1981 grad

I watched the Kent UCLA game and Kent played very well and was with 6 with about 10 minutes left in the second half. Kent had numerous offensive rebounds and forced UCLA to double Hall. UCLA then went through a stretch late in the 2nd half where they made 10 or 12 straight shots to build up a 20 point lead. Kent played great basketball during the tournament and peaked at the right time. The final score did not reflect the true nature of the game. (like our game with Gonzaga). I may not be in the majority but I was routing for Kent to be competitive because it reflects on our conference. We will never get a second bid for our conference as long as we are always one and done when we get to the conference tournament.

Middle Tennessee was a great series and we should do everything to bring them back. They also brought some fans with them.

During the second half of last nights game, the announcer indicated that Kwan was a non factor in the 2nd half and that KD should run a play for him to get him involved in the offense. I believe this was a great point. Kwan seems to get down on himself when he misses a shot a then disappears. He needs to revert back to mid season form taking the ball inside and going strong to the hoop instead of fading away from the hoop. He had a key rebound last night in the second half and rebounded well. We need a strong game from him on Monday to win.

I think it did. I don't know if there is a stat but it seems that because of our poor foul shooting that we miss the first shot on the one on one and it turns into a wasted possession at the end of the game. Great rule for us!

Correct me if I am wrong, but a home game is still possible since Bakersfield won. If Bakersfield wins as an 8 seed and we win as a 7 seed then we get a home game. Now that would be nice! A home game to get to Madison Square Garden.

Great victory for the Zips. Amazing how a win like that erases the sting from Saturday. I thought the Zips won the game and Houston did not give it away. Tough defense on the last few possessions.

Let's pull out a close one like we have been doing all season.

We need to get out of the paint when Big Dog has the ball. There is no reason for anyone to be near Big Dog when he has the ball down low. Their center cannot handle Big Dog one on one. Force them to double team him We took some long 3 balls but made a few. Our guards are getting killed on the dribble drive but that has been going on all year. Would like to see more Poke so that Big Dog is not exhausted at the end of the game. Good first half by both teams. Can anyone estimate the crowd. The arena is so big is tough to guess. I am thinking 3,000. We would have a bigger crowd at the Jar.

When Big Dog has the ball down low just get out of the paint. Our spacing is just not that good when he has the ball. In the next possession they did better. There is nothing their center can do against Big Dog. Good first half. We took some long three balls but we also made some. Our guards just cannot defend the dribble penetration but that has been a problem all year.

I went to that game and my thought was the only one that looked like he belonged on the court was Tree. Everyone else looked slow compared to the athletes on VCU. Harney was our point guard and he could not handle the ball against continuous pressure. The only good thing about that day was watching Michigan play and I believe they made a run to the finals that year.

Kwan had a great season. I started this thread because I never thought he would achieve the success that he had and deserved a shout out for how well he was playing every game. He is one of the main reasons we were so successful this season. Unfortunately, his offensive game became more inconsistent about three quarters through the season. In the semifinal he went 3 for 4 from the 3 line and scored 11 points in limited minutes because of foul problems. However, in the final he and Antino had poor shooting nights and there is little chance of us winning when those 2 are not shooting well. However, the talent is there so there is still a chance to reach 1000 points. No matter if we win or lose, would love to see Kwan have a great game tonight. Go Zips!!

The closest team to Akron was Indiana, a 6th seed. There facility is being renovated and although they are seeded higher they are on the road. It would have been nice to have had Indiana come to the Jar.

At Buffalo and at Kent. Did not think they would win either game. I am not predicting that they will win but I think they could play a competitive game against anyone in the NIT. I am hoping they draw a Wed. game so they get the extra day rest.

When Akron lost on a last second bank shot years ago, everyone was upset that we did not get an NIT invitation and the NCAA changed the rule so that conference champions received an NIT bid. Now that we are in the NIT, all I have heard is negativity regarding this tournament. On the post game show, the announcers indicated nobody wanted to play in the NIT, and the asst coach on the post game did not seem thrilled about the NIT. I understand that the interview was right after our loss but it is the 2nd best tournament. It would be great if we could make a post season run in the NIT. We will be playing a high level team and if we win we could get another home game. We loss our bid to the NCAA and we need to get over it and show the country that we have a good basketball program. I remember last year how poorly the team played against Ohio State and I hope that we will not have a repeat of that game. Lets forget the past and make something happen in the future. Go Zips!!

It feels like I in the movie Groundhog Day. I keep waking up and there is a repeat of the MAC championship game. Great Akron crowd, poor Akron performance. I feel bad for Kd and the players. Nobody on the team wanted this ending. I thought Kent played a great second half in the Ohio game and they did the same thing tonight. Their execution in the second half was nearly flawless. Walker had a great game. I thought our team did well penetrating to the basket and getting some easy shots. However, we could not shoot the 3 ball when it counted. We could not get stops when we needed them. We could not shoot foul shots. Kd indicated that this was one of his best offensive teams. Not sure what happened to that great offensive team. Sure did not look great offensively tonight. We needed somebody to get hot from the 3 line and it did not happen when the game was on the line. I would still like a home NIT game but doubt it will happen. Maybe the team can make a run in the NIT and give our younger players some experience playing top competition.

Hall is an athletic kid. I hope that you are right but I do not see him wearing down. We will see tonight. Go Zips!!

The formula is not fair. For basketball MAC tournament, the basketball season ticket holders should be given more priority. We are the ones who supported the team the whole year by showing up. Why should a football season ticket holder who never goes to a b ball game be given priority over a season ticket holder who supports the team the entire year. The formula should give added points for each year a basketball season ticket holder has bought season tickets, especially those who sit in the lower bowl. It is a disgrace for the U to have somebody who supports the team sit, buys lower bowl season tickets, and then sit them in the corner section of the Q so wealthy people who never attend games can get better seats.

This is going to be a tough game that will probably go down to the wire like almost all of our games. Stayed for the Kent-Ohio game and you have to be impressed with how Kent came back in the second half. In the first half they were shooting around 30% and 20% on the three ball. By the end of the game they were shooting around 40%. They are very athletic, quick, and played well down the stretch. I was very impressed with Hall. He played a lot of minutes, played really hard and scored most of his points in the second half. If Kent shoots the ball well, they will be tough. One of the keys to the game is how well we shoot the 3 ball. If we can shoot the 3 ball above 40% there is a great chance we win the tournament. Last night we played very smart basketball and did not force up any 3 balls and only shot 21 3 ball shots. Noah has done a great job of getting good shots and taking short jumpers instead of just shooting the 3. We shot over 50% from the field. I am hoping that Kwan can explode tonight for a great game and stay out of foul trouble. Hopefully, we can start hot like we did yesterday and force Kent to play catch up the entire night. Like to see Big Dog and Kwan leave as winners tonight for all their hard work the past 4 years. Go Zips!!

That is rediculous!! Travel Zoo worked very well and I had front row seats by the Akron Bench for Thursday's game and center court last night on the Akron side. Never would have had those seats going through the U. I could have had the same seats tonight if I had bought them before Akron won. I did best seats immediately after the Akron Ball STate game and got lower level but on the Kent side. A little disappointed but no big deal since went to the Kent game and sat on the Kent side on the chairbacks. They should seat lower bowl season ticket holders in the lower level compreble to our season tickets!!!!

Great game. Antino and Big Dog had big games. Noah once again played a smart game and had some nice takes to the basket. Did not force up any three pointers and drew an offensive foul. I was surprised to see Dunn Martin come in with less than 5 minutes left in the game and Noah got some rest. I wondered if KD wants to make sure that Noah is fresh for the finals. Big Dog played 37 minutes again. He is definitely the go to guy when we needed a basket. This team is doing a great job getting turnovers. Much more aggressive on defense than during the season. There must have been at least 10 offensive fouls called during the game. Not sure if I have seen that called in one game during the season. Looking forward to seeing Big Dog versus Hall tomorrow night. Hall had a great game for Kent and Big Dog is leading the way for Akron. Big matchup and big game. Go Zips!!!

Really looking forward to the game today. I have been so impressed with Noah's play the last few games. He has been taking the ball to the hoop, not forcing up the three point shots, and running the offense. Josh was also impressive yesterday. If we get good guard play we are a difficult team to beat. One of the keys to the game is getting off to a good start. We started slow yesterday missing easy shots. We need to start well and not fall behind again. Run the offense through Big Dog and not take quick threes in transition. Josh hit a great three after a steal but it seems like when we rush a three and miss we lose our balance with our offense. Would love to see KD use his bench. Do not want to see Big Dog play another 37 minutes. Give Poke a chance. He played only 3 minutes yesterday and had 2 blocks. Need Antino to have a better shooting game and drive to the basket. I think he had a poor offensive game because of the zone. Expect him in double figures today. Go Zips!!

I watched some of the game and it was ugly. There was around 60 foul shots for both teams. Neither team shot the ball well and it was drive to the basket and get fouled almost every possession. Four or five players fouled out.

I think one of the keys to winning the MAC tournament are the seniors, Big Dog and Kwan. This is their senior year and they have never made it to the NCAA tournament. This year we have the talent to get there but does this team have the heart. I still remember the big game that Zeke had to get to the NCAA tournament in the win over Kent. I hope that they look at that video to see how much effort and desire it takes to win the tournament. If both these guys have great tournaments, I like our chance of winning it all. During the winning streak they were at the top of their game. I think the supporting case is good enough to win as long as the senior leaders get the job done. Looking forward to Thursday. Go Zips!!

We beat Eastern Michigan 70-63 at the Jar in our only meeting. Big Dog had a big game with 21 points. We had balenced scoring from our starters except for Kwan who had a rough night going 2 for 11. (I believe that is the first game that Kwan struggled all year) Hopefully, we can have a repeat of our intensity that we displayed at Kent. I really like how Noah and Jimond played at Kent and believe that we need him to continue this type of scoring and aggressive play at the Q. KD has indicated that we have not seen Akron play their best game of basketball. Well, now would be the time. Lets start the tournament with a big win. Go Zips!!!

Hey, I just want to thank everyone who made this award possible, my mom, my wife, my sister, my first grade teacher, my second grade teacher, my aunt Clara, my Uncle George, my first basketball coach, my second basketball coach, Joe Lunardi who took me under his wing, *************************************