Ball St

[The Hip Zip]

Is toast.

There is no way they come in and steal a victory. Time to dial up the emotions a bit.

DEFEND OUR HOUSE !!!

[johnnyzip84]

Is toast.

There is no way they come in and steal a victory. Time to dial up the emotions a bit.

DEFEND OUR HOUSE !!!

That's what I'm talking about!!! Go Zips!!!!

[RowdyZip]

Is toast.

There is no way they come in and steal a victory. Time to dial up the emotions a bit.

DEFEND OUR HOUSE !!!

That's what I'm talking about!!! Go Zips!!!!

I like the enthusiasm. I'd love to see the guys put together a nice little run over the next 4, with only BG on the road. Zips open as 5.5 point favorites.

[gozips19]

Is toast.

There is no way they come in and steal a victory. Time to dial up the emotions a bit.

DEFEND OUR HOUSE !!!

That's what I'm talking about!!! Go Zips!!!!

+1

[ZachTheZip]

Get there early. Really early. Due to a track meet, a swimming meet, and some other things, there is already no parking near the JAR.

Women's game starts at 5. Be there to rep UA on STO. Let's do this!

For those of you wanting to see the JAR renovated any time soon, realize that the more support and success that WBB and Volleyball have the more a priority that becomes for the athletic department. It doesn't have as big as an effect as MBB, certainly, but every little bit helps, especially when the pressure is coming from multiple angles.

[ZachTheZip]

In case you missed it, before the WBB game they retired #24 Cheryl Bowles' number and put up a banner of her in the rafters. Look for it in the SE corner. She is the first WBB player in the history of the program to have her number retired. Gotta give Wistrcill props for getting this done. Now maybe we can get Dru Joyce or Jimmal Ball a banner back on the men's side.

Also Kara Murphy broke the record for most career starts tonight. Taylor Ruper is putting on a three-point shooting clinic. At half time she has 20 points, hitting 6 threes. Lady Zips are up 41-28.

[zipseuph]

zippers opening it up!!!

[cjapsu]

Sweet merciful Jesus... could someone please enlighten me as to why EVERY SINGLE STO broadcast is blacked out on DirecTV? At first I thought it was just a fluke thing about rights for a few games here and there but it's now regressed into EVERY game!

I try not to flip out over too many blackouts, but I can't for the life of me figure out why Akron basketball is blacked out consistently on STO. I can watch Alaska-Anchorage take on North Dakota in hockey but can't watch Akron/Ball State? WTH?

[johnnyzip84]

Loved seeing the Zips take it to the Cards tonight. The 14-0 run after BSU had cut the lead to 2 was a beautiful thing indeed. Nik was a monster all night and Abreu really disrupted Davis, their pedestrian PG. Way to go Zips!!!

[Dave in Green]

Another solid game. Not great, but better than average for this season's Zips. Keep playing like this, and they have a chance to do well when it counts the most.

While some of the freshmen and sophomores have been playing important roles, it's the juniors and seniors who are anchoring this team. There's no longer any question that the Serb is the heart and soul of this team, and that he is going to give everything he has trying to lead this team to the top. With that settled, everyone else seems to be settling into the roles they do best, and executing better and better. That's not to say there weren't some silly brain fades tonight. But they were all brief and temporary. When it started to get tense, the Zips got intense.

I really like watching the Zips team I saw perform tonight. This is why I buy season tickets.

[The Hip Zip]

Loved seeing the Zips take it to the Cards tonight. The 14-0 run after BSU had cut the lead to 2 was a beautiful thing indeed. Nik was a monster all night and Abreu really disrupted Davis, their pedestrian PG. Way to go Zips!!!

A very solid piece of work tonight, but it still won't be long until the McNees bashers show up.

Random thoughts

Nik worked his ass off tonight, he was much, much better than a box score might imply..... Abreu gets in guys heads, he's pesky and very clearly bothers his opponents. He's also fun to watch and brings excitement to the floor........ I liked Josh tonight as well in his short time out there. He was very active.......... Sometimes Q needs to slow down just a touch on the offensive end to cut down on his TOs. He tries really hard to make things happen out there, just needs to let the game come to him a little more....... Bardo is playing the best basketball of his career. He's another guy that out plays the box score...... McKnight is getting his stroke back and just in time..... The team seems to be playing with much more confidence and emotion .......The Zips are a team that is improving and can take down any MAC team if/when we get to the Q. I think the team would enjoy the thought of us being the underdog up there and would play with even more motivation

[The Hip Zip]

Sweet merciful Jesus... could someone please enlighten me as to why EVERY SINGLE STO broadcast is blacked out on DirecTV? At first I thought it was just a fluke thing about rights for a few games here and there but it's now regressed into EVERY game!

I try not to flip out over too many blackouts, but I can't for the life of me figure out why Akron basketball is blacked out consistently on STO. I can watch Alaska-Anchorage take on North Dakota in hockey but can't watch Akron/Ball State? WTH?

Where do you reside ?

[Let'sGoZips94]

That was the most heart and desire I have seen the team play with since Can't State. GREAT game. Zeke shut Jarrod Jones DOWN. Very impressed with his defense. All the Zips have to do is hit the streak at the right time, just like the '09 season, and they are golden. Go Zips!

[ZachTheZip]

Good progress was made last night toward getting it all together. There's still much to be done, however. A big, big test is Tuesday at BG. We can compete against the MAC West again, so how about the East?

[skip-zip]

I'm a little puzzled by the emphatic "Zeke Shut Down Jones" comment. He made a couple of good defensive plays in his monsterous 12 minutes of play, but without several missed free throws, Jones scores 20+ in this game. Give the credit to Nik, Brett, and Bardo who were forced to share responsibility and double team to keep him from having a huge game. I'm actually very disappointed this morning that the big potential Zeke/Jones matchup ended up being so lopsided. It's another missed opportunity to show that he's growing. I'm also a little disappointed that several people on here were so quick to argue that Zeke had certainly "broken out" with his Ken+ performance.

Back to the game....

Bardo: Becoming a 10 min. per game workhorse. I said at the start of the season that anything we get from him is a bonus, and I think we're getting more than "anything". And we need it.

Alex: As the hope of what he could have added to this team offensively this year may have faded, the Bardo-like intangibles that he added to this game were quite valuable. Great hustle. And he showed a couple of signs of improved decision making.

McNees and McKnight: I'll say it again. These two guys HAVE to carry some significant scoring load for us to have a chance to win this league. And they did that last night with 28 combined points.

Honestly, who would have guessed a couple of weeks ago that we could dismantle a good MAC team at any point this season without any scoring from Zeke?

[Dave in Green]

I'm a little puzzled by the emphatic "Zeke Shut Down Jones" comment. He made a couple of good defensive plays in his monsterous 12 minutes of play, but without several missed free throws, Jones scores 20+ in this game. Give the credit to Nik, Brett, and Bardo who were forced to share responsibility and double team to keep him from having a huge game. I'm actually very disappointed this morning that the big potential Zeke/Jones matchup ended up being so lopsided. It's another missed opportunity to show that he's growing. I'm also a little disappointed that several people on here were so quick to argue that Zeke had certainly "broken out" with his Ken+ performance. .....

Disappointed? Well, OK, I suppose that could be a two-way street. The pessimists can be disappointed when the optimists overreach and the optimists can be disappointed when the pessimists underreach. In any case, I've been back to being a realist for awhile now, having corrected my expectations for Zeke several games back after initially saying I thought he could replicate his Can't performance on a regular basis. No more player predictions from me on the basis of a single-game performance.

We're now all the way back to the earlier Zeke who can cleanly block shots by outstanding players like Jarrod Jones, and then end up sitting on the bench in foul trouble for silly body fouls on guards outside the 3-point arc, unnecessary reach-in touches, and getting faked off his feet by much shorter players he doesn't even need to leave his feet to guard.

Zeke still has a ways to go to play smart all the time. If he can master that, he'll be a huge contributor to the Zips on a regular basis.

[zippy5]

Hopefully we're getting hot at the right time. We beat the top two teams in the MAC, so no game is out of the question. Woulld be nice to see Zeke stay out of foul trouble, we will need him down the stretch.

[phil]

Coach Dambrot indicated in the pregame that the team worked on offensive rebounding and it showed. Bardo and Nik had 2 pretty putbacks in the game and the team husseled for offensive rebounds.

The key to this team is the ability to drive to the basket. When they make moves to the basket, it opens up the permieter for wide open 3s and easy layups. McNees had several nice drives to the basket. Even if we miss our shot, the drive draws defenders to the ball and creates opportunities for offensive rebounds. Abreu did not shoot very well but was 7 for 8 from the line by driving to the basket and drawing fouls.

Unfortunately, this team often settles for passing the ball around the perimeter of the defense and then taking a 3 point shot. (The first 3 minutes of Weds game). Z is the only one underneath for a rebound. By taking the ball to the basket last night, they rarely cranked up a shot with the time clock expiring.

Nik is playing at his best and keeping his emotions under control. He has been their most consistant scorer and rebounder.

I am hoping that they continue this type of play as it was a great game to watch.

[Quickzips]

Very nice to see a Zips team more or less man-handle a quality (relative to the MAC at least) opponent. Just hoping that this is a sign of bigger things to come for this Zips squad. There are a lot of things to be encouraged by over the last couple games.

First off, you have to love what Nikola is bringing to the table right now. We've all known that he's had this kind of game in him, but to finally see it on a little more consistent basis is a sight for sore eyes. He is bringing tons of energy, leadership and everything that goes with it, but most importantly he is under control out there (save for an embarrasing blown dunk/layup/something attempt). Things run so much smoother when the guys have a strong floor leader to fall in line behind. Let's hope Nik can keep up that role for another month or two.

Second, Steve McNees, after four and two thirds years in the program, finally figures out that there is more to offensive basketball that quick-trigger threes. Dude had at least three layups last night. Layups and Steve McNees, who would have thunk it. If only it didn't take three and a half months for Steve to figure out that when the three ball isn't falling you have to find other ways to contribute.

Third, Brett McKnight is heating up again. Who knows how long this can last, but I certainly have no issue with leaning on him a little more for the next few games.

Fourth, as others have said, Mike Bardo is playing some of the most inspired ball of his career. He still isn't providing much on the offensive end, but the team seems to have figured out how to work around that and maintain a good offensive rythm.

Fifth, Alex Abreu is starting to get over that freshman wall that he hit around the first run through the East. Coming off the bench seems to have helped him quite a bit. He was in Randy Davis' head all night last night. I'm sure Davis had nightmares on the bus-ride back to Muncie of #11 hounding him.

Sixth, the Zips seem to have finally figured out how to defend the three point line. Western and Ball State combined to go 3 for 22 from beyond the arch in the last two matchups. With the way the Zips were getting lit up from downtown earlier in the season this is a welcome sight. Hopefully this is a sign of the Zips figuring things out and not just a poor set of shooting performances from our opponents. If it is, the sky is the limit for this team. Save for MAYBE Can't State there isn't a team in this league that can win consistently when the 3 ball isn't dropping. If the Zips can shut down the 3 point line, they can win a lot of games down the stretch here.

Bring on the Falcons. KD lead Zips teams have NEVER lost in Anderson Arena. This week is our last game there. Let's keep that streak alive.

[The Hip Zip]

QZ, Please just give it up. Its old and tired. Even after a pretty darn good game you find a need to take shots at McNees. It's the same negative crap all the time.

It wasn't long ago that you took a shot at McNees for fouling a 3pt shooter late in the game. That's fair enough, but why not mention it when Nitro did exactly the same thing ? In fact, I recall him fouling at least three shooters beyond the arc in the last couple of weeks. I guess that's OK in your book.

It's pretty clear to me that you either have a very selective memory or some type of personal bias against McNees.

[Quickzips]

QZ, Please just give it up. Its old and tired. Even after a pretty darn good game you find a need to take shots at McNees. It's the same negative crap all the time.

It wasn't long ago that you took a shot at McNees for fouling a 3pt shooter late in the game. That's fair enough, but why not mention it when Nitro did exactly the same thing ? In fact, I recall him fouling at least three shooters beyond the arc in the last couple of weeks. I guess that's OK in your book.

It's pretty clear to me that you either have a very selective memory or some type of personal bias against McNees.

For one thing I didn't see the game last night, was listening to it on the way home in the car, so I didn't catch the 3 point foul by Nitro. I'll take your word on it. It's a lot easier to catch stuff like that when you are watching the game (either live or via internet feed) than when you are listening to French on the radio and trying to drive down I-77. Second of all, my comments about McNees were by no means meant to be a cheap shot at him. I'm as happy as a pig in you know what to see him finding a way to contribute on offense. But the facts are the facts with Steve. The kind of games he has had the last two contests are virtually unprecedented for him in his time at UA. He's been a 3 point marksman (and a darn good one at that) in his time here, and has never been known for his ability to get the ball to the rim and finish the way he has the last couple of games. If you want to argue with me about that point then there is nothing I can do as you CLEARLY have not paid any attention to the last four years of Zips basketball. Now this year has been an abysml year behind the arch for McNees (again, if you want to argue that point I'm out, the numbers speak for themselves). I've been waiting, along with pretty much everyone on here, for Steve to either break out of his slump or to find another way to contribute something positive on the offensive end. Well, Steve finally seems to have done it, and I'm happy. If my sarcasm went a little over the top, I apologize, but I personally never thought (based off of three and a half years of watching McNees) I would see the day where Steve would be breaking teams down off the dribble and finishing at the rim the way he has the last couple of games. I hope he keeps it up. We are going to need it.

[MDZip]

Sweet merciful Jesus... could someone please enlighten me as to why EVERY SINGLE STO broadcast is blacked out on DirecTV? At first I thought it was just a fluke thing about rights for a few games here and there but it's now regressed into EVERY game!

I try not to flip out over too many blackouts, but I can't for the life of me figure out why Akron basketball is blacked out consistently on STO. I can watch Alaska-Anchorage take on North Dakota in hockey but can't watch Akron/Ball State? WTH?

I have the same issue on Dish, so I contacted STO about it. It seems that the primary agreement for the MAC is with ESPN so they get the first right to show the games. If they decline then they can be broadcast in the MAC footprint (Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois - and I think its only partial in New Yor and PA). So they can't show a live contest outside of those areas (that's why you can see repeats) according to contractual obligations. If you live outside of those states, you won't be able to watch live STO games for men's MAC basketball. It's also why a lot of the times, those games will show up on ESPN3.

[Dave in Green]

There's just no way of getting around the fact that anyone who believes that Steve McNees has been performing at a higher level in recent games is, by definition, acknowledging that he was playing at a lower level in previous games.

Count me as one of those who is impressed with the change in McNees' game. I've already mentioned several times after recent games that McNees has become much more effective at driving and either hitting layups, getting fouled, or dishing to the open man.

Whenever we compliment someone for getting better, it's acknowledgement that the person previously was not as good. That doesn't mean that we're trying to insult the person for not previously doing as well as they are now.