Blue & Gold

I've never seen him play. What year is he? How tall? Anyway, 25.5 PPG is very impressive.

Yes, but these are hopes for him "rounding out his junior year." Hypothetically, Zeke could accomplish all three of Zipmeisters wishes by the close of spring semester!

Beginning this Wednesday, against the hated Miami Redhawks, Zeke Marshall will be rounding out his Junior season as a Zip, with his second tour through the brutal Mid-American Conference East. This means that Zeke has faced each MAC East team at least 5 times. Zeke is the most highly-touted recruit in UA history and one of the very most highly-touted recruits in MAC history. He stands 7'1" and has a 7'6" wingspan. Zeke has legitimate NBA aspirations. Zeke has definitely been a good MAC player. However, he has rarely dominated like many of us thought he might. What are your expectations of Zeke as he rounds out his Junior year? Here are mine: 1. A couple of blocks per game. Many altered shots per game (more important IMHO), 2. 10 points per game, and... 3. 10 REBOUNDS PER GAME!!!!!!! There is no reason a 7'1" C should not be getting 10 rebounds per game. If Zeke has any real NBA potential, he must toughen up, get a mean streak, and absolutely clean glass. He needs to own that ball as soon as it comes off the rim. He needs to make the typically 6'8" MAC centers piss their respective shorts as he reaches up above the rim with that 7'6" wingspan. The MAC East bigs should know, without a doubt, that if Big Zeke wants a rebound, Big Zeke gets the rebound and there is absolutely nothing they could possibly ever do to stop it. If there is a rebound to be had, Zeke will have it. As I write this post, Mississippi State's Arnett Moultrie is #7 in the nation in RPG, averaging 10.8. Zeke pwned Moultrie when they went head-to-head. Zeke needs to own any and everyone. Presently, Zeke is averaging 5.2 RPG. I want to see Zeke double that for these next 5 MAC East contests, against ORU & then in our 2 wins in the MACC. In the MAC, now that Zeke is a seasoned Junior, he should be an automatic double-double.

Are we going to be looking at any JUCO post players in preparation for Zeke's graduation after next season? Does KD think we're going to be thin in the post next season after Nic's departure? We're only going to have two true bigs - Zeke & Tree. This concerns me.

"Northeast Ohio" is not "in town."

Except for the Aeros, we don't have professional sports in town either.

+1. Well said!

That's a pretty good attendance. We really may pack them in if hockey was a scholarship sport & had an on-campus facility.

How was attendance versus Toledo? And did we win?

They got a nice view of Tree's epic put-back dunk!

Good man.

I hope any newbies had fun & were made to feel like part of the group.

This is exactly where I'm at in my thinking, Keener. Of course I'm for anything that maximizes the UofA. I don't care what it is. But I don't hate the MAC. I think we'd find ourselves in a nice position if we'd come to dominate this conference - much like what Boise does/used to do in the WAC. I have a handful of rivalries that I really enjoy: Buffalo, K.e.nt, Ohio, Miami. Plus budding rivalries with Toledo & WMU. But I've been an Akron fan for so long that my thinking may really be clouded. If Joe Akron isn't at all interested in those rivalries, no matter how much I may enjoy them, then okay, let's get out of the MAC. But presently, I'm not too hip with joining C-USA. As presently constituted, I don't think C-USA is much better than the MAC - just extremely spread out.

We are our own worst enemy. Teams don't beat us, we beat ourselves. However, sadly, we've shown we can do that with the best of them this year. For just one game, we could lose to anyone. Especially in the East. And now both WMU & Toledo seem to really be stepping up their respective games. My ranking of teams which worry me: 1) Buffalo (Western should have beaten them last night! McCray is an absolute beast. I love Reggie Witherspoon. Buffalo's legit.) 2) K.e.nt State 3) Western Michigan (They're healthy & Stainbrook is underrated. Right now Flenard Whitfield is playing like a MAC POTY candidate.) 4) Ohio And a distant fifth... 5) Toledo (Though I think we got their very best A+ game and we played like dirt. And still won. Comfortably.) 6) Miami (They've fallen off the face of the earth. But I'm still stinging from Penno's prayer.)

+1. Would you fellas attribute that mostly to our more up-tempo, above-the-rim style of play? -We play the same teams. -We play in the same crappy JAR. -We still get no coverage from Cleveland tv media. -The Akron Beacon Journal has done a nice job increasing their coverage of the Zips. But they've been pretty good for a couple years now. It's got to be the more exciting style of play, no?

And why, O why, can't they remember to turn the volume back on coming out of time outs? Such a basic task.

Unfortunately, I also had to witness that.

It does. I'm missing large chunks of the game. I did get to see Abreu's 3, so that was nice.

Got it! Hey, why not wait till the very last second?

No live internet feed. Naturally. Who would have expected anything more?

Due to my youth basketball league, I cannot make the NIU game. But please don't plan around me. If it's before the Miami game I could make it.

Hmm, very astute observation, Quick.

It's closed. No (too few) patrons. The city turned the beautiful structure into a middle school specializing in math & science. Whatever. Middle school students don't really specialize in math & science, no offense to any advanced middle schoolers out there . Hopefully the UofA will acquire the building one day. I'm sure the U could better utilize that very significant structure.

Amen. Unimaginably, the way he's playing right now is a down-right detriment to the team. The only way we make any noise in the NCAA is if he gets his head out of his can. Keep that big can near the paint, Nic.