Zip Watcher

They weren't ready to play last night. In fact, they were terrible the first 5-7 minutes of the game. The players found it within themselves to play better after that. Let me get this straight. You're saying Akron won in spite of their coach last night? No negatives here. The Zips won for all the right reasons. They won because our group of players played better than their group of players over a 45 minute game. During the first 5-7 minutes of that game, the Zips were terrible followed by Can't being terrible for a 5-7 minute period. The Zips were sleepwalking at the beginning of the game. Both teams were well coached and the refs were not a factor. The Zips played good, cohesive D from the opening tip. They couldn't get shots to fall in that early period, but the D was there & kept them in it. Much different from a sleep walk. Defense won this championship .. they forced Can't State into making jumpshots & not layups .. and Can't State didn't make enough of them.

Fixed.

oddly enough .. other than the hair trigger T on Quincy .. Boroski has been solid this weekend.

More than anything else, I think this tournament is about the Zips .. and less so their opponents. - The Zips need to play together. This means sharing the ball on offense & communicating on defense. It's no secret that the 7 game streak coincided with good D, and a high A:TO ratio. I think it's pretty much that simple. They play together & communicate on D .. and I think we've got a good shot to see 3 Zips games this weekend at the Q. B) Go Zips!

I'll take "it was the grand daughter" for $100, Alex. On the upper right, just below the gold bar, but above the thread posts, there's an "options" button. Click that, and check your display mode. My guess is that you got switched over to linear or something. Choose "standard" and it should return to normal. Go Zips!

I really don't care how often you see them. You're part of the apology train. I make no apologies for anyone. It's not about how much I see them, it's about how little you see them. You remain uniformed about what is actually happening game over game, year over year on the court. Not so. For the past few years, the offense was not up tempo, not push it. It was set up to go to the beast on the block and work the half court set for open looks. While he's wanted to be up tempo .. I think this year is the closest he's gotten to that. At times. 2010-11: 57 spg 2009-10: 50 spg 2008-09: 54 spg 2007-08: 53 spg 2006-07: 56 spg Most shots per game this season compared to the last 5. You're the guy who beats the drum that you need to score more to be a better team .. you think it's simple. Well, more chances help you score more, and this team is generating more chances than the past. Significantly more than last season. Next season, I think it continues to go up. GP1 is the only one calling this re-building. The program is on a sustained run of success. KD & the staff are working to further move the program into sustained excellence. Go Zips! B)

When aren't we rebuilding?....... He's been here seven years....how much more rebuilding can we take? There's no rebuilding going on here. I appreciate the reality that you see the Zips on a limited basis, with the stupid STO blackout rules and all. In my opinion, the best description of this season is that it has been a bit of a transition year. The Zips are transitioning from more of a half court based execution team to an up tempo offense & defense. Some of this is actually evidenced by the Zips shots per game count .. I haven't checked, but I'd guess the Zips took more shots in league play than any other team. They have strived to push the ball at most every opportunity the past 6 weeks or so, and the zone D with perimeter pressing has started to come into the game plan. Unlike the NFL, this type of change can't happen overnight with a new coordinator hire & cancelling some player contracts. It does take time to evolve the personnel. Joyce, Middleton & Dials were a lot of things for the Zips. Big winners, heady guards .. good shooters. But they weren't going to press teams and they were only moderately effective on the break. What we're seeing with guys like Abreu, Diggs, Zeke & Egner is a move to players that can get up and down the court more. Next season appears to bring a couple (maybe as many as 3 or 4) more players who fit that system. We will continue to see a move to more 3/4 court defense & up-tempo offense. It's that type of team that will have the best chance of making and sustaining an impact in the NCAA's. KD knows this, and continues to work to make the Zips into that. What I think is good about the program is that they can work through a transition like this and remain relevant in the conference race. For arguably the 6th year in a row, the Zips enter the conference tourney as one of the 2 or 3 teams most likely to cut down the nets. Have they done it every year, no. But you can't win the championship if you don't play for it. And play for it they do .. year in and year out. As the athleticism and size continues to improve .. I think we'll see more separation with the league .. and competitiveness nationally. It simply can't be done at this level without some time to bring in and groom players. My $.02. I see big things this week. B) Go Zips!

I don't think satisfied = complacent. My wife is a great cook. And while I'm satisfied every night with what she is able to whip up after a full day at the office, I still very much look forward to the opportunities to enjoy what Michael Symon or Jonathan Sawyer has to offer.

Who's running for the hills? The Zips .. or their fans? Wow. No way in the world this team starts mailing it in. They lost one game out of their last 8, and only 2 of their last 11, and fans think they've got no chance to win a road game against a team they beat solidly early in the season, when we all will agree, the Zips were no where near as good a team as they have been the last month or so. Have a little faith in the guys. If you don't think they want it more than you do, then you're a fool. As far as the Q, it's in the conference by-laws that the tournament will be renamed the Akron Invitational after the Zips make their 5th final in a row. They're comfortable there. 10-3 the last 4 years. Pretty darn good if you ask me. B) Go Zips!

Good points.

Go Zips! Play Akron Basketball tonight, and this will go your way. B) Go Zips!

OU fan trying to soften up the Zips?

This isn't far enough to the end of the year, Can't should be the last game of the season. Rivalry games should always be that last game...ALWAYS. +1 Especially when there's a bowl bid or division title on the line, as there will be soon. No better way to win the East than by pounding your rival.

You guys can keep bickering about what Steve is and isn't all you want. I think it's simpler than you're making it: I see a winner in a Zips uniform. I see a guy who has generally done what the coaching staff has asked of him. And at times willed his team to win. I see a guy who delivered us a MACC title 2 years ago. A guy who shoots lights out at the Q. Stevo has been clutch for the Zips for the past 3 seasons. We've not had many guards that are better in the past 15 years. I can probably count those on one hand. We've had dozens of guards who aren't fit to carry his gym shoes. Thanks for your meritorious service to the Zips Nation Steve. B) Go Zips!

Being real here for one second, I reflect back to how well the KD-coached Zips offense worked when run through Jeremiah Wood in the post. OK, now I'm back to my usual unreal self ..... +1 Some of our best offenses have been with a big post scorer. This season might be our best balanced offense between inside and out. Wood's senior year, they struggled a bit with balance. This current run has shown really good balance. Zeke will be fine. He'll be way better than fine. He shows glimpses all the time. Even when his O isn't going down .. he's still a factor on defense. His foul trouble is still a concern. The right thing to do, as shown by the results was to make him more of the weak side guy and ride the hot hands (and veterans) in the post. It's working. I was amazed at the difference in treatment McCrea got as compared to Zeke on Saturday. McCrea much more physical .. and as grabby as anyone else .. and if he had 2 fouls called, I don't remember them. Zeke will hang 20 on someone again in the next 2 weeks. B) Go Zips!

I disagree about having Can't State early in the season with one caveat. When the Zips are struggling and won't be competing for a title, and you're sure of it .. which hopefully won't be often. Then I say have the game early. However, when the Zips are where they belong, near the top of the East every year and in the Bowl conversation .. there's no better way to get to the title game or firm up a bowl bid than to have the opportunity to pound your rival, who generally sucks at football, at your house in the final game of the year, lined up with the other rival games in college football. If the season doesn't have potential .. and you're scrambling to sell any tickets .. but the game early. But when this program is where we all want it to be, and it will be soon .. the Wagon Wheel game belongs at the end of the season. Go Zips!

+1 What he said. Go Zips! B) B)

Why do you have to talk that way about other programs? Is it because Akron is the worst team in the worst conference in D1 so it makes you feel better? It's a fact that iCoach is driving away players in maas (he even drove away the "Rudy" award winner) - the fact that they won't see the field is not the issue, the issue is why are all these kids leaving. For every kid that leaves, there is probably at least one other kid that wants to leave but can't since they are on scholarship. The kids that left are thinking they can either stay with a program they hate and possibly see their grades suffer, or transfer to a quality school and still play the game they love. Remember, the main reason for going to college is to learn, not play football. The focus should be on education first, not athletics. So when your attitude about the athletics effect your performance in the classsroom, it is time to move on. For over 99% of these players, this will be the last football they play. Wow...don't get your panties all in a bunch there, killer. The fact is, these kids are transferring to lower divisions. Whatever your feelings about the MAC, if they were so good they could still go to Youngstown State, Delaware, Montana, etc. My guess is either THEY realized, the coaches realized or a combination of their and the coaches realization was this= you are not good enough to play FBS football..even in the MAC!!! Believe it or not, some kids choose a school not because they play D1 football but because of other factors - outrageous I know - but it happens. For you to say these kids aren't good enough to play FBS football just shows your ignorance - but we knew that by reading the first line of your reply. I wish more kids would consider more than just football when deciding where to go. They probably have parents like you telling them - "Hey, Akron is D1 football - you have to go there instead of that other school that you like so much". Some kids just want to play football in college and have a better chance contributing for a longer period of time at a level lower even though they are capable of playing at a higher level. Furthermore, the majority of a teams roster is made up of players that will not see significant playing time - you still need these players to contribute in practice. Seems like the kids aren't buying into what iCoach is trying to sell them. I guarantee you Akron will again not have enough players for a traditional spring scrimmage and we will see another offense vs defense scrimmage. I will be curious to see how many will be on the spring roster. I said that is my GUESS that they came to that realization. I am just looking at what I see. Not speaking in definites here. I'm not about to get in a pissing match with you about this. Kids leave colleges every year for many different reasons. Fair enough. But, as an example, Tate Forcier left Michigan and is going to...Miami (and not the one in the MAC). And, guess what= he looked like an FBS QB last year. So he is probably in the division he belongs. 2 of the players mentioned are going to schools that play, arguably, a much lower level of football than Akron does. Great...if they are more comfortable there...more power to them. Do they get scholarships to play there? Hmm...I am not 100% certain, but I am pretty sure Pioneer schools do not offer scholarships. If this is better for them, their families, etc...great. Sorry, but I am not about to bust on Ianallo and the coaching staff just yet. As someone mentioned in this thread or another, there were many that lambasted Auburn for grabbing Chizik a couple years ago. And, "closer to home", we had Miami (OH) with Haywood at 1-11 go on to win the MAC. He, of course, then went on to do some bad things...but that really doesn't matter does it? Or, maybe it does. Ianello might win 7 games at Auburn just because he can recruit talent there. Doesn't make him a good coach or may be it does. How many quotes can be contained in a single post? It's like a literary Turducken. I'm thinking at least seven. You don't know what you're talking about.

+1 for that. Was cool to see him and say hi. My boy was pumped that he was there.

Nice win by our guys. Brief thoughts: - Felt like the first half was pretty ugly for the Zips .. but to go into the half up 2 after an up and down performance was a good sign. - Zeke had a better game .. settled down a bit and went after the ball. Stepping back from him offensively a bit isn't the worst thing in the world, given the way Nik & McK are rolling at the minute. - For the past few seasons, Miami hasn't really been able to guard the post. It's their weakness, and the Zips do a good job of exploiting that weakness. The Redskinhawks just don't go deep enough to defend the post for 40 minutes. It wouldn't break my heart to see them again in CTown. - Nikola has to be playing himself up to 1st Team All-MAC .. he's having a great season. Whatever he did to settle his emotions and play with passion and focus needs to be shared with Zeke for different reasons. ZM is hard on himself and needs a little amnesia after missed shots and ticky tack fouls. He just needs to go out and play through it. Sometimes I think he's harder on himself than KD or any of the coaches. Lighten up big fella. - McNees with a "quiet" 14? Seems like he's rolling pretty well now, and able to comfortably switch between the 1 and the 2 with AA on the floor. - Rotations are looking good. A solid 9 deep with not many minutes over 30 for any players. That will help keep them fresh and (hopefully) healthy down the stretch. A look over at the minutes distribution for Miami reveals a few guys playing heavy minutes. - The balance is getting pretty good among the guys, and you can sense from courtside that they believe they're going to pound the other team. While running the offense, there's not much uncertainty .. they're in pretty good sync right now on both ends of the floor. Nice run of poultry .. now for some BEEF! Buckle up for the ride, it's looking like it's going to be a great one. B) Go Zips!

+2

You know who the donor that funds this event is, right?

Great news indeed. It's becoming a habit up there. Go Zips! B)

The other question I have is this: If these guy's numbers are hung in the JAR rafters, why are 3 or 4 of the numbers still in use on the court? What's the point?

Zips are having a great run of dining on poultry lately. Tonight is no different. I see a big game coming from Zeke tonight. Opens up the outside for the shooters. Zips dine well on their 4th bird in a row .. cover the spread. Go Zips! B) B)