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Said they were the last team in. They were 1 more bid thief away from missing the tournament entirely. Got lucky once again.

I heard that! Amazing lol.

Miami OH gets into the last play in game. Wow.

Kellogg just called Tavari the MAC player of the year! 🤣

Don't hate that matchup without JT Toppin.

TEXAS TECH IN TAMPA!

Wow. Missouri moves up to a 10 seed and NC State gets into a play in game. Sweaters are crapping themselves.

50/50 chance for Portland or Tampa if we’re a 12 seed

No St. John’s, no San Diego

Out of likes but +1

If Miami makes it, the Zips need to schedule only sub-.500 teams for our OOC schedule moving forward.

The JAR has a lot of flaws, but location IMO isn't one of them. It's right off the highway in a highly trafficked/populated area. It's not like Miami (OH) or Athens where you have to drive an hour or two to BFE to get to.

Avoided St. John's. Big.

Man, wish it wasn't like pulling teeth to get ~1/2 of our fans to turn out to the JAR for MAC regular season games. I know the JAR's not easy to get to and is a sh!thole... but it's our inconveniently located sh!thole.

"I don't know that it's lucky when you do it 4 times in 5 years.". Groce's response to Tod's comments at the selection show party.

Just ordered one.

Nope I'm moreorless saying that despite not having the greatest stadium or arena, both teams are wildly successful and not held back by their "bad/dumpy" stadium/arena. (even though I never called either bad or dumpy) Edit: Maybe this is a fan issue but it's not a player issue. Like @kreed5120 just said - the important stuff, that matters to the players (i.e. locker rooms and practice facilities) have recently been improved.

If your employer offered you 2 options which are you taking? 1) Build new office with on-site gym, nice green space, and insert a few other amenities but have a pay freeze on all employees for 5 years to help fund. 2) 25% immediate pay bump with 10% annual pay increase, but you have to keep working in your functional ~40 year office building. I don't think people realize the players have a nice locker room and practice facility. In fact, in an article in the Toledo Blade multiple coaches on other MAC teams said they were envious of Akron's facilities. The wooden bleachers is a fan problem, not a player or coach one.

This is the argument for "is the JAR really that bad?" Because the Shoe is...kindly...kind of a dump.

Have you ever been to Ohio State facilities—the Schott or the Shoe? The latter is very underwhelming considering how many national championships Ohio State football has won. The stadium still has cart-style concessions that aren't built into the concourse, troughs in the restrooms, and parts of the foundation are actually crumbling. You could make a similar argument that Columbus deserves a stadium on par with the rest of the B1G. I actually think our stadium is nicer. I see your point about unclaimed funds, but UA is already a state school and already receives support from the state. The Browns main argument is that the new stadium has a dome and will generate a lot of economic activity for Northeast Ohio by hosting year-round events—WrestleManias, Final Fours, and whatever else. I don't think a new arena in Akron would generate anything comparable to what they expect from Cleveland.

I feel it's unlikely we find a 1st or 2nd All-MAC caliber big in the portal. Perhaps target a sophomore or junior who is still a little raw offensively, but can make an impact on defense. Seeing what Groce and staff has been able to do for the careers of Amani and Freeman I think would make this an attractive spot for a big looking to further develop his game. Amani's offensive production would likely need to be replaced in the aggregate.

Current game between USF and Shammah Scott’s old team Wichita State could impact Zips seeding. Currently USF is listed as an 11 seed in most brackets and Akron is a 12. However Akron has a stronger NET and WAB than Wichita. Go Shockers!

A few years before covid there was one done I believe. I believe renovation costs were projected to be in the 10s of millions of dollars range.

I wish UA could just get an estimate of what a decent renovation to the seating at the JAR would cost, then ask for donations. I’m sure most of this forum would be willing to chip in a little, at the very least. If we ever get want to look like a bigger program, we’ve gotta get rid of those wooden bleachers.

I have no doubt after this weekend that Sharron and Eric will be ready to lead this team next year. We will need to use the open roster spots on immediate-impact transfers, but the path is there again for this team to reload and contend for 4 in a row. My biggest question is who fills Amani's role. The coaching staff seemed to lose faith in Barre, and Brisco wasn't able to push for any meaningful minutes this season. Quality portal bigs seem much more difficult to land, though.