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I’m happy for Akron fans, I really am, but I’m not so sure Groce takes the job if he knew what was waiting for him. I personally think he was blindsided. Between a depleted roster and a fractured fan base, Groce unknowingly walked into a situation far worse than Buffalo 2025. For all of Dambrot’s accomplishments and accolades, he left a dumpster fire behind. Many coaches would have reneged. It’s Akron’s good fortune that Groce is a man of character. He kept his commitment, didn’t pout, and immediately went to work on the rebuild. It was late in the recruiting cycle and remember transfers had to sit out a year back then. I don’t want to be hard on those guys, but much of the talent available was subpar and many Akron fans with winning expectations didn’t know how to handle a 14-18 season, 6-12 in the MAC. Give credit to KD for all he did, Groce certainly does. But make no mistake, Groce pulled Akron basketball out of the ashes. And I hope he retires there with many more accomplishments to come. Go Zips!!

Bud has done at outstanding job with building the team chemistry with a bunch of new players, completely overhauling the offense from last year and rallying the team after a rough OOC schedule.

Absolutely. And I'd argue that if KD had jumped ship after 2009, we'd probably be Buffalo right now. His staying so long and building a consistent winner set this program up for the long haul and made it attractive to a successful coach like Groce when the time came for him to move on. Hopefully Groce is here just as long, if not longer.

Speaking of Gray's physical strength, I do like how he has taken on the role of defending other teams' bigs in our shortage of big men. He uses his larger frame well in bodying up on those guys where our other guards are not physically equipped to do so.

Getting your butt busted by Enrique every day for the past 2 years has paid dividends for Amani.

Groce essentially admitted as much to me years back. I told him how much I appreciated him putting together his first roster to keep the program afloat and he told me that when the job was offered to him he and the assistants were excited because they saw a team with a remaining core that could immediately compete but that by the time he got here much of that core had bailed.

Specific to Groce, I listen to the post game interviews of players on the way home from the game and he recruits articulate young men who are humble and always talk about the team first.

Specific to Groce and his tenure at UA. It helps when you have a coach who has experienced making a move to a P5/P4 and gets let go, understands the grass isn’t always greener - so is far more appreciative of what it means to be somewhere that is a good fit and isn’t looking to jump ship at the first ‘big’ opportunity to come calling. Buffalo has hired guys on their way up so the turnover is going to be greater.

Also fortunate for both giving us so many years, 13 for KD, 8 for Groce so far. Hurley gave them 2, Oats 4.

Also, I think it's premature to congratulate ourselves on any "success". The jury is still out on this team. We're 5-0 and have looked better in MAC play, but the MAC is hot garbage this year. The worst it has ever been. Miami or round 2 of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge might be our first real test of 2025.

Toledo (at Toledo) is only 1.5 favorites over Kent tonight. Feels like easy money!

A Thursday matchup would be more likely with how things are trending. They are 2-3 in the MAC having lost all 3 of their home matchups in the MAC (Balls, WMU, Miami). Previous Kent teams, I'd probably agree with you. This year's Kent team feels different. They do not have the leadership in that locker room to overcome the dysfunction that Pinky has created. Over halfway through the season, and they're one of the worst shooting teams in the country. They have only scored 70+ pts in 5 games this year, and lost their most recent 70+ feat to WMU. Is their defense stout? Metrically, sure, but they held one of Miami's best players to 3 pts and still lost at home by 9 (trailing by double digits for most of the back end of the 2nd half). Their best scorer is out of the season, their top high school recruit is MIA away from the team, and their leading scorers from last year (VCD and Sullinger) are way too one-dimensional in their own ways while each trying to play hero ball. Sullinger is a headcase himself having settled for Kent after the Furman debacle, and it wouldn't surprise me if VCD is experiencing some sort of "prove it" syndrome after not finding a better opportunity in the Portal. Tonight's game at Toledo will tell us a lot about this year's rendition of Pinky's Cirque du SoLame.

I enjoyed it because I enjoy watching football, but it was about as competitive as the CFP has been since it started in 2014. And the BCS before it And most of college football, really

I wouldn't say "probably". "Worst case, we could be Buffalo 2025" is the way I see it. Zips basketball has a long, successful history predating my 58 years on the planet. Had Dambrot bolted for greener pastures in 2009 I assume we'd have found a solid replacement. Hell, if Larry Williams could find one, anyone can.

Although he hasn't been active for the Pacers in a couple weeks, I saw on Enrique's IG account that he made the trip to Paris. Whether he plays or not, it's great that he gets to make such a memorable trip!

If you told me this would happen 2 years ago I would have laughed at you. Let’s go Amani!

I think you are right to applaud Bud Wentz for his major contributions to the program, but in no way does it diminish the coach’s role or obligations. If anything, the new NIL landscape adds an additional level of challenges to the equation.

The fall of the Buffalo program demonstrates just how lucky we were to transition from KD to Groce.

I like "Akron". I like "Zips". I don't like "Akron Zips". I don't like logos that tell the consumer what the logo is. The rest are very good. The "Z" logo was sharp and they should have stuck with it because it had wide brand acceptance.