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You purchased a game ticket just to get a bobblehead? Really? I figured you were a season ticket holder.

I agree, Kreed. Like I said earlier, we've played 9 road games and 6 home games in conference play, and still have a 1 game lead. I think that's a very coveted position to be in when you haven't lost a home game all year. Win these 3, and we walk away with the outright title. We can use all of the fan support we can get.

Quincy was one of the few players we've had in the last decade that was like that. I'm thinking of Deji too. And beyond that, nobody easily comes to mind.

When I see a team that lack ability to drive and finish at the basket, it doesn't surprise me when I don't see successful run-outs after steals or rebounds. I haven't really seen that change throughout the entire Dambrot era. We rarely have those types of players. Likewise, as a fan, I often tell my wife before the home games start that "I want to see some dunks tonight". And I usually don't get my wish.

Miami in 1999 is a good one to look at, for sure. I'm seeing a 22-7 record (must be the end of the regular season) with a #21 RPI and #64 SOS. I think they were definitely a case of benefitting from a tough OOC schedule, as Kreed just pointed out.

That's fair. I'll go along with that. It's funny you ask for some history, since I just commented about the 2008 Ken+ team. They had 6 losses (3 conference losses) and finished the season with a #19 RPI and was awarded a #9 seed. You'd think that they were a lock to get in, regardless of what happened in the MAC title game. Especially since they apparently were very highly regarded by the committee. I usually ask everyone each year to sort of use this as a benchmark.

Ken+ got a #9 seed in 2008, and had 3 conference losses, and 6 total losses. So, you are saying that Ken+ catapulted themselves from a #12 or lower, all the way up to a #9, just by beating Akron in their final game?

No problem. I wasn't intending to be nasty. I just don't make a point to try to clarify someone else's position, or state what they intended to say, based on what they typed on an internet forum.

None of us can be 100% certain, and I'm sure someone could do the RPI calculation. But, don't you think it's pretty ridiculous to state that it would take an undefeated MAC season to get an at-large? And I'm glad to see that you saw something in that post (undefeated season) that I didn't see. I must need my glasses.

I'm glad that you and NWAkron know each other, and can interpret the meaning of his internet posts. I simply commented on what I was reading.

I find it interesting that you knock the idea of pursuing the "at large" option, believe that winning the MAC tournament is a great prize, but insist that the "mediocre" MAC is killing us.....All in the same post.

Our defensive deficiencies have been evident all season. This isn't anything new. Our offensive problems are multiple, but somewhat solvable. And Keith acknowledged most of what's been said here in the Postgame. Yes, we have guys who can't create their own shot. Yes, we have guards who can't penetrate. But that was the makeup of this team from the start. The problem right now is that teams can get away with having ONE post defender during the 30 minutes that Big Dog is playing, and have the 4 other guys chase the shooters out on the perimeter. That situation changes dramatically when Pat can play 20 minutes. That situation can also change dramatically when Antino can stay out of foul trouble and create plays driving to the hoop. Maybe we need to stop and realize that we've now played 9 road games and 6 home games in conference play and we're STILL a game in front of everyone else in the league. I think we'll take that, even though we had some earlier successes on the road that haven't happened recently. At the same time, I share in the disappointment that this was another good season that could have turned into a great one.

It's Official: Ball State loses to Toledo. We still have a 1 game lead for the overall title with Ken+, OU, and Ball State all losing tonight. And we own the tiebreaker on Ball State anyway. Very Lucky that the night turned out like this for the Zips.

Exactly. And I was totally serious. Nobody complains about sitting in bleachers when you can come to the JAR and be a part of something significant like that.

It certainly appears that teams are not doubling in the post anymore, to keep a man on all of our shooters. Thus, the load on Big Dog is getting too heavy. I thought that everything didn't go our way Friday in Ken+, and I felt that way again tonight. Thank You to every other contender for losing tonight also.

McKnight scares me, the way he can get to the hoop. I'm glad this might be the last time we see him playing that isolation game with our guards up top. Keep him under 15 and we can make this game rather easy. But I have a feeling someone like him can explode without a rim defender like Pat in there. It will be interesting to see if we actually are prepared to play some Zone D with Pat's absence being extended, and if we will actually do it.

And if we were nationally-ranked and in the hunt for a good seed, people would be fighting for seats on those wooden bleachers.

Gotcha. Then we're on the same page

Be careful there, and please clarify what you are saying. If you're thinking that there's been any kind of significant growth over the course of the 10 years that we've been winning 21+ games per year, you need to check your numbers. I think the general consensus here is disappointment over the fact that attendance has relatively stayed about the same (I think it's actually dropped over the last few years?). If you're seeing something else, please let us know.

You could be right. Based on my post above about the lack of people who even know that we play D-1A, changes in perception could take a very, very long time.

Maybe that's Mission #1. It's funny the number of semi-knowledgeable sports fans, right in Akron, who think that Akron is a "small school" that plays in some "lower division".

I'll comment on a few things here... 1) Yes, I think the University DID feel that a New Stadium would be a solution to some of the attendance problem. Why? Because they listened to the people's excuses. All of the people who complained about the concessions, the bathrooms, the seats, the drive to the Rubber Bowl, etc. These things might have been problems that they cited, but it obviously was far from the REAL reasons why people historically don't support this program. I'll continue to say that if people cared what was going on, and Akron was accomplishing something significant enough for them to care, they'd pack a dungeon with crappy bathrooms and crappy seating. 2) I understand the idea of catering to Students, to an extent. They can create atmosphere. That's what can make it fun again. But if you are in Akron's situation, the much larger benefit is going to come from people who can buy more tickets and donate more money. 3) As always, the significance of wins is going to mean far more than "just winning". Look no further than our perennially successful basketball program, where we are still a long, long way away from packing an arena that only has 5,500 seats.

tolbob.....Kreed already pointed something out in another thread. Sorry missed it, but a number of teams that we've beaten won games over the last few days, which has helped us actually elevate our national standing. The point is, there's a lot of other factors that will go into our final seeding, including how others are performing. Assuming that a loss by a particular team will automatically result in a lower seeding 3 weeks from now is just not true. There's a lot of factors at play here.

You may not have caught what I posted in another thread this morning. Our RPI actually moved UP after this weekend.

LZip...you might not be old enough to remember the Airco Technical Institute commercials that used to be on TV. It was a Welding School that advertised on network TV all the time, and their graduates talked about buying new cars and their own equipment. I'm thinking we go after this one next, if they are still around