GJGood

I would welcome a bowl game after a 6-6 season with open arms. Postseason appearances will only help the programs.

KD should ask Shaka about this. Shaka considers the VCU run in the CBI being the springboard to the Rams' Final Four season. I'm not saying the Zips make the Final Four in 2015-16 if they continue to play but I do think it can be a springboard and provide experience. The rotation can be switched up, minutes can be given differently, Pat wouldn't have to play if not 100%. The bottom line is that playing on won't make anything worse and it could make things better for next year. I am sure most of the players do care and want to play on.

Sure, but wouldn't it do more to give the depth on the roster more experience and let the seniors play a game/ some games where they get the type of minutes they have been clamouring for? I believe, barring extreme circumstances, you should always take the opportunities you are given. There are always things to work on for the future. Is a postseason tourney needed? no. Should it be desired, knowing you can play the players in the most beneficial way possible for the future? In my opinion, yes.

I want this team to get better for next year, The best way to do that is get as much experience as possible when you can. Are we really too big for a tournament we've never been able to get a win in? Heck, the program only has two national postseason wins in Division 1 EVER. That needs to change and these guys could do it.

I say it would be good to go play and give more minutes than normal to the young guys like Aaron Jackson and Malcolm Walters. It can only help them and the program in the future. I also would like to see Big Dog continue playing if for nothing else than to help him continue to get in shape. Lastly, I say go and give the two seniors more minutes than they have usually gotten. I say go because you don't have to give Antino, and especially Pat, a large number of minutes. You don't have to play it the same way you would if it was the MAC tourney or something like the NCAA tournament.

I actually just started a topic on this. I get what you are saying but don't necessarily agree with turning down a postseason invite. If they were to accept there would be a few days to rest before playing and games would not be back to back but rather spaced closer to what they are in the regular season. As far as Pat goes I could see them shutting him down for the CBI or CiT. I'd like to see more minutes for Big Dog and Kwan to improve their games anyway. I'd also like to see Deji and Nyles get some more time in a Zips uniform. It would also provide a chance for guys like Aaron Jackson and even Malcolm Walters together some added playing time and experience with an eye toward the future. Going forward into the postseason could be seen more as future improvement and a reward to the seniors than about reaching any certain goal this year. I also don't like the thought that the CBI or CiT aren't exciting to us at this point. I mean we've never been able to win a single game in either tourney and haven't won any national postseason game since the NIT a number of years ago now. This program needs a postseason win, or better yet a postseason run.

KD sounds skeptical about wanting to play in the CBI or CiT even though he seemed to indicate that an invite is out there if the team chooses to accept. What are the thoughts of the members of this board? Should Akron accept the invitation? I personally think they should. There are so many young guys on this team that I can only see positives in gaining more experience. For the program as a whole it has been a number of years now since a national postseason victory has taken place. Given a few days rest now, this would be a great chance to finally break that streak. Quite frankly I would have understood turning down an invite last year more than I would understand turning one down this year. I am hoping the players have a strong enough desire to keep playing with and for each other to convince KD that playing in the postseason would be a positive.

Any word on why Aaron Jackson has not played recently. I would have thought his minutes would go up slightly with the injuries and tired legs. I have heard many times that he injects energy into the lineup. When playing so many games in rapid succession wouldn't that be exactly what is needed? Did I miss news of an injury to Aaron? Is he is in KD's "dog house"?

Of course Akron can do it. I don't think they can shooting 20% from deep and only scoring 53 points though. Defense, rebounding, and no foul trouble are the keys tonight.

While I'd love the Big Dance, with the way things went this year I just don't want to be a total wallflower.

The NIT may still be too much to ask. That committee is notorious for taking barely .500 power schools over very good mid-majors plus the at-large field shrinks every time a one bid league regular season conference champion loses in their conference tourney thus claiming an auto-bid in the 32 team field. What I am not sure of is if there is a clear line between or prevailing thought of which would be preferred between the CBI and the CiT. I would think last night's win would go a long way toward an invite to one of those two events if the Zips just don't go ahead and win the NCAA berth. The article below indicates that WMU (who also has 20 wins and Akron defeated three times) has been contacted by the CiT and that Bowling Green (who Akron defeated twice) has already accepted a CiT bid. http://www.mlive.com/broncos/index.ssf/2015/03/western_michigan_likely_to_pla.html

Actually we are the last team Can't did play.

Even the terminology is odd due to the tournament format. Normally when eight teams are left standing the next games are called the quarterfinals but with this format the round before the semifinals consists of two games while six teams remain alive for the title.

I think WMU is a better team than OU overall. My thoughts, though, were as much about the number of fans the opponent would bring. It should be much more of a pro-Zips crowd against WMU. Zips fans may have outnumbered OU fans in Cleveland but not by nearly the same ratio. Any chance the Zips play as well on a Wednesday night as they did on Monday night? If they do, they win. I'm just not counting on them shooting quite as well and we know the Broncos will bring their 'A-game' since we defeated them twice earlier in the season.

I like the idea of rewarding the top teams with a bye as well but I'm not crazy about the format the MAC has now. There is too big of a gap between the 4th seed and the 5th seed in this format which seems like an odd place to put a great divide like that, especially if the difference between 4 and 5 comes down to a second or third tiebreaker scenario. To me part of the beauty of the MAC was always that there is usually so much parity that somebody from down in the pack could win the tourney. The Zips won from the 6th seed the year after Ohio won from the 9th seed. I agree it should be tougher to do that than win from a top seed but this current format just about wipes out any reasonable chance that a true dark horse gets hot and emerges to represent the MAC in the NCAA tournament. When is the last time, and how often in recent memory has, a #1 MAC tourney seed also won a NCAA tourney game? To me at least, it seems that MAC schools usually have a better chance of winning in the NCAA when they have strung together more than just a couple of wins in the conference tourney. I hope you're wrong about tonight but I can see it going either way myself.

So if Noah isn't ready to play decent minutes in the early portion of next season would there be any temptation to have him use a redshirt for next year given that he still has the option available and that we should have some other quality guards on the roster? Is it better to have a limited Noah in November and December or to have him at full strength for three more years? It could actually be a tough call. Hopefully he is well and fully ready to go by November and the question wouldn't even need to be brought up.

Agreed, just keep winning. The title of this thread got me thinking though. Why aren't there more real college baseball tournaments in the early non-conference portion of the season? The games played this weekend may be termed as being in a 'classic' or a 'tournament' but the opponents were set independent of any results. Why aren't there more tourneys with formats like the ones Akron played in basketball recently in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Charleston, SC? I'd love to see more games where games are guaranteed but results determine who you play next.

This will be a hard fought game and will probably go down to the wire. Zips need a big game from Big Dog and the two seniors, including staying aggressive on defense without getting into foul trouble. It is encouraging to see that Jake, Kwan, and especially Reggie are starting to really hit their outside shots with more regularity lately. As much as I'd love to see the Zips make a deep MAC tourney run I think at least getting two wins may allow them to keep playing post-MAC tourney. I want these young guys to play as many games as possible this year in the hope that it will make the team even stronger for what could be a big season next year.

I'd love to see the Zips win Monday and then advance to face WMU in Cleveland. I see that as the most likely way to win 20 games.

I really like watching Deji play but my concern with him has always been how he seems to pick up fouls quickly and in bunches. The Zips cannot afford that now at all. Deji needs to play as he is capable without the fouling.

Losing in a hard fought game where the effort is there is much less disappointing than losing when it looks like they are just being outhustled and outworked in the game. Akron looked tired late in the game and I understand they aren't used to the personnel shortcomings they had last night so I won't be too critical of that. I was frustrated, however, in the first half when it looked like Miami was outhustling the Zips to every loose ball and rebound. Given that MU still was only able to muster 17 points by halftime I'd think winning a few more 50/50 balls and hustle plays early may have given the Zips a much bigger lead going into the second half and it may have been more than the resilient Redhawks could overcome. The one consistent trait about most young teams is their inconsistency.

That was my inclination as well. Its just odd to see every loss be by one run.

True, no school outside the Power 5 is making the playoff (except maybe a Boise or BYU and they're long shots) as long as its four teams. The real question would be if the Zips went 13-0, would they get into one of the "New Years Six" bowl games or would that spot go to an AAC or Mountain West team? Not that I see a 13-0 season forthcoming but its still a good topic when talking about schedules.

If they changed the name to Akron University way too many people in and around the city wouldn't even notice.

Zips are now 5-4 but interestingly each and every one of the four losses is by a single run. Does this translate to the team just being more competitive this year? Does it mean there is a problem at the back end of the bullpen?