NWAkron

Should make for an interesting MAC tournament. Ironically, we may limp in to one of those top 2 seeds a year too late. I'm taking the Eastern Michigan Eagles for the win, Pete. We need to think more like those teams (and fans) in all those little southern and east coast conferences who always consider themselves underdogs and are just happy with a conference tourney win and a 16 seed and the slightest chance at being a Cinderella. Cant's trip to the final 8 and the Kittens trip to sweet 16 got us all thinking we are something we clearly aren't. We have a decent MAC basketball program that still has as good a chance as anyone (proven by tonight's results Kittens lost to BG twice? Kant twice to Buffalo?) in this conference at winning the MAC tourney. But that's it folks. It will never be anything more than that. That became crystal clear as we walked out of Auburn Hills on a cold March night a few years back. We have much more fun when we dream rather than when we expect.

Unfortunately, I saw this coming Friday night. Same pattern every year. Didn't follow or listen tonight. This was predictable. That being said, this February schedule was brutal for the team and fans. One home game over a three week period. Just put a knife into any momentum.

Speakng of which...who wants to start the Miami thread?

Two turning points: Reggie's miss when we were tied and when we were up 19 to 15 and they got offensive rebound and a 3. Was reading how 6th ranked Maryland lost to lowly Minnesota. This stuff happens and with the stagnant nature of the MAC it just seems worse. How well all these teams know each causes these same results...unexpected losses...or big wins from the bottom feeders. Until there is some new blood in the conference it wont change.

Thanks Zipsnation for giving us all a place to vent. Inexplicable. But it has seemed like for the last few games that our three point game plan was hanging by gossamer threads ready to be snipped on some random February night.

With Pat...just have to bite my tongue or my fingers in this case. I'm skeptical about Miami game. Not because I'm negative but it just fits the pattern.

This movie is all too familiar. The usual pattern is to now go down to Miami and lose to last place team. I wouldn't say refs were bad. Our best free throw shooters missed front ends of one and ones. We do the same thing over and over again each year and expect different results

Nothing in transition. A missed rebound really turned the game around. It's never easy for Zips. Teams always raise their game for us. These black uniforms don't bring good luck. Should have hauled out the Purple.

I will be sitting in the lovely MAC Center bleachers and as much as I hope to carry a nice double digit lead throughout the game, I know there will be those "the sky is falling" moments of anxiety. All in how we stop the dribble drive and who gets into foul trouble. Doubt we will see a traveling call all night.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/playPopup?id=14795976 here's a link to a Dambrot interview which discusses some of the issues in this thread along with a "If you had Lebron..." question.

purchased my tickets for the game tomorrow night. They then sent me an email that they were having a "Gold Out." Dribble/drive, dribble/drive, will probably be what we see all night. Who gets into foul trouble first and the most will make the difference.

I don't know if that's his attitude. Just an impression. I trust his judgment...not our former A.D.s judgment. But I do trust he knows what is best for the team.

I think having the home games is a big deal even if the teams we play aren't that great. All that travel and some big losses thrown in there and some injuries just doesn't seem worth it. I know the injuries can occur at home, too. But what I gathered from Dambrot's interview last night is it just doesn't sit right with him how it plays out. Our team is flying (usually commercial) all over the country while these "bigger" schools get to buy us off and stay home and rested. And Gonzaga has their own jet to get them where they need to go.

The guy in front of me gets a good laugh because every time Kwan looks like he's going to shoot I exclaim "Don't!"

As for that PD story comment, I didn't see what Coach Oats did to deserve the technical but the Perkins tech in the second half was quite obvious at least from where I was sitting. I would say that free throws kept Buffalo in the game during the first few minutes. Don't think either side won with the refs last night. I just don't understand how Buffalo can be mugging the Zips all night and nothing is called and then get 5 fouls in the course of a few minutes.

We only have one game cushion at this point for the true out right MAC Championship. If for some unthinkable reason we are tied with say Ball State, we would win a tiebreaker with them. However, we are not going to get to that point.

We were more short-handed than it seemed. For as frustrating as Pat is on the offensive end, his presence is really needed on defense. SUNY Canada started getting a little cold and tired, but before that it seemed the Zips were still shaking off the loss at DeKalb. Central took care of Toledo for us. Cant blew a lead and WMU took them to OT. Let's get that outright regular season title and the #1 seed.

Not missing much. Zips regressed. Nothing going right. Giving up easy baskets.

Pat with shoulder injury according to the lady sitting two seats down from me. crowd isnt too bad.

I thought I heard Coach Dambrot say one time in the post-game interview that Jake doesn't practice like/as much as the other players. Won't be the same without the "Bobby's going to cry" chants.

University of Akron v. State University of New York at Canada. I expect a quick bounce back for the Zips and that 21st win. Bulls looked really bad against the Kittens which i'm sure convinced the group-thinkers at BobcatAttack that they are headed to the Sweet16. However, as always we can expect any team playing the Zips to bring its A game.

As I was writing Kreed posted same thing, I've never been a fan of discussing at large bids because it would mean we didn't win the MAC Tournament. Let's get that regular season championship, the automatic bid to the NIT, the top seed and win the tournament. If we were to finish 29-5 and with 9 straight wins, we would be looking at a much better seed. That at large big would seem difficult considering our post-season history. Cutting down the nets at the Q...nothing better. Anyone remember many years back when the top team in the West got the #2 seed and there was talk Akron lost a game or two to get on the easier side of the bracket?

It's hard not to watch those final 15 seconds and not think those refs decided the game. We still have a two game lead on the MAC and only two away games left. If the Zips come out of this brutal stretch with only one loss (in a game in which we were still red hot from the 3), IMHO I think that is a darn good result. If we were in ConferenceUSA, our tournament would be in Alabama instead of the Q.

When I looked at the schedule at the beginning of the season, this looked like just an incredibly hard stretch of games. 6 out of 8 on the road. Putting aside the missed bunnies and bad refs, something had to give in one of these games. And teams always play their best against the Zips. The Central team that has lost its last two games isn't the one we saw the other week. First really close game of the year. Isaiah made clutch free throws. Come Tuesday hopefully this will be out of my mind. Emotions are raw after a game like that.

really bites. but if we were going to lose a game it was going to be in this really rough stretch. re-set and win out.