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His voice was very raspy from all the shouting during the game. He was running up and down the sideline coaching the heck out of the guys during those final few minutes. They also interviewed Utomi and Cotton. Daniel said the team never lost faith that they could come back for the win. That this is a new Zips team than the one that lost those games at the beginning of MAC play. Cotton said never in his basketball career had a coach drawn up a play at the end of a game for him to take the final shot. He also said he had never had a chance to win or lose a game at the foul line at the end like last night. Pretty heady stuff for a guy who a few members of ZN.o had written off as a lost cause.

Nice interview with Virshon after the game last night. Joe asked him what he thought of coach calling the last play for him, and putting a freshman in charge with the game on the line. Virshon responded that he was surprised by coach telling him to go to the basket with juniors and seniors on the floor. Virshon said it was the first time any coach drew up a play for him to finish a game. He also said it was the first time he had to make two free throws to win a game. Coach Groce actions last night spoke volumes as to who he thinks the most improved player is.

To turn a game with analogies of Cherbundi and VCU into a win is beyond amazing. What a phenomenal gutsy performance.

Long live John Groce. The man knows how to win in March. Unlike that coach in Athens.

Amen.

I was able to attend the "Talk with the Coach" Friday at the JAR prior to the victory over Kent and ended up talking with UG for a bit. I'm 6'2" (prob 6'3" with shoes) and found myself looking up to UG. I'd have to say he's at least 6'4". It prompted me to check the roster as I didn't remember him being listed that tall and it has him at 6'1". Now 6'4" (or 5") is a fantastic size for an NFL linebacker - don't ya think?

We had no business winning that. Then we had no business losing it. Then we had no business winning that again. Incredible.

WESTERN BLOWS.

Is this game being sponsored by Cheribundi?

Good thing this thing is away. I can't stand this long.

Blurb from yesterday's Detroit Free Press- After a sluggish conference start, the Eastern Michigan men enter the tournament with momentum, having won their final six games, including a pair of victories over West Division champion Toledo and wins at Central Michigan and Western Michigan. The third-seeded Eagles (20-11, 11-7 MAC), who will wait until Thursday to face the winner of Monday's game between No. 6 Western Michigan and No. 11 Akron, last appeared in the NCAA tournament in 1998, when former standout Earl Boykins led EMU to a conference tournament title. NBA prospect James Thompson IV is averaging a double-double for the Eagles at 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Elijah Minnie leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game, while Paul Jackson is averaging 14.9 points.

Ohio lottery is running the BOGO with a losing lottery ticket for all games at the Q. Quarterfinals are never well-attended, so I'm guessing you could "upgrade."

George was busy recovering from the Oscars. That's his Super Bowl.

It prevents a 50% free throw shooter from faking an injury so his team can choose an 80%+ free throw shooter.

Not that old. Just a head for useless trivia. Cleveland State beat NKU... anything can happen!!! There was a long, detailed story on Cincinnati.com about the NKU loss. What did we get from the ABJ for our win? Nothing. But PCCC got a nice article for its heroic efforts in taking out the 12th seed at home!

After sleeping on it, a few thoughts: 1) I'm super impressed by this team's never-give-up mentality. It would have been easy to give in and/or lose composure at 18-0 and they didn't. It says a lot about our guys. 2) Duvivier needs to create more and shoot less. He shouldn't be taking more shots than Utomi or even Cotton. 3) Speaking of Cotton/Parrish, they were tremendous off of the bench. I can't believe how well Cotton has played. We may end up pretty stacked at the guard position next year. 4) The 18-0 start and almost giving away the game at the end are worrisome. If you do that against better teams, your season will be over. This team still scares me when trying to finish games, although it's to be expected with so much inexperience on the roster. 5) No matter what happens Thursday, I think this can be an important building block. I'm thrilled our youngsters get to experience The Q, and think that, at worst in a case where they lose, it will give them a huge motivator to get back and win it next year. 6) Really wish this forum could move on from last spring/summer...still too much pro-KD vs anti-KD. Is it too much to ask for the anti crowd to just move on from that era and the pro crowd to keep all KD discussion to the appropriate thread? Too much bickering in here after a big win when everyone should be happy and united. Go Zips!

I saw on here that WMU is on spring break?

Akron and Duquesne both play on Thursday. Duquesne plays at 6pm, and Akron plays around 9pm. Which game will some of this thread's participants attend...? Do they make the drive to support KD or do they head to Cleveland to support Akron? Quite the dilemma... Sorry, I had to have some fun with this one. Go Zips.

Go away troll.

Key to this game:. Score the most points

The staff opted to spend the night in Kzoo instead of bussing home after the game as originally planned. Smart move that should help with sleep schedules.

Keys to this game... - Make our shots - Don't let The Q be intimidating to our young guys - Play high-energy, aggressive defense - Ball movement, both on and off the ball, on offense - Get into Thompson's head; this is where KLac can really shine

Good thing Dean Wormer let Virshon off double secret probation.

What a roller coaster. More than anything, I'm happy for these kids. Even if they only play Thursday, they deserve to play in Cleveland. But hell, might as well win the whole friggin thing now!

We aren't world beaters by any means but I have a feeling Eastern probably doesn't want to see us at the Q. Go Zips!

It ain't a MAC Tourney w/o Akron at the Q

Wow. Cotton is a baller.

Good thing my phone has a battle-tested case on it. ....just sayin Oh, and thank God Cotton came back from that mystery suspension

Lets all give it up for Bo Borowski. Most refs would have swallowed their whistles on that last call.

Amazing! Has this team come together or what? I am so impressed with what's happened over the last six weeks or so.

Going to have a tough time settling down to be able to sleep!

I will never doubt again! We're going to Cleveland!

BALL GAME!!!!!!!!!!!! TO THE Q WE GO!

In John Groce We Trust

No peeing in this thread's punch bowl!

Western Michigan's Gametracker app has stopped transmitting data!!!

Patton is fantastic at going up quickly under the basket. We have a 9 pt lead.

Malcolm all out of sorts.

Start of the comeback!

On the bright side, Mark hasn't gotten a foul yet

I blame the crap start time.

Looking forward to the game tonight. I think the key to the game is Daniel Utomi. The last 5 games he has been averaging over 20 points. He has been scoring from the inside and is no longer relying on the 3 point shot. The Zips are feeding the ball to him with his back to the basket and he is distributing or driving to the hoop. Would love to see Duvivier get hot from the 3 line or drive to the basket. Jimond also needs to have a good offensive game. Parish and Cotten have been playing well and if we can get something from Klac and Patton we should win this game. I know that Lucas Smith will give us everything he has on the defensive end. The Zips need to stay out of foul trouble, especially, Duvivier. We need him to end the game. Not sure why he is such a foul magnet. I like the way the Zips competed in the last 5 games even though we 3 losses we were in every game and played tough defense. Go Zips!!

Still awaiting Skip's response to this one....

Former University of Akron football player Zach Guiser (Fayette City, Pa.) has earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, the NCAA announced. Each of the 30 Division I fall sports recipients will receive a $7,500 scholarship to be applied toward the graduate degree program of his choice. A semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, Guiser was a team captain last fall. A preseason All-MAC selection by Athlon Sports and College Sports Madness, he was named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. Just the second first-team Academic All-American in school history, Guiser suffered a season-ending injury against Iowa State. He finished this fall with 16 tackles, an interception, and a break-up. The Academic All-American was also a three-time MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-MAC selection. Named to the President’s List (8 semesters) for a perfect 4.0 grade-point average (GPA), Guiser earned a bachelor’s degree in December 2017 in pre-physical therapy/sport science. A member of the University’s Honors College, Guiser is pursuing a doctorate in physical therapy from Walsh University. Additionally, Guiser will be honored on Tuesday, March 6, by the Northeast Ohio National Football Foundation with a $2,000 scholarship. The NCAA awards Postgraduate Scholarships to student-athletes who are in their final year of college athletics eligibility. Up to 175 scholarships are awarded each year for use toward an accredited graduate program. Awardees are evaluated on their academic and athletic achievement, campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities and demonstrated leadership. The program rewards college athletes whose dedication and effort reflect the characteristics needed to succeed in graduate study. Awardees are chosen by the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, which includes faculty athletics representatives, athletics administrators, and a conference commissioner. “These scholarships are one of the ways the NCAA provides a pathway to opportunity for student-athletes,” said Mattie White, chair of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee and senior associate athletics director at Indiana. “These scholarships are reserved for student-athletes with distinguished college careers highlighted by outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. These experiences prepare them for success in graduate study and life.” Source: GoZips.com

Doesn't matter to me where the players come from as long as they are talented and help the Zips win games.

"Don't see a future with Cotton here". My god. You guys act like he's been trafficking drugs or chucking plates at his girlfriend. The only negative I've seen from him is that he's an emotional player on the court. Seems like a good kid otherwise. He's got a personality similar to Ivey (who I noticed get physical with the staff this year..and nobody talked about that), and its logical that they clash. He should concede to the leaders of the team and needs to get the emotions under control some, however. The suspensions speak for themselves, but I'm not sure I recall any technical fouls this year. Quit acting like they are playing chess out there. I'll say it again - writing anybody off in their true freshman year is stupid, especially when its the 2nd best player thus far in a big class.

Kostelac!