wadszip

Crocker Park does well because it is located in a very affluent area and has high-end stores that can only be found in Northeast Ohio there (or Beachwood Place or Legacy Village). Simply, if you have the means to shop at the type of stores Crocker Park has, you aren't worried about a 1.25 percent difference in sales tax rate (or the gas money it costs to get there). And back to Beachwood Place, not sure how anybody with a straight face could argue that even ONE of the reasons Beachwood Place does well is due to Randall Park closing. For one, Randall Park opened in 1976. Beachwood Place in 1978. Second, the two never competed with each other. Beachwood Place has always been a high-end mall. Randall Park, even in its glory days, was mid-tier. Plus, Beachwood Place still is doing well even though another high-end "mall" Legacy Village was built almost directly across the street from it in 2003. Beachwood Place and Legacy Village do well for the same reasons Crocker Park does well ... They are all located in highly populated areas that have some of the highest incomes in Northeast Ohio. Add in the stores they have (that others don't) then it also makes them regional draws. And Lance, the rest of this isn't toward you, but just wanted to clear up some of this Belden Village talk. 1. Belden Village isn't drawing anybody who lives closer to Summit Mall (or Chapel Hill) there due to a lower tax rate. For one, Stark County just passed a 0.50 percent tax increase a couple of years ago (the money going toward 911 improvements, something this Summit tax also will go toward). Right now, it doesn't make financial sense for somebody who lives closer to Summit or Chapel Hill to go to Belden. 2. Belden is still going strong. But that again isn't due to tax rates. Rather, it has a great location advantage. It's the only major shopping area in Stark County, and located in the more affluent northern Stark County. Then add to that that some faster growing areas of Summit County are also close to it, is another boost. People from Green aren't bypassing Summit Mall or Chapel Hill due to a 0.25 percent tax difference, they are doing so due to proximity. 3. Proximity aside, Summit Mall does have some of the advantages the Crocker Park/Beachwood Place/Legacy Village have (though in a smaller scale). While generally speaking, when you're talking about mid-tier malls, it's about location (and drawing from people nearby regardless of tax rate since the differences are so miniscule, it doesn't make financial sense to travel a greater difference to save .25 percent). However, Summit Mall is probably the closest thing "Akron-Canton" has to a Crocker Park or Beachwood Place/Legacy Village. It has anything you could get at Belden Village (or anywhere else in the area), but has some stores, especially those on the higher end, that Belden doesn't. Its closest competition is SouthPark Mall in Strongsville. And even with that tax increase, Summit should be able to continue to compete with SouthPark (going by the anti-tax people) considering SouthPark is in Strongsville (Cuyahoga County, 8 percent) vs. Summit (7 percent). 4. My biggest pet peeve with people who are up in arms by this slight tax increase (even if you spend 10,000 a year solely in Summit County, it adds up to a whopping 25 a year) is that some people are acting like this is a tax just to tax, and there is nothing tangible in return. Guess what, there is a tangible result from the tax ... it's getting a needed arena to downtown Akron (and one that will benefit more than just UA basketball fans). You like WWE wrestling? Having an arena here probably means you won't have to drive to Cleveland or Pittsburgh (or even Youngstown) to see it. Same can be said about concerts, rodeos, monster truck pulls, rap/rock concerts, or a bunch of other opportunities. That should more than make up for that extra $25 you will pay ... Especially considering that $25 is really only $8, since only 1/3 or the money is going toward the arena.

This team simply is what it is. Good enough to get hot in Cleveland (see what I did). But not good enough to make any noise. Simple as that.

Here are some of my thoughts (though I haven't seen any of the practices, or won't be able to make it to the game Friday). But basing it off of what is coming back, and what each accomplished in HS, here is how I see it: The Big Dog (can I vote to have "The" added to the front of Johnson's nickname ... when I hear "Big Dog" I think of Glenn Robinson. When I hear "The Big Dog" I think of Johnson.) No way he redshirts. The Zips need his size and girth down low with the loss of Zeke. D1 All-Ohio, Cincinnati Enquirer POY, yeah, he's ready. Hopefully, Pat beats him out as the starter, because that will be more proof that this program is on the verge of taking that next step, because both have tremendous talent. Cheatham: Hopefully, he gets some minutes early on (including heavy minutes Friday) to see exactly what we have this year. However, even if he "has" to take a redshirt year, it would be nothing like a Blake Justice, Michael Green, Dakota Euton, etc. situation. Cheatham is a legit talent. So, even with a redshirt, it says more about what this team has than it says what Cheatham doesn't have. For me, seeing that he is a kid that jumped up from 6-3 to 6-9 in high school, he's the ideal project. Even if he can handle quality MAC minutes, with the likes of Tree/Harney/Kretzer/McAdams/Diggs who are all capable of playing either the 3 or 4, it may better serve the team and Cheatham, by letting him develop for another year. He's the type of player, IMO, who will benefit from a RS, since he can develop into something truly special. Jackson/Gladden: One of the two will have to RS (again, it shows more of what this team has than what either doesn't.) There is no other team in the MAC that could afford to think about redshirting either. But on this team, there are only so minutes to go around. Like Cheatham, I hope both players get a shot Friday to play some big minutes (and even against Coastal Carolina), to get an evaluation to see which one is more ready this year. Quality depth is quality depth. And if this team wants to be a player in the tournament, one of the two probably finds a role, even if it is 5 minutes a game. This Akron team has enough parts that can be moved around where 5-10 quality minutes can be carved out for one of them (or even Cheatham). Bottom line, this program is at the point where it has to focus on the upcoming year. All four of the freshman can play a role, but not all four have to play a role. All are talented enough that even with a redshirt, and they want to stick it out, the Zips are going to continue to win with or without them. If somebody wants to transfer, though, there is so much talent in the Cleveland-Akron area coming up, and KD's program is at the point where he will land some of that talent (the 15 and 16 classes in this area seriously can go head-to-head with anybody in the country ... Chicago, Detroit, NY, LA, Atlanta, etc. It's that good.) Win the next couple of years and KD will be able to sell staying home to these kids ... and he already did that with Joshua Williams. Really, the program has never been stronger. It's a testament to what KD has done recruiting (and being open enough to go after some high upside chances ... Tree, Harney, etc). When they pan out, it leads to the recruiting class like we just saw this past year. If minutes are there, fine. You'll play. If minutes aren't there, hopefully the players realize they are good enough where those minutes will come down the road. If they want to transfer out, fine. We'll bring somebody in to replace you. That's the mark of great program, and something no other MAC program (and a only a few mid-majors in general) are in a position to be in. It's funny, I've been reading (and posting to) the MAC BBS board more often. Most of the other MAC schools are expecting their incoming transfers/freshman to be program changers (even Ohio ala Beans Willis, who I'm not particularly high on). At Akron, it's at the level where whatever these guys bring is just gravy (outside of PG this year). Though with Betancourt, Evans and possibly Diggs, the Zips are still sitting pretty nice unless both Betancourt and Evans flame out.

Unless you are sticking up for Pat (which I know you aren't), you do realize he played against better HS competition than Zeke? "At Brunswick" Pat went up against 4-star Michigan State recruit Kenny Kaminski. He also went up against 3-star Iowa recruit Aaron White (who was 3rd team All-Big Ten as a sophomore). That's not even counting all the Garfield Heights kids (and other D1 kids in the NOC) that Pat went up against. Plus, the WPIAL is an organization for a an entire 9-county region (Western Pa.) vs. an 18-team league in the NOC (Cleveland). What's funny is that that 18-team NOC produces as much of (if not more) high-end basketball talent as the entire WPIAL, despite being 10 times smaller.

That's perfectly fine with me. Really, what is the difference from it being on the western end of campus or downtown? Distance wise, not much. A UA/city partnership has always made the most sense to me, especially if you can sell the city on bringing in a full-time tenant. Guess what, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still one of the few NBA teams (and one of the first) that have a full-fledged NBA D-League affiliate (Canton Charge). You don't think Dan Gilbert would want the team in a new facility in Akron (closer to his fanbase) than what he has at the dump that is the Canton Civic Center? You build a facility that is suitable for what KD is building at UA, and is suitable for what could be a marquee D-League team means for the Cavs, and now you are on to something. You work out how you are going to split the concessions and you have a facility that can be profitable for UA (15 home games a year), the city (25 home Charge games) and the Cavs (if Dan Gilbert wants to also invest in this project, and bring the Charge to Akron). That's a guaranteed 45 dates a year that are filled just between Akron and Charge. Give Gilbert (and his deep pockets) a cut in the other ventures (along with some sort of U/city split) and you may see something get done, with him being the third major investor. What people seem to forget is that Akron is in the geographic heart of a region of close to 3 million people (top 15 or so market). You can bring profitable acts to an arena in downtown Akron, especially acts that may not be deemed "big enough" for the Q (which Gilbert also takes a cut from). If he's involved in both the Q and a downtown/U arena, he could bank off of both, especially if his share in an Akron project is just large enough to make it happen. Personally, I think Dan Gilbert could be a major player in whether something gets done. And Gilbert has made a fortune betting on cities like Cleveland and Detroit. If there is anybody who would join an Akron venture (especially if it means one of his products would be moving into it), it would be him.

Can they do it like a mobile home. Pick it up and move it 35 miles to the south? Like what was supposed to happen. That gets me to thinking, since I was too young to know all the details when CSU/Akron were battling for the Convo. How much of it going to CSU had to do with the Richfield Coliseum being in "Akron"? I'm guessing that played a big part in the decision to redirect those funds. Then less than five years later, the Gund "Q" is also built right down the street. Whatever, it's in the past, but talk about short-sighted thinking from our leaders back at that time. The Gateway project didn't just spring up overnight. I'm in my 30s, and I remember when I was a little kid, there was talk of the Cavs coming back to Cleveland (you're talking late 80s, around the time the Convo was approved). Knowing that the Cavs were eventually going to end up downtown, it doesn't make any sense that CSU (20 blocks away) ended up getting the Convo, which is direct competition with what turned into the Q (Gateway complex). Who knows how well the Convo, in Akron, would've competed against the Q, but I'm sure it would have a better chance 35 miles away vs. 1 mile, especially since as soon as Gateway was a reality, the Richfield Coliseum was doomed to be a forest ... still amazing when you drive by 271 and 303 to think at one time there was a 20,000 seat arena at that spot.

He's just going into his junior season. Sometimes it takes some time for things to click. I'm sure people were ready to run off Jimmy Conyers, but the light clicked for him his senior year. I just don't think people can write him off after two years (the first which was pretty much negated by injury). No doubt, he has to prove it on the court to continue to get PT, but I think it's to quick to write him off.

Before anybody gets too excited, this is just me speculating. But something I believe has some real potential to happen in 2014-2015, and there are reasons why both sides would want to make it happen. For Louisville: 1. Rick Pitino has recruited the Cleveland area hard recently, landing Zach Price (St. Edward) and Terry Rozier (Shaker Heights) in the last two classes. Rozier, especially if he isn't a one-and-done (and he may be one-and-gone... just filthy), is a guy a coach would give a hometown game to (think of Jawad Williams at UNC when they came to the Q to play Cleveland State). 2. Regardless of Rozier, Pitino is going to go after Carlton Bragg (top 15 kid from Cleveland VASJ) and V.J. King (SVSM). Getting his program a game in those guys' backyard, won't hurt Louisville's chances of landing them. 3. There are 4-5 other potential top 50 kids in the Cleveland area coming up that could wind up on Pitino's radar. It's the most stacked this area has ever been in the number of top prospects. For Akron: 1. You get as close to a home game (just look at KD's record at the Q) as you ever would, and against a defending (or worst case) recent national champ. And even if Loiusville doesn't repeat, it's still a top-5 current national brand. 2. You get the same exposure in Cleveland as Louisville would. Maybe you don't sway the Carlton Bragg, Willie Jackson or Trevell Beck (two other top 25 kid from Cleveland), but you would increase your brand locally to the Cleveland fan base in general and also to some of the next-tier Cleveland kids coming up (and there are about a dozen between '15-16 that will be high-major caliber). 3. Tree (and maybe Harney) is the type of Akron player who deserves a home game against a big-time program. True, Tree gets the MAC tournament at home, but as good as that is, it's not getting a game against a marquee opponent in your hometown. I'm a born and raised Clevelander, but now a proud Akronite (went to school there and have lived in the Akron area for the past 10 years ... and when out of town and people ask where are you from, I say Akron), but there is still a disconnect between Cleveland and Akron. A marquee game at the Q would help bridge that gap. 4. Maybe Akron could work it into being a "home" and home series. Louisville comes to the Q (gets the exposure it wants) and then buys Akron a game at the KFC Yum! Center. This is actually the best-case scenario (IMO). You get a "home" game where you have as much of a shot to win as anywhere, but then get a big boost to the athletic budget if you get the return road game. If you lose, even by 20-plus, who cares. Nobody expects you to win anyway. If by some reason, you do win, then you are getting tons of national attention, and a ton of money. Regardless, a win-win situation. But who knows if Louisville would go for that. They may rather just play one in the Q and then call it at that. But If I'm calling the shots at Akron, I try to make a return game happen ... .01 chance you beat Louisville (while collecting a huge check)>the 99.9 chance you beat NC A&T and only bring in 2,800 to the JAR. Overall, Akron is in prime position to take over the (non OSU) local Cleveland-Akron-Canton market. They just need to capitalize on it. And part of that, IMO, is biting the bullet and embracing the Cleveland portion of that market, even if it means taking away a game from the JAR and bringing it to the Q (and with Akron's record at the Q, I'm not sure why it's even a discussion). Sorry if this has been discussed. I've been away since the Abreu stuff (was disgusted to the point where I didn't want to say anything ... not that I think Alex is a thug or even or even wrong, per say ... OK, I'm going too far). Anyway, that's the past, and the future (especially after the Williams commit) as is strong as it ever has been. Hopefully, Akron can capitalize on these opportunities.

BTW, I love the Josh Williams commit. While two years is a long time, and he will likely get some high-major attention/offers, I think the commitment sticks. KD has been in on him longer than anybody else (offered him in the 8th grade, I believe). Plus, going to SVSM with KD's connections there, helps strengthen the Zips' chances. Plus, Williams had no incentive to commit if it was a situation of "holding" a spot. He had his spot at Akron regardless ... again go back to KD saying that he won't let another C.J. McCollum situation happen. The kid has always been a big Akron lean (from what I've heard) and finally made it public that it was where he was going to play college ball. I'm sure the big boys will come calling and Williams will listen, but I think it will take another coach a ton of effort to pull him away from KD and Akron. Hopefully, the Williams commit will be a springboard to get that SVSM pipeline flowing. The Irish are absolutely loaded with talent. And no, the Zips have no shot at V.J. King (and probably not Hudson, since he's not an Akron kid). But Josh's younger brother, John Williams, is going to be a freshman and will also be a big-time player. St. V also has another freshman coming in this year, Jayvon Graves, who also has the chance to be a high major. And there is a kid in V.J. King's class, Henry Baddley, who looks like he will be a big-time prospect. Overall, Akron's profile has never been higher locally. I think any kid from the Akron-Canton area (Lepear Toles from Canton Timken and Anthony Christian of Hoban being two more) is going to give a long look. And with Tree and Harney, I think the Cleveland kids will also begin to notice the Zips more (and the Cleveland area is absolutely loaded in the 2015 and 2016 classes). Getting Williams aboard this early could lead to some monster classes in 15 and beyond, especially if Tree (and to a lesser degree Harney) blow up this year. Personally, I think Tree is a lock to have a huge year, which could get the Cleveland kids' attention moving forward.

I agree that if Hudson wants to commit, there will be a spot for him. Hasn't KD gone on record and said that he won't let another C.J. McCollum situation happen? At the same time, who knows if Hudson is even interested in Akron. He is from Virginia and has only lived in Ohio for a little over a year. Plus, he has offers from VCU, Virginia Tech, George Mason and Richmond. But, if he does want to commit, no way does KD turn him down. As for Deji, while he struggled last year, lets see how he plays this year before running him off. From watching some highlights from the Akron-Canton Pro Am, it looks like he has added 10 pounds of muscle (and he was hardly a string-bean last year). The question will be how well his shot comes around. If he has improved in that aspect, he will be in the rotation the next two years.

I agree with everything, except a blowout being devastating for the Zips. OU blew them out last year in Athens and when it came to Cleveland, it was a last-second game. True, Akron has a ton of pressure, but so do the Bobcats. What happens if OU (which lost a close one to Akron in the JAR last year, blew out Akron in the Convo, and still snuck by Akron in the Q) wins a close one Wednesday? What does that due for the Bobcats' psyche? Playing Devil's advocate. BTW, I've stopped thinking Akron is an at-large team a while ago. None of the win streak, 16-0 in MAC play, means much in the grand scheme of things (hopefully the Zips team feels the same way). Regardless of what happens, it's all about what happens at the Q, and nothing Wednesday should have an affect on how the game will play out on March 16.

4,474 for attendance? That has to be a misprint. If InfoCision was ever that full, the university would find a way to report it at 50,000. As for the game, for about 30 minutes, that was the kind of game fans had been waiting for since the first OU game. Great defensive intensity and the offense was in a nice flow against a very good defensive team. Nick was under control in the first half and provided the spark this team needed. Hopefully, he doesn't fall in love with the three ball, but the two he hit, and the one he missed, he was wide open and can't complain about those even if they didn't go in. Hopefully, he is ok, because this team will need his ball pressure on Cooper Wednesday. Tree was the beast we know he is and Zeke was Zeke. Kretzer and McAdams aren't freshmen anymore. They've been solid all year (even though Jake had his shooting slump, he still brought it on defense). But both look real comfortable right now and both are starting to put the ball on the floor more. Even if it's simply to make the defense move and it's a kickout, that's huge because it will keep defenses from sagging into the paint. I also thought Carmelo played some nice minutes (and he looks like Deron Williams with the beard look). BTW, the T was obviously BS, I guess they would rather have Zeke break his neck than hang on the rim (I thought the NCAA was all about player safety?). Still, that was the most exciting 30 seconds of Zips ball I have ever seen. What I loved about the Zeke steal and throw-down (outside of Zeke showing major athleticism) is that it came off a missed FT and the team still set up a press and caused the turnover. Then Carmelo forces the turnover on the next possession, and then hooks up Tree with the no-look for the throw-down. P.S. MommaZeke, I'm watching it again on replay, and your reaction was shared by about 5,000 other Zips fans (and was priceless). Now, on to some constructive criticism (and the only reason I'll criticize this team is because it's so apparent this is the most talented Akron team I've ever seen, and one that can play with anybody, but still does some maddening things). 1. Free throw shooting: This has been a year-long problem that looked like maybe was solved against EMU, but it was as bad as it has been all year tonight. Granted, most of it was Tree, but still 50 percent is unacceptable. At least Zeke stepped up and made his. Still, this team can get away with poor free throw shooting and win against inferior competition, but it will not happen in the tournament. With that said, Tree is mentally tough, so I think he can shake this off. He won't be an 70 percent shooter this year, but he needs to at least go 55-60 and then work on it in the offseason (I don't see anything in his stroke that says he can't be a 70 percent shooter from the line). 2. Turnovers: First off, I can live with some of the turnovers this team is making since some come in playmaking situations. But there still are too many lazy turnovers being made. This team is good enough to take some chances on alley-oops, trying to thread some high-risks passes, but they aren't good enough where if they commit TOs on some of the higher-risk plays, to commit another 3-4 on simply lazy passes. This is a double-edged sword, because you like the aggressiveness, but at the same time, I believe this team needs to try to balance that out with solid half-court play. 3. Scoring droughts: This isn't anything new to this program. We've seen plenty of them (despite all the success). I don't have an answer to how to fix this. The simple answer is to work the ball down low. Well, they generally try to do that. They just have to find somebody who will be a slump-buster before the last 5 minutes of a game (an area this team has been absolutely clutch). Overall, all these criticisms are fixable since none are a matter of talent. IMO, the goal from here on out should be less on the win streak, but more on correcting the little things this team has struggled with (and still won due to inferior competition) so these problems don't show up against teams as, or more, talented.

What in the 1970s? Going back that far, then Akron technically has won NCAA tournament games.

Thanks for the update. Hopefully, he can get back to 100 percent. This team will need him if they want to make a run like they believe they can.

Free throw shooting is one of my biggest concerns with this team (that and the slow starts, which, IMO, have been due to being too trigger happy from 3 early in games). It was good to see them shoot them well to close out the EMU game, so hopefully that is a confidence builder moving forward. Overall, the only guys I'm truly confident will hit big free throws in the final minutes of a close tourney-type game is AA and Chauncey. Walsh and Zeke I'm fairly confident in, but both seem to have missed some big ones late in games (IE, Zeke against Oklahoma State, which would've won it in regulation). ... Though, maybe a stat guy can pull up the late-game numbers to see if this is the case. Nick has turned into a pretty good FT shooter this year, so this isn't a problem that can't be fixed. It's more of a concentration thing at this point. As for in-game coaching, I think KD has done his best job to date, especially on the defensive side. This has to do with having a higher-level of athleticism than he's had in the past. But I love how he has mixed in the man press with the 1-3-1 and 2-3 based on matchups... Off the top of my head, the 1-3-1 they threw at Buffalo and Ohio completely changed those games. Though, I can't remember against OU if it was a true 1-3-1 or more of a man defense and he slid Harney on Cooper to disrupt him with a bigger body. Don't remember exactly, but overall, those were two most impressive games I've seen from KD, from a coaching standpoint, that I remember. Finally, the OSU vs. Akron records if flipped. I've had this discussion with my Ohio State buddies. I don't think the two teams' records would be all that different. Ohio State is still good enough to be undefeated in MAC play (like Akron). Do they lose to Coastal Carolina, nope. Do they beat Oklahoma State in PR, probably not, though maybe they do in November. Do they beat Creighton on the road. Probably not at that time. Or beat Detroit in Detroit. Toss-up. Akron probably wins every game OSU won in non-conference and loses to Duke and Kansas. In Big Ten play, Akron losses to every team OSU has lost to (@Illinois, @MSU, @Michigan, vs. Indiana, @Wisconsin). Akron likely beats Nebraska, Northwestern and Iowa at home, and @Purdue, @Nebraska and @PSU. The question is, could Akron beat Michigan and Wisconsin at home like OSU did? That's debatable, but split the difference and say they take one. That puts Akron at 17-8, 7-6 and on the NCAA bubble (despite only one true quality win ... either Michigan or Wisconsin). Of course, this is all hypothetical. Overall, it shows how much it pays to be in the Big Ten, where 17-8 and 7-6 puts you in the mix, where as Akron would have to go 26-4, 16-0 just to get on the bubble (and then get bumped for a team like Iowa or Minnesota that wins 18-19 games and is .500 in B10 play, that picks up a win in the B10 tourney.)

I'm not anti-OSU. I actually root for them to do well (and watch them quite a bit). But this Ohio State team isn't what they've been in recent years, and they are now being exposed in Big Ten play (granted the Big Ten is ridiculous this year). I'll break down what you have said. 1. Amir Williams: First you said that OSU matches up at every position. Now, you are backtracking on that (probably because it's clear to anybody that follows college basketball can see that Zeke is way better at this point). But going back to Williams, while he may have been a burger boy, he hasn't showed anything to this point to justify being ranked that high coming out of high school. Zeke would steal his lunch money. In fact, I think Reggie Keeley (who is all of 6-6, 6-7) would eat him up. Simply, Williams isn't that good and he has no basketball IQ. At this point, he's really a poor-man's Deshonte Riley (same offensive game, but Riley is better shot-blocker and defender). In the hypothetical matchup, Zeke draws two early fouls on Williams and Matta has to try to put Ravenel on Zeke. Ravenel is the better on-the-ball defender and rebounder, but Ravenel is still, at best, a solid MAC player. Zeke has done "alright" against those types this year. While, center is Akron's only glaring advantage, it's a big one, especially when the Zips can run Pat Forsythe off the bench. 2. Thomas vs. Treadwell: This is a matchup that each side has its advantages. Thomas is a tough guard for Treadwell since his game is perimeter oriented. I'm sure Thomas would get his points (he has scored against everybody). However, Thomas is the definition of a finesse player, how would he respond trying to defend a bull-in-a-china-shop type player like Treadwell in the low post? If Tree stays true to who he is right now and goes at him in the post, he will either get a ton of clean looks, or force Thomas to foul. OSU can't afford to get Thomas in foul trouble, so Tree should be able to to have a nice game (and Akron would trade 20 from Thomas if it means Tree gets 13-15 and cleans up the boards). Overall, this is a wash based on contrasting styles. Not a good matchup for either. 3. Thompson vs. Harney: I'll give the advantage to Thompson, just because he is similar to Harney, but is more athletic. But Harney has the size and enough athletic ability in his own right where Thompson wouldn't go nuts (outside of a highlight reel dunk or two a game, he doesn't have much offensive game). Harney, while still trying to figure out how to play in control, does have a nice game around the rim, since he played in the post in H.S. While Thompson is the more explosive athlete, Harney has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and he won't get up 40-inches like Thompson, but is quick to get off the floor, so his 6-7 at 30-inches is better than Thompson's 6-7 at 40 inches if Harney is consistently a half-second quicker to the spot. Overall, though, this isn't a make-or-break matchup. 4. Smith vs. Walsh: Again, I'll give Smith the advantage. I love his on-the-ball defense. The guy is a bulldog. However, Walsh is a quality defensive player in his own right. Offensively, not much different. Both are guys who have the ability to get hot and be difference makers. This is a matchup, IMO, OSU would have to win. They would need Smith to step up and be OSU's No. 2 scorer. At the same time, Walsh hitting from outside definitely helps Akron's case, but the Zips are deep enough where it wouldn't be make-or-break. 5. Craft vs. Abreu: This is OSU's biggest advantage. As good as Abreu is, Craft is the premier on-the-ball defender in college basketball. And like you pointed out (based on people here's assessments) Abreu is hardly a defensive force. Luckily, as good as Craft is defensively, he is no better offensively than Abreu. ... Craft, being bigger, is better at getting to the rim (though he blows a ton of layups), but Alex is the much better shooter. With that being said, unless Alex plays a smart game, Craft will shut him down and force a ton of turnovers. But one thing to note, Alex is an assassin on the high pick-and-roll when a defender sags off and he goes over the top and gets a clean look from 3. As good as Craft is defensively, if he gets caught up in a Zeke or Tree pick, there really isn't much he can do to stop Alex from getting a clean look. 6. Bench: Akron is deeper and it's not really an argument. OSU can bring Shannon Scott and Laquinton Ross off the bench vs. Akron's Pat Forsythe, Chauncey Gilliam (hopefully healthy), Jake Kretzer and Reggie McAdams. The Akron bench offers more size and more shooters than OSU's. Scott, though, would be big since PG is Akron's biggest weakness (no way could you trust Betancourt getting many meaningful minutes against a team that brings ball-pressure like OSU ... he'll have more TOs than minutes played). However, Forsythe is another big body OSU just doesn't have an answer for (I'll say it again, OSU's front line is average MAC level). Overall, it would be about tempo. As much as Akron wants to get up and down against teams in the MAC, they don't want to get in that game with Ohio State. Really, getting up and down is the only time (outside of the Michigan game in Ann Arbor) where OSU has had any success. If you get the Buckeyes into a half court game, they struggle. They aren't a good offensive team and maybe a little above average defensive team in the halfcourt. That's why, even if it isn't Akron, OSU's tournament run will be short-lived. They don't have the makeup to make a run unless a team plays right into their hands. Finally, you bring up Ohio State's schedule. Of course, they have played a murderer's row ... they are in the Big Ten. But they are losing all of those games (outside of home wins against Michigan and Wisconsin). Plus, they lost the the only two non-conference games they played worth anything ... and Kansas was at home (and dominated the second half of that game). Why give OSU credit for losing to a bunch of top teams? I remember Charlie Coles (and some recent Toledo teams) going out and playing everybody available ... and losing. Did those teams get any tourney respect for that? Nope. Why would it be different for OSU? If you look at it, OSU has two quality wins (vs. Michigan, vs. Wisconsin) and one solid win (vs. Iowa) ... Akron has one quality win (vs. Middle Tennessee State) and one solid win (vs. Ohio). Not much different, especially since OSU has had three-to-four times the opportunity to get quality home wins.

Every position??? How much Ohio State have you watched? They have one true center (Amir Williams), who has less offensive skill than Zeke did as a sophomore. The only other big they have is Evan Ravenel, who is MAC-sized at 6-8. ... At best, he is a poor-man's Treadwell, only he has to play center minutes due to OSU's lack of front-court depth. Akron's front-court is way, way better than OSU's.

OU fans also think they are the flagship football program. Funny, how the so-called flagship has exactly 0 regular season MAC titles between the sports in the last 19 years. lol.

I fully expect this game to be ugly. The Zips are playing bad basketball right now, and EMU is a lot better defensively than either Miami or Central Michigan, and they have the size to match up against Akron. Plus, they are 4-1 at home in MAC play (0-4 on the road). This one is not going to be easy, and if the Zips play like they did against CMU or Miami, they will probably lose. However, if they at least put together an average offensive game, EMU is so bad offensively, that the Zips should pull it out.

As a walk-on, this is a nice pick up. He doesn't have much size, but the kid has some skills. I was there when he tore up a very good Wadsworth team as a junior. ... That Wadsworth team was 12-1 (lone loss to Tallmadge) before falling again in the regional championship game to Whitmer. He's a no-risk, ????-reward player.

No, I haven't just noticed Alex's lack of being able to stay in front of his opponent, but today may have been his worst effort of the year (and maybe his career). Other than that, I mostly agree with everything you said. ... though Carmelo is still way too raw offensively to trust in key situations. However, you can live with that if you have a lead and are trying to maintain it for a 3-4 minute stretch to give Alex a break. Problem is, this team has played so much catch-up of late that KD has had to keep Alex in more due to his offensive ability (mainly 3-point shooting), which is wearing him out more and making him just that much more of a liability on defense. I love that this team doesn't panic when facing an early deficit ... and anybody who has watched Akron basketball under KD, this a big change. Before, I would joke to friends who don't really follow the program that you know how a game was going to go in the first 10 minutes. If a team got the Zips down early, they never came back and won. This team doesn't panic when facing a deficit, but they aren't talented enough to continue to pull themselves out of holes like that. They got away with it this week due to playing two bad basketball teams, but they do that in Athens, it's a repeat of last year.

This was a horrible day for Akron opponents, and, along with a horrible performance today by the Zips at Miami, one that will hurt the Zips overall image in the long run. Of course, Akron won, but really the last two games have taken them out of the at-large picture, especially now that the teams that the Zips needed to win all lost to lesser opponents (and we can indeed add Creighton to that mix now). Overall, it probably isn't worth tracking what Akron opponents have done anymore in hopes for an at-large boost. For one, the Zips really needed to dominate their lesser opponents (on top of winning out) just to have a realistic chance at an at-large. Still, that would've hinged on what teams like Detroit, Creighton, Princeton and Western Michigan (all top 100 teams according to at least one of the reputable models) did from here on out. The Zips need those teams to be ranked as high as possible. Today didn't help in that regard. While Creighton will still likely wind up top 50, and Detroit can wind up top 100, I think this will be the last of Princeton and Western Michigan sniffing the top 100. While it is all about Cleveland at this point, on the bright side, the Middle Tennessee State win and the OT loss to a surging Oklahoma State team (just from looking at the schedule, the Cowboys have a legit shot at winning the Big 12 regular season title), will probably be the two most eye-opening games the selection committee will consider in the KD era. While not enough to put this team in the at-large field, those are two games that could bump the Zips up a seed or two if they handle business in Cleveland. Don't get me wrong, I want to see the Zips to win every game (regardless of tournament status). I'm just pointing out that even if this team drops a game or two from now until the MAC tournament, it's not the end of the world. ... And I'll admit, I was one of the people who thought this team still had a real at-large chance prior to Tuesday. Now, this team just needs to focus on continuing to get better (and they've digressed since the OU game) and playing their best ball come Cleveland.

Abreu is a sieve on defense. This just isn't a tournament team. Tournament teams don't fall down by double digits (or trail for much of the game against bad opponents). Tournament teams don't go on long dry spells on a nightly basis. Tournament teams can at least look respectable from the line. This will be the day, where pretty much a month and a half of bad play (outside of BG, Toledo and OU) will catch up to them. They don't improve and they may end up a No. 3 seed in Cleveland.

I agree 100 percent. Like you, I'm perplexed at where he is coming from. The majority of Akron basketball talk (excluding twitter, which is a completely different animal) comes on this message board. I've read just about every topic posted on this site the last 4-5 years and don't recall anybody ever proclaiming to be, as a program, on the level of VCU, Butler, Gonzaga. ... or even complaining of not being treated like those programs. Like you said, however, there is a ton of talk about wanting to get to that level, but that's a discussion every single mid-major fan at whatever school they root for should be having, and regardless of what Elton believes, Akron is closer to actually getting to that level than 90 or so percent of other mid-major programs. I've never really had an axe to grind with Elton's reporting. While he has always seemed to take more interest in Cleveland State and Can't than Akron, this is the first time I've really had to scratch my head, wondering where he is coming from. It was a complete sucker punch. Since Elton has been doing this for a long time, I'll point out a team he probably remembers ... a team that was in almost the exact same situation as this current Akron team is in....great record, but no real "marquee" win. Actually, while a "lowly" home win, this Akron team has a better overall win (Middle Tennessee) to hang its hat on than none other than Can't State in 2001-02. That Can't team was 3-3 in non-conference road games. The wins were against Robert Morris (12-18), Illinois State (16-12) and Cleveland State (12-16) ... and losses to Hofstra (11-19), Youngstown State (5-23) and Xavier (26-6). So, lets just say if that Can't team, which came into the MAC title game on a 16-game winning streak. lost to BG. It's pretty simple, Can't was a fluke that didn't belong in the tournament, right? After all, that team had some horrible road losses, no good non-conference road wins and ran up the score on a one-bid MAC. There is no possible way it could it compete in the tournament?? I'm not even saying that the 01-02 Can't team "deserved" national attention prior to the tournament run, or that this current team "deserves" national attention. Just pointing out that lack of quality road wins doesn't always mean a team isn't good enough to compete in the NCAA tournament. And somebody who has been doing this for as long as Elton, who experienced something similar first-hand, should realize that.

Love it. Anybody, anywhere, anytime. That is the attitude this team needs to have. Having a home date this year isn't going to add that much to the bottom line, and it will do nothing in terms of slim at-large opportunity, or even seeding opportunity. Let's go on the road, get a game with either Wichita State or St. Mary's and use it as a chance to enhance this team's national profile even more. The marketing department already hit a home run with the pub on the @ZipsMBB jersey promotion. Let's hit another one. Give up a home game in order to get the best matchup this team deserves. Since Katz and KD already discussed it, imagine the pub ESPN will give Akron if they give up a home game to face better competition (lets not forget ESPN runs this event, and not out of charity). This is another opportunity for the program to strike. Make it happen. And it's not like Akron wouldn't still have a future home date banked. Already have the ORU one, lets get another future home date against a Wichita State or St. Mary's. But for this year, this team deserves the best opportunity, even if it's on the road. Then the future teams (and university) will still get a home game for money purposes. But for now, this is the year, the school has to do whatever is possible to put this team in the best position to make a run happen. Even if they go to Wichita (for example) and lose, there is still always Cleveland. That is all that "really" matters anyway, right? Going on the road, this year, is a no-lose situation. ... and a potential big-win.