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It’s as plain as the nose on your face…Power Conferences take the best and brightest mid-major players…and give us their unwanted table scraps in return. We get the best and brightest of the D2 crop, but that doesn’t nearly offset the NIL/Portal talent loss. If this system were in place 25 years ago, the MAC would never have seen the likes of Bonzi Wells, Brandon Hunter, Gary Trent, Chris Kaman, Earl Boykins, Wally Szerbiak, Antonio Brown and on and on. The Zips have some good fortune in having a great coach and someone to pay a few player’s NIL funds. But that can end tomorrow, and we’ll be fielding teams that have zero chance of ever being more than Round 1 NCAA tournament fodder. I hate it.

Probably the only way we'd get someone like Cincinnati or Xavier is if our "home game" is in Cleveland and they get a share of ticket revenue. Although that would probably only work for an OSU as I'm not sure there are many Cincy or Xavier fans in the Cleveland area.

I remember Groce telling a story at some event about how they played a P4 school closely and in the handshake line the opposing coach leaned in and said "we're never doing this again."

fortunately, we don't have to worry about that for another year. but we can worry about: attendance, home and homes with Villanova, John's next endeavor, keeping up with John and Dustin, facilities, red pandas, and lack of a viable and serviceable big.

The best matchup we had the last couple years IMO was the Bradley home and home. Of course we got smoked there and we beat their banged up squad here. But anything in the Missouri Valley, A10, or Ivy league would be beneficial

We finished the season with a 91 net rating. I would think if we can just get into the top 75 consistently there will be teams like Cincy and Xavier who might want a road test game that can’t hurt them. Worst case is it would be a Quad 1 loss for them. We are not far off.

I think the only thing a bigger name wants less than playing us at the JAR is having a neutral site game at the JAR

I think this is a leverage play. Groce knows cuts are coming at UA. I'm betting he wants to avoid complacency from the program in regard to that plus support of the Collective and the program in general. UA took KD for granted for a long time, and I'm sure JG saw that play out. I'd be stunned if he left now, personally.

I might be in the minority, but I'd prefer not to have a 7 footer slowing down the tempo. I'd be perfectly content with another 6'8 big that can move the court. We can then slide Amani over to play PF while also targeting a wing that can play both SF and PF. There are ways of us adding size without adding someone who has cement blocks for legs.

Square peg, round hole.

Kansas hosted Oakland and Furman Auburn hosted Vermont, Kent, Richmond Arizona hosted Davidson WVU hosted UMass Houston hosted Troy and Toledo JMU @ Wake OU @ Memphis etc etc .... Do we really think these teams are all scared of us vs the teams they scheduled?

I won't pretend to know who is/isn't willing to come to the JAR or if any of these opponents would interest people. Cleveland State,Youngstown State - If we are going to play a Horizon League (or similar level) team, let it be regional foes. If nothing else, you'd potentially draw more road fans. Xavier, Cincinnati, Dayton - I'm guessing none of these schools will play us, but maybe if we offered a 2-for-1 or even 3-for-1? Duquesne - Obvious connections to the staff there and I think would be a good, competitive game most years. All in all, the options are unfortunately probably pretty limited.

Of the opponents below, who were fans going to have strong interest in going to see? Ohio Wesleyan Lamar Omaha Alabama State Northern Kentucky Suny-Brockport South Alabama South Alabama was it for me, personally. Now, I went to most of these because I'm a Zips hoops junkie, but the reality is that this non-conference home schedule wasn't moving most fans, and certainly not the average fan. It didn't help that three of the games were in one weekend, either.

I remember Dambrot saying "I'm not going anywhere. I'm an old man" for years when questions arose about him moving on. And then, he was gone. Words don't mean much. If Groce moves on I'll be severely bummed. The next guy won't be as good. He could be the Zips next Coleman Crawford? So I'll enjoy JG while we've got him.

Coach did not exactly cement his own return in the latest Beacon article. Have to believe he is getting some calls. Hopefully it passes with no drama.

More from the Beacon- https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2025/03/25/akron-zips-mens-basketball-coach-john-groce-transfer-portal-zips-roster/82644146007/

We have one scholarship open at the moment. Everything I've heard is it's being used on a Big Ten big man. No idea what our plan is once the scholarship limit goes up to 15 but here's an option - Eric's brother.

Akron Out: Josiah Harris, James Okonkwo In: Evan Mahaffey Ball State Out: Juanse Gorosito, Jermahri Hill, TJ Birch In: Kayden Fish (Iowa State) Bowling Green Out: Marcus Johnson, Javontae Campbell, Jamai Feit, Braelon Green Buffalo Out: Brayden Jackson, Ben Michaels, Anquan Boldin Jr., Tyson Dunn, Lloyd McVeigh, Kavon Bradford, Bryson Wilson, Frederiks Meinarts, Eric Kenesie, Sam Akot Central Michigan Out: Jakobi Heady, Damarion Bonds, Bryan Ndjonga, Cayden Vasko, Ugnius Jaruševičius, Kyler Vanderjagt, Armani Mighty Eastern Michigan Out: Christian Henry, Trey Pettigrew, Dillon Tingler Miami Out: Kam Craft, Reece Potter, Mekhi Cooper Ohio Out: Elmore James, Ben Nicol, AJ Brown In: Javan Simmons (Toledo), Jalen Breath (UNC Greensboro) Toledo Out: Seth Hubbard, Javan Simmons, Sam Lewis Jr., Ka'leel Stillman, Bryce Ford, Xavier Thomas, Grgur Brcic, Jaylen Murphy In: Kyler Vanderjagt (Central Michigan) Western Michigan Out: Markhi Strickland, JaVaughn Hannah, Tijan Saine

I’ll start with one of the most obvious items - NIL. Bud has done a great job getting us to where we are (and I’d assume there are others involved as well), but it shouldn’t be all on him/them. Anyone reading this can contribute to the Fear the Roo collective. It would be more convenient if the process was easier, but all you need to do is email info@feartheroocollective.com to get things rolling. If you’re able to contribute, you may not think your individual contribution would make a difference. However,“collectively” us diehard fans can be the difference in keeping or obtaining a player that would otherwise go elsewhere. One player can be the difference. The program has a good thing going. In my mind we are currently in the peak of Akron men’s basketball. We have a great coach (who also seems to be a great person), who brings in players who are great representatives of our University, and have a guy leading the NIL who has a vision. Please consider playing a part in our program taking the next step. info@feartheroocollective.com

I pay virtually no attention to any other games other than the Zips.

In addition, soon we will be at a point where the best of the best of the best end up annually at 5-6 schools. Those schools will win the championship every year. Same in football. There is nothing interesting about it. I can't even dislike a lot of teams I used to because I don't care enough to dislike them. I find myself increasingly uninterested in college athletics and it's more than the NIL. I enjoy going to Wake Forest games, even though that's getting increasingly difficult, and watching the Zips from afar. Other than that, I really don't care much for it and I used to love college athletics. Maybe it's because it's now minor league sports and I don't like minor league sports.

Still makes me all warm inside. https://x.com/MACSports/status/1901084000845762665?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1901096441008869771|twgr^7081e24e91602c2b0a0a3384f9941b8429ee5373|twcon^s3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fzipsnation.org%2Fforums%2Findex.php%3Fapp%3Dcoremodule%3Dsystemcontroller%3Dembedurl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fmegdonovan44%2Fstatus%2F1901096441008869771%3Ft%3DM4QSVLZsvgxX4neyp47Eew26s%3D19

At St Mary's is exactly the type of game we need to play.

He did. A year ago on a podcast that @Blue & Gold posted. I don’t remember the teams he mentioned.

But the ones that do get there are likely to be the "Major" mid-majors like Gonzaga and Creighton rather than true Cinderellas.

I’m hoping Princeton was a home and home so the come the the JAR this coming season.

I'm continuing to update the original post here for those who are interested.

I'd love to get Dayton, Xavier or Cincinnati on our schedule sometime. Home would be great, but even on the road or neutral site would be good.

Amen. The chances on the Zips hitting the jackpot on three head coaches in a row are slim to none. I do think all of the kids returning is a pretty strong indicator he intends to stay. If he moves on I will be very disappointed as I think he's fantastic. I would wish him well as he's been great for the program. I've never understood people who get upset with a coach "moving up" in the coaching world as most of those critics would change jobs in a heartbeat for a promotion and/or the promise of higher pay.

I can’t speak of his time at Ohio U, but I know that wasn’t the case at Illinois. Actually, the combination of point guard injury and too many lost point guard recruiting battles (for a host of reasons) was in my opinion the main reason Groce failed to make the NCAAT 4 of his 5 seasons and was let go. We will have a 15 man roster this year. We could use a big, mature wing and a big bodied guard. If the staff choose’s to fill all of those positions with transfers I predict Perkins will redshirt. There would be just too many players ahead of him. If one of the acquisitions is a high school recruit (likely to redshirt) I predict Perkins will play some. There’s benefit in having him go through early growing pains next year when Tavari and Young will be anchoring the ship.

If you think a player can help you, even slightly, it doesn't make sense to redshirt them. I'm not sure what the statistics are, but the percentage of 5th year seniors who are still with the team who recruited them out of high school has to be low.

Evan is just not good. He’s a good guy who plays hard but never has much to show for it. Maybe Groce could polish him a little. Holtmann and Diebler had no luck. It was 4 v 5 on offense with him on the floor.

At the pre-season basketball event on campus in the student union Bowen and Josh spent a lot of time with me during the early cocktails portion of the night. They were both extraordinarily nice, positive and kind. No pampered jock attitude from either. I became a fan of both. I wish Josh had found a home here, but he is moving on. I wish him well and regret it didn't work out at UA regardless of the reasons.

Kind of wondered if this was the case. Seems like a great young man and I didn't see anything to suggest any animosity from either he or the team. I wish him well.

I could see him filling the JoJo Harris void at small forward. It would take some pressure off of MMK.

You’re being rational. I respect that. But I’m still refreshing my phone. 😀

During this period I turn into a little kid, constantly refreshing my phone hoping to see what Santa Wentz brought us.

Here's what it currently says for men's basketball donations- Men's Basketball Payment options coming soon! Contributions to the general fund welcome.

The rumor has been percolating for at least a couple of weeks. I wish the kid well. I spoke to him at the re-season tip-ff reception and he seemed like a great kid. The door is now open for that big man to come through.

Shammah's dad

Looking for a bright spot.... Incoming transfer Jack Sullivan #19 provided real spark off the bench in limited minutes. He is quick-footed and very intentional. We need to see more of Sullivan.

You need to deepen your knowledge of Akron history.

The Stryker family is one of America's richest families and big donors for WMU. They have given the University hundreds of millions of dollars over the years. 10s of millions to athletics as well, but I think those went to facilities. If they decide to play the NIL game, they could easily cut WMU basketball a 6 figure check every year for NIL.

I think this is at least the second time ... maybe the third, Kent has advanced to the NIT Elite Eight over the years. No ... It's not the tournament it used to be. But it's still a national tournament, and the teams they have defeated were both Top 100 KenPom teams when they played them. Take advantage of the opportunities you get. Give them credit for that.

Kent is losing everyone to graduation. While we don't know if they'll lose any additional players to the portal yet (Go Stanford), they'll already have one helluva uphill climb to retool.

For federal income tax purposes, it was. Nothing the IRS does is that simple. lol

The only way to take the next step is more money. We lose in the tournament because we have 2 and 3 star players playing against 4 and 5 star players. We have a top 10% coach and effort is never an issue. In the age of NIL the only way to get those 4 and 5 star kids is to pay them and the Akrons of the world are never going to be able to compete with P4 money. Can Akron outspend the PCCCs and BGs of the world? Yes, as long as they have guys like Bud Wentz. However, it is a completely different era now than it was when teams like George Mason, OU, Florida Gulf Coast and the like made their runs.

Drake 28-3 overall, 17-3 Conference Net Ranking: 56 Quad 1 and 2 wins: 6 McNeese State 25-6 overall, 19-1 Conference) Net Ranking: 58 Quad 1 and 2 wins: 1 Akron 28-6 overall, 17-1 Conference Net Ranking: 91 Quad 1 and 2 wins: 1

I would think that the next step is to win a winnable game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Akron had the talent and coaching to win yesterday. They didn't for a lot of reasons with two key reasons being unusually bad shooting by the Zips and unusually good shooting by Arizona.

And now to #23. Of course he was also listed as "most extreme voter". 😊