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Would it really have upset the the delicate balance of the bracket if the Zips played Providence in Buffalo and S Dakota State played UCLA?

I wasn't sure where to post this, but the Lady Zips made the NIT field.

Bobcat fan here. Just wanted to say good luck out west. Bring that win share back to the MAC!

In Groce's comments at the post game presser he mentioned that the success of the Akron program was one of the reasons that he WANTED to come here after Illinois. That got me to thinking of the hiring of coach Moorhead. JoMo also said he WANTED to be at Akron. If you recall a couple of years ago Louisville made a big run at Jared Embick. Despite more money Jared didn't go because he too WANTED to be here. Coach Mitchell has also built a top 25 track program here and despite other schools pursuing him he WANTS to stay at Akron. Our AD Charles Guthrie also WANTED to come here. My point is that regardless of the greed and arrogance of the P5 schools Akron is a great place to be, in fact it can be an appealing place to be and we should take pride in that. Groce, Moorhead and Guthrie will all probably move on one day. I think it is appropriate to stop and enjoy what may evolve into the golden age of Zip sports. We have coaches who want to be here. We have an administration that expects and fosters performance. We have good facilities. That's a winning combination. Add to that a fan base that, while limited, is growing and is excited. Many of the posters and readers on ZNO helped keep the flame glowing. For that we all should be grateful. Your efforts are paying off. None of these coaches would want to be at a place that doesn't care. ZNO cares! Go Zips!

You guys got screwed on location. The selection committee does that to MAC teams cause we get no respect. But, they figured you weren’t winning one game anyway. And yes I’m a Toledo fan who is bitter about Friday night because my Rockets always choke in Cleveland. Shock the world and beat the Bruins!

I've created a ZipsNation.org bracket pool. Click here to enter. Free & Fun. FYI - scoring is exponential points (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32) + seed. i.e. If you take Akron and they beat UCLA, that's 1 pt for the 1st round correct pick, and 13 pts for Akron's seed for a total of 14 pts for getting that correct. Good luck & Go Zips! z.i.P.S. If you don't take Akron in Round 1, you're a Flushes fan.

Just finished watching the replay. Wow, that defense was incredible! If you take away half of the completely unforced turnovers the Zips had in the first half, that think would have been over before the U4 media timeout. On top of that, nice jumpshooting and a heroic effort from Hamilton really saved them from this one being a 30-point blowout. Aside from some bad unforced turnovers, the Zips played pretty much a perfect game. Kent had their runs early in each half, but that happens in any game. The Zips didn't panic either time, and the culture won out. I will laugh for eternity at Carry skipping to the camera after getting the deficit to 1. Literally, an all-time Akron vs. Kent moment. Honestly, one of my favorite Akron wins of all-time, if not THE favorite. Love this team!!!!

Here's an excerpt from another pundit who is high on Akron, and Ali (a subscription site I belong to, Staring At The Floorboards): "The Zips really came together down the stretch run in the MAC, and were probably undervalued going into the MAC tournament with SQ judging three of their losses as analytical wins...UCLA wasn’t handed any favors by the committee. This Akron team can play, and we saw that in the early OOC schedule when they nearly knocked off Ohio State. Ali is a high major talent who will test Jaquez, but Freeman’s going to have a hard time getting established vs Johnson. Akron’s comfort level at a low 60s possession game combined with the ease in which their guards operate out of ball screens has big Purdue/North Texas energy." The Pick: Play Akron +14 (sprinkle on the ML), under 128.5"

Who knows if we even make the tournament had we beaten those teams. Those losses led to Trimble and Walton leaving. The team jelled after those departures. I do agree in a normal year we need to beat those teams, but this year I think we needed to hit rock bottom in order for us to achieve what we did.

i remember the good ole days when gas was $1.60 ish a gallon....but hey, no mean tweets

AKR 3-1 MICH FT

Detroit was close and we know how that worked out. Chicago was the best location and weren't Zips a #15 seed? Admittedly, Groce and the Kittens had a wonderful draw in 2012 but in 2010: NCAA Tournament Main article: 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Georgetown's deep Big East Tournament run gave the Hoyas a 23–10 record and made the case for the team's inclusion in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Georgetown was seeded third in the Midwest Regional in the Hoyas′ first appearance in the tournament since 2008. Observers considered the Hoyas a legitimate Final Four threat, and Georgetown was the heavy favorite in its first-round game against 14th-seeded Ohio, a team that had posted a losing regular-season record in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) but had earned a tournament berth by winning the MAC Tournament championship. The day before the game, John Thompson III said that the Hoyas were playing their best basketball of the season, but behind a 32-point effort by junior guard Armon Bassett, 23 points by freshman guard D. J. Cooper, and a strong team three-point shooting performance, the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead that Georgetown was never able to close. Ohio led 48–36 at halftime and by as many as 19 points in the second half, and a second-half Georgetown offensive surge got the Hoyas no closer than seven points despite Chris Wright's team-leading 28 points, Greg Monroe's double-double (19 points and 13 rebounds), and Hollis Thompson's 16-point performance. Ohio cruised to a shocking 97–83 upset victory, the first time the Bobcats had won an NCAA Tournament game since 1983,[52] and Georgetown's season came to a sudden and unexpected end.

The "Script Logo" Game 🤣

41 to 22 Zips run after Sincere Carry and Jacobs skipped down the court.

I sure didn't. After the 2nd KSUcks game at the JAR I mentioned to my brother-in-law that the offense has been like pulling teeth and watching paint dry all season long and, I'll admit, I was getting a little aggravated w/ Groce & Co. But then Bryan Trimble was asked to take his "leave of absence" from the team and the rest is history. It's been amazing to watch. The offense is still deliberate, but that's what blows my mind - that's not typical Groce style. At all. But Groce has adapted his style to the number of rotation players he has, and has done so at an extremely high level.

So after we win a game or two this year and return everyone, will they say predict Akron to the Sweet Sixteen next year? Or is a previous season as irrelevant as Sincere Carry in a MAC Championship Game? I like being heavily discounted by the media. We'll fly under the radar with no expectations. I have not seen UCLA play this year, but I've seen Akron play. The last team I saw commit to the defensive side of the ball like the Zips was Shaka's VCU squads. They branded and marketed themselves with their defense, so teams even knew it was coming and still couldn't handle the pressure. We play a half-court style of HAVOC, but don't tell the media that. I want everyone to be equally surprised when we shock the world. Execute defensively, shoot 47% or better from the field & 38% or better from 3, and it will be a final-possession-type game at the very least. Let's Go Zips.

I’ve decided to use a prepaid visa with just enough money on it to cover the first months subscription next time I subscribe to a site like this for that very reason.

I'm in the process of making one. I'll create a new thread for it.

I wonder when the PCCC fans will show up to wish the Zips well.

PDX is my third home, but as @Captain Kangaroo can confirm, the last time the Zips played there - 2009 vs Gonzaga - I wasn't able to attend either! And this will be another missed opportunity as my cardiologist has me lined up for an operation that I scheduled back when the NCAA tournament was a pipe dream! Mahalo to John Groce and the team for showing me not to count my chickens before they're hatched. And now I have extra motivation to recover quickly!

I saw a bus down here today with the name "Flashes" on the front of the bus. Of course, it was a short bus. It made me smile.

Really is time for a fresh start. Put Dambrot and the bad memories behind the program. Marla was right about that in her column. Was a good take. After 5 years ? With Groce, new Era. I went to a sort of send off to Cleveland for the 2017 team. There was such bad energy in the JAR. You can see how stressed KD was as he tried to convince the faithful that THIS would be the year. When I went up this last Saturday, that overwhelming dread was gone.

Agreed. The stars have aligned in such a strange way. With 350+ programs I obviously know little of college basketball history in the grand scheme of things, but where else has a team ever gotten so much better after losing players of those caliber? I’d be surprised if that list included more than just a few.

To be fair, beating BG isn't EVER a challenge for the Zips.

Forgive me 94 for I have sinned.....

The Zips are doing better in conference play than in non-con (2-0 vs. 2-5) and 2-0 at home. Was kind of expecting going o'fer against #20 Georgia and powerhouse Louisville. But dropping 2 to Lipscomb was a surprise. First place in the MAC at the moment... Now if it ever quits SNOWING in NEOhio we can get out to the ballpark.

the seats were filled at the end of the 2020 season. COVID was a bigger culprit. Having that proven winning team will bring them back.

He's got the frame and athleticism. Agree on adding weight and improving ball handling skills/decision making. I'd probably throw in that I'd like him to be more aggressive as well. He is prone to some unique decisions (which IMO mostly stems from indecisiveness). FWIW - I don't remember anyone talking about Preston prior to the year he left and I barely even remember Richaun Holmes at BG, but looking at stats, he really didn't even break out til his senior year. Ali's size, athleticism, shooting efficiency, ability to create, and ability to hit LBJ-type turnaround fadeaway shots gives me the thought, but then again I thought Zeke was a near lock to have an NBA career so...

Pushed back until tomorrow. They decided to go with Lima's engagement with the last segment.

Never got to it. Supposed to be tomorrow now.

Goals: Kingsford 1 Buechte 1 Shokalook 1

I wonder if this team's run will result in the return of some of the fair weather blue seaters who departed when KD left.

https://sports.yahoo.com/university-akron-basketball-turns-page-100017507.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGbFOOWg14jiDkTckJxRLNrZ5AKI09addOqtm7XbIiuzHkK6qWUftIEtp8gd5kG4HYK6qTBD-zBgUpZbaA4XZHykW4aVRxWuDPXVMRWdFKI3ABdOoPC89JFJQ5u5fQy7MK-Tjrz4XxWFP6xckNCJIbFF6YNHxkTZyI9vauuyxVMq Marla's article mentions the Dambrot "dead-enders."

I don't think Ali is one right now, but being an athletic 6'8 wing who can guard multiple positions and can knock down 3's does fit what's in demand for the NBA. He's improved a ton since his freshman year and still is only classified as a sophomore so he still has more time to develop his game. I still think it's vastly more likely he will end up in Europe.

A very good team victory, in which everyone who played contributed. Jonas Buechte was again outstanding, this time from Center Back position. He organized the Defense, intercepted passes, and made several key tackles that halted counter attacks. He even scored off a restart. Malik Henry was a monster up and down the right flank. His defending was uncharacteristically solid, breaking up opposing offence down the Zips' right. But his half dozen over-lapping runs into the final third were lethal. And unlike last week, his crossing was money. Ryan Kingsford's score was a direct result of Henry's excellent cross. Dyson Clapier again terrorized the opposition defense with well-timed runs and scoring attempts down the left. He was a bit unlucky to have not scored a few times, having beaten his man to goal. He should have finished on at least one of those. Better shooting from Clapier would have ended the match as a contest in the first half.

I had forgotten Miami exists.

Luckily we don't have to worry about paying for that this year

Thanks!!! Good luck in the NIT

msopher and eagle66, thanks for the good wishes!!!!

Hilltopper nailed it again..

Allow me to admit that, 15 years ago, I was not a fan of John Groce. I hated OU and hated how they had our number and I was so jealous (and in awe) of their 2x NCAA success. When KD bolted, I did not think we had a chance at coach Groce (just like I didn't think we can get coach Mo this year). I was THRILLED when we got him. Over the last few years, I admired his ability to put together a good team. I mostly loved his craftiness and his ability to make mid-game adjustments. I also enjoy seeing how relaxed his players seem to be and how much they appear to enjoy playing for him. Yesterday, during the game, coach Groce was masterful at demonstrating all of the above. But it was the postgame press conference that blew my mind: 1 - He made sure to talk extensively about the 2019-2020 team did not play in the MAC tournament. He named the players, one by one...even bench warmers. He made sure to give them credit for changing the culture and helping this team be successful!!!! 2 - Without being asked, he pointed out that he inherited a great program from the "tremendous" (or terrific, I can't remember) coach before him. 3 - For no obvious reason, he found a way to bring up Brian Walsh, called him "one of our guys"!!!!!! and extensively singing his praises. 4 - He took the high road and dismissed the impact of the KSU video on his team I tip my hat to coach Groce. A great basketball coach and most importantly, a classy, classy, individual who makes me proud to be a Zip.

Skipping his way home 🤣🤣🤣

Former Lady Zip, Ayla Guzzardo, is the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana. They're playing in the Southland Conference Championship game today at 2:00pm on CBS Sports Network against Incarnate Word. Good luck Ayla and go Lady Lions!

As if tonight couldn't get any better! WOW!

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33488206/new-york-mets-acquire-rhp-chris-bassitt-oakland-athletics-all-star-season

You're like taking what we're saying, and going to an absurd extreme. We're at like a 2, and you're taking it to a ten. No one here was saying "let's do away with the Z". We're saying: lets avoid bringing a lot of attention to the fact right now at this VERY moment...LITERALLY March 2022. Let's not have a major announcement in the Akron Beacon Journal Right next to an article about how Putin shelled 5,000 civilians to death in Kharkiv. Like if athletics is planning to go with a major "Z" promotion. Sweet...let's maybe not go hardcore with the announcement in March 2022. It's really not that hard to understand.