Captain Kangaroo

I would love to see KD recruit a player that is ranked top 150 in the entire country, then Akron would truly dominate. Having a recruit that is one of the best in your state, doesn't necessarily mean he is a high impact player. The crop of players at that position could be particularly weak in that state during that year. I would also like to KD recruit a player hat is ranked in the nations top 20 at their respective positions.I like our staff to recruit good student athletes. Who cares where some internet site rates them...

I think at this point, I think Bryan Hipsher and a couple firecrackers would do the trick.

Huge game for the Zips, and we really have no excuses. We're as healthy as we could ever hope for, and we've had several days off...on spring break (no missed classes), none the less.Last time we were in the NIT I think we beat Temple in OT, then had to play at Creighton the following night? That was asking a bit much.I like our chances. After the FSU game, we should be playing with a lot of confidence.Which Dials will show up?

If that were any part of the debate, you might have a point. But it isn't.The debate is: "Does WMU have a legit gripe regarding no being in the post season?"To state that a 20-win MAC team, with a top 25 win, who has several wins over tourney teams, is "whining" is ludicrous. Especially coming from a Zips/MAC fan only one year removed from a snub. And only a month-or-so away from losing to them by 20.

If you can't see that WMU would have a legit gripe being left out of this year's post season, after their 20-win season where they beat a top-25 team, beat Akron (NIT) by 20 and beat Miami (CBI)...you'll never "get it."

Our low 2006-7 RPI and SOS were a key factors in us not getting into the NIT.WMU beat Pepperdine, beat Davidson (Top 25), beat Southern Illinois, beat AKRON...for them to claim they're equal, or more deserving than OU or Miami (neither of whom beat the Zips in 2007-8) is hardly "whining." They were a very good ball club in 2007-8.I don't think the MAC will ever get respect nationally...it seems even the people most-familiar with the conference don't give it's better teams any respect. How can we expect someone in Des Moines or Birmingham to do so?

2006-7 Zips fan calling the 2007-8 WMU "kettle" black?

Evil, evil thing to do when you're 19. Glad no one on this board ever did that!

Cleveland media will always cover OSU first, CSU (if they're doing anything noteworthy) second and the Zips somewhere thereafter. Who can blame them?The Beacon -- Shocker that coverage would be sparse.The PD -- The game finished too late to make print.To 99% of the public this is NCAA Tourney time. The NIT is simply a space filler between what are popularly considered "the real games." That's just the way it is. That's why is sucked to lose in the MAC Championship for consecutive years. It's kept us from being "Page 1." All the attention K.e.n.t. is getting, and will get over the next few days...they earned it. Hopefully we'll be in the same position one day.

Joe Dunn??!!

You missed a great college basketball game. It was just on ESPN Classic. You should have seen it. The Zips (a team from Ak-RON, apparently) played their ASSES off defensively. They totally shut down three excellent ACC guards on their home court. We had this guy...his name is Rick Smiles...Dick Lyles...something like that...but the guy went Larry Bird on the Seminoles...scored something like 13 of the Zips final 14 points!I hope someone you know TiVo'd the game. If you're a Zips fan, you'll LOVE it.Everyone just calm down a second. All I'm saying was that last couple of minutes was ugly. I watched the game. The first half and most of the second half we played great, don't get me wrong. But I lost track of how many free throws we missed in the last five minutes and I distinctly remember two breakaway layups we missed in the same time frame. We were just lucky that FSU did the same because if they made any one of those shots they missed we lose the game. Huge win for the Zips and a well played 35 minutes. But we've had the same problem all year. We need to figure out how to finish games. If we miss the gimme points like that against UMass then we are in a world of trouble in the next game.Florida State made 100% of their free throws. It didn't help.The Zips DID finish the game. Florida State didn't.FT's were bad. Defense was stellar.

I'm glad to see Mrs. Marshall check in!My mom's side of the family is all from Western Pa...Butler area. As a student it was really nice to be only 2 hours from my Grandparents house for things like Easter, Thanksgiving...even meeting in Austintown for a Saturday lunch is pretty much mid-way. MAC games...except for WMU and Ball State...aren't too bad a road trip from Pittsburgh either. Logistically, UA is a great fit for a Pittsburgh-area college student. Far enough away...but still close to home.Zeke seems like a great kid. I'll be selfish and say I hope he chooses UA, but wherever he ends up...I'll probably be a Zeke fan. I do hope he doesn't end up in the ACC. I heard tonight that MAC basketball is better.

Kid drives me up the wall!!!

You missed a great college basketball game. It was just on ESPN Classic. You should have seen it. The Zips (a team from Ak-RON, apparently) played their ASSES off defensively. They totally shut down three excellent ACC guards on their home court. We had this guy...his name is Rick Smiles...Dick Lyles...something like that...but the guy went Larry Bird on the Seminoles...scored something like 13 of the Zips final 14 points!I hope someone you know TiVo'd the game. If you're a Zips fan, you'll LOVE it.

I would guess about 2 of the 5,000 Zips fans you would survey say KD can't coach and that we have no talent. You make it sound like there's some lynch mob forming.Everyone loves Dambrot. Everyone loves the Zips. If some people hate losing to K.e.n.t. by 20...I would hope that Dambrot is happy people care, or that they flat-out hurt when the Zips lose.As Dambrot is fond of saying -- "Each game is a mutually exclusive event." Our game against Western Michigan was one of the best games I've ever seen the Zips play. Conversely, the K.e.n.t. game was a train wreck, where we couldn't "finish" on the most fundemental offensive plays. To say one game was great and the next sucked is wholly accurate. And to spin disappointment in the K.e.n.t. game into a "fire the coach" rant is just plain stupid.Go Zips!

Beat them. Then they don't talk so much.

Who do people sell this kid so short? Big men ALWAYS take time to develop (no references to freaks like Greg Oden, please).He's acquitted himself very well in his freshman season. He's a solid rebounder and can hit free throws. He also blocks his share of shots. By the time he's a senior, he'll be playing 25mpg at minimum. He ain't Klaus Zollner.

More info available in an earlier thread.

This year's CSU team gets an NIT bid, but last year's Zips' squad doesn't. Figure that one out...FSU is a good draw. Looking forward to the game. Hopefully we play SF Austin at the JAR later in the week!

The way I see it, there are three totally separate subjects:1 -- Last night's game2 -- The 2008 Zips season3 -- The Program's directionRegarding last night's game -- It sucked. Whomever wrote that the seniors didn't show up was pretty much dead-nuts on. Dials was horrible. Ced couldn't hit a shot to save his life. Wood negated whatever yeoman's work he did defensively with missed bunnies and o-fers from the line. To be fair, it wasn't just the seniors...every Zips player blew bunnies. But the seniors set the tone. After every missed bunny...and every o-fer from the line...you could see visible change in the body language of all Zips players.I agree with Dambrot -- We shot 33 foul shots. We had numerous wide open 3's and point blank lay ups. We SHOULD have been tied at the half. But we played horribly. So we were down by 10.On Can't State fans -- I sat by some K.e.n.t. fans that were great college basketball fans. I sat infront of a K.e.n.t. fan that was a first class, crumedgeon a-hole, so I can't make any generalizations. I can say I'm jealous of the K.e.n.t. fans who've cut down the nets for the 5th time in ten or eleven years...while I have 1 NIT appearance. And I do wish that once...just once...KD would acknowledge that from a Zips fan's point of view, that it gets old.You know when Charlie Brown went trick-or-treating and kids would read off what the got after hitting each house?Peppermint Patty: "I got a candy bar."Linus: "I got a popcorn ball."Charlie Brown: "I got a rock."K.e.n.t. fans get to storm the floor and dance...we got a rock.K.e.n.t. beat us 3-0 this year. And they ARE the better team. They are faster and more physical. They're deeper. They merited an at-large bid, while the Zips could make no such argument. In that sense, losing last night wasn't nearly as tough to swallow as last season's finale. BUT -- last night K.e.n.t. didn't play exceptionally fast or physical...we got the ball where we wanted essentially whenever we wanted...and we flat-out couldn't convert. That comes off as a big time choke to anyone tuned in to ESPN2. They say a boxer automatically becomes 30% better after he beats the champ. K.e.n.t. was 30% better than the Zips last night because they've beaten the champ. Somehow KD is going to need to figure out how to get that extra 30%...to get over the hump and become a champion.Next topic -- The 2007-2008 Season?In my opinion we overachieved in 2008. 23 wins is a very good year. Aside from the Ced-Wood injury stretch where we lost to WMU, CMU and NIU, we had as good a season as you could have hoped for, given our roster. Obviously, once the dust settled last night, it was good enough to best 10 of the 11 other MAC programs. That's not too shabby. Does it excuse a 19-point blow out against our #1 rival in a nationally televised game held on a neutral court? No. But that's not the topic.I look forward...a little...to seeing how we fare in our upcoming post season. I'm guessing, whatever the tourney, we play OSU in Columbus. Or CSU in Cleveland. And I bet we do well. A small consolation prize, for sure. But considering what we've been through this year, it sure will beat 2006-7's bitter end. The Future? Any talk of K.e.n.t. falling off the face of the earth is ludicrous. After a decade of 20-win seasons...I think it is a safe bet to say they'll be in the mix for the forseeable future. Will the Zips be terrible next season? Great ghost of Brian Wood, are you nuts??!!Did anyone see how both McKnights and Roberts carried us in the WMU game? If that doesn't give you hope for 2008-9, I don't know what will. Bardo is a solid big man who's only going to get better. And I'm really looking forward to Steve Sweich's debut. Humpty looks like lightning in a bottle. He's an awesome ball handler, with ice water in his veins. Between he and Stewart, we will take a quantum leap forward in our point guard play next season. Note -- Dials did his best this season and I respect that. But next year we will have REAL point guards...the likes of which we really haven't seen since Rashon Brown. Can McNees turn into a solid #2 guard? I think so.Next year's team will look totally different than the 2008 edition. And there will be some tinkering up-front to find out the best mix, but by season's end we'll be competing for a final four spot in the MAC tourney again. And that's not too shabby for a "rebuilding year."Off to enjoy my Sunday. F K.e.n.t.

Bronco Stampede

Tough match up tonight. To me, it is like playing into a mirror. Two of the top 3 centers in the league. Two of the top three 3-point shooting teams in the league.Advantages?WMU is the league's best rebounding team, while UA is 8th.Zips have the best assist-to-turnover margin, while WMU is 9th.If we are to win, I think we need the same bench production we saw last night. And Linhart needs to be "on."Can Bardo give quality minutes to rest Wood? He'll need to, because Reitz will work wood hard. My prediction -- Buzzer-beater. This game won't be decided until the final 10 seconds.F K.e.n.t.

Wonder what Al Fischer and Doug Penno said to Dials after their "facials?"

If you don't want to play in the NCAA tournament, then you shouldn't be playing D1 college basketball.

WoW! :blink: