skip-zip

There are definitely no excuses. Figuring that the road games would be the toughest to win, there's really only one "good" road opponent (BG), in my opinion. The home league games are all very winnable. And we get Pitt at home this time. Couldn't have really asked for more.

For those who missed that Xavier game, it was unbelievable and unforgettable. One of the best, for sure, and there have been a ton of great games in the JAR. In fact, when I first saw Jimmal Ball after he returned here recently, it was the very FIRST memory that came to mind.

I think many of us thought that the Huggins move to Cincinnati was just another step up the ladder. It turned out to be a 16 year run of dominance in Ohio college basketball, and a claim to being one of the best programs in the country during that era. In fact, after the first couple of seasons where he was trying to put the pieces together, he had several #1 teams, and even more impressively, his remaining 14 teams never had a peak ranking lower than 21st. Pretty impressive. And if Kenyon Martin had not broken his leg, he likely would have had a national championship as well. Of course, for us, we can only wonder what might have happened if we had somehow been able to keep him here.

Well, it looks like possibly ALL of our gathering might have to be scheduled on short notice, since we won't know the ESPN or Sportstime Ohio schedules until closer to the game times. As I said previously, ESPN3, from what I have been told, is really difficult for a bar to do. When they did it at Johnny J's for the Soccer Selection Party one year, it took a lot of work to put that internet feed into their network of TVs. I don't know if a single TV in a smaller venue might be easier? No idea. Balsy.....gathering before home games is a GREAT idea too. I think that would have the same effect at showing the community and the drinking/food establishments that we are out here.

Let me add a little bit to this...since some people appear to be comparing this to the MAC title games.... We played Pitt in the old Fitzgerald Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh in 1986 when they were ranked in the Top 25. We took them to the buzzer with the Boyce/McLaughlin team, and this was right after our first appearance in the NCAA tournament earlier that year. This really helped set up the meeting at the Coliseum in Richfield in 1987. Pitt was even more LOADED by then, with Lane, Charles Smith, Demetrius Gore, and a phenom freshman PG who is now the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. AND...they were ranked in the Top 5 by this time. We had some extra ammo that year too, with the addition of freshman guard Anthony Buford (who later transferred and started on Huggins' Final 4 team at Cincinnati). It was the perfect storm for a big crowd. Most importantly, the Coliseum was a short drive for Akron fans (unlike Cleveland). Plus, this was one of the only times I can ever remember that many NE Ohio college basketball fans, even if they weren't connected with the Zips, wanted to see this game. My old high school, which is 2 hours away, brought their entire team down to watch that game. We even had a double digit lead early in the 2nd half, before fading by a couple of buckets at the end. This was the first time I realized that Akron was capable of bringing in the people....even if they weren't previously a Zips fan...because we were doing something that appeared to have NATIONAL implications. Even a MAC tournament final cannot do that, unfortunately. Additional Note: I still wish, to this day, that we could have found a way to use the Coliseum, which was still not "old" when it was abandoned by the Cavs (built in 1976...I think?).

LOL...I like that term. For now on, they will be referred to as two-standers. But in blowout games like the WMU game on Tuesday, it was definitely a one-stander. My wife is usually standing and sitting the entire game, which is why those "inactive" people are so noticeable. But she was even bored and playing with her phone the entire 2nd half. I told her....."you were bored for a very good reason, and I hope you are bored a lot more this year"

We need to start doing this. I wanted to bring up this Friday's game, but thought maybe it was too short notice for some folks. My question is....how many REAL tv road games do we have this year? I'm not seeing anything beyond this game on the schedule. Or, they haven't indicated tv coverage at this point. Come on. Lets see some responses from some people. It would be great to start this thing and get some people together, but we'll have little impact if we have these gathering with just a few people. And only a few people have stated any interest in this.

That's funny. I know a huge Zips supporter and booster who's daughter decided to go to Ken+, as much as he tried to talk her out of it. So, it could be worse.

Other than not accounting for the fact that rebounding numbers can possibly be about "right place at right time" more than anything else, when you are seeing a really good number of rebounds per minute played, in such a small sampling of minutes, I would agree with you on most of this. And if you read the remainder of my post, I was definitely counting Aaron as one of the guys who I feel can be counted on to be a contributor this season. So, we're likely on the same page as far as how we feel about what we saw. But, I don't think that seeing one performance where he would have projected out to about 15 rebounds per 40 minutes of play is realistic. But that would sure be nice However, if the coaches thought this was his true capability, he'd probably be immediately inserted into the starting lineup. So, keep an eye on that. The actions of the coaches is usually your best indication of the expected performances of players.

I wonder how the recent news that families of athletes going to the Final 4 or Football Playoff will get thousands of dollars for travel, hotels, and other expenses impacts this discussion? To me, it's just another glaring example that Akron spends very little on athletics. And winning the EM Cup a few years ago is quite an accomplishment, and it's also proof that Akron manages their athletics well, and still wins and provides pride for its students and alums, despite the limited budget. I'm not sure if this discussion belongs here, but with approval from the NCAA to give player's families MONEY, we're venturing in to new territory. Imagine recruits feeling as if they have a pretty good chance of getting their loved ones a FREE VACATION at some point during their career if they choose the top contending schools in either sport? The un-level playing field in D-1 athletics just got a lot more un-level today.

I wasn't aware that Charles Barkley has been attending our games.

Right idea, but it was quite a bit more significant than that. It was inside and out, at both ends of the floor. How often can we say that we were just far more athletically gifted than a team we played? Last night's matchup was clearly one of those times.

The caution here with college basketball players is not to get too excited our down about one or two performances. But to Dave's point......I think I might be able to go out on a limb here and say that this might be the deepest "contributing" team that Keith has ever had here.

I just think it's sick that only 2,700 people showed up to honor these guys, and certainly most of them were there for the basketball. Sad. These guys are responsible for being the first sport in history to put the Akron Zips on any kind of national stage.

The Walkman Guy is not me. If that's what you were thinking...LOL. But, I guess we have to wonder if he is lurking on here somewhere.

I think I know exactly who you guys are talking about. But let me just say this....minus the annoyance, I'll take 1,000 more people with his passion for the Zips. I sit around old people, who only stand and cheer twice a game. Once when we score our opening bucket. And again when we score in the last minute of a close game. So, if the game isn't close, they stand once per game.

You may have to also put a "knowledge" factor in there too. People will bitch or commend officials for calls, and not even be knowledgeable enough about the infraction they are actually emoting about. For instance, my wife will stand up and scream her lungs out about calls that she's 100% wrong about. I want to grab her and sit here down sometimes, but I don't want to temper her enthusiasm

Yes, I see that as another possible impact of these gatherings. If these establishments see US, they might start to display more Zips items, and people in the community will see that, and it could really help our cause. Honestly, right now, I can only think of Johnny J's in the Valley, and BW3 on Exchange as the only two places I go to in Akron that display a significant amount of Zips items in their establishment. That's really pathetic.

Yes. I was watching a Xavier game one night, and I was shocked. But, he's still an odd looking dude. I guess you can't transform that.

I also don't want to forget to mention something I saw from Noah last night. I saw him drive into the paint and make an INTERIOR pass for a bucket. I've been waiting for that. He hadn't appeared to be keeping his vision when he got close to the basket. I'm sure the coaches had noticed. He only needs to do that 2-3 times a game, and it would help us tremendously. AND...it will help him create more space to make some of his own shots in there, rather than the forced, un-makeable scoop shots or extended 5 ft. layups that I had seen so often up to this point. Just that one moment was a really good sign for me.

You are absolutely on the same page as me in regards to wanting to maximize our impact locally. I just question whether a campus location does that. But you are the 2nd person (with LZip) who has mentioned the old Pints. And if they support the Zips, lets go and support them. BW3 has always displayed a lot of Zips stuff also. These Exchange locations may actually be the best way to put on a display for student-aged fans. I also like Blue and Gold's idea to hit downtown. Now, I wonder just how many opportunities we have to do this. How many road TV games do we have? I've heard in the past that setting up the internet feeds into most bar's tv systems can be a chore. I've been told that's why the Valley location doesn't do it. Just glancing at the on-line schedule, this Friday's game against Toledo, since it's on ESPNU, might be the only obvious one that a bar would carry.

Another things that really sticks out at me.... We played GREAT defense tonight....AND scored 70 points. I've been feeling like that 70+ number is really good for us, when examining our offensive potential over the last month or so. We are probably capable of winning 3/4 of our MAC games if we can follow this formula every game from there on out. Just get to 70 and play defense !!

I've been to several watch parties in the valley, and have had fun. But, I agree that driving to the valley during the winter really blows!! I wouldn't necessarily think an Exchange location is a bad idea, but it seems as if it might be rather predictable that Zips fans might be there. Although, that might also be our chance to reach the student population that we desperately need to make Akron games their first priority for college sports. But...I think the optimal locations in Akron would be the renowned sports bars where lots of people go, but would likely never attract a crowd for Zips games.

I really think the idea of gathering in different bars around town to watch games is a perfect opportunity to "interact" with the community. It would start sending a message to LOCAL people that we are out here, and that they could have a lot of fun going out publicly and enjoy a gathering of people watching a Zips game. I'm rather surprised that only a few people have indicated that they might be interested in doing something like that.

We didn't only have an advantage in the paint without Wittington in the lineup, we DOMINATED in the paint. It says in the box score that we had 6 blocks. It felt like we had 15 of them. And if it wasn't for the horrible officiating, we would have had at least 10. This was the story of the game. WMU insisted on attacking the paint from the perimeter without the most athletically gifted guys. It was so predictable, nearly every time, that they were going to get stuffed at the basket. Toledo will be a much, much bigger test.