ZippyRulz

To be clear, Summit Co. voters haven't expressed opposition to a downtown arena, they just don't want to be taxed for it. And I don't think LBJ has been approached to contribute to any Akron basketball facilities or has said he never would. A lot may depend on his next endeavors after retirement, his business interests, and how/where is is splitting his time and residency. It would probably be a good sign for the area if he decides to play a final season with the Cavs.

The AI blurb shows Buffalo playing at Akron. Perhaps we would host Toledo and/or BG as well(?)

Apparently not released yet but Gemini has this to say: Known Matchups and Opponents While the full calendar is pending, the conference has previously announced the home/away pairings for the 2026 cycle under its division-less scheduling model. Team - Known 2026 Home Opponents - Known 2026 Away Opponents Western Michigan - Central Michigan, Kent State, Ohio, Toledo - Bowling Green, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) Buffalo - Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio - Western Michigan, Toledo, Akron, Miami (OH) Ohio - Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Miami (OH) - Central Michigan, Toledo, Kent State, Western Michigan With new coaches at Toledo, BG and CMU, hopefully we could steal a 'non-continuity/rebuilding' win..

The mainstream sports media still begs to differ. I will side with the professional oddsmakers.

A loss at OU might take some pressure off the squawks and make them even more dangerous in the MAC tournament. It will be a tough tournament either way.

Clearly there has to be some juggling going on. It's quite the exception that a new member is being incorporated so quickly.

Miami has not been the tournament top seed since 2004-2005. Change can be hard.

We're not used to this, are we. Think of it as bulletin board material..

It's March 2 and that means bracketology projections are coming out: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2026/02/28/march-madness-bracket-predictions-bubble-seeds-ncaa-tournament/88848521007/ (Miami as 11 seed) https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/march-madness-bracket-predictions-2026-ncaa-tournament/278bf37a68ad4dd190d1dc50 (Miami as 10 seed) https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/bracketology/ncaa-bracketology-2026-march-madness-men-field-predictions (Miami as 11 seed) Miami as a bubble team: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/47809690/bubble-watch-mens-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-bracket-predictions-2026#MidMajor Work to do (6) Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (MAC) Updated: Feb. 28, 8:06 a.m. The MAC hasn't received multiple bids since 1998-99 -- fittingly, the same year Wally Szczerbiak led Miami (Ohio) to the Sweet 16 after knocking off Washington and Utah in the first two rounds. Could history repeat? Miami survived a real scare against Western Michigan on Friday night, rallying from down eight in the second half to prevail on Trey Perry's game winner and remain the sole remaining unbeaten team in Division I. The forecast models don't quite know how to handle the RedHawks, though they rank inside the top 40 on résumé, the committee has never excluded an eligible team with fewer than four losses in a non-pandemic season, and Miami (Ohio) made the field as an at-large team during a recent NCAA-run mock selection exercise. It is true that the RedHawks are a mid-80s team in the predictive ratings (Akron actually still ranks higher in the MAC) and had just the 321st-hardest schedule in the nation. But wins are wins! They are now only two away from an undefeated regular season, which the major forecast models give around a 60% chance to happen. https://www.thechampaignroom.com/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball-news/52142/tcr-bracketology-10-0-illini-enter-march-searching-for-answers-fighting-illini-ncaa-big-ten On bubble watch, Miami (Ohio) needed a buzzer beater against a bad Western Michigan team to maintain their undefeated season this year. If they slip up in the MAC tournament, a very real possibility as John Groce’s Akron team is a very good mid-major again, it will bring up one of the more interesting bubble cases we have ever seen. No team with fewer than three losses has been left out of the tournament since it went to 64 teams. However, Miami has only beaten one top 100 opponent all year (Akron), has the 347th best Strength of Schedule and has predictive metrics in the seventies and eighties. Personally, I will put them in the bracket, most likely in the first four in Dayton, but I have no idea how the committee will handle it. Here is hoping that if they make the bracket as either an at-large or an automatic qualifier, that they do the world a favor and take out a team like North Carolina. AI worked very hard to find a bracket with Akron: https://www.dratings.com/predictor/bracketology/#:~:text=Table_title: Bracketology – 2026 NCAA Tournament Seeding,| Team: Akron | Conf: MAC* | Trigger alert: As of the end of the regular season, ESPN, CBS Sports and USA Today all sticking with Miami..

He provides a lot of money for UA scholarships through the I Promise LJ Family Foundation (https://www.lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org/i-promise-institute/#university-of-akron) But I know you're talking about sports and I agree it would be nice if said billionaire could make a life-changing contribution to the athletic dept.

Yeah, feels like we would really have to choke on the 3M dive event to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory...

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2026/02/25/miami-ohio-new-arena-basketball-ncaa-tournament.html?utm_source=sy&utm_medium=ptr&utm_campaign=local12 The arena will provide the basketball and volleyball programs with the resources needed to compete as consistent NCAA Tournament teams. It will also be a vibrant gathering place that brings people together, hosts events and builds a strong sense of community. The design will strengthen the connection between students and athletics by creating the best student section in America. Movin on down: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/09/23/miami-university-uc-us-news-best-colleges-list.html

You should be careful what you wish for, it would be very difficult for us to beat them in both the MAC and NCAA tourneys!

In my wish world, they lose on Thursday.

That's got to be about a 4 hour flight from Sac to Ohio/Mich. It will be kinda nuts for them if they have consecutive-week games out here. I wonder if they would stay for the week and find a practice facility or make 4 long flights out and back within the space of a week. Then again it may not be much different than some of the long bus trips in the MAC. They will also have a couple of payday games on the schedule at who knows where. I'm sure they will try to keep those closer to home. As I understand it, they will be incorporated into the MAC schedule already this fall.