RoyalBlu
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Posts posted by RoyalBlu
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51 minutes ago, zippy5 said:
According to EMU board it's a three-man race: Thomas, Earl Boykins, Stan Heath. Boykins now an assistant at Arkansas, Heath, I believe, is coaching in the NBA G-League. All three are former players at EMU.
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On 3/23/2021 at 10:28 AM, 1981 grad said:
I was curious to see if Harney was still playing and the past 3 years he has been playing professonal ball in Mexico averaging around 12 points per game.
Mexico!!! ... Hmmm. Now what can you do after practice/game in Mexico???
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1 hour ago, MDZip said:
Good point - I think Freeman should start selling En-freak-ee T-shirts and posters right now since he isn't subject to NCAA rules, correct? Since they haven't figured out NIL yet anyway. Go on Enrique cash in - I'm sure AkronZips71 alone would buy enough to paper a wall 😉
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.
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4 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:
Ummm, because the word on the street was that he was entering the transfer portal, which he confirmed today.
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.
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8 minutes ago, zippy5 said:
They compared him to Lamelo Ball and I thought that was an interesting/apt comparison. Is he as talented? I don't know. But they play a similar game
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.
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10 minutes ago, RowdyZip said:
1) Please stop with the conference change. There is zero point in discussing this until Akron consistently wins or contends for the championship in the two major sports. We were there in basketball a few years back, and hopefully will be there again soon.
2) You have to look at this team through the lens of preseason expectations. I thought the MAC preseason prediction was a little rosy with us having lost 4 key contributors. Turns out, it was spot on. Below is the final standings (performance vs preseason poll). Us and CMU were the only two that were correct.
- Toledo (+5)
- Buffalo (+2)
- Akron (-)
- Ohio (-2)
- Kent (+2)
- BG (-5)
- Miami (+2)
- Ball State (-3)
- WMU (+3)
- EMU (-2)
- CMU (-)
- NIU (-2)
3) I am once again not very optimistic for next year and certainly hope the staff surprises me again. The one thing from last year that I overlooked/undervalued was the return of a MAC POTY that could create his own shot and facilitate for the rest of the team. We will be sorely missing that next year. Best hopes/guess is that we see another leap in development from Ali and rotation guys like Wynn and Dawson. I'd love to see Nate Johnson come in and get buckets immediately as a freshman. That will probably depend on how he picks up the defensive system in college, as he was a pretty hefty scorer in high school. Will we have the offense next year to compete? That's a big question when you're losing the guy that took almost 30% of your team's FG attempts and supplied ~50% of the assists.
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.
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44 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:
I am bummed out this morning that we are not in the finals and I am sure that everyone on this board feels the same way. What is especially frustrating is that the Zips played well enough to win. They played with determination and grit. Although they did not shoot well, during most of the game we saw a lot of movement without the ball and some great drives and scoring in the paint. Once again, our three point shooting sucked and we shot 25%. That seemed to be the achilles heel of this team late in the season. What is especially disappointing is that all year long we knew that with the game on the line, we want LCJ to get the ball and finish the game. He had the open shot and rushed it and did not draw rim. It was a difficult shot but one he made before in our last game with Buffalo. The fact that he did not draw rim showed me he was exhausted and we floundered in overtime. I think LCJ will always go down in Akron history as our best guard but this season we never developed that consistent second scorer on this team to take pressure off of his 5 foot sixth inch frame. I hope everyone can see the irony in the past two seasons. Last year we got to attend every game but no tournament. This year we could not attend any game except for the tournament. Looking forward to next year and hoping that Freeman develops an offensive game to match his defense. That will worth the price of admission just to watch his development.
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.
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1 hour ago, bigzipguy said:
missing a few players sure did not help
Of the missing players, which one of them would you want on the floor in OT????
Asking for a bunch of friends.
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1 minute ago, AkronAlumnus said:
Freeman may be good be he's not clutch. LCJ should have been more selfish, shame.
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 ...
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8 hours ago, LoyalZIP said:
There's a theory on the Kent board that a "season ticket holder" heard Pippen punched Hamilton and that's why neither of them went to Buffalo last week. Amazing if true.
Don't think it's a subject Akron should get involved in ...
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1 minute ago, Blue & Gold said:
Marshall!!!!
Been saving this while playing Dailey ... and where is Dailey btw....
1 minute ago, Blue & Gold said:Marshall!!!!
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16 minutes ago, NWAkron said:
I guess it's called the NIT for a reason. Ready for this to wind up. Was a brutal season and Groce and staff learned the hard way which players were up to the task. Look forward to those J&J vaccines getting in everyone's arms and the chance for Groce and Co to build characters, good attitudes, and unity for next year. But there's still a chance. Go Zips.
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???
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4 hours ago, NWAkron said:
There was much trepidation about playing OU for 3rd time last year after beating them twice in tough games. PCCC and Pippen would be q better semi final match up. His knees won't last
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.
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1 hour ago, zippy5 said:
It's not necessarily an indictment having multiple guys that can be the #2 on any given night, but yeah, when there's only one guy scoring anyone is going to have problems
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.
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48 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:
This is not an excuse for the Zips drop-off in defense, just an observation. And I agree that there is no excuse for anything less than full effort. But we might be learning just how impactful Riak was as an elite rim protector. And hopefully we can insert Bandaogo into that role next year allowing Freeman to play more at the power forward position. In theory, we should be able to put 5 guards out there and have an effective defense, but in reality Riak covered up for many sins as Groce liked to say last year.
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.
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10 minutes ago, monrowe said:
The Zips look burned out from being on the road for a month.The Bobcats haven’t played in 21 their legs are fresh.
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.
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2 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:
Great post and great question. I didn't realize how we've really dominated this rivalry over the past 20 years. I love cutting down the nets and hanging a banner for MAC Championships (regular season). But I think that perhaps the reason I didn't realize how thoroughly we've dominated the rivalry with Ohio over the past 20 years is because those NCAA tournament victories weigh so heavily. They still are fresh in my mind and seem like just a couple years ago, but, now that you point it out, it's has been a while.
IMO, those tournament victories are feathers in your cap which don't lose their luster for a long time. There are a lot of programs which I still consider prominent basketball schools because of former NCAA tourney runs, but who really haven't done anything of note since the turn of the millennium! UMass, UConn, Creighton, DePaul, Wichita State, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Pitt, Memphis, St. Bonny, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, UNLV, Drexel, Tulane, Cincy, Detroit Mercy, Temple, Charlotte, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, Rhody, St. Joe's, St. Louis. Okay, I was largely doing that off the top of my head, so don't over analyze it, but I think you'll get my point. None (?) of those schools have done much in men's basketball in quite a while, but I still think of them as better basketball schools than Akron because tournament success is what everyone looks at and, I'd argue, remembers.
I'd want to see an NCAA Sweet 16 run.
However, I know, grass is always greener and if the Wicked Things NCAA Sweet 16 run was contingent on being followed by 20 years of mediocrity... Idk. Tough one.
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.
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15 minutes ago, NWAkron said:
disagree. Toledo much more dangerous. UB collapsed at the end against PCCC. They are doing the same here.
Probably right in both cases ... but no matter what wouldn't want a shootout with Toledo. Keep it in the low 70s ... BTW... who ever beats Buffalo in MAC Tournament probably loses the next night. Especially if its a team with a short bench.
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1 minute ago, Blue & Gold said:
12:25 left in the game. Buffalo up 50-48.
This is starting to be a back-ally mugging on the boards. If Toledo can't make 3s ... they struggle against power. ... Problem is, w/exception of Buffalo and maybe Ohio (when they eat their cheerios) nobody else in the league is really that physical Toledo should win, but UB is not a team they want to see in the semis..
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2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:
My idea, right or wrong, is that a beat writer's job is to convey information about the team and the games. A columnist's job is to give opinion. I'd prefer a beat writer that tells me what's going on with the team and occasionally provides me with info I haven't otherwise come across. GT gives me game and team info but veers off into the columnist opinion stuff. I also don't find much of anything new about the team in his articles. I get just as much or more info on here.
Just to clarify, I wouldn't be any more or less pleased if he was a cheerleader/homer. Its a personal preference and maybe not a realistic one in today's journalistic format. Maybe his style appeals to some. My preference is Joe Friday's "just the facts."
Here's the problem: The days of having a 'beat writer' and a columnist are long gone. Newspapers (and TV) want more opinion than news to get just what we have here, friction. Sports stories in particular are more often than not a one-way spin. (The Browns didn't lose, the Chiefs got lucky). And while 'fans' can criticize, they want their newspapers to 'support.' .... This article by GT (short of mentioning tiebreakers) points out that Akron is struggling a bit (correct) but does not point out Toledo is struggling a bit as well, and Kent is hobbled by injuries and led by a guy with two gate creaking knees. (And no mention of Ohio lurking in the weeds via winning percentage). In reality, if Akron doesn't wind up with the No. 1 seed, the Zips will have none to blame but themselves.
Of course, GT did not write that, because it's overall probably a bit harsh (and rightfully so) but at this point it is still a hard fact (with tiebreakers) the Zips control their own fate ... and should be responsible for the end result.
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On 2/17/2021 at 6:16 PM, LZIp said:
I haven't read the article, but what was his point here? Honestly I see no real difference between Miami and Ball St in the 7 or 8 seed, nor do I see much difference in BG, Owho, Canada, and Rootstown CC in the 3-6 seeds, and at this point, I'd bet against any of those scenarios changing.
Here is what I don't understand: By current head-to-head and overall MAC measures to date, Akron and Toledo are clearly the top two teams. Perhaps not significant, but clear. Yet all the top metrics have Toledo as a clear No. 1 team in the league and Akron trailing teams they have beaten.
Kenpom NET RPI
64 Toledo 71 Toledo 60 Toledo
85 Buffalo 84 Kent 72 Kent
91 Kent 85 Buffalo 97 Akron
99 Akron 90 Akron 120 Ohio
104 Ohio 109 Ohio 138 Bowling Green (169 Buffalo)
Looking at this, the MAC Tournament belongs to Toledo with all others as solid underdogs. I suspect the Zips (and all the rest) would take those odds just the same.
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4 hours ago, kreed5120 said:
Yes, anything can happen in a single elimination game. What I was more so wanting to get at is the only team that I want to avoid playing as long as possible is Toledo. I like Akron's chances against any of the other teams.
I think, for any MAC team, the farther a team advances in the tournament the more you have to look at the bench to see where teams can get a big hit (10 pts or more) to pull an upset. Toledo w/Sanders certainly fits that profile. Diggs at Bowling Green, Brewer at Buffalo and Sears at Ohio all come to mind. Might be others I'm missing. An experienced player w/live legs who can score on the third of three games/three days in a row is a bonus to keep an eye on.
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17 hours ago, 1981 grad said:
No idea what Dakich was talking about but he did have one coaching point that I thought was worthwhile. At the end of the half we ran a set play and Dakich indicated that we should set up Dailey to shoot from the left corner since he had just made a 3 from that spot on the last possession. We ran a play and LCJ shot from the left corner and missed. Considering Dailey's shooting slump, I thought that was a great idea to reward a player who just made a 3.
I'm guessing he's probably talking about 1997 when I believe Sczerbiak got hurt early in the MAC season, missed a couple of weeks, then came back vs. BG, then went on to win the MAC Tournament. Miami was pretty dominant in 1999 in the MAC if I'm not mistaken, and had a pretty good national rep. Sczerbiak got dinged a bit in the MAC Tournament and lost to Kent in the title game by a point or two as Sczerbiak had an off game by his standards. ... At least, that's what I recall, so we're matching my memory vs. Dakich, so take that for what it's worth.
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4 hours ago, zippy5 said:
I feel like we'd have the tiebreaker if we each win out now since our losses aren't from the top teams
True ... that's why I've always said tiebreakers should work backwards in the standings. Teams should pay more for losing to bad teams than losing to good teams. (I know, this year that would hurt the Zips, but most seasons it would not).
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MAC Men’s Basketball - Catch-all Thread
in Akron Zips Basketball
Posted
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.