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OU to the Sweet 16


akronzips71

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From what I remember we finished 1st...Ohio U was 3rd.

2nd best was Buffalo...

I could care less about the MAC regular season championship! And in seasons where we won the MACC, no one else did either. It's a consolation prize and only bought us a first round NIT loss. And besides, we've now been there and done that.

Keeping this on-topic, do you think anyone from OU cares they finished third in the MAC regular season? Of course not! They will remember it as the best season in their program's history.

I want post season wins and preferably multiple ones. This team has the talent. Anything less is underachieving anymore.

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All you need to know about the importance of the MAC regular season is that John Groce, who is currently being wooed by the University of Illinois to sign up for a multimillion-dollar payday, has a 4-year MAC conference record of 34-30.

I really do appreciate that KD and the team finally brought a MAC regular season championship to UA. It's never been done before, and it's nice to know the Zips can do it. Now that they've finally done it, the focus can go back to getting to the NCAA tournament. Winning the most MAC games during the regular season only counts if there are also enough good OOC wins to add up to an at-large bid. Otherwise, winning the MAC tournament championship is the key to the big-time.

In the world of big-time college basketball, winning NCAA tournament games is all that really counts.

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I could care less about the MAC regular season championship! And in seasons where we won the MACC, no one else did either. It's a consolation prize and only bought us a first round NIT loss. And besides, we've now been there and done that.

Keeping this on-topic, do you think anyone from OU cares they finished third in the MAC regular season? Of course not! They will remember it as the best season in their program's history.

I want post season wins and preferably multiple ones. This team has the talent. Anything less is underachieving anymore.

Who had the better season?:

Green Bay Packers: 15-1, best record in the NFL

NY Giants: 9-7 regular season, Super Bowl Championship

Dambrot said it, Cventinovic, Abreu and other players said it too - "Winning the MAC Regular Season Championship is 'the little prize.' Winning the MAC Tournament and getting the NCAA bid is 'The Big Prize'."

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Who had the better season?:

Green Bay Packers: 15-1, best record in the NFL

NY Giants: 9-7 regular season, Super Bowl Championship

Dambrot said it, Cventinovic, Abreu and other players said it too - "Winning the MAC Regular Season Championship is 'the little prize.' Winning the MAC Tournament and getting the NCAA bid is 'The Big Prize'."

The difference is that people across the country will remember that the Packers had the best record in the NFL this year, but very few will remember that the Akron Zips had the best record in the MAC this year.

Your comments likely support the "the regular season doesn't matter" faction of our fanbase. And I didn't believe you were on that side. Maybe I'm wrong.

Here's my simple answer: I'd rather have the MAC regular season AND tournament title. And if I don't have the tournament title, we can at least still call ourselves "MAC Champs" and put a banner in the arena, rather than walking away from the tournament loss with absolutely nothing to show for our efforts in that particular year, like the other dozen or so teams have to do.

But surely, the way the system is set up right now, the tournament title has much greater value because of the NCAA bid. That's why I think that the focus of the regular season should be on earning an At-Large bid, rather than trying to simply win a MAC regular season title.

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Winning the regular season gives you the #1 seed. With the #1 seed, you should have the advantage to win the MCC. A team only has to win two games in the MAC tourney to get an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney (which is the goal, as stated by KD and players). I would say the new format puts some emphasis on winning the regular season title.

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Over the past four seasons, both the Zips and OU have made it to the NCAA tournament twice without having won the MAC regular season championship.

The difference is that OU has won three NCAA tournament games while the Zips have yet to win.

Looking at that, it's not unreasonable for Zips fans to be more focused on the importance of winning NCAA tournament games than anything else right now.

To win NCAA tournament games, first you have to get to the NCAA tournament. If winning the MAC regular season championship and/or having a winning record against strong OOC opponents makes it more likely for the Zips to make it to the NCAA tournament, I don't see how any Zips fan could be against having those as secondary goals that contribute to the larger goal.

But, ultimately, Zips fans are not going to be completely satisfied until the team not only gets to the NCAA tournament but wins tournament games. OU's done it twice in the last three seasons. Can't did it a decade earlier.

Zips fans want their team to be better than Can't, OU, or any other team in the MAC. Exceeding the accomplishments of OU and Can't on the national college basketball stage is the only way to achieve that goal.

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The difference is that people across the country will remember that the Packers had the best record in the NFL this year, but very few will remember that the Akron Zips had the best record in the MAC this year.

Your comments likely support the "the regular season doesn't matter" faction of our fanbase. And I didn't believe you were on that side. Maybe I'm wrong.

Here's my simple answer: I'd rather have the MAC regular season AND tournament title. And if I don't have the tournament title, we can at least still call ourselves "MAC Champs" and put a banner in the arena, rather than walking away from the tournament loss with absolutely nothing to show for our efforts in that particular year, like the other dozen or so teams have to do.

But surely, the way the system is set up right now, the tournament title has much greater value because of the NCAA bid. That's why I think that the focus of the regular season should be on earning an At-Large bid, rather than trying to simply win a MAC regular season title.

Comparing the national notoriety of the Green Bay Packers to the Akron Zips is obviously not my point. At least I thought that was obvious. To be clear, my point is - Regular season titles are nice, but winning in the post-season, at any level of sports, in any sport, is what your team's success is ultimately judged by.

What is the stereotype of Marty Schottenheimer - Never made a Super Bowl despite always having great regular seasons? He's a notch below Marv Levy, who whiffed in 4 consecutive Super Bowls.

What's the stereotype of LeBron? Until he wins a playoff championship, he's just another great player who couldn't win the big one. Ditto Dan Marino.

Keith Dambrot is correct in saying the MAC regular season title is Nice. Winning it on K.e.n.t.'s court was really nice. But would a Zips' fan trade it for a 1st round NCAA win against Michigan? In an f-ing heartbeat.

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Over the past four seasons, both the Zips and OU have made it to the NCAA tournament twice without having won the MAC regular season championship.

The difference is that OU has won three NCAA tournament games while the Zips have yet to win.

Looking at that, it's not unreasonable for Zips fans to be more focused on the importance of winning NCAA tournament games than anything else right now.

To win NCAA tournament games, first you have to get to the NCAA tournament. If winning the MAC regular season championship and/or having a winning record against strong OOC opponents makes it more likely for the Zips to make it to the NCAA tournament, I don't see how any Zips fan could be against having those as secondary goals that contribute to the larger goal.

But, ultimately, Zips fans are not going to be completely satisfied until the team not only gets to the NCAA tournament but wins tournament games. OU's done it twice in the last three seasons. Can't did it a decade earlier.

Zips fans want their team to be better than Can't, OU, or any other team in the MAC. Exceeding the accomplishments of OU and Can't on the national college basketball stage is the only way to achieve that goal.

Dave this doesn't sound like the NIT Cheerleader we heard from a few weeks ago.

Funny how perspective changes in a few short weeks.

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@Big Zip, I have not changed my perspective a bit. I've been pretty consistent in my agreement with KD, the players and other Zips fans that the NIT is the small prize and the NCAAT is the big prize. Like everyone else, I was disappointed that the Zips ended up only with the small prize and not the big prize. I would have been even more disappointed if they hadn't won any prize of any size.

I had less enthusiasm for the Zips' participation in the NIT than I would have if they'd been in the NCAAT. But I still had at least a little interest in following the Zips in the NIT when a few other fans were saying they had no interest at all.

I hope that clarifies my perspective for you. It will remain consistent and won't change next season.

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It is being reported that Groce will be named Illini HC today or tomorrow at the latest. And few are happy. Mike Thomas is catching grief because of this hire. In fact, they are saying, that he is in over his head.

It may not be a great hire, but it is a good enough hire. Groce knows one thing about modern day sports. Find a star and live/die with him. He rode Cooper as long as he could and probably could have done it for another successful year. Time to cash in though. If he can find a star in IL somewhere, he'll do fine....Cooper was a star IL basketball star. Find another star and he could be there 7 years from now.

There were other names mentioned...all of them would have been making a mistake to take this job and should wait for a higher profile job if possible. For now, Groce is the best Thomas can do so he isn't really in over his head as much as he is doing the best he can with what he has to work with...he did a good job of this at Akron.

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It is being reported that Groce will be named Illini HC today or tomorrow at the latest. And few are happy. Mike Thomas is catching grief because of this hire. In fact, they are saying, that he is in over his head.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/11558295-41...ball-coach.html

The worst coaching hire in Mike Thomas' career still won a MAC football championship.

He's a great AD.

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It is being reported that Groce will be named Illini HC today or tomorrow at the latest. And few are happy. Mike Thomas is catching grief because of this hire. In fact, they are saying, that he is in over his head.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/11558295-41...ball-coach.html

But wait didn't OU fans say their school was going to triple his salary? I thought they were so smart and intelligent?

People from OU are starting to look as dumb as Can't fans. Real question is who do I hate more?

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Here's the best story yet about Groce and the University of Illinois because of the way the story begins:

Illinois AD botches search

BY DAVID HAUGH Chicago Tribune

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Had Akron guard Brian Walsh hit an open 18-footer with nine seconds left in the Mid-American Conference championship game two weeks ago, Illinois fans might never have spent yesterday Googling the name John Groce.

But Walsh missed, the Ohio team coached by Groce hung on for a 64-63 victory to clinch an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament and, here we are, with Illinois ready to take home the girl it met five minutes before closing time.

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If if's and buts were candy and nuts.......

Sports history is made of winners and losers. Most loser stories start with "if"...in this case "had."

I hope some day our opponents fans type "if Akron hadn't..." That's when I'll laugh, until then it's just another sad ending.

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here we are, with Illinois ready to take home the girl it met five minutes before closing time.

This guy assumes the girl you meet five minutes before close is going to be bad in the sack. I would say that is rarely the case. Booze brings out the best in all of us.

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It is unfortunate that the ignorant sports fans & writers grossly outnumber the intelligent, free-thinking ones.

It would be interesting to see what David Haugh thought about Bruce Weber when his Illinois team reached the NCAA finals. Was he leaning towards a contract extension, or did he know Weber was destined for a mediocre career conclusion in Champaign? I'll guess he probably leaned towards an extension. Funny how hindsight makes some people experts.

Now we see this writer rail on Groce...a guy whose career he's researched for roughly 38 seconds.

Groce's Ohio University, not Ohio State teams have whipped Georgetown, beat Michigan and beat USF in the NCAA tourney during their last 2 appearances. Take a look at the post season results of all MAC basketball programs over the past several years and tell me how impressive that is to have on your resume. It's a hell of a lot more impressive than winning NCAA tourney games coming from the CAA, Horizon or MVC.

Keith Dambrot is a great basketball coach. Won 20+ games per season for 7...8 consecutive seasons (I forget offhand)? And recently, Groce has owned him. The Zips last 2 trips to Athens bear witness to the most uncompetitive beatdowns of those respective Akron Basketball seasons.

If Haugh wants to boil things down to a single shot, like Walsh's miss, than why not use the identical logic on Offutt's free throw? Groce could just as easily been in the Elite 8 as the NIT? Whether or not Groce is a Big10-level coach depends on how stupid you are, and what you want to believe.

As previously stated, Mike Thomas made one bad hire - JD Brookhart (his first hire as an AD). And that guy won Akron's only MAC football championship.

Mike Thomas knows how to evaluate coaching talent. He has a proven record of elevating and sustaining excellence in collegiate athletic programs. He will find Illinois a great Head Basketball Coach. And that guy is probably John Groce.

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The Zips last 2 trips to Athens bear witness to the most uncompetitive beatdowns of those respective Akron Basketball seasons.

And you probably spared us by not mentioning the most embarrassing game of them all.....the 2011 game at the JAR where OU had a lead as large as 24 points, on our home floor, before a late barrage by Akron prevented me from experiencing complete humiliation.

The guy has won 5 out of the last 6 games against probably the 2nd most successful program in the MAC over these last 3 years, with 3 of them being blowouts, and 2 more being title games. I honestly can't think of any MAC coach in recent memory more deserving of a big jump upward.

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And you probably spared us by not mentioning the most embarrassing game of them all.....the 2011 game at the JAR where OU had a lead as large as 24 points, on our home floor, before a late barrage by Akron prevented me from experiencing complete humiliation.

The guy has won 5 out of the last 6 games against probably the 2nd most successful program in the MAC over these last 3 years, with 3 of them being blowouts, and 2 more being title games. I honestly can't think of any MAC coach in recent memory more deserving of a big jump upward.

He makes Geno Ford look like a booger.

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