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Thank you. @LZIp I'm not happy with Illinois lately, but that is a long boring story. Just as Groce does more with less than any coach I know, Underwood does less with more. Still my Big Ten team, but I spend more time over here these days. You are all my kind of people. Thanks for having me. Go Zips!!

I love it!! The Rowdies need to hold up the Akron "Z" next to a section of white picket fence.

Hopefully Lonisia Brewer makes a nice jump in productivity. After seeing her in HS I'm a little disappointed with what she's done thus far on the college level. I'm excited to see what our two new recruits bring to the table. Oh, and what a pleasant surprise Bass was this season. She's gonna be a good one!

I think UTC and Akron need to play each other next year. God, what a horrible ending for both of them. Even more heart-breaking than the Zips.

In a sense, but St. Mary's blowing the doors off UCLA would make me feel better knowing we had no shot at a Sweet 16 trip.

Also, didn't know where to put this but this was brought up in the Villanova - BYU women's game today. Interesting that the MAC has two of the five top scorers in the country since 2019-20 season. By the way, Buffalo is playing Tennessee (at Tennessee) at 3:00pm ET on ABC.

I have to admit, this does concern me about Tavari. Tavari, Ali and Aziz have to eat nothing but pizza, pasta and protein shakes this Summer. That should do it.

@LoyalZIPmade the great point about how hard it is to repeat. Groce and company know they can't put the same team on the floor next year and expect the same results. And frankly, they shouldn't want the same results. I did a quick look at the Zips schedule and focused on their highest scoring games such as Marshall, BG, Toledo, Southern and Ball State (1). In those 5 games Bryan Trimble was on. Yes, there were a couple games post Trimble that were higher scoring but the Zips game plan against UCLA and going through the tournament was grind it out and keep it close. Keeping those power 5 teams close is a risky business and UTC and Akron paid for it. My gut, which has been spot on this year, was thinking that St. Mary's, who is used to playing Gonzaga, was going to run all over the Zips. Zips need another shooting guard and a power forward to back up Freeman. Havoc defense with transition offense and watch the JAR explode.

Congrats on the W last night...the former Zips assistant Lamont Paris just about took you all down. Appreciate your contributions to the board.

It is certainly going to be an interesting off-season. Absent the staff bringing in a couple of shooters, I think we'll see more of X off of the ball next year with Clarke. Tribble, Tavari, etc. running the point. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a starting five that does not include one or two of our late season starters. I could see a scenario where someone like a Tribble or Dawson returns to the bench. While it might seem like a step back for a player like that, those two have the right attitude to manage it and I think they could still play a lot of minutes and be effective and successful in that role. Having that experience and spark off of the bench would be nice. At this point we all know that Groce gets his best combinations on the floor, not his most individual talents. I am going to distribute a sign up sheet for all of us to volunteer to rebound for Enrique's 1000 per day 10-15 foot jumpers. If he can develop that shot it will open up his game and enable the Zips to more frequently get a second big on the floor. If there's an odd man out, I suspect it is Wynn. I appreciate his late season contributions but I can't imagine he's content with his place in the rotation. As previously mentioned, I wish we knew more about the freshman red-shirts. I liked what little I saw about Kalle. Those we can't fit into the Enrique rebounding schedule will be assigned to spotting for Kalle in the weight room.

STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 1 Robert G. 165 Mike Spi. 134 John E. 129 Mike Sw. 128 Jeff H. 123 Brian G. 119 Nick K. 118 Rob C. 111 John C. 108 David M. 107 Luke T. 104 Eric M. 100 Kyle M. 100 Andy V. 91 Mark Spa. 89 SKY'S THE LIMIT CLUB Top 3 Potential Points Robert G. 365 Jeff H. 357 John E. 335 Luke T. 335 SHAME CLUB Those Who Picked UCLA John C. David M. Mark Spa. (Dis)Honorable Mention: @NWAkron (apparently) Good luck to all in Round 2 (except the Shame Club members)!

Didn't want to create a new thread, but Dennis Gates is the leading candidate for Missouri apparently. He's done nice at Cle St, but nothing really noteworthy to warrant that big of a jump IMO. Edit: As long as it isn't Groce, why the hell am I complaining?!

X was a 4 to the extent that he could really pull down rebounds, at a rate of nearly 9 a game. He could also play down low when needed. Ali is a 3. He's never going to have the mass to play in the post if needed and his ball skills aren't those of a guard. I hope he develops a little more patience and anticipation as he matures as a player. Up to now he seems to make up his mind that he's going to try to score and there's no going back once he makes that decision. I wouldn't worry about anyone getting displaced by a solid transfer. You can't have enough good players.

This is the fun stuff for me. It doesn't mean it's right, just fun. We have seen how much the roster can change depending on a single players development. I personally hope Tavari Johnson is leading the team by the post season next year and that Aziz becomes a starter by conference play. I think the only one that might be a red shirt candidate next year is Prather Jr. And the only one that could lose their position to a transfer upgrade is Wynn. Although Wynn has grown on me and has found himself a niche. For me, the wild card is just how fast does Tavari Johnson develop. Early Season Starting Line Up: 1. X / Clarke / Tavari Johnson 2. Tribble / X / Kobi Mitchell 3. Dawson / Ali / Nate Johnson 4. Ali / Freeman / Wynn / Kalle 5. Freeman / Aziz / Wynn Post Season Starting Line Up: 1. Tavari Johnson / Clarke / X 2. X / Tribble / Clarke / Kobi Mitchell 3. Ali / Dawson / Tribble / Nate Johnson 4. Freeman / Ali / Kalle / Wynn 5. Aziz / Freeman / Kalle / Wynn Alternative Small / Running Line Up: 1. Tavari Johnson / Clarke 2. X / Kobi Mitchell 3. Tribble / Nate Johnson 4. Dawson / Wynn 5. Ali / Freeman

Thanks Rufus. Your comments are very classy and appreciated. There is a great rivalry with the Zips and OU. Part of it is because we know each other so well. We especially respect Boals, originating from his time at Akron. He was, and is, a total class act. The rivalry can only help both programs. We can't wait for next year. We also are coming after you with new football coach JoMo. We are done with getting our asses kicked by the rest of the MAC, except BG.

The words "we belong" come to mind when I think about the game last night. Never had this feeling after an NCAA Tournament game before.

We need an epilogue thread and/or prologue for next season. Is this the guy someone said was on campus? Isaiah Cottrell StatusTransferred from West Virginia Year2020 (FR) PositionPF Height6-10 Weight245 HometownLas Vegas, NV High SchoolHuntington Prep

Shaka loses by 32. Awesome!