The Zips played Fresno State at Fresno. It was not a Final Four weekend, the Zips returned back to Akron and trained a few days before they left for Tacoma.
1986 NCAA game vs Penn State, shootout win, I believe it was on Thanksgiving weekend. That win took the Zips to Fresno Sate for a Semi-Final game and then the following weekend to Tacoma for Akron's first appearance in the NCAA finals vs Duke.