RoyalBlu

Only one rivalry game (BG-Toledo) to end the regular season. No OU-Miami, No Akron-Kent, No Western-Central???? All of those were great TV games no matter what. (Especially Akron-Kent). Why screw that up???

A non D1 game I would suspect ... vs. a 'closed' scrimmage or home exhibition.

All these FB coaches (Arth included) are micro-managing people to the nth degree. To sound like all of this was above him and out of his control is ridiculous. Simply put, the players quite likely came to him (and Bowden) first and said their scholarship $$$ had not come through yet. What do I do? The coaches quite likely then sent the players to their neighborhood 'fixer.' ... I mean really. This is SEC/Ohio State football 101.

Comme ci, Comme ca. This can be looked at two ways, considering his base salary: 1) At Kent, you get what you pay for, considering, I believe, most base salaries in the MAC are over $300,000. ... Or, 2) RS is hitting above his weight considering his overall record, MAC overall record and vs. Akron record combined. The guy still hasn't had a losing record overall or in MAC or a losing season overall, or in the MAC even w/losing slate to Akron... and does have 1 NCAA appearance. His non-con schedules aren't overly daunting, but still competitive and (sans the last few Groce years) arguably better than the KD years. Definitely say true Zips fans would take Groce over RS, and Ohio fans would take Boals over RS, but judging from the cries on the UB board, and Toledo board and BG board about their coaches, one would suspect RS would get strong (but not unanimous) consideration as a replacement at those stops, much less the rest of the league. Like I said, Comme ci, comme sa. In the end Kent is getting what it pays for, RS is overall hitting above its weight ... but he still struggles to compare/compete with the Zips.

Just don't think it's a good look for the league, even as pragmatically, I understand it: Kid wants to transfer but still stay close to home. The MAC is fertile ground for that. Top NIU player jumps to Ball State due to a coaching change ... understandable; Front line Ball State player, a grad transfer, goes to Akron ... would hope there is honor among thieves so to speak and this was above board (all parties on both sides aware from start to finish) so while it doesn't look good, it goes down smooth ... Latest has backup KSU center (in line to start) going to Bowling Green where incumbent C remains and recent post transfer has arrived??? No coaching change on either side, no grad transfer, but AAU/HS coach at BG is now the conduit. Even if it is Kent, still doesn't sit/smell right. And remember this is the first few weeks after this rule was announced. What happens going forward after a year or two. Far Flung power conferences can do this with little bad feelings, but in a league tightly bunched like the MAC - most teams 200-miles or less from each other - I think this has the potential for some very bad outcomes both on the court and off ...

Inside that winning percentage are NCAA Tournament stops/wins at Kent State, Arkansas and South Florida. Without looking it up, I'm guessing Heath and Groce have the most NCAA Tournament wins for a current coach in the MAC, by far. (And Groce's overall winning percentage prior to the last 2 years was not that great, either). Look for EMU to be a solid MAC team, not reliant on being the only team in the league playing zone to steal an extra win or two. Actually, the MAC is starting to become as diverse as it was when Heath was first down the road. Back then (2002) with him, Charlie at Miami, Joplin at Toledo, McCallum at Ball, Drake at CMU, 'Spoon at Buffalo MAC was arguably the most diverse conference in the country. And that was arguably when the league was at its best for overall talent. Just sayin.

Kid was a solid MM recruit out of high school w/pure PG skills but as numbers show at the Big East level just barely a double-digit scorer. A 'pass-first' or 'program' PG is often the terms used but should be a bit better than that in the MAC. This indicates Groce is looking to have some high-scoring wings and perhaps a big number 4-man to go with him.

Don't laugh ... Hawkins actually makes a lot of sense. His teams (when healthy) were actually pretty solid MAC teams. Like most everyone else, his teams were hit hard by transfers over the last 10 years. He's a solid coach.

Mexico!!! ... Hmmm. Now what can you do after practice/game in Mexico???

Anybody else notice Marshall is on the Verbal Commits transfer board. ... Curious. He seemed like a nice piece going forward, especially with getting the extra year.

This link says he was recruited as a stretch 4 ... and his game transitioned to a stretch 5 w/back-to-the-basket skills. ... If true, then he should have been a VALUABLE backup at the least at PF and C. But he wasn't. Something does not compute. Didn't see enough on the court to make a judgement either way. Where he winds up will likely say a lot about what kind of player he really is.

A decent comparison in that both have some ball skills but in many ways are unorthodox. Ball is bigger and more athletic which helps his game a lot. Preston, to me, seems almost fragile. When he plays a lot of games in a short period of time, he seems to lose some steam. This run has been perfect for him; 11 days off before MAC Tournament - three game run - now another week off. He'll be a G-League all-star for sure, and a good 10-day call-up when a team needs immediate help. But for the long haul of the NBA season, unless he physically matures more than he has so far, I don't see it.

Guys like Groce can reload pretty quick at the mid-major level. They know what works. If he needs a guard he'll find a guard or develop one. I think that shows around the MAC with all the veteran coaches. If they need something specific, they find it. The question is how well they fit in, or how long it takes to fit in. While the last two seasons of LCJ have been great, he was pretty pedestrian initially. Took a year. I think the missing element - which I think is key - will be not having that redshirt season to practice and learn w/o expectations. That was big for X and other transfers around the league as well. Also, look for guys like Marshall to make a big jump ... jucos often do their second year.

With rare exceptions, most teams in the tournament 'play well enough to win' the challenge is to ultimately win it ... and to do that teams must not only execute at a high level the final 4-minutes of the game, but also execute with the right personnel. Kudos to LCJ but the fact - aside from about a three week stretch from Trimble - there was no proven second or third scorer, or no player who could execute on the block, to help him was Akron's ultimate downfall. It seems the Zips whiffed on Currie. As a freshman that would be understandable, but as a juco w/one year at a B10 school under his belt, somebody just didn't do their homework. Too bad the 7-0 freshman arrived to campus late or he might have been the guy. That's the breaks, because all these things raise their head at tournament time and is not exclusive to Akron ... look at No. 1 seed Toledo. The MAC FOY played like a freshman and the kid from Walsh played like he was from Walsh ... Toledo, exit, stage left. Groce and the Zips must be credited with keeping this team pretty much together the entire season, even with it's obvious flaws, not to mention the fortunes of war so to speak were generally avoided. Bowling Green's best player plays his last game at well less than 100-percent due to a hamstring injury ... Kent State has injury (and other) issues down the stretch ... Ball State's best player doesn't hit the court until the last month of the season ... CMU's 6-10 freshman (and bonafide FOY candidate) goes down at Christmas and never returns ... It's crazy. What issues Toledo, Akron and Buffalo' had (Covid/injuries) all basically hit early in the season and adjustments were made from there. Most coaches will tell you the toughest coaching job with the least amount of reward is at the mid-major basketball coaching level. I have to agree. Both Ohio and UB have had their struggles in games down the stretch so it will be interesting to see how the title game plays out in Cleveland.

Of the missing players, which one of them would you want on the floor in OT???? Asking for a bunch of friends.

Call me crazy ... but why throw a bounce pass on the move to a player who has just made two straight turnovers at the rim ... a senior at that. March Madness ...

Don't think it's a subject Akron should get involved in ...

Been saving this while playing Dailey ... and where is Dailey btw....

Question comes a week or so early but .... What Zips seniors should return for one more year; LCJ is clearly no NBA proapect. Should he leave his mark deeper in the JAR or head overseas. And the others???

Problem with playing them again is like playing three different teams with the same name: first game they had Nuga and it was a nailbiter to the finish; second game they didn't have Nuga or Hamilton and Zips shredded them with the long ball; now they still will be w/o Nuga, but Hamilton is back and more importantly they have had time to get their new act together. Unlike before they won't hold up in a shootout with the Zips w/o Nuga. But the argument can be made their defense has improved while the Zips .... well. That said, Buffalo, Ohio, BG all can put a knot in the stomach right now for the Zips along with Akron's neighbors. So does it really matter. Let's just play ball.

As the season has worn on it has become clear the vast majority of teams in the MAC are hurting for a CONSISTENT No. 2 scorer, and a No. 3 in dbl figures as well. Toledo has a 2 and a 3. Ohio has a 2 and a 3. Kent (had) a 2 and sometimes a 3. BG had a 1 and 2 but no middle and no 3. That's about it. Now all of a sudden BG has a No. 3 scorer (Matheny) and they are taking off. I know Ohio has not played a lot of games, but they still have the most complete (inside/outside) roster in the league with productive inside/outside players. If they get it going down the stretch the Bobcats could be the team to beat. Then the league will have to listen to the Kittens roar about always being the best tournament team in the MAC.

I think what we're seeing throughout the MAC this season is the absence of any true post play offense or rim protection defense ... but it's coming. Bandaogo is 7-0, CMU is playing with a 7-0 post guy. Toledo has a 6-10 post (injured) and another in the recruiting pipeline and the same can be said for a few other teams. The issue is, most of these guys are dominant defense/marginal offense. So unless a team is loaded with shooters/scorers around them (Riak and Zips 2020), they can be problematic. Historically Groce has had these kind of post guys. Rarely do his post guys average much more than 10 ppg, if that. But if they take away 4-8 points a game at the rim that's a net 14-18 points. Not to mention the rebounding and 'intimidation' a force at the rim like that has on teams attacking the basket. In short, guys that gambled or worse on defense before, but were bailed out by Riak, weren't truly exposed until film day. Now, they are exposed, period.

While Zips look burned out, Ohio looks fresh, and will get fresher when their top two players return. Gone unnoticed is the fact Toledo and Ohio were only scheduled to play once this season, and that game was quite awhile ago. If this OU team gets to finish out its remaining schedule with no covid/injury issues they very well could be the No. 1 threat against the Rockets. They have a top tier PG, a solid backup PG, and a top tier (MAC) post player which is the one area Toledo is shy of. And as proven today, the Bobcats have enough firepower when they can dial it all up. In terms of favorites (not seeding) for MAC Tournament - as of today - I'd go 1. Toledo 2. Akron 3 Ohio 4 Buffalo-Kent In reverse order don't think UB has the firepower to last three games and don;t know if Kent (Pippen) can hold up for three games ... but I will say this. If Toledo/Akron have to play both of those two (quaterfinials/semis) to make the finals, not sure either Toledo/Akron would have enough gas left to finish it off. Final Standings/seedings/pairings will be critical. Ohio can't be a 1 seed, but could be No. 2 with a strong finish and Akron dropoff. Either is likely. Ohio game at Kent next week could be huge for everybody - Akron, OU, KSU and UB.

I would take Wichita State off your list for sure, ... and give some thought to both Cincinnati and Memphis. ... But your point is well taken. NCAA Tournament success - especially of the Sweet 16 kind, does linger. And while Ohio's Sweet 16 run could have been made by half the league that year against two really suspect teams (South Florida, Michigan - the MAC rep hasn't had a setup close to that since) the fact is Ohio took advantage of the opportunity and ran with it, and that is what sticks.