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We attended the Akron at YSU exhibition game earlier this month and was mildly impressed with their arena. They didn’t do a full redesign but replaced all the old seats (in a very similar design. Lower level chairs upper level bleachers)with new chair backs with cup holders and armrests from floor to ceiling on both sides for 1.8 million last year by Hussein seating out of Maine. Still holds 5700 down from 6300

Agree, giving up 89 yard touchdown passes doesn’t help

Back when there were talks of Akron getting a new arena ~10 years ago I kind of spoke against the 7k-8k seat arenas for this purpose. Although it would have been taxpayer funded through the city so not much pull the school would have had. It took exactly 1 game at Infocision for the new smell to wear off. I'm not sure we've hit 80% occupancy in a game since. Basketball after a season or two would almost certainly be back to averaging ~3k fans. I always thought the game day experience is better with the arena 80%-100% full, which leads to more fans wanting to return. It kind of sounds counterproductive but fewer seats can actually help improve attendance averages as it creates a false sense of scarcity and makes it a more desirable ticket to have. Particularly in an age where those under 30 want to brag on social media. It also creates a sense of urgency for people to get season tickets or buy single game tickets in advance. Key example is I would never feel the need to buy a ticket to Akron football in advance because I know I could show up to the gate and there will be 10k+ remaining. I do buy tickets in advance for Akron-Kent basketball because I know the risk for selling out is very high.

I haven't gotten to the games super early but by the time I sit in my seat there are no students over there in that area and then they close the curtain 10 minutes before tip. If it was me I would just let anyone go back there during game time, could be good for families with little kids. Maybe I'll show up earlier and see how full it gets

I know and I don't quite understand why Steele didn't push for a more difficult schedule after being screwed by the NIT for this reason.

We seemed to be cursed in these tournaments but man this one looks so enticing. Iona is going to be tougher than we think. They've looked good in their matchups so far. Oregon St is in such a weird spot as a program falling from the P5 ranks into mid-major land. Should be an extremely fun tournament. I want to see our depth used! It looks like the title game is on Monday, so it won't be 3 games in 3 days so hopefully that helps but we still need guys like Stank to get close 15 mins a game to keep the top 6 fresh.

You think Kent's is bad go look at Miami's

That wasn't a recipe for success last week. 5 wins would be a big step forward for Zips football. Hope we achieve it.

Sounds like the Zips need to get a lead and force Bowling Green into a position that they have to throw

Man, I love Zips football. I can't believe this is the last game for yet another year. 😩

Game Day Notes: Bowling Green is down to its fourth quarterback of the season in Washington State transfer Hunter Najm. He wasn’t asked to do much in his last outing, and when the game shifted to the fourth quarter, things started to unravel for him. Still, with ten days to prepare, the Falcons have had ample time to craft a game plan and try to get Najm settled for this matchup. The running back room remains the strength of the offense. They have multiple backs capable of producing chunk plays, and BG would love nothing more than to ride that group all evening. Mizzou transfer Austyn Dendy has taken the lead role of late and brings explosiveness every time he touches the ball. Cameron Pettaway and Chris McMillan rotate in and give the Falcons solid depth. The receiving corps, however, has been all over the place. Tight end Jyrin Johnson — more of a tweener than a traditional inline tight end — is the lone true playmaker. The wideouts have shown they can catch the ball, but outside of that, they rarely offer much in terms of creating after the catch or winning consistently. Up front, the offensive line is built to run the ball. Pass protection has been another story, as they’ve struggled with the rotation of quarterbacks and have surrendered 18 sacks in conference play alone. Defensively, the Falcons are fairly similar to Akron in points allowed and rush yards given up. The biggest gap comes in the pass game. Bowling Green’s secondary has been stingy, but the defensive front hasn’t consistently generated pressure. Akron, on the other hand, has given up plenty of passing yards but is one of the better teams in the MAC at creating pressure. The turnover battle also favors the Zips, as BG has struggled to force them while Akron has been one of the conference’s best in that department. Linebacker Gideon Lampron is one of the best defenders in the MAC, and edge rusher David Afogho provides a real threat off the edge. Defensive backs MJ Cannon and Kal-El Pascal round out a defensive core that can make things difficult for opponents. MAC Stats Only: Finley heads into his final game as the current MAC leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He’s also tied for second in interceptions. Gant leads the conference in rushing yards and needs 54 more to hit 1,000 on the year. Marcel Williams now leads the team in receiving yards and is second in conference action. Mason is ninth in receiving yards and tied for third in touchdowns. Polk is fifteenth in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdowns. Laventure is fourth in tackles for loss and tied for eighth in sacks.

I was very happy to see this. While it is VERY hard for one excellent team to beat another three times in one season, I think UConn has our number. I would be okay with an all Big East revenge final though! 😆

Significantly cheaper than a new arena. 🤔

My nephew played for Ripon the last 5 years but graduated this summer. I never got to see him play in high school as they lived in Wisconsin but a couple years ago Ripon played in a weekend tournament at the College of Wooster so my local family was all able to see him play.

Not going to happen. It doesn't work that way with minor (non big time revenue) sports. Nice idea tho'.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/soccer/2025/11/17/akron-zips-soccer-ncaa-tournament-seeds-michigan-notre-dame/87291121007/?tbref=hp

It would cost 8-10 million to replace all the seating and reconfigure the layout at the JAR.

Good idea. Plus, if they'd fill the arena with chair back seating I think that in and of itself would shrink the official capacity quite a bit. Just checked with Grok & was told chair back seating shrinks each individual row by 10-30% I know the JAR's lower bowl is already chair back, but I didn't want to spend all night on my Grok inquiry, so I asked "If a 5,000-seat bleacher arena renovated to chair back seating, what would the new capacity be?" Grok said capacity would be reduced to roughly 3,300 -to- 4,500 seats (depending on the exact type of chair back seat chosen - some are wider & cushier than others). We should put premium (wider, cushier) chair back seats in the lower bowl along with cheaper chair back seating in the upper stands.

I thought our guys came out of the gates pretty strong in this game. They were ready to go. If they can do that every time out I will be thrilled. And the maturity and composure of Eric as a freshman in that environment was quite amazing.

I don't know what the plans are for a future arena, whether it be a JAR renovation or a new arena entirely, but if it's the former they should absolutely put suites in the north and south ends to utilize those areas better.

I like this tournament also.

To pile on Kent's weak schedule, according to a UNCW fan on X, they were missing 2 of their top players vs Kent. It took a late run by the Golden Flushes to hold off UNCW at the MACC.

one game at a time........ Michigan has a win over #6 Indiana..... Michigan scored 3 goals against a very solid Creighton team I have not looked at Notre Dame record...... zips need a big, loud crowd on Sunday one game at a time...... worry about round of 16.....after winning the round of 32.......

Btw, I like how full the JAR looks since they retracted the Northside stands & made that a pregame Rowdies club, or something. Shrinking the capacity a bit has made the crowds look pretty good for our first few games. Even PSU-S was alright.

Good idea. And I'm also waiting for the Big East to throw us a bone & offer one or two games a year to our basketball Zips. Big East?.... Big East?... Hello, Big East?