RoyalBlu

And let's face it. Playing Ohio, Toledo, Kent or Akron - to a P5 school - are all about the same. Not arguing, just explaining. Please indulge my pet peeve one last time. Taking the above as the baseline. FIRST, I WAS WRONG ABOUT A COUPLE OF THINGS. First - based on Today's KENPOM St. Mary's is 41, Princeton 81, Yale 102 and Ark State 120 - and that's after defeating the Zips in the opener. So there is some strength in the Zips non-con mid-major schedule. Still, how many of those teams are going to rise through the Top 100 ranks once their league play begins. (BTW, no surprise Akron and Kent are top MAC teams in KENPOM at 129 and 131). Second - Among the four teams above in terms of scheduling P-5 and A-10 teams, using Groce's timeline (2018-2019 season through 2023-2024) the Zips are not the worst. Toledo is clearly the worst with just nine such games, including 4 A-10 games with one win (Richmond, '22). Take away the 4 A 10s, and that's just 5 P-5 non-con games in the last six years. For the multi-time MAC Champs, that's really pathetic. Akron, however, is next with 11 games since 18-19, also with 4 A-10 games and 2 wins, both A-10 (St. Bona, '18, UMass, '20). I also included a game vs. then No. 6 Nevada in '19. Otherwise, it would be just 10 P-5 games with four of them A-10. That's really poor IMO for a proven multi NCAA Tournament head coach. Ohio is next with 12 games, including 2 A-10s and 1 win A-10 (St. Bona, '19). But I will also add that same non-conference season the Bobcats also played Villanova, Baylor, Utah and Purdue. That's a Charlie Coles schedule - for those with a little MAC history. None of the four top MAC teams have played a non-con schedule close to that since. The it's Kent with 13 P-5 games, there's just one A-10 team on that list but I'm counting games with Gonzaga and St. Mary's instead. Kent has 3 wins (Vanderbilt '18), (Oregon State '18), (George Washington '21). That's SEC, PAC-12, A-10. Frankly over the last six years, only Ohio and Kent even average 2 such games a season, which is atrocious in my mind. We're talking about all four coaches comfortably safe in their jobs, all established winners, 3 w/NCAA Tournament credentials and none close to being on the hot seat. Kowalczk and Groce in particular should really be looking in the mirror. Scheduling P-5 games are about relationships. These four well established, winning, coaches should have no problem getting 2 or 3 such games a season. Yes, 9 out of 10 will be on the road. But man up. You can still get Walsh at home.

I stand on the opinion -- you can get one or two of those games a year if you really want them. It's up to Groce, not Ford, to get those games. He's got the relationships.

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine. I still don't buy this scheduling 'difficulties' mantra. A lot of this is about relationships, and I can't believe Groce has so few coaching relationships that he can't get a Big 10 game or a few A-10 games or others. AND HE'S COACHED IN THE BIG 10. I haven't looked, but other than St. Mary's I'm doubtful any of the rest above are in Kenpoms Top 100. Toledo has games with Purdue and I think Houston. Kent has games with Alabama and Auburn. Those come off the top of my head. Say what you want about Pinky, It would be interesting to compare quality (power conference) non-conference games between he and Groce. Yes, you have to play the bulk of these games on the road. But the reward is worth it, when you can get it. And let's face it. Playing Ohio, Toledo, Kent or Akron - to a P5 school - are all about the same.

Not make grades??? ... So what you're saying is: He was academically ineligible when he left Kent, went for a semester of summer school at Furman. Still not eligible, so returned to Kent ... and is now suddenly eligible. Doesn't add up ... even for Kent. (But I give the kid credit getting 15K in the process. I'd take that deal).

I thought Miami and Central Michigan winning their games on the road were pretty solid signs for the MAC. Don't forget, CMU finished 3rd last season and was in the title chase before a couple players got hurt ... and they are supposedly better/deeper this year. Miami is still pretty young, but starting to look like the Miami program of old under Sendek and Charlie. Very solid roster with more good recruits in the pipeline. Both of these teams will be Top Half MAC, also likely contenders and tough outs in the MAC Tournament.

Overall, the MAC won 4 games on the road and coulda-shouda won 5. Challenge more competitive this year. Don't sleep on Miami and Central, both will be tough outs this season in the MAC. Buffalo getting a road win was huge for them and MAC. Of MAC's projected Top 4 only Kent won, but Zips ...., Ohio and Toledo have to regroup a bit. Still, not a bad opening road night for the MAC overall.

Article also mentioned Toledo's Justin Ingram was perhaps the best recruiting assistant coach in the league. Surely this is debatable, but considering how TK was running through assistant coaches there for awhile, the fact Ingram has stayed and obviously delivered is a big plus. On another note, these are the kind of articles the ABJ and PD used to trot out several times a season. But nothing close to this right now. In Groce and others used to say NE Ohio had the best 'MAC' media coverage in the league. But that is far from the case these days.

Nobody knows the format, who was/was not injured or held out, what the lineups looked like and so on. Sure, CSU probably 'wanted it more' because this should be a regular season game, annually, but it is not, for whatever reason. Same with YSU. And while some might view this as a game Akron should not play ... I counter with rather seeing CSU/YSU over the HBCU's from outside the MAC footprint.

Not that it means anything, one way or the other ... but doubt grades were an issue at Furman. Furman lost a lot after last season, and in this day and age, academic eligibility is rarely a major hurdle anymore (Ali Ali comes to mind) in the current NCAA era. If that were the case, I'd expect half of the portal to be ineligible transfers sitting out. It's not like Furman filled his spot this late in the game, either; 16ppg players aren't growing on trees. Have no clue what the problem was there, but Sullinger likely could have transferred to a lot more places and played immediately, instead of sitting out a year back at Kent. Sounds more like homesick to me than grades. With or without him, Zips roster still better.

Glad to hear effort is being made ... Zips must have a truly strong rep nationally that Akron can't land one of these games. Still say Zips should tie in a BB game with any of these $$$ football games Akron annually plays. Likely the only way for Zips to get one of these teams on the court ... even on the road.

I have no access to other sites yet (most have not posted) but it will be interesting to see - among Akron, Ohio, Toledo, Kent and maybe Miami (if you think they will be pretty good) - which of those teams play all four of EMU, WMU, UB, NIU twice. That's 8 pretty sure wins, at least 7 if you want to drop an upset in there. My guess is Toledo will be gifted with that foursome and perhaps Central, which will vault the Chippewas back into the Top 4 as they were last season.

UB and Northern should be 2-game sweeps, CMU-Balls could be sweeps but splits at worst; six. potential eight wins right there. No worse than splits with UT/OU/Kent and that is 9-to-11 wins plus EMU, WMU, should get up to a potential 13 MAC wins. Sweep one of UT/OU/Kent and that's 14 wins which should earn a MAC title and No. 1 seed. While some might lament playing Miami, BG, EMU, WMU only once, I say the opposite particularly for Miami and BG. Akron has struggled against far less talented teams than projected for both this season.

Only getting one game vs. BG could be the difference in winning the league. Like Akron, they are loaded with Dudes. Also, only one game with Miami ... Zips get a big break, IMO, as those are the two teams (Miami/BG) most likely to be darkhorse contenders to win the MAC.

If I said this was a Keith Dambrot schedule would anybody argue.

By that I guess you mean the Zips will have to play Ohio, Toledo, Kent, Miami, BG, CMU twice.

You make my point. Yes, Akron's non-con SOS per last years KenPom was 45. But because the MAC was so weak, and the Zips lost to all but one of the Mid-Major teams it faced in the Top 100, that led to a No. 122 rank in KenPom a 206 SOS overall, and another low NCAA Tournament seed after winning MAC Tournament. Understand, the mid-major Top 100 KenPom teams Akron lost to also mostly had poor overall SOS by playing in their respective conferences. Drake 113, James Madison 261, St. Bonaventure 309. If you're going to play these teams - and you should - you have to beat them to get any value out of the game. Using last year's KenPom, here is what Toledo and Kent can expect to get from playing Houston No. 2/23 SOS; Purdue 3/2 SOS, Alabama 14/1 SOS, Auburn 4/60 SOS. Losing to those teams will greatly add to their overall SOS as well as their non-con SOS. And should either get a 'quality loss' (which I believe is 5 points or less) or heaven forbid an upset, a quality MAC season (w/no sub 200 losses) and strong MAC Tournament run should make them a viable 'bubble team.' Yes, lots of ifs and buts .... but still the best way to get into the post season conversation. Playing Utah State, Drake, James Madison, Bradley, UNLV, St. Bonaventure is admirable in and of itself. No question. But first you need to win at least half of those games (Zips won 1) to make your overall record stand up and even have a post season prayer, short of winning the MAC Tournament. I believe Akron has St. Mary's on the schedule this year, a No. 20 KenPom team ... but with a 103 overall SOS, even in a conference with Gonzaga. A game Akron could conceivably win ... but, will a loss really help the Zips in the metrics. Playing a few quality power conference teams bulks up your non-con and overall SOS, even with a loss, which is more valuable as the MAC overall gets weaker and weaker after the traditional top 4 (Akron, Ohio, Toledo, Kent). Whew!!! Maybe now I'm done. Still pick Zips to win the MAC.

Bud Wentz stated last year that Akron has attempted to schedule big time schools and they've said no. Listen. Unlike football, basketball coaches almost exclusively make their own schedules. Now ... Akron may have tried to tie in a BB game with a P5 FB contract, which I think should be mandatory. But overall, ALL MAC BB coaches make their own schedules (shy of the MAC-SunBelt Challenge).

My last word on this: Boals, Groce, Kowalczk and Senderoff are all proven successful coaches under no pressure to be fired. To a lesser extent the same can be said for Steele at Miami. At this point in their careers all of them should have solid coaching connections throughout the fraternity to get one or two quality power conference games a year if they want them. The end.

Just saying .... If Michigan, Purdue and Alabama can play Miami, Toledo and Kent, then Akron should be able to find a comparable opponent as well. Miami, Toledo, Kent won't win any of those games. But they are worth playing.

Not saying anyone is falling down on the job. Not at all. This has been a Zips schedule pattern going back to Hipsher. The Zips best schedules, IMO, were during the BracketBuster years when the Zips faced really good BBuster competition. But even that wasn't 2 or more power conference teams. I haven't looked, but I doubt there have been more than 3 or so years since the turn of the century Akron has played two non-con power conference teams in the same year. Yes, that means you have to play them on the road, unless you get lucky enough to catch one in a pre-season tournament. Understand, this is not unique to Akron. But you have to first, commit to playing these games. Then you have to lock them in. To have so many power conference transfers, but no power conference games, is a question that needs to be asked. I understand MAC teams are not going to win many of those games. But playing those games first, boost your overall strength of schedule. And second, prepare MAC teams for what they will face later in the NCAA Tournament. As MAC teams have constantly shown, losing these two games does not stop a team from overall 20 wins, or winning a MAC title. Like I said .. not matter what schedule ... Zips favored to win the MAC.

No, not yet. Still looking for games, but not many out there from the power conference ranks.

Based on what I've seen from around the league, the two projected MAC favorites, Akron and Ohio, look to have the weakest non-conference schedules. Miami, Toledo, Kent and several others have at least two games vs. teams from power conferences; Miami, Michigan-Indiana; Toledo, Houston-Purdue, Kent, Alabama-Auburn. Ohio and Akron, at least to this point - from what I've seen - don't have any power conference (B10, B12, SEC, ACC) teams on their schedules. Lots of solid mid-majors, however. Let's not fool ourselves. If Miami, UT and Kent can get those games the mantra - 'nobody wants to play us' - is a little weak. If you can go to St. Mary's for a buy game, you can go to B10, B12, ACC, SEC for a buy game. Just saying. Still pick Zips as MAC favorites.

Definitely have much more size/girth at every position. Should be able to bully a lot of teams, especially in the MAC. Next step is how Zips look against a true opponent. That's still months away. Lots of time to bring it all together.

I was very high on Young ... until Groce brought in the PG from Cornell. IMO He had some other nice major offers where he would have played but likely started on the bench. Doubt Groce got him to come to Akron to start on the bench, no matter how sweet the NIL. Still think Young is a stud, but likely not this year. Remember, it has taken most PGs in Groce's system at least a season before they truly started to shine.

Ditto on Bracketbusters ... Zips had some great BB matchups that were exciting games. A check back on the Kent-SM Bracketbuster ... it was the last (midnight) game (many Bracketbuster games were televised) of the night, and I believe (chk. me on this) Kent became nationally-ranked for the blink of an eye after the win. Still can't remember who was on that team. Can't find a box score.