Illini Zip

The Zips weren't revolutionary today (see what I did there), but they were flashing some serious potential in the second half. I think they are just scratching the surface.

I'm thinking if Toles meets expectations at all, then he will likely move into the shooting guard and wing rotations. That puts Tyler Cheese in the point guard and shooting guard rotations. And Scott Walter will be back on the bench. Walter has his limitations, but it looks like he could fill in a bit here and there when necessary. He looks stable and under control.

I think so too!!

That is true, but we kind of slept through the first half. We won't be able to do that against the really good teams.

And the Academy Award goes to...

Are you talking about the head nod, whip-lash deal?

Nice Ivey!! Defense to offense working for us in the second half.

Looks like no Toles again today.

They are also making some mid-range shots in the process.

It hasn't been pretty, but a couple of threes, a dunk and a post play and we are right back in it.

Cool.

Is anybody watching this game?

What's this, there is a game tomorrow?

When I watched the game on the internet it looked like the Akron jersey was white, gold and black. Was that black or dark blue?

It was great to see E-man back on the court blocking shots. He still needs to develop his offense, but he is healthy and playing at full speed. And that's awesome. At times it looked like a "first game" with moving screens, lazy passes, the ball sticking on offense and break downs on defensive assignments. Then at other times they looked like a team with a full year in the system to the point where it was impressive to see the new comers looking so comfortable out there. I do see a lot of potential. Jackson is going to be fun to watch. He is small and will be a defensive liability, but he sure isn't afraid to stick his nose in there for rebounds. (It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog) And he can hit his threes. So without Hester, who is the likely backup at the point? Does Scott Walter have the athleticism for conference play? I thought it might be Channel Banks. That will be interesting to watch. Riak not only moves well for his size, but he can drive the ball pretty well too. Also, he has been given the green light to shoot threes when left alone. That's a first for Akron big men. I was really surprised that Sayles didn't see the court until well into the second half. I was way off with that prediction. I had Sayles in the starting line-up. Banks and Cheese are very similar players at first glance. Both can score at all levels, but more importantly they can get in the lane and score through contact. Utomi wasn't hitting his shots, but he is the most consistent performer overall. He will benefit from having all of that big boys depth this year. I love his quiet strength. Ivey still struggles with his handle. He had some nice fast breaks and drives to the hoop, but he is a total mess in traffic. What I liked most about Ivey Tuesday night is that he wasn't forcing matters, he is letting the game come to him. There is one present left under the Christmas tree. Like many of you, I am excited to see what Toles brings to this team.

Let's go Zips!!

I agree with these statements. Groce will keep all options on the table because situations arise creating roster holes to fill, but he will likely transition to mostly high school recruits as these transfers/Jucos move on.

Such as Illinois State, ranked 68th.

Sports Illustrated Preseason Rankings (Akron ranked 3rd in the Mac) https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/10/31/college-hoops-rankings-every-team-kansas-duke-kentucky?utm_campaign=sinow&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=socialflow_twitter_si

I like the new uniforms. Very solid. My suggestion would be to create an additional alternate uniform that is all gold with navy letters and numbers (white accent).

@Hilltopper have you been able to see any practices? I'm just curious if you have more to add here. It looks like we are all focused on the same group of players.

Maybe not on day 1, but sure. Ivey has had some big games, but he could be more effective driving to the hoop. For me, it's about Ivey's leadership. I would love to see some of these battles play out in practice.

We have such limited knowledge at this point and I expect the lineup and rotation to be evolving throughout much of the season, but it's so fun to speculate. My starting five are: PG: Banks SG: Hester SF: Ivey PF: Utomi C: Sayles Edit: After revisiting Hester's highlight videos I made a change at SG. I could also see Toles challenge Ivey, but Ivey has experience on his side and as long as he's being an effective leader he should be locked into the starting lineup.

When asked about this very scenario back at Illinois, Groce would simply reply; "I can count". My best guess is Groce decided he's not just giving out scholarships at this point, he's giving out opportunities to compete for scholarships. There will be plenty of attrition again next year. But this time when the dust clears there should still be a full roster in place. Not like this year, where it feels like we are rebuilding again for a second season.