Leaderboard

Very disappointing. Hard to fathom that we could be so unprepared for this game on our home field. I guess perhaps it could have been worse but not much. Unbelievable that 2 players whom we count on to score and win games lose their composure and get STUPID red cards that not only hurt the ability to pull this game out but puts the team in a bad situation for the first NCAA Tourney match. As @zippyfan34said, here's to hoping we face an "easier" NCAA round one opponent and not need Shokalook or Clapier.

They really missed a rebranding opportunity when they changed their name. Liberty Mutual sponsorship would have been a given.

I’ve got a John’s Next Endeavor thread in the can and ready to go!

Absolutely nauseating! Pretty much from start to finish. Zips were beaten on 75% of individual contests. Man for man, Broncos were first to the ball, first to deliver the pass, and first to receive the pass. Personal toughness and desire were all with the Broncos. Regarding in-game coaching decisions, the Zips started to exert offensive pressure only after going to 3-man back line, thereby preventing our excessive lateral passing along the back line, and also adding one to midfield. In retrospect, perhaps this tactical move should have been made at HT.

I know somebody said Bubba wasn't announced on senior night, but it also looks like Ravontae Holt wasn't either. Good news for us. "AKRON HONORS 17 SENIORS Akron will honor 17 players competing in their final home game in pregame ceremonies before the squad's showdown with Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Among those being honored are redshirt junior LS Kyle Bauman (North Royalton, Ohio), redshirt junior DB Sean Conroy (North Olmsted, Ohio), redshirt senior DB Logan Day (Cincinnati, Ohio), senior P Noah Gettman (Daytona Beach, Fla.), DL Curtis Harper, redshirt junior DL Logan Hawkins (Harrison City, Pa.), senior DB Jalen Hooks (Warren, Ohio), redshirt senior DL Angelo Howze (Fishers, Ind.), WR Shocky Jacques-Louis, redshirt senior DL Victor Jones (Sacramento, Calif.), redshirt senior DB Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Detroit, Mich.), redshirt sophomore WR Jalen Knight (Akron, Ohio), redshirt senior DL Zach Morton (Detroit, Mich.), redshirt sophomore TE Jacob Shaffer (Portersville, Pa.), K Cory Smigel, redshirt senior LB Tim Terry (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and redshirt senior OL Anthony Whigan (Lexington Park, Md.)."

Do you think they market this to their fans as "Men's Basketball program beat PENN STATE Greater Allegheny 130-49" ?

Zips must win this game this afternoon.....to get a top 16 seed as you can see below, Akron has dropped out of the top 16 for RPI with a win today.....I could see the zips getting a seed between 12 and 14...go, zips Akron is currently 17 in RPI 7 teams (ranked 11 to 17 ) are super close 9. Lipscomb .6168 10. Oregon State .6149 11. SMU .6068 12. UNC-G .6062 13. Hoosiers .6046 14. FIU. .6042 15. Penn. .6037 16. Vermont .6031 17. Akron. .6031 18. Tulsa .5999 Western Michigan is 40 In RPI Lipscomb plays Central Artkansas Staturday at 8. Central Arkansas is 44 in RPI Oregon State season is over. they ended their season by upsetting #1 Washington on Thursday night SMU season is over ....lost to South Florida in conference semis UNC-G plays Mercer at 6 on Saturday Mercer is 104 in RPI Penn plays Princeton in reg season match at 4 saturday Princeton is 72 In RPI FIU plays south Florida Sunday at 1….south Florida is 31 in RPI Hoosiers plays Rutgers Sunday at noon….Rutgers is 46 in RPI Vermont season is over. They lost 1-0 in conference semis last night Tulsa season is over...lost to Memphis in conference quarters

Not if there’s a threat to kick it out to a guard for a three. He got double teamed all night and had no guard help whatsoever. Long ways to go until March. Groce teams always improve as the season progresses. We’ll see who steps up on the wing. Hope they show up sooner than later.

Bush league of the other MAC members not sponsoring Men's Soccer. The World's Sport. Nowadays that's almost as bad as us formerly not sponsoring a freaking baseball team. There should be four staples: football, basketball, baseball, and soccer.

I think the real pressure is on Hankerson and Hunter to contribute offensively. I have confidence in Hankerson as he's done it before. If he gives the Zips the 11 ppg and 35% three point shooting he gave NIU last year, I will be content. For me, the jury is still out on Hunter and I wonder if the transition to sometimes being the only big on the floor is hampering him. I am encouraged by Groce's post game comments Monday that he's tearing it up in practice.

It's not slander to question Tribble's shooting. His shortcomings there are obvious and you can see it in how he's defended. However, Greg has other attributes that make him a valuable player on this team and I think the great majority of the posters on here recognize and appreciate his talents. His defense, intensity and heart make him a vital contributor on this team.

If you're a fan of Akron basketball, you should be able to recognize the guards and wings outside of X need to start hitting some shots, including free throws. Has nothing to do with size Groce did or didn't bring in. Their job is easier with players cheating on Freeman. A few guys need to step up, or no tourney for us.

theoretically.....if the zips get seeded in the 17 to 24 range, they should face one of the 8 weakest teams(one of the teams that the seeding committee ranked...between 41 and 48.....) in the NCAA tournament However, we all remember last year....where the zips faced a Santa Clara team that was not highly regarded Ryan Kingsford and Stefan Dobrijevic will have to step up on Thursday and play well...while splitting time at Center forward I have been very impressed by the improvement shown by Terence Okoeguale over the course of the year. Terence and Johnny Fitz are going to need to influence the game from the outside winger spots on Thursday night.

I apologize. I should have noted that. That's on me. Been a rough 5 days for Zips fans.

this was not a participation trophy game if the zips won, they would be a top 16 seed they would not have to play on Thursday they would get to host a home game on sunday against a team that had to win a game on Thursday game this game mattered Congratulations to Western Michigan. They came out on fire in the first 5 minutes and made the zips pay.... Charlie Sharp of Western Michigan, Clapier and Shokalook were the 3 all MAC forwards Charlie Sharp had a monster game...he had an assist and a goal.... Charlie Sharp was the man of the match today Zips had 11 corner kicks. They did not put much pressure on WMU on the corner kicks.

Me too. I trust Groce, and he's forgotten more about basketball than I'll ever now. I'm also a card-carrying member of the 3-pointer revolution. But the thing about relying on the three pointer (because teams are double/tripling Freeman down low) is that off shooting nights, like last night, are gonna happen, regardless if more players besides Castaneda find their shooting stroke. Golden State can afford an off shooting night loss to Sacramento or a Game 2 loss in the WC semifinals. A college team does not have that luxury, where every regular season loss effects tournament possibilities, and each team tournament game is win-or-go-home. I think therefore multiple scoring options down low is a must. We've had it in the past. This is, recruiting-wise, possible for us. But will Groce ever recruit more than a minimal amount of frontcourt offense? I don't know, but it was said in another thread that he recruits players that fit his system rather than building a system around the strengths of his recruits. And his system seems like one that will have a hard time making that deep-ish Big Dance run we all dream of, where you have to beat a team or two of high-major size. Side note, I still have a good deal of faith in Garvin Clarke.

What a SAVE by Butler. WOW.

I still think this team can compete in the MAC, but it will have to be with the defense. Toledo struggled majorly when UAB applied pressure to ball handlers. Much like how MSU struggled last night when we applied that same pressure. The thing is we can't play with that level of intensity for 40 minutes with only a 7 man rotation. Groce needs to expand the rotation and give other players meaningful minutes for us to play a havoc style defense for longer stretches of a game. It might lead to a few more losses in November and December, but IMO it's our only chance to compete in March against teams like Toledo and EMU who are more talented offensively.

They should scratch his name from the stats book so we don't know who the stats belong to. Too soon?

Bottom line is we need more from them. It’s their 3rd and 4th year in the program and while we always get continually good effort and defense from them, we need more on the offensive side on a consistent basis. The fact is we were each their only D1 offer and they aren’t as complete a player as they should be. it’s only two games in and I think the staff still has a lot to figure out as it comes to putting the pieces together, but unfortunately Hunter has given me vibes a lot closer to Maishe Dailey rather than X Williams. We can’t afford to have missed on him with the exodus of Ali, Kalle, and Aziz. we need more form everybody on the team outside of X and Enrique right now.

Can't wait for the EMU game. Bring it on!

Bad take. Tolu Smith put 30 on Freeman’s head with no resistance and you get on here talking about guard play and 3 pt shooting. Miss St played lineups with 6’8 6’8 6’11 on the floor at the same time while we at times had X GT and Clarke in the game together it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why we lost. You didn’t watch the game and you have no business stating anything about who’s barely a d1 caliber player. Groce dropped the ball not bringing in any size. Love freeman to death but he has limitations at only 6’6 he’s not really a 5 and it was lazy of the coaching staff to rely on only him knowing the way teams will defend him.

I wasn't able to watch last night's game, but following the SDSU game I noted that, with Freeman getting consistently doubled, we need another real 3-point shooter. Apparently Groce is seeing if Tavari can be that man. It's certainly not Tribble or Clarke - both of which I'm luke warm about... at best. People keep saying "Boy, once Tribble practices his 3-point shot he's going to be tough to defend." Well, I'm sorry to keep saying it but Tribble's never going to have a solid 3-point shot; it's simply not in his genes. NEVER going to happen. And Clarke is not a natural-born finisher; he misses all kinds of layups. I love both b/c they're Zips... They'd better play absolutely stellar defense and leave absolutely everything on the court to help this team beat good D-1 opponents. How did Nate Johnson shoot last night? And I'll mention it again, with our lack of real 3-point threats, I can't believe Kobe Mitchell can't find his way into the lineup. He must be too slow on defense, or something. Idk.

If they can manage to keep Bates out of jail E Michigan is going to be a problem for many.

Ouch. I was not expecting that at all. A wake up call for all of Zips nation, and this new look team. If nothing else, a nice reminder that we ain’t won $h** yet. I know it’s a much better opponent, but that felt very Fordham-y. Winnable game, have it pretty close and closer than it should be for a while before just getting blitzkrieged. Gotta use the tune up game with Morgan State to right the ship a bit. We can’t go 0-fer in the Caymans. No reason this team should. Enjoy your weekends folks, Go Zips!

Freeman and Casteneda need help. Someone else needs to be a consistent threat or good teams will be able to shut us down.

Gotta be one of Enrique’s least effective games as a Zip. Think they are cheating an extra guy towards him because Tribble isn’t a threat to shoot. Would be ideal to have a 7 footer like Aziz for this game.

I'm pretty sure the foul trouble in the 1st half is what stopped us from continuing to press the ball. It worked in the 1st half and it has worked well so far in the second half when we've ran it.

Bad shooting is due to the ugly gold unis with the stick figure “A”. Bring back script Akron. 🤢

Okay, I must admit I turned the sound on and I am enjoying the commentary. It was great hearing Groce give commentary during the game and it was not coach speak. I feel like I am watching the game with 3 compulsive gamblers. When Akron missed the open layup that would have won them the over bet their reaction was hilarious. I am really disappointed with Clark. After making his first 3 I think he missed his next 4. He also gave up an offensive rebound. Of course all of the team is struggling from the field.

Side note: really HATE Toledo.

If we start making shots, we'll blow these guys out. They suck.

"We are officially into rock fight territory." Can we get these guys to call our games? Enjoying this on barstool.tv!

These Barstool dudes remind me of that party I went to at the TKE frat once. All the guys there were loud, drunk, sexually harassed the girls we were with and wanted to fight us. I think if they got old and started a sports media company, it would be exactly like Barstool.

Memo to coach Groce - press Toledo.

Not sure I can take another 60 minutes of these clowns calling the action.

I just saw this on Twitter and had to share it. This could become Akron's opening for a potential full time move to the Big East.

I don't know if you saw my post in the soccer thread where the Big East was mentioned. The Big East media deal with Fox Sports is a 12 year, $500M deal - ~$40M per year. They don't have football. Compare this with the MAC's 13 year, $100M (~$8M per year) deal with football. Although the Big East deal is set to expire in a couple of years, their ratings beat most other sports on FS1, so this will most likely be renewed and maybe for even more. The $32M annual increase would more than justify moving every sport possible out of the MAC and into the Big East, while going Independent in football until a conference is found.

Will Chicago State join us in the Big East?!?! 😂

Greg is still shaking off the rust from a preseason injury that prevented him from participating until just a few weeks ago.

How about the BI6? We already play at least 4 teams on a regular basis. Only 9 soccer teams there.

It is only fitting that two of the original MAC MSOC sides square off for the last MAC crown. That title definitely belongs in Akron.

This is awesome the Big East would be a fantastic home for Zips soccer (and selfishly will allow me to see more games). So if we drop football can we join as a full time member? 🤣😂

We've had a chance all season outside of OU. This team competes, and I don't see that changing.

Furthering this, the Big East has a tv/media deal with Fox Sports worth $40M+ per year - $32M+ more per year than the MAC's deal with CBS/ESPN - AND THE BIG EAST DOESN'T HAVE FOOTBALL! It is set to expire in a couple of years, but based on the ratings charts I saw, there is no reason a new deal won't be agreed upon, and probably for an even larger amount. If the opportunity would arise to join the Big East in basketball and all other sports except football, you immediately take that offer and figure football out later.

Mitchell Budler is a beast!!! He is improving right before our eyes. He is both technically gifted and physically fearless, providing true presence in the box.

Guthrie has told Jared that he will not insist they stay in the MAC, unlike previous AD's. He realizes the MAC is s**t in soccer, changes year to year and has no solution for the future. To that end Akron has been voted in by the coaches in the Big East. The next step is to get the AD's to vote them in. If the AD's vote Akron in for soccer the presidents are likely to follow. The problem is that college athletics are changing so fast the AD's want to adopt a wait and see attitude as akron will only be coming in for soccer. The assistant commissioner of the Big East in charge of supervising soccer is all in favor of adding Akron. He has argued that Akron can be invited in on a yearly conditional basis for now. Akron would be OK to go that way also. The Big East could then ditch Akron if the shifting scene of college athletics dictated that they dissolve the relationship. If there are no changes that affect a Big East membership for Akron the Zips would then stay in the Big East for soccer only. Our addition helps the Big East in soccer. Possible win-win. Stay tuned. The ball's in the AD's court.

no shots on goal for the zips in the first half