RowdyZip

When I read these things, I realize that a lot of the kids that Arth brought in were good kids, smart kids, but not often D1-talented kids. Wish them all the best, but we need talent and character.

I think this is the fastest I've ever seen 247 update an Akron recruit:

Defense was fantastic and Trimble got out of the funk. Tough team to beat when those two things happen.

Have to take BG here after that showing on Tuesday. Short turnaround, road game, more talented team. I just don't think we have enough offense to win consistently when the defense isn't fantastic and/or Trimble continues his shooting slump.

What an embarrassing effort all around.

Wow, a thread with one post for Akron/Kent on the day of the game. They are in full fledged pessimism mode over on generic bbs land (csnbbs). That being said, rivalry game and two teams that have some good victories and puzzling defeats. This one is a crapshoot. Don't have access to CBSSN, so it's family movie night with the little ones in this house. Will be checking the score periodically. Gut says: Akron 65 Kent 60

On a related note, how crazy is it that the 2005 MAC Championship was called by Mike Tirico (Now doing Super Bowl and Olympics with NBC) and Erin Andrews was the sideline reporter?

Or a snowstorm. I think some of these kids that grew up in the south never seeing snow or having seasons are interested in a (temporary) climate change just like a lot of us that grow disgusted with Ohio's weather would like to shift south.

The App State one is what hurts. Losses: Ohio State 24 😒 Fordham 143 🤢 App State 208 🤮 Ohio U 74 😐

A tale of two halves...again. Watching from home, nearly turned it off with frustration. No movement on offense, no activity on defense, lazy passes, forced shots, missed open shots, silly fouls. Then the second half happened. Glad I kept the game on. I think it's a good sign that this team can beat an above-average MAC team when a key contributor like Ali only manages a single foul shot. Interesting notes about the crowd for those that were at the game. Via television, the entire lower bowl looked pretty much empty. You could hear the student section chants/cheers the whole game thought (kudos there). Let's hope we're through the worst of it with the COVID outbreaks on the team.

Traded Mumpfield in so many words.

You'd have thought that 6'6" 301 would've clued me in that he wasn't a linebacker.

He was a JUCO guy, so he was here his Jr and Sr seasons, lost half his Sr year to injury I believe. I also think i remember him making a spectacular catch in a Wagon Wheel at Kent to either win the game or give us the lead. 13 years ago is a while...

Stars kind of matter, but once you get past the top 100-150 recruits, it's really a crapshoot. Below are our top 9 all-time recruits per Scout/247. None were stars in the MAC. Mark Jackson (LB): Never played in Akron uniform (that I can find) Deryn Bowser (WR): Above average WR JUCO transfer. 85 receptions for 1,092 yards in 18 games over two seasons. Erick Howard (RB): Never played in Akron uniform (I think he's in prison for burglary?) Paul Simkovich (OL): Serviceable OL, played in 19 career games for Akron Patrick Nicely (QB): Below average QB. I believe transferred down for his Sr year? 49.8 career completion percentage, 18 TDs/ 21 INTs in 30 games. Corey Thomas (LB): Brighter spot on defense this past year, played all 12 games. 29 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack Peter Hayes-Patrick (RB): RB with a handful of carries during his freshman year. Doesn't appear to be playing football anymore. Keith Sconiers (WR): 114 catches for 1366 yards and 6 TDs in 43 career games. Keyondre White (RB): Played 7 games at Akron, 23 carries for 81 yards and 1 TD.

This is just a verbal right? Probably less chance of someone swooping in and stealing him during the offseason, but when is signing day?

I think it's pretty obvious that there are 5 or maybe 6 contenders in this league right now. Akron is definitely in the mix, and probably needs the most time to grow as a roster. If we can knock off the kitties at home tomorrow, we will have knocked off the top two MAC preseason poll picks. Sure, they were the home half of the matchups, but that puts more pressure on those teams later in the season. I'll take it. The top 4 in NET rankings is pretty close to how I'd rank it right now: OU Toledo Buffalo Akron Though you could definitely make the case for Akron to be #2, absent that debacle in Ft Myers.

Update. Games through 01/02/2022. The MAC currently has 4 teams in the bottom quartile and only 5 teams in the top half of the NET rankings. Not a good season for the conference :

Is that true? It's only a few years, but I don't remember well enough. Is it more than just Mumpfield and Gibson this year that have landed P5 spots? Also, without a hardship exemption Bowden guys would have had to sacrifice a year of PT to transfer, right?

I will be 100% curious to see if these guys are big-time contributors or just a roster filler at their new programs. Georgia Tech and Pitt are both, generally, low-level P5s, so I think they may have at least a shot at being productive. However, we have to remember that this roster was pretty much devoid of talent coming into the season. Are Gibson and Mumpfield true stars? Or were they just the only serviceable guys on an absolutely abysmal football team?

I'll say thank you. This is important. Again...we are dealing with a brand new virus that has been clearly linked to cardiovascular and nervous system issues that is infecting vast majorities of the population. I see people with mild to moderate symptoms joking about how they've lost sense of taste and smell. Guess what? That means the virus is in your brain. What does that mean down the road? We're a long way away from fully understanding the repercussions of this pandemic. Will everyone, at some point, be infected with some version of this virus? Probably. But resigning ourselves to that fate is a dangerous move. These conversations are necessary, even here. I find those that become defensive and turn to insults in these situations tend to be the ones that believe they know better than experts with years of education, experience and expertise. “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” ― Isaac Asimov

FIFY

Tough way to start MAC play: We will not have played a game for more than two weeks (16 days) while the Bulls have been able to keep a somewhat steady schedule having two games during the same time period. Granted, they were two somewhat surprising losses to 4-9 Canisius and an a 10 point home loss to an 8-5 Sweaters team that was picked 7th in the MAC preseason poll. This game being at home plays to the Zips advantage after their hiatus. I feel better about it than I would if we were on the road. If the Zips are at full strength, I like our chances. If we still have guys out sick/COVID, then our depth is a serious issue here like has been discussed before. Wonder what it would take for Groce to burn the RS for Johnson or Mitchell? Side note, if you Google 'Akron Basketball Roster', the pic of Enrique Freeman is fun.

YES! OUR ENTERTAINMENT MUST BE PLACED ABOVE ALL! 🙄 On behalf of the exhausted and understaffed clinical hospital workers across NEOH (and everywhere else), please do your best to make decisions to try and stay extra safe out there during these next few weeks. Be especially careful if you've chosen to remain unvaccinated. I look forward to seeing our Zips back on the court when it's safe for them, and for the rest of the public. Hopefully getting through this mess now gets us a better chance at having a smooth month of March for college basketball.

Thank you for this succinct and factual explanation. As someone working in medicine, the constant minimizing of the pandemic and comparisons to the flu are profoundly frustrating. The world is dealing with a new virus that we still don't understand how it affects the brain (loss of taste/smell in the parietal lobe), and the cardiovascular system (stroke, cardiomyopathy). No, games aren't being canceled because of kids getting the flu. Games are being canceled out of an abundance of caution with hope of minimizing potential lifelong complications from a novel virus on young, healthy athletes. Bottom line for us as fans is that we're frustrated with cancelation of events that we find entertaining. A minor inconvenience.

Reading more and more that this game might not happen due to Oregon injury/transfer/COVID. Might not be the worst thing for Akron if this game gets canceled.