1981 grad

With Buffalo being ranked, this will be the Zips 5th game against a ranked opponent this year which is probably a record. There are many negatives for the Zips including never beaten a ranked team, we have only 2 players that have played at the Q, we have sucked away from home. But there are many positives. Buffalo has not blown out teams when playing away from their building. The Zips have shown that they can play with anyone and have just blown games in the last 3 minutes, they are coming off their best shooting game of the season, and their defense has been good all season. Daniel Utomi has been driving to the basket and scoring both inside and outside the last 3 games. The problem with this team all season has been making shots, especially behind the 3 point line. If they can shoot about 40% from behind the 3 point line or if Riak goes 2 for 2 behind the 3 point line this game will be very competitive. I have said this many times but LCJ seems to be the key. He needs to play well and shoot the ball well. The ball is in his hands so much, especially at the end of a close game that his play often determines the outcome of the game. I think we could win this game. Go Zips!

I thought OU would win because they have been playing well recently and killed us at home. I am lucky I do not bet these games.

The last 2 of our 3 games we shot the lights out. Where did that come from? I think the hoop gets a lot bigger when you are up by 20 late in the second half. I thought our offense was sloppy but when you shoot like that it makes no difference at all. There were a lot of whistles tonight. The went to the foul line a lot more and killed us on the offensive boards but when you are making your shots this game gets a lot easier. LCJ had another great game. He made one the best passes of the season to Utomi on a fast break. Utomi has had 3 solid games in a row. We are playing this well without Cheese leading the offense. When we can shoot over 50% from beyond the arc we are going to be tough to beat. If we shoot this well against Buffalo it will be a very interesting game. Go Zips!

I feel the same way about Groce. I love how he has brought in athletic players such as Cheese, Banks, Jackson and Roscoe. However, KD always recruited some great big men such as Big Dog, Zeke, Treadwell and numerous others. Hughs is playing great for the Dukes. Riak is a great defensive center but we miss having a dominant center on offense. I will hold off my review to see how we do in the tournament. If this team makes a run Groce will be a genius. If not, it will be another mediocre team in the MAC.

Is Daniel Utomi getting hot at the right time. The last 2 games he is shooting 16 for 30 from the field and 10 for 20 from the 3 line. I noticed that he is scoring both inside and outside. He actually scored on a fast break against Kent. We need somebody on the team to generate some offense. A go to guy. I think those players could be Daniel or Cheese. I think we need Jimond (238%) and Jackson (227%) to try to limit their 3 point shooting as they are the worst 3 point shooters on the team.

Other than the Ohio game, the Zips have played well at home. The old adage is to take one game at a time so why worry about Buffalo until we get past Miami. Utomi had a great game at Kent and maybe he is regaining his shooting touch at the right time. He scored both inside and outside against Kent. We need someone on the team to provide some offense. I still think Jackson is the key to this team's offense. When he struggles with turnovers and poor shooting this team suffers. Looking forward to the game on Monday. I will be curious if they will draw any type of crowd.

Loren Jackson went 1 for 9 from the field and 0 for 4 from beyond the arc. This seems to be his typical stat line whenever we play away. He did have some nice assist and he made all of his foul shots. He just cannot hit a 3 on the road and his shooting percentage on the road is terrible. Ivey, Cheese and Jackson combined for 1 for 15 beyond the arc. Daniel is the only one who shot the 3 ball well and kept us in the game. Why can't Jackson shoot the ball the way he did on Tuesday. For the 2nd year in a row this team only had one road win. That is pathetic! How many times in a close game do we lose because we cannot get a rebound. Banks had position on the last play and just got muscled away from the ball.

I would still rather play Miami than Ohio U at home since Ohio just kicked out butt. I still think Buffalo is beatable if we play our best basketball like we played against Bowling Green.

No he came in for a few minutes took one shot and got pulled.

No

Can we pull out one close game on the road? Just one?

A bad 3 ball from Utomi and then Banks misses a wide open 3. Our 3 point shooting or lack thereof kills us on the road every time.

Jackson took 2 three ball bricks in the first minute. He has scored a couple of free throws but has not scored from the field. He continues to disappoint on the road. Maybe he will pick it up in the second half. It was nice seeing E man with a post up move even though it did not go in. Both teams are struggling with their shooting. This is a winnable game if we can make some shots.

They just beat us by 30 and then lost to Buffalo by 3 at home after losing by 40 at Buffalo. He might have them playing their best basketball at the end of the season. If they make a run we may see more Saul Ball next year.

Shooting 40% from beyond the arc. How we miss that this year.

I can't remember what I had for lunch 2 days ago but I remember terrible Zips basketball games.

I remember that play but I thought it was in a tournament game and did not realize it was at home against N. Dakota State. We played our worst game against N. Dakota State the previous year when we loss and they only dressed 7 -8 players and beat us with mostly non scholarship players.

I felt bad for the player after they showed it on the big screen at least twice. WE may want to keep that video if we have to face them again at home. Earlier this year Cheese missed a layup when the nearest defender was at half court. But this was worse.

Thanks, so we have a home game on Monday no matter what happens on Friday.

Worst case scenario, we lose and Northern and Miami win, do we still get a home game if we are all tied at 8-10?

I was shocked by this game. Jackson was firing on all cylinders. For whatever reason Bowling Green did not clog the lane and Jackson drove to the basket and was hitting his floater. He is quick enough to beat his man but usually he runs into a traffic jam in the middle. Tonight the lane was open. WE finally were hitting our 3 points shots. Great finish for Jimond. What better way to end the game than with a dunk and a 3 pointer. Was by far the most entertaining game all year. You knew it was going to be our night when Jimond banked a 3 and Daniel had a 3 ball go in that hit the rim 5 times. E man was a beast blocking shots. He was an intimidating factor all night. Great game and a real team effort.

I wished I shared your optimism. We always indicated that players always seemed to get better under KD. Look at the stats of the 2 guys that have stayed with the team, Utomi and Ivey for the past 3 years. In 2016-2017 these guys were role players and Big Dog fed them the ball of the double team and they prospered. I think their game has suffered with the new coach and new players each year. I think Daniel is really having an off year. He is very hesitant when he is backs down into the lane and his 3 points shooting has been off. Ivey is struggling with his 3 point shooting. Ivey is a great player and I hope he has a great senior night. 2016-2017 FG% 3pt FG% Utomi 446 419 Ivey 520 337 2017-2018 Utomi 450 402 Ivey 400 339 Current Utomi 388 369 Ivey 464 258

First of all, it is nice to see that people care enough about this team to post. Akron is 17th in the country in 3 ball attempts and 322nd out of 351 on 3 point percentage. Since MAC play we have shot the 3 ball worse and would actually be 346th in country on 3 ball percentage if we just use MAC stats. Jackson 3 ball percentage in the MAC is 232, worse than the team and he is second on the team on 3 ball attempts. When he drives to the basket he struggles because he cannot finish at the basket, He can beat his man off the dribble but then runs into the center and he cannot dump a pass off to our center in most situations. I have seen Jackson make his last 3 short jumpers. (he has only taken 3 in the last 5 games) He can beat his man off the dribble, step back and drain a 15 footer. He just does not attempt that shot. If Jackson or Cheese were not hustling, then put in Walters. When our offense is struggling, to put in a guy who has no offense, that shows me the coach is just frustrated. Groce stated that he had a great 3 point shooting team early in the season. He obviously did not know this team. With KD we had dominating big men, great shooters but defensive breakdowns. With Groce we have athletic players with poor shooting and defensive minded centers. Still hoping that we can find our shot in the last few games.

I watched a replay of the game on Saturday and looked to see if there was no effort from the players. I did not see a lack of effort although we did lose our share of 50/50 balls. What I saw was total frustration with an offense that cannot put the ball in the basket. We could not shoot the 3 ball. We missed our share of layups. When we drove to the basket and tried to pass the ball our centers they could not hold onto the ball, we could not finish at the hoop, or we turned the ball over. Watching Ivey, Riak, UTomi and Jackson shoot the 3 ball was painful. These shots were not even close. I watched Ivey warm up at before the 2nd the half and he missed his last four 3 ball attempts. Within the first 30 seconds of the 2nd half he took an open 3 and does not even draw rim. I saw Ivey back down his man and then pass to Utomi for an open 3, clank. This teams offense is built around its weakness, shooting the 3 ball. Daniel is supposed to be our scorer, that did not happen. Ivey cannot hit a 3 point shot. Jackson cannot regularly finish at the basket or hit a 3 pointer. Cheese and Banks had problems finishing around the basket. And our centers are offensively challenged and cannot create their own shots. Not a recipe for success. As poorly as Jackson played, Walters has no offense. Adding him to the mix adds nothing to putting the ball in the basket. THis offense has had problems clicking all MAC season but has been bailed out by the defense. Ohio got hot from the 3 line and just ran us off the court and did a great job of reversing the ball to the weak side off of our double team. I think other coaches realize the best way to defend Akron is to pack in the middle and let them beat you from the outside. I love the athleticism that Groce has brought to this team. However, the shooting has been inconsistent all season. I still do not know why Groce will not introduce the 15 foot jumper into the offense. He is the coach and when your team cannot shoot the long ball you need to get them to shoot the short ball. This team needs to shoot the ball better tonight. Go Zips!

I noticed that LCJ was the first one off the bench cheering on his teammates after he was taken out on Saturday. I think he has the right attitude. He has a poor percentage shooting the 3. He has a quick first step but has had difficulty finishing among the trees near the basket. He has been making his short jumpers but forever reason does not want to take that shot. When he plays poorly this team looks really bad. I like Cheese playing point.