Let'sGoZips94

Which is why I think Bud Wentz is shelling out so much $$$ for basketball. The numbers consistently show an uptick in enrollment/support for schools following a March Madness run. I have some other ideas in the interim, but that's the end-all-be-all solution.

Ohio State has a large under grad population, and the majority are there because Ohio State is cool and attending games is a social status boost. Akron has a dwindling under grad population, the majority are there to focus on their sport or education, Akron isn't cool, and attending games doesn't boost their social status. Until someone figures out how to make Akron cool, these kids are going to struggle to find the motivation to support athletics.

WMU is shooting 44% from 3, Akron is shooting 52%. This is ridiculous.

With all due respect, you suck. 😂

It's on ESPN2 now.

200 is the cut-off for Q3 on a neutral site. Technically, Q3 could be as low as 240 on the road. There are currently 4 teams over 300 NET in the MAC, with EMU flirting at 292. Last year, there were 2 over 300, but NIU (298) and WMU (292) flirted with 300+. It also needs pointed out that the MAC has a higher number of members than many mid major conferences, and that is working against us this year. For example, the WAC is ranked the 15th best conference according to Warren Nolan. They have 9 members and their highest ranked team is Grand Canyon at 93. They have 4 teams in the top 200, 2 over 300, and another at 282. They are very similar to the MAC without the extra boat anchors. My point is, the MAC may be ranked the 23rd in the country (according to Warren Nolan), but there are metrics that give legitimacy to our undefeated conference record and winning streak. This is a damn good team regardless of conference.

For those wondering how this year's MAC stacks up vs. previous seasons, this is actually the most top 200 teams the MAC has had post-COVID.

I thought his claim to fame was knowing Peyton Manning?

What the... "Almost" better be the key word.

Will be very interesting to see how much the MAC shifts upward with UMass replacing NIU next year.

Kent has good losses. Auburn, Bama, and UC Irvine are helping their NET more than losing in the MAC has hurt it. Their win over top 100 Ark St helps too. NET is designed to reward power conferences. The AP is designed to promote power conferences. This should be the week that Saint Mary's gets ranked, and that should tell you all you need to know about the AP Poll.

I watched the replay tonight. There have been 2 truly special teams during the span of my Zips fandom: 2012-13 because of their Coaches' Poll ranking and 2019-20 because it was Groce's first talented team at Akron with a plethora of likeable guys that had a legitimate shot at wins in March if it weren't for COVID. This year's squad has a chance of entering the ranks of "special" for me. This is the most offensively talented team I've ever seen at Akron, and it's to the point where it doesn't matter what the other team does. Want to play a zone? Ok. We'll either shoot our way out of it or break it down with exceptional movement both on-ball and off-ball. 2-3 guys not shooting the ball well? No worries; guys 4-7 will step up and make the shots. The versatility and depth we possess is outstanding. South Alabama was a top 100 defense that we dismantled. Kent was a top 100 defense that we dismantled. Miami was a top offense that couldn't keep up. Ohio was a top offense that couldn't keep up. We control our destiny more than any Zips team I've ever seen because if we play our game and execute, we're borderline unbeatable by any better in the MAC or around our level. Let's Go Zips!

This is a very, very bad WMU team. As long as the 2013 VCU game flu doesn't hit the team, we should win very comfortably.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, should give a flying fadoodle what the tiebreaker is in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. 😂 It should simply be an 0-1-1 record for the MAC in the first two seasons and we can focus our attention back on Cleveland.

Breaking News: Wealthiest county in North Carolina doesn't bat an eye at $25 parking.

My assumption is the schedule timing is due to travel logistics, but I do not know for sure. Do you think this is something that could be changed in the future? It would still suck for Arkansas State, though, as they'd be playing Kent still (88 vs. 138 as of today).

Exactly, and with the ever expanding eligibility for college athletes, high school recruiting is becoming more and more unnecessary.

Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240. Having a ~100 or better win on the resume is much better than 150+, which is what this is matchup is shaping up to be. Should we be fortunate enough to win on Saturday and continue our run through the MAC, we will be flirting with 12/13 seed territory in March and this OOC matchup matters in that scenario. For the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge to work, there has to be incentive for the top teams in both conferences. Akron risks quite a bit more with little to gain vs. South Alabama which has everything to gain and very little to lose. The same goes for Arkansas St. and Troy on the Sun Belt side. They play Kent and Miami respectively, both are in the ~140 range, while the Arkansas St. is top 90 and Troy is top 110. I understand you're not always going to achieve perfect matchups (JMU/App St were top 70 teams last year while the MAC's best were maybe in the ~90-110 range at the time), but automatically eliminating strong matchups in the later part of the schedule isn't helping either conference's top teams.

Why would any G5 schools recruit high school QBs? The off-chance they play - and have success - as a freshman before transferring to a P4?

By the way, that Balls team lost to Dayton, at Dayton, during Dayton's prime of their season (they were so good in the beginning), by 8. I'd imagine Balls is much improved now, and Akron had the same margin of victory.

The MAC/Sun Belt Challenge needs to allow for rematches. It's rare, but I have seen instances with other teams' schedules where OOC teams play each other twice. Typically it stems from a regularly scheduled matchup coinciding with an early season tournament matchup. The first matchup in the challenge is always a guess of who the top teams will be. When the season is a week into February, it's no longer a guess. Quit spoiling guaranteed solid late-season matchups with the early season guess. The old school Bracketbuster matchups were the best because they were solely based around where the teams ranked at that point in the season. Arkansas State @ Akron for the rematch would be must-watch mid-major basketball. Instead, we get USA, and not in the greatest-country-in-the-world way. For any South Alabama fans that find our board, I mean no disrespect. It's just frustrating that this matchup went from being a potential top 100 game with a guaranteed Q3 resume building potential, to borderline Q4 which we have enough of on our schedule thanks to a garbage MAC. Side note: The MAC/Sun Belt Challenge should be for keeps. Winning conference gets the other conference's top school to join their conference the following year. I'm only half kidding as I would propose pretty much anything to get us away from Steinbrecher's awful leadership and Directional Michigans.

This is what I get for posting this in the wee hours of the morning after quick-glancing the ESPN box score. Stupid Disney...

Zips had 4 guys in double figures, none of whom were starters. Still put up 81 with zero starters in double figures. We. Are. Dangerous.

Our worst game at home in a while, Nate Johnson's worst game during MAC play, and we still score 81 to get the W. Wild.