Let'sGoZips94

Against a worse team.

They are who we thought they were. At least Akron was competitive.

I'm not saying you can't impact the game defensively, nor am I saying Akron's 3P defense is anything to be proud of. Akron's key to success this year was shot making. We weren't built to play the lockdown defensive style you, Zippy87, and some others wanted us to play. Miami OH was shooting borderline logo 3s the other night and making them. High Point's #99 hit a logo 3 to get them back in the game vs. Wisconsin yesterday. You either make your shots or you don't and Akron didn't make enough; the opponents did.

And yet despite that, we were in that game for 80% of it. If we make our shots, we possibly win. Way too much focus on what we can't control as much.

Much better than the list Toledo is on.

The % margin that separates most teams on that list is miniscule. Toledo is in the 200s for 3P defense and only .6% better than Akron. Troy shot 18% from 3P vs. Toledo in a loss. Cornell is 349th in 3P defense - Yale shot 35% vs. them in a loss. The best teams in the country shoot the 3-ball at 40% at best on average. Ultimately, teams either make their shots or they don't. Akron had a couple wide open 3s today that they missed. Open isn't automatic.

I don't know that it has. This tournament is proof of that so far.

He won 3 tourney games at Ohio. If anything, JG probably wants to break whatever glass ceiling is over this program because he can.

You would think they would've done it at least once; you would also think any of those 5 OOC losses would've had average or even below average shooting nights at least once. Realistically - Akron didn't do enough in any of their OOC losses to overcome unprecedented shooting performances by their opponents. Whether or not defense was a factor is irrelevant because the opponent made their shots at absurd rates. THAT'S being realistic. Akron was talented enough to compete with all of their OOC opponents. THAT'S being realistic. 3 pt loss to Yale: Shot 64% FG and 47% 3P; on the season, 49.6% FG and 40% 3P 15 pt loss to Murray State: 58% FG and 56% 3P; on the season, 46% FG and 34.8% 3P 10 pt loss to Troy: 43% FG and 52% 3P; on the season, 44.9% FG and 33.5% 3P 20 pt loss to Texas Tech: 64% FG and 55% 3P; on the season, 46.7% and 39.3% 3P Purdue pretty much shot their season averages; the difference in that game was our inability to do anything around the rim. Akron had to be damn near perfect to win any of those OOC games and even then (great offensive performances vs. Yale & Murray State) it wasn't enough to overcome the hot shooting. Those shooting percentages are outside the norm of what most defenses can affect. On the flip side, they blew out Tulane (18-15 on the year and middle of the pack in the American) on their court, dominated Princeton, and handled James Madison. They didn't drop any headscratchers to teams like Evansville, Iona, Milwaukee, Bucknell, etc., which is something we've seen other teams do. This team was much more than just "MAC good." This team had the talent - that wasn't the issue. Luck wasn't on our side in some of those games and execution certainly wasn't, especially vs. Miami OH, Troy, and Texas Tech. Did we have the size? Probably not, and that's likely where the team will look to improve in the off-season. I'm realistic, not pessimistic.

Poor perimeter defense doesn't = automatic shot making. I watched SMU the other night miss some wide open 3s, and they're a VERY good 3P shooting team. Your take was based on a lack of talent, and that's why I said it was a bad take. Akron didn't beat the top teams on their schedule - that's accurate and will need remedied in the future. However, this team had the talent to do so. The ball didn't always bounce our way. So be it, we move on. Go Zips.

I'm not overrating the MAC - I'm literally going on metrics. They are in the top half of conferences for the first time this decade. Not sure what point you're trying to make - MVC is rated higher than the MAC anyways.

Really bad take. They dominated the best the MAC has been in a long time, minus Miami OH which they only got 1 crack at on the road and lost by 3. Did they do enough to beat top-level competition? Nope, but it wasn't due to a lack of talent. Troy, Murray State, and Yale each had historic shooting performances. They blew out Princeton, dominated James Madison, and blew out Kent twice. They were within 2 possessions late in the game vs. a team that was in the Elite 8 last year. Again, didn't do enough, but it wasn't a talent issue. Regroup, rebuild, reach that next level. Let's Go Zips!

I don't know if Groce is it... KIDDING KIDDING KIDDING. Future is bright. 4Peat and break the ceiling next year.

Not saying it wasn't fine, but fine isn't "good." Need to be good to beat teams like this.

Eh, to an extent. Miami OH's game plan was stupid. It worked, but it was stupid. Somewhere in between would've worked for me.

Game plan was too conservative. Needed to get the 3 ball going early.

Needed our 3P shot today.

Kent State math on that one from the refs. Needed their toes to count to 5 which is what took so long.

Way too much dribbling. Need more ball movement.

IS THAT A FULL STADIUM CHANT OF LET'S GO ZIPS?!

WATTS IS GONE! LET'S GO!

4 on each of their bigs!

Our zone isn't going to work with guys like Young and Tavari guarding the perimeter. We need length out there.

That cut by Eric for the and-1 is exactly what we've needed. That's the assistance Tavari has needed.

3 on Evan and Amani. Yikes.