Zip Watcher

In year's past, hasn't the Lizard been the Miami or Can't State HQ?

Team & Staff: All you need to know is that the Nation will be out in full force to support your efforts on Monday night. We appreciate what you've laid out this year, and look fowrward to several more games this season. Go Zips!!

I couldn't agree more that this draw is pretty favorable: - No Can't State, OU or Miami until the finals. Basically playing the West while the rest of the East plays in the other half of the bracket. - Miami could likely have to play BG then Can't or OU .. that's a tough draw for a #1 seed. - EMU played a great game today it appears & they will come to play. If I remember right, there is some size on that club, so the glass will need some attention. - It was mentioned by French during the UB game that "No team that has played on Monday has gone on to win the MAC tournament in Gund Arena" .. that's amazing!! But it can't last forever. I think the 2 and 3 seeds aren't as strong right now as the 4-7 are IMHO. Let's Go ZIPS! How about a full house on Monday! I think it needs to be done!

I think this was a tough loss for the Zips. Maybe tougher on us fans who have let our expectations race way ahead of where this program currently is. I'm extremely guilty of that today. Probably the only game in the entire conference slate where they didn't have the opportunity to win late. 16 is certainly their largest margin of defeat this year. Given that Can't, Miami and OU have all suffered 20+ point beatings this year, I have to remind myself that this isn't a terrible thing. Some thoughts after a little break from the game & reading some other posts: - I have to say that I didn't really consider the refs a factor in this game. I'm probably a minority in this today and most days. I guess I feel like the refs are pretty much like the dead spots in the old Boston Garden floor: They're a part of the game and good teams will adapt to the environment in which they're playing. Refs are a part of that environment. This isn't to say I think the MAC refs are great .. they're probably pretty average. But to those that think the MAC should spend more, you should be aware that many of these guys are also Big 10 and other larger conference refs. I didn't feel they impacted the outcome of this one. - My comment in the earlier thread during the game was probably a bit harsh. Basically my observation of the second half is that it's the first time that frustrations took the Zips out of their game, both offensively and defensively. It was clear by about the 16 minute mark that the shooting frustrations were starting to affect the defensive intensity. I think it says a lot about this team that this was the first time this has happened ALL SEASON. The defense simply broke down in the second half. - In general during this game, the Zips did not take care of the ball well. I agree with another poster (Z-Pouch) that the shot percentage and turnovers weren't necessarily a result of the Bulls D. There were times where passes were just headed nowhere in particular. - I think the rebounding in the first half was solid and was a big improvement over the past 5 games or so. Given the opponent's size inside, I take that away as a positive from the first half today. When the wheels came off late, the rebounding margin got out of control, but in the 1st half, it was ok. - Perhaps the sibling thing played a role, but Cedric played a hell of a game today. 6-11 from the floor is a pretty good shooting night for him. I've thought that he's defended well all year, but tonight his shooting came around. The biggest thing I think he brought was that he attacked the basket. This is one weak point I've seen the past few games with our backcourt if there is one: there is much more dribbling on the perimeter now than a couple of weeks ago. The team needs to advance the ball and attack the basket more .. Cedric did that today nicely. - If you take CM's shots out of the team totals, the Zips shot 12 for 56 as a team. :blink: - Daryl seems to be coming around. He's still our best scorer & we'll need good nights from him to win a few games this week. - The passing and TO's were hard to see today. This team has been MUCH better than this all year. Ultimately, it's a tough loss to a pretty good team. My concerns are only that it's the first time we've seen a chink in the armor of team defense & team attitude. There was some friction evident in the second half. Born of frustration I'm sure. How they respond will be a good indicator of the mental maturity of this young club. I anticipate a good bounce back. I think the tourney draw is a good one if you have to play on Monday. The last game against Eastern was the tale of two games: In one the Zips blew EMU off the floor for about 30 minutes. In the other, the Zips couldn't get the ball over half court and nearly gave up a 25 point lead. Eastern took UT to 2 OT's today, so they're not to be taken lightly, as even Marshall showed today. Some good shooting will cure a lot of ills. This makes about a 3 game stretch of struggles from the floor. If they can get some shots to drop, I like our chances against anyone in the league. Looking forward to a win Monday and a Zips game at the Gund. Go Zips!! oh yeah .. and:

Agreed

Never thought for a moment that the Zips would mail this one in, but they did. Hope they can leave this behind in NY and get up for what should be a winnable game against Eastern on Monday. I sure enjoy the JAR, but was hoping not to see it again until November. See you on Monday.

Don't we need an OU win to get the tiebreaker? Somebody should get a memo to Joyce & Travis to let them know .... This is U G L Y ugly.

Seems like the Zips are assured of staying out of the 8-9 game no matter what. A win today gives them the 3 seed at worst. Big game that will be nice to have. I'm sure UB will be packed & rocking with the Senior night. Here's hoping that the Bulls come out stressed and over emotional a little bit. I'm sure KD's boys will come to play. Some quick thoughts: - A win gives them 4 days off .. no doubt that RT can use the blow at this point in the season. - 7 point win against the Herd when the Zips played that poorly is a sign of a good team. Nice to get away with one like that when you have an off night. - 2-3 Zone gave the Zips fits, and we almost saw the Zone Buster Nick Goddard there for a bit. Knocking down some threes opened things up. I'm thinking we'll see Nick bomb away again before the year is over. - UB appears to struggle from outside. This will be a challenge for Travis, Futch, Preston & Meyers to contain things inside and not get obliterated on the boards. Force the Bulls to win the game outside where they struggle. - As I recall from the game at the JAR, UB really froze up against the special sauce 1-1-3 zone in the second half. Could be related to frustrations outside, but it really brought their offense to a halt. I look to see that a bit today. -UB is a very good team, and worthy of every effort. I think the 4.5 point spread is about right. Rick and Bubba haven't been great from outside lately, but if they can get it going early and keep things open a bit more inside for Romeo and Daryl to go to work, the Zips could have a good afternoon. I'm very pumped to be reading about the Zips in "bubble watch" and considering if they can get a top 3 seed. Great job by the team and staff. Let's go get the Bulls and then bring the Nation north to shake the Gilbert .... er .. Gund. GoZips!

Hard to say how it will shake out, but for my money, Stovall was the best player I saw in person this year.

Did some looking into what the records would be with all of the scenarios out there for Saturday & Here's what I think I've found: 1. If the Zips win on Saturday, the bye is theirs, no tiebreaker's needed. 2. If the Zips lose on Saturday, they will NOT have an opportunity to get the bye. It will really then fall to OU / WMU or BG. 3. Should UA lose & OU win, OU gets the bye with no tiebreakers required (for the bye) Note: All of the following scenarios assume the following (some of which I'm not 100% certain is correct): 1. The West winner is determined first among just those teams tied from the West. 2. After the West is determined, the winner is removed from the H2H tiebreaker calcs (??????) 3. These all will require a Zips loss & an OU loss. Some scenarios: WMU loses, UT & BG win => 7 way tie at 11-7 This is well documented elsewhere, but would result in the following H2H records: WMU 5-3,OU 6-4, UA 5-5,UT 4-4, BG 4-5, Can't State 4-5, UB 4-6 I believe that in this case, UT will take the West (TB w/ WMU & BG), and WMU gets the bye. Records subtracting UT: WMU 5-2, OU 5-4, UA 4-4, Can't State 4-4, BG 3-5, UB 3-6 WMU Wins, UT & BG win => 6 way tie @ 11-7 In this case WMU wins the West outright. The records of the tied 6 against each other are as follows: BG 4-3, OU 5-4, UA 5-4, Can't State 4-4, UT 3-4, UB 3-5 BG takes the bye. WMU & BG lose, UT wins => 6 way tie @ 11-7 Tied records: OU 5-3, Can't State 4-4, WMU 3-3, UT 3-3, UA 4-5, UB 4-5 The west is determined by UT's win against WMU and the remaining records are: WMU 3-2, OU 4-3, Can't State 4-3, UA 3-4, UB 3-5 That leaves WMU with the bye, I think. WMU & UT lose, BG wins => 6 way tie @ 11-7 Tied records: WMU 5-2, OU 5-4, UA 4-4, Can't State 4-4, BG 3-5, UB 3-6 WMU wins the West since they swept BG, the remaining records become: BG 3-2, UA 4-3, Can't State 4-3, OU 4-4, UB 3-2 BG takes the bye. WMU & BG win, UT loses => 5 way tie @ 11-7 WMU wins the West outright, similar scenario as above. Tied records are: BG 3-2, UA 4-3, Can't State 4-3, OU 4-4, UB 3-2 BG takes the bye. WMU & UT win, BG loses => 5 way tie @ 11-7 WMU wins the West outright. Tied records are: OU 4-3, Can't State 4-3, UA 4-3, UB 3-4, UT 2-3 OU takes the bye (both 1-1 vs. MIA, OU 1-0 vs. WMU) WMU wins, BG & UT lose => 4 way tie @ 11-7 WMU wins the West outright, tied records are: Can't State 4-3, UA 3-3, OU 3-3, UB 2-4 Can't State takes the bye. I'm not sure these are all the permutations, did this pretty quickly. But it would appear that Can't State and UB are entirely out of the running for a bye in the MAC tournament. If anyone cares to check my math on the records, I'd appreciate a heads up if I missed some numbers. Also, a clarification on what happens if one of the tied teams actually wins the West would help. Are their games still considered in the H2H tiebreak? This would affect scenarios 3 and 4 in OU's favor if these games were still included. Back to work for me ..

Hey Rifle! The MAC Tourney Final is always broadcast nationally by ESPN or one of it's networks. In the past few years since the move to the Gund, I believe that FSN has broadcast the semi-finals regionally also. I read somewhere on another MAC-related board that the quarters might be on ESPN U (the new college network), but I have no other verification of this. Not sure where you are (MI?) but if the Zips make the Finals, you'll see them live if the curiosity doesn't drive you to come in and see them live. Hop on Board!! ZW

Thanks for the kind words, but there's much more work to be done here. Look for a refreshing of the overall look sometime soon. We wanted to add the front page to better position the Nation w/ google. We do pretty well with a yahoo search, but we're still 2nd & 3rd page on the google. Stay tuned ..

Come show some love for Mario, Rick & Nick as they play their last regular season home game at the JAR tonight against Marshall. It may be your last chance to see these fine Zips in the JAR. Here are some of todays pre-game news items: GoZips.Com: Men's Basketball Faces Marshall In Regular-Season Home Finale Akron Beacon Journal: McFadden nearing end of road Cleveland Plain Dealer: Scroll halfway down to the important stuff. Herald-Dispatch: Bench players key for Marshall Herald-Dispatch (that's right - TWO stories!): Notebook: Marshall still seeking momentum for tourney. MAC Official Site: MAC Men's Basketball race crowded at the top Join the discussion in the Basketball Forum

With 2 games left, the Zips & Miami would appear to have the easier games. OU, Can't State & UB have brutal schedules, all playing both games against 10 win teams. UA and MU get the Herd in the final week to balance against games against UB and Can't State, respectively. The scenarios are numerous & have been attempted everywhere. What do you see happening?

Swept by the flushes in 2 tight contests. Miami would go on to lose to BGSU on Sunday afternoon, so this one hurts a little more today. Below are some links and the official boxscore for Saturday night's loss: GoZips.Com: Zips edged by Can't State, 73-68 Boxscore: (from GoZips.Com) Akron Beacon Journal: Prime time shot, good night Zips Cleveland Plain Dealer: Elton wasn't at the same game we were. Record Courier: You need to pay to even see the headlines (nice site)! Discuss the result in the Basketball Forum

Z-P it's always been there .. you've got no warnings ... 0%. The boxes go red when there's been a warning ... You're fine Padre!

I'm curious to know what the Nation thinks about this all important game! Let's hear it. PS .. several Nation members have been staring at the ROLL CALL for a day and haven't stood up to be counted. Let's see some slugs posting there!

The time is now 3:48 on 25 February 2005, 1 day+ to the next big game, and 10 days until the Zips begin MAC Tourney Play. I think it's time for a ZN.O roll call! I motion the following: He who agrees with the motion shall post here! If you're reading this. Take a moment to stand up and be counted among the ZipsNation!!!

Coming or going? From/to where? Hope it's a leisure trip to the Greek Isles or some Mediterranean resort. Great new sig by the way

I agree the upper sightlines can blow at the MACC. If I was sure that I could get there early, I'd have gone the GA route and saved myself the $5 per seat, but I'm just not willing to risk not seeing the scoreboard, so I'm in Section 8 in the back of it. If you get there early, GA is the way to go, since you can be well within the baselines and low enough to see the score. GoZips!

Just bought some upper reserved from Can't State ticket office. Not so many reserved left. I'm in the last row of upper reserved. So get 'em while they're hot! This isn't a game to be missed!

I agree about open looks for RT. How many dunks did he have in the JAR? 4? More? I'm not a basketball coach, but I play one in my mind, so here are some quick thoughts: 1. Defend the perimeter. Don't give Edwin, Haynes & Youngblood the chance to beat you. Keep them from getting open looks and force them to dribble in or look for an entry pass. I think the Zips have enough bodies to defend Warz, Cutley & Gerwig inside. We've got 4 guys to their 2 1/2 (Gerwig injury) .. we can be agressive in the middle and still defend the perimeter. With turnovers & breakouts, the Zips should get more shots than Can't State .. so I'd force them into settling for 2pters & not let Edwin get going. 2. Don't buy ANY pump fakes from Cutley outside 10'. I've seen enough games that I know he won't take any jumper outside 10 or 12 feet. He pump fakes to open up the drive. He's pretty good going to the hole against most MAC big men, so don't buy the fake & give him a step. Make him hit the jumper to beat you. BG figured that out in the second half. Helped them. 3. Be aware that Warz on the other hand CAN knock down the outside J .. he nearly beat BG in the second half. 4. Bring the energy & intensity of your best defense to this game. Can't played their best defense of the season at the JAR. Make them do it a second time if they want to beat the Zips. The numbers (# of guys in the rotation) should favor the Zips if they can get out and run a bit. Intense defense will lead to some turnovers & fast breaks. Bottom Line: If the Zips find a way to open the game up to the full court, I like their chances. A win in this game goes a long way to sealing up the first round bye. GoZips!!! .com

Before my time posting on the boards .. would have been interesting. FYI. Today the 24th was the 1st Birthday of ZipsNation.Org. Happy Birthday to us. Happy Birthday to us. Happy Birthday to ZN.O Happy Birthday to us.

I watch Bubba come out a lot .. & I think he's like that because he thinks he should make EVERY shot. Bubba has high expectations of himself, and when it isn't dropping .. he gets ticked off .. that's what I see when he comes out. This team REALLY wants to win .. and it shows.

Two thoughts on this: 1. I sit directly across from the bench and have a good view of things. My observation is that DP was frustrated with having an off night, moreso than PT. Let's not read too much into that. He'll always be back with energy and intensity. We all need to take a DEEP breath and understand that things are going pretty well. We don't need to look for something to worry about. Let's worry about the next game and getting over to the MACC to support our guys. Our guys are playing their hearts out and the entire team has bought into the team concept of KD .. no exceptions. Let's not dig for problems that aren't there. 2. A second note to the Wadsworth people: WE ALL LIKE GODDARD TOO .. just because he didn't play last night doesn't meant that: "there are several players unhappy with playing time" .. "people are going to transfer" ... etc. etc. etc. Get over it and decide whether or not you support the Zips. Nick helps this team every night by the efforts he puts in during practice. He will have additional opportunities in his career (THREE More years!!!) to knock down big shots for the Zips. Stop with this conspiracy crap .. freshmen never play as much as they think they might. Bottom line, if you watch the bench during the games this year .. and compare it to prior years .. these guys are on board with the Zips . I suggest you decide if you're on board or off .. and drop the doomsday trolling. Note: These comments not meant for Hilltopper .. he just made an observation .. not a doomsday prediciton.