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Everything hinges on if Groce stays or leaves. Assuming he stays, Sharron and Eric are the obvious top retention targets. What's unique is Groce & Co. will essentially have a blank slate to work with. If Eric and Sharron return, that doesn't lock the program into any specific style of play. If they want to return to a slower style, they can get Portal guys to fit. If they want to maintain a faster style, they can get Portal guys to fit. It's a very malleable roster right now and that's exciting.

I definitely think Sharron and Eric have the capability of getting offers, but would be shocked if they get something we can’t compete with. They are primed to be focal points of the team next year and we’re just role players this season. Good at times, ok at other times. The time to be concerned about them will be after next season IMO. I have high hopes for Oggie and hope he doesn’t leave. To me he looked the part in his limited playing time. Probably time for Briscoe to move on.

We need to remember that the pace at which the Zips play on offense detracts from their defense. You can't play at 100% on both ends of the floor. The highest scoring teams generally also give up the highest number of points. The Zips also make some choices in the defense they play. If you pay attention, you see them sag off on the side away from the ball to play help defense if necessary. That's great for helping in the post and on penetration but can be exploited at times on the perimeter. The team also has some players that just don't have the physical skills or size to be great defenders. Despite all of that they were 4th in average points surrendered in the MAC so it wasn't all bad.

You beat me to it @Zippy87! I think the big school vultures may come for Evan and Sharron. I have to hope that the way the Zips have treated the Mahaffeys this season will get him to stay. Sharron will be a junior and has been shown a lot of love and you have to hope that sways him. They're certainly the top returners (with Bowen if he gets another year). As for exits, I don't see a role going forward for Briscoe. I could also see Oggie being disenchanted with his role and moving on. Cody Head and the red-shirt freshman should contribute next year. Groce had a negative big school experience and I have to hope his very positive experience here and being the king of his kingdom is enough for him to resist approaches from other schools. They'll contend. They have the best staff and the best financial support in the MAC. Those alone will keep them in the mix.

Another fun season in the books which saw Akron make history as the first team to win three straight MAC Tournament titles. Now comes a pivotal offseason for the program. Does Groce stay? Which players stay/go? Can Akron rebuild on the fly and contend again next year?

I have a whole new appreciation for this guy.

What's clear is that Amy Acton now has a place to live rent-free.

He would've signed that extension if he was 100% staying.

Steele doesn't sound like a coach planning to leave.

Terry Pluto: Groce could be a hot name for several openings, such as Butler, where he once was an assistant. His mentor is Thad Matta, who is retiring as Butler’s head coach – but he will be part of the group looking for a replacement. But Groce also has been very content at Akron. He never seems to be looking for another job. He has something very special with the Zips and seems to know it. He will have to rebuild, as key players Lyles, Johnson, Scott and Evan Mahaffey are out of eligibility. Groce will probably figure it out and add players to keep Akron among the MAC’s elite programs. That’s something to remember on this day when the Zips’ season ended.

Jarrod Calhoun seems like the favorite at Cincinnati. Ronald Nored is the name most mentioned for Butler, although Groce and Steele would certainly be candidates there. Boston College has been mentioned for Groce, too. Butler is the job I am worried about the most. Like you said, this is going to move fairly quickly.

I thought we needed a game like we had at Kent where the 3 ball was being shot at a high percentage. This team when it is shooting the 3 ball at 40% or above can hang with the big boys but that just did not happen today. It was not the defense because we had the open looks and we made some tough 3 balls. It is just playing at your best in the NCAA tourney. The Zips did not play their best in Cleveland and we were able to win. Not going to happen today.

I hate that we have to go through this every year at this point. He could sign a contract until 2059 but the first thought after the season ends is “Is groce leaving?” It’s unfair to everyone involved in the Akron program that we can’t go 24 hours into the offseason before the speculation starts. It’s that deep-rooted P5/ESPN/SEC/Ohio State bias showing through

This was a great year and we should celebrate everything about it. Yet we also have to stay grounded in reality and the truth is this team was not set up to go deep in the tourney. As we saw it didn't go even one game. We had only one big. It was obvious more were needed. The out of conference schedule showed we were lacking against the better teams. The MAC does not prep a team for the intense, better play of P4 schools. The great equalizer, the 3 point shot, failed us today and for the last month of games. There is a lot to work on and w/o deep NIL we are questionable to ever go deeper than one game in the Big Dance.

Time will tell. I would imagine we'll know more very soon, perhaps by weekends end. Schools like Butler or Cincy are going to want to fill their vacancies in the coming days that way whoever they hire has a chance re-recruit players on the current roster before the portal opens up.

FWIW, this was Groce last March: Meanwhile, Groce's name is circulating on social media because some fans and media members have been pointing to his success in eight seasons at Akron and wondering whether he'll land another job this offseason. “When that stuff happens, I mean, it's flattering, right? And more than likely it means that people think you've done a decent job,” Groce said with a laugh. “But, for me, I kind of just take it one day at a time.” Groce and his staff met with Zips players Sunday. So as the players made decisions about their futures with the program, what did Groce tell them about the status of his job? “It didn't even really come up,” Groce said. “I mean, we don't deal in speculation. I mean, I don't do that. Hey, if this, if that, if this — we don't do that. So they know, obviously, how I feel about them and our program and what we're building, and that's how we handle it. “That stuff, I don't deal with speculation, either way — them to us, us to them. I say, 'Here's where we're at. Here's what it is. Here's where we're attempting to go. Here's the strategy in order to do that. Here's our vision.' So I think the communication is important between player and coaches and coaches and player.”

Ford has been with Groce since 2009, from Ohio to Illinois to Akron. I would assume he would leave with Groce if he takes another job.

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but that no look pass by Sharron Young was sweet. This past week has been huge for my confidence in him taking over next year. He has such a high motor - can be really special.

Akron Zips men's basketball coach John Groce understands college sports is a business, but he didn't want to shift the focus to a discussion about his future on the heels of UA's 91-71 loss to Texas Tech in a first-round Midwest Region matchup on Friday, March 20, at Benchmark International Arena. Groce being linked by media to other head coaching jobs at Cincinnati, Butler and Boston College is a reflection of the success he has achieved in his nine seasons at the helm of Akron. In a one-on-one interview after Akron was eliminated from March Madness, the Beacon Journal asked Groce whether he plans to interview elsewhere this offseason. "What I would tell you is right now I'm not even thinking about that," Groce said. "I don't answer those questions, obviously, especially today when today's the day about our five seniors. This whole deal should be all about them and all about the team and the success that we've had. So, that's my comment at this time."

I wouldn't be surprised if Dustin Ford was offered the job under said scenario. Especially since the closest thing to a Groce hire (coach with previous MAC success) would be Hurley and he doesn't fit the culture we've built. In that case I don't feel it's a given that either leave

If Groce leaves, I'm guessing Young and Mahaffey leave, too, which means a new coach would basically be building from scratch. I also don't think we'll be as fortunate as we were when KD left in having a coach the caliber of Groce being available.

Thats the biggest problem with the game today, people outside the program that didn’t watch the game just assume we got demolished. Amani makes that 3 and it’s a one possession game in the final 7 minutes. The discourse in here reminds me of when the guardians got eliminated by the tigers this past year. They had a tremendous final month of the season but once they lost, people acted like the whole year was some big failure. Sure not all the goals were accomplished but at the end of the day only 1 team ends the year on a win, and making the postseason is something to be proud of even if you still have room for improvement