RoyalBlu

The MAC has had some interesting big men during Groce's tenure at Akron: The big kid during Buffalo's run was actually a sixth man ... Toledo has had a couple of solid bigs, actually three, who were more face-up post players than bangers ... Ohio had Wilson ... Kent had Jimmy Hall, DeLarosa, Pippen, now Payton and each of those guys is different. Eastern had that real good post guy but not much around him ... I guess the key is to find a guy you can put the right pieces with to be successful. Bandaogo and Freeman did not gel together because, IMO, both were (1) young and (2) both post players. I'm guessing Freeman would much easier be a 4-man now than earlier in his career. Whatever, ..... the portal should make it easier for a coach with Groce's success to find what the Zips need.

All of the above is true ... what is scary is, so far, when Freeman is not a double-double the rest of the team suddenly looks very ordinary. Even w/Ali ... a look into the future shows the Zips not only need a solid post player, but a true PF that can both score and rebound as well as a go-to guard. Groce has proven he can find quality guards, so no problem there. But a ready to play PF and and post man -- both in the same class -- might be a lot to ask, based on recent history. But that's down the road. Get Ali in the mix this season and the Zips probably make a jump no other team in the league can match. Yet based on early-November MAC results I would stack the MAC like this: Toledo Northern Illinois 'Akron Kent Ohio then everybody else. That's based not just on record, but how teams have looked in their WORST games, not just their best. I give Zips the edge over Kent. While Kent has not had a true blowout loss, it has already shown it can give a game away, which might be even worse than a blowout loss.

True ... but when will he make a difference at all ....

I thought so, too .... and still holding out hope. Guessing there's some tough love going on w/the new coach and relatively young team. We'll see what it looks like by Christmas. But not looking great now. On the other hand ... Northern Illinois is looking like a team to watch going forward.

Definitely a good road draw if it happens ... JMU is undefeated, but every game has been decided down the stretch. Will be interesting to see how they hold up in league play, where the opposition knows them better and scouts them better. Also keep an eye on their bench, so far not overly productive.

Actually (using Kenpom) the tournaments are pretty comparable. Both teams have relatively easy openers, potential second round matchups are pretty close as well. However, if Zips advance to title game, their potential matchup (Drake 75) is distinctly higher than any team Kent might play in the finals. Overall, Akron (84) and Drake are higher than every team in the Kent tournament. Based on Kenpom, both teams should be favored into the finals.

I thought so too, before the season, but BG not quite what I thought out of the gate. Will evaluate again come Christmas.

I'm guessing some grades from Akron did not transfer to Butler ... but it probably didn't matter because it was his first transfer. There's Scuttlebutt Ali was not at his best, academically, at Butler. Am guessing many of his Butler grades did not transfer back to Akron ... HOWEVER ... his old Akron grades are now back in play. The issue could now be two-fold. 1) Ali needed to get grades to be eligible, which was likely accomplished over the summer and first semester. 2) He could also need the hours to qualify as a grad student. IT'S ALL JUST A GUESS ... but what else do we have to work with. He could be 'eligible' but the NCAA could deny waiver because it is his second transfer. The easiest way to beat the 2nd transfer rule is to be a 'grad student.'

Believe the last reasonable hope is Ali has picked up enough credits to be a 'grad student' by the semester break and is eligible then. If that's not the issue, I agree NCAA odds are not in his favor. BUT ... with the plethora of on-line courses and available tutors, shame on Akron if that is indeed the issue and this can't get done.

KENPOM this evening is interesting today ... https://kenpom.com/ No. 78 Duquesne .. 81 Akron ... 85 James Madison ... 108 Ohio ... 113 Toledo .. 114 Kent ... 115 Fresno ... 135 South Dakota State ... 150 Cleveland State ... 159 Southern Mississippi. Observation: Losing at home (Kent/South Dakota State) is a bummer while winning on the road (Akron/JMU) is a plus ... BUT .. doesn't explain JMU (2 quality road wins) below Akron and Duquesne (only home wins) ahead of Akron ... or Ohio over 40 spots ahead of CSU after head to head road loss. As I said ... INTERESTING

Really early in the season for some of this ... as I recall, Zips blew a lead this week as well. We all should wait a couple of weeks before we start pointing fingers. Looking at the other side of the coin, it seems the Zips had their issues with CSU during a recent scrimmage. KSU should have won vs. the early-season Cinderella team, and led a mid-level Mountain West team stem to stern. Both probably better than South Dakota State. Zips chances are coming ... let's focus on that instead of the trials of others.

Agree with this. A Thanksgiving-weekend double-header rotation would be great, along with this Sun Belt Challenge would put some spice into the non-con schedule. Add in a strong holiday tournament somewhere and a P5 road by game and the schedule would be pretty solid.

Really interesting but has the Ali Ali situation been addressed by Groce and/or the media at all?????? I mean, the season has started.

Should be MAC 8-4 ... but we all know why.

Simple formula ... win all games at home, split (or better) on the road. Zips are on target.

FYI, the Kent player on the pushoff/flop was Sincere Carry's (half) brother. Agree, just get the ball inbounds. That's an aggressive play you try when you're down two late, not up. Also, agree, thought JMU player not just moved on the screen, but got a pretty good shove into the Kent player to free the guy for the layup. Tough MAC loss, no matter what team. MAC needs to win games like these, especially the top tier teams.

Get used to this ... Bobcats are really small w/no real size or presence inside. Loads of guards/wings however which points to a lot of press and trap, at least early in the season. Let's see how long into the season it holds up.

Any word on when he'll be eligible ...

In Portage County, Thursday night. Interesting.

Excellent job Zips ... maybe best MAC win of the night.

Hours before the season opener I'm guessing the best-case scenario for the Zips and Ali Ali is he will be cleared by the NCAA to play starting the second semester. Rumored transfer issues re: academics seems to hold some water at this point as he would have been cleared to play long before now if he was a grad student, either at the time of his transfer or at the end of the summer sessions. What's not known is if there were any extenuating circumstances that played to Akron/Ali's benefit with the NCAA to grant immediate eligibility with a second transfer. Traditionally this would be transferring back to his home state to be closer to family for any number of reasons. BUT, Ali is transferring away from his home state to be back at Akron. Which is against the norm. Also what's not known is how much or how little Butler is helping this process, although Groce and Butler coach Matta have a long-standing relationship. Whatever the outcome, overall, typical NCAA foot-dragging that does not seem to happen much further up the D1 totem pole. Then again, Ali could be cleared to play by game time tonight!!!

Agree this is a 'challenging' schedule with many 'maybe' games. But let's not fool ourselves. Zips will have to run the non-conference table to even get into the conversation out being a potential at-large/Cinderella team. While truly 'challenging' there is no magic bullet (P6) upset opportunity on this schedule this year that would carry any weight into the post season, even for the NIT. As stated many times ... season comes down to three days in March.

Absolutely ...

I sense a lot of 'hope' but no explicit confidence from Groce on having Ali Ali this season. Anyone read it differently?

Interesting: Coaches see Zips as dominant with 11 first place votes and a 17-point spread between first and second place. Next biggest spread is 8-points between No. 5 NIU and No. 6 BG/Miami. Basically a top and bottom league.