ZachTheZip

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...gs_has_akr.html Tom, I'm sure that the fans would rather see an Akron team that is in the discussion for an at-large bid than a team that's not in the discussion but does have a home game against NDSU. They hold zero name value, so while their RPI and record qualify as good, it doesn't connect in the minds of the fans you are trying to appease. Besides, we were getting a TV game either way, so the fans could watch even if we went on the road.

Akron still sitting as a 13-seed on the CBS Sports bracket Still stuck at #9 in the Mid-Major Top 25

Not arrogance. Belmont is ranked #18 in the RPI. They're the best team Ohio will face all season, and Belmont will be angry.

Belmont should destroy them.

NDSU, as expected.

I'm in the same boat. I'll be checking Twitter.

I'm getting the feeling that we have a few players that transfered out of the program. Won't know for certain until the Spring game roster is released to cross-check it with last season's roster. This could explain the discrepancy in the number of recruits we have coming in.

Illinois State (144) @ Utah State (124). No TV.

Match-ups are starting to get leaked. Idaho (173) @ Idaho State (342) is confirmed. I'm surprised that isn't a reccuring series. Must be some bad blood. It's confirmed that Detroit (away) and Valpo (home) will be getting TV games, but the opponents haven't been announced yet. Outside of the TV games, geography is the main factor and RPI means almost nothing.

The Zips biggest challenge at this point is keeping egos in check. Can't afford to get caught sleeping. We still need to work on putting together a complete 40-minute game.

Time to move on. We're only half way through the MAC schedule, and the second half will be more difficult. CMU is improved compared to last season, but they still have their struggles. They appear to let their opponents dictate the style of play. CMU is a one-man show with senior shooting guard Kyle Randall.

4 votes in the AP.

It's payback for us beating Ohio.

Two votes in the Coaches Poll

How dare we ask for national attention, with the best winning streak in the country and an NBA prospect on the team? We're supposed to be an afterthought in the sports heirarchy. Right Elton?

I wouldn't mind Indiana State. You guys are better than any possible match-up we would get as a home team. That being said, I would prefer to knock off Wichita State. I am 100% against playing at Saint Mary's.

If they vote like they do for Coach of the Year, Zeke won't win a thing even if he averaged a triple-double the rest of the season.

Number before team. You're reading it backwards.

Great post. Akron has yet to play 40 minutes of good basketball in a game. They have four games to figure it out.

Some more: Statsheet.com (I really love this site's pre- and post-game breakdowns) More Hustlebelt

Some media coverage: HustleBelt Midmajor Madness Mac Report Online AkronSportsNow Elton Alexander Bill Livingston Bustingbrackets.com Fox Sports Ohio George Thomas Columbus Dispatch Bleacher Report

As a JUCO, he signed mid-season. It doesn't count as a whole other year of eligibility, but rather a mid-year transfer. It does mean he has to sit out.

He played two years at Nassau, but left after the fall semester to enroll at Kansas. He only spent the spring semester at Kansas. So that's two years of eligibility gone. Since he signed a LOI with Kansas, I'm pretty sure he has to sit out a year. That's three years. The NCAA gives you five years to play four. So he should have two years after he sits out.

I'm 100% certain. Can you name eight home bracketbuster teams (or road teams, if we really do make the switch) that are better than us right now?

Don't get your hopes up about top 25 votes.