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I'm a little concerned with this one. The Huskies have a habit of playing Akron really tough. They have won two of the last three in this series including a major upset when we were about an 18 pt favorite at home in '08. Another thing that bothers me is that the oddsmakers are giving the Zips no respect opening the line at Akron -2.

It will be interesting to see if we have an answer for Silas. He leads the MAC in scoring and can go off for 30 + anytime he hits the floor. The supporting cast is certainly not great but Toler can also score and Rucker and Landers are not bad players. I have watched them play a couple times but they were over matched and on the road. At home and in conference the Huskies can be a dangerous foe, no doubt about it. Both teams come in to this one healthy and ready to go.

I believe that the key for an Akron victory is to continue what we saw in crunch time against BG, RUN THE OFFENSE THROUGH ZEKE !!! I am also very interested to see how KD hands out minutes. Roberts is returning to form and playing very well. Will Roberts steal minutes from Nitro ?? It could happen. His minutes have been increasing and he responded with a great game vs.BG. Like it or not, I think we will see more of Steve and less of Alex at the point as well. Steve is KD's quarterback and that's all there is to it. With every game now being a big game, I think that KD is going to keep his battle tested guys on the floor longer, though I think that Diggs needs to be played as well. I'd actually enjoy seeing Diggs mtched up against Silas for a few minutes. He's pretty darn quick and could become a nice shut down defender for us going forward. I'll be watching the battle of the boards too. We have been getting beat to the ball a lot on our rival's offensive glass. NIU is a decent rebounding team so we have to keep that in check for sure. Pace will also be a big factor. NIU loves to get out and run while KD wants to keep them in a halfcourt set. He stated after the BG game that we have to keep the opposition under 70 to have our best chance to win. The team that dictates the pace of play will have a big edge.

This will be a very interesting and important game for us. I'd love to say that we will go up there and pound NIU but I can't. I expect a very close game that could go either way. I'm really happy that we all get to watch this one on STO so you all can come back and say I'm full of crap. :lol:

GO ZIPS !!!

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This is one of those seasons when Zips fans have to be concerned about every game. When the team plays up to its full capabilities, the Zips are capable of blowing out teams like NIU. Bit when the Zips are off, they're capable of losing to just about anyone. Unfortunately, they've been at least a little bit off in too many of this season's games. Unless the Zips turn a corner and start consistently playing at a level closer to their full capabilities, I'll be holding my breath that they can somehow squeak through games like this one. I'll be yelling at the TV tonight.

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Roberts is returning to form and playing very well. Will Roberts steal minutes from Nitro ?? It could happen. His minutes have been increasing and he responded with a great game vs.BG.

Roberts turned it on when Humpty was injured last season. He seems to be a guy that plays measurably better as his minutes increase.

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I'll be yelling at the TV tonight.

Same here, my wife just doesn't understand how yelling at the TV or radio helps anything. I always tell her that the Zips feel the vibe no matter where they are playing. She hid the camcorder on me one night when the Zips were being televised. Afterward, even I had to admit that If my performance had been reviewed by mental health professionals I would have probably been safely locked away in a rubber room.

It is a passion.

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I'll be yelling at the TV tonight.

Same here, my wife just doesn't understand how yelling at the TV or radio helps anything. I always tell her that the Zips feel the vibe no matter where they are playing. She hid the camcorder on me one night when the Zips were being televised. Afterward, even I had to admit that If my performance had been reviewed by mental health professionals I would have probably been safely locked away in a rubber room.

It is a passion.

Amen, Amen. And, I am still looking for a wife that shares this passion.

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...She hid the camcorder on me one night when the Zips were being televised...
Please upload to youtube and post immediately! :D

No can do.... It is forever gone but I wouldn't put it past her to do again. I have to be on guard because this years team really has me pulling my hair out. In fact, we are only in January and there are no hairs left to pull. :lol: If I observe her being especially quiet while watching a game I'd have to suspect that something may be up. She is a pretty passionate fan in her own right and often does quite a bit of yelling herself. Believe it or not, her all time favorite Zip is Mario Collins, followed closely by by Joe Jakubic.

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When the team plays up to its full capabilities, the Zips are capable of blowing out teams like NIU.

I dunno...this year's Zips squad doesn't seem to be capable of blowing out any team...at least one that doesn't rhyme with "schmilliken."

Are you suggesting that we put St. Louis on the schedule ?

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If BG could beat them by 6, I like our chances for a blow-out!

It would be fun to play Majerus in the Bracket Buster, but the Billiken's look to be on an OU-esque roll right now. I don't think the planets are aligning.

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I don't know about everyone else but the feed is so choppy it's ridiculous. And i have a pretty good rig here with road runner turbo.

Also, how sad is it that every team we play has a way better pregame video and introductions graphics compared to us?

Looks like they have an empty seat problem as well.

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On this day in 2002 Andy Hipsher had 22 points and Rashon Brown had 25 points to beat CMU. Do we have players that can score like that any more?

Can McNeese stop overthinking and just start playing basketball? Can someone teach our players how to defend?

Steve MCNEES will come around, it's obviously mental. He'll get there. Chuck Galetti, EXPONENTIALLY BETTER on the halftime show than the pretty blonde girl that did the show of the Buffalo game. Good job, STO.

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Am I the only one that wishes Brett McKnight would get less minutes?

He's doing a great job spinning around and then missing the rim. Unfortunately, no one else seems to want to take a shot inside that little line on the perimeter of the court.

I wish someone on the team would drive all the way to the hoop instead of pulling up for a little floater in the paint.

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Am I the only one that wishes Brett McKnight would get less minutes?

He's doing a great job spinning around and then missing the rim. Unfortunately, no one else seems to want to take a shot inside that little line on the perimeter of the court.

I wish someone on the team would drive all the way to the hoop instead of pulling up for a little floater in the paint.

I'd settle for them putting that orange thing in the round ring.

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