What do you consider a successful year?

[Dr Z]

Please explain your vote or give your thoughts.

[Zip Watcher]

It's a good year already.Win 2 in Cleveland and it's a successful year, as it will likely lead to postseason play.Win Saturday night in Cleveland, and we can rightly label this the greatest Zips team of the D1 era.If this team wins the MAC this year .. the conference is the Zips b!tch for the next 3.gO'Zips

[GP1]

Win 20 games regardless of what happens in the MAC Tournament. Keeping up a pace of 20 win seasons says the team is consistently good....not great, but good. Over the long haul, good is a good place to be. Good things happen to you when you are good.

[g-mann17]

Though I am just a mediocre Zips fan, I say why settle. We technically are already successful and have a good chance of 20 wins with a ton of underclassmen. But why be the "wait until next year group" I say the MAC is wide open and we have the athletes. Real success is measured by winning championships lets start the tradition now.

[zen]

If this team wins the MAC this year .. the conference is the Zips b!tch for the next 3.

jajaja that make me lol

[skip-zip]

I have to answer this question 2 ways...1) I wasn't expecting this level of success this year, so it's already going to be a successful year for me.2) But, since we look to be one of the better teams in a weak MAC year, I now expect us to at least be competitive in the MAC tournament. Getting to the semis would be good, getting to the championship game again would be great, and winning it would be unbelievable.

[ziptrumpet87]

I have to answer this question 2 ways...1) I wasn't expecting this level of success this year, so it's already going to be a successful year for me.2) But, since we look to be one of the better teams in a weak MAC year, I now expect us to at least be competitive in the MAC tournament. Getting to the semis would be good, getting to the championship game again would be great, and winning it would be unbelievable.

I second that.

[Bleacher Bum]

I'm agreeing with Skip and Trumpet. I voted that since it's a rebuilding year, it really doesn't matter. But after watching this team this year....yes....I know it's been said here MANY times before, but the future's so bright.......

[johnnyzip84]

I voted for "any post season play" because I believe that should be our "typical" or "mean" measure of success. If we can achieve that "mean" over time, then the "good excursions" or "plus sigmas" should result in a MAC championship or two coming our way.Now, since this was thought to be a "learning" year (won't say rebuilding, because we did get advanced word that these kids were talented) I didn't have as big of expectations as I might have had the last 2 or 3 years. At the same time, the future is now as the saying goes. Marino never made it back to the Super Bowl. I sure hope this year's Zips seize the opportunity.

[Let'sGoZips94]

I voted 20+ win season no matter what we do in the MAC tourney just to throw it in Can't State's ugly faces. I came into this year with high hopes because I knew, or was hoping, the MAC would be down. After the first month or 2 of the season, I lowered my expectations and I just want another 20+ win season. By the way, I was being showed how to create my own shot better in practice and the man coaching me said, "You already don't get a lot of playing time, so why not just show your coach you can shoot? WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE?" Here's the Zips' version: "You already didn't have a whole lot of respect in the beginning so what have you got to lose?"GO FOR THE NCAA TOURNEY ZIPS! SHOW THE WORLD THEY NEED TO FEAR THE ROO!

[Dr Z]

The term "rebuilding" is one of the most overused terms in sports now a days IMHO. I hoped our team would come along throughout the season, but it's hard to tell how far with the recent lack of competition. I saw potential way back during the Pitt game with a few of our youngsters. I have a bad feeling about the upperclassmen leadership on this team when it comes MAC tournament time, I hope they prove me wrong. We will need them in Cleveland. The MAC is bad enough that the Zips have a chance THIS year. I voted MAC tourney winner. Anything else for me is going to feel like the same ol same ol. Bad to write, but I'm guessing that's how I will feel with another loss in Cleveland.

[Valpo Zip]

I say the only game we loose in the rest of the regular season is at Buffalo. We get that 3rd seed in the tournament and play Buffalo in the final. And then, since the third time is a charm, Ohioans will fill the Q and the home court advantage (fans split 75/25) will help take Witherspoon and his team down.We get a 15 seed in the tournament and get our tail kicked. Next year, the JAR sells out for more than half the home games and by Zeke's junior year, people will talk about Akron, Gonzaga, and Butler in the same sentence. Now will i be disappointed if we just go to the finals and play in the NIT, definitely not.Will i be disappointed if we don't get a bye and a 20+ wins season, you bet i will.

[skip-zip]

skhorbotly...A #15 seed and getting our tails kicked will not fill the JAR for half of the home games next year. Maybe the Can't game sells out next year, if Can't is good. If not, a boost in attendance will happen because of Zeke-mania, but no sellouts. Sorry, we're just not going double the turnout in one year. NOW...Akron is mentioned in the same sentence as Butler and Gonzaga 3 years from now? And we're ranked nationally?...then I'll buy into having a few sellouts.

[Valpo Zip]

skhorbotly...A #15 seed and getting our tails kicked will not fill the JAR for half of the home games next year. Maybe the Can't game sells out next year, if Can't is good. If not, a boost in attendance will happen because of Zeke-mania, but no sellouts. Sorry, we're just not going double the turnout in one year.

It is not the #15 seed and getting the tail kicked that will sell out the jar but the whole scenario. Think about it. If we only loose at Buffalo for the rest of the season and then win out at the Q, that is like a 13-1 record to end the season in addition to winning the MAC and having Akron's name on the brackets.You add to that the Zeke effect and a winning streak early next season and we will sell out for a bunch of games.Now let's see if that scenario works out.

[MDZip]

20 wins and any post-season action would be a very successful season. If the Zips can achieve that, Dambrot gets even more credit for being able to draw the talent out of this group that had not played a lot together. MAC co-coach of the year if so (assuming the 'Spoon continues to get it done at Buffalo).

[Bleacher Bum]

Don't be so sure to say that if it's an Akron/Buffalo final the fans will be 75/25. Buffalo has fans and they ALWAYS show up in Cleveland, even on down years.

[skip-zip]

Bleacher Bum.....the 75/25 split isn't what caught my attention. It was the thought that the Q would be full for a MAC Championship game against Buffalo. SK.....we maybe filled half of the Q for an Akron/Can't final. And I'm sure you're hopeful, same as the rest of us, but it's not going to happen. If a Buffalo/Akron final would even come close to equalling the attendance of a Can't/Akron game...that would be an extaordinary feat. The scenario you talk about as far as attendance next year is very similar to what we experienced between 1986 and 1987. Conference title...#15 seed in the NCAA tournament...eliminated in first round....and started out the next year on fire...and then even beat a Top-10 ranked team at home early in that season. I don't have attendance figures for the remainder of that year, but I was there, and can tell you that we didn't have any sellouts.I wish, more than anything, that we'll be turning people away from the JAR because we can't get them in the place. But, those "Joe Akrons", as someone calls them, aren't going to start helping us sell out the JAR with any kind of consistency until your scenario of being mentioned in the same sentence as Butler and Gonzaga happens. Until someone can do that, every team in the MAC will continue to be viewed by most Ohio sports fans as the teams from "that other conference that doesn't matter".

[GJGood]

I voted for "Any Postseason Play" because of the youth on this team. The longer this team can play the more experience it will get, particularly in "do or die" games. Even if it is one of the tourneys below the NCAA and NIT it will give this team more experience to rely on in upcoming seasons.It may even be better for the players we have on the court now to go two or three rounds in one of the other tourneys rather than go one and done in the NCAA or especially the NIT, which everybody knows would never seed us correctly or give us any chance at a home game.I'm not saying going to the 3rd or 4th tourney is better for the program overall than going to the NCAA tournament and winning a MAC title. The recognition would have potential to do great things for an already strong program but the individual underclassmen players may be just as well off in the long run if the team can string together a few wins in something like the CBI or the new CollegeInsider tourney.

[ziptrumpet87]

I voted for "Any Postseason Play" because of the youth on this team. The longer this team can play the more experience it will get, particularly in "do or die" games. Even if it is one of the tourneys below the NCAA and NIT it will give this team more experience to rely on in upcoming seasons.It may even be better for the players we have on the court now to go two or three rounds in one of the other tourneys rather than go one and done in the NCAA or especially the NIT, which everybody knows would never seed us correctly or give us any chance at a home game.I'm not saying going to the 3rd or 4th tourney is better for the program overall than going to the NCAA tournament and winning a MAC title. The recognition would have potential to do great things for an already strong program but the individual underclassmen players may be just as well off in the long run if the team can string together a few wins in something like the CBI or the new CollegeInsider tourney.

Good point. Another thought is that there are so many teams that make post season play now, that it's almost like extending the season for all teams so it may not be a huge advantage. I agree though that the more rounds they would play, the more experience for next year (assuming mostly underclassmen are playing).