Captain Kangaroo

James Madison, ODU, George Washington... The list of appealing teams to replace Coppin State and Arkansas Cream-Puff is long.

Give me solid mid-major home-home's and I'm happy. Middle Tennessee was a good one. UWGB is a good one. Even Duquesne is ok. Monmouth is looking to play anyone, anywhere. I think they'd be a great home-home. Valpo. Stoney Brook. Replace the lost Bracket Buster match up and dump a cupcake or two for decent competition and I'm happy. Save the high majors for the early season tournaments. Dreaming of getting a high-major to Akron is like pretending the RPI means anything. Can't our new AD get us a game with Marquette? What are his connections? Steinbrecher is bitching that our strength of schedule needs upped...so give us a couple phone numbers of willing opponents.

I don't know that blowing out 3 mediocre teams on your home floor qualifies you as "The Team." "The Team," in my mind, is Huffman, Shaw, Gates, Mitchell + a solid supporting cast. That's really the last MAC program that had a legit gripe if they were overlooked by the NCAA. If healthy, I think we could have won an NCAA game or 2. I agree 100% that the staff's "6th Man" idea backfired big time. We dug ourselves massive holes to begin each half, then spent the remainder of the time clawing back. Give me a dead-tired Big Dog over a sulking Kwan any day of the week. If asked, I'd guess that assistant coach would say the same thing. The Zips at the end of the season were a very good MAC team. So was Buffalo. They made a shot, and we didn't. I thought it was a great, compelling championship basketball game. A heartbreaker for me, but I got my money's worth.

I got section 123. I couldn't figure out how to select a specific section, so that's what they gave me. I'll start the "Z-I..." from my side, and wait for the "P-S!!!"

Wonder when ticket info will be available?

This year's Zips team is not "The Team." With a healthy Pat, playing like he did in 2014-15, and a healthy Aaron Jackson, it could have been something special. But in the end, this edition of Zips basketball gave 5-star effort, with 4-star talent (MAC scale). That wasn't enough to beat Buffalo on Saturday. I can't knock Noah's game. He played 37 minutes on a surgically reconstructed knee, on the 3rd night of 3-in-a-row, against talented guards that were tall and strong. Kwan had a terrible game. He forced his offense, and sulked when things didn't go his way. There's nothing more frustrating than watching mistakes get compounded by someone hanging their head after a bad pass, rather than hustling back and making a defensive play. I think Kwan needs to work on his mental approach more than his physical approach for next season. He takes himself out of games. And, I think KD needs to do a better job of recognizing when he's checked out. If you were an impartial observer at a bar watching UA/UB, you'd have said "Man, that was a great college basketball game." It was...we just lost it.

Sucks to get your heart broken in the MAC finals again...by a 3-pointer, about exactly 3 steps in front of where Penno released his. Buffalo's a really good team. Great size in the post and on the perimeter. I can't imagine how dominant they'd have been had the kept Hurley and not lost two starters before the season opened. Their fan section was surprisingly sparse...they used to travel in pretty impressive numbers to The Q. The Corner Alley was the best place to host the Zips in a while. Good food, and plenty of space. Good beer selection. Antino was THE man. I don't care if he made a late-game miscue with the foul that erased the shot clock...the kid played an stone-cold awesome game. I look forward to that same bad-ass effort in Columbus Tuesday night. Big Dog, Reggie and Jake were warriors. The left it all on the court. Couldn't be prouder of their effort. Josh, Aaron and Jimmond gave some great bench minutes. Buffalo having 1 foul at the 3 minute mark of the 2nd half was pretty amazing. But ESPN has a bunch of games lined-up, and they don't want any early games running long. While not making the NCAA tourney sucks, I hope these guys realize they have an opportunity in front of them that only happens once every 25-or-so years: the chance to whip Ohio State's ass. This is a win that everyone in ZipsNation would savor for a lifetime. Dayton whooped 'em...now it's our turn.

Thanks for taking the time to shoot and post all the tourney photos. You don't see anything like that on other MAC school's message boards, and probably not P5 school boards either.

I voted for Senderoff. I want that guy at the K.e.n.t. helm for the next 20 years.

If it gets too packed at the Corner Alley, I hear there will also be plenty of room at Flannery's,

Ball used to wear an armband on his bicep. After the Zips beat K.e.n.t. for the first time @ K.e.n.t. in something like 31 years, Ball threw the band into the crowd and I caught it. It's somewhere in a closet in my house. I'll donate it to the Zips Hall of Legends that gets built inside our our new basketball arena in 2029. Back then you could sit on the floor with GA tickets, immediately to the right of the Zips bench. The place had more Zips fans than K.e.n.t. fans. On an unrelated note - Last Friday night it was funny to hear the "Boooo's" for Scarborough that increased in volume each time his name was announced. They should flash his face on the Jumbotron when opposing teams shoot free throws.

FIFY

I would love to see a Zip on the All Defensive team in 2016-17. No issues with the selections. Reggie was too inconsistent to be a 1st teamer. No shame in being a 2nd team all MAC. He's still my odds-on favorite for MAC Tourney MVP! Congrats to all the guys!

I can tell you too: Play #1: Run McAdams off multiple screens for a 3. Play #2: Throw it in to Big Dog. If no one double teams him, take it to the rack. If someone double teams, kick it out for a 3. Play #3: If #1 and #2 don't work, find the open man and shoot a 3. How much does an Assistant job pay at Toledo...I might be on to something here?

Toledo takes the floor with confidence against the Zips. They know they can win, and that takes away a big advantage the Zips have against most other MAC teams, including EMU. EMU is still a team where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Lots of good talent, but it doesn't materialize into an upper-tire MAC program when they take the floor. The Zips can dispose of EMU with relative ease in Cleveland. Toledo would be a war.

True, but I think that's selling Williams short. He had an apparance in the Cowboys' camp for a reason...he was a really good quarterback. If Woodson was our QB in Bowden's first year, I think our offensive numbers would have been completely different. I think 2016 Zips offense will hearken back to the old Brookhart/Owens days. If, Warren Ball is any good. We will be loaded at WR, and should have a solid running game. Last year the Zips reminded me a lot of the Minnesota Vikings, who let Bridgewater "manage the game," while their defense won it. The Broncos won a Super Bowl with that strategy this year. But with the loss of our top 3 LB's and Coe, I think we'll need to put up more points in '16. And Bowden should trust Woodson to make some big plays a little more than last season.

If Dambrot wrote the column, I'd say it was a slight to Pat. But a reporter did, and I'm guessing there was some editing...and maybe lack-of-attention-to-detail involved. I feel bad for Pat. No one wants to finish their career in street clothes. But someone had to uphold "The Curse of the Zips Starters." It was his destiny, like Robotham, Treadwell, Abreu, Diggs... Life ain't fair.

“I have a lot of respect for their program, (but) it’s a must-win,” Dambrot said.

I knew if I lived long enough I'd find a Hip Zip post I disagreed with. Dambrot's teams don't play for regular season championships...they play for MAC Tournament championships. I think the net-cutting ceremony was only a blip on their march towards cutting down the real nets in Cleveland. The Zips were humiliated in K.e.n.t. Now they have the Flashes on their home court, on Senior Night and on ESPN2. We'll have 6 days of rest prior to the next game, so I don't see KD or the team taking their foot off the pedal. If we lose tonight, it's because K.e.n.t's better than us. Seeing how our guards matched up in Game #1, that's my biggest concern. Antino, Noah, Jimond and Josh need to play a lot better tonight. Reggie and Kwan are rolling. Big Dog's on the big stage. Should be an awesome night in Akron tonight. Looking forward to a couple beers and a steak sandwich at The Score before the game, and a celebratory one...or two afterwards! Go Zips!

If last season was indeed the best in Zips D1-A history, why shouldn't 2016 be better?

Certainly an interesting hire. Scott Scarborough will like it, because I'm sure it is budget-friendly. Bowden will like it, because he has an OL coach that won't be hired away after 1 season. Stability is good. The fans will like it - if the OL performs well. Peterson was a pretentious douche. Funk's OL didn't impress anyone. Hope this guy can coach 'em up. The development of the OL, and getting all the new bodies on the same page, is the key to success in 2016. Keep the heat off Woodson, and we should see Dalton Williams-like numbers from the Zips offense. If the OL sucks, expect Clayton-Moore-like numbers. I predict those who remember the Dalton years will be happy. And my football predictions, as of late, have been pretty good.

Is there anyone that really wants to trade experiencing a Zips 3-day ride through The Q...the bars, the environment, the excitement, the program exposure...does anyone want to fast-forward through all of that...just so they can watch the Zips lose in round #1 of the NCAA tourney? If we simply got a round #1 berth in the tourney for winning the MAC, how many awesome, memorable moments would you have been cheated from experiencing? Our days at The Q under Dambrot have been some of the absolute best experiences I've had as a Zips fan. Even the championship games we've lost have been exhilarating. The Ivy Leaugers may be able to work a protractor, but their 1965 approach to modern-day college basketball is cheating their fans. The MAC Tournament rules.

I think the next Dr. Z poll (K.e.n.t. game) should be: "Which percentage will be higher?" A.) The Zips 3-point percentage B.) The Zips free throw percentage C.) The Zips offensive conversion percentage within 2 feet of the hoop

Going 0-2 in the regular season vs. K.e.n.t. isn't an option. Should be an electric environment Friday night!

Gotta go with Dambrot. Everyone tells me how much the MAC has improved this season, and the Zips are the class of the league. Make up a "Most Improved Program" award for Whitford, but give Dambrot "Coach of the Year."