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If it's not Chase's fault, I feel badly for him. The broadcasters just kept saying, "Chase didn't get off the field", which made it look like HE made a bonehead play. And then he ends up getting another 10 minutes of publicity out of the deal, but not the kind of publicity you want. For his sake, I was so happy that the Pats didn't capitalize on the mistake.

Good point GoZips88....these games do serve as a way for us to get a good, quality opponent from another conference to play us at home.

Bleacher Bum...you hit on an excellent point. Even though we are even with Can't in the standings, they have an edge on us right now in that they have already played Western, and already played their road game at OU. So, needless to say, this game at Western is necessary for us to keep pace. But, after the way we played at Central last weekend, I'm not liking our chances against a team that is better than Central, on the road. I'm glad someone finally brought up our slow starts over the last few games. I'm not the coach of this team, but certainly feel like we should play our regulars early, build a lead, and then substitute the 2nd team guys. Instead, we seem to be playing some newer guys early, and then substituting in the regulars to mount a comeback. It's created a couple of close calls, and I don't want to see that again.

Ok..I'll chime in....This team could not win without Jeremiah. Just his presence alone changes the way teams play defense against us. Without him in the low post, our perimeter guys would struggle to get off shots every night.

Jason Taylor definitely stole the show as far as Zips players appearing tonight.Unfortunately, Chase almost became the goat in this game. And because the Pats were not scoring, Dominik only got his hands on the ball a couple of times, and was not able to do anything. You always hope that another Zip steps on the big stage and does what Dwight Smith did a few years ago. But hey, at least they are wearing Super Bowl rings. And Dominik's comeback story this year is a great story. You won't see a ceremony to honor their super bowl rings at an Akron game. If anything, we probably would have acknowledged Jason's Defensive MVP award, and that never happened. Having a school retire your jersey is probably the only customary recognition you get from your college after you are gone.

Nice find! But I am sure that it's a little small for where we want to be as a program over the next 20-30 years. Believe me, serious consideration of building a new basketball arena is probably not going to happen for some time. Replacing the Rubber Bowl was an entirely different issue, with more pressing factors invovled. And the idea of the city building an arena on their own dime, for us to use, is not a likely scenario in my opinion. Plus...think about this....Lets say we really start to grow this basketball program, and we start to fill the JAR again. Isn't that a much better set of circumstances under which to build a new basketball arena? When the NEED is actually the issue? And the community and corporate support would likely be at a high level?THAT is the circumstances under which a new arena, with everything we want in it, would most likely occur.

I don't know if Can't was going to get an at-large, but they were certainly putting themselves in pretty good position for consideration. I think they had a #37 RPI going into this game.

Nothing like a little help from your friends....Much like I thought we had bad luck by getting Western Michigan on the road, while Can't State got them at home...it looks like playing Toledo at home while Can't played them on the road was a little bit of good luck in our favor....for a change.This makes our road game at Western Michigan HUGE !!!!!!!!! If we can pull off that win, we can once again put ourselves in position to have the Can't home game in March decide the MAC East title. Thank You Rockets.

Unfortunately, Nick's been called on to penetrate to try to create plays, as the point guard. This has taken it's toll on him. Good thing he's a tough kid, and a competitor.This makes me think......if Steward had not had the hip injury, could we have spared the pounding on Dials, and been a much better team right now?It's scary to think that the league has figured out, especially after the Can't and CMU games, that picking up Akron ball handlers in the backcourt is really putting a damper on our ability to get things going offensively.

Zippy 5...good point. I notice that a lot.As a fan, I watch the ball when I am at Akron games. So I don't tend to watch a lot of low post positioning. But, what I do notice sometimes is that teams have a 2nd guy sagging into the paint to cut off the passing lane, which forces him to come out to take passes. Again, this is a situation where another low post presence would be so valuable. Just one more big, strong body to help cut off defenders as J. Wood goes back and forth across the paint would help. Even if it was someone who was not a great basketball player.

bigzipguy....EXCELLENT!!This will NOT be a championship team with only one guy carrying the load in the low post. A 2nd man HAS to emerge within the next several games. I think C. Mc is the only guy with the ability to do it at both ends. This is the guy to keep our eyes on. If he does not emerge....SOON...we have a real uphill battle.Here's the proof. With Romeo's presence, alone, Jeremiah was probably the MAC tournament MVP last year (if only we had won). This year?....He's in fantastic shape, and looks like he has every reason to have a monster year. But, he's wearing down. Not because he lacks ability, but because there is nobody else for our opponent to be concerned about on the other low block. Let me add...this is why I am so concerned about where we will turn for anyone who can make a contribution in the low post next year. Was it a mistake to redshirt Bardo and Sweich for one year each? Maybe so. We certainly could have used Bardo, with one year of experience under his belt, right about now. But, he just looks like he's not going to be ready to contribute at the level we need for some time yet.

Let me give you my take, from someone who has coached, and been around coaches for a long, long, time. One of two things happens in these situations...1) Upon his return, the other players look at him as someone who is not as committed as they are, and tend to distance themselves from him, both on and off the court. 2) They rally around him and become his support group for his "problems", believe that it will never happen again (even if it has), and simply forget about the disruption it caused for the team.My guess is, with a MAC title on the line, they will take option #2. Of course, I hope the continuity of their team suffers because of it. And besides that, I think that the coach should be taking much harsher action against someone who has been a problem repeatedly. I don't believe that KD would have someone like this on his team, but maybe the school to the East of us runs their program on a lower standard.

Yep, I guess the "it's the only thing there is to do around here" theory has a positive impact on their attendance numbers.

Here's the real puzzling aspect of all of this....OU has the highest attendance average, yet they probably reside in the most poorly populated area of any MAC school, and are the furthest distance from any decent size city.On the other hand, we have SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND people within a short drive of Rhodes Arena. Ok..I've been shaking my head about this for decades. I probably should give it a rest.

Not surprised, but dissappointed. This is just what I predicted. Dru and Romeo got some locals interested in Akron basketball that had probably never come to Akron games previously. And now they have probably gone away again. But remember, the Can't State game at the end of the season will probably boost that average a bit, as long as we don't have any meager crowds in between now and then. What's really sad about this 3,000 average is that the no-shows in the lower sections count as attendance, because they have paid for their seats. And I believe "tickets sold" counts as attendance, just like in football. So, in reality, the actual attendance is even lower than this. Also, if I remember correctly, students count as "paid attendance" also, because sporting events are said to be included as part of their fees. At least, that is the way I think it was counted back in my time.

I'm only a little puzzled about starting Roberts and B. McKnight tonight. We really struggled to pick up people defensively during the first part of that game. B McKnight looked a little confused out there, and Roberts was getting beat off the dribble. My guess is, KD was probably letting his entire team know that if they are playing poorly (i.e. the last 2 games) that he is not afraid to make changes. But, we clearly were not playing well, or communicating defensively. It almost got us into a really deep hole. I'm just hopeful that the disasterous beginning was just due to a little bit of inexperience, and some guys on the floor who normally don't play together for extended stretches.

Hmmm. I'll be surprised if Roberts starts. That puts two freshman guards in the game together. If the injuries/sickenesses are for real, 'm guessing that McNees replaces Cedrick, C. McKnight replaces Wood, and Quade replaces Conyers. Then you have Dials and Linhart. But, I'm still guessing that Wood will start, and just play limited minutes.

Wow...maybe 3 guys will be out, or see limited duty. Look for Dials and Linhart to take a lot of shots tonight. I sure hope Toledo doesn't come to play tonight. This might be the best opportunity that a couple of these guys (C. McKnight and Bardo) will get at logging significant minutes in the frontcourt for the remainder of the season. Should be interesting to see if someone from the Freshman and Sophomore classes wants to start stepping up their game.

And let's hope that the home crowds will not diminish in size after the results of the last two game. You know how quickly people can jump off the bandwagon when it appears that a team might not be as good as they once thought. And it's going to be a bitter cold night.

I just heard about Jeremiah possibly not playing much tonight. As long as we still win the game, I hope this is a great opportunity for Bardo to gain some experience.In case you guys haven't heard, Cedrick is likely out tonight. He's certainly looked ineffective at times this year. I guess the knees are really starting to take their toll. I'm sure he's been trying to overlook it. It has to be really disappointing for him, knowing he would have been a big part of this team this year. And, after what happened in the MAC championship game last year. I feel really bad for him. He's a good kid.

ZipsGPA...I think it's pretty wishful thinking, except in a blowout situation, that you will see a guy like Bardo get increased playing time, just to give him more experience.Unfortunately, we are already at that time of the season where wins become so valuable, and starters begin playing more significant minutes.Yep, I know he needs to develop. But, we also need to win games right now.

I tend to forget how much fun it was to go to some of these "close but no cigar" contests.However, when I look at win over Toledo on Darren Alcorn's 56 yard field goal in 1992, the miracle win over Marshall during Charlie's senior year, the MAC championship win on the throw from Getsy to Hixon, and the last second dive by Kennedy to win the road game at South Carolina, I just can't find comparisons.

Yep, I am not too dissappointed considering we dropped 2 in a row, and one of them was to an inferior opponent. What really surprises me is that MAC play is so favorable to the home team, considering the meager amount of fan support. But then again, there are other factors, such as the familiarity with the court, the backdrops, etc. Bleacher Bum...Unfortunately, Can't State appears to be making a strong case for an at-large bid with their #36 RPI. And as much as I hate to say this because it's Can't, considering their success this decade, I think it's time for us to consider following their formula.

It would be a pleasant surprise if next year's team is as good as this year's team.Does anyone really believe that the incoming freshman will fill the shoes of Wood, Dials, Cedrick, and Quade? However, I still think that they can be a decent time. But it all depends on the post player development of Sweich, C. McKnight, and Bardo. GP1...winning 20 games a years is great. I agree. But next year's team will have a difficult time reaching that level.Without a doubt, it will be a rebuilding year.

This brings back fond memories of the Owens era.If you notice at the top of the article, one of their running backs, and one of their receivers combined for almost 500 yards of offense. JUST THE TWO OF THEM. I can only imagine what Wisconsin amased as a team that day.Ahhh..the memories.