Dave in Green

Not quite as bad as the Bobkitties destroying the Canadians, 99-77. And with the Sweaters beating BG, 64-52, the first full round of the MAC East ends in a 4-way tie between the Zips, Can't, Canadians and Sweaters tied at 3-2. Classic MAC East.Gentle reminder: Only the MAC tournament really counts.

Ken Pomeroy's ratings and statistics are considered by many to be the most sophisticated and relevant in college basketball. In addition to the national rankings (Zips are currently #96 and Can't #100), some of the individual stats are pretty amazing in their fine detail.For example, Brett McKnight is currently ranked 7th in the country out of all D1 players in terms of percentage of total team shots taken (34.4%), Darryl Roberts is ranked 24th in the country in terms of fewest fouls per 40 minutes played (1.37) and Jimmy Conyers is 62nd among all D1 players in terms of percentage of his team's total defensive rebounds (23.5%).If you visit the Zips team page (link below), be prepared to spend some time there understanding all of the definitions. One interesting point is that the Pomeroy statistical analysis predicts, based on team records to date, that the Zips will lose their next two games on the road to Can't and WMU, and then win the rest of their MAC games this season.Pomeroy Zips Team Link

Funny to read the Buffalo thread on the Can't boards. First they annoit the Canadians the best team in the MAC for beating the Zips. Then they rejoice in their thrashing of Buffalo, but worry over their team's consistency. In many ways quite similar to thoughts we share on ZN about the Zips.I think the best team in the MAC will change from week to week because no team is dominant enough to win consistently at home and on the road, especially against the MAC East. If the Flushes beat the Zips, they would have a legitimate claim to best team in the MAC, at least for a few days. But we know the Zips have the talent to beat the Flushes on the road as long as they all execute as a team.If the McKnights from the Buffalo game show up, the Zips are in trouble. If the McKnights from the Miami game show up, let's rock and roll. All players have good and bad nights. We're now getting into the grinding part of the season where consistency counts. So consistency will be a topic of discussion on the forums of all the MAC teams.Sitting in the stands before the start of the Miami game, I said that with Zeke's health getting better as evidenced in the Buffalo game, I was expecting to see his big breakout game coming up soon. After that breakout game, I expect to see him become more consistently effective at both ends of the floor.Against Miami, it was great to see Zeke back in the regular rotation throughout the game, logging 22 minutes against his season average of 15.9 minutes per game. He worked hard on both offense and defense, looked good at both ends and, more importantly, looked like he was having fun. I loved the way he was really ticked about the questionable calls on two of his blocks that looked clean, then immediately shook it off and was smiling and joking with Fletcher at the other end before putting moves on Fletcher and scoring.Even though Zeke scored a career high 13 points, I still don't see this as his big breakout game. But he's slowly building up to it. There's a game coming where he's just going to dominate in a way that it will be clear to everyone that he gave the Zips a win where they otherwise may have lost. Maybe it won't come until late in the season. Maybe it won't come until the MAC tournament. But it's coming, and it would be especially tasty if it came against the team Zips fans most love to beat.

Zeke actually had 5 clean blocks. The refs called fouls on 2 of them because MAC refs aren't used to making calls on someone with Zeke's abilities. His blocking arm was stretched too flat and too far out for any chance of body contact, his palm was absolutely flat, and the other player shot right into it. You can only call a foul on that if you assume Zeke is like other MAC players who can't make clean blocks like that.Having said that, I want to give credit to the refs for not going whistle crazy on light touches. It was a good, clean game, and a joy to watch for both the performance of the Zips and the generally fair and restrained reffing.

Maybe if EA reads this forum, he will get the idea to ask Waters directly about the reported existing contract that hasn't been fulfilled.

Yep, UA has to earn it the same way Can't did with many years of success. Buffalo is a tough competitor with classy fans. I think we can have a good rivalry without hating each other.

Certainly nothing wrong with the post that started this thread. But to understand the history, try a Find Member's Posts on jupitertoo, starting from his first post and working back to the present.

''We had a few folks who talked about band shows'' in the coming year, said Hammond, who is in charge of university facilities. ''A few promoters have called about concerts. We're going to do our best and campaign for other events.''

cut it to ten with ~7 minutes left. and we have the ball. it ain't over yet buddy.Yeah. My past experience is that about the time I give up on the Zips, they seem to rally. They were beyond my help today, though. That 13-point total collapse at the end of the first half turned out to be the final margin of victory.I don't see any reason why the Zips can't deliver a worse than 13-point whooping to the Canadians when they play in Akron. No team in the MAC is strong enough to avoid losing several on the road.

Back to the reality of the MAC. The road is full of hazards, and the only thing that really counts is to peak for the tournament.

Interesting story in the Beacon Journal referencing many of UA's sports staff salaries and overall sports philosophy, with special attention to KD:Beacon Journal Link

I think you missed my point. All I said about Linhart's offense was that he showed more than Conyers. Maybe it's because he played more minutes. But as a senior he was the team's second leading scorer, less than a point per game behind team leader Brett McKnight.Sure, Conyers made mistakes. So did Linhart. Maybe Linhart made a few less and got more playing time for it. And since Linhart and Conyers played essentially the same position, more Linhart minutes resulted in fewer Conyers minutes.Point is, not all players are alike. Not all players respond well to being jerked out for making a single mistake. The ones who do will do well under KD and the ones who don't won't. But what if a player who responds well to being left in after making two or three mistakes will grow from it and turn into a monster? What if Linhart hadn't taken all of Conyers' minutes? What if Conyers had been left in games alongside Linhart after making a mistake or two? Would he have turned into a monster earlier in his career?I don't know the answer to that. I don't think KD does because he never gave it a chance, and I doubt anyone on this forum does, either. We can guess about it all we want. But the important thing to me is that coaches can have learning moments just like players. I sure hope KD uses his Conyers senior season learning moment to ponder whether there's anything the coach could have done to help late bloomers to bloom earlier in their careers.Maybe there's nothing to be learned here. But if there is, it could make KD an even better coach and future Zips teams more formidable.

I think his defense has always been there, but so was Nate Linhart, who also had offense and better all-around play. Linhart could also rebound, but not like Conyers is doing this season. Lots of speculation here. Did Conyers blossom this year on his own, or was it KD who was holding him back?Overall I like KD a lot as a coach. But I think he really needs to do a little self analysis and try to better understand if his mostly good coaching style has a flaw that holds potentially good players back. If Conyers came to UA with a reputation of being able to do what he's doing this year, but did not come anywhere near fulfilling his potential until his senior year, exactly how did that happen and how do you keep it from happening to other players?The Zips needed Linhart over the full course of his career, and he delivered. Watching Conyers perform brilliantly in his senior year begs the question of why he wasn't also delivering over the full course of his career at UA. Why couldn't Linhart and Conyers have been performing side by side over the past few years.This is really an important question to resolve for the future of Zips basketball.

"Most hated" often translates to "most feared."

Heck, coaches and players all make mistakes. Even fans, occasionally, don't get it all right. Some are more skilled than others, so some make fewer mistakes. Why should the refs be any different?The MAC generally doesn't get the very best coaches and players in the country, so why should the MAC get the best refs?I'd be satisfied if the refs' mistakes were fairly evenly distributed to both teams on the court, and if they consistently called just enough fouls to keep the thugs from taking over but not so many as to make the game unwatchable.When the refs see one player's fingernail graze a hair on an opponent's arm but miss a Singletary sucker punch, I'm going to voice my displeasure even if it doesn't change anything.

There are X number of factors that affect attendance, some short term and some long term. Pretty much all the major ones I'm aware of have already been discussed at length on ZN. All of the points mentioned in this thread have some affect on attendance. At some point discussions like this one run out of steam because all the points are already mentioned and everyone has stated their opinions. Unless someone has access to some good research, or has the time and inclination to research various attendance issues in more depth, I don't think there's a lot left to say in this thread that hasn't already been said.

Conyers is averaging a double-double over the last 7 games (13.5 points and 10.4 rebounds).

Kitty fans actually seem a little less wound up over the refs than Zips fans can get. Watching the last part of the game online, I have to agree that some of the calls were mystifying. But the questionable calls seemed to go both ways. It's just the way it is. It's best to focus on team play and hope the calls roughly even out.

A little history for the younger folks (and most of you are younger than me):In ancient times, all problems that were not easily understood by the masses were blamed on "the gods."In modern times, the gods have been replaced by "the media." If there's a problem for which no one can come up with a quick solution, it must be the fault of the media (gods). Doesn't matter if it's sports, politics, whatever, it's all the media's fault.Don't buy it. It's a diversion to keep you from finding real solutions to the problems of the world, even those as mundane as lack of interest in a sports team. Media folks are just working stiffs like all the rest of us who've finished up schooling and moved into the real world of trying to earn a living. As in every other profession, there are good, bad and average media. But they are not the source of the world's problems.Searching for scapegoats is not part of the solution. It's part of the problem.

Better marketing would help sell more tickets as surely as a stronger Zips basketball team that consistently won more games and championships. Billions of dollars worth of fluff entertainment and junk merchandise is purchased annually by millions of Joe and Jill Akrons across the country because good marketing campaigns convince them they're getting the deal of a lifetime on goods and services that make their lives more enjoyable. It's not even a debatable point if good marketing would increase the number of spectators at Zips basketball games. The only question is how much marketing it would take to achieve X% attendance increase.

Buffalo fans should be pleased at how civilized Zips fans are with the mild and good-humored Canadian references. With a team nickname of the Bulls, it would be so easy for a less classy rival to go all scatalogical.

I have to admit that I was also uncomfortable about how uncomfortable the Zips seemed to be against BG's press. I thought they were being too tentative and conservative in passing the ball back and forth so much instead of someone just dribbling through the press and across half court.But when it was all over, it turns out the Zips strategy produced good results. BG was generally unable to capitalize on all the passing by stepping in and grabbing many off.Having said that, I'd be more comfortable if the Zips had at least one guard who could singlehandedly break almost any press. McNees guards the ball pretty well, but takes a long time bringing it upcourt against the press. Hitchens is just the opposite, in that he brings the ball upcourt fast, but too often gets himself in trouble and turns it over. Roberts is somewhere between McNees and Hitchens.I really think the guy who best combines the kind of speed and control that can singlehandedly beat most presses is Steward. As he gets more playing time and more confidence, I think by the end of the year he could be the player the Zips turn to when facing a tough press. The way he can drive from one end of the court to the other and take the ball to the hoop through a forest of taller players is a big bonus.

Weather and the economy always play some role in entertainment event attendance of all kinds. I don't think the best statisticians can give us any more than a broad percentage range for each, so it would be unlikely that anyone on this forum could give anything remotely near specific percentages.I think most of us expected at least a little blip upward this year due to last season's MAC championship and NCAA tournament appearance. And I think most of us expected at least a little increased interest with the arrival of Zeke Marshall. But these potential small increases could easily be offset by other variables, including the economy and weather.Big attendance increases require either big changes over the short run or consistent excellence over the long run. For example, if the Zips had beaten all of this season's opponents by double digits and were creating a big national buzz, I have no doubt attendance would be up from what it is now. Likewise, if Zeke had magically transformed over the summer from a good HS player into a dominant D1 center averaging a triple double every game, the big national buzz would surely have resonated in Akron with increased attendance. Finally, if the Zips had started this season in a cool new arena, that would also have led to at least some increased attendance.Absent all of these big short-term changes, we're left with the long-term option of grinding out consistent excellence. That could be achieved by the Zips upsetting many higher-ranked teams they play, and being upset fewer times by lower-ranked teams. Or it could be achieved with a string of MAC championships and a couple of NCAA tournament upsets.But that's like watching an oak tree grow. If you come out and measure it every morning, you're bound to be disappointed at the growth rate. It takes years to build a consistent championship-caliber program the right way, with a coaching staff and players of good character. Calculating the exact rate of growth is purely speculative. But if you build the right kind of team and the right kind of facility, more fans will surely follow.

North Carolina and Michigan State played for the national championship last year. At the end of the season, by the rules of the NCAA tournament, they were the two best teams in the land. They have two of the strongest programs in college basketball. Their out of conference schedules include some really tough teams as well as some teams that some Zips fans would complain about if they were on the Zips schedule.If you were a Michigan State or North Carolina fan, which of the following opponents would you be griping about your team scheduling?MSU:Florida Gulf CoastToledo Valparaiso Wofford Citadel Oakland Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne University of Texas-ArlingtonUNC:Florida International University North Carolina Central ValparaisoGardner-Webb Presbyterian MarshallAlbanyCollege of Charleston

Too many facts spoil the fun. Please don't dilute the entertainment of watching otherwise sober adults emotionally hyperventilating over negative perceptions by researching and posting all this factual garbage. ;)The Zips are neither as awful as their worst detractors imply nor as great as their most fervent supporters may wish. They're an above average D1 team of good young men who are entertaining to watch, even when they break their fans' hearts by losing winnable games against higher-rated teams. I will continue to feel good about the Zips as long as they remain on an upward trajectory of continuous improvement.