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As a brief Zips Hoops history lesson - The 1986 Zips led by Bob Huggins played Michigan in Round #1 of the NCAA Tourney. Zips were a 20 point underdog, and Dick Vitale predicted we'd lose by 40. Michigan was led by future NBA'ers Glen Rice, Roy Tarpley and Gary Grant. The Zips countered the 6' 11" Tarpley with Russell Holmes, a 6' 3" football player brought on to to basketball team because Huggins was hamstrung on players. In fact, three football players were needed to fill out the 1986 Zips roster! The Zips lead at halftime 32-30. I enjoyed some ice cold Hudepohl Gold as I watched from Annadale Avenue on a 19" tube TV. The Zips lost 70-64, but played a great, highly competitive game. The 2025 Zips team is in much better shape to compete with Arizona. Our interior shortcomings can be overcome by great coaching and player effort...just like in 1986. Shock the World!

Yes but he wasn't "in the room" when North Carolina was selected because there's no way there could be any back room dealings or any deals made without him there. Pisses me off that Boise State beat St. Mary's Clemson and San Diego State, and were left out while North Carolina with exactly one quad 1 win was included.

Beating a team 3 times in one season should pretty much overrule any close advantage in "ratings". Not to mention finishing 3 games ahead in the league.

Huge conflict of interest but not surprising for the NCAA or the general direction of the country as a whole.

John Groce will be on ESPN 850 at 11 a.m.

Way easier to move if your stuff is already boxed up. 🤓

Arizona lost in the first round in 2018 as a #4 seed to Buffalo and as a #2 in 2023 to Princeton. Go Zips!

Zips will play at 7:35 Friday evening https://bsky.app/profile/norlander.bsky.social/post/3lkju7bco3s25

Arizona will be long and athletic. The Zips, however, won't be out-efforted or outcoached.

We live in an ear of supreme fraud. It's basically the 1890s again.

The evil part is it's not flawed; it's working exactly as intended.

For those of you for whom Seattle might be a stretch, after the Zips win their first two games, they'll be in Newark, New Jersey. 😉

Rally House has the shirts the team wore up for sale https://www.rallyhouse.com/Akron-Zips-White-2025-MAC-Mens-Basketball-Tournament-Champions-Short-Sleeve-T-Shirt-20770075?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7dm-BhCoARIsALFk4v8fZD982CkUchLcVAGrgc1tQTEVQ93sufmTDOu_xpRFWBKEwxqTFf0aAi8nEALw_wcB&variant_id=12635948

In 2007, Akron was snubbed by the NIT after losing in the MAC title game to Miami OH via the Penno shot. Talk about poetic justice 18 years later. Akron wins the MAC title over Miami OH on a last second layup and Miami proceeds to get snubbed by the NIT. 😂😂😂

Groce mentioned at the Watch Party that their family moved to Fairlawn mid-season and joked they still hadn't unpacked everything. Doesn't sound like a coach planning to leave.

I also noticed that the Zips played 4 teams out of conference that made the tournament including Yale, St. Mary, Omaha, Alabama State.

Duke had to be saying, “oh crap” when it was revealed that the Akron Yankees are in their region.

Bowen Hardman's family member posted a nice message in the Zips Fan Facebook group, thanking ZipsNation.

I think the Kent State education is starting to get to Pinky.

And even then, they still had to wake up and smell themselves.

If Akron is the Dodgers, he must see the writing on the wall that the Yankees (UMass) are coming to town and at best he'll be 3rd fiddle in the MAC. More likely 4th or 5th as Miami is beginning to throw money at hoops.

Hard to sneak up when you possess nearly every quality found in a Cinderella/Bracket Buster. Outstanding guards, athletic roster, and depth. Not to mention Groce has been there done that.

The self titled "Ivy League of the Midwest" just likes everyone thinking they are private.

And the NBA is a terrible product. It's unwatchable to me, and I've always enjoyed watching basketball.

So because there are other problems, we should let this problem go unaddressed? The consolidation of wealth & power in the NCAA is BS. We're talking about jerking around with people's lives. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Imagine being 18-24 years old, you played your asses off all season, had a lot of success, and you miss out on participating in one of the greatest sporting events in the world because some arrogant suits want to make sure their chairman gets his $100k bonus check. I'd imagine the Morgantown & Boise businesses would appreciate some fight on this, since they are set to lose out big time on people being out and about for watch parties and what not. Elitist corruption has run rampant in this country for far too long, and the NCAA is a huge culprit.

Do you think there might be other problems in the State that need attention other than their basketball team not making the tourney?

NIT needs to shift gears and become a Mid Major paradise. Big Mid major clashes on ESPN2 and U before round 1 will be good money for these programs who need it. Akron should in it every year we don't make MM the rest of the Groce era. Really excited for this bracket cause im a Sicko lol

I'd love to expand the CFB playoff to include all FBS/D-1A conference champions. As it is, the non-major conferences start the season with no access to earning a national championship. That's not competition, it's bullying from the P5. The other conferences should negotiate an expansion that guarantees their conference champions a place or form their own lower division but that is above I-AA. I have no doubt there are enough schools to make a compelling division that is way more fair and not dominated by the same 10 teams every year.

It's all because of the if you're not first, you're last mentality that ESPN and others have pushed onto fans over the last 20, 30, 40 years. It's also why you see Joe Akron tuning into OSU games over Akron games.

When I was growing up, the NIT was a big deal. Really good programs played in it and Madison Square Garden was sold out for the final four. Today? I would say it's a black mark on your season. College athletics are now minor league sports. Imagine the Rubber Ducks not making the AA baseball playoffs and then deciding to play in another playoff. It just doesn't make sense anymore.

In Boise State who most certainly got screwed out of NCAA tournament birth is nowhere to be seen in the NIT. Pretty sure they told him to go F themselves.

Has anyone been able to find the video they showed yesterday online? It was really good and I'd love to watch it again.

Boise State had good reason to think it had done enough to earn an NCAA tournament bid entering Selection Sunday. The Broncos scheduled aggressively in non-league play, toppling Clemson and Saint Mary’s. They won 14 games in the Mountain West regular season and advanced to the title game of the Mountain West tournament, ousting two of the conference’s best teams along the way. Why then did the committee leave Boise State out? It certainly didn’t help that the Broncos are one of the only bubble teams with a blemish in Quadrant 4, a 63-61 loss to 19-loss Boston College in the title game of the Cayman Islands Classic back in November. “Because, on the third day of a tournament, Boston College hits a step-back 3 to beat us, does that mean we're not tournament-worthy?” Boise State coach Leon Rice asked incredulously on Saturday night when speaking to reporters about his team’s NCAA tournament case. Apparently so. When the margin between bubble teams is so thin, every game matters.

Our old pal Wistrcill is on the selection committee.

The "Committee Talking Head" was none other than North Carolina's Athletic Director.

Miami finished multiple games ahead of PCCC in the standings and beat them 3 times head to head while they also came closer to beating the champs than the Flushes did, yet no Miami in the NIT while Akron’s archrival did get an accept an invite? I would really be steamed at the NIT committee if I were a Miami fan … I am actually irritated with them even though I am not a RedHawks guy

Most of you guys are better than X's and O's stuff than I am, but in looking at form and expectations: BAD: Arizona was T3rd in what I think was the second toughest conference in the country, beating their preseason expectations. BAD: Made the finals in the conference tourney, too. GOOD: Finished the regular season 3-5 in their last 8. 5-6 in their last 11 if you include the conference tourney. GOOD: Failed to beat single high major or tournament team in their non-conference schedule.

Adding to this, Akron is top 10 in 3PA and 3PM per game. Arizona is in the 300s for "allowed" in both categories. This game is literally all about making our shots. Arizona will not be able to keep up if we do.

We want 'Zona!!!! Let's gooooooooo

Conference Host Nuance: When a conference (like the MAC) is a co-host, the rules don’t automatically bar its member teams from playing there unless the site is their regular home venue or exceeds the three-game limit. The NCAA prioritizes competitive balance and logistics over conference affiliation. NCAA Rules on Hosting and Team Placement The NCAA’s bracketing principles (from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Principles and Procedures) include specific guidelines about host sites: Host Institution Conflict: A team cannot play at a site where its home institution is the host if it’s considered a "home game" environment. For example, if Cleveland State were in the tournament, they’d likely be reassigned elsewhere because Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is just two miles from their campus and they’ve played home games there (e.g., against Robert Morris in 2023-24). Three-Game Rule: As discussed earlier, a team cannot play at a site where it has played more than three regular-season games in that season, regardless of who hosts. This rule applies independently of host status. Conference Host Nuance: When a conference (like the MAC) is a co-host, the rules don’t automatically bar its member teams from playing there unless the site is their regular home venue or exceeds the three-game limit. The NCAA prioritizes competitive balance and logistics over conference affiliation. Does This Affect Akron? Akron, as a MAC member, isn’t inherently disqualified from playing in Cleveland just because the MAC is a co-host. Here’s why: Not Akron’s Home Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse isn’t Akron’s home court—that’s James A. Rhodes Arena, 40 miles away in Akron. While Akron played the MAC Tournament final there on March 15, 2025, that’s a postseason event, and the regular-season three-game rule still governs. As noted previously, Akron likely didn’t play four or more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2024-25, given their typical schedule and the arena’s primary use for NBA games. MAC as Co-Host vs. Cleveland State: The NCAA’s host conflict rule focuses on the institutional host (Cleveland State) rather than the conference (MAC). Akron has no direct tie to Cleveland State beyond both being Ohio schools, and their campuses are distinct. The MAC’s co-hosting role doesn’t equate to Akron having a "home advantage" beyond geographic proximity, which the NCAA often allows for lower seeds. Precedent: Conference co-hosting hasn’t historically barred member teams from playing at a site. For instance, in 2019, the Big 12 co-hosted in Kansas City, and teams like Kansas State (a Big 12 member) weren’t excluded from playing there, as it wasn’t their home venue. Similarly, Akron’s connection to the MAC doesn’t trigger a hosting conflict at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

According to Grok, Akron can play in Cleveland. The MAC Tourney does not count towards the 3+ game threshold. Wow. Yes, you’re correct—there is an NCAA rule that impacts where teams can play in the tournament based on their regular-season usage of a site, and it could affect whether Akron plays in Cleveland for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Let’s break this down with the rule in mind and apply it to Akron’s situation. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament hosting policy, outlined in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Principles and Procedures for Establishing the Bracket, includes a provision to prevent teams from gaining a perceived “home-court advantage” at tournament sites. Specifically, a team is generally not assigned to a site where it has played more than three regular-season games in the same season, excluding conference tournament games. This rule is designed to maintain competitive fairness and neutrality. However, the NCAA can make exceptions if logistical constraints (e.g., bracket alignment, travel considerations) leave no viable alternative, though such exceptions are rare. For the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is hosting first- and second-round games on March 21 and 23. Akron, having won the MAC Tournament on March 15, 2025, at that same venue (then referred to as Rocket Arena in your question, likely meaning Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse), has secured their spot in the tournament. The key question is whether Akron played enough regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during the 2024-25 season to trigger this rule. Typically, Akron plays its home games at James A. Rhodes Arena on campus, which seats about 5,500 fans. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, a larger NBA arena with a capacity of over 19,000, is not their regular home venue. However, teams occasionally schedule non-conference games at larger neutral or semi-neutral sites like this for marquee matchups or added exposure. Additionally, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted the MAC Tournament championship in recent years, though the tournament games themselves don’t count toward the three-game limit per the NCAA rule. To assess this: Regular-Season Games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse: Akron’s 2024-25 regular-season schedule would need to include at least four games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the rule to disqualify them from playing there in the NCAA Tournament. Historically, Akron doesn’t play regular-season games at this venue frequently. For instance, in recent seasons (e.g., 2023-24), their non-conference and MAC schedules were primarily at Rhodes Arena or on the road, with no regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The venue is more commonly used for the MAC Tournament, not regular-season play. Without the full 2024-25 schedule (unavailable as of my cutoff), it’s unlikely Akron played four or more regular-season games there, given their typical patterns and the arena’s primary use for Cleveland Cavaliers games and larger events. MAC Tournament Exception: The MAC Tournament final on March 15, 2025, was at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, but this counts as a postseason game, not a regular-season game. Thus, it doesn’t contribute to the three-game threshold. NCAA Assignment Flexibility: Even if Akron played, say, one or two regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (e.g., a neutral-site non-conference game), they’d still fall short of the four-game limit. The NCAA could then assign them to Cleveland, especially since Akron is just 40 miles away, aligning with the preference to keep lower-seeded teams close to home when possible. As a probable mid-to-low seed (e.g., 12-16), Akron could be slotted into Cleveland unless higher-seeded teams or bracket logistics dictate otherwise. Historically, this rule has impacted other teams. For example, in 2011, Brigham Young University (BYU) was barred from playing in Salt Lake City because they had played multiple regular-season games there, despite its proximity. Akron’s case differs because Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse isn’t their home venue, reducing the likelihood of exceeding the limit. Given this analysis, unless Akron unexpectedly played four or more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2024-25—an improbable scenario based on past scheduling—they can play in Cleveland for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Their MAC Tournament game there doesn’t count toward the restriction, and their regular home (Rhodes Arena) is distinct from the tournament site. The Selection Committee’s bracket, revealed on March 16, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. EDT, would confirm their placement, but the three-game rule likely won’t bar them from Cleveland. Thus, it remains plausible and permissible for Akron to play there, pending final seeding and logistics.

Alabama State won their conference title game, meaning 3/4 ABC participants won their conference's championship and are going dancing, while the 4th finished runner up. Incredible.

Makes sense. Every mid-major that Arizona faced got their doors blown off. They beat CMU by almost 50 points. We beat CMU by 3. I don't think we have a shot, but hoping for the best.