wadszip

Agreed.

Dave is spot-on with that. Zeke is night and day better at reading and reacting to how he is defended. That's also an aspect that Tree has also be good at. However, I could see Pat struggling against OU's swarming defense. He tends to put the ball on the floor too quickly and start making post moves. He'll have to show some patience against OU. All three are going to have to pick their spots on when to put the ball down in the low-block vs. kicking out to the perimeter.

How do you not know who Ivo Baltic is? ... College gunner for OU by day, real-life gunner for the Russian mob by night. Though it's funny somebody so gangster only has 10 free throw attempts all year, lol. Guess he really doesn't like to bang.

Might as well get some actual game discussion going. Not that it is any secret, but like I said in another thread a couple of weeks ago, this is going to be a battle of differing strengths ... Akron's size vs. Ohio's guard play. An easy conclusion to draw is that whatever team does better at matching the other's strength is going to win ... IE, if Keely, Baltic, Smith play better than Abreu, Walsh, Chauncey, the Bobcats will be tough to beat. Of course, that is a very simple conclusion to draw. Still, I think that Akron's backcourt has enough talent to hang with OU, they just can't get sloppy with the ball and allow the Bobcats to create turnovers and run-out situations. If they avoid the careless turnovers, they can match OU's backcourt in half-court situations. In the post is where the Zips are going to have a huge advantage. As much as I like Baltic's perimeter game (for a big), he isn't the type that is going to want to bang with somebody like Tree. Same with Keely, while he won't back down against Zeke or Forsythe on the offensive end (and he has great touch around the rim), Zeke and Forsythe's length advantage (no way is Keely 6-9), should disrupt him. Plus, neither Baltic nor Keely are solid rebounders, another big advantage for Akron. In fact, this is a game that Akron should dominate the glass. OU's best rebounder may be Jon Smith, and he's going to be giving up a couple inches to all four of the Zips' "bigs" and even Kretzer, when he is on the floor. Offensively, it will be imperative to establish the low-post early on and see how OU tries to defend it. Regardless of what OU does, Akron has enough all-around talent to exploit OU's defense. Defensively, the biggest thing is not to get caught up in the head games OU likes to play, meaning Alex is going to have to realize that D.J. Cooper is going to make things happen, and not get caught up in Cooper's trash talk. As long as Alex realizes that OU needs Cooper to be the guy for the Bobcats have a chance, and can stay composed and realize that the Zips won't need him to carry the team (though he needs to pull the trigger when he has open opportunities, since he is the best big-situation shooter on the roster), PG is still a battle Akron can win, even if statistics make it appear as a loss. Same with Zeke. While, OU's bigs shouldn't cause him to be taken out of his game, for whatever reason, they have been able to do that in the past. However, Zeke has done a much better job against everybody of picking his spots and staying out of foul trouble this year. That will have to continue. He can't let Keely, Smith or whoever take him out of his game by trying to whatever they can to make that happen. OU's front court is undersized, they have to, and will, resort to anything to try to gain an advantage. If Alex and Zeke play with composure, while the Bobcats still have some advantages on the perimeter, not enough to make up for what they lack inside. I believe OU's recent domination of Akron hasn't been due to having better players, just that they have done a great job winning the mental side of the game. This year, Akron, IMO, has the physical advantage, they just need to also show they can match OU's mental toughness. Do that, and the Zips win. Allow OU to control the mental side, and it's another loss (and then you have to limp down to Athens for another round of it). For all the 16-0 MAC record and being the first mid-major to win a national title talk (granted I'm pointing out Tree here, who I believe is the most mentally tough player on the team, but believe everybody on this roster has those same thoughts), this will be the first test at full strength, playing in a rhythm (no two week or one-week off between games ... ala Creighton and Detroit) for this team to show it has what it takes to back up that line of thought. We'll just have to see what happens.

Yeah, there was nothing any of them said that I can argue with ... the biggest "negative things" they have brought up is hat Zeke and Alex have struggled against OU, and that has been the case. OU has gotten into both their heads. Now, both are a year older and hopefully will play with composure. And unlike the Bongtards that troll over here, that thread (so far) is a level-headed, civil discussion about the game.

Looks like it will be played sometime in February.

After reading some of the 150 comments on the yahoo article (as I type this), one sticks out to me: "Who's idea was this? Jackie Moon?" Too funny. Though Akron isn't at Jackie Moon's level. Won't get there until KD has the team wear eye-liner, or he wrestles a bear at halftime. ... Or he has an "incredibly dirty hippie" shoot a full-court shot for 10,000 dollars under a fake Busch ... Bavarian ... promo. (though that is a promo Can't should think about). Still, Saturday will be "the Akron, Ohio Mega Bowl," which will be even better than the discovery of fire or the invention of the submarine.

Good stuff MamaZeke You're on twitter, and since the university has gotten some play off the @zipsmbb promotion, lets start a new one ... #call_us_sally We'll dedicate it to BG.

Looks like the marketing idea has worked, even without working.... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-da...886--ncaab.html Props to whoever thought of this idea. It was easily a no-go from the start, but still got national attention. Actually, genius, the Zips won't wear a gimmick jersey for the game itself, but already got the point they were trying to make out there. Interesting to see if @zipsmbb will start to get more followers after this article.

Back to the original point of this thread. I'm assuming the announcement has indeed been pushed back until Feb. 4? Any confirmation?

I know us Akron folks need short (incomplete) sentences. But we would appreciate if our sophisticated OU fans would teach us proper English. ... Then Brag about all their MAC football titles (zero) .... Then brag about how they are superior in basketball based on last year (when they split with Akron in the regular season, and it took OT to beat that same team in the MAC tourney).

I agree. But unfortunately, we are getting bombarded by Bongtards. But I'm not worried, the team is thinking 16-0. ... Meaning BG is up next.

It must be Kitty week on ZNO. This will get good. We'll get to hear all about that Sweet 16 run (which we know about and respect), and how bad Akron sucks at football all week (though Ohio as recently as five years ago sucked even more than Akron.) #insecurity That is the OU motto. For those who don't read the CNS MAC board, it's quite funny. An OU fan posted a thread about a "MAC arms race" because OU is finally going to get an indoor facility. Needless to say, that thread is getting beat down in a major way. It's just too funny reading these OU fans pump their university up like it's God's gift. P.S. good for you, you are also from Cleveland. Maybe your relatives will forward you the 5-minute piece Channel 3 did on Akron basketball yesterday. Good luck OU getting that type of coverage in the state's largest market.

That didn't take long. Haha, like I said, insecure much?

I already said Akron and Ohio will get TV games (and in fact, I think OU will get a game better than their rankings deserve). But you are a serious homer if you think OU is the "most marketable" team in the event. No way is Ohio more marketable than Creighton, Wichita State or St. Mary's. Ohio arguably is no more marketable than Akron. OU has the Sweet 16 to play on, but Akron has Zeke and "Keith Dambrot used to coach LeBron" to play on. And if you don't think that has an affect, you obviously don't watch any game Akron plays on ESPN. As an Akron fan, that line is worn out, but always comes up ... 5 times a game ... but it is what it is, and good pub doesn't hurt. Ohio is a nice program, and OU, as a school, is more high-profile than Akron. But as a basketball team, you and other OU fans are funny. You guys aren't any more special than anybody else in the MAC, especially Akron. Unlike Ohio, Akron is in the middle of the largest media market in Ohio. OU is an afterthought in Cleveland, where as Akron is a big deal here. OU is also an afterthought in Columbus, regardless of what Kitty fans want to portray. Athens is more than an hour away to begin win, and Columbus is all about Ohio State anyway. OU is also an afterthought in Cincinnati (UC, Xavier) and an afterthought in Dayton (UD). As big as OU fans think their program is, the school doesn't even come close to controlling any major market in Ohio (and while Akron is No. 2 in Cleveland behind OSU, it's presence here is still bigger than OU in Columbus ... OU's most realistic big market). It's also funny, since I do go to bobcatattack, that Akron fans don't flood that site with how great their program is, but OU fans, like you, seem to flock here trying to tout how great the Bobcats are .. talk about insecurity. Trust me when I say this, the Akron fans that post here, know how good OU is. We don't need Kitty fans getting on their high horses trying to pump up their program's "marketability"

To be fair, BG got Michigan State to play in their gym this year. Though, no way MSU comes to Akron. That was a safe road game for MSU to get more exposure in Ohio (a state Izzo has always recruited hard).

Solid breakdown. Nothing I really disagree with. But not sure why the question about Zeke repeating as DPOY. I will be stunned if he isn't. He has been even more dominating than he was a year ago ... don't see anybody challenging him for that award. In fact, Zeke may be the front runner for POY and DPOY right now. Also, as for Tree leading the MAC in rebounds in league play, he's actually 1 total rebound behind McCrea (didn't look up anybody else, but McCrea is who immediately came to mind). ... As good as McCrea is, though, no way I trade Tree for him. If Treadwell is on Buffalo, he's easily leading the league in rebounding ... In fact, just look at McCrea's overall stats and tack on a couple of points and a couple of rebounds and you'll have Tree's numbers if he was at Buffalo (and taking away McCrea). ... BTW, since you asked which front-line player you would trade for one of Akron's ... I say none. The Zips' bigs compliment each other so well, while there may be better talents, none that I would swap for. The only one I can think off off the top of my head is Chris Evans for Harney (since they have similiar games). But Evans is a senior and Harney is a sophomore, so I wouldn't do it. Harney is just fine for this year, and will be even more of a key piece the next two ... actually he has POY potential himself if he becomes consistent. McCrea (while a beast) is too similar to Tree to make a trade for. I would've said I'd take Shayne Wittingham over Pat (for this year), but Pat already outplayed him. Riley from EMU is a defensive force, but not like the Zips lack that at center between Zeke and Pat. Who am I missing? Maybe Keely, but while he has nice touch around the rim, he doesn't rebound and wouldn't start over Tree (and Harney is more versatile). Basically, Akron's front-line is filthy.

Excuse the poor formatting, didn't quite turn out like I was hoping, but here is a breakdown of the teams ranked in the top 120 in either Pomeroy, BPI and RPI, just to give people an idea of how each system views the teams. Home Pomeroy BPI RPI Wichita State 21 13 16 Belmont 29 41 23 St. Mary's 33 43 60 Akron 47 47 72 Northern Iowa 68 68 92 Valpariasio 79 73 86 Indiana State 84 70 51 Western Michigan 111 131 102 Fairfield 112 165 154 Murray State 120 103 88 Davidson 106 111 Oral Roberts 115 97 Loyola (Md) 118 95 Tennessee State 89 Western Illinois 120 Road Creighton 13 11 27 Denver 51 84 116 North Dakota State 53 69 56 Stephen F. Austin 60 82 69 Detroit 64 91 101 Ohio 72 77 107 Illinois State 75 67 139 Weber State 105 105 147 South Dakota State 106 124 67 Canisius 108 114 117 Evansville 109 109 99 Green Bay 113 139 168 Eastern Kentucky 114 118 63 Pacific 118 117 119 Iona 102 113 Illinois-Chicago 112 Since these won't change from here until tomorrow, I'll make another guess on the matchups. I'll weight RPI the highest since that has tended to be the biggest factor in the past, second by BPI (since it's an ESPN system and ESPN picks the TV matchups) and lastly weight Pomeroy (though the best system, something that probably won't be much of a consideration). 1. Creighton-Belmont - This matchup hasn't changed, about the only lock out there. 2. Wichita State-North Dakota State - North Dakota State has the top RPI and BPI for Wichita State to be matched with (both are Central time zone teams to boot). 3. St. Mary's-Ohio- This is a double-edged sword for Ohio. The good is the Bobcats get a marquee matchup. The downside is they will have to go out West, play a tough matchup, then come home and have to get ready for Akron. 4. Akron-Stephen F. Austin- St. Mary's vs. Stephen F. Austin makes the most sense based strictly on the overall rankings. And this may be wishful thinking that Ohio passes up SFA in to land St. Mary's (though OU has much more of a name than SFA). If ESPN matches up St. Mary's and SFA, then Akron is really screwed, as Illinois State (who Pomeroy and BPI like, but RPI hates), Eastern Kentucky (who Pomeroy and BPI hate, but RPI likes) or South Dakota State (who Pomeroy and BPI hate, but RPI likes) are the most realistic options. Why St. Mary's-Ohio and Akron-Stephen F. Austin makes sense is because it creates two compelling matchups for ESPN. St. Mary's, Ohio and Akron are three of the more high-profile teams left in this setup. St. Mary's is obviously a huge-name mid-major and Ohio has the Sweet 16 (near Elite 8 run) to fall back on. Both have large fanbases. St. Mary's would probably want this game more than SFA anyway, since the return trip is going to involve travel regardless. So, St. Mary's gets a better game, and Ohio (outside the bad travel schedule) gets a marquee opponent. Akron-Stephen F. Austin isn't a great matchup for Akron, but better than the alternatives (and it's been apparent since I started this thread a couple weeks ago that Akron wasn't getting the matchup we were hoping for entering the season). At least SFA is between 60-82 on all three rankings. The fact that this is an Ohio vs. Texas matchup (two of the largest states), it has the potential to draw decent TV ratings, though unlike Akron (which is in Ohio's largest market), SFA is in no-man's land in Texas (but it is pretty much is between Dallas and Houston, so maybe close enough to draw some interest in those markets). 5. Northern Iowa-South Dakota State - Northern Iowa is pretty consistent in the rankings, while South Dakota State has a big gap, but since RPI likes SDSU (and due to proximity, I think this will happen) 6. Valparaiso-Illinois State - Like Northern Iowa, Valpo's rankings are consistent. Illinois State is hated by RPI, but strong enough in BPI to offset it (and it's a regional matchup). 7. Indiana State-Eastern Kentucky - Again, Indiana State is pretty consistent, and EKU is hated by two of the three systems. But the one it is high in is RPI, so they fit in here. 8. Murray State-Canisius 9. Western Michigan-Evansville In a perfect world, Murray State-Evansville and Western Michigan-Canisius are the more ideal matchups, but Murray State and Evansville have already played. So, I'll flip these. Murray State will get a TV game due to Isiah Canaan and Cansisus (which is consistently ranked in the 108-117 range) gives the event a much-needed Eastern team ... something that is lacking. Western Michigan has the RPI (and recent solid play) to land the final TV game against Evansville (which being an MVC team, will get a TV game), though Davidson could sneak into this game instead of WMU. Though, I think the MAC's behind the scene political pull (all of the MAC teams are playing in this vs. only four Southern Conference teams) should be enough to beat out Davidson's allure of drawing in the Charlotte market. It also wasn't by accident that I have all six MVC schools that are ranked high landing TV games. The MVC is by far the most high-profile league that has all its teams participating. They will be rewarded for that. Finally, if the top three MAC schools (Akron, Ohio and Western Michigan) all get bad matchups (or no TV), you really have to question the leadership in the MAC. Even though this is a down year overall, the league still has three teams that you can argue belong in one of the 9 TV games, especially since the competition is against other Mid-Major leagues. If the league can't help get the two teams that are locks for a TV games solid matchups, and can't get WMU a TV game in general, the MAC's clout (or the schools' willingness to play the best possible competition) is severely lacking.

When adjusted on a per minute basis, Pat is better. But let's not forget that Pat did have a year in a major college under his belt, before coming to Akron. So, not quite an apples-to-apples comparison.

I'm just messing with you Dave, but those 6 blocks per game obviously show that Pat isn't a defensive force. lol. I'm not from Pittsburgh so can't vouch on the level of competition Zeke went up against, but being from Cleveland, I can vouch for the level of competition Pat went up against. His senior year, he had (I believe) 6 games against Strongsville (Aaron White, Iowa), Medina (Kenny Kaminiski, Michigan State) and Garfield Heights (a school that has as much D1 talent as any in Ohio). The fact he put up those type of numbers considering the level of competition bodes well for him (It's no wonder Bob Huggins wanted him at WVU). Overall, I agree that Pat will never become the shot blocker Zeke is (if so the Zips suddenly have had the two most prolific shot blockers in league history on the same team), but putting up 22 and 12 against the level of competition he has faced in high school, shows his immense potential. As Akron fans, we should feel very lucky to be able to replace Zeke with Pat (and still have Tree for potentially two more years on top of that). Just a sick amount of front-line talent that isn't going away anytime soon. Oh, and the team has Isiah Johnson coming in... Sucks to be the rest of the MAC

Zeke was Zeke. Alex was Alex. Tree was Tree. But the story (again) was what Chauncey gave this team. So glad that he went through with the scope to get right. This team has to have him playing well to reach its potential. It's obvious that this team is at its best with Alex at the 1, Walsh at the 2, Tree at the 4 and Zeke at the 5. I love Nick in the instant offense role, but now that Chauncey is healthy, he has to get back to the 3. His shot has been as good as it has ever been, and he has the size and athleticism to create mismatches at the position. Bring Nick off the bench as the instant offense guy off the bench. Obviously, Pat is the next best option at the 5 (hopefully, he realizes the lack of minutes isn't due to his play, just that Zeke has to be on the court). I'm warming to Deji at the PG (still don't think he's a natural PG, but our best option, and he has length and athleticism to be productive). That's the top 8. After that, McAdams has earned his playing time. He needs to get his crack as the No. 9 guy and 10 or so minutes at either the two or three. With all that, it still gives this team a 9-man rotation that is better than any in the league. Unfortunately, that means Kretzer and Betancourt have to be out (for now). I also disagree with anybody who thinks that Betancourt isn't a D1 player. That spin move, out of the double team tonight and quickness to the basket shows that he is a D1 quality athlete/ball handler. He just needs to learn what to do with the ball after he makes a move (and of course work on his shooting) to be successful. ... He will learn that, and even Alex still makes the same mistakes (though Alex, unlike Carmelo, has been a solid 3-point shooter since he walked on campus). Still, Betancourt's future is bright if he keeps working, even if it's not this year. Same with Kretzer. He has already shown he can be a D1 player. But his game is so off right now, like Betancourt, there is no way a team that has goals of a "national title" as Tree said, can run an unconfident freshman out there. I like both Betancourt and Kretzer down the line, but right now neither can be trusted, especially when you have a core group of 7-8 guys you know will produce. Both Kretzer and Betancourt are talented enough to have their day, but it just shouldn't come at the expense of a better player this year.

Zach, I know you pointed out that these matchups aren't based on Pomeroy rankings as I used in my initial post. I understand that, but was using those just because I think he has the most accurate ranking system out there. However, it's also wrong to base the matchups strictly off of RPI. True, RPI has been a better guide than any of the other ranking systems, but as we've seen in the past, schools can move up or down a slot or two from where they "should" be. IIRC, some Oral Roberts fans were upset (on their message board) that they drew Akron a year ago. ORU was in the top 50 in RPI and Akron was in the 70s, but jumped a couple schools with higher RPIs into that matchup. BTW, I see that ESPN has their own set of ratings ... Basketball Power Index (BPI) ... which looks to be more RPI like, only it takes into account games missed by key players. Anyway, since ESPN puts on the Bracketbusters, this may be the best gauge to determine the matchups. However, since ESPN is going to try to mix the best teams that will draw the largest audiences, they probably will sway from their own rating system if they think a "lesser" matchup can draw better TV numbers. With that said, here are the top-100 ranked home and away teams based on BPI (and all these teams should be a part of the nine TV games) Home 13. Wichita State 37. Belmont 49. Akron 51. St. Mary's 76. Indiana State 78. Valparaiso 82. Northern Iowa Away 12. Creighton 59. North Dakota State 72. Denver 79. Weber State 84. Illinois State 86. Ohio 92. Detroit 98. Murray State Based on this BPI ESPN system (and from a TV perspective), I think if you had to choose today, the games would be: 1. Creighton-Belmont: No-brainer in the "marquee" 8 p.m. ESPN2 Saturday time slot. 2. Wichita State-Ohio: Ohio will be an example of a team jumping up based on where they are ranked. I don't see anyway ESPN turns away a game between a current top 25 team and one that made the Sweet 16 last year, that returned everybody off that team and is playing good basketball. This is a game made for the 7 p.m. Friday night ESPN2 slot. Two compelling teams that won't face much competition on a prime-time Friday for viewership. Yes, OU will make out better than Akron in this event, albeit being on the road. 3. Akron-North Dakota State: This would actually be the best scenario for Akron based off of rankings. TV numbers probably won't be that high, but Akron does have appeal regardless of matchup being in a top 15 market and having the Zeke and "Keith Dambrot coached LeBron" angles that they can (and will) shove down our throats. Still a game that could land the 6 p.m. Saturday ESPN2/ESPNU slot. 4. St. Mary's-Denver: You have two West Coast teams based in huge markets ... St. Mary's (Bay Area) and Denver (Denver). Seems like a natural fit, and a TV game that can draw numbers out West if in a later TV time slot. This has Saturday ESPN2 10 p.m. written all over it. 5. Indiana State-Detroit: Detroit will get a boost due to its market size. This could be the 4 p.m. ESPN2/ESPNU Saturday matchup. 6. Valparaiso-Murray State: The matchup makes sense based on what's left, and be one of the earlier Saturday ESPU games ... probably the 1 p.m. slot. 7. Northern Iowa-Weber State: Weber gets the "shaft" based on where it is ranked on the BPI list, but putting them against a team in the Central time zone makes sense in the 9 p.m. Friday time slot. This leaves Illinois State out in the cold for teams ranked in the top 100, and while a decent team with a crappy conference record, still may land a TV game (since there is nine of them). Same with Eastern Kentucky. Actually an Illinois State-EKU game would make sense, but both are road teams. Oh well. EDIT: I realize I left Stephen F. Austin off the list of road teams. SFA is ranked No. 77. That pretty much throws everything off from this "masterpiece" I put together, but it should still give a general feeling for what could happen. An if ESPN's BPI is used as a gauge (and I don't know why the network running the show wouldn't go off its own system), the Zips are still probably looking at North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin or Denver being the opponent as of right now.

Agree on all three, especially Gilliam's play. As well as Zeke and Tree played, he was the difference. Hit some big, big shots. Hopefully, he continues to get more healthy. This team is going to need him.

Captain Kangaroo brought up Ryan Hollins. That is, for now, who Zeke is (and anybody who has watched the Cavs the last couple of years knows Hollins isn't the most "mentally tough" player). Still, Hollins has managed to stick around in the league along enough to get on the pension plan, and is currently on the roster of the best team in the NBA. So, yes, Zeke has does have a shot to play in the NBA. Actually, he will 100 percent be in the D-League, and 100-percent will play in Europe (if that the rout he chooses, and it could actually be the more short-term lucrative rout). Also, I will say this, Zeke at 22 is essentially Ryan Hollins at 28, so Zeke still has plenty of time to work on the mental aspect of his game.

I didn't read your post as thorough as I should've, you answered a lot of the questions I had in my last post. However, even with the lack of city funds, couldn't they be talked down to the 6-7K range? That would still be more than adequate for Zips basketball and probably 99 percent of the events they have in mind, if done right? Also, good point on FirstEnergy. However, couldn't Goodyear still be in play? With what they are trying to do with their world headquarters, I would assume that they may have the cash/willingness to support their hometown on an endeavor like this ... or even a Goodyear/Summa conglomerate. Both seem to be interested in building up the near eastside into a place that attracts young, educated people (ala Highland Square). And with the proximity to UA/downtown to both those areas, seems like a natural fit. ... you could have a connected area between downtown/UA/Middlebury/Goodyear Heights with a bunch of educated younger, homegrown folks (which would help the hiring processes of both Goodyear and Summa). Maybe those parties don't see the same investment potential as I do, but I'm just "thinking bigger," something the university I went to wants me to do. Hopefully, they do the same instead of settling on a small-time project.