Let'sGoZips94

4 on Osobor.

I want $10 of my $30 back, FloSports.

Bad - BAD - sequence from Thornton there. Missed layup then got beat on defense and fouled. Edit: TWO MISSED LAYUPS!

Yes and no. Utah State's length isn't allowing for many "good" looks, but we've missed some decent ones.

Blessing to only be down by 4. Wouldn't be mad if Tavari sat the bench in the 2nd half; maybe he can learn what it means to treasure the basketball. Scott & Thornton can run the point just fine. Would love to see some off the ball movement to help break this 1-3-1. Dawson, Tribble, Johnson, and Scott all need to be looking back-door for the cut. Good matchup and about what I expected. Let's win this 2nd half by a minimum of 5.

Off night. Missouri State had 19 turnovers to PCCC's 9, but PCCC proceeded to shoot the following... 32.8% FG 13.6% 3PT (3-22; oof) 41.7% FT PCCC should've won this tournament. Weak field. Hilarious they lost their first game. KSUcks!

7:30, and this is a big one. The Mountain West may be the best non-P6 conference, and Utah State looks to be one of the better teams within the conference. They are tall, athletic, and experienced. When the bracket came out earlier this year, this was the matchup we wanted and how we wanted it (both in the winners bracket). Time to earn the #2 mid major ranking.

PCCC scored 58 in their 2008 NCAA Tournament game. You're probably saying, "That's more than 52. Why are you bringing this up?" They had 10 points in the first half. If you ever think the bar is too low for Kent, it's not. My signature is about as accurate as it gets - Failure resides 15.2 miles northeast of Akron.

Some thoughts... - Huge shoutout to FIU's effort & tenacity. They've been a well-coached team since Ballard took over in 2018. Would not be surprised to see them win 20+ games this year. - I thought a key moment that will probably go under-appreciated was the timeout Groce took at the 19 minute mark in the first half. We had just turned the ball over twice, and Groce made sure to stop the bleeding and make the adjustments quickly before it got out of hand. Decisions like this are why Groce is such a success basketball coach. - I thought all 3 guards had net positive impacts tonight. Shammah Scott finished well at the rim on the fast-break/transition plays (we've missed so many of those in the past). Thornton brought poise and maturity during times of chaos. Tavari had a big 3 in transition and overall I thought his speed/quickness helped keep FIU off-balance on defense. 19 turnovers is a lot, but a handful of those came early, Freeman had some down low, and FIU was phenomenal at getting their hands in passing lanes quickly. - I will probably repeat this all year, but if we have Dawson last year, we're back to back MAC Champs. His versatility, athleticism, and size is such a mismatch for teams. - Tribble & Hunter were a bit MIA at times, but their effort is always there. - Nate Johnson continues to be the most improved player. He seemed to always make up for his errors, and he's like a Dawson Jr. out there. His confidence this year is what is most encouraging, as we all saw the potential with him last year that was simply lacking the confidence. - Best for last: Freeman. 27 pts including TWO 3 pointers (the last one was insanely clutch), 14 rebounds. He is already on the Mount Rushmore for all-time Akron players, and nights like tonight simply solidify his jersey in the rafters someday. Unbelievable performance and I'd half to imagine the other MAC squads are crapping themselves seeing Freeman add the 3 pointer to his arsenal. This was a game Akron has lost all too often in the past. A beatable team from a decent conference, in a game where seemingly nothing went our way. This was a big win for the program. Beat Utah State! Go Zips!

Not shocked. Most seasons are 1-2 games before the early season tournament, which typically featured a P6 squad. One of those first two games may have been a P6 program as well. What is shocking is this is probably our most difficult schedule thus far that doesn't contain a P6, and we're undefeated. SDSU, USM, and FIU are all quality wins thus far.

THAT was a good win.

BALL GAME! AKRON IS GOING TO WIN! WHAT A CLOSE OUT!

FREEEEEEMAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!

BIG 3 by Dawson. Tie game at 64.

Thornton with the air ball free throw. I get it, NIU didn't have many pressure situations, but that's tough...

And Freeman hasn't fouled out yet? Wow. FIU shooting free throws the rest of the way.

Would love for these refs to swallow the whistle a bit. That was textbook straight up defense by Tribble.

Tavari with the 3 in transition. Beautiful!

FREEMAN FOR 3!

Solid first half. Weathered the storm of HAVOC Jr. and found our footing. FIU is a solid team - would love to finish this out and come away with the W.

Pass deflected by Freeman, picked up and dribbled down the court by Dawson, who finds an incredible lane to lead Scott for the layup. Teamism at its peak.

Their coach is a VCU Shaka disciple. HAVOC spreads...

Dawson FEELING IT!

HEAVY pressure by FIU out of the gate. GREAT timeout by Groce to make the adjustments now instead of letting it get out of hand.

FIU lost to UCF by 23, Tarleton State by 17 (at home it looks like), and Miami FL by 6, then beat Houston Christian by 9. This will be an interesting matchup. Their schedule should lend itself to a decent base RPI with games against Liberty, FAU, NMSU, MTSU, WKU, and La Tech.