RoyalBlu

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.)

C'mon now. The reason he launched 20 3-pointers is because Oakland had no other choice. If he only makes 7 Oakland loses. Credit to him for making them, and Kampe for leaving him in against a superior opponent, but that's all Oakland had. We'll see if his hot hand continues in the tournament.

Great point ... consistency is key. Also, as Ali and several other players (Wright State forward who went to Ohio State then returned to WSU) have shown, if you're going to transfer, do it after your sophomore season. Leave a year to recover if all does not go as planned ... which is the case more often than not.

There is some truth here ... and I think it is not just an Akron problem. Toledo-Akron-Kent had the best three guards in the league the previous two years and all were transfers. This season the best transfer guard/player is the PG at CMU. Every portal player in the MAC from Toledo to Akron To Kent and on down the line VASTLY underachieved. Personally, I think teams would be better off getting Jucos with a solid resume instead of the question marks and left-overs in the portal. I believe Toledo-Akron-Kent all recruited Dennis-Castenada-Carry out of HS and knew what they were getting. Not so sure about the latest crop. ... But that's the issue, and must be addressed IMO going forward for the entire league, not just Akron.

Freeman, Moss, Hunter, Hill, PG at CMU COY-- CMU What a sad state across the board ... (Note, EMU played its best BB w/o the MAC's leading scorer ... Kent is a loser for first time in over 20 years ... injuries impacted a lot of teams this season ... but still) Roster development left a lot to be desired at a lot of places, including Akron ... although THE PORTAL had a lot to do with much of it.

This probably belongs on a post-season wrapup but .... find me one game - much less 3 or 4 - this season where Ali put the Zips on his back and carried them to the finish line. Enrique, for all his plus-plus abilities, does not 'carry' the Zips offensively. That job should belong to Ali. He should have been 'the closer.' If anybody ever saw it, let me know when. Down the stretch of the season is when you need 'that guy' to step up and it just hasn't happened. Maybe at the MAC Tournament we'll see it.

JMU -- right now -- would be a tier 1-2 road win, but JMU needs to keep winning the help the Zips before they play them, and JMU has struggled a bit lately (dropping out of Top 25).

So what did Groce say ....

After this game ... since Akron does not have to play at BG ... I think there is a real chance the Zips can go undefeated in the MAC.

Bass is recovering from the flu, but was already finding himself on the bench far more often than not before that. Hornbeak is out hurt. Santiago isn’t the same anymore (yet). They are without an identity. They are decimated: They have lost No. 5 (C. Hornbeak), No. 7 (C. Gillespie), No. 8 (G. Moss), No. 9 (W. Rollins) -- basically their entire bench -- all likely out for the season. Their four remaining 'starters' -- Santiago, Sullinger, Davis, Payton - have collectively under-achieved. No. 6 (G. Bass) has struggled finding his place and his been down with the flu. Add in the fact they have 'given away' arguably 2 or 3 games already this season and the immediate future does look bleak.

No excuse for blowing second-half 17-point lead. NONE. That's at least three games they've given away this year (JMU, CoC, EMU). No excuse. That said, at least for this one, they were missing both their starting and backup center to injury (perhaps for the season) and sixth man (CMU transfer Bass) to the flu. Still, up 17 for a solid program - even on the road - no excuse. Even had multiple chances in OT and couldn't finish it. Only 1 player in starting lineup started last season (Santiago, although Payton had 'starters' minutes) and Santiago missed most of the MAC to injury. Lots of adversity over there. Interesting to see how season plays out for them.

I still say MAC teams (ADs actually) don't leverage their 'buy' FB games against P5 teams into more basketball opportunities either home or on the road. If you can't get a home and home with a bottom tier P5 team, I'd at least wright into the contract that a road upset by the Zips triggers a return game to Akron the following season, followed by a third game back on the road at P5. Might be a tough way to get a 2-for-1, but at least give yourself a fighting chance. For all the body bag games that FB team down the road plays, they should definitely employ a strategy like this.

Mainly ... Zips can't get into a high-scoring game with this team. They only play 7-8 guys, but they offer some mis-match problems. Who does Freeman guard? 6-11 Spurgin or 6-8 Agee. Who guards Hill, ... Ali? Hunter has to show up solid IMO, at least defensively and on the boards.