Let'sGoZips94

fbsschedules.com/2024-akron-football-schedule/

When did Colgate get added to 2024 schedule?

Video board?

Both of you are correct. I don't believe Ali Ali is as big of a positive to this team as many people make him out to be. I will always go back to his disappearance in the UCLA game, and the specific frustrations people had with him throughout that season when the movement/flow/rhythm on offense died with the ball in his hands. If Dawson is healthy last year, we would've had that legitimate complimentary piece to X2.0 & Freeman that can defend & score in a multitude of ways. That was what we were missing and what would've catapulted us to be MAC champions. Ali Ali is on our roster, and his participation decision is being held up by the crooked NCAA. Regardless, he is on our roster, therefore it is appropriate to play a bit of the "what if" game. We had an 8-man rotation after playing a tough game 24 hours prior against a team that played extremely hard, up-tempo, and a HAVOC defense. Within that 8-man rotation, 3 players barely showed up in the stat sheet. We needed 4 points. Ali Ali would've given us the depth and extra points we needed to overcome the missed layups, turnovers, etc. In addition, Utah State's length caused a lot of issues for us. Ali Ali would've been an equalizer in that department. In this game specifically, Ali Ali makes the difference. It's a damn shame the NCAA can get away with screwing around with programs and people's lives. @Zippy87 Great point about Prather Jr as well. Everything about his game during the recruiting process was exciting. Really hope whatever the issue is, it gets figured out and he can become a producer for us.

Ali Ali makes the difference in this game.

Thornton pulling up with well over 1 second left on that heave at the end was fitting for this game - we were not composed enough and peed down our legs when it mattered. The little things were not done well.

GRAB THE F'ING BALL!

Would be a great time to GET A STOP.

This is Freeman's world. We're just living in it.

My fear coming into the game was fatigue after facing that defense last night.

4 on Osobor.

I want $10 of my $30 back, FloSports.

Bad - BAD - sequence from Thornton there. Missed layup then got beat on defense and fouled. Edit: TWO MISSED LAYUPS!

Yes and no. Utah State's length isn't allowing for many "good" looks, but we've missed some decent ones.

Blessing to only be down by 4. Wouldn't be mad if Tavari sat the bench in the 2nd half; maybe he can learn what it means to treasure the basketball. Scott & Thornton can run the point just fine. Would love to see some off the ball movement to help break this 1-3-1. Dawson, Tribble, Johnson, and Scott all need to be looking back-door for the cut. Good matchup and about what I expected. Let's win this 2nd half by a minimum of 5.

Off night. Missouri State had 19 turnovers to PCCC's 9, but PCCC proceeded to shoot the following... 32.8% FG 13.6% 3PT (3-22; oof) 41.7% FT PCCC should've won this tournament. Weak field. Hilarious they lost their first game. KSUcks!

7:30, and this is a big one. The Mountain West may be the best non-P6 conference, and Utah State looks to be one of the better teams within the conference. They are tall, athletic, and experienced. When the bracket came out earlier this year, this was the matchup we wanted and how we wanted it (both in the winners bracket). Time to earn the #2 mid major ranking.

PCCC scored 58 in their 2008 NCAA Tournament game. You're probably saying, "That's more than 52. Why are you bringing this up?" They had 10 points in the first half. If you ever think the bar is too low for Kent, it's not. My signature is about as accurate as it gets - Failure resides 15.2 miles northeast of Akron.

Some thoughts... - Huge shoutout to FIU's effort & tenacity. They've been a well-coached team since Ballard took over in 2018. Would not be surprised to see them win 20+ games this year. - I thought a key moment that will probably go under-appreciated was the timeout Groce took at the 19 minute mark in the first half. We had just turned the ball over twice, and Groce made sure to stop the bleeding and make the adjustments quickly before it got out of hand. Decisions like this are why Groce is such a success basketball coach. - I thought all 3 guards had net positive impacts tonight. Shammah Scott finished well at the rim on the fast-break/transition plays (we've missed so many of those in the past). Thornton brought poise and maturity during times of chaos. Tavari had a big 3 in transition and overall I thought his speed/quickness helped keep FIU off-balance on defense. 19 turnovers is a lot, but a handful of those came early, Freeman had some down low, and FIU was phenomenal at getting their hands in passing lanes quickly. - I will probably repeat this all year, but if we have Dawson last year, we're back to back MAC Champs. His versatility, athleticism, and size is such a mismatch for teams. - Tribble & Hunter were a bit MIA at times, but their effort is always there. - Nate Johnson continues to be the most improved player. He seemed to always make up for his errors, and he's like a Dawson Jr. out there. His confidence this year is what is most encouraging, as we all saw the potential with him last year that was simply lacking the confidence. - Best for last: Freeman. 27 pts including TWO 3 pointers (the last one was insanely clutch), 14 rebounds. He is already on the Mount Rushmore for all-time Akron players, and nights like tonight simply solidify his jersey in the rafters someday. Unbelievable performance and I'd half to imagine the other MAC squads are crapping themselves seeing Freeman add the 3 pointer to his arsenal. This was a game Akron has lost all too often in the past. A beatable team from a decent conference, in a game where seemingly nothing went our way. This was a big win for the program. Beat Utah State! Go Zips!

Not shocked. Most seasons are 1-2 games before the early season tournament, which typically featured a P6 squad. One of those first two games may have been a P6 program as well. What is shocking is this is probably our most difficult schedule thus far that doesn't contain a P6, and we're undefeated. SDSU, USM, and FIU are all quality wins thus far.

THAT was a good win.

BALL GAME! AKRON IS GOING TO WIN! WHAT A CLOSE OUT!

FREEEEEEMAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!

BIG 3 by Dawson. Tie game at 64.

Thornton with the air ball free throw. I get it, NIU didn't have many pressure situations, but that's tough...