RoyalBlu

Strictly a roll-of-the-dice player at this point. Nice if you can get him - AT THE RIGHT PRICE - but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Style of play, especially for bigs, is an issue, too. And not sure if he is an Akron fit their, either. There are still post players out there. And don't forget, price comes into play now as well. Personally speaking, especially when it comes to a post player, I want to be comfortable with what I'm paying for. Guessing Akron/Groce are the same. Sad that college basketball has come to this. But it is the new normal.

Solid hire for the school and the situation. If CMU is committed to an old school 5-year plan the Chippewas should ultimately have some level of success. Upper Michigan has more than its share of talent as the plethora of success D-2 programs show. CMU is the kind of place where area kids from that region are not likely to jump ship (NIL/Portal) as quickly as others. Establish the program, then fill in with the portal; 2-3 years then solid MAC program. It's been done there before.

The above is very true ... which again begs the question why the Zips don't play more of these games.

Guessing another big is coming in ... No other reason to leave. Sadly, $$$ and minutes talk.

DITTO!!!!!

Great find, interesting website!!!

While it is clearly early ... It looks like Ohio has gotten better with two portal bigs. Seems like Miami will be a bit better just based on so many returnees and experience. Obviously Akron. After that, Toledo still searching for portal help. So is BG and Kent. No clue about UMass. But after that, doubt there is much of a potential threat in the MAC.

Frankly ... I'd rather see the money got to NIL over a new arena. Not sure I would have said this even 5 years ago. But Rhodes Arena has not kept Groce from landing some pretty good recruits. Until Rhodes consistently has 5,000 attendance ... even 3,500 consistently, Rhodes is just fine. Rhodes isn't keeping that extra 2,000 fans/students from consistently buying a ticket.

Miami, Ohio, Toledo and Akron were all ranked a lot lower than I would have anticipated. Thought Miami would have been in the top 100, Ohio inside 150. Toledo just a breath above 300 was a puzzle, too. Expected Akron to be about in the middle. As for Harvard ... that's said about almost all private schools, high school or college. Once you get in, they pretty much make sure you graduate some kind of way. It adds to their elitism.

I probably should not have looked this up ... but I did. And I probably should not share this ... but I will. 2024 US News and World Report National Rankings (alphabetical order, 436 colleges and universities ranked). Akron T-No 377 Ball State - No. 204 Bowling Green T - No. 273 Buffalo - No. 76 Central Michigan - No. 259 Eastern Michigan T-No. 377 Kent State - No. 231 UMass - No. 58 Miami - No. 136 Northern Ill. T - No. 273 Ohio U. - No. 179 Toledo - No. 296 Western Michigan - No. 288 Seriously, my guess is, what hurts Akron's ranking is student retention - probably expecting something easy when it is obviously not.

This was posted earlier in this thread .... https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/kent-state/2025/04/03/rob-senderoff-contract-salary-details-kent-state-basketball-coach/82762896007/

Let's establish a couple of things. (1) For the last five years the Akron Zips have pretty much owned MAC basketball, from Kent State on down. No contest, and the numbers and banners bear that out. (2) Groce, by virtue of No. 1, is arguably the best MBB coach in the league. Kent State is a rival, not an enemy, just like every other team in the MAC. You are only as tall as the shoulders you stand on. When a rival does well, it reflects positively on Akron, the best team/program in the league. As for your 19-17 argument, it reflects more positively on Kent than negatively on CMU. Kent advanced to two MAC Tournaments, CMU only one. Kent advanced to one MAC title game, CMU lost its opening game. Those early season loses to a pair of Top 10 Kenpom teams and a Top 65 team were translated into NIT at-large invitation, then road wins at a pair of Top 100 teams (St. Bonaventure, 96 at the time, and 86 Stanford). CMU was not invited to a post season tournament. Senderoff was rewarded, Bruno was fired. Finally, like most on this thread, don't take Kent's failures, shortcomings or success personally. It's a rivalry that Akron sits at the top of. It sounds personal to you - (did somebody from Kent steal your hubcaps) - but just a game to most.

As mentioned somewhere before ... It's a MAC Thread, indicating topics/comments about OTHER TEAMS from around THE MAC, - both to make fun of or not - are supposedly ok here. If this is strictly for bashing the rest of the league, ... then let's make that clear for all.

Half empty? Half full? Kent went to MAC Tournament title game with a .500, 8th place MAC team last year, and to the NIT Elite 8 with a barely third place MAC team this year. You can use numbers to justify just about anything.

Ditto for most of the above ...IMO, like all of the MAC they need a scoring big (to play beside Gillespie) and a scoring guard beside Medley plus a solid freshman for depth, to just get back to 'Top 4' in the MAC. They have not had a 'difference maker' for several years now.