clarkwgriswold Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 The Zips head to the land of perpetual snow Tuesday night to face Buffalo. Buffalo comes into the game at 10-11/4-4 fresh off of a six-point loss in Garrettsville. In the MAC, the Bulls have beaten Ball State, BG, NIU and Ohio while losing to PCCC, Miami, CMU and Toledo. 6’5” sophomore guard Curtis Jones leads Buffalo scoring at 15.3 ppg while also contributing 5.1 rpg. 5’4” junior guard Zid Powell is second in scoring at 13.7 ppg. 6’8” senior forward LaQuill Hardnett leads rebounding at 7.5 rpg. Buffalo is second in MAC offense and 9th in defense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 14 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said: The Zips head to the land of perpetual snow Tuesday night to face Buffalo. Buffalo... where it is always winter but never Christmas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csims0917 Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 This will be a tough one for the zips. Especially with a looming national game on Friday. I believe in Groce to keep them focused but Buffalo on the road is already a tough trip. This will be a tight one. Watch out for the Kent Central Michigan game too 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 Over the next 3 games, Akron will be taking on their MAC tournament opponents from last year, not in the same order. I wonder if Groce is using this as a coaching piece at all, in that they need to recognize where they are in the moment as far as the bigger picture, while also going game-by-game. I would caution Zip fans from overreacting to the results on the scoreboard either way that the games go. This team is improving as the season goes on, just as we were hoping. A different role player is stepping up every night, the offense is manufacturing looks, and one of the three of X, Hank, and Sammy is coming in with a hot hand on any given night. Last week was fascinating. Both games were decided by about the same margin, but they were quite different. The Miami game was a slugfest that Akron played poor defense in, and was quite fortunate to win. X was heroic. Saturday, I think the Zips played pretty good defense and had control, they just couldn't bury the Bobcats. X had an off shooting night. All in all, a good sign when you can win those games. For this game tomorrow (and all of them at this point, but especially against these opponents), the Zips need to be focused. Absolutely locked in. Buffalo hasn't set the world on fire in the win column, but they are dangerous. They couldn't get anything going at Kent on Friday, but still managed to hang around all night. They are the fastest paced team in the league, but are fairly middle-of-the-road when it comes to offensive efficiency. Defensively, they're solid too. Their performance at Ball State last Tuesday, a blowout win for 40 minutes, they were outstanding. An outlier performance from a shooting standpoint. If the Zips keep the pace below 62 possessions or so, they force UB to get more makes on fewer shots. What makes them dangerous is their rebounding. They have the best offensive rebounding rate in the league. The Zips, on the other hand, are the best defensive rebounding team in the league. The Zips have put up the best defensive numbers through the first half of MAC play. If they keep that up tomorrow, it could all be for nothing if they can't limit UB's chances. So they keys to beating UB--control the pace and rebound! Scoring more points wouldn't hurt either 😉 Go Zips!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 This one scares me with Kent coming up. Hopefully Groce has the guys locked in on UB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 8 minutes ago, zippy5 said: This one scares me with Kent coming up. Hopefully Groce has the guys locked in on UB when I looked at the MAC schedule at beginning of season, I had this and the early Ball State game circled as potential and likely losses. They will pick up a few more losses for the rest of the season. Looking at last year's schedule, Zips were at 2 MAC losses coming into the 1/28 Toledo game which they lost at Toledo. Then they won back to back with Miami and at DeKalb. Next thing we know, the bottom dropped out, and I was ready to cancel my vacation days for the MAC tournament. I like what @LoyalZIPsaid about winning the last two games differently. However, I thought they would win those even when it got close. I expect a let down tomorrow night, heading into Friday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 The Bulls' only home loss in league play was to Toledo, and they didn't go down easy. Conversely, they've won just one road game in the MAC. Early in the year, they suffered many blowout losses. They've lost by 35 to JMU, 20 to UConn, 25 to Tulane, 18 to WVU (better game than the final score indicates), and a 21-point loss to Michigan State. After an undefeated first week of MAC play, they fell on the road to Miami and CMU by a total of 20 points. Tomorrow will be interesting for sure. And the way things are shaping up, teams like UB and OU could be matching up with some of the top seeds on Thursday. Things could get very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyZip Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 I'm just sayin...this could be a tough one. But I'd be happy to sacrifice my 8 game streak here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, LoyalZIP said: And the way things are shaping up, teams like UB and OU could be matching up with some of the top seeds on Thursday. Things could get very interesting. How it stands on Monday? 1. Suffield Tech 2. Akron 3. Toledo 4. Ball State 5. Buffalo: beat NIU and BG 6. Northern Illinois: Beat Garrettsville 7. Bowling Green 8. Ohio: beat Central Michigan Suffield Tech v Ohio Akron v Bowling Green Toledo v NIU Ball State v Buffalo Edited January 30, 2023 by NWAkron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 We are a one point favorite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted January 31, 2023 Report Share Posted January 31, 2023 Bettors like the Zips. It's been bet up to -2.5. Similar thing happened with the OU game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 31, 2023 Report Share Posted January 31, 2023 I kind of like using BartTorvik because it gives you the advanced detail without having to pay. It currently lists Akron as a dog in 5 out of our last 10 games. 3 of those 5 games are near coin flip odds, which seems reasonable. https://www.barttorvik.com/team.php?team=Akron&year=2023 Personally, I'm a bit nervous for this game. Buffalo looks pretty mediocre this year, but we still haven't beat a team as good as them on the road this season. And we have struggled (albeit still winning) on the road against much worse teams. I expect a close game and hope Castaneda and Freeman are able to put this team on their back in the closing minutes to squeeze out a win. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 I do not recognize any of the Buffalo starter names. It just seems like the guys that they had played there for 10 years. Glad not to see the name Mballa any more. 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Zips not doing the little things well thus far. Bulls getting tons of loose balls and rebounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Enrique is getting fouled on every rebound attempt. He's boxed out and had great positioning so far 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Someone test the ball for grease. This is insane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Damn we're good when every 3 goes in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, zippy5 said: Damn we're good when every 3 goes in Just as the scouting report indicated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 How many over the back non-calls can they get away with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) Greg. Tribble. 😁 Edited February 1, 2023 by MDZip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, MDZip said: Greg. Tibble. 😁 That was awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsrule Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Nice take by Freeman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Buffalo lacks skill but fights like hell on the boards. If the Zips cool off (of course Hank buried one after an illegal screen) this will be a dog fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsrule Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 Buffalo cannot shoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted February 1, 2023 Report Share Posted February 1, 2023 This is shocking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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