Captain Kangaroo

If you'd rather beat up a midget than go toe-to-toe with a contender, then you could never play for me.

Did someone ask for this?

No, it isn't that it is over.For the 1st time this season I got to watch a great college basketball games at the JAR. Two very good teams going toe-to-toe. Crowd booing the refs. Cheers, high 5's, and heartbreak. I got my money's worth. If for no other reason, that is why we need to play more such opponents at the JAR. I witnessed a great competition.I'd rather lose to Rhode Island than beat USC Upstate by 40.

On a tangential point...ZipsNation is a diverse place. Men and women ranging in age from 10 to 70+ participate. If you are presently a UA undergrad, you have a totally different perspective than one who graduated in the 80's. Not that one is better than another...just that the glasses people see things through are different.As an '89 graduate, I think it is incumbent on me to keep younger participants abreast of the history I know. They won't get it through The University. Hell, we get an entirely new Athletics administration every 5 years.Mike Waddell is the only recent UA athletics administrator that actually cared about the U's history. That's why the former great coach's pics adorn the JAR walls, and Eric McLaughlin's jersey is rightfully in the rafters.Hard to believe "RowdyZip" is now an "old guy?" Seems like only yesterday that he and Bleacher Bum were whupping it up in the student section?

The MAC's top program needed double OT to beat Troy.

Because they were able to execute their adjustments and we weren't. They have players that can play pressure defense and half court defense, they have players that make 80% of their free throws and they can turn 16 turnovers into 21 points while we have players that can make 61% of their free throws and we can turn 10 turnovers into 8 points.If we were able to average the same 1.3 points per turnover, we would have won. We hit 6 more free throws, we win. Making free throws is all about confidence and poise. Teams that are poised don't make stupid turnovers.We didn't lose because of lack of talent. We lost because our talent...well...it doesn't know what it takes to win these games.Per Cvetinovic - “We had them on the ropes. In the second half, we got anxious and didn't execute the plays.”Per the stats...FT% 1st Half 50%; 2nd Half 67%.Rhode Island Pts/TO 1st Half 13; 2nd Half 8Appears to me, the Zips handled the ball better and shot from the line better (and more often) in the second half.Were you there, or did you only look at statistics and the box score? Did you see when the score got close, late, that both McKnights hoisted airballs? Did you see McKnight's and Cventinovic's missed free throws?If you honestly believe that the Zips shot better and handled the ball better in the second half, you must have had WAY too many beers before the game.Having a team down 9 points in the second half, in your house, is "having them on the ropes." Subsequently losing by 5 is a choke job.

Because they were able to execute their adjustments and we weren't. They have players that can play pressure defense and half court defense, they have players that make 80% of their free throws and they can turn 16 turnovers into 21 points while we have players that can make 61% of their free throws and we can turn 10 turnovers into 8 points.If we were able to average the same 1.3 points per turnover, we would have won. We hit 6 more free throws, we win. Making free throws is all about confidence and poise. Teams that are poised don't make stupid turnovers.We didn't lose because of lack of talent. We lost because our talent...well...it doesn't know what it takes to win these games.Per Cvetinovic - “We had them on the ropes. In the second half, we got anxious and didn't execute the plays.”

We had a 9-point lead in the 2nd half and blew it. Like we do every time. Even the Tasmanian Devil can't spin that fact hard enough to make anyone believe otherwise.

Dan LeFevour Craps Down His Leg™ again. Troy wins. Dambrot sues.

That logic is bizarre.This season is absolutely in no way, shape or form solely about winning the MAC Tournament.Why but season tickets to see the Zips? Who cares...the season is only about the MAC Tourney? Right?Why listen to the Zips on the radio? Who cares...the games through early-March are entirely irrelevant? Right?It is funny...in Dambrot's pre-game interview he stated -"This game is key to our post-season aspirations." Play the tape. He said it, not me. He knows what he's talking about.Instead of answering the question of whether or not we'd have received an NCAA bid if we'd have beaten URI, answer this question - "How would beating an upper-tier A-10 team have looked to the NIT selection committee?" Pretty damn good. If we'd have had a win like that when we were 26-7, we'd have been in the NIT, instead of watching it on TV.How would it have looked to the ESPN Bracket Buster committee if we'd have beaten an upper-tier A-10 team? Pretty damn good.How would it have looked to Joe Akron for the Zips to have won their 7th straight game, having beaten an upper-tier A-10 team for win #11? Pretty damn good.For all you attendance grousers, look at the above. Learn something. Quit parroting your tired old diatribe. There's a reason we get 3k. We don't do the things required to get 4k. Or 5k. We schedule mediocre-ly, and the few marquee games we get...we lose.How many years will the Zips be the team losing to someone with "X losses, and more talent"? When does it change? When do we turn into the team that makes the halftime adjustments necessary to build on our 2nd half leads, rather than squander them with our on-court anxiety attacks?I don't buy that Rhode Island is so much more talented than the Zips. We had then by 9 points with 15 minutes remaining. We had the lead for 75% 0f the game. If URI is so great...so much more talented than the Zips...how is that possible? I'll tell you - Rhode Island has poise. We don't. Rhode Island has an assassin's mentality. We don't. Look at Jimmy Conyers. He's playing with confidence. He's playing well. How did he play without confidence? He was terrible. His individual story is emblematic of the entire Zips team.The Zips team loses confidence in the 2nd half, and has become - The Kings of the Come-From-Ahead Loss. The Zips have the talent to compete with almost anyone. But not the swagger, poise or confidence. Until proven otherwise - Crapped Down Our Leg™

Yes there are other examples...Dayton, VCU, Nevada, hell...go back to Xavier if you're an old-timer. Look at the recent MAC Tourney losses to Western Michigan, Toledo, Miami and K.e.n.t.. Look at the pattern of those losses, in addition to the Winthrop loss...or even Austin Peay. The Zips always seem to find a way to pull off the "come-from-ahead loss" in these crucial games. Many held at home, or 40 minutes from campus. Like Lakers HC Pat Riley trademarked "Three-peat," Dambrot should trademark "Crapped Down Our Leg." Every time we play these games, it's "Groundhog Day."If you have no worries, you really aren't a huge Zips hoops fan. Your heart isn't in it. Your bar is low.Leaving the JAR after yet another leg-crapping flat-out sucked.

What game were you watching? It was totally the opposite?! Our plan was to beat their press...to attack, and push the ball up the court. We sliced them up when we got into a "track meet." We were HIGHLY successful. It wasn't until Rhode Island slowed the game down and turned it into a half court affair that we struggled.

We are in trouble. I watched him dribble at the top of the key for 25 seconds last night with his back to the hoop looking left, dribble off foot, recover basketball, look right, dribble dribble dribble, look left, (back still to the hoop) dribble dribble dribble, look right, dribble off knee, recover, dribble dribble dribble, pass the ball high up top with seconds on the shot clock forcing into a bad shot.Your statement might be right, but for the love of gawd we have GOT to find somebody that can run the point.A PG emerged on this team on March 12th, and on the 14th .. the Zips won a ticket to the Dance because of it.McNees had a great 2009 MAC tourney. But he went 0-9 from the field against Gonzaga. And 2-11 last night. He has been overmatched against bigger, non-MAC competition.As Dr. Z stated, he was stymied whenever he tried to run the offense. Did he turn the ball over relentlessly? No. But he didn't create anything. He just dribbled a lot and ran the shot clock down.I long for a point guard that can dribble-penetrate. Beat a defender off the dribble. Maybe Steward can become that player. I hope so.

Peter is simply too much for Zeke and Bardo...advantage URIMeg and Humpty - Toss upDarrel Roberts takes Stewie to schoolChris outweighs B McKnight, but B's quickness wins-outConyers shows Brian what dogged defense is all aboutLois is way hotter than any Zips cheerleader.Zips 69 - URI 68Dambrot gets his first win over a Top 37 team.

I'm sure Roy Williams would trade rosters in a heartbeat.

Greatness is not required in the MAC. It may take us some time to improve our program to being great, but winning the MAC East should not be out of the question next year. The talent is there....the league is horrible.How long did it take Turner Gill to "build" Buffalo?

If Shaq can fix his free throw, there's no reason our big guys can't hahaShaq fixed his free throws???Steve McNees is a big guy???

If he ended up playing his senior season for another school, can I still vote for him?

I don't know...We got two guys (Hixon and Blackburn) who got Super Bowl rings and STARTED for the Super Bowl Champs the following year.Hard to beat that at Akron.The Steelers had 3 MAC players win a ring with them, Harrison, Batch, and Leftwich. One of those being the Defensive player of the year, Now thats hard to beat. How do you leave Ben off your list?Um...he went to Miami, Dr. Z!

The four letter network is reporting the MAC has now lost 11 consecutive bowl games, dating back to the 2006 season. The last MAC team to win a bowl game was Central Michigan in the 2006 Motor City Bowl (31-14 over Middle Tennessee). The MAC doesn't exactly play powerhouses in these bowls either.I don't know the Big Ten's record but it can't be worse.It is an absolute crime that some of the great early-2000's MAC teams got totally shut-out of bowls, while the tripe that the MAC parades around today @ 7-5 gets a bowl berth.After 5 wins in 2009, K.e.n.t. fan was all excited about his bowl chances. Bowl chances for what...to get smoked by 58 point against UCLA? If K.e.n.t. EVER goes bowling, the apocolypse is upon us. The Football Zips need to get their act together quick. A crappy OU team won 9 games this year. That's embarassing the the MAC, not a positive.

Gaffney does a nice job describing Ianello's life since the hiring.

Some thoughts from that season -The Zips played as an Independent. Being a basketball Independent at that time, much like today, is an impossible situation. You have no Conference Championship to play for...absolutely no chance at an NCAA bid...you needed to fight and scrape to schedule every game played after January 1st, because every other school in the nation went into their own Conference schedule at that time and had no desire to schedule an Independent game. Especially on the road.I remember those two games against Pitt. I attended both. Unbelievable wars. Losing by 2-points and 4-points to those Top 15 teams was impressive. We went toe-to-toe with some greats...Sean Miller, Jerome Lane, Demetrious Gore, Charles Smith...lots of big names on those Pitt rosters.

I gave my son a Minnesota Vikings watch for Christmas. I set the time...he looked at it... and said "Hey Dad, it's 12:53...and K.E.N.T. STATE STILL SUX!"Merry Christmas Everyone! Thanks to all of you for making ZipsNation stupid, frustrating, informative, fun and great in 2009!CK

Murray State and MTSU actually won NCAA tourney games in the late 80's. Can a MAC school from the last 5 years say that? The OVC was a tough conference in the 80's. Tougher than today's MAC for certain.

You can see w/InfoCision, that better facilities make a world of difference to Joe Akron. I saw friends at multiple football games this season whom I NEVER could get to come to the Rubber Bowl. Upgrading the OOC schedule is one thing, but as I and QZ stated...at some point you need to begin winning those marquee games. This is KD's 6th season. He's taken us from the Hipsher years, to 20-wins, to 20-wins and some NIT appearances, to 20-wins + a MAC Championship + an NCAA appearance...to <insert 2010 result here>.The team's progress has been excellent...but...we have whiffed on every opportunity to get on a roll and catch Joe Akron's eye. Against BCS, Top 20-level teams we've lost every time. By double-digits. We never prove to Joe Akron that we can come close to competing against such programs. And that is a hallmark of the "upper-mid major." I think CSU beat 3 ranked teams last season? We've beaten none in the history of our program. Against marquee Bracketbuster opponents, we've lost every time. If you really want attendance to increase, you need to do something special. Not only do you not lay an egg on opening day vs. Austin Peay to follow up your NCAA berth, you go down to Florida and win that tournement. You beat NC State. You finish December with a 12-1 record. That's when people start talking Zips around the water cooler. and making plans to check the team out.Akron Basketball Guy will always attend games and appreciate the work of the Team. But that is proven to account for 3,300 fans. If UA wants to fill up the remaining 40% of the seats, they need to get on a real, attention-grabbing roll. And, quit whining about the Nevada attendance and using it as a crutch.K.e.n.t. had a great 10-year run. The went from a .500 program to an Elite 8 program. Over that time their attendance went from 2.5k per game, to 5.5k sell-outs...from 75% empty student sections to SRO student sections at both ends of the court.K.e.n.t. did it. Look no further. Become a "high mid-major" and it will happen at UA too. Keep taking a step forward and a step back, and it won't.And for the love of God, quit the stupid feud between UA and CSU. Get them back on the schedule. This is my challenge to you, Tom Winstrcill. If you want a sell-out at the JAR, find a way to get the CSU/UA series restarted.