State hired Chris Capko this offseason, his contract included a guaranteed $1 million in NIL spending. I’m increasingly convinced that some of the programs at the bottom of the MAC in football are realizing that the resources required to be even moderately competitive, even at the G6 level, are becoming unattainable. They’re looking at the success Akron and Miami have had, with Kent State to a lesser extent, and recognizing that their investment dollars can go much further in basketball. "A (basketball) league on the rise Bud Wentz may be responsible for saving MAC basketball, or at least giving it a second life as the MAC enters an interesting time in its history with some of its oldest members flirting with leaving. When athletes profiting off their name, image, and likeness became legal five years ago, nobody in the MAC, or NCAA as a whole, knew what to expect. One basketball program’s biggest booster saw the writing on the wall, though. Bud Wentz immediately made it clear to John Groce that NIL is real and it is going to matter. Groce was skeptical at best, but would quickly change his tune. After the 2023-2024 season where the Zips won their first of three MAC Tournament Championships in a row, everyone (myself very much included) expected the program to take a substantial step back the next season after the graduation of the most decorated senior class in program history. A month after cutting down the nets at Rocket Quicken FieldHouse Arena, Akron landed the best transfer class in the MAC by a wide margin and they were off to the races again. Now, you see Miami investing in their programs and it is paying off dividends. Rob Senderoff flirted with the idea of leaving Kent State until his administration gave into his NIL demands. MAC basketball is back to being as competitive as it once was in the early 2000s, and that should make for an exciting 2026-2027 season."

TBF playing a game at 3AM probably means neither team was performing anywhere close to 100%. Probably not a great barometer of performance.

The college basketball season officially got underway today, with Villanova and Notre Dame tipping things off in Rome. The majority of teams will get their seasons started tomorrow. Below are the Sun Belt matchups for Round 1, along with the current point spreads. The MAC is favored in 5 of the 12 matchups, but the lines are relatively tight across the board. Should make for some competitive and entertaining basketball! Georgia State -4.5 vs. BG Troy -3.5 vs. UMASS Arkansas State -3.5 vs. Toledo South Alabama -1.5 vs. Ohio James Madison -1.5 vs. Miami (OH) Coastal Carolina -1.5 vs. EMU Marshall -1.5 vs. Buffalo Old Dominion +1.5 vs. WMU Georgia Southern +2.5 vs. Ball St. ULM +3.5 vs. CMU Louisiana +5.5 vs. Akron Louisiana Tech +5.5 vs. Kent

Thanks!

These road games in the SunBelt challenge haven't treated Akron well. It should be a good early season test.

It was a different time. Prior to ~2018 there was no reason we couldn't compete in the MAC other than our ineptitude. Our facilities were top notch. Enrollment was booming. Since then enrollment has plummeted and players are now paid to transfer every year, which we can't keep up with financially. The deck is stacked against programs like Akron. You need money to compete and we just don't have it.

My least favorite is Ianello. If there was anytime that Akron was in a position to make noise in the MAC it was when enrollment was pushing 30k and we had a new stadium to sell recruits, students, and fans. Ianello ruined any sort of momentum midway through his first season at the helm.

There is still winless NIU

Good to hear. He rarely attempted them at WMU so I didn't know that was part of his bag.

I can certainly see teams wanting to pack the paint against us as they won't respect Evan/Barre/Buddy/Burton jump shot. Hopefully Evan or others improved their range in the offseason. Otherwise we'll likely need to rely more heavily on defense to create offense and creating extra possessions with offensive rebounds.

Out of curiosity what makes it better? I haven't had the chance to make it to one of the events there yet so was wondering what I'd expect if I did attend in the future.

New promo video for the season. Checked FTR thinking there might be something new in store, but nothing that I saw. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1E7nr3Q1Pf/

Not even sure what a lot of these promos even could be. 1/30 is also the day womens basketball hosts Kent State so I would hope that would be a double header as well. I think the women's program, while not MAC contenders, should be improved. It could be a game worth attending. Looking forward to LCJ returning to the JAR. Which Zips player do you guys think is next in line to have a jersey ceremony?

Tipoff Reception tomorrow for those interested in attending. https://x.com/Dustin_Ford/status/2115940480198578606?a=iWcRO6sWU35Zf5ywLBY&s=19

I'm not sure that's the correct way to look at it. Top 3.4% play D1 3.4%-5.3% play D2 5.3%-7.8% play D3 Anyone who played D1 likely had options to play D2 or D3. Most who played D3 didn't have options to play D1. Obviously there are exceptions. Therefore I would say D1 is naturally more challenging to get into even though it has a higher player count.

More than 56. I distinctly remember a stretch in the 2nd half that Hammer and Barre were on the court together.

2/3 of G6 coaches stated they would be in favor of a separate playoff for G6 schools. Would love to read the article, but it's behind a paywall. https://x.com/On3/status/2115796200750190908?a=irFWmqVBvDlzxO2U2PE&s=19

Evan Bush has announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season.

Scott is part of a different high school graduating class. He graduated in 2021 while Lyles and Evan geaduated in 2022. He already played 5 years. 1 year of JUCO and 4 years of D1. Evan and Lyles only played 4.