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Groce will certainly have some tempting offers. Butler is the one to watch, IMO.

Tough day for sure. But the memories of last Saturday night will never disappear. Can’t take that away.

Akron ranked 259th in the country in 3-point defense. Perimeter defense was a weakness most of the year. Bad or average teams couldn't take advantage of that. Better teams could, which is why we didn't beat any of them. They made shots at absurd rates because we consistently gave opponents great looks...we saw it throughout the game today. That's not bad luck for us or good luck for them, that's a team's weakness getting exposed.

We're climbing up a list we don't want to be on. Akron 8 2026

most ncaa appearances without a win School Appearances Last Appearance Iona 16 2023 Boise State 9 2024 Eastern Kentucky 8 2014 South Dakota State 8 2024 Colgate 7 2024 Nebraska 's win over Troy was their first ever.

Tough day. Great season. Thanks for the memories boys.

You don't have to wonder. Estimated figures are out there. I think Texas Tech was around $10.5 million if I remember correctly. I imagine $3-$4 million of that went to Toppin who obviously didn't play. You can still win as a mid-major. The margin of error is just very small. It requires a great gameplan and even better execution.

To win in a game like this you have to be talented, really well prepared, and a little fortunate. I’m sure prep wasn’t an issue, talent is always going to favor the power conference team, and the luck swung all towards Texas tech in the last 8 minutes of the game. Amani had an open look to cut the lead to 2 in the final fourth of the game. It doesn’t go down and Texas tech scores on almost every possession for the rest of the game. The defense down the stretch couldn’t force misses we got at other points in the game

I don't know that it has. This tournament is proof of that so far.

That was pre NIL. The climb has become a lot steeper. One wonders what TT's budget is now(?)

Siena gave Duke a run McNees and Kennesaw St kept it close Santa Clara should have beaten Kentucky Hofstra is up 10 over Bama Miami will probably beat Tennessee High Point beat Wisconsin I don't mind losing. I just want a chance. We end up getting blown out almost every single time. Aside from the UCLA game, we never really even have a shot.

He won 3 tourney games at Ohio. If anything, JG probably wants to break whatever glass ceiling is over this program because he can.

You would think they would've done it at least once; you would also think any of those 5 OOC losses would've had average or even below average shooting nights at least once. Realistically - Akron didn't do enough in any of their OOC losses to overcome unprecedented shooting performances by their opponents. Whether or not defense was a factor is irrelevant because the opponent made their shots at absurd rates. THAT'S being realistic. Akron was talented enough to compete with all of their OOC opponents. THAT'S being realistic. 3 pt loss to Yale: Shot 64% FG and 47% 3P; on the season, 49.6% FG and 40% 3P 15 pt loss to Murray State: 58% FG and 56% 3P; on the season, 46% FG and 34.8% 3P 10 pt loss to Troy: 43% FG and 52% 3P; on the season, 44.9% FG and 33.5% 3P 20 pt loss to Texas Tech: 64% FG and 55% 3P; on the season, 46.7% and 39.3% 3P Purdue pretty much shot their season averages; the difference in that game was our inability to do anything around the rim. Akron had to be damn near perfect to win any of those OOC games and even then (great offensive performances vs. Yale & Murray State) it wasn't enough to overcome the hot shooting. Those shooting percentages are outside the norm of what most defenses can affect. On the flip side, they blew out Tulane (18-15 on the year and middle of the pack in the American) on their court, dominated Princeton, and handled James Madison. They didn't drop any headscratchers to teams like Evansville, Iona, Milwaukee, Bucknell, etc., which is something we've seen other teams do. This team was much more than just "MAC good." This team had the talent - that wasn't the issue. Luck wasn't on our side in some of those games and execution certainly wasn't, especially vs. Miami OH, Troy, and Texas Tech. Did we have the size? Probably not, and that's likely where the team will look to improve in the off-season. I'm realistic, not pessimistic.

I don’t think Akron is going to sneak up on anyone in the NCAAT. We are a respected mid-major and the pundits amplify it. We are going to have to show up, play great and take it.

Somebody had the chance to title this thread Staying Close to the Vest, and fumbled 😉 Even with the NIL money, JG has to be feeling somewhat ceilinged at Akron. He is still young enough to want another crack at a P4 IMO.

i don't watch much P4 hoops but i would certainly think TT could give Alabama a lot of trouble assuming they win their first game.

Thats ridiculous thing to say, I don’t think a program like Yale, St. Peter’s, ORU is just gonna accept the fact that they will never do anything in the tournament. You can play hard all season and you get one game where you are the underdog to prove yourself. There’s a reason for the seeding in the tournament

Great season, Zips. Tough way to end it with our worst game of the year. Add Texas Tech (64% FG, 55% from three) to the list of teams that had outlier shooting nights against us: Yale (64% FG, 47% 3pt), Murray State (58% FG, 56% 3pt), and Troy (52% 3pt). Credit to Tech’s coaching staff. Their game plan was clear. They pushed us off the three-point line and funneled everything to the rim, where we struggled to finish over their length. This felt like a rare game where Groce got out-coached. Would have liked to see a few early set plays to get Hardman going. Overall, we came out a bit tentative and never really found our rhythm. We will reload. We will be back.

This is based. At least that's what I believe the youth call it.

We're too small. We're athletic enough to overwhelm MAC teams but we can't do that vs P5 competition. It is what it is. Just have to keep building and increase the level of player we are bringing in

You're calling my take a bad take but you don't want to be realistic about the limitations of this year's team. If they truly had the talent to beat a top team, they would've done it at least once, and not lost to all but one of them by double-digits. We can love our team and be proud of them while staying realistic.

Oh you're not wrong. This is as good as it gets. Just gotta hope they play hard for all 40 minutes so it's a 5-8 point loss and not a 20 point one.

Will never break the ceiling, face it. MAC champs is all we can get. Not bad, but not great as MAC is lower mid major conference

Bad 6-7 minutes in the game??? That’s close to 20%!!! Not what I expected from a Sr laden team with 2 previous tournament experience. its always about guard play in march madness and our star guy didn’t show up!!

Poor perimeter defense doesn't = automatic shot making. I watched SMU the other night miss some wide open 3s, and they're a VERY good 3P shooting team. Your take was based on a lack of talent, and that's why I said it was a bad take. Akron didn't beat the top teams on their schedule - that's accurate and will need remedied in the future. However, this team had the talent to do so. The ball didn't always bounce our way. So be it, we move on. Go Zips.