ZachTheZip

What I mean by "Complete" is that all major UA functions, academic and otherwise, will now be able to held on campus. The only major thing that wasn't on campus was football games, and with the new stadium that's no longer a problem.

Man. Reading some of those comments makes me wish UA could just pick up its beautiful campus and all the benefits that it gives toe city and leave for somewhere where the people actually appreciate what we bring to the table. They don't want a football stadium downtown because it has no competitive advantage over other open air arenas like Blossom? They don't want us to tear down the blighted cancer of slums that chokes off the heart of downtown? We are a commuter school and should know our place? "Akron University" does nothing but buy up properties downtown to grow itself without giving anything back to the community?These people are afraid of what their city, the city of Akron as it is in their own twosted minds, will become. They have memories of Akron before the rubber companies left, of the Zip Strip before it was a hangout for drug addicts and homeless people, of once thriving neighborhoods that have since fallen into the darkest of decays. They think it is still like it used to be, and that we will ruin it out of UA's own greed, not giving anything back in return. They can't accept that the city has changed since then, for the worse, or if they have accept it, they refuse to believe that more change is needed to make the city better. It's sad. You didn't hear protests when the Mayor approved for the city to go into deep debt to rebuild every public school in Akron, and or situation with the Rubber Bowl is similar: the old buildings are on the verge of crumbling and need replaced. It might be that some of them are OSU drones that can't stand for any other university in the state to have nice things, lest we actually strive to compete with that school in Colombus.Who knows. All I know is that I can't wait for the stadium to be built, because when it does, the campus will finally be complete.

Does anybody follow Baseball at UA?I hear that this year's team is supposed to be pretty good. In fact, they lead the MAC in RPI right now.They're 10-7 after playing a tough non-conference schedule. I would be at the game today if I didn't have to work. Plus, it's a good way to check up on the football stadium's progress if you haven't seen it for a while. The webcams don't do it justice.

Dambrot's style calls for fast athletic guards and an Point Guard that can run the Offense, and also be the first back on Defense. We didn't have either of those this year. We will have both of those next year. Dambrot had to adjust quite a bit to having no PG on the team and to not being able to do full-court pressure. We missed Dru Joyce badly.

You're asking KD to bring top national recruits to play for a team with TWO postseason wins all time and a team which hasn't played in the NCAA tournament for twenty-two years? Hell, we've never even won the MAC once. It's going to take some time to get recruits like that, and a lot more winning. Either way, there's no doubt that KD has brought in a talent level to this program that UA has never had before. If you believe half the stuff about the incoming class, we'll be right back in the thick of it next year after graduating half the team.

We're losing it. I don't see the mental concentration that we had during that run. Hopefully Dambrot can get them to focus.

I can't believe I'm watching a game where we look good on ESPN! :blink:

Great shot of the Akron fans. They're louder than the UMass fans!

Even if we win today, I very much doubt that we can beat Syracuse.

We're looking better than we were to start the game. Maybe Dambrot has found a way to win this one.

Yay for Lin-ert!

On Channel 11 last night after they mentioned how bad Can't got smashed by UNLV, they said 'And don't forget, Ohio State and Akron are still alive and playing in the NIT tournament", and gave a plug for our game tomorrow. We do get press, you just have to know where to look for it.You can't expect too much coverage for an NIT team, at any rate. The farther we go, the more we'll get though.

This may be the dumbest move JD has made to date!!!!Or the best. Andrew Johnson has, by almost all accounts, blown Williams (and every other RB on the roster) away in Spring practices last year, and continues to do so this year. It allows us to keep out best talents on the field without clogging up one position while simultaneously helping fill a thin spot at another position.

Two things:Bryan Williams has switched to Defensive Back.Where's Alex Allen?

That's why I want to beat them head-to-head. It's the only way to stop the OSU media train that had formed in NE Ohio.

Can't losing is great for the Zips in the short term. We're now the only team around who's still playing. We should get lots more press on Saturday for our game against UMass. We can now completely focus on our own team, and there are no distractions. the team should play with less pressure because we can stop playing "Keeping up with the flushes" like we did all season long. Let's focus on meeting OSU in the NIT finals. That should be our goal. Only one team in the entire country has a right to complain at not getting into the Big Dance, and that's the NIT champ. Let's earn that right.Long term implications of Can't losing aren't so good. Yeah, it makes them weaker in the future due to less national exposure, but the fact is that the MAC is now a one-and-done conference and we're part of it. We will always get a worse seed than we deserve in any tournament, whether it be the NCAAs, the NIT, CBI, or some preseason tourney. It gets harder to convince recruits to play in the MAC, no matter how good the individual team may be. The only way out is through, and we haven't been "through" for twenty-two years now.It's too early to worry about that, though. We have a tournament to win, and Can't had better be content to watch us from their couches.It's us and Ohio. All that's left of our (and the MAC's) shot at respect and legitimacy. All you guys going to UMass had better make sure we keep our dream alive, all the better to rub it in Can't's face.

I actually expect Steward to be the starter over Humpty due to his being in the system for a year. Both of these guys get me excited for the future of our team, though!

A shame Miami lost. I was hoping for a OU-Miami matchup for the 4th time this season. It hurts the MAC, and now we'll have to listen to WMU whine even more about how they "should have gotten in" over other MAC teams.

Ever notice that whenever we beat an ACC team on the road, the coach is ready to be fired?

This team is in a unique situation in the NIT tournament. They are playing to win it all, and they are playing for all Zips teams past, present, and future.Making a run into the NIT would give the Zips an overall winning postseason record, something very few teams can claim.They are playing for the past, because they are avenging the premature ending of last season and getting screwed over by a bunch of old farts commissioned by the NCAA to pick name-brand teams for a joke of a tournament. A great injustice against us has a chance to be made right, we have been given the chance, and now we must sieze it.They are playing for the present, because after this tournament half of our team will graduate, likely to never play basketball on a high-profile stage again. Dials, Wood, Middleton, Quade, and Goddard will never suit up in a Zips uniform again, unless they keep winning this season. That motivates them, as Dials showed last night. A fire was lit in him as he realized that how long he has to play is determined directly by how well he plays.They are playing for the future, because this is an incredibly valuable experience for the underclassmen and will teach them what is expected of them in high-pressure tournament situations, and the simple fact of being able to continue practicing as a team for a longer time will be of great value. It will better prepare them for next season's beginning of the year tournament, which will likely be our best chance to make a name for ourselves. It is a crucible where you can see what talent will emerge under pressure. Already we can see some changes in the underclassmen since the start of the MAC tourney, specifically Darryl Roberts who is transforming into a clutch player. It helps to ease the fears about next season while still enjoying the one still going on.Not to mention the fact that this is an excellent recruiting tool compared to sitting on our butts and watching it on TV like most of the MAC. Every game we play from now on this season will be on an ESPN channel.The NIT is a good thing. Less pressure is on the team than if they were in the NCAAs, and it is still a valuable tool to keep this program growing.

And most of them still think they're the better team. Whatever. We're still playing while their season just ended.Only one team in the entire country has the right to complain about not getting into the NCAA tournament, and that's the NIT champion. Let's earn that right.

We can't say that yet. But I wouldn't be suprised if it happened.

I'm thinking KD was giving the starters a chance to redeem themselves after the MAC championship game. Especially Dials. Well, they got their chance, and they made the most of it. We should get back to an 9 man rotation for UMass, because they will run us out of the building if we don't.

WOOOOO!!Man, what a game that was. On to UMass. Let's hope they aren't gassed.I think we'll learn a lot about our future seeing how our underclassmen play in this tourney. D. Roberts looks to be a clutch guy.