NWAkron

The location and Thursday is absolutely horrible. But the Portland crowd will be cheering for the Zips over UCLA. A nicer blurb: 58 Akron The champs of the MAC as a No. 4 seed. John Groce has been in this spot before. This is the third school he's brought to the NCAAs, joining Illinois and, before that, Ohio. In fact, in 2010, Groce led Ohio to the second round. Two years later, he had the Cinderella story of the 2012 tournament when Ohio made the Sweet 16. This year's Akron team will have a chance to steal a victory because it plays slow and gets to the foul line a lot. Name to know: Xavier Castaneda. A rock for this team.

was it 46? yikes. On Delta, for $1551 you can leave Cleveland at 7am Wednesday, switch in Minneapolis, and arrive in PDX by 6pm. If you want to stay a few days, you can then catch the red eye back Sunday morning at 12.50am and be home by 10.30

I have to remember it's the seeding and match up that is important and NOT the location. it was either Arkansas, Illinois, Providence, or UCLA. I don't know which would have been the best match up. But sucks 13th seed Lamont and the Mockingbirds get Pittsburgh.

As a Toledo Rocket fan so wisely put it: "RE: Keys to Beating Akron Akron is not very good, but they are very gritty. If we can keep the game at a good pace I think we win fairly easily. If they are able to slow it down and grind it could be very tough. Would like us to press, but I donʻt know about the energy level."

Kent had UCLA few years ago. UCLA in San Diego?

Are we sure the Zips won last night?

In Milwaukee...that will suck.

Pittsburgh would have been wonderful. Ugh.

Totally. That's like a VCU match up.

I felt the same way. Hated him at Ohio U. But I hated him because he stomped out the Zips dreams on two Saturday nights and then rubbed it in our faces by winning in the NCAA. But when we got him on our side I was incredibly happy. Groce is really good at remembering names. He must have taken a Dale Carnegie class a long the way! He's also been around very high level coaches and programs, and he knows how to speak to the media. He's definitely sincere (no pun intended), but he's also a master at saying the right thing at right time.

This poster should take the place of the crying Kent cheerleader or maybe a composite side by side

He saw the TV camera and did his little dance for the audience. Hes a poser and a narcissist. Can see why KD had no tolerance for him

I can't link it but everyone needs to watch Groce's interview on the ABJ website. He's asked about the 2019-2020 team and starts choking up and talks about how they impacted the culture of the program.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbB4N39gIOe/ Locker room video of the Zips (starring Michael Wynn) singing the Akron Blue and Gold. The irony is off the charts.

I liked that the announcers down-played the video and didn't make it the story. Of course, then they added, "Coach Senderoff will need to coach two separate 20 minute games". As if his mind can work on that level. He kept Carry, the a-hole turnover machine in the game for 40 minutes. Good to see @LoyalZIPis alive. Wondered what happened to him. As for the flagrant, in watching the replay i thought i saw Dawson give a face palm to a Kent player who was lying on the floor. Amazed how the refs handled the game. Also, in the replay, I saw the name "Bryan Trimble, Jr." pop up for a second in a graphic. I'm sure Groce gave him every opportunity, but I would hate to be him this morning.

i have about 50 posts still in me. Zips had the formula 1. stifling defense. 2. solid 3 point shooting. 3. solid free throw shooting. A few of the "odds" and "betting" articles were pro-Akron because of the Zips ability to get to the line (huge advantage the 3 nights in Cleveland) and also the pace of play (350th?). I watched the replay and the announcers were excellent in acknowledging Akron's stifling defense and grinding offense. When Kent went up 11-2, Akron made a free throw and then maybe Freeman made a basket and then the pace slowed way down and the score didn't seem to move and next thing you know Zips were up by one.

From the Ravenna paper "bothsiderism" "To put this entire Kent State-Akron feud in context, it’s basically fan-driven. The coaching staffs are actually close. The players, for the most part, get along as well as Flashes can get along with Zips. The issues are mostly caused by inappropriate fan behavior on both sides. Kent State’s players, especially Carry and Jacobs, were sworn at, taunted and degraded by members of the Zips student section for the entire 40 minutes of the Feb. 11 game at Akron. After the Flashes won, Carry and Jacobs led a charge to that courtside student section, and both parties exchanged taunts and gestures. That started the series of events that led to the video. No one is ever totally innocent in these situations. But pinning all the blame on one side or the other, or on one individual from either side, is never fitting or accurate when it all shakes out. "

USA Today Freeman insisted the Zips weren't motivated by the video, but it would be hard to imagine it not inspiring them. “We didn’t focus on any of that,” Freeman said. "I think we were off social media for the last 24 hours.” Akron coach John Groce laughed at the comment and then chimed in. “Their coach is a stickler," he said. The Kent State and Akron campuses are separated by just 10 miles, and the animosity between the school's respective fan bases has no limits. They each booed the other's dance team during timeouts while alternating chants of “Let's Go Kent,” with “Let's Go Zips.” Trailing by nine at halftime, Kent State got Jacobs back to begin the second half and immediately went on an 8-0 run. But the Zips recovered with three 3-pointers, two by Garvin Clarke, to get back up by 10. Akron later went on an 11-0 spurt, triggered by Ali's 3-pointer to take a 56-39 lead with 7:53 remaining. The closing minutes were an Akron party inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as the Zips extended their lead. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2022/03/12/akron-rocks-rival-kent-state-75-55-for-mac-title-ncaa-berth/49928965/

i say a lot of things. hope for the best but expect the worst. I kept remembering how Brian Walsh's missed jumper changed the course of Groce's career and ironically led him to Akron. So when for once Akron didn't get shafted by a last second shot, i thought the tide just might have turned in favor of the Zips.

Joe Moorhead would warn Groce...don't coach in the SEC

I kept this to myself but when Segu's 3 missed as the clock ran out I knew the Zips had this

Groce to Georgia?

What does that mean?

When Tyler bumped the ref at BG, Williams etc al got proactive and suspended him for the Buffalo game. Then the MAC is like...ok...good enough. Same happened here...they got on it and did the minimal possible. But espn is correct, "one of the nation's most bitter rivalries."

He smirked and 100% encouraged the dust up at the JAR. Now, everyone knows what we've been saying for years about that program.