GJGood

If I understand this right the Zips can now not be seeded better than second nor worse than 8th. So the Zips have now, at least, clinched no worse than a home game in the first round of the MAC tourney but are still conceivably in the hunt for a bye all the way to the semifinals even though it seems like an unlikely scenario.

With respect to the rivalry game being late in the season I guess I see it the opposite way as some on this board. I think people are more likely to come out in good weather and people are more likely to come out for the rivalry game. Having the rivalry game when the weather may not be ideal may still result in some sort of a crowd. Playing teams of less interest when the weather is nice may also result in some sort of a crowd. To me it's really a question of trying for one large crowd game or limiting the very poorly attended games on the schedule overall. Maybe that is what the conference is thinking here?

O.A.R. is a pretty popular band down here in the Columbus area as four of the band's members attended the big red and silver university down here. Would that be the best band to use to deliver the "We are Akron" message?

How much larger is the average attendance when the Zips play at Canal Park? I agree there needs to be more seating, although I love being reclined on the hillside on those far too rare 65 degree sunny days.

I agree. I too wish we were talking about playing for the 1 seed or bye into the semifinals first and foremost. The one thing about having to play more MAC tourney games when you are already sitting on 17-19 wins is that it gives you extra chances to reach that 20 win plateau. That number then could in turn can mean a ticket to one of the lower-tier postseason tourneys (it won't be the NIT) where another game or series of games could take place. While I ultimately want the NCAA berth I can also see the benefit of getting as many games as possible for this youthful team, especially now that Noah is out and more guys should be getting even more minutes than before.

I am wondering where the Zips sit with respect to the national postseason. Obviously the NCAA is only possible with winning the MAC tourney. The NIT would take a miracle as the Zips would need to be the #1 seed in the MAC as they aren't getting an at-large there either. I wonder, though, where the Zips stand when looking at potential CBI and CiT teams. I doubt they would take Akron if they continue to lose game after game but I wonder how many wins it takes the rest of the way to have the season continue if a conference title doesn't happen.

They do deserve much more fan support. It just seems that students in the northern US just don't connect with baseball teams like they do football or basketball. Some of that may be because there are fewer home games due to the weather but still there should be more promoting of the baseball team in and around campus.

To me, it looks as if Toledo is in the best position now given the remaining schedule. I could see Akron getting a top four seed even with a conference record of 10-8 but only if one of their two remaining wins is at Buffalo. It would also take BG going no better than 1-3 in their final four which I think is in the realm of possibility, just maybe not likely.

I'm not sure if its due to me not being in NE Ohio but I am usually able to watch on ESPN3 when its a TWCSC game. I did get blacked out, though, when it was part of the Full Court PPV package though. I'll take a look at tip time tonight again and see if I can find a way to view. If not, it will be just audio for me as I can't see buying the entire package just to watch a game here and there.

Any predictions for tonight? Any word on Deji or Noah?

I grew up in Columbus and live in Licking County now after graduating from the U of A seventeen years ago. I am happy to see another Central Ohioan that puts the Zips above the local behemoth as I do. I, however, am not much for the bar scene as I am a non-drinker and I tend to watch the games as an event with my wife and three daughters. Still its good to know that I am not the only one on this board that is likely to be found wearing their Zips gear in this part of the state.

More excited about Zips baseball than I have been in many years. I was a student when they won the MAc back in 1996 and never thought I'd still be waiting for them to do it again 19 years later. I don't know if it will happen this year but at least I feel like it is no longer a foregone conclusion that they won't even make the conference tourney. Beating a team from the south two out of three to open the season is a very good sign in college baseball for a team from the north.

The problem I have with the MAC signing a deal with TWCSC is that you can only watch (other than on ESPN3) if you have Time Warner. I, and most of the people in the communities near where I live, do not have Time Warner. Therefore, most every week I am watching two games on my laptop or tablet.

So, I'd say its clear to say we are rooting for WMU tonight, but should we cheer for Toledo or Buffalo? That seems like a tough call to me even with UB a game back and the Zips having games left with both, but Buffalo being on the road.

You never know what you might get with so many freshmen and sophomores. No game that should be won can be taken lightly. No game that looks to be a bad matchup should be written off.

I agree, although, even with an RPI in the 40s Akron may have had a shot due to their record and the long winning streak had gone to 21 games just before the MAC title game. I don't think its an issue of RPI alone nor record alone. I think it is some sort of hybrid between RPI, record, and perception. I wouldn't have bet on an at-large in 2013 but there at least would have been some discussion about it. I don't think there is a big conspiracy against the MAC by the NCAA selection commitee. I just don't think they, or any of the large media hubs, research the MAC enough to know how good the conference teams may actually be. It is the NIT selection committee that drives me nuts. If any MAC school gets in at all, they are always underseeded to decrease the probability of a home game.

I believe that in 2008 our arch rivals would have gotten in as an at-large but they won the auto bid anyway keeping the MAC to one bid that year. I believe the MAC could be a multi-bid league if there were three or more teams with an RPI similar to Buffalo's this year and those teams had won-loss records somewhere around what Akron had in 2013. To me its threefold, RPI plus record plus other good RPI competition within your conference. It is much more doable in the MAC than in a league like the Ohio Valley or Atlantic Sun but still not something we are likely see with much frequency. I miss the way it was when I was still in school, back then the MAC would more frequently get two teams in. I think there may have even been three once but I'm not certain about that.

H He is probably my least favorite basketball player of all time and he is quickly climbing that list for coaching as well. I know most see Can't and OU as our primary rivals but for me personallly there is nobody I love to root against more than UB right now, simply because of their head coach. Before he arrived UB was probably my second favorite team in the East and they may be again once he is gone but something about that guy and his attitude has always (from his Duke playing days till now) irrtated me to no end. That, of course, doesn't mean that I thought he was a bad player or even is a bad coach (jury still out on that one) and that his abilities shouldn't be respected. I fully expect him to have his team ready to play , and play well, when they come to the JAR.

I also believe the old uniforms were getting outdated and a change may have been due. I just wanted the new uniforms to be based on the school colors and the traditional Akron font. The font is probably the most uniquely Akron thing to me and I'd like to see it stay around. I prefer the 'A-Roo' to the 'Z' but I can live with the 'Z' as well. While I was at the school we still had the 'running A' and the "gold" looked awfully yellow. While I thought the running A was just OK, I definitely like the color schemes now better than that bright yellow passing for gold. The one thing I don't like the most about the new helmets I have seen pictured is the numbers on the side. I have never been a fan of uniform numbers being so prevalent on a football helmet. I'd rather have every player on the team have the same thing on their headgear.

Huge game this weekend. Everybody needs to rally the troops and pack the house for this game!

I understand that people will often cheer for schools even though they really have no connection to that school. It is usally about geography or bandwagoning. Living just east of Columbus I see that in abundance. What I don't get, however, is when people cheer against their own alma mater. They chose to go to that school and they earned a degree there but they then want to see them defeated in their athletic pursuits? That doesn't make sense to me.

I have one coworker that graduated from OU and roots for OSU who says when they play each other he is just happy for whoever wins. I have another coworker, however, who is a Toledo alum but roots for the Michigan Wolverines over everyone, even if they are playing the Rockets.

I expect the good BG team to show up tonight. I agree that a huge key in this game is foul trouble. If Holmes gets in trouble and the Zips bigs do not then BG may have a problem. If Forsythe gets in trouble and Holmes doesn't then that script may be flipped. If they both have foul issues then I like how the matchups play out for UA. If neither has issues then I fear the advantage may go to BGSU simply because when the refs 'let them play' it seems to allow home teams to get into more of a flow and feed off the crowd.

Neutral site games are away from the JAR. If Akron has won a neutral site game then they have won away from the JAR even without it being an 'away' game. I have no real opinion on GT overall but if he said they got their first win away from the JAR in Kalamazoo then he was clearly incorrect. Despite not always being happy with it I am not one to frequently complain about the quality of Zips coverage, however, I do think the program often deserves much better in terms of quantity of coverage.

Not terribly surprised that Kretzer is out but thought Forsythe would be back.