1981 grad

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.

WE need to win 1 of the last 2 to get a home game. Based on what happened today not looking real good.

The Zips thought they could show up and win this one without any effort. They were wrong. A 30 point blowout at home. Didn't someone on this board indicate that GRoce's teams play their best at the end of the season? I did not like Groce's decision to double team the ball when Jackson's man backed him down in the paint. They passed out of the double team and it led to numerous open looks and points for Ohio. Their length bothered us. WE would drive the lane and stop and then look to pass. Many of the passes were to E man or Riak who dropped the ball or could not finish at the hoop. So tired of watching Riak go away from the hoop instead of finishing strong. After the game was decided Groce had them feed Riak who finished as the leading scorer. This loss was a team effort. Makes you wonder about how Groce did not have this team prepared to play. Walters hustle but does not have division one skills. I would have let Jackson in the game to learn from his mistakes. He needs to learn to make a short jumper instead of 3 ball after 3 ball. Not sure what to expect Tuesday but cannot be worse than today.

Akron has been playing well even when they have been losing on the road and despite the fact that Ivey has had difficulty putting the ball in the basket. We beat them badly on the road, our only road win. We have been playing well at home and our only home loss was to Buffalo. This looks like a route on paper but this is the MAC where anything can happen. I would love to see the Zips play a great game with a high shooting percentage and a high assist rate to turnover ratio. We are getting close to the tournament and need Ivey to get out of his shooting slump and start making some shots and limit the turnovers. Would like to see Jackson shoot more short jumpers than 3 point attempts and more assists than turnovers. I believe that Jackson is a key player. Cheese has outperformed everyone on the team and we can get other players to step up their game anything can happen at tournament time. I watched part of the Buffalo game last night and noticed how much they rely on their 3 points shooting. If they are cold from the outside they are beatable. You just have to keep them off the offensive boards.

I stated before the game began that we needed Jackson to have a good game. He made one 3 pointer late in the second half and a short jumper. If I can remember his 2 made baskets that is not good. He had 2 assists to 5 turnovers. Against good teams on the road he struggles. We shot 14% from the 3 line in the second half. This is the 3rd game in a row that Ivey has stuggled offensively. Poke has yet to make a foul shot in MAC play. We have seen this show before. When will we have a good second half on the road in MAC play. I think it will come against Kent.

The second half on the road is our achilles heel. Good effort by the team. We are playing much better than everyone else. With this type of effort I am optimistic that we can win our last 3.

Utomi hesitating!!!! Take the ball up!!!! Ivey got hit on the drive. No foul. They need somebody to step up and hit a basket.

Jackson makes his first basket on a short jumper. He then misses his next 2 shots, both behind the arc. He needs to step away from the 3 ball and take the short jumpers. He needs to learn what are his strengths. Cheese looks like he is for real. The scorer we have needed all season!

We are shooting over 54% from the 3 ball with Cheese going 4 of 4. We are shooting over 42% from the field. Even with this great shooting we are only up by a point. Great first half but there is no way we can keep this up unless Cheese can keep it on or somebody else gets hot. We need to step up our defense in the second half and close out a close game. Really like our offense and good to see Riak scoring some points.

The Zips are picking up where they left off on Saturday, making some shots. Can they continue this shooting the entire game?

Jackson is dribbling and trying to do too much. He should not be dribbling 15 seconds into the shot clock. The replay on the travelling call showed that he did not travel. Utomi needs to do more than shoot the 3 ball. He is cold. Give the ball up.

I think the Zips can play with anyone in the league based on their defense. Can they put together a good shooting night on the road? Can they pull out a victory in a close game on the road? I looked at the Miami game and the Zips shot over 40% from both the field and from beyond the arc. The Zips won even though Ivey had a difficult shooting night and had 6 turnovers. There is a margin for error if the Zips shoot the ball well. I think the key is going to the hot hand. If Tyler Cheese can duplicate his effort against Miami then the "teamism" needs to get him the ball. If Utomi can start draining the 3 ball that means get him the ball. This team must find a way to score and if that means getting the ball to the guy that is "feeling it" then pass up your long ball shot and feed it to the player that can score. I would love to see Jackson have a great road game and start on a diet of short jumpers. I noticed on Saturday that this team passed on a lot of 3 balls early in the game to get a higher percentage shot. We need to find easier shots on the road and avoid the temptation to shoot the 3. We play our best when we limit our 3 ball to the low twenties. Looking forward to a close game tonight and a possible upset. Go Zips!

If the team plays as well as they did on Saturday (big if) I still think they could get a 4 seed by winning 3 of the last 4. They would then have the tie breaker against Kent State. If they were to get to 10 wins they would have a chance. It would be nice to play Kent for the 4th seed on the last game of the season on national T.V.

Loren Jackson only took 6 shots and only 2 three pointers and we won big time. I know that he made his only short jumper. He had 4 assists to 2 turnovers. He was in some foul trouble and only played 25 minutes. He still scored 11 points and missed several foul shots or would have scored 14. If he could be more of an assist guy and not lead the team in shots every game I think it would bode well for "teamism."

WE shot 47% from the field and 44% from the 3 line. That has to be our best shooting percentage all year in the MAC. I think this team plays so much better when they shoot the 3 ball less and today they only took 25 3 ball shots. This team can play with anybody when they shoot the ball well. It seems that Riak and E Man are playing better, especially on defense. When the team is shooting well their offensive weaknesses are not as glaring. I thought Groce was going to have a stroke when we were up by 11 and we turned the ball over on a fast break. He immediately called a timeout. If we can shoot the ball this well in Buffalo we stand a chance of winning. Great to see Daniel hitting the mark on the 3 ball.

I like the Zips chances of winning 3 of their last 4 starting today. I wonder whether Roscoe can duplicate his shooting from Bowling Green. Our 3 point shooting is so bad that he currently is our best 3 point shooter after having a good outing on Tuesday. I am hoping that Jackson goes back to shooting short jump shots until he can find the range and that Utomi works inside. I think we are at our best when we shoot in the low twenties on the 3 ball unless we finally get hot from the 3 line.

World B Free had a great career in the NBA with his rainbow shots. No way would I have him change his shot. He needs to work on his inside game. He keeps hesitating when he gets in the lane. Stop hesitating and pump faking and take the ball up strong. He has many ways to score but has become too reliant on the 3 ball. I could say that for almost everyone on this team.

In hindsight, Groce should have use our trap defense with our big guys up high. That way they would not have been able to use the clock. Groce always uses the trap at the end of the half when the other team tried to hold onto the ball for the last shot. Considering that we keep losing close games, we need to be aggressive.

He took 3 steps after he picked up the ball. It was a travel but they never call it. I remember we lost a game in Kent on the same type of play where the player traveled to get to the basket. Refs are not going to call it unless it is obvious.

Utomi has been a major disappointment around the rim. He never takes the ball straight up and strong. He missed some easy shots from close in. He needs to stop faking and just take the ball up strong. Ivey and Utomi were 2 for 15 from long range.

WE have done that 3 games in a row!!!!!

I talked about inexperience pregame and it showed its ugly head on the last play. Roscoe has to defend the guy going for a layup with one second left. He is standing in the lane and watched the man make a layup. He made a step toward the guy and then backed off. Why?

No!!! Not sure taking out the rim protector was the best move. After Utomi got beat off the dribble there was nobody there.