NWAkron

So the Akron men got the 13th seed and the ultimate blue blood opponent in UCLA. Buffalo women got the 13th seed and the ultimate blue blood opponent in Tennessee. Hope Bulls and the Rockets in the WNIT can make some noise. Right now, the Kent women are the only post-season winners from the MAC.

Beating UCLA would have been perfect, but for nine years we've been living with that 46 point defeat to VCU which was direct result of a drug dealing point guard. Last night officially ended that ugly chapter in Zips basketball. We saw from our friends in Nelsonville that NCAA success can be fleeting. Buffalo's sustained success over 4 years also is in the rear view mirror. I know our coaches are focused on March but having to fight off a 3 or 4 seed every year is brutal if lucky enough to get there. And let's not forget the good luck, Segu's 3 pointer a little to the right and we would be in misery these days.

We need an epilogue thread and/or prologue for next season. Is this the guy someone said was on campus? Isaiah Cottrell StatusTransferred from West Virginia Year2020 (FR) PositionPF Height6-10 Weight245 HometownLas Vegas, NV High SchoolHuntington Prep

I'm with Clark. Over-achieving team. But the MAC tourney win and a trip to the Dance should keep all the good players and recruits on the team and make the Zips more enticing for guys in the portal. Having Sparks and Freeman would be brutal, right? Those Buffalo teams from 2016-2019 (ish) were the gold standard for MAC dominance. Zips need a transfer like Jeremy Harris or Wes Clark. I see this year as the beginning of dominance. Got to blow through the MAC and get some Power 5 wins.

the best Findlay U has to offer. Also, owns a cleaning service.

Huh?

So proud of this team. So proud how they represented Akron. Really excited about next season. Not sure about that second to last possession. EDIT: Zips can get that called as a foul in the MAC but not in this type of game. Also, that awful Terry Weimer was officiating. OT would not have gone well. Lots to be proud of.

St Peters is 7 of 13 from 3 and KY is 2 of 10. Zips need to be over 50% from 3 to pull it off. Peacocks also 9 of 10 from line but Wildcats 17 of 23

BGSU makes a lot bad decisions and seem to overreact to situations. They renamed the Liilian Gish Theatre because of a film she performed in back in 1915.

The people looking to burnish their resume and take credit are all in Portland.

Need another more Richmond and a lot less Marquette

Big conferences win the first two games. Zips didn't get Providence in Buffalo...maybe that was good.

Surprised the Zips weren't in the bottom ten of watchable games. 19. (4) UCLA vs. (13) Akron Thursday | 9:50 p.m. | TBS Akron began the season with a one-point loss at Ohio State, and it would have won if not for a buzzer-beater from Zed Key. The Zips are legit and will have no issue playing at UCLA's methodical pace. The Bruins have become accustomed to being the hunters in March, but this is a potential upset to watch. Plus, there's this added storyline: UCLA coach Mick Cronin and Akron coach John Groce go way back, as Cronin explained this week.

I copied that from an article. I take no responsibility for the grammar or wording.

And BTW, I love the grind it out offense the Zips use: Akron Zips vs. UCLA Bruins Prediction: NCAA Tournament First Round Preview Kyle Kensing - Yesterday 9:00 PM Keys for Akron Akron's late-season run included outputs of 82 and 91 points in wins over Bowling Green and Ohio, but make no mistake: The Zips can and will grind the tempo way down. Their possessions last more than 19 seconds per KenPom.com, one of the longest such averages in the nation and the catalyst of the slowest tempo among all 68 teams to make this Tournament. Creating long, frustrating defensive possessions could be critical for Akron. And, compounding the prospects for an irritated UCLA defense is the team's ability to get to the foul line. The Zips rank fifth among all Div. I programs in free throws attempted per field-goal attempts. Almost 21 percent of their points come at the charity stripe, and UCLA is coming off a Pac-12 Tournament championship game loss to Arizona in which foul trouble played a critical part.

I'm certainly not as sanguine as @LoyalZip. I find myself whistling past the graveyard, hoping for a good outcome. If the Zips were playing Bryant or Corpus Christi I would be much more bullish. When Ohio U played Georgetown in 2010, they were a 14th seed in Providence and the opponent Georgetown had a history of bungling in March Madness. What I immediately noticed in Cleveland while the Zips were warming up for the Buffalo game was that they were making 3s during the shoot around. That carried through the tournament. Zips have also played well on the road this year. If they can come out and be patient, take good shots, and make some early 3s they have an opportunity. I don't think Groce and Company expected to go this year. Next year seems like the year to make a run if he can find a versatile non-head case forward in the transfer portal. Will be incredible for America to wake up tomorrow morning and learn of the late night upset powered by a walk-on.

agree. Uniontown? Might as well be Mogadore (the West side.)

Why are cheerleaders the only people required to wear masks at these games? I noticed that watching the Wright State game. Is this saving lives?

Nagy to Xavier really happy for the Raiders. Off to San Diego! WSU player has 37 points!

Culture problem = Transfer Portal

Shumate 0-10 and Rockets 3-19 from beyond the arc.

Barely beat CSU, who had a player shorter than Big Dog but twice as wide. And that firing is a reminder that those power conference schools see their coaches as expendable.

I said "rich" not very rich. I guess that's relative. A $5mill pay out would make one rich.

As we learned with Moorhead, $$$ isn't everything, especially when you are already rich and expect your kids to make it on their own.

Our poor friends at Over the Pylon. However, they were fairly certain Sparks was leaving with or without Whitford.