Zippy87

Hoping this will be an opportunity for Prather and Lyles to get some minutes and for our guards (including Tavari) to work to polish some things. We need at least solid guard play to make any kind of run this year.

I'm hopeful. We really need Ali and his ability to create offense if we want to make a run.

I'm hoping it was some kind of staffing issue but I also can't fathom not being able to pay a student minimum wage to be there for 3 hours.

Makes sense. I'm hoping to see more of him soon. I have no idea what he can do but if he is truly an elite shooter, well, we really need that!

Quick thoughts from attending the game: - Enrique is an absolute beast. Going to go down as an all-timer for this program. 8 turnovers but still, we don't win without him. - Groce basically trimmed down to a 7 man rotation. Lyles got 2 minutes and Tavari got 3. Every other minute went to 7 players. - We have six scholarship players not contributing to the team right now - Lyles and Tavari (both seeing decreased minutes), Prather (not sure why he isn't playing), Baker and MMK (redshirt), and Ali (transfer waiver denied). - Prather Jr. dressed but didn't see any action (again). Groce called him an "elite shooter that can create opportunities for himself and his teammates with his playmaking skills" when he signed. Why can't he see the floor at all? - I hope we aren't giving up on Ali. Haven't heard anything on it and am hoping they haven't stopped fighting it in any way possible. - The Team Shop was closed today. Maybe there's a good reason I don't know about, but not having a team shop open while people are actively Christmas shopping is beyond embarrasing for the department.

Of our 6 (real) games so far: - FIU is the only opposing team we've outscored in points in the paint - Tavari Johnson, Kaleb Thornton, and Shammah Scott have combined to average 4.8 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 4.8 TOPG

Disappointing to fight all the way back and then have a garbage possession like that with a chance to tie or win the game.

It's still early but I'm disappointed with this group. Really thought they had the talent to be special like the 12-13, 19-20, and 21-22 teams. Maybe they still do? Our guard play is not good enough. Our defense is not good enough. We have no frontcourt depth beyond Freeman. Offense is stagnant. Ali Ali would obviously help. I'd like to think Prather might too, but who knows?

Legal action is a must. Guthrie, Groce, Miller all need to keep pushing and refuse to just accept this. Bandaogo was represented by the Morningstar Law Group of Raleigh, NC, who also represented North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker, a two-time football transfer declared eligible for North Carolina football in October. In both cases once the players hired legal counsel the NCAA cited "new information" and reversed their decisions. They do not want to go to court.

I want to see some fight from our AD on this. Lawyer up. Continue to put constant (and very public) pressure on the NCAA. Not only for Ali, but let every potential recruit out there see that Akron Athletics will have your back in every way possible.

I certainly hope we aren't giving up. Cincinnati didn't. Legal action should be in process as we speak. They need to fight this.

Weren't they supposed to speak more on this today?

Ultimately a winning product is the best way to get more people to games, but the lack of ticket deals/promotions isn't helping either. Or, when they do have a promotion, nobody knows about it and/or it doesn't make sense (Ex: Youth Night was on a Wednesday night game this season).

For anyone who follows Ali on Instagram he posted a story with a picture of he and Groce with some song lyrics. I'm not hip enough to decipher what it means though 🤣

You absolutely cannot go into 2024 without at least bringing in someone to compete with Bullock.

https://www.si.com/college/cincinnati/basketball/report-ohio-attorney-general-writes-letter-to-ncaa-challenging-aziz-bandaogos-eligibility-denial Maybe we can get some help?

What was the argument for Aziz?

I think this is a bit of a flawed roster and it has some odd construction. Of the 8 players in the current rotation, 5 are guards (Tribble, T. Johnson, N. Johnson, Scott, Thornton), one is a true wing (Dawson), one is a stretch big who is allergic to the paint (Hunter), and one is our star big (Freeman). Of the remaining scholarship players, one is in transfer limbo (Ali), one isn't trusted to be out there right now (Lyles), one has apparently had an assortment of injuries (Prather), and two are redshirting (Baker, MMK). I would've added another big instead of getting both Thornton and Scott, but it is what it is now. I still think that, with Ali, this team could be really good. I just don't think they'll come without flaws that I'm not sure can be corrected easily.

Hopefully Ali Ali is in uniform soon. Desperately need more scoring.

Some pregame thoughts... For me, the purpose of these games are to challenge the team to get better. In all likelihood, our season will come down to a few games in Cleveland. I want our guys to be battle-tested by the time those games come and think these experiences will help. Frontcourt depth is a concern for me. If Freeman ever gets in foul trouble (or worse, hurt) we will have that flaw exposed. I was hoping Baker would get minutes, but he's RS. Lyles hasn't played much. Hunter has size but doesn't rebound. The other concern is players who can create offense. Tavari has raw potential but hasn't put it together. Ali Ali will help this a lot, as mentioned earlier. I'm also curious if Prather Jr. will see the floor. When he signed Groce said, "He is an elite shooter that can create opportunities for himself and his teammates with his playmaking skills. Ryan is also a high-level defender that plays with motor and physicality." Sounds like exactly to type of player who can help offensively. Not sure if he's hurt or just not looking good in practice or what, but we need to see what he has to give this team at some point.

Yep I'm frozen