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Not a great way to sustain success.

3 drops already

Tough to get much playing time at the beginning of the season when the roster is mostly healthy. But once the G League season starts, he'll get plenty of time there. Unfortunately, the T Wolves set up with their G League team isn't as convenient as the Pacers where the two teams sometimes played in the same building on the same day, allowing him to play G League and be active in the NBA on the same day. We know for sure that he'll work hard to keep improving and get a shot to prove himself like he did last year.

I have been a Zips football fan after graduating Akron many decades ago and there have been years we were so bad I could not watch our team play more than a half (Coach Arth). Currently, we are good enough to be competitive in the MAC but almost everytime we have a chance to win something happens that pulls me back into the reality that we have a losing program that finds a way to lose games. Last week we had the momentum of scoring and I sensed a comeback and then the lightening and the resumption of play and the kickoff return followed by the Finley interception. When I saw the Captain's optimism that this week will finally be the week it all comes together and we get that underdog road win, I just thought of the following film clip

Freeman has not been on the Timberwolves roster the first 2 games and will probably start out in the G league. Here is a great article on how he may fit on the Timberwolves: https://dunkingwithwolves.com/crucial-aspect-of-enrique-freeman-s-game-should-have-timberwolves-fans-pumped-up

It's going to take a combo of Buffalo again playing down to its opposition and that patented Akron offensive genius to come away with an Akron win today. Probably be helpful if Finley doesn't throw it away on fourth down again.

EMU and CMU with dueling scandals in recent years. No better time than now to boot them both from the MAC. From the article: "... sportsbooks saw unusual betting interest against Eastern Michigan in the first half. The Eagles trailed at the end of the first half in each game." "The NCAA said that, due to the lack of cooperation, the enforcement staff was unable to determine whether sports betting violations occurred." What a joke. 1) Any bettor worth their snuff could tell that EMU doesn't play defense and just sucks in general. 2) The NCAA is the equivalent of the Abominable Snowman at the end of Rudolph - toothless.

As catdaddy pointed out, ANYthing can happen in the MAC. Bulls struggling rushing the passer could lead Finley into a great game passing. This week he will exceed 65%. Zips 38 - Bulls 27

Game Day Notes: Not much has changed since the preseason outlook for Buffalo. Ta’Quan Roberson has been steady at quarterback, completing 60% of his passes with 10 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions. He’s also capable of making plays with his legs, adding two rushing scores and a long run of 40 yards. Al-Jay Henderson has handled most of the workload at running back, totaling 477 yards and 4 touchdowns. That said, Akron native Lamar Sperling has been the more explosive option when given chances. Buffalo’s strength lies in its receiving corps, led by the trio of Vic Snow, Nik McMillan, and former Zip Jasaiah Gathings. Snow is as dynamic as any receiver in the MAC — he consistently creates separation and has a knack for making the first defender miss. The Bulls’ offensive line has been reliable this season. They’ve been excellent in pass protection, giving up just eight sacks all year, and have the size and athleticism to open some lanes in the run game. Defensively, it’s hard to argue against Red Murdock being the best linebacker in the MAC. His running mate, Dion Crawford, has been solid as well. One area where Buffalo doesn’t quite stack up is in getting after the quarterback. It’s actually one of the few spots where Akron statistically holds an advantage. As one would expect from a Lembo-coached team, Buffalo features some of the better special teams play in the MAC. Without sounding like a homer, I can’t realistically pick Akron to win this one. However, Buffalo has had trouble putting away the lower-tier teams in the MAC, with close wins over Kent (31-28), EMU (31-30), and UMass (28-21). If that trend continues and Akron can put together a performance similar to the CMU game, the Zips could very well find themselves on the right side of the scoreboard today.

Probably should extend everyone another eight years given this being predicted.

Had a Great Lakes Oktoberfest in the hot tub, then moved on to a French Rose’ to go with dinner. 🤘 I huffed some airplane glue after lunch, but I can’t believe that caused any issues?

THAT would be high five worthy!

Alright Captain what are we drinking tonight? I just poured a blantons

A MAC mbb team in the negative news on sports betting.. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/46710725/ex-eastern-michigan-players-refused-participate-betting-probe

Akron 31 Buffalo 24 I will go out on the mother of all limbs and predict the Zips go 3-1 to finish the season.

I've never sat courtside, but that's a pretty incredible deal. Especially once you consider those will likely be 2 of the better teams we will be facing at home this season.

Anyone ever sit courtside?

I think the initial term was like 20-25 years, but @Hilltopper once mentioned they refinanced and I assume extended the term of the loan to further reduce the annual payments. I'm not sure if any public record requests were submitted to confirm what the new terms are. My guess would be not as I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

Akron currently sits at #14 in the RPI, the highest RPI in the Big East. We're seemingly in no danger of missing out on an at-large bid if needed (unless we lose the last three matches 😬). However, it would be interesting to see how the committee would handle a team not making their conference tournament, as we're currently outside of the top 4 in the conference standings. Anyways, today's only game that would directly affect Akron's RPI is Ohio State (RPI #94) at Washington (RPI #25) at 10 pm EST.

Do we know when the football stadium is paid off? I assume not for a while still.

Kent is an actual college town. It's the same reason why a place like OU also has a thriving atmosphere. Akron is in a urban, crime riddled area. The development you see surrounding Kent's campus isn't KSU owned businesses. UA isn't in the real estate development business. If there was a demand for it private investors would be doing it. You started to see some development from developers on Exchange, but that started just as enrollment began to decline so it stopped. Thankfully it was the developers money that was lost and not the University's otherwise we would be in an even worse position financially. The few properties we did buy (ex. Quaker Square) we ended up having to sell at a major loss. If Akron starts winning enough that you start seeing local businesses like Timken, Goodyear, Smucker's, etc take more of an interest in athletics then maybe some sort of major change (more than slapping paint and changing the jumbotron/ribbon board) becomes possible. I just don't see it being a reality under the current circumstances. At least not until after Infocision is fully paid off. Akron isn't in a position to pay a combined $8+ million debt servicing payments between Infocision and the JAR. That money needs to come externally.

Not a Zip in the pros, but related... John Hackworth, father of Zips Mens Soccer alum Morgan Hackworth, named MLS Next Pro Coach of the Year,

Best part of the game so far, no Reghi. Feel free to turn on the audio. 🥳 The Zips look to snap Buffalo's seven-game win streak against them. Kickoff @1 pm on ESPN+ with Shawn Kenney and Ryan Cavanaugh.

Nah, it's just with how great everything is with the Zips, it's just mostly a sidenote in the greatness of everything. No reason to discuss it's so awesome.

Spend money to make money. The Rubber Bowl was decrepit; the University was in a situation where they were going to spend money on a stadium regardless. Maybe the Info should've had a smaller, more affordable design, but it doesn't seem like the stadium was built for Akron to stay in the MAC. If it was built smaller, would it have been possible to go back and add seating given the area? I don't know. However, and I've stated this before, the moment a decision was made to bring the football stadium on campus, a subsequent plan should've been made to develop East Exchange and Spicer into a college tailgate hub that distances itself from the otherwise urban setting. Creating a fun atmosphere around the stadium would've been a nice safety net to ensure its worthwhile for fans to come to a game regardless of the result. City universities are struggling all over the US compared to their more rural counterparts and it's partly because of the environments around rural campuses. They're simply more inviting and more fun. Look at Kent. They've had a crappy football team for the majority of my lifetime, but their campus environment is 100x what Akron's is which is one of the biggest reasons why they have better enrollment. A fully renovated JAR would go a long way with the community. Akron has been one of the most successful mid majors for the better part of 2 decades, but the average attendance has gone down. The average fan sits in GA seating which includes nothing but uncomfortable, backless wooden bleachers. Not to mention if you sit high enough, the banners get in the way of the scoreboard. Want something from the concessions? You'll have to wait for a while pregame or during halftime, even in a half full arena. The JAR, when it's rocking, is one of the best mid major atmospheres in college basketball. Outside of that, it BLOWS. Step 1 is winning at the national level in March. Step 2 is renovating the JAR (or building a new arena entirely, although less feasible IMO). The jolt those two things would give the program could really propel the University as a whole to the next level.