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Today's email from the Athletic Department- Zips Nation, This is Head Men’s Basketball Coach John Groce, and I felt compelled to express our gratitude and share three takeaways with you today. First of all, we want to THANK YOU for what you've done this season. We are extremely grateful for the attendance and the electric environment that has been created in the JAR for our home games, especially against Kent State. You were certainly a big part of the win that night. It was a sellout crowd and amazing basketball environment. Secondly, we have three home games remaining, starting with UMass on Friday, Feb. 13 at 9 p.m. on national television. As I'm out in the community, I have multiple people approach me and say... “Coach, as good as your program is and has been over the last 6 plus years, we need to get that place filled up more often, like we do it for the Kent State game.” So, The Challenge is on! That is why I was compelled to express my thoughts on the three remaining home games, starting with the UMass game on the 13th. We want to see this place PACKED. Zips Nation deserves it, our players deserve it, the city deserves it, the community deserves it and the University deserves it. We're all in this together. Let's take on the challenge and Pack the JAR for the three remaining home games! Lastly, at the UMass game, we are honoring one of our all-time greats in Isaiah “Big Dog” Johnson by hanging his No. 23 jersey in the rafters prior to the game. He was a former All-American, MAC Player of the Year and MAC Sixth man of the Year. He made long lasting memories for Zips Nation as a great player and a great person. We are looking forward to having Isaiah and his family back here at the JAR, and we need to give them a warm welcome and an unbelievable Akron Zips response that night with great excitement, passion, energy, and attendance. Thanks Again for all that you do. This is a special place and it really is because of Zips Nation. John Groce Akron Head Men’s Basketball Coach

I'm afraid our attempts to improve defensively have been outweighed by the regression in offense that caused