Illini Zip

I like what Groce says at the 6:40 - 6:52 mark, directed at Dawson. I would call that a coach re-recruiting his player for his final year of eligibility. Come on Dawson, run it back. Welcome back and run it back!!

You will know Akron has an elite defensive point guard when Groce plays him well above the arc. He calls that having a front porch on your defense.

Taking plays off is kind of like just going through the motions, but not truly exerting yourself. Being lackadaisical. I rewatched that play and Kent State did run a nice screen on Tavari. But Tavari wasn't alert and didn't see it coming. I don't know if he is still learning the defense or what, but something is still off there. And it's keeping him off the court. I still think he has a high ceiling.

I can’t believe the refs went to the monitor and still got the call wrong. Total thug move.

I couldn't sleep so here I am looking over the MAC conference standings. I can't believe Central Michigan is still winning and currently third behind Toledo. I was sure their luck would run out and they would drop down. Since playing Akron they have a convincing win against Western Michigan, a 1 pt. win against Old Dominion and a 2pt. OT win against Bowling Green. And if I am reading Kenpom correctly Central Michigan is the second luckiest team in Division 1 basketball behind only Tarleton State. I'm still not sold on them as a good team, but I have to respect this magic carpet ride they are on.

I’m thinking letting Freeman shoot more threes might help the offense.

I thought Tavari was locked in on defense much of the game. And he looked good and is improving. But he took that specific play off. And then went "Oh Crap!!" and tried to recover, but it was too late. Then he fouled and added insult to injury. Groce is likely handing the keys to his offense over to Tavari next season. Tavari will get a lot of playing time and a high volume of shots, but Groce has to trust him. Tavari is doing it to himself. You can't take plays off.

I’m so happy for him. We have all seen him hit his shots in the past. Welcome back indeed!!

Tavari never saw the floor after giving up the 4 point play.

Freeman with 2 threes.

I believe so.

Did I hear earlier that Nate Johnson is cleared going forward?

Dawson 👀

I think I have seen Bud Wentz once before on Basketball Weekly with Coach Groce. I know he is a big donor, but he sounds impressive and quite the asset to the program. Maybe he's one of the regulars on this forum. If so, kudos to you.

I know it’s wishful thinking, but I would love it if a healthy Nate Johnson was activated right before tip-off. Any updates, anyone?

Unfortunately, no update on Nate.

Can we wrestle away the big Mo? Come on Zips!!

It's hard to fathom such poor shooting numbers and from so many players. Especially, the fact that many of these shots are wide open and all of these guys are upperclassmen. It must be a mental block at this point. Hopefully they regain their confidence soon. Tonight would be nice.

Completely agree. I would add that Tavari needs strength and conditioning more than anything. But I still think getting Freeman in foul trouble is a focal point of Toledo’s strategy.

Fair enough. The transition defense was definitely our main issue last game against Toledo, but Tavari was not at all a deterrent. Hopefully, he is improving. We need his offense badly.

Yes, especially against Toledo. And especially on the road. They seek out the contact with Freeman. All of our guards need to protect him so he can be effective doing his thing. Tavari just happens to get beat off the dribble the most.

I am very interesting to see how Groce approaches this round against the Toledo Floppers. I share in the desire to see Tavari continue to gain playing time, but I also don’t want Freeman spending the whole game on the bench because of foul trouble. Also, let’s see if we learned our lesson and get back on transition defense.

Just watched it again and it's amazing the physical abuse Freeman takes down low. I know we have talked about the offensive struggles and we do miss way too many open 3 pointers. But this was a road kill in the truest sense so kudos to the Zips. Very little of Scott and no Thornton in the second half. Prather really did make good use of his time out there. A bunch of good passes, rebounds and hustle plays. And Tavari was not in for the last 8 minutes or so. Tavari might be missing some of the details on defense the staff expects from him, but it appears he's putting in the effort and is in position. It must be that the team defense overall grades out poorly when he's on the court because the opposing teams do drive on him. He needs to get quicker and stronger this off-season.

In the post-game, Groce gave Tavari compliments on his offense, but it was obvious he is still not thrilled with his defense. That is what is keeping him from playing a larger role. Defense is not optional at Akron.

Did Scott and Thornton play much the second half?