LoyalZIP

Terrible performance in the 4th quarter. The lack of depth was evident, as BG ran the Zips into the ground defensively all day. A silly timeout called by Camp early in the 2nd half left Melissa with no choice other than to keep riding it out even with the team so gassed. Not good. But not the end of the world.

I would say so. A head coach that came directly from the G-league and that has a rocky college basketball record at best isn’t helping the matter. It’s a traveling circus.

Disregard the comment on the tweet. But here is one of the episodes Bates had last night. His dad came down to the bench multiple times. I’d like to see the young man step away from this mess and go play overseas or just work with a trainer for a bit. This is hurting him big time.

Miller has been hurt for some time now, no idea on the timetable for a return. With that said, I think Barbee is a pretty good coach, and Mt. P is always a dreaded bus ride. Bad things could happen. But the Zips have looked much better since MAC play began, that’s for sure.

I’m saving my trip the EMU message board for a nice morning read with my pre-Zip WBB cup of coffee. Can’t wait. Heath is pathetic. They may beat the Zips in a month for all I know, but the fact that this team is 4-whatever in the middle of January is crazy. The Zips did get some calls tonight, but certainly not enough to warrant the blowup. They play lazy-ass defense and foul. That’s all that happened there. Honestly, if I’m the AD, I’m saying either Bates drops out to play overseas, or Heath is out. I can’t even imagine going into next week with those 2 in the program at the same time. The sample is big enough to see this is a colossal failure, one of the biggest in the history of the league.

That was stunning. Amani Lyles could have had 20 points if he hadn’t missed a few open ones. He fouled out in like 20 minutes! Heath sucks. They play like an NBA team with low major talent. Bates may fill it up against us in a month, but he didn’t want to play tonight. Nobody did for them. Worst effort I’ve seen from a D1 team at the JAR in a loooong time. I’m gonna head home and crack a beer, cheers to a rare easy one. Go Zips!

Clarke may be giving it a go. Any depth helps, IMO.

The Rowdies still have a long way to go until they’re as good as the group from 10-15 years ago. The numbers are getting better, but still an awful lot of them have no idea how to cheer or socialize. They should have a cheat-sheet of every visiting roster’s girlfriends, past crimes, past schools, etc.

Awesome. Coach Jackson is fighting for an extension, and I’m really pulling for her. She’s getting a lot out of this group, and a win tomorrow would be huge. Hopefully Zip Nation shows up a bit, they’ve earned it.

Good for him. Still stealing money. Even if it isn't a $2,000 MAC game check.

My last note on that amazing game…one of the best pics I’ve ever seen of a moment for Akron

Indeed a slow, rainy day. But man, what a comeback and a win that day. Groce was very clear with Frenchy after the game—we did not deserve to win that game. Hard to disagree. That game came on the heels of the week of the home loss to Buffalo (made it a 2-game home losing streak), and loss at Kent (should’ve won, X was in the thick of his break-up and his head was out of it). Then we had the weird “bye” week so our only game that week was against EMU, a team we blew the brakes off of in Ypsi. It was a defining moment for that team.

A rising star in college football gets a big promotion https://bit.ly/3IJTo60 For a guy like JoeMo whose true love is coaching offense, this speaks volumes to me.

Thank you for the correction. I thought I saw a graphic earlier in the broadcast showing BG was undefeated, but I was wrong. That Kent meltdown was an awful lot of fun to watch!

3-0!!! Gritty, but the talent came through at the end. Zips host BG on Saturday afternoon in a battle of unbeatens.

The Zips play some ugly basketball. They hardly ever foul, but they create turnovers and turn the ball over a ton themselves.

I wish Spottsville was still there. What a bad team. They nearly escaped the JAR with a win last year too. This being on national TV concerns me. Bates only likes to show up for a big audience, and he’ll have that Friday. The should’ve beaten Michigan, and gave South Carolina a decent game.

Yup. The official was Buddy Mayborg. He is now retired (pretty sure), but after that game, he didn't get Akron many more times. The Zips put in a strong effort at Buffalo that night, but let it slip away late. He was fed up with it all, and had to let it out. I asked Marquelle McIntyre about it the next day. He said coach just turned to the assistants and asked if he should do it, they assured him yes, and the rest is history. Groce has won 2 titles at Akron since that moment.

As for last night, it would have been a perfect time for this team, who we can all agree has left a bit to be desired, to fold up and say "we'll be fine, we'll beat EMU Friday and be fine." They had two separate 9-point deficits in the first half, and a pair of 6-point deficits in the second half. It felt a bit like that Nevada game at times. Yeah, the Zips could have played better, but it was just the opponent's day to win. 13 won it for the Zips, though, with a good supporting "Cast". We missed his maturity and composure at Ball State in a big way. BG doesn't have a guy like that, if they did, the result may have been different. Great team defense in the final 2 minutes. Freeman getting to the line and making his first nine was equally as important. 9-10! After yet another rough start for him, he removed his head from you know where and began making smart post moves. It's like sometimes he forgets that schools have 3 years of tape on him now, and he just tries the first thing that pops in his head and fires up the layup or hook shot no matter how open he is or where he is. You can tell that Hankerson, though a great player, is not used to being on a winning team or in a winning culture. It's not his fault, he spent 4 years in basketball hell. But there are times where he takes plays or moments off, especially on defense, that lead to easy buckets. He's shooting it pretty well, but was a little trigger happy last night. Groce must have lit into Kobe as well for Friday, as he came out swinging at both ends. He's an underrated defender. Tavari was okay. I would say the limited minutes were more a result of Sammy coming to life. TJ hit his first one and did little else. At BSU, he was a liability. I don't feel that way about last night. And as for Sammy...welcome to Akron basketball! Please for the love of all that is holy do not let that be a flash in the pan. Continue to be aggressive at both ends, but smart. He made BG take a lot of tough shots last night, and credit to them for hitting a lot of them. 4-6 from 3, a perfect 3-3 from 2, and a perfect 1-1 at the foul line. A steal, a block, a pair of rebounds. The Zips won't lose much when he can contribute like that. Go Zips!!

Harney won with a floater in the dying seconds in Akron's first ever trip to the Stroh Center, I believe a game after BG beat Groce's Sweet 16 Bobcats in the same building. Kent Roosevelt's Cameron Black tried to draw a charge (could have been called) but Harney drained a tough shot that nobody on this current roster could hit. BJ Gladden grabbed a clutch offensive rebound and put it in, a great call by Steve French that night. There are videos somewhere on the InterGoogle of both of those moments. In 2017 amid the Dambrot collapse, he lost at BG for the first and only time on a couple late FTs, that was a 9:00pm Tuesday tip. In a close game, BG's guard drove to the basket with no plan other than to slam into Big Dog and get a foul call, and he did. In 2018, Sina Gbadebo hit I believe his only 3 of the year in the first half, and Utomi came in the clutch, and Jimond Ivey hit a late bucket to win that one. A year later, Turner won it late for the Falcons. Lots of fun ballgames in that building, usually in favor of the Zips. One of the best Akron teams ever got blown out there in 2020. Tyler Cheese fouled out and was later suspended for the game at Buffalo for nudging a ref. I thought that team was collapsing, and I remember texting my friends that night about how I was glad we had the nice run but would settle to the 2 seed. Little did anyone know, the following 3 incredible games would help that team go down as champions. Beating Buffalo, OU, and Kent consecutively to be alone at the top was so sweet, it softened the blow of not getting to see them play in a tournament, just a little bit.

Kent alone at the top. Right where we want ‘em.

Where can I buy an X jersey? Love that dude. Props to BG though, they hit big shots all night. And they have in every MAC game so far. Maybe they’re actually dangerous.

Wow. Huge win, could signal a turn in the right direction. Big shots in big moments, stops when they counted most. Road kill baby.

You know it. Freeman being perfect at the line too good to be true.

My heart. Pounding.