Illini Zip

Can't argue with that.

Houston, @zipnetter1951 is having a problem.

My guess is that Groce feels like we got punk'd last night and didn't answer the challenge to play physically. And he does not like that. Stuff like not boxing out, especially when rebounding free throws or having the ball ripped out of your hands. He calls that getting punk'd. As for last nights game, JMU not only beat us to a spot they pushed us around once they got there. Nothing dirty, just tough - stand your ground - defense. And we had very little response. Hitting more shots from the outside would have loosened that up some. Or Groce might be thinking we are still missing too many defensive assignments on rotations or not following the game plan. If Green was a focus on the scouting report and he goes 4 for 5 from beyond the arc, that alone would be justification for a brutal week of practice. Just a missed opportunity on national television. Plenty more still ahead.

I agree, but I wouldn't be that afraid to run it back against them. Especially on a neutral court. I say that only because I don't know if the physical tone they set on defense holds up if they are not the home team. And as others have stated we did have wide open looks and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn last night. We do have shortcomings to overcome for sure.

Groce had nothing good to say about the Zips in the post-game interview. I expect a tough week of practice and maybe some changes.

Not our night. Bummer!!

Both physically strong as well. I think we are getting bumped off our spots too much.

Neither team wants it more.

Warning: I got long-winded late at night, sorry. When it comes to recruiting, there are few better than Groce. A saying at Illinois was "Mothers love Groce" for the way he was able to alleviate their concerns during the process. And the guy's work ethic is off the charts. Also, I think he (and Dustin Ford) have proven to be solid at player development as well as game planning at each of their stops. As long as the Akron administration continues to meet him half way the sky is the limit. I believed that on day one and nothing has changed. Groce has the ability and the patience to continue to grow this program incrementally. And I believe we would be even further along if not for COVID. It's my opinion that injuries and the unethical side of the business is why Groce failed at Illinois. Nothing more. You lose your 4 star point guard 2 years in a row to season ending injury it's going to have ramifications. And today, if Illinois gets into that 2 way battle vs. Villanova for Jalen Brunson they would send in the CEO of the NIL Collective to try to seal the deal. Groce didn't want any part of that crap. I don't have first-hand knowledge, but the evidence was clear then. Groce ended up the "recruiting bridesmaid" way too many times on the high level recruits for it to be pure misfortune. Groce always talked about "not taking any short cuts". I took that statement to mean he had no intention of buying a championship. Now thanks to NIL, all of those seedy dealings are legal and part of the standard operating procedure. The other aspect of the P6 racket that I don't think people quite appreciate is the pressure to win immediately. I know from following Illinois that P6 fan bases can be entitled and insufferable. And their donors can be even worse. I don't see any of that appealing to him anymore. There are many factors that motivate a student athlete to attend a university; prestige, promises of going pro, immediate cash payouts, specific educational goals, family legacy, other relationships such as girlfriends, favorite team growing up, etc. Some of those might not apply to Akron, but here are a couple that might. Guys from the Cleveland area can play for their local team and their friends / family can attend many of the games. Freeman's family is a great example. And this is the pitch I believe Groce is using more than any other; come to Akron and you can be a part of building something special, something bigger than yourself, create your own legacy and the players that follow you will stand on your shoulders to reach even higher. This approach appeals to a certain personality and it's not for everyone. But Groce can sell that. I truly believe Groce is just getting started. Go Zips!!

https://www.dominionpost.com/2024/02/02/sharron-young-scores-30-to-become-all-time-leading-scorer-at-morgantown-high/

I think you hit on a major factor here. This might also be the case with the assistant coaches.

Maybe it was a trap game for them?

Passionate is a nice way to explain us.

All of my kidding aside, I think this would be the way to go if Groce ever left Akron. But everything in my gut says he stays put.

I think if TJ keeps improving at this rate he will be back in the starting rotation in no time. Both teams had spells where they struggled shooting and Scott had a brutal 3 minute stretch. On top of that we had a bunch of ill-advised passes that easily could have been turnovers. That said, I didn't see anything from Central Michigan that explains how they went 8-2 to start the conference. I have to admit, this was my only time watching them. But I could see them dropping down the standings drastically by the time we reach the MAC Tourney.

Here's a bonus concern, Amani Lyles fouls too much. But on a positive note, he moves well with or without the ball and has a nice shot.

Right now I am concerned with the fact we have too much trouble inbounding the ball. On a positive note, I am feeling much better about my last concern which was that we couldn't break a press.

That's how I felt at times too, but we only had 5 turnovers. I guess it was just the poor shooting night. Tribble sure had a game.

Including Toledo. How?!

It sounded that way to me. I bet he’s back for the JMU game.

Akron is Back in Black.

He is out tonight. He hurt his knee in the Toledo game according to Groce in pre-game interview.

After the scare Akron gave Ohio State a couple of years back it might be some time before they play again. I'm convinced the Big Ten protects their lower ranks. Right now there are 5 Big Ten teams that want nothing to do with Akron per the NET rankings. And if you are right about Ohio State that would be 6 maybe 7 teams. There were more than a few years back in the early 2000's that I thought Illinois football would get their butt kicked by Northern Illinois. And because of that they never played. They might play now.

If I'm reading it right, the JMU game is shaping up to be a Quad 1 game for us and Quad 3 game them.

I think the combination of Freeman, LCJ and Xeyrius Williams would be an awesome asset to Groce and Company on the recruiting trail. I could see adding Ali and Castaneda too, but the first three are just so well spoken.