Zippy87

Maybe his wording wasn't great (I don't remember the exact quote) but at the time he was 100% correct that the A-10 historically had much better odds of teams getting selected for at-large bids than the MAC. Even in our best conference years, we're always a one-bid league. It's been BS some years, but it's been reality.

It's not uncommon for players to follow the coach who recruited them. Michael Hughes and Tavian Dunn-Martin, who were both freshmen, were pretty much it. Antino Jackson, Noah Robotham, and Aaron Jackson went elsewhere. Isaiah Johnson and Kwan Cheatham had just graduated. It was going to be a retooling year no matter what.

Whatever happens, I just hope if he does choose to leave that we wish him well and appreciate his time here. I'll never understand the KD-haters.

EMU is up on Toledo late...

Tavari Johnson is playing fantastic. Earning more minutes.

Any word on Ali's ankle?

Freeman is now at 1600 points, 1235 rebounds, and 160 blocks. He needs 126 rebounds to pass Fred Goldberg and become the all-time leader. He needs 6 blocks to pass Romeo Travis and move to 2nd all-time. He's still 208 blocks behind Zeke Marshall - who may never lose that record. He needs 31 points to pass Bill Turner for 4th all-time in points and 58 to pass John Britton and move to #3. Enjoy this young man, he's an all-time great Zip!

CMU has actually been pretty solid in MAC play. Key conference wins over Toledo, BG, and Kent so far. But also lost to Buffalo.

A few thoughts after getting home from the game: - Really good win overall. Definitely some things to work on but they came out fired up and ready. - Late game execution is a concern. We had a lot of difficulty just getting the ball in. I'm sure it's something Groce is going to work a lot on with the team. - When Freeman is out of the game we struggle on both ends. Thankfully Toledo doesn't have the bigs to take advantage. - Tribble has had 4 or more fouls in 5 of 10 MAC games. I love his aggressiveness but something to watch. - I know Tavari had a few bad turnovers but I'd rather Thornton lose minutes when Nate Johnson comes back. - The student showed out today - fantastic turnout and energy.

Good to see them get a win tonight. Per the article @Captain Kangaroo shared, Donna Dambrot's surgery is tomorrow.

Received this from Akron Athletics: Akron Athletics Parking Update for Friday, February 2nd. With Akron Athletics hosting the 20th Annual Akron Invitational for Indoor Track and Field as well as Men's Basketball vs Toledo on Friday, February 2nd, please follow the below parking guidelines. For the Indoor Track and Field Meet, please park in Lots 6, 9, or 10 and follow the designated parking guidelines and applicable fees for each lot. For the Men's Basketball game, please park in your designated lot on your parking pass or in Lot 1 and follow the designated guidelines and applicable fees for this lot. Click here to purchase tickets for Men's Basketball vs Toledo. Reminder: The Men's Basketball game vs Toledo is scheduled to tip-off at 9pm on Friday, February 2. If you received or purchased tickets for the Men's Basketball game vs Toledo prior to the date change, those tickets will still be valid for entry to the game. For questions, please contact the Akron Athletics Ticket office at 888-992-5766 or tickets@uakron.edu Go Zips!

I think they'd send us out of the country if they could 😂 I've never been to a Zips NCAA Tournament game and am hoping for somewhere reasonably close. Pittsburgh would be a dream!

They were probably distracted by EMUs "White Out" 😂

It'd be fantastic. One of Ball State, EMU, Buffalo, or NIU would have to pass them. I'd guess Ball State the best possibility of the four.

The only thing I really look at much is what seed they list us at. I do agree so much will happen between now and then and it's probably silly to pay too much attention, but it's an interesting snapshot of where their projection system sees us as things currently stand.

OK? All I've said is that this year's team lacks depth off the bench in the frontcourt. I also felt Aziz provided that on our last MAC Champion. If you disagree, that's fine, we're not going to all agree on everything, but debate the points or simply agree to disagree and move on.

I've seen us listed as playing in Pittsburgh, Spokane, and Indianapolis as well in past Bracketology releases.

This is going to be a heck of a game. I'm hoping a big crowd comes out despite the late start. Unless a significant injury happens to one of the teams, I do think this will be a MAC Championship preview. Also, with Kent hovering around the 7-8 spot I'll say this - I have no interest in drawing them in Cleveland. Anything can happen in a rivalry game, even when one roster is clearly better than the other.

I'm here to talk Zips athletics with fellow Zips fans. If you've got an issue with me personally shoot me a PM instead of airing it out on the forum, or simply set my posts to ignore. Let's be better than name-calling. This you, by the way? Didn't say it was. Aziz provided some defense and rim protection off the bench while he was here. Nothing more, nothing less.

Music to my ears! Any idea on timeline if it were to happen?

Two-point jumper, three pointer, and two free throws when we intentionally fouled. None of those had anything to do with Aziz's defense.

Akron led 49-42 when Freeman picked up his 4th foul. UCLA then hit a 3 pointer, an outside jumper, and another 3 pointer while he was out...not sure any of that's on Aziz defensively. And again, nobody is expecting a star coming off the bench. Aziz had size and could help defensively inside. Lyles comes in now and (good) opposing teams will immediately take advantage of mismatches inside.

I think Akron was close to home for KD and Akron was already an established program for Groce, and those factors helped as well. I do think there's a ceiling for this program as is though. If we're stuck with the JAR - and we probably are - the focus should be continuing to improve the facility as much as possible. To their credit they have made some nice improvements, but I'd also love to see: 1) Replacing the bleachers with seats. I have no idea how much this would cost, but even doing it on on the side behind the player benches would be a huge upgrade. 2) Improving the gameday experience. I'm not expecting anything huge, but I'd love to see more creativity in this department.

This was the primary reason but the lack of support from the Athletic Department at the time and ancient arena didn't help. I do worry that some of the same frustrations that built up over time for KD and his staff will happen with Groce as well. He's been more vocal about the crowds this year than any other time I can remember since he was hired. If we're being 100% honest, there's always going to be a ceiling for this program (below what we want) without changes somewhere. I also think we've been lucky to have two really good coaches stick around for much longer than is the norm for successful mid-majors.