clarkwgriswold

I really need to keep reminding myself that this is not the team Groce came into camp with, nor is the team that started the season. This team may well have been 10 to 12 deep squad with pressure on defense and an up tempo offense but between the injuries, Covid, Walton's meltdown and Wynn, the team had to really make some major adjustments and changes and maybe that's where the staff deserves some credit. Despite all of that, they're still 13-6/6-3 and in the mix.

Yikes. Grant and Lairy combined for 18 points. That's a recipe for disaster for them.

All of the other top MAC teams have that guard that gets them 18 to 20 points every night. Toledo has Rollins; OU has Sears; Brimfield has Insincere; and Canada has Williams. Don't get me wrong, I like Castaneda but he hasn't been that guy and Trimble is a streaky specialist. I like that they share the ball but the fact than no one on the team averages 14 points is troubling.

The Zips host Miami on Friday then hop on the bus and head to Oxford for a Sunday afternoon game versus the Redhawks. The Zips will head into the game with a week's rest while the Redhawks face EMU on Saturday and PCCC on Tuesday. Currently, the Redhawks are 9-9 overall and 3-4 in the MAC. 6'2" junior All-MAC guard Dae Dae Grant leads the Redhawks at 17.4 ppg with mighty mite senior guard Mekhi Lairy scoring 14.1 ppg. Rebounding is led by 6'7" 5th year Dalonte Brown who pulls down 6.6 rpg while scoring 12.5 ppg. Miami's coach, Jack Owens, had a 56-65 career record coming into the season. They were 12-11 season last season and 9-8 in the Mid-American Conference. This season is looking very similar to other Owens seasons. This is the type of opponent the Zips have to beat to maintain a decent seeding. A weekend sweep would take the Zips to 15-6/8-3 heading into the last month of the season.

This team, at least right now, is exactly what the MAC Pre-season Coaches Poll predicted them to be- the 4th or 5th best team in the MAC. That means they're going to lose some games that will frustrate us. In reality, we've all been a little spoiled as Zips fans. That doesn't mean they can't make a run when the time comes. In reality, as long as they make it to Cleveland we all know that what happens between now and March 4th makes little difference.

Well, they showed a ton of heart fighting their way back into the game.

19 down to 6. As goes Trimble...

They're nice players but they're not even in the top 14 scorers in a pretty average MAC.

How we see how much pride, heart and fight these kids have in them

Exactly. No leader, no standout. Just a bunch of 6s and 7s on a 10 point scale. Nice players, no stars.

These are the games I am happy to not get CBS Sports Network, This way, I at least don't have to see it.

We can only dream of a crowd like that.

I resemble that remark.

Wow, nice finish to the half. Yikes. The Zips have up a 63 FG% that half while shooting 45%.

Well this certainly went to **** in a hurry.

Zips need to build a cushion not trade baskets as Toledo will have a second half run in them.

Problem is that they need Clarke. Castaneda can't play every minute and Tribble can only do spot duty at the point. I am perplexed at how Clarke has gone backwards. Every time we see a sign of progress... One step forward two steps back.

Turnovers + giving up offensive rebounds = bad results

I wish we were seeing more of Kalle on the floor. Partly because it would be a sign of the Zips getting a comfortable lead. I also think he could be some much needed big man help for Freeman and Aziz. I don't see him ever being the finesse player Xeryius was but he has shown signs he could be decent player.

That's the reason to establish a relationship with all of the top local kids, even those they know they can't get. That way, you plant the seed in their heads for when their first stop doesn't work out and "coming home" becomes an option. Sometimes, that pays dividends like a Se'Von Pittman.

Zips have slow start (Nostradamus here) then rally to keep it close at the half and into the second half but then Toledo, having the deeper roster and a couple of go to guys rallies and pulls away. To the consternation of the gambling degenerates, the final score is 84-76.

I'd love an arena but they'd have to get awfully creative with the financing as the voting populace in Summit County made it pretty clear they had no interest in funding it the last time it was raised. It was headed to the ballot as a tax measure combined with county-wide 911 improvements and they did a poll which overwhelmingly showed that the levy would go down if the arena funding was included. As a result, we've watched good basketball in a barn while we watch bad football in a nice stadium. One of the hot rumors circling the JAR early in the basketball season was that the groundwork had been laid for Charles Thomas to get the Central Michigan job at which time KD would resign at Duquesne and return to UA as AD. The first block in that chain of events, Thomas getting the CMU job, fell through the and the KD return went along with it. In the end, the job then went to Guthrie. I'm not sure I am buying that rumor, but it is one that's made its rounds.

Sexist. LOL.

14/15 from the line. Maybe they should give lessons to the men's team.

ABT- anybody but Trimble.