Dr Z

Elton Alexander writes the Zips need to play a better schedule. Sound familiar? "...To even be considered ... the MAC needs to be playing multiple games against teams in the top seven leagues in the country. The good thing is, around the league, the returning talent is on hand to do just that. So, looking ahead to 2017, which MAC teams should be looking to schedule at least as aggressively as Buffalo did this past season? The answer is most of the league. Every team with a quality point guard and proven post player should be in that mix. That includes Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, which accounts for two-thirds of the conference..."

Not the greatest.

One thing I didn't see mentioned here. I thought OSU did a very nice job off of all their time outs. That, and free throws made the difference (in regulation) in my opinion. It sure must be nice to march a recruit through that arena, what a nice venue. Many people that watched the game, asked me this morning if Akron had more fans than OSU fans at the game. Hats off to the Zip fans that went, they must have made enough noise on tv to make a noticeable difference.

Reggie McAdams gets his final introduction. —©Photo by Dr Z The Zips got a lot of support from their cheer team. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog keeps Trevor Thompson from reaching the rim. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog gets fouled on the way to the basket. —©Photo by Dr Z Marc Loving defends a Reggie McAdams three point attempt. —©Photo by Dr Z Marc Loving splits the Zips defense. —©Photo by Dr Z Coach Dambrot encourages Big Dog during a timeout. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog drives the lane for a two handed dunk. —©Photo by Dr Z Jaquan Lyle attempts to defend Antino's jump shot. —©Photo by Dr Z Noah Robotham looks to see if his three point attempt will find the bottom of the net. —©Photo by Dr Z Kwan Cheatham attempts to find Big Dog down low. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson attempts a free throw. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson describes what he sees to coach Dambrot. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog was no stranger to the charity stripe. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog looks back to the referee. —©Photo by Dr Z Coach Dambrot looks up to see Kwan's attempted three. —©Photo by Dr Z Reggie McAdams gets fouled as he makes a three. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson knifes through the defense. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino puts the breaks on during a late Akron possession. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog looks to get to the rim in overtime. —©Photo by Dr Z Jake and Reggie walk off the floor during a timeout. —©Photo by Dr Z Ohio State coach Thad Matta congratulates the Akron staff on a hard fought game. —©Photo by Dr Z

Zips warming it up !!

I hope the Columbus radio crews don't learn how effective Big Dog can be underneath...because the Zips torched the nets from three point land, and they didn't need an inside game. I think it will be interesting how coach uses Big Dog tonight. He mentioned in his pressers over the weekend how he was concerned with keeping him fresh for the three days in a row with substitutions. Is he rested well enough for that to not be the case tonight, or will that continue?

LeBron is rooting for the Zips. Hope he is there wearing Zips gear. "Obviously I'm torn, You know, being a huge supporter of Ohio State, but I'm also a big supporter of my high school coach in Keith Dambrot. "He helped shaped me into who I am today as a basketball player, and it's where I'm from, so I'm going with the Zips for sure." Zips are five point underdogs This was on ESPN's front page (on the right side) this morning.

If the destiny is to beat Columbus and host Florida at the JAR next week, I'm diggin the "destiny." I'll bet a LOT of area fans will be too. Opportunity is knockin LOUD!

From Mike B. ‏@Mr_Football10

Photos from Chuck Crow of the Plain Dealer found here.

I don't know much about the Columbus team. I found some info at Maize n Brew from last month. Columbus is incredibly young. The rotation consists of only one player who isn't a sophomore or freshman, and he's a junior. There is talent on this team as this roster is filled with former four-stars. However, none of them are near the caliber of D'Angelo Russell, and it'll take some time. There have been flashes of that this season, when Columbus looks like a juggernaut, and it usually happens at home. No surprise that a young team would play better when comfortable. That talent and athleticism seem to show on the defensive end, where Columbus is 36th in adjusted efficiency, particularly in the paint. Columbus is 28th in eFG% because few teams protect the rim better. Where the talent struggles to come out is on offense as Columbus is 140th in adjusted offensive efficiency. It's difficult to describe this offense because there's not much that stands out. Columbus ranks between 157th and 218th in all four offensive factors. It's an average offense in almost every aspect, except Columbus doesn't fare well at the free-throw line or record many assists. However, Columbus is much better when it is able to push the tempo. Columbus is led by a trio of forwards, junior Marc Loving, sophomore Keita Bates-Diop, and sophomore Jae'Sean Tate, all average 11-plus PPG and five-plus RPG. Loving can get to the free-throw line, but he functions as a jump-shooter. Dishing the ball is freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle, who was the jewel of the Columbus 2015 class. He's the only player on the team that averages more than two APG. However, he still has trouble orchestrating the offense because he is sloppy with the basketball. At center, Columbus splits the time between 6-foot-11 sophomore and Trevor Thompson and 6-foot-10 freshman Daniel Giddens. Thompson usually is the starter and averages 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds. Thompson isn't the best finisher at the rim, but he's still a strong scorer because he can hit his jumpers near the bucket.

Great opportunity!!! Go Zips!

There is a coaching thread started here.

Zips minus four tonight.

Me too. Always love hearing KD speak. These quotes stuck out to me the most. Coach Dambrot "We told our guys, look, we don't want to shoot any ball other than on the break without Big Dog touching it. We were going to play through them. If we weren't going to win, it was going to be because he didn't make free throws or he didn't make the right pass or he didn't make the right play. For me, I just simplified it. I made believe I had LeBron James again and I threw him the ball on every play. I told him it's better for them that way because they'll get more open looks. That was our problem is we tried to do a little bit too much too early and we rushed ourselves a little bit. I always think the first game of the tournament is the most anxiety filled. I think we'll play a little bit better tomorrow, but I think Eastern Michigan had a lot to do with how we played." Coach Dambrot "No excuses, we've won plenty of games without Pat Forsythe, but I've got this guy here that I've got to keep fresh. I tried to do it in the first half. To win the game I've got to keep him fresh. I have two big guys, so I've got to make sure I keep Cheatham and Big Dog out of foul trouble. So that's the bigger issue I think for us is making sure we play our bench, that's key for us. Regardless of whether they play great all the time or not, they're going to try" Coach Dambrot "We call it puck ball, Z ball with puck ball and the puck ball is throw it to that monster right there and play through them. There's two parts to it. This is a new thing we've just started over probably the last four, five games." Coach Dambrot "The one thing about him (Big Dog) is if you don't bring the double team, he can get the ball right in front of the rim and that's what we tried to do. We knew that their rules in the zone is when the ball hits the high post, it's man-to-man, so we knew we had isolation there and it was just a matter of whether he can make enough of them over Thompson to win us the game or not. That's really what it came down to. It beat the alternative of taking our chances at the 3 line, so you've just got to roll with what's working for you and that's the best alternative we had. But he's a good player."

Thanks for the kind words. I shoot a full frame dslr with f2.8 or lower lenses.

Zips are a nine point favorite. No. 12 Bowling Green vs. No. 1 Akron, 6:30 p.m. ET (BCSN/TWCS/ESPN3) Greg Franke (PxP), Steve Mix (Color), Marisa Contipelli (Sideline)

Aaron Jackson warms up before the noon tipoff yesterday. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson focuses on defending. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog starts off with an early drive to the basket. —©Photo by Dr Z Noah Robotham lets one fly from deep. —©Photo by Dr Z Substitutions will be key throughout the tournament. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson glides through the lane before being knocked to the floor. —©Photo by Dr Z Kwan Cheatham looks on before a free throw. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog drew a lot of attention when he had the ball. —©Photo by Dr Z Reggie McAdams puts up a three point attempt. —©Photo by Dr Z Akron trainer Bill Droddy attends to Jake Kretzer. —©Photo by Dr Z Josh Williams attempts a free throw. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog splits the EMU defense. —©Photo by Dr Z Josh Williams floats one over the defender. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino and Kwam provide the defense on a Tim Bond drive to the basket. —©Photo by Dr Z The Zips were surprised by the "tie your shoe during the play" offense. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson kicks the ball outside after driving the lane. —©Photo by Dr Z Coach Dambrot kept his team focused late in the game. —©Photo by Dr Z The Akron cheerleaders provided support as the Zips pursued a comeback. —©Photo by Dr Z The Akron bench reacts to a late three pointer. —©Photo by Dr Z The Akron defense came up big when Eastern Michigan missed a final layup attempt. —©Photo by Dr Z