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I think Antino showed us a little bit more of what we started to see last year, as he led us through the end of the season and that MAC tourney run. He was simply incredible last night. Guys, the key now is, where do we go from here? Regardless of the Pomeroy Rankings (Akron 55, Arkansas 101), this will look like a major deal in the eyes of the National sports audience, and that's what matters. All they see is little ole Akron beating a "name" with a rich basketball history. Sunday presents another chance for a much bigger eye opener. We need to play well again (even if we don't win), avoid ANY "bad losses" this year, and string together a couple of nice conference win streaks, and we have an opportunity to gain legitimate national attention by February. Any stumbles, and we'll just be viewed as a 20-win MAC team who may or may not get an auto-bid, and continue to be almost unnoticed, nationally.

WOW....We darn near dominated them. Our own mistakes caused that game to be closer than it actually was. I'd like to see us shoot the ball that well all season.

I smell another Mississippi State upset in the making This is a vulnerable team. And it pisses me off even more to know that they are already "preselected" to be in the Final 4 of this tournament.

Two things really stuck out for me last night. 1) Gosh, Pat sure did miss a bunch from close range, even a wide open air ball from 5 feet that seemed like it never got within a foot of the rim. We better not be going back to those days. 2) Holy Cow, does Ivey have incredible athletic ability? Bouncing off the floor twice consecutively to try to tip in a missed shot among the big men was eye opening. And his quickness. It's only the 3rd time I've ever seen him play now, and the things I am watching him do are blowing me away. I haven't seen enough to evaluate his overall game, but this guy can do things that most MAC players can't do. He'll help us win conference games early in his career if we can get him Starter minutes.

These people are unbelievable. Why Why Why did they choose THIS TEAM to give a Top 4 seed? Did it just take 10 years for them to wake up to the Powerhouse we have here? A good group on the committee who finally decided that NAME shouldn't be the top criteria? Unbelievable. I'm thrilled. NO ROAD GAMES

"Going To A Bowl" is going to be the sweetest sound to my ears. I don't care Where, Who, or When. And I don't care about anyone's prediction that the wrong matchup would spell DOOM for us.

zipsoutsider, I don't argue that all of the perks are nice. Including the events where you get to mingle with the players. I just question if it has any impact beyond the people who are already going to attend Zips sporting events. I don't think that it gets any "Joe Akron" to line up at the ticket window, and therefore increase ticket sales. I think it's just a benefit that's primarily enjoyed by the existing fan base.

Exactly my point. And your thoughts may have been the same, but would you have been so quick to vehemently respond to his post? Your timing is impeccable when it comes to any comment about OSWho in a negative light. This is an Akron forum. Ohio State is a competitor. So get over it. (using same tone that you used in Post #26).

LZip.. 1) If the post that a-zip made was in reference to another school besides OSWho, would you have responded the same way? Would you have even responded at all? I know I've commented on this several times before in regards to your posts. 2) I was saying that you were a Honk, like my friend. Not that you were the one who said nobody would be in attendance at our Spring Game. 3) I'm not shocked at your response either. If a-zip's post angered you that much, and you want validation for your opinions, I'm sure Ohio State has a forum somewhere where you will get 100% agreement on everything you say about them.

zipsoutsider....The hats and bobbleheads being given out these last two games might seem like a great perk on the surface. Unfortunately, most of those hats will be given out this Saturday to people who would have come to the game anyway, and the bobbleheads next Friday will primarily be given to people who would have been there anyway as well. People in Akron who don't give a damn about the Zips aren't going to run out and buy $20 tickets for themselves and their family to get a hat.

Rowdy, I'm sure it will affect attendance a bit. But, a friend of mine who's a serious OSU Honk (like LZip - See Post #26) also told me in April that nobody would be at the Zips Spring Game because Cowlumbus State had their spring game the same day. Instead, we had record attendance. If someone is a Zips Fan, they should care more about Akron continuing their 2-game win streak and getting to a bowl game than what happens with MSU and the Suckeyes, right? There's plenty of good football to watch on the tube when you get home AFTER the Zips game. On the attendance topic, here is a chance for all of the "just win and they will come" philosophers on this board to prove they are right. Two road wins in a row, bowl eligibility right in front of us, and possibly the best close to a season in nearly a decade.

I think what Lee is saying is that going into the Ken+ game at 5-6 may already put us in a "No Bowl" situation. Nobody really knows. It's all speculation. But, I sure remember what happened to the 2004 team that was "bowl eligible" at 6-6, and spent the bowl season at home as the only bowl eligible school not playing in a bowl. Sorry. There may be more bowl games, but I don't trust anyone on these bowl committees who will always pick a "name team" over Akron.

Zippy 5....you're right. Someone, or a couple of guys will still need to get trimmed back. Obviously, not all 8 of them will get 25+ minutes. Can you tell I wasn't a math major? But, it still looks like that relegates Ivey and Aaron to much lesser roles. And it pretty much shuts out everyone else. It'll be interesting to watch, especially when Noah is back to full strength. Who else gets a diminished role along with Ivey and Aaron? Antino? Josh? You can be sure that Pat, Isiah, Kwan, Reggie, Jake, and Noah seem to be sure bets to get major time. There isn't enough left if these guys all get somewhere around 25 mpg. If there was ever a year where fans will be complaining that the teams might lack continuity because of depth of the rotation, this would seem to be that year.

I think last night was a good glimpse at the possible rotation for this season. When Robotham is at full strength, there's going to be 8 guys getting 25-30 min. per game, with the primary 3 bench players looking like Big Dog, Jake, and Antino. Ivey and Aaron Jackson look to be the next tier, with about 10 fewer minutes per game. There may be nothing left except mop-up minutes for the remainder of the active roster. I think the only starting lineup change between the exhibition game and Cleveland State was Forsythe starting instead of Big Dog.

Hip Zip...you're right about the Full Court. Initially, it seemed like token pressure most of the time, but they really locked in after the ball crossed half court. We actually did a pretty good job of utilizing the big men in the middle of the floor in the backcourt. That's usually the key to keeping the ball moving, and avoiding getting trapped against the sidelines. That may have had something to do with making their backcourt pressure look fairly ineffective.

At this point, I'll take wins any way we can get them. Winning a road game against a "traditional" MAC power on the road, at any time, is good for us. Especially with a bowl game bid becoming more and more real every week. But here's the one thing that really bothered me yesterday, besides the putrid special teams play. Our secondary was exposed again. Giving up 316 yards in the air against that kind of talent is inexcusable. And the pass rush was doing their job, for the most part. That long pass TD by Miami should have never happened. The Safety was in the right spot, but stood there waiting for the pass to come down while the receiver cut right underneath him, caught the ball, and raced down the field. That kind of lack of focus let Miami back in the game. I hope it doesn't cost us a big win in the next two weeks, because Buffalo can put a much better QB on the field than any of those platooning youngsters we faced yesterday.

wadszip...the last part of your post says a lot about how we took a very deep lineup against a bad team and failed to make plays to get more distance, after that initial run in the first half. It could have been more about the concentration level lacking in the 2nd half with the big lead, but it was still really sloppy basketball. However, I will tell you that one thing Cleveland State did very, very well was pressuring the ball handlers, and getting in the passing lanes. They even "overplayed" defensively in a lot of those situations, and I'm amazed that we didn't do a better job beating them on backside cuts and over the top passes to our big guys more often in this one. I do wonder how Noah would have performed running the show vs. that pressure defense, as opposed to Josh and Antino. I guess we'll never know.

Doesn't Akron have an allotment of tickets, like they would for any road game? Or, is this controlled by the Preseason NIT Tournament, in which case, even the Villanova season ticket holders would have to buy a ticket (just like the postseason tournaments?). I wasn't going to go, so I never checked. It would be interesting to know how this particular tournament handles games at home sites.

Cellar Dweller = 3 years ago. Someone needs to start paying attention before they speak.

I think it was 3 Overtimes. Good thing it was a nice night, so that everyone was able to stay really late to watch the "closing of the Rubber Bowl" ceremony. You're right, Lee. We had a chance that night to win our 3rd game in a row and take control of a possible MAC East title, and we collapsed after that heartbreaking loss and lost our last two games after that.

I still think Central is better than any of the last 4 teams on our schedule. That's why I have been feeling so optimistic about this stretch run. I guess I'll find out if I was right.

And don't forget. Best FT shooter on the team, hands down. We were so fortunate last year in the semi-final game against Buffalo that he was starting and playing extended minutes, because he was on the floor both times we were awarded with 2-shot technicals. In his 30 minutes, he was also the leading scorer, pulled down 4 rebounds, and hit a couple of 3s. I think these are the kinds of performances we'll see more often from him this year, IF he can be healthy for an entire year.

For the most part, Reggie's scoring is all about the long range jumper. One night he'll have 15, and then disappear for several games. So many people have mentioned Jake, and my only concern is his back. He isn't as good of a shooter as Reggie, but has the ability to score in many different ways. He's also a front line rebounder when he's in the game, which opens up more opportunities. Plus, he's nearly automatic from the FT Line.

I found it interesting that they'd put a big article in the Beacon today about Mike Thomas being removed, which makes NO mention of his time as the AD right here at home. Wouldn't that be the relevant connection, and maybe the only reason why you'd put an article about his removal in an Akron paper anyway? Why else would anyone in Akron care that an AD several states away was losing his job, except for the fact that so many people in Akron know him ?

It's pretty unbelievable that 2 former Akron ADs were part of major news stories on the same day.