Let'sGoZips94

FREEMAN!!!!!!!

WOW! Nice play by Nate. Welcome back!

If I asked AI to generate the prototypical male student at Ohio, Ethan Sargeant is what it would create. He's the guy on Saturday night making sure the Beeramid isn't going to fall. Never forget Kent's sideline reporter fail. Completely forget the fella's name, but when the camera was put on him for the sideline report, nothing on his body functioned properly. He was a combination of Ricky Bobby ("I don't know what to do with my hands") and the class nerd talking to a girl for the first time. "Put the ball in the hoop for a 3 point shot (holds up 2 fingers."

After that lazy turnover, not sure he gets many more minutes. Bad bad bad.

We need to start making some outside shots and take the pressure off Freeman. Tribble just got fouled twice on one play. Thank God the second was called.

Nate Johnson appearance early.

Lol. Assault is borderline legal so far.

Yeah, Nance Jr. had Crohn's. I played on his 3 on 3 team at the Akron basketball camp one summer when he was in high school (Pete was there, too, but in the elementary-ish levels), and his family were members at Springside in Montrose when I took tennis lessons there. Ran into Sr. & Pete quite a bit (Jr. was at Wyoming). Easily one of the nicest families you'll ever come across. I don't know how you're a coach at Akron, have Larry Nance Jr. playing in your backyard, and don't plan your scholarship gameplan around making sure one is available for him - especially when his dad asks for a scholarship for him. Of all the "backyard talent" that escaped Akron, that has to be the most embarrassing. Not to mention Harney was one of the reasons we didn't have one available - what a joke.

I must have missed this or forgotten about it. What the...

Akron is 30 minutes from Cleveland. We don't talk about the 2016 World Series without swearing Mother Nature. To add more details to @akzipper's post, the 2012-13 team was pretty special. That season included a Bracket Buster game vs NDSU that was a blast. The final week of the season was when Abreu was arrested (it might've been just before the last game against PCCC). We went into the tournament with a lot of uncertainty at PG, and ended up beating the absolute crap out of Ohio - by 19 - to win the MAC title. We went 3-0 against Ohio that season, which was led by Jim Christian (now babysitting Pinky on PCCC's bench), and featured the same exact personnel that Groce took to the Sweet Sixteen the year prior. We were a 12 seed and got a great draw in Detroit (our closest Tourney game in 3 appearances - typically they ship us out to Spokane or something like that) vs Shaka Smart's VCU Rams. Nearly our entire team had the flu for the game, and Shaka didn't care - beat us like a dead horse by 46 pts. It was truly embarrassing. 2012-13 and 2019-20 are the seasons of "what could've been."

The issue with the comparison isn't Rutgers & UMass - it's comparing the Big Ten to the MAC. The Big Ten wants to be in larger TV markets because they have established programs like OSUcks, Michigan, Penn State, etc., that will be heavily consumed by the bigger markets. I certainly agree with increasing the MAC footprint to the Boston market being a positive benefit. But the positive effective of this move won't be felt in whole until we have the other 3 schools added - whomever they may be. Reason being the next TV deal cycle for the G5 conferences will be based on competitiveness. I stated in another thread that the SBC is currently ahead of the MAC in competitiveness. Additions like UMass, WKU, etc., will make the MAC more competitive, and potentially put us ahead of the SBC - again. More competitive conference + bigger markets within the conference = more $$$ That's the equation and the bigger key within the equation is the first component.

I'm sorry our schedule isn't littered with ACC schools for me to get excited about like Wake Forest. UMass moves the needle for me more than a directional Michigan, Ball State, Northern Illinois, etc., especially in basketball which is typically a 2x schedule appearance. It breathes some life into an otherwise dying and stale conference, especially because this means 3 other schools are being added, too.

NDSU is the least plausible addition for the time being, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. If the MAC has a desire to grow to 20 teams and become a mid major super conference, an addition like NDSU would make tons of sense. Let's say they add 3 more teams this round and NDSU isn't one of them. The next round of 4 could be something like NDSU, SDSU, Illinois State, and Indiana State/YSU/Northern Iowa. SDSU was the best FCS football team last year, NDSU is notoriously one of the best FCS football programs, and both YSU (they've been solid for several years now) and Northern Iowa were top 25 programs. Not to mention Indiana State, Illinois State, SDSU, and Northern Iowa have all been top mid major basketball programs. WKU brings MTSU with them, which again, opens the door for expansion into the Missouri Valley Conference and other Midwest/Central/Southern conferences. Illinois State is traditionally an upper echelon basketball program. They beat #23 Indiana State by 13 this year and have made plenty of noise in the past. Their football program went 6-5 and played #1 SDSU, #25 YSU 3 pt loss, #23 Northern Iowa (3 pt loss), and #13 North Dakota (1 pt loss). They'd most likely hold their own in the MAC.

Steve - I'm assuming you're a UMass fan. Welcome back to the MAC. Thank you for bringing your basketball program this time. UMass is a good fit for the MAC across the board. Whoa! I didn't think NDSU would be a possibility. That would open the door for SDSU eventually. Illinois State would be fantastic! Maybe Northern Iowa down the road, too? I love the idea of adding strong basketball programs with budding football programs. WKU is a must.

This is a step in the right direction. The MAC has a competitiveness problem. Half the MAC hasn't tried in basketball for almost 2 decades. Football has become stale. The Sun Belt has surpassed the MAC in football & basketball, and at this point in time will be the winner of the largest G5 media deal behind the AAC when the next round of media deals come around. The MAC nixed expansion last realignment period, which was a negative IMO. This is a step forward, in the right direction, and needs to be succeeded by another 1-3 adds to solidify the positive movement.

Certainly in basketball, yes.

Yes, which I'm advocating for. The MAC needs to add 3 more programs in addition to UMass IMO to catch up with or pass the SBC.

I've been pounding the drum for WKU since the MAC stupidly declined to bring them aboard during the last realignment situation. I would love to see them get added along with some FCS football programs (and their basketball) like Richmond. If the MAC wants to catch up to the Sun Belt, they have to be proactive with their expansion.

Wow. A few early thoughts... - Are they a Marshall and will be looking to leave quickly? If so, what's the buyout? - This is the first A10 school to move their basketball to the MAC in favor of football. This is also a move to the east for the MAC location wise. Looking at the A10, Richmond has a really good FCS football program. Would they be interested in making the move, too? I didn't think the MAC would be able to pull any A10 basketball programs, but football is king.

Would this have anything to do with his key involvement in the Sampson/Indiana scandal? Or are they avoiding him out of envy for being paid $300k per year with mediocrity being the expectation?

Tribble is a lock for 2nd Team IMO. Ali Ali as well, unless someone sneaks him onto the 1st Team. Freeman POY is the lock of the century. Groce does not deserve COY this year. CMU's coach and BUGS' coach deserve it.

This may be one of the best, most accurate photos ever taken.

We need to get up by 20 on someone like EMU or NIU then let Nate experience an in-game shootaround the rest of the game.

Watching the Houston @ Baylor game right now. Kowalchoke had RayJ Dennis and didn't win the MAC Tourney. How? I'll never know. He will never have another player like Dennis. He is a special player and Baylor is lucky to have him.

Was it his shooting hand? The good thing is after Tuesday, it's all MAC West teams, and the lower echelon MAC West to boot. Should be plenty of opportunities for guys like Prather and Nate to get worked in more.