Let'sGoZips94

"This America East conference looks like they know how to operate a conference tournament - give the top seed home court advantage. The MAC should adopt this model. Screw Cleveland." - Toledo fans (probably)

I have 2 daughters - 4 years old and 2 years old. A couple nights a week, I run solo in putting them to bed. On those nights, I sing them 2 songs - Take Me Out to the Ball Game and the University of Akron Fight Song. This morning, my 2 year old was running around the kitchen singing the University of Akron Fight Song. Akron by a million tonight. LET'S GO ZIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I forgot this matchup was also for the all time series lead! This really is going to be a war.

They should be, but mainly because the best representative of the MAC is Freeman, and the country deserves to see Freeman.

Kent scored 73 today and beat BUGS by 13. BUGS shot 20% from 3 and 37% from the field. Kent shot 51% from the field and 66.7% from 3. Sullinger & Santiago shot 73%(!) from 3 on 15 attempts combined. Do with this information what you will. On one hand it's an impressive clip they were hitting at. On the other hand, it's pathetic that they only won by 13 and only scored 73 despite a nearly 50 percentage point different in success from behind the arc. Prather and Lyles each had 0 minutes tonight. They're fresh. Prather needs unleashed tomorrow, and Lyles needs used to absorb some fouls as I'm expecting PCCC to go HARD inside to try and get Freeman in foul trouble. Freeman has had 23 & 24 pts in the first 2 editions of this rivalry matchup this season. Kent's main hope is to limit how much Freeman is on the floor. He HAS to be smart, especially when Davis inevitably lowers his shoulder into him over and over again). I do not expect the MAC officiating to magically improve for tomorrow night (tonight was an absolute embarrassment for the league from an officiating standpoint; oh, and Bobcat Attack is complaining the refs didn't call enough fouls). We had 2 bench pts tonight in total. 2. We're going to need at least 10 from the bench tomorrow night. Ali Ali needs to play motivated but composed; F Ali Ali cannot be in his head for trash talking and reactions. Need more from Tribble tomorrow night, and we need at least one of Dawson and Nate Johnson to have more of a positive impact (won't be hard given their rock bottom performances right now). Hunter needs to play big tomorrow to help Freeman down low. Tavari, Thornton, and Scott just need to take care of the damn ball and facilitate on offense. Get guys moving on and off the ball, and don't try to do too much. Lastly, Zips Nation has to be out in full force. The inbreds to the east always travel well and bring their Golden Shower stench with them. Hold your nose, show up, and be loud. Remember, we're the ones with one of the greatest players in MAC history. We have the better coach. We have more experience. And we are the superior school. Go Zips! It's 12:30am and...

Bobcat Attack has a post that Boals confirmed they will not be going to the CBI or CIT - their season is over.

3 tickets bought for tomorrow. Thank you Angela Rizzo!

Yes. Valid foul. The only valid foul all night it seemed. Nate when to boxout with an elbow high to the chest.

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

Outside ref just called a foul on Freeman. Lol.

FREEEEEEMAAAAAANNNNNNN

How the hell are we up 6?! LET'S GO!!!!

Wow. That Hunter 3...

No. Warranted gripe. The refs, in an f'ing conference tournament, think they're the show.

F these refs.

Bench Dawson. Give me Prather. Or Evan Wilson.

I hate this team.

Oh my God the refs missed a travel on #4. They swallowed their whistle for once abd it led to 2 pts for Ohio.

Our offense blows.

Davis for PCCC is a walking offensive foul.

Speaking of future MAC additions (hopefully), Western Kentucky is dismantling Middle Tennessee right now. Come to the MAC, Hilltoppers!

Revisionist history? He was 3-6 in the MAC Finals and 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio won 3 Tourney games in 4 years. Buffalo went to the tourney 4 times in 5 years (2 after Dambrot left) and had 2 wins (along with 2 very close first round losses). The 7 straight Finals appearances and 9 appearances in 11 years - helluva run and very fun - for the most part. The program became very stale, the ceiling under Dambrot had been reached, and I personally just didn't appreciate the excuses of fan support and the JAR at the end of his tenure - @Zippy87 these were in post game interviews and such IIRC. The dispute may have been with Larry Williams but the only public comments were about the JAR and fans. My memory may be off, but I distinctly recall the tone surrounding his departure being something to the effect of "he can't win in March at Akron with the JAR, lack of consistent fan support, and being in a 1 bid league." Revisionist history would be only acknowledging the participation trophy accomplishments that occurred under Dambrot, and ignoring the frustration and disappointment that grew as the shine of "finals appearances" wore off without anything to show for it in the Big Dance. The embarrassment of the Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, and Abreu situations, along with the ass whooping we received in Detroit from VCU and never having success in the Tourney - those are also part of the Dambrot era at Akron.

Toledo women's basketball, also as a 1 seed, goes down in OT to Buffalo. If we ever needed more proof that Toledo is simply Detroit South, look no further than how much Cleveland hates Toledo.

I'll never understand why he chose to leave Akron the way he did - ripping fans, the JAR, emptying the cupboards of the program, etc. He had a roller coaster career at Akron, but ultimately peaked 9 years in and declined during his remaining years at the helm of the Zips. Never really sniffed a tourney win, only won 3 MAC tournaments despite 8 or 9 trips, and had a slew of program issues with Diggs, Harney, Treadwell, Abreu, etc. He failed to recruit Larry Nance Jr to boot. It doesn't help that during the peak and decline of the program in his final years as our coach, we witnessed Ohio & Buffalo go on runs in the NCAA Tourney that he never accomplished, and chose to make excuses (see the opening sentence). The shine of the Dambrot era wore off real quick for me. I appreciate where he took Akron from where the program was when he started, but that's about it. I've actively rooted against Dambrot since he arrived at Duquesne. With all that being said, this year is a little different given everything he has gone through. With the passing of his dad and his wife being diagnosed with cancer, the human in me isn't upset to see him have some success right now.

Oh and let's go BUGS! Ay Zippy Zoomba or something like that!