RoyalBlu

KSU wins at St. Mary's came (1) in BracketBusters vs. Patty Mills (I think that was his name) ... which says how long ago that was ... and (2) the other was in the NIT against a team with former Cav Dellavadova at PG. Can't remember who played for Kent in those games. St. Mary's is clearly a better program now, but even then, they were second only to Gonzaga in their conference and clearly had NBA talent on their teams..

If I'm not mistaken, SM-Kent have played four times over the years and have split the games, 2-2. One of SM wins was at Kent. Both of Kent wins at SM. Definitely a road win the Zips can get.

Thanks for clarifying my 'word salad.' Pretty much what I was trying to say. Based on The Portal, the Zips are head and shoulders above the rest of the MAC. If this talent translates on the court, which is the clear objective, then the sky is the limit. Other MAC teams don't have this level of 'talent.' However, if whatever talent they have comes with better chemistry, then the playing field is leveled. That's all I'm saying.

This is based on 'quality' of portal recruits, almost all of which Akron had no real shot at coming out of high school, and maybe just one or two shy of having what is rumored to be the best NIL package in the league. That said, I distinctly remember the Marshall years when The Herd clearly had the best roster of talent overall in the league, but just could never put it all together. So you're right, one or more of Kent, Ohio, Toledo and Miami may well have enough talent to usurp Akron on the court. But I still say, based on ROSTER talent, the Zips are the Class of the MAC.

All of this is true, but ... You can click on any column and just scratch your head. Like 'talent.' Clearly Zips are head and shoulders above the rest of the league. But even a rabid Akron fan has to admit Central Michigan ranking a 0 for talent, and Kent ranking -0 is a bit much. Or the transfer column: Eastern, Ball State, Kent and Northern getting more production out their transfers than Akron??? So what does that say about Akron's 'talent' ranking, which is clearly anchored by the incoming transfers. I could go on. Just weird.

Know what I hate about analytics: When they are so clearly and obviously WRONG! https://barttorvik.com/trankpre.php?conlimit=MAC&state=All&year=2024&sort Can't get link to open here, but copy it and try on your browser ... really wonder what these people use for logic.

Still see nothing for Akron ... Toledo has Purdue and Houston ... Kent has Alabama ...

Paladin ... "Have Gun, will Travel" Fits him well.

It's not uncommon for redshirt freshmen (like Baker) who hit the portal to spend a year at a JUCO. They get 30-35 games of experience, quite likely graduate, then have three years of D1 ahead of them. Frankly, I don't understand why mid-majors in particular don't recruit this gold mine more actively.

Surprise (at least to me) Baker ... exit stage left???

Dawson upgrade.

A big physical third guard ... perfect for this team. Defense will be key vs. best perimeter player the opposition has. Very good pickup. Also a good PG backup for inevitable down games from freshman PG, Sharon. (Tavari who?). Adds to the premise this team - w/so many experienced P5 transfers - should be strong right out the gate, capable of winning big (read: P5) games in November and December.

I said in an earlier post (somewhere??) the reason the MAC was so bad last season is because PG play throughout the league was poor to bad across the board. We were spoiled with two years of X, Carry, and others that transferred in and made the league much stronger. No suce transfers last season short of the guy at CMU. It will be interesting to see how that position looks across the board in the MAC this season. Young IMO walks in the door as Top 1-3 in the league, depending on how you want to rank them. We'll see if that looks the same in January. For the sake of the MAC, here's hoping Young is as advertised, ... but he ranks 3-5. Then the MAC has a good chance at climbing back into the 14-19 range among top BB conferences in D1.

Obviously, Akron is far and away the Portal leader in the MAC. But how would you rank the likes of Toledo, Ohio, CMU, BG, Kent in terms of transfers (not HS) recruits coming in? Seems like they all got something out of the portal.

Another note: Unlike many on this board and others, I believe the MAC will be a much much tougher conference overall next season. (Hopefully it shows as early as non-conference). Yes, it's hard to predict each team with all the portal comings and goings, but judging from what teams like Ohio, BG, Toledo, Ball State and Kent have added, I would expect all to be better. Like Akron, those teams have not necessarily replaced departed 'players' as much as they have recruited to their weaknesses. Ohio, for example, desperately needed some size inside, and got it with a 6-10, 250-pound portal. Yes, he's D2, but he has a solid resume and should be a rotational player at the least. I think the same can be said for incoming transfers at these other MAC schools. Toledo, for example, was not the 3-point shooting team last year that they usually are. Now, all of their portal recruits are proven 3-point shooters at the college level (2 from the MAC). Time will tell how good all of these players are on their new teams, ... but in terms of recruiting to their weaknesses, it seems most MAC teams have done that, getting players with proven experience or (like Akron) P5 pedigree.

Frankly ... with 3 years of P5 experience on hand at multiple positions, along with the holdovers for depth, this team SHOULD be able to make a statement or two (read: WIN) vs. P5 non-conference opponents in November and December, then improve over the course of the season in the MAC. Not predicting or expecting anything like an undefeated MAC season, but on paper this Akron team seems to compare with those good Buffalo teams, and they were able to establish themselves both in non-conference and conference. If Akron can do the same, I think the MAC and post-season aspirations should be easily attained.

If I'm not mistaken Freeman was also a 'transfer' albeit academic ... pretty sure he came from Tiffin first.

I think Harris is he plum in this bunch ... he should be able to play any baseline position on the MAC level and be pretty strong at any of them. Not many MAC teams will have a player with that versatility. He should be a consistent 15-20ppg scorer in my mind and that is huge.

Looking at this through your lens ... I see what you're saying. Akron's two latest NCAA appearances were probably more directly related to Kent self-inflicted miscues (24-foul, 22-video). Could Akron have won both games without those incidents? Certainly. But ... It's not like blocking Kent's last-second shot in OT to win the MAC Tournament, and go to the NCAA. No discussion. Zips earn it/took it.

Any message board news on how much Kent has in NIL $$$. Can't be too much.

I think you're a bit out of touch with those guys ... but it's understandable. Here's a more up to date take. 1) The only notable transfer loss was Sullinger, their leading scorer. Davis went into the portal but came back. All other portal entries for them were bench guys, including Freeman, who (based on their board) was a poor recruit who only showed up once a month. Rollins (who committed the foul that sent Akron to the NCAA) ultimately beat him out. And is now in the portal as well. 2) So far they have two transfers from the portal -- not the * caliber the Zips have hauled in, but solid none-the-less. The PG above was the starter for St. Louis the final 10 games or so of the season and had some very productive games, especially with assists, including vs. Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island on the road. Has 3-years to play. The other portal recruit is a 6-8 guard/forward from Boston University, again, nothing over the top besides the fact he's a very good 3-point shooter. 3) Have no clue how many (if any) scholarships they have left. But they always seem to recruit a bit differently from the rest of the league (witness above) anyway. None of these two guys move the needle much for me, but we'll see what it looks like come January/February.

From what I heard, by several different MAC assistants, is Young is special. A starter as a freshman.

Do the Zips now go back to the head of the class in the MAC for basketball next season ....🤫

Getting Davis back is a plus for them ... and the transfer guy seems OK when he plays, but has had multiple injury issues over the years. They still need guards, several of them. Until they get some not really a top tier MAC threat IMO.

A lot to filter through here ... but generally speaking I'd rather have a player not afraid to shoot - maybe even a bit selfish - over a hesitant player or player always willing to defer. I think coaching can temper some of that ... don't forget Little Loren was a near train wreck as a freshman/sophomore before he and Groce found common ground. Generally speaking, I'd rather not put my chips on a 1-year guy unless I was sure about him and the team. But if the comfort level is there, go for it. (Some guys just don't want the last shot, no matter how much they claim they do.)