Dr Z

Novelty act? They were a freakshow. They wore plungers on their heads. Every been to an Alice Cooper, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson,Trent Rezner, Maynard Keenan... show?

Evolving I think we have a core of kids that has experience against a number two seeded team in the tourney. I think the staff and players have a better idea what they need to do next year to win one. Another off season of weight gain for the big man is going to help also.

Writing is not my strong suit, but if I was going to write an article on the Zips this morning, it would go kind of like Ellen's PD article. When I heard Zeke was coming to Akron, I started envisioning an inside game like I haven't seen at Akron. Zeke is now, and will be for the rest of his time here, a game changer. He was always (and still is) my hope of winning a game in the NCAA tourney (that's my goal btw). I thought KD's game plan against ND was a good one, BUT here is my problem with it. This SHOULD have been our game plan more in the regular season. KD made a comment before the game about how if this mid major was going to beat a big boy in this tournament it was going to have to come down low. Why not do that against Eastern Michigan, BG, and other MAC schools? Zeke needed more game time experience with this game plan before going into the tournament against a number two seed. I for one, hope to see that game plan employed more next season. "He's one long guy. I don't know that we played against anybody like that in the Big East." --Mike Brey "I thought [Marshall] handled that adversity [of missing] better than he ever has," Dambrot said. "I thought he was terrific defensively, and didn't let offense affect his defense. He's going to be good. He's going to get better offensively. He gives you a chance to win in the NCAA Tournament." KD is right, Zeke is our ticket, now lets get him the necessary game time experience with that game plan in next years regular season. "I'm not there yet, as we can see tonight," Marshall said. "I can't be 2-for-13 if I'm the game plan." Zeke is right, but I'm betting on him being more prepared next time. Other thoughts on the game: I thought for being younger that Diggs & Abeu looked pretty good against ND. The game wasn't too big for them. Both need to improve on some things, but I think the future is bright for both. I would have to think when they get more comfortable with the penetration that both can get, some easy assists should come Zeke's way. Speaking of easy assists, I sure would like to see that inside out game with McClanahan next year. He should have the green light on threes. I noticed ND got some easy looks at threes yesterday by working it in and then back out. My favorite play from yesterday: PS I thought Zeke's positioning on the floor yesterday was his best. I'm betting this helps him with fouls next year. I'm as positive as I can be after a loss in the tournament. I think Akron basketball should be fun for the next two years.

From a trusted ZN member that has seen some practices this year: "Walsh is going to be a player"

Duh Winning!

From Newsnet5's Andy Baskin: I just want to explain to my fellow Can't State alumni who have harped on me for enjoying the ride Akron is on. You need Akron to play well in the NCAA tourney. It is good for Can't State and it is good for the MAC. The MAC moved up two RPI spots this week already because Can't, Buffalo, and Ohio University won. The fact the MAC gets little respect, like Akron as a 15 seed and only one team in, is based on a few things. MAC schools not willing to schedule tougher games and universities willingness to spend a little extra cash to bring in top teams. But, the NCAA can't argue what the MAC has done in the past few days. If Akron can can pull off a monumental upset, it's good for Can't and it's good for the MAC. Fear the Roo, at least when they are not facing Can't.

Andy Baskin Updates

The first day provided three memorable finishes. Butler got a last-second putback to beat Old Dominion, Temple hit a shot with 0.4 seconds left to defeat Penn State, and in the day's biggest upset, No. 13 Morehead State shocked everyone by beating No. 4 Louisville on a late three-pointer. Great games yesterday. Hopefully our Zips can make the headlines today.

The University of Akron basketball team is playing in the NCAA Tournament, not the World Series or NBA Finals. So the 15th-seeded Zips (23-12) need to prove themselves for 40 minutes, not for two weeks, in their Southwest Regional game this afternoon against second-seeded Notre Dame (26-6) at the United Center. ''Most likely, if we play Notre Dame seven times, they would probably win the series. But we only have to win one game,'' UA coach Keith Dambrot said Thursday during the Zips' pregame news conference in the Chicago Bulls' home arena. ''That's the beauty of sports. ''We have to play one good game, and they have to be average. Or we have to be good, and they have to be below average. We've been in enough games that, if we play well and they're average, we're going to win.'' The Zips, who will be making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament since joining the Division I ranks in 1980, are 13-point underdogs to a Fighting Irish team that is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press poll and finished second in the rugged Big East behind Pittsburgh. Dambrot knows that bracket players throughout the nation used pen to write down ''Notre Dame'' without a second thought. Click Here for the rest of the article Images of practice AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Great game. Dec 1996 17 point underdogs. If I remember right Ali had a great look to win the game in regulation. J Ball 44 points!?!? TODAY is the day Zips!!!

Shut off so that ZN members can now insert flash video into your post without issue. How to PS Bleacher Bum, your post made me laugh.

Source MODERATOR: We have Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot. Coach, start with an opening statement. KEITH DAMBROT: We're excited to be here obviously. We've had a long road to get here. We struggled early, and probably most proud of this team of any team I've had as far as their resiliency to play better as the season went on. So as most of you know me knows we're not happy to be here just to be here. We're going to compete as hard as we can, and we're going to try to win the game. Q. Just a little bit, when we talked the other day about like compare it a little bit to the world series or the NBA finals, it's not a seven-game thing. It's a one game. Can you expound on that a little bit. KEITH DAMBROT: Most likely, if we play Notre Dame seven times, they would probably win the series, but we only have to win one game. And that's the beauty of sports. We have to play one great game. They have to be average, or we have to be good, and they have to be below average. This team has been in enough ball games, two NITs, a CBI, and another NCAA Tournament. We've been in enough games that, if we play well and they're average, we're going to win. Q. Can you tell the kids are more relaxed than they were in Portland, you think? What are you thinking? KEITH DAMBROT: Tom, I've coached so long, I can't even remember Portland. I'm sure we're going to be relaxed. I mean, we just -- again, you can't go through what we've been through. They're excited. I thought Alex (Abreu) was about 100 miles an hour today, which was not surprising. But overall, our older guys have been here before. Q. What concerns you most about Notre Dame then? KEITH DAMBROT: Well, they're a terrific offensive team. There's no doubt about that. Probably one of the most skilled teams in the country, if not the most skilled team in the country. They're long in all areas. You know, they're going to be hard for us to score on because they're so big at those length spots. They can contest jump shots and make it difficult for us. I think the biggest thing is can we score enough points to beat them? The games they've lost, they've been below 60 mostly. I don't know if we can hold them below 60. But I don't know if we could score more than 75 either. So that's probably the biggest dilemma. Q. Last one. Just Shaka Smart, I don't know if everyone knows it, you worked with him in the VCU. What does it mean to have him here? KEITH DAMBROT: These guys are putting a lot of pressure on me. I've got Shaka, who's the head coach of VCU, who wins an NCAA Tournament game. And Jeff Boals of Ohio State, they're number one in the country. And Lamont Paris is the assistant at Wisconsin and they're probably going to win their first tournament game. If I don't win, they're going to say it's me. So we're proud of those guys. Shaka particularly, at 33 years old, he's one of the best coaches, maybe one of the best coaches in the country. But we knew that when he was here. Q. Will you see him at all? KEITH DAMBROT: Absolutely. Q. Coach, in terms of a scouting report, where does it start? Where does your scouting report on Notre Dame start? KEITH DAMBROT: You mean, individually or as a team? Q. As a team first and then maybe a couple individuals. KEITH DAMBROT: It's not a difficult scout. They're going to run motion, and at the end of the motion, they're going to run a quick-hitting play. The head of the whole thing is (Ben) Hansbrough, obviously, and the rest of them are good shooters, good drivers, good length. They're a simplistic team, which most good teams are. Terrific coach. There's not many motion teams anymore in the country. So that's probably the biggest adjustment for us is we haven't really guarded a motion team all year long. We had to get ready quickly in a four-day period. So is it an easy game? No. I think any time you play a team that has that kind of offensive capabilities, it's a difficult game. For instance, last night Shaka at VCU, they played USC, which is a great defensive team but kind of lacked a little pop offensively. For us in our two NCAA trips, we've got Gonzaga and Notre Dame, which are two of the best defensive teams in the country. We're going to have to play terrific defensively and scrap and really work hard to do a great job in the game. Q. What have you learned about Hansbrough and watching the film and everything else and trying to dissect his play, about how you deal with him? KEITH DAMBROT: Well, I think first and foremost, he's a guy that's built on intangibles, which is probably the biggest compliment you can give a player. Here's a guy that probably most people thought would be a role player in the Big East when he went to Notre Dame, and when he got there, he turned into one of the best players in the league, which shouldn't really surprise a lot of people because, if you saw the way his brother played, he kind of plays just like his brother only in a different position. So, you know, we've got to keep him off his right hand. He's terrific passing when he goes to his right. He's got a quick release on his jump shot. He's strong. He's tough. He gets into the passing lanes. He's just a good player. Q. Was there a team that you've looked at, while you're watching the Notre Dame games, that you kind of might compare to -- your talent might compare to theirs and see how they approach Notre Dame? Were you able to find somebody like that? KEITH DAMBROT: No, I'm an old school coach really. We have to do the things that we do. And we need to attack to our strengths really and believe in what we have. You know, really. I mean, we have to do the same things we've done all year regardless of the opponent really. We're not good enough to play away from our strengths. We have to play to our strengths. So in comparing Notre Dame, I would say the closest team that we've ever played to them is Gonzaga. That would be the closest comparison. Gonzaga doesn't shoot the ball like them, but they were an offensive juggernaut really. Akron Student-Athletes Nikola Cvetinovic Zeke Marshall Steve McNees MODERATOR: Up first today are the Akron student-athletes. Steve McNees, Zeke Marshall and Nikola Cvetinovic. We'll start with questions. Q. Steve and Nik, it's your second time in the tournament and everything, how much more -- is it more comfortable? What are you feeling then? I guess Steve first. STEVE MCNEES: I'm sure we're a little more comfortable than the younger guys. But you know, we're excited too. NIKOLA CVETINOVIC: Definitely excited to be back here and just enjoy it. Like Steve said, just a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more used to this. Just very excited still. Q. Zeke, how's your life changed in the last three days, three, four days since being the MVP of the (MAC) tournament? A lot of exposure, a lot of talk about you and everything? ZEKE MARSHALL: Really not a lot different than high school. All that media exposure, since I've gotten that in high school, I kind of know how to deal with it. So I'm not letting it get to me. I'm really focused on trying to play well in this game Friday. Q. Just their size too, is that what concerns you most inside? ZEKE MARSHALL: Well, their overall size is a lot bigger than our team. But me individually, I'm taller than everyone. STEVE MCNEES: That's true. ZEKE MARSHALL: I do have some slight concern, but I don't have any doubt we're going to be able to play well against them. Q. Steve, in terms of a scouting report, where does it start with Notre Dame? Where do you -- where's your defensive approach start with them? STEVE MCNEES: Well, you know, they shoot and pass it well. So I think it starts on the perimeter. You know, taking away their outside jumper as much as we can. Q. For Steve and Nik, just the whole Portland experience, how you can relate to what happened there and translate it here so you can use it to your advantage. STEVE MCNEES: Well, as far as the whole process goes with, from Selection Sunday to dealing with a day like this, you know, personally, I think, and the older guys too, we're a little more comfortable. And as far as last time we were here, we played a really good first half and then a pretty good second half. You know, for us we have a little bit more confidence, I think, maybe than whenever we did it the first time. NIKOLA CVETINOVIC: It's a different story this year. I mean, like Steve said, we had a great game against Gonzaga. We learned a lot from that experience and I think this year that might show up in our maturity level and the way how we're going to play. And, again, it's just much more comfortable than two years ago, but, again, very excited and really focused to play this game tomorrow and try to win it.

If you did want to watch all the games online for free, here is the place. No VHS or short shorts required.

I'd bet most people who call themselves college basketball fans can't keep their attention on one of these game for more than 10 minutes. They really don't like them and the network has to switch to games to try to keep fans watching. They are a waste of time. I wonder what the advertising dollar is for today's games? What viewing share will today draw? Think dollars and you will realize why there is more, rather than less. How many networks are involved now? Who is sponsoring?

If you like the tournament at 32, don't watch on Thursday and Friday. Problem solved. Most college basketball fans LOVE these two days.

Literally speaking, Notre Dame will present a big challenge for the University of Akron in their NCAA Tournament matchup Friday afternoon in Chicago. The second-seeded Irish (26-6) start four players who stand 6-foot-8 and the fifth starter is 6-3, giving them a decided height advantage at three spots and a standoff at a fourth. Only at center, with 7-foot Zeke Marshall, does 15th-seeded UA have an edge in height. Notre Dame, behind 6-3 guard Ben Hansbrough and 6-8 forwards Tim Abromaitis and Carleton Scott, used that size to its advantage to average 76 points per game, which ranks it No. 33 in the nation in scoring offense. ''They have size, and they are really good offensively. They can shoot from four spots,'' said UA coach Keith Dambrot, whose team plays the Irish at 1:40 p.m. Friday at the United Center in Chicago. ''The biggest problem we are going to have will be contesting their shots because they are so big, especially the wings. ''We could be in good position defensively, but they can shoot it right over us.'' That size also will be a factor on the boards, where the Irish are a plus-5.1 rebounds in 32 games, while the Zips are at minus-2.8. The Zips (23-12) had an obvious deficiency in that area last week in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. But they were able to use their shooting ability and defensive presence to win four games in five days to reach the NCAA Tournament. ''They are a good rebounding team not because they are big inside, but because they are so big overall,'' Dambrot said. ''We are going to have to rebound better.'' Senior guard Darryl Roberts said the Zips will have to do everything right to neutralize the Notre Dame size advantage. Click Here to Continue Reading Irish Enter w Chip on Their Shoulder -- Chicago Tribune

...an Akron grad is superior to a Can't grad any day of the week. I think we can ALL agree on that. I don't think that is even a debate. The point is we know Ken+ sucks, not everybody does, this commercial is done in a fashion that makes Ken+ look respectable. I thought it was well done. A good example of marketing a shitty product. I would like to see our sports marketing department come up with something better for football this season.

Devo is a very small portion of Mark's resume. He has become a very good composer in Hollywood. Check out his accomplished list of works. PS GP1, the Mothersbaugh's are from Akron.

I saw this tonight on tv, I thought it was done very well.

This works on the iPod Touch also, I loaded it last night. Looks pretty awesome. I'll test it with tonight's games. Tested last night,works fine. Totally free.

Can someone get LBJ a back scratcher?

Zeke Marshall was already at mid-court at Quicken Loans Arena to receive the trinkets that went along with the University of Akron's Mid-American Conference Tournament championship Saturday night. But when he heard the announcer call his name as the most valuable player, the 7-foot center staggered in his tracks. An unassuming sophomore from McKeesport, Pa., Marshall scored only 32 points in the Zips' four games. He downplayed his MAC Tournament single-game record of nine blocked shots in the final and his domination of Can't State's Justin Greene, the league's player of the year. So as Marshall cradled the wood and glass MVP trophy, it was clear it meant more to him than it might have to some other young men. It served as a reminder of his game-changing potential, a validation of two years of hard work and a confirmation of his decision to take a chance on a school like Akron where he would be given time to flourish. ''I can't even begin to describe how I did this,'' Marshall said. ''I was in foul trouble. My whole thing was winning this tournament. I just thank God for this. I thank God for what happened.'' For Akron (23-12) to have any chance on Friday in an NCAA Southwest Regional game against second-seeded Notre Dame (26-6) at the United Center in Chicago, it needs to happen again. Before the season began, Akron coach Keith Dambrot said, ''We are going to be as good as the big boy is,'' and he's been uttering something along those lines ever since. Dambrot knows that for Akron to take the next step as a basketball program, he has to land players like Marshall, ranked 43rd in the nation in his recruiting class. Winning 20 games for the sixth consecutive season and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years is one thing. Acquiring the talent to win in the Big Dance is another. Continue Reading Here Zeke Swats Flash Fans Hopes Away

Take 5 minutes and read through these. You will be an expert in no time.

Ken+ can't be the NIT champion without winning the first round.