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This is the difference between good and great teams though. Great teams are multi-dimensional and struggling in one area does not doom them to a loss. If we had an alternative way to generate offense against Troy and Miami, we would have won those games, and we would be having a great season, not just a good one.

When I looked at the stats this morning, I noticed that in the last 6 games the Zips have not shot 40% from the 3 point line. In our lost to Troy and our narrow win st Eastern Michigan we shot the 3 point ball around 27% for those games. Earlier in the season against good out of conference teams including Perdue we were averaging well over 40% from 3. I even commented that this might be Groce's best 3 point shooting team. I hate that our three point shooting in trending downward at the end of the season. Not sure what is the cause except the grind of a long season. Also, Groce has been playing some players long minutes and there has been a greater emphasis on defense. In our loss to Miami we only shot 25% from 3. Hoping that we can regain our outside shooting touch in the remaining games.

NOTE - I revised my Feb 3, 2026 post above per this change to reflect the Spring Schedule reposted by @ZipsMSoc.

Which defeats the whole puurpose of having a fan council because money talks, and as a result, those voices are already loudly heard.

This seems archaic. All the Athletics Department has to do is take ZNO content and summarize it through AI. Bam. Done.

I agree. I also think it is also harder to win on the road in the grind of a long season. As much as this board gives Miami grief about their weak schedule, they have won all of their road games. Something we have not done.

You'd have expected Sharrone Young to be an assassin from the 3-line this season, and he's shooting 21.6% in conference play. He should be around 40%.

I feel teams have been more physical against us, which has in part thrown off our rhythm. Also, I feel teams have done a better job of limiting open court turnovers creating fewer fast breaks and making us play a more half court offense. The video game numbers we were putting up earlier in the were never going to be sustainable.

Lets get a win!

But Miami didn't even schedule games like that, and that's the point. When you only have to get up for a handful of competitive OOC games per season, winning them is WAY easier than having to be focused for most games. So again, if having a cupcake schedule is the road to lots of wins and national recognition, why aren't we doing it?!

Yale has losses to Harvard and Princeton and you think Miami can't beat them? Murray St is #99. Both games were played on neutral court. Miami would be favored in both games. So many of yoi guys sound like jealous exes. Let Miami have their 5 minutes of fame.

Murray State and Yale would both beat Miami, too.

To be fair, if Miami played Purdue or Troy on the road, they'd likely have more than one loss in those games alone. Miami got lucky in getting us at home when we were having an off shooting night too. That's another likely loss.

The MAC has been maligned forever for refusing to think outside the box. For refusing to take any sort of risk. Now an opportunity landed in their lap that doesn't actually have much risk tied to it, and we're going to crap on them for taking a shot? OK, that seems consistent. An opportunity presented itself with a school that is being, admittedly, hyper aggressive and taking a shot in the dark. An opportunity that isn't going to cost the MAC much of anything. "There's no risk and this isn't going to lower the MAC's profile one bit" is a plenty good enough "just because" reason. It's 2026 in the world of college sports mercenaries. There are no rules. The best case scenario is that the MAC uses these funds and this methodology to find more schools in the footprint (see: past rumors of WKU/MTSU, etc). The worst case is that they added 6-8 games of TV inventory (Sac State home games) for however many years it lasts at no cost to the league. Do I think Sacramento State is nuts for doing this? 100% absolutely, ab-so-freaking-lutely I think they're nuts. Do I think the MAC is being stupid for taking them up on this offer in the days of "do what you can to survive" while having schools both leave and be courted? Not a bit. I'm not gonna crap on the MAC for taking a shot at something, even if it seems insane for Sac State to be doing this.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was any type of media coverage of this team? So maybe a reporter, or even a student reporter, could ask the AD or head coach what they thought of this deal? Crazy to think that a D1 team would have even a hint of media coverage.

I guess the one silver lining of Miami's fraudulent run is that Steele will be the top candidate for any major school with an opening. As far as Nate Johnson, I feel for the kid. But I think this should be a cautionary tale to Zips players as to why chasing the bag isn't always the best option.

Sac St currently has an athletics budget of over $55 million/year. Thier enrollment is around 40k. Student fees pay most of the buget. Currently around $1000 per year. All the California state schools are heavily subsidized by the state government. Base tuition is only $5500. Their plan is to add another $400 in student fees to pay for this. Plus they are going to play 2-3 money games each season. We are just a stepping stone to a bigger stage. BTW, the rumors about OU and Miami leaving for the SBC are not BS. Another reason why the MAC is interested in Sac St.

So are lot lizards.

The money should go directly to the football revenue sharing pot.

I was against this deal, but it is clearly set up as a stop gap for Sac State while they find a better fit. To be honest, I've changed my mind. I'd take the deal. Nonetheless the underlying issues for the MAC remain: leadership, identity, quality. Until we get football to the Toledo level this is the best fit for Akron.

Wouldn't even need to be THAT desperate. But yes, the MAC should be talking to anyone and everyone that might be interested right now.

You're talking about the state capital for the 5th largest economy in the world. Between politicians, lobbyists, and others in area trying to buy influence there is probably retarded amounts of money floating around the area. Not to mention outside the Sacramento Kings there is very little local sports competition.

Yes, that sounds like an even better deal than what was first publicized.

The big question here...is the MAC done? While it feels kinda ridiculous, this is the first remotely proactive thing the MAC has done in a long long time...are they trying to use some of this extra funding to pilfer CUSA? There are multiple teams there that would make sense, and adding schools that "matter" even a little bit could help the MAC stave off the Sun Belt. That next TV deal is probably going to be vitally important...is it just going to be the "same old same old" with the crappy midweek games, or is the MAC going to try and find other broadcasters that need content (and want college football)? Be a very very interesting couple years here.

UMass is the team I don't want to see in Cleveland. I really want Miami to draw them.

This is worse than the MWC bringing in Grand Canyon. These moves don't always have good outcomes. Cal and Stanford have only made the ACC worse. The on field competition is worse. Big 10 adding OR WA USC and UCLA makes sense because they result in annual increased revenue and attractive names. These names result in more TV viewers. More TV viewers result in more advertising money. Most importantly, the quality of product is now the best in the country. In the truck stop if life, the MAC is now the lot lizard trolling from truck to truck hoping to scrape up enough cash to buy a pack of Slim Jims and a bottle of Mountain Dew for dinner.

The new Ball Sac rivalry will be worth every penny

Nothing says “I love you” more than snuggling on a wooden bleacher at 10pm and being serenaded by a 110 decibel woman’s clock countdown to a kid who’s just missed his 9th consecutive halftime promo free throw. Uh oh…I think I just gave @NWAkron more ammo.