UAZip0510

After sleeping on it, a few thoughts: 1) I'm super impressed by this team's never-give-up mentality. It would have been easy to give in and/or lose composure at 18-0 and they didn't. It says a lot about our guys. 2) Duvivier needs to create more and shoot less. He shouldn't be taking more shots than Utomi or even Cotton. 3) Speaking of Cotton/Parrish, they were tremendous off of the bench. I can't believe how well Cotton has played. We may end up pretty stacked at the guard position next year. 4) The 18-0 start and almost giving away the game at the end are worrisome. If you do that against better teams, your season will be over. This team still scares me when trying to finish games, although it's to be expected with so much inexperience on the roster. 5) No matter what happens Thursday, I think this can be an important building block. I'm thrilled our youngsters get to experience The Q, and think that, at worst in a case where they lose, it will give them a huge motivator to get back and win it next year. 6) Really wish this forum could move on from last spring/summer...still too much pro-KD vs anti-KD. Is it too much to ask for the anti crowd to just move on from that era and the pro crowd to keep all KD discussion to the appropriate thread? Too much bickering in here after a big win when everyone should be happy and united. Go Zips!

You'd think by now we could celebrate and be happy for our team without having to take digs (especially nonsensical ones) at our former coach, yet here you are. Take it to the KD thread. Go Zips!

EMU has won 9 of their last 11...they'll be a tough out.

I will, actually, but please visit Off Topic to discuss KD, not here. Thanks!

What a roller coaster. More than anything, I'm happy for these kids. Even if they only play Thursday, they deserve to play in Cleveland. But hell, might as well win the whole friggin thing now!

Simply incredible. Could've gave up (as I did) but refused. This could be a great step for this young team.

We're better with Duvivier on the bench.

Maybe this is revenge for the 2014 MAC Tournament Semi-Finals?

Obviously different now with the Zips now making this a game, but I'd rather get embarrassed in the NCAA Tournament with a MAC Championship under my belt than get embarrassed in a First Round MAC Tournament game.

This is nuts

This is worse

Akron, Kent, and OU are all losing First Round MAC Tournament games right now. Not used to that.

This would be our first Round One loss since 2004.

Kind of happy this god-awful season is over. Let's never do thus again.

That McNees shot is one of the biggest, gutsiest shots I've seen an Akron player take.

I can't imagine him not being an upgrade over Kostelac, who I think will soon go the way of Steve Swiech. Statistically, he was a more efficient player as a freshman as East Carolina than Kostelac has been at Akron. ESPN had him as a 4 star coming out of high school with offers from Florida, FGCU, Houston, Oregon, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, and Arkansas. The rating certainly doesn't mean anything now, but with that list of schools you'd think there's some real potential. Let's see what Groce and his staff can do with him.

If people only knew how many times players quit and came back over the years that the public never heard about...

Agreed. Next year you'll have Hester and possibly Jackson ahead of him.

Here's Groce's track record in conference tournaments, FWIW: 2009 MAC - Lost 2nd round 2010 MAC - Tournament Champions 2011 MAC - Lost 2nd Round 2012 MAC - Tournament Champions 2013 B1G - Lost 2nd Round 2014 B1G - Lost 2nd Round 2015 B1G - Lost 2nd Round 2016 B1G - Lost 3rd Round He's reached the NCAA Tournament 3 times.

Skip alluded to this earlier but it's always going to be more about the types of players these coaches are recruiting vs where they come from. That's why I have always maintained that Akron and Duquesne won't be competing much for recruits - two very different systems being run.

Duquesne offered one kid in Texas for 2018. All of their 2019 offers are PA and Ohio. FWIW, there are 0 players we're both offering.

They sound like jealous exes.

6'5", 185 lb guard out of Brewster Academy. Rated a 3 star by ESPN. Son of former NBA player LaPhonso Ellis. Also has offers from American, Toledo, Cleveland State, Ball State, Grand Canyon, Valpo, Indiana State, IUPUI, fnd Lafayette.

Here are mine: 1st Round Central Michigan over Bowling Green Kent State over Northern Illinois Ohio over Miami Western Michigan over Akron 2nd Round Buffalo over Central Michigan Kent State over Ball State Toledo over Ohio Eastern Michigan over Western Michigan 3rd Round Buffalo over Kent State Toledo over Eastern Michigan Championship Buffalo over Toledo