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Went down to the lower area to near the tunnel to watch the celebration. I couldn't be more impressed by our guys. A few took pictures with my son, who was on cloud nine. If there was any doubt he's going to grow up a die-hard Zips fan, that's gone. He's a lifer like his dad. 🙂 Some stories while we were down there: There was a little girl who asked Mikal to sign her Zips poster she made - he took it, said "I'll be back", and went and had all of the team sign it. Was chasing down each player so this young fan would have them all. Just won a championship and thinking of others. Sammy asked a young boy near my son if he was going to grow up and win a MAC Championship for the Zips. He also took a ton of pictures with kids and fans nearby. Enrique actually went into the stands to take pictures with the students who came. Took his shoes off and gave them to someone. Probably spent a good 10-15 minutes signing and taking pictures with fans. He also went over to the band and celebrated/took pictures. We saw one band member ask him for his gamertag (basically his screen name on Playstation to play online with). I think he may have had some sort of disability, but I don't want to assume. Anyhow, Enrique took the student's phone, typed his gamertag in, and took a picture with him. Literally minutes after winning a championship. This group is one we can be very proud of for more than just being a fantastic basketball team

(Taking a social media break for lent but had to make one post today) I just bawled my eyes out singing we are the champs. I've watched every eff'n game. All the struggles and down games and I believed and prayed. My biggest regret was not going to the game in 2022. WE ARE CHAMPS AGAIN. WINNING IS EVEN BETTER THE SECOND TIME

Hell of a way to take the all-time series lead. Greg Tribble - way to come through under as much pressure as you could have been.

Not sure why there is so much fuss about Rollin’s foul, Tribble was about to win it on a floater anyway. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Go Zips!!

It's actually my worst nightmare, conflicting loyalties, but I would be pulling for the Zips.

Totally out of line, show some class and quit acting and posting like a 12 yr old.

Somebody explain the foul on Ali with 39 seconds left. No way is that a moving screen. Complete phantom call if you ask me.

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO ZIPSSSS!!!! GOT THE CHIP! GOING DANCING!!! RIQUE IS THE 🐐!! TRIB IS CLUTCH, NATE AND VARI ARE DAWGS, ALI IS TUFFFFFF!!!

Dear Kent State Graduates, You are the diarrhea stuck to the bottom of a toilet seat at gas station. Sincerely, The Great GP1

Hmm and one of the players he said he "didnt like" - Greg Tribble, whom he fouled and then hit the winning free throws. You can't make this kind of karma up.

See .. it's not that hard to beat a team three times in the same season!! 😁

Keith with a little shoutout to Akron. Loved that

Go Rams!

Rivalry aside, I think Sendy is a very good coach. If you would've told me back in December that Payton would get hurt and they'd still make the MAC Championship (and almost win), I would've called you crazy. If they can keep their core and add a little bit of talent to it, they'll be a contender again next season.

How right you were. This team is like no other in recent memory. Guard play on offense is sub-standard, but decent on D. Offense is all up front and we have no real answer for teams that pack the middle. For a team with only a small margain for error, we have far too many turnovers. We are winning on the strength of the greatest player in Akron history ( I have been watching Zips for 70 yrs and Freeman is a once in a lifetime player.

I’ve watched a gazillion sporting events and a lot in person. Tonight will be one of a handful burned in my memory forever. An absolute fist fight for the trip to the dance. Couldn’t be happier. Thad Matta always said you don’t have to be the best team in the country, just better than the team you’re playing. Well, 62-61. And on to March Madness. Congrats to Coach Groce and this wonderful group of young men. You did it!!!

A GIF of this will live on for generations to come. Thank you Kent State.

Every kid fantasize about making a foul shot to win a big game. Tribble lived the dream tonight. Good for him!

MAC All-Tournament Team Ali Ali - Akron Enrique Freeman - Akron (MVP) VonCameron Davis - Kent State Jalen Sullinger - Kent State Jaylin Hunter - Ohio

Dear Kent State, You suck. Sincerely, The Great GP1

I literally saw Eastern Michigan again flash before my eyes giving up that put back but the Basketball Gods wasn't having it. Mind boggling ending and more lifetime bragging material. Won a $50 bet from a Kent Alum. Life is good

I said earlier this week that I wouldn't hire a Kent grad to scrub the skid marks out of my toilet. I take that back. I wouldn't hire a Kent grad to scrub the skid marks out of an interstate rest area on interstate 77. Losers.

Took my oldest son to the game last night. At halftime someone asked about the buckeye score, and my son turns to me and says “OSU… are they in league below Akron?” bro I choked up like I was watching Rudy.

Zips men and Flashes women to the NCAA. Maybe KD will win today and there will be something for everyone.

What's cool to me is that LCJIII retweeted this tweet. What two amazingly talented and amazingly humble guys.

Just saw his post game presser. Dang you Sendy I want to dislike you but that was a great and classy presser. Stop it. 🤣

What if I told you I went through that video last night and grabbed 7 screenshots AND made a meme with them?

I think we need to have a contest as to who can grab the best screenshot of Rob Senderoff crying on the sideline for future memes. Maybe a new thread even? *Note: I personally don't want to pick on Julius Rollins, because he obviously had an absolutely heartbreaking lapse of judgement and obviously feels devastated over it. I just think it'd be in poor taste to use that in future memes....but Senderoff has been there for 13-years, so I think he's fair game. Here's my entry:

Here is an odd combo for you: I’m doing my master’s at Kansas State currently, so they’re my second favorite team. Even had a couple guys who went to the Elite 8 last year in my class last spring! That being said, if the Zips ever play K-State, I hope the Zips crush them. I’m trying to ration my likes, but I want to like everyone’s posts. What a win! Go Zips!

There’s luck involved in just about every championship. 2021, Ohio had COVID at the right time and could rest up. 2022, Zips benefit from Sendy running a trash program. 2023, Kent is lucky Ali Ali gave Butler a shot. 2024, Kent lucks out with the Bass injury before one of their own morons strikes again, and Tribble, who blew FTs in his final game at the JAR, cans the last 2 to win it. Shammah Scott went a month without hitting a 3, then hits the most clutch 3 of the MAC tournament. Make or miss game. Brian Walsh, Ronaldo Segu, Jaylin Hunter, Jalen Sullinger. IYKYK.

You reap what you sow, Pinky. You recruit idiots, you get idiotic results. He’s not much of a genius when a women’s player’s boyfriend isn’t begging for a roster spot.

I watched the replay of the Ali foul and it was a good call. Ali set the screen and then moved in the same direction of the ball handler preventing the defender from defending. Just a bad play by Ali. However, Freeman did get fouled when he made a move to the basket in the last minute. Finally, they let Freeman play when in the last minute he went up to block a ball and the Kent player missed and got his own rebound and then Freeman had the block of the game and came down with the ball. There was some contact and the refs did not blow the whistle.

The Ali foul is rivaled only by the foul he had called on him in the Ohio game.

You've made your mind up already, and that's fine. It's undeniable that he lifted this program to a higher level and built the foundation of what we have now. I wish him the best and hope they win every game as long as they aren't playing us. Go Zips!

After the game I had this feeling that we maybe got lucky because of Kent fouling. After seeing the replay of the Ali "foul", I no longer feel that way. They almost robbed us.

Not to mention the no-call when Freeman got mugged by Hornbeak with a minute or so to go.

Don't let the Kent brain fart foul distract us from the fact that the Zips absolutely deserved to win this game. That phantom foul on Ali with like 40 seconds left was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. I have no idea what the ref saw there. Not only that Nate Johnson was WIDE OPEN at the baseline as the final foul was called. He would have had an easy layup for the win.

Kent state sucks.

The Dukes have not made the NCAA tournament in 47 years. If they win tomorrow, I would call that overachieving. Good luck to the Dukes. Maybe they can join Akron in the NCAA tourney.

KD took over a program that was on life support not only due to Hipsher's coaching (or the lack of it) but his terrible demeanor and inability to build any type of winning culture for the Zips. KD worked non-stop to build the fan base. He was at community functions and ALWAYS working to get people to games. The Crawford years followed by Hipsher's tenure left a cavernous hole to dig out of and KD did it. Would we have liked a few more wins in his 9 (repeat 9) MACC games? Sure. Would we have liked a NCAA tourney win? Absolutely. But to say he underachieved is nonsense. WITH ALL THE REGULAR SEASON TITLES AND GREAT PLAYERS, TOLDEO HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DANCE SINCE 1980 --- THAT IS UNDERACHIEVING.

Just wanted to point out that PCCC played it's best basketball of the season without the guy who proclaimed he was better than the preseason MAC MVP, regular season MAC MVP and MAC Tournament MVP.

#NeverForget

*My heart does go out to Rollins. *I don't think we talk enough about stellar our defense is. They kept us in this game while we had an all-too-frequent drought on offense, and not for the first time. *Taking the lead in the series against Can't is a nice little cherry on top. So is beating them three times. *We don't look like we have completely shaken off our issues from down the stretch, but we did beat a Can't team that rolled into the finals in style, an Ohio team that made us look terribad in our last matchup against them, and bottom line, we are the one and only champions of the 2023-24 Mid-American Conference.

Amani Lyles with a three!!

Don’t need a three on this trip. Just get a solid shot

Here's our end result every year since joining the MAC in 1992. Coleman Crawford 1993 - Did not qualify 1994 - Did not qualify 1995 - Did not qualify Dan Hipsher 1996 - Did not qualify 1997 - Did not qualify 1998 - Lost in quarterfinals 1999 - Lost in quarterfinals 2000 - Lost in first round 2001 - Lost in first round 2002 - Lost in quarterfinals 2003 - Lost in first round 2004 - Lost in first round Keith Dambrot 2005 - Lost in quarterfinals 2006 - Lost in semifinal 2007 - Lost in championship 2008 - Lost in championship 2009 - Won championship 2010 - Lost in championship 2011 - Won championship 2012 - Lost in championship 2013 - Won championship 2014 - Lost in semifinal 2015 - Lost in semifinal 2016 - Lost in championship 2017 - Lost in championship John Groce 2018 - Lost in quarterfinal 2019 - Lost in quarterfinals 2020 - No tournament 2021 - Lost in semifinal 2022 - Won championship 2023 - Lost in semifinal

Seems like every time it occurs to me to stop by and post some game observations, the top of the board is littered with nonsense like this from dudes who (I assume) were born way after Huggins left and can't conceive of the heavy lift that KD performed at Akron. I find it unfortunate and disheartening. Well I hope everyone can bring themselves to enjoy this evening and pull for these kids and coaches who are chasing a dream together and appear to really enjoy the collective effort. The Watcher clan will be there in full force and pleased to attend yet another MAC Championship Game in seats I started buying during the years when the Zips never even qualified for the MAC Tournament. Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the starting 2 guard for the Zips the first game they actually made it to the Q. No cheaters. Shout-out to the diehards that keep the hopeful and supportive spirit of ZN.O alive, especially @Hilltopper, @ZZZips, @Dr Z, @Captain Kangaroo and The Great™ @GP1 .. hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! #Porkys7Forever #4PetesSake Go Zips!