Captain Kangaroo

We need to beat K.e.n.t. to get a "premier" opponent. If we lose to K.e.n.t., we'll probably get CSU.

Congrats to Hixon. I hope he gets a Super Bowl ring.Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Best of luck to him!And Chase Blackburn too. Both guys were tremendous student athletes. Nice to have two Zips in the Super Bowl! B) B)

I hear it was heart-related. After several series of tests, doctors determined he has no "heart." Zips fans already had a hunch this was the case.

Nate Schuler is from Springfield Local, which is in the Youngstown area.

I'm sure Bubba will be cool with that.

The crowd was great for a late Thursday night. I was impressed. Akron folk are starting to finally catch on!But I still hate ESPNU.

That's why Bubba was a bad fit in Akron. If you are a Zips basketball player, you can't be a "minute monger." If getting 22 minutes per game instead of 32 minutes per game really bothers you, then you won't fit in @ UA. Bubba quit once Dials came on board. Unlike Ced, he didn't have the character to be a 6th man. Bubba can be a 3-point "freak," if you don't know his game. That's why he does well against non-MAC opponents. He catches them off-guard with his bizarre shot selection. And if left unmolested, he can hit those 27-footers with regularity. In MAC play every coach knows "Simply guard Bubba, and you shut him down." He is way less effective in MAC play than in OOC. Especially against teams that play D like the Zips.

Click for 6' 7" 285 lbsScout.com isn't updated (shocker), so just trust me on this one.

Should be a good one! Wish I wasn't 45 minutes north of Downtown!

I must have watched a different game than you. I thought it was a gritty performance by both teams. We got a little lucky...but give Linhart credit for making his own luck. He crashed the boards aggressively and good things happened. I could kiss him!I was also impressed with the crowd. Maybe the people of Akron are a couple weeks ahead of the schedule I'd predicted? Great crowd for a late, weekday TV game. Kudos to all involved!Bubba sucks a$$. He's so mentally weak I almost feel bad for him. Rowdies got in his head --

but it was "Old Milwaukee" I remember the "Happy Hour" -- $2.00 for a 16oz, marked down to $1.90! Hey, I did let the Alteri's guy keep the dime (I wasn't a big tipper back in the college days)

El Clicko Hereo

It is great to see your enthusiasm for the Program remains sky high! I spoke to a Zips coach at the Golf Outing this year and he was lamenting the fact that, back in his playing days as a Freshman, he played a whopping 39 minutes. At the time he really opposed red shirting, but when his senior year rolled around he realized trading a year's eligibility for 39 minutes of PT was a bad deal. Hang in there and enjoy UA! Your time will come!Here's looking forward to your 4 full seasons on the court, beginning in 2008-9! And remember:

They had pep rallies back in the mid-late 80's. And into the early 90's. I remember a quote from Butchie Washington, recalling how no one attended.We will get attendance and school spirit once we win on a "big stage." If we keep shooting ourselves in the foot in the MACC, our bandwagon will never get out of second gear.K.e.n.t. basketball drew flies for years...until they made the NCAA's. By by repeating that couple times over the course of several years, the K.e.n.t. students and public got excited about the program. Their attendance is still riding the wave from that "era." If the Zips can get 4 NCAA appearances in a 9-year stretch, then you'll see pep rallies getting a bit raucous, and crowds bursting the JAR walls. And the Marketing Crew will look like geniuses. Until then, it will remain hit-and-miss.UA pep rally for the K.e.n.t. game would probably draw well?

Get in his head!

Gotta love a player that went 4-15, but "hit big shots late." So what did he start off...0-11? Keep shooting and The Law of Averages will eventually kick in. Too bad his 0-11 start was what put OU in the situation to begin with.As my friend kept yelling at The Q last March, during another one of Bubba's epic displays of ...ummm...."marksmanship": "Keep Shooting, Bubba!!!!!!!!!"

Agreed. It is a real stretch to claim you're the MAC Champ when Miami beat you 2-out-of-3 and went to the Big Dance. We were #2 last year.

I like the hat! Nice touch!

I wish he'd look at what numbers Jabari put up last year in Akron with B-A-D QB play and envision what he could do. He'd be our feature WR from Day #1?Look at David Harvey too.I hope we get him because we sorely need him. But I wonder if, the longer he waits, the better his chances that the Zips pull the offer in favor of a WR who really wants it. Sometimes the waiting game works (for the player)...and sometimes it can backfire.Regardless -- If we want to get back to a bowl game...and actually WIN a bowl game...we need players of his caliber.

Below are the Points-in-the-Paint shot selection diagrams from a recent OU home game. Can you pick which is Leon and which is Bubba?

Shocking he didn't end up at a BCS school?It will be interesting to check Norfolk State's roster at year's end to see:a.) If he's still on itb.) If he played

FYI -- In support of the Z-Fund, the Coaches Luncheon will be held this Friday, January 18th from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Spaghetti Warehouse. The luncheon will feature Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades, Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jodi Kest and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Keith Dambrot. Each will give their thoughts on the season thus far and upcoming conference play. Cost is $11 at the door and includes a pasta buffet and drink. To reserve your seat call the Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-99-AKRON. The Spaghetti Warehouse is located at 510 South Main Street in downtown Akron.

Thursday night 9pm games ain't the way to get it. You lose the blue hairs and the families. Looking at the UA hoops demographics, that's a significant section of the fan base.I shudder to think how empty the lower reserved section will look on TV. Thankfully no one in TV land will be watching.Also -- Keep in mind my post is regarding ESPNUnseen and the MAC overall. Not simply this week's basketball game.ESPNU is the Devil.

I think I'm officially tired of the ESPNU/MAC relationship.I love going to a Zips football game on a Saturday afternoon...getting there early...setting up the grill...meeting up with friends...often times the best part of a Saturday game day is the 6-or-so hours preceding it. Since the advent of ESPNU, games have been moved to all sorts of ungodly days...at ungodly hours...for what? "Exposure" sucks when it ruins my game day, or prevents me from attending all together. When it is exposure in the form of a 0.008 rating on ESPNUnseen...it sucks all the more. I don't care if ESPNUnseen was added to a cheaper tier of Warner Cable...NO ONE watches it. Would a handful of local Akron folks watch it on ESPNU? Maybe...but their sorry asses should be down at the JAR.Is it great for ex-patriot Zips like ZIP in Hawai'i? Sure...but how many ex-patriots are watching ESPNU? Really...be honest...52? Hustling your kids down to the Rubber Bowl for a game at 6pm on a Wednesday in November sucks. Having a pivotal MAC basketball game held on a Wednesday at 9pm sucks. Younger kids can't pull that off on a school night...so their parents can't either. You probably lose about 50% of the blue hairs in the lower bowl too.I appreciate Bleach Bum's position in-favor of such a game. If I were a single guy with no kids the BW-3's 3-hour pre-game would be a "can't miss" event, circled on my calendar for weeks. But for a lot of folks, 9pm Wednesday games suck.ESPNU is the Devil. I hate them.

Sweet block by Wood to end the game!Good UB announcer quote: "If Akron was picked 4th in the league, I can't wait to see OU and Miami."