clarkwgriswold

You would hope that the team's late season success will make the transfer portal work in the Zips favor. It should keep the current kids here while drawing other kids to the program. I hope it doesn't draw attention to Groce.

I'm not a fan of the how Senderoff said it shouldn't have gotten out of the locker room or how he tried to explain how things happen in the locker room, but his defense of Jacobs and praise of the Zips was what I would hope for from the coach of my team.

Yes. Print and the E-Edition. Marla on the front page. GT on 1C. Beaven on 4C.

3 Beacon articles about the Zips today. Marla about Groce, Beaven about Ali and GT about the team in general. Shocking.

I saw a bus down here today with the name "Flashes" on the front of the bus. Of course, it was a short bus. It made me smile.

I wonder if this team's run will result in the return of some of the fair weather blue seaters who departed when KD left.

???

There's a reason that's the first time you've heard it. Don't get me wrong, I like Ali, but an NBA prospect would dominate the MAC in his third year not just be a nice player. He has a future in basketball but it won't be in the NBA.

I wonder when the PCCC fans will show up to wish the Zips well.

Draft Kings line is Akron +15.

This is unrelated to the tournament game but there's nowhere else really to post it. Today's Beacon included a "Get to Know" article about GT- https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/2022/03/07/staff-profile-meet-beacon-journal-george-thomas/6756017001/ The article made me appreciate him a little more, but one think jumped out at me- The likelihood you will find me in an arena, stadium or other sporting venue is nil. Unless I have an interest in it for work, I won’t be watching it on TV. People are more apt to run into me at a movie theater or Playhouse Square for its Broadway Series productions. It makes me wonder what a guy who apparently has such a disinterest in sports has the job of covering sports.

UCLA Starters against Arizona in the PAC-12 championship: Myles Johnson- C- 6’10”- senior- 3.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg Johnny Juzang- G- 6’7”- junior- 16 ppg, 4.6 rpg Jaime Vasquez- G/F- 6’7’- junior- 14 ppg, 5.8 rpg Jules Bernard- G- 6’7”- senior- 12.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg Tyger Campbell- G- 5’11”- junior- 11.5 rpg, 1.5 rpg, 4.2 apg UCLA finished No. 8 in the KenPom, No. 10 in the NET, No. 10 in the BPI, No. 10 in the RPI and No. 10 in the BARTHAG, strength of record- No. 15.

A quote from an article in Bruin Report Online- Akron isn’t good, and UCLA should be able to cruise through that one. The Zips shoot a lot of threes, so that could be trouble, but they don’t have a ton of size, which has been the real issue for UCLA this year. If the Bruins are focused, they should be able to win going away. Here's hoping UCLA has that same cocky attitude.

Our 2021-2022 MAC Champion Zips head to Portland Thursday to face UCLA in the 4/13 game. The Zips come into the game at 24-9 on am 8 game win streak. UCLA comes in at 25-7 out of the PAC-12, losing to Arizona in the conference tournament. I’ll post more on the players and matchups later but wanted to get this up quick so that the conversation could get started. Go Zips!

Of course the last damn bracket announced! I was a little worried about Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

So much for the Illinois angle. Pittsburgh would have been nice.

They're going to ease us to the end!

X and the other guards repeatedly led Carry into the trap and Carry and Pinky failed to adjust other than Pinky eventually just moving Carry off of the ball. I loved how the Zips adapted that trap, first using it against Sears a couple of weeks ago and then springing it on PCCC last night. Now that's a locker room video. So, ummm, did anyone else wake up in an almost giddy mood with a stupid grin on their face?

Another point I just discovered in the box score- the Zips had fewer personal fouls than Carry had turnovers! 9-7 (and he actually had at least one other that was called a missed shot). The PCCC will of course see that as a vast MAC conspiracy.

Insincere made a three pointer with 17:34 left in the first half to bring PCCC to within a point (34-33). He then did his little dance. From then out they were outscored 41-22. Do you think he'll take a lesson from that? That is karma. Keep dancing Sincere, keep dancing.

The MAC tournament games are so close together than it is tough putting up separate threads but we'll have more of a break between the Zips NCAA Tournament gameS. Guys, let me know whether you'd prefer individual game threads or a single tournament long thread for the upcoming weekS.

I could not be more proud of how this group represented the University of Akron. This thing that makes me so proud is that this team did not do it with overwhelming talent but did it with overwhelming effort. I will always think of this squad's guile and determination when I see that banner in the rafters. I am by no means saying that group is unskilled but the difference maker was the team's determination. Kudos to the coaching staff for getting those kids to buy into the system and give that effort. That type of basketball is not easy to play. I will get up a thread for the first NCAA tournament game as soon as an opponent is announced.

I'd like to point out that Carry didn't score a single point after his silly little dance.

Not sure how that happened!