GoZips

If Dakota Euton leaves, there is an open scholarship. Oh, did I mention that Dakota Euton IS leaving? Well, he is headed for a Div-II school. Its been confirmed. And, no, don't bother asking me to reveal my source(s). Other tip I picked up is that right now Nikola is leaning toward staying one more year. But, its not cast in concrete. Credit to DaveInGreen in an earlier post. He was right on target.

First off ... I could not find any reference to Euton on Bobkitties. Not say that its not there. Just that with extensive looking I found zero reference to Euton on that board. Euton with his size is well suited to play with his back to the basket. Zeke was not comfortable with it at first. It is a learned skill. Euton is certainly capable. Plus, backing Zeke insures plenty of PT minutes. Much more so than competing with the plethora of forwards. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on some one's part. Ohio has a well known and recent history of poaching. Slime does that.

Two MAC teams made it to the quarter finals (eight team field). Most likely they wont butt heads until the championship round. Ohio and Buffalo are good conference reps. Post season has been good to the MAC.

Like possibly Athens, Ohio?

Making the NCAA field is much tougher of an accomplishment. The rub on the NCAA is getting slapped with a fifteen seed and having to play a two seed in their backyard where the two seed has a huge local following. Akron was one of several lower seeds that suffered this cruel fate. Eleven, twelve, thirteen and fourteen seeds often can advance because their big name opponent is disinterested and sometimes simply "folds the tent". Not so for fifteen and sixteen seeds who are just cannon fodder for one and two seeds. Teams that have a legitimate shot at the National Championship. On the other hand, advancing in the NIT is a lot easier as your opponents are often name teams that had an off year. The Thugs are advancing from a horrible seventh seed much to their credit. If my team is young, I would prefer to go the NIT route. If my team is senior laden, then I want a shot at the NCAAs.

I totally disagree with the entire thrust of this post. Everything about the CBI and the CIT is small time. It is a tournament funded almost entirely by the individual schools that "participate." There is no media coverage for these "tournaments", they don't have any history behind them. Heck, 99% of college basketball fans probably can't even tell you the format of these "events" or how the "champion" is determined without having to go look it up. If anyone on here can name last years "champion" for these events off the top of their head I would be floored. If you want to question people's fanhood for not showing up to these games that is your decision. Personally, I can't fault anyone for not wanting to attend these games. Just because all of us aren't season ticket holders who attend every home game and travel to roadies whenever we can doesn't mean we aren't fans. Many of us simply don't have the money to do that. I know for myself and many others, we would rather save our money, not attend these joke "tournaments" and put that cash into going to another game or two next season. Well, Quick. I suppose that we can place you in the "attendee" category. College coaches love these small tournaments for several reasons. Not the least of which is the opportunity to keep practicing and playing. On the plus side as well, is getting a chance or two to play schools you normally can not get on your schedule. I'm with Dave, I'll be there.

how can they be the best overall players when they have never played a collegiate game in their life? It took until the 8th post for someone to be realistic? I caution people about this all the time. It's fun to dream about the future, but it would be just as easy to predict that any of these guys will be a bust as opposed to a star at this point in time. Getting any kind of significant production out of a newcomer in the earlier part of their career is an ABSOLUTE luxury. Even getting some quality play can never be expected. Just look at the various new players that have come and gone from here in the last several years. This year's Zips team was a typical example. We had a lot of new players on the roster, but we had a reasonable expectation of success because of the players that had already played, and what we knew of their proven abilities at this level. The good contributions we got from the new players were a bonus. That's the way it usually goes. The most accurate perspective right now is to imagine what will happen next year with the players who have spent time on the floor, and HOPE for a little extra from some new guys. While I agree that you can't get too excited, I feel like the size and athleticism Treadwell and Harney possess will, at the very least, make them rotation guys next year. Also, Walsh and Gilliam should make easy transitions, as both have practiced with the team all season. I think KD will roll with a 10 man rotation, at least to start the season: 1st Unit C-Marshall F-Cvetinovic F-Diggs G-McClanahan G-Abreu 2nd Unit F-Harney F-Egner F-Treadwell G-Gilliam G-Walsh And If Nik's gone: 1st Unit C-Marshall F-Egner F-Diggs G-McClanahan G-Abreu 2nd Unit F-Euton F-Harney F-Treadwell G-Gilliam G-Walsh As others have previously stated, it will be cool to watch the talent we have compete for PT, and to see KD put together a rotation from what may be the most talented roster he's had in Akron. Looks like you put some good thought into this. A couple of points to consider: Treadwell is a big, man sized body most suitable to play the power forward. Thus, he is likely compete with Josh Egner for the PF position. Egner needs to continue to build his strength and game. Harney, while athletic is more of a reed than either Treadwell or Egner. Which slots the "new" Nik to the small forward. Until Harney gets up to speed look for a three guard line up utilizing Nitro as the wing. Harney is more of a true small forward and will by MAC time be up to speed. Diggs needs to upgrade several components of his game to get into the starting rotation. Nice things about Diggs, he can play small forward, wing guard, shooting guard or the point. But, until he gets his emotions under control and improves certain elements of his game such as ball handling, dribbling left handed better, reading the defenses and recognizing that he is part of a team he will not be a starter. In my eyes Diggs could be a great sixth man, that is, if his ego can handle it. He sure has the tools to be an excellent first man off the bench. Euton is a true center. Like Zeke, Dakota can play with his back to the basket. Euton probably will see floor time both as a center and as a power forward. I think Dakota is most valuable as a back up center. Time will tell. The rotation could go eleven or even twelve deep early on as the coaches sort out the best combinations. The athleticism will be amazing and fun to watch. Especially if you like alley-oops and dunks and blocked shots. After struggling with a thin back court in 2010-11 next season will have a rich, deep back court. The weakness here will be the relative inexperience with only Abreu and Diggs having any time as a Zip on the floor. However, I do not think that will be a real obstacle as Walsh, Gilliam and the two freshmen guards will make the battle for playing time an excitement all its own. We can now go tall or small in the back court and all the guards are shooters. Perhaps Mike Green will step up and provide even more front court depth. While the Zips wont start the season as a top twenty-five team, by MAC tournament time, when they are peaking, they well could be a top twenty-five team. For once, the talent is rich and deep. So, you are correct.

You should PM Hilltopper .. he's taking his '72 MicroBus .. he can probably fit one more. Ya know, I rode to Chiland and back with Hilltopper. Oddly, his '72 Microbus morphed into a 2011 GMC Terrain. Nice ride. Thanks, Hilly.

Kyle Peterson did get in the game. I saw him on the floor. As for Euton; I would not read too much into that. Players like CJ and Kyle are rewarded for their dedication and effort. Its a kudo. Euton has real potential in that he can play with his back to the basket. That makes him a true center ala Zeke. It is far more wise to polish such a rare gem than discard it. Guessing now: Treadwell could be 6-8 and well over 220# by next season. Egner and Harney both need to bulk up by living in the weight room. I speculate that the Zips will be just fine by the start of next season. That they would tender an offer to another SG for 2013 speaks volumes about how they view the front court players. Look for more of the double power forward set. That baffled opponents more than once. Heard also that Michael Greene is coming along nicely and that Chauncey Gilliam is closer to falling off the back of the wagon. Rumors, just rumors.

Buffalo squeaks by Western Michigan 49-48 to advance to the quarter finals. Of note, the attendance at WMU was 1235. Hmmmmm, they love big time basketball in Kalamazoo.

I think that a whole lot of Zips fans (me included) agee with you.

FIRST ROUND MONDAY (March 14) Buffalo 75, Quinnipiac 68 TUESDAY (March 15) Ohio 65, Marshall 64 East Tennessee State 76, Furman 63 Jacksonville 71, East Carolina 66 (OT) Northern Iowa 84, Rider 50 Air Force 77, North Dakota 67 Santa Clara 68, Northern Arizona 63 Hawaii 76, Portland 64 WEDNESDAY (March 16) Western Michigan 74, Tennessee Tech 66 Iona 85, Valparaiso 77 SMU 64, Oral Roberts 57 (OT) San Francisco 81, Idaho 73 SECOND ROUND FRIDAY (March 18) Santa Clara 88, Air Force 75 SATURDAY (March 19) Buffalo (19-13) @ Western Michigan (21-12) 2:00 p.m. Jacksonville (20-11) @ SMU (18-14) 3:00 p.m. San Francisco (18-14) @ Hawaii (19-12) 1:00 a.m. QUARTERFINALS (March 21-22) East Tennessee State (23-11) vs. TBD Northern Iowa (20-13) vs. TBD Ohio (19-15) vs. TBD Iona (23-11) vs. TBD SEMIFINALS (March 25) 2011 CIT CHAMPIONSHIP (March 30) FORMAT: 12 teams will advance with four teams receiving a bye into the quarterfinals, based on seeding. The seeding will be determined using RPI, strength of schedule, conference ranking and geographical location. The tournament format is similar to that of the old NIT model, which had not pre-set bracket, with the results from the previous round determining the matchups in the next round. Ideally teams can be kept within their geographic region to cut down on travel.

KD already knows what I wrote. I speak with him frequently. In case you haven't figured it out; it was my advice about cutting back on running so many offensive sets. And, why the snide? Because I think he knows what he's doing. anyway, i think a long post criticizing your "friend" isn't the way to go about it, but whatev. I'm sorry. I did not realize that coaches live in ivory towers and are above it all. Most coaches are constantly seeking advice and information (called "tips"). Sorry that you read what I write as criticizism. It certainly is not intended as so. I am just and old, dumb ox who has forgotten so much.

GP1, an excellent topic. Resilient. The team repeatedly over came adversity and continued to grow all season. Knocked flat more than once, nee against Cant in the MAC championship game early and against Notre Dame early, the kids rebounded and made game. This was typical of the season. A weak 12-10 record followed by a long win streak. The players stumbling then growing. They stayed the course and were rewarded with a trip to the Dance. I believe it all bodes well for next season. Speculation is that the Zips will be even better next season and I agree.

Nice, well thought out post.

KD already knows what I wrote. I speak with him frequently. In case you haven't figured it out; it was my advice about cutting back on running so many offensive sets. And, why the snide?

I would rather hope that this was a wake-up call for the coaching staff. The Zips do not finish around the rim. This was glaringly obvious against Notre Dame. The problem is not just Zeke, its all of the players. The kids drive the hoop and take their eyes off the target for one reason or another. They just do not follow through on the attack. They need a lot more practice and coaching on attacking the basket close in. This spills over into offensive rebounding. The percentage of times the Zips gets the offensive rebound is poor. Some of it may be our runts against their bigs. So, why aren't our bigs giving weak side help? Come on, coaches, forget the two hundred and sixty-seven plays and concentrate on play close in to the basket. Some one teach Quincy when to drive the basket. Q needs to learn the"floor" and drive when the situation is ripe for a score and dish off when the lane is closed. Diggs still seems to not understand that he is on a team. He has the potential to be a great and memorable Zip player. To bring up a sore subject ... Quincy, get your emotions under control. You commit more cheap fouls in a game than your team mates do in a season. You do not retaliate opponent's cheap shots. You shrug them off. Q you will continue to take cheap shots as long as you present that attitude. The opponents will pick up on it and deliberately attack you knowing you will react badly and give them an edge.

I'd bet most people who call themselves college basketball fans can't keep their attention on one of these game for more than 10 minutes. They really don't like them and the network has to switch to games to try to keep fans watching. They are a waste of time. By your (sic) logic it seems plausible to eliminate the NCAA tournament and just award the National Championship based on sports writers votes. To me, the NCAA and the rest of the tournaments are a fun time and a reward for the work the kids did. No one will remember or care about the outcome of any of these tournaments in a few weeks. I follow all the tournaments and root on the MAC schools; yes, even the Flushers.

Mike Wilbon is an excellent writer and brings up topics nobody else will. Weren't George Mason and Cleveland State conference champions when they got in the NCAAs? If we made the conference tournaments mean something and reduced the sized of the field, those schools would still be in the same position. Most basketball Cinderella stories in the NCAA Tournament end up with Cinderella being put out of her misery living the rest of her days as an old single spinster. Oh yeah. Wilbon is so fantastic. He lied and made up lies about Rush Limbaugh. When caught in his lies Wilbon refused to retract his remarks. Oh yeah. Wilbon is a truthful much respected writer. The hell he is. Wilbon is a lying hack. Grow up.

There is something wrong with this report. Universities are not allowed to even contact a high school player until after they complete their Sophomore season. I think this information is bogus. Besides, the Zips need to recruit a couple of "bigs".

A truism. They now notice Butler, Gonzaga and George Mason. Its a start.

Mike Wilbon is a hack writer. His opinions and view points are as useful as used TP. I think it was an eleven seeded George Mason that scared the crap out of the "bigs" a few years back. A thirty-two team field only makes the tournament more biased. Fourteenth seeded Cleveland State has twice knocked off a "big" in the first round. So have others. There can never be a Cinderella if only the elites play. How exciting is that? A better solution is to expand the tournament. To say, ninety-six teams, or 128 teams, or even an all inclusive tournament. Actually, a sixty-four team field without the hokey play-in games is just fine. Stop pandering to the "elites". Speaking of pandering. How about the extra advantage given the elites in the form of venue? tOSU plays their first round games in Cleveland in a sea of scarlet and grey. Gonzaga played Akron in Portland a nest of Gonzaga fans. Notre Dame will be handicapped by playing a "home" game against Akron in Chicago a horrible ninety miles from campus. Isn't having the better seed advantage enough?

Read the text of game summary. He did not mess anything up.

The above just about sums it all up, nicely. I watched the Cant vs. St. Mary's game last night from beginning to delightful end. Some observations: The announcers sucked at giving kudos to the MAC. They made Cant out to be the only worthy team in the MAC. No mention of Akron beating Cant until about ten minutes into the game when they ran a short high light clip. A six seed had no business upsetting the mighty Flushes according to them. No mention that the two teams split during the regular season. Akron just got lucky the way they put it. St. Mary's knew how to stop Cant by doubling Greene and staying on the perimeter shooters. When they followed the script Cant was mighty frustrated and probably having flashbacks to Saturday night. St. Mary's discovered that MAC opponents are as tough as an old, oily rag to chew on. Nice win for the Portage County team. Did any one notice the co-incidence between Cant's opponent and the Zips opponent? Both schools are named after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Notre Dame literally means. "Our Lady". Both schools are Irish oriented. Both schools are Catholic institutions. And, you can bet that the Blessed Mother is none to pleased to with ND for sucking up to obama the most anti-life man to ever hold the Presidential office. I believe she is rooting for the Zips.

Who was the Harriet who said, "no one in the MAC plays above the rim". Oh, that was youuuuu..... Elton.