kreed5120

I saw Akron dropped a spot in the NET rankings despite winning by 17. I guess it just goes to show you how bad the MAC is this year.

Maybe if they focused more on basketball and less on hockey their program wouldn't be a dumpster fire

That makes two of us

Even that's not enough. Coaches leave, players transfer when you reach that level of success. I don't really have the numbers in front of me now, but I doubt Buffalo is drawing better now than what they were before Oats had them winning a tournament game. A program like St Pete's had their 5 seconds of fame, but I'm guessing attendance isn't materially up that much since their run. Every year a new Cinderella emerges, but they quickly fall back to irrelevance. Very few ever are able to make something out of it.

The MAC is the right fit for Akron. FBS football limits Akron's ability to move anywhere. No conference would ever accept Akron as a football only member given the state of the program and going independent really isn't an option. Also, refs aren't conference exclusive in college basketball like they are football. The same guys officiating an OSU-Indiana game on a Saturday are the ones who also officiate an Akron-Ball State game on a Tuesday.

I feel for some it's just easier for them to make excuses for why people aren't coming than just admit people aren't interested in Akron athletics. Akron needs to find a way to enhance the experience to make people want to show. There is no cost, outside of literally paying people to show up, that will pack the JAR on a nightly basis. I feel northeast Ohio just doesn't care much about basketball. Just look at how terribly the Cavs were drawing before they drafted LeBron in 2003. There was literally rumblings that the team might move. Look at how poorly they were drawing when LeBron was in Miami. Look at how bad attendance was when he left for LA. I literally paid $15 for a lower bowl seat that had $5 preloaded. Fans just started returning when the Cavs got good. Nobody around here even cares much about college basketball until March. This Is very much a football first area that are more fair weather fans when it comes to anything else. We just don't have that basketball culture of a Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, etc.

I'm not sure if Vegas knows something that I don't, but I'm seeing Duquesne listed as 1.5 point favorites. I get it's at home, but that doesn't sound right.

CBS Sports has a deal to show a MAC game every Friday. With the MAC being as bad as it is (9 teams with a NET of 200+) that just doesn't give many options for quality games.

I actually thought GA for $15 was the normal price in previous years. They probably discounted them for winter break and OOC play. It's why in prior years I just bought season tickets. At $4 a ticket it's cheaper than going to a high school game. The breakeven is literally attending 4 home games.

I should have been more clear. It was Whitesell who the program spiraled downwards on. He started off decent when he still had Oats guys, but progressively deteriorated as Oats players graduated and transferred. I don't have an opinion on the new coach.

It shouldn't be that big of a surprise. When you reach a level of success where schools like Arizona State and Alabama come calling for your coach, eventually you will replace them with a less than stellar hire.

The majority of the MAC ESPN+ broadcasts are biased. At the end of the day these broadcasters are both fans and employees of the University they represent. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Boldin's brother is head coach at Lake Erie College so the NEO connection is already in place.

Hearing this makes me feel old.

You probably have to Venmo them $10 as well to cover the parking.

There is no resell market for Zips athletics because there is little to no demand for it. Multiple times I've just had Zips tickets handed to me from complete strangers when I was waiting in the ticket line. When I was a Zips season ticket holder, I would have gladly given the tickets away for games I couldn't attend, but finding someone who wanted to go was next to impossible. I've seen several posters here offer tickets for free. Perhaps when I get tickets in the future, I'll do the same. Outside of this forum, I don't know anyone who wants to go to Akron games.

You must not have ever ventured to the Zips football section in November

Stop the count 😆

I was looking at the NET rankings today and see that 14 out of Akron's 18 MAC games are against teams with a NET of 200+. This is the worst I've ever seen the MAC.

I enjoy the cheap tickets as well, but I actually prefer when the arena is 90% full compared to when it's only 20%. It's just a much more electric atmosphere. That's why when the idea of a new arena resurfaces on this board discussion every so often, I'm adamant I want a nice 4500 seat arena over a 8000 seat monstrosity that we could never fill. The build it and they will come philosophy just doesn't work.

The thing is students can attend games for free, yet they still don't. I'd say the cost of time is the bigger deterrent. People think sitting at home watching Netflix, playing video games, going to the movie theaters, or whatever else is a better use of their time. That's what really needs to he changed. The cost of the game itself isn't a real deterrent. When I've had season tickets in the past, when parking was free, I couldn't even find anyone willing to take my tickets for the games I couldn't attend. I wasn't even asking money for them.

Outside of Cincinnati/Dayton area college basketball just isn't that big of a deal. Even the Buckeye "fans" I know don't really start following OSU until the conference tournament is about to start. $4 waters, $10 parking, $4 tickets, etc isn't the problem. People pay those prices to see the Rubber Ducks. They pay several times those prices to go to a concert as Blossom. There is just a lot of apathy surrounding the program. Outside of the Kent game, going to Akron basketball just isn't "the cool thing to do". It's a shame because when the Zips have those 4500+ fan crowds, the games are very exciting. I don't really have a solution, but they need to change the perception surrounding Akron sports.

In addition to the ticket sales, the P5 conferences want the home games that way they have more inventory for their TV network, which they have a direct ownership stake in. They're never going to come to the JAR. The best we can hope for is playing them on a neutral court.

That's why having quality assistants is more important today than ever. Conceivably no one man can do everything.

Post covid the game has changed a lot with more freedom for player movement. Groce has done a really great job of both retaining players and going to the transfer portal to plug immediate holes. It seems a good chunk of the MAC is turning over its entire roster annually. You can't win that way. The programs that have learned to adapt will continue to thrive. The ones that don't, won't.