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I’m not making a prediction, but with his skills and maturity this early and for that size I could see him going pro after his junior year. I mean legit first rounder. So yes, precedent would be something like play at Akron for 2 years, then go to Duke for a year and then go pro. It would be nice if the Mahaffey clan gave Akron a family discount and he finished his college career at Akron. He would be like Larry Bird putting Indiana State on the map. That said, I want to make sure Evan gets his due. I especially like his defense and calm presence on the floor. He’s going to get fouled a lot so he needs to pick up his free throw shooting, but he’s been great so far. Great leadership. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Thanks to the Capt and Zips 1991. I just had a vague snapshot in my head of the Zips holding up trophys of some kind in a preseason tourney and it must have been the Sun Bowl in 2016. https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sports/college/basketball/2016/12/23/akron-wins-sun-bowl-basketball-invitational/95760162/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z114120d00----v114120b0041xxd004165&gca-ft=136&gca-ds=sophi

The American game was also in DC, so hardly a road game. ODU is more respectable. My point is these coaches act like they're being blindsided by this segregation in college athletics. It has been happening for nearly 4 decades, ever since tv media deals became a thing. It has been accelerated with conference realignment and COVID, but nobody should be shocked. Consolidation of power & money is a tale as old as time in society and sports are not immune without legitimate guardrails (NFL is the best example). Yes, big schools quit going to mid-majors to play regular season games years ago; however, it's not like the A10 is lining up to play at Akron, Miami OH, Ohio, Kent, etc., despite being geographically appropriate. There are 0 A10 @ MAC games this season, and very very few in the last 5 years despite nearly half the A10 having MAC schools right in their backyard. Is that not similar to the trend we've seen with the power conferences? Treat others the way you want to be treated; it's the golden rule and is the only bulletproof method to avoid hypocrisy. In 5-10 years, whose to say the A10 won't be only participating in MTEs with schools from the AAC, Big East, and PAC12? I get the GW coach's point, but it's hard for me to take him seriously when, if he could have it his way, he'd only play power conference schools anyways. Revenue sports in college athletics need OOC scheduling rules to fix this, but the powers that be aren't going to bite the hand that feeds them.

Damn…now I’m the “old guy.” 😫 The Zips won a tournament in 1990 (year after Huggins departed). I believe it was at Drake. Zips were led by two Duquesne transfers - Kevin McCarthy and Pete Freeman. Both had sat out the previous season as transfers and expected to play for Huggins. Instead they got Coleman Crawford. I still feel bad for them.

Thanks. I think it’s fine being the aim (why not aim high), but I’d settle for 6 and bowl eligibility. Our OOC isn’t the grinder it has been in some other years, but it still includes 2 P4 teams and a good G6 team. Likely we go 1-3 in OOC which would require 6-2 or 7-1 in conference play. That’s the conference record of a title contender and I don’t see that happening next year.

Awesome, we can get out of one of our P4 games next year. $100,000 is a lot of money for most people. It isn't much for a football budget. If it's a one time gift, it could go away next year. Akron needs permanent endowments and prioritization of money from within the University at least to the levels of the upper half of the MAC.

https://x.com/ATGoodrich/status/1991967431481586107?t=BKzouw0SYzLAxiSbuM8nCg&s=19

George Washington just last year played at both Old Dominion and at American, which is in the Patriot League. The coach speaking has gone into other mid-major arenas and played road games. Besides, the point he was making was mainly about MTE. Big schools long quit going to mid-majors to play regular season games. That happened 20 years ago, maybe longer. Its only been in the last ~5 years that you're seeing MTE fields that segregated power schools from mid-majors.

I find it funny that an A10 coach is complaining about being frozen out of competitive opportunities. When's the last time an upper echelon A10 school made the trip to a MAC gym?

It is different. But I like it. It gives the top teams a rest day so they don’t have to play 3 games in 3 days. Something the MAC should avoid as well. Reward the top conference teams with a shorter road to the title.

I'm not trying to take away from this thread as this is actually one of the more solid mid-major tournaments. That said the GW coach went on a rant about how in recent years you no longer see power conference schools play mid-majors in these tournaments. It's really a shame because it was one of the few realistic opportunities for top mid-majors to secure resume building wins. https://x.com/jjgottschalk/status/1991507432703685037?t=XYpFnUcuzaziuwb0QSBYkw&s=09

This is great! We have such a diverse group of players!

Akron won the Sun Bowl Invitational in 2016. But I think it might have only been 4 teams.

I agree, just emphasizing the word “at”, because in my world our 18 point loss at Purdue equates to an 8 point loss on a neutral court. Much better than the 30 point drubbing Texas Tech just took.

I know the Zips have never one an NCAA game. I do know they have won an NIT game and I believe their first NIT win was against Temple in Philly when their long time coach was retiring. However, I know in recent times they have not won a preseason tourney even though they have played in some beatable fields. I did a quick search and AI indicated they have never won a major preseason tourney. But I do have a vague memory of them winning a preseseason tourney in the past. (wishful thinking?) Does anyone with a better memory than me and a more in depth knowledge of this team (Capt Kangaroo?) know if I am correct and if they did win a preseason tourney with the year and location?

This looks to me like the AD is trying to get ahead of Joe leaving on his own. He's not going to come up with more resources because UofA can't do anything other than make cuts, but wants to make it look like he really tried.

It's tough to win six games with a new coach and this schedule at a school like Akron. The schedule will not be kind to a new coach. Wake Forest has a new coach, will have 8 wins after today and potentially 9 after Duke next week. I'd call it smoke and mirrors, but it's more like cupcakes and cookies if you look at the ooc of Kennesaw State, Western Carolina, Oregon State and Delaware. Wake Forest set itself up for success in this area. If we can't get something as simple as scheduling right, why bring in a new coach that is automatically set up for failure? Feed Joe, if he stays on his own, to this scheduling doom and try to do better in 2027 with someone else. Jesus, this is a depressing thought but maybe the best course of action.

The only MAC team to lose tonight was UMass (Charleston). NIU smoked Loyola Chicago (that program died with Sister Jean - RIP) and EMU beat Oakland.

I’m getting out of my truck in the Nordonia parking lot prior to the McDonald-Mogadore playoff game tonight and a kid gets out of the van across from me in an Enrique Freeman #25 Akron jersey? Odd gear to don at that football game. McDonald 42 Mogadore 21. My Blue Devils roll on to the state semi’s. 👿🏈💪🏽

This Zips team can be as good or better than the Cheese/Banks/LCJ/Williams team. We’re small in the paint, but who can keep up with us? Eric Mahaffey is half Ali Ali, half Scottie Pippin. In a year or two I don’t know that Bud will be able to afford him.

From someone on Iona's board... "Akron is better than anyone we'll see this season not named St John's. They would destroy anyone in the MAAC." MAC, MAAC - we own it all. 😉

Our 18 pt loss at Purdue is going to look very good all year long. They are up on #15 Texas Tech in the Bahamas 81-49 with 2 minutes to play. Update: They won the Baha Mars Championship over #15 Texas Tech 86-56.

https://youtu.be/MEd-6pb6Z94?feature=shared Sorry @Captain Kangaroo the drums and chants are still as loud as ever.

The last paragraph: “Join us, as we “MAKE THE CLIMB” and help us as we work to as hard as possible over the next eight weeks to get to eight victories next season.” Maybe eight isn’t the hard line, but it sounds like that’s the aim.