Akron Vs. Buffalo....Senior night

[hafner4430]

I'm lucky because I get to see a lot of basketball. This will be probably the 5th or 6th time that I will have seen the Bulls play and I'm of the belief that the Bulls have the best starting 5 in the conference. ( go ahead, let me have it )

We have been using more and more zone lately and its been very effective, though I worry a little about going zone a little too much against Buffalo.

I like our chances here.

Akron 77

Buffalo 66

Well, Buffalo took us out of the zone, and played their usual hardass ball. And we got the usual bad calls, what would a MAC game be without them? Zeke got a couple early fouls, and spent a lot of time on the bench. But Bardo stepped up in his last regular season home game and made the difference IMO.

That was the most exciting crowd I have seen at the JAR. Great college basketball atmosphere.

I agree, Bardo played his heart out. He made a huge difference when he was out there. And Nik had an amazing game as well. If we continue to play like this, we won;t be stopped by anyone in the MAC.

[breezy123]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

[RootforRoo44]

Pardon my ignorance, but if Miami were to lose to OU or Buffalo, and the Zips win out. What would the tie breaker be? Head to Head is a draw. Does it then go to overall record??

I was under the impression that it was record against similar opponents or against the MAC-West.

[ZachTheZip]

Honestly, nobody had too good of a game tonight. Even Nik made quite a few bone-headed plays. It's a testament to the team's will to win that we came away victorious. Buffalo is a tough match-up for the rest of the MAC because they are easily the most physical team in the conference.

The Zips will need to play much better to win in Athens.

[ZachTheZip]

Pardon my ignorance, but if Miami were to lose to OU or Buffalo, and the Zips win out. What would the tie breaker be? Head to Head is a draw. Does it then go to overall record??

I was under the impression that it was record against similar opponents or against the MAC-West.

As I understand it, the first tie-breaker after head-to-head is the record against the MAC West champion, and the tiebreakers after that follow the records against teams according to the tournament seeding order. But in the event of a three-way tie, you break the first tie, then re-apply the tiebreakers from the top to break the two remaining teams.

[RowdyZip]

Pardon my ignorance, but if Miami were to lose to OU or Buffalo, and the Zips win out. What would the tie breaker be? Head to Head is a draw. Does it then go to overall record??

I was under the impression that it was record against similar opponents or against the MAC-West.

I believe the tie breakers (per mac-sports.com), are head-to-head then record vs ranked teams. This means, if Akron wins the last two and Miami loses one of their last two, Akron is the #1.

Zips would then be no worse than tied with K-ent (and win that tie breaker per head-to-head), and tied with Miami (and win that tie breaker per sweeping K-ent as the next highest seed).

It could happen, but OU is going to be a HUGE obstacle in Athens this week...not to mention the finale at the MACC that could be for all the marbles again. Who would've ever thought when a few weeks back we were 12-10 (2-5)? Also, who would've ever thought the Zips only loss in February (7-1) would be @EMU? Wow. What a season...and we still have a lot to go.

[OZoner]

No, they changed the tiebreaker this year. It's record against division after head-to-head.

[skip-zip]

If I understand correctly, if we win our last two games (which would include another Ken+ loss), we would finish ahead of Ken+. That puts us at #3 and Ken+ at #4 if Miami does not stumble.

[Dave in Green]

That's the way I understand it, Skip. If the Zips win out, they earn the #3 seed at minimum regardless of what all other MAC teams do in their final 2 games, and the #1 seed if Miami loses to either Buffalo or OU. Not a bad position to be in except for the fact that the final 2 Zips games are against tough teams on the road.

If the Zips do win both games, they will have proven themselves to be one tough team peaking at just the right time of the season.

[Quickzips]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

Right now, I really don't care if we start trying to work the ball to Zeke and get him going. This team is winning games in relatively impressive fashion with Cvetinovic and McKnight carrying the load out of the post. Trying to force feed Zeke to get him going (as we did earlier in the season) is only going to serve to disrupt the chemistry and rythm this team has going right now. KD is taking the correct approach right now. Let our proven horses carry the load and whatever you can get out of Zeke on a given night is just gravy. This isn't the time of year to be trying to stroke the confidence of the finiky big man. We'll have the offseason to work on that.

[skip-zip]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

Right now, I really don't care if we start trying to work the ball to Zeke and get him going. This team is winning games in relatively impressive fashion with Cvetinovic and McKnight carrying the load out of the post. Trying to force feed Zeke to get him going (as we did earlier in the season) is only going to serve to disrupt the chemistry and rythm this team has going right now. KD is taking the correct approach right now. Let our proven horses carry the load and whatever you can get out of Zeke on a given night is just gravy. This isn't the time of year to be trying to stroke the confidence of the finiky big man. We'll have the offseason to work on that.

Absolutely. I said weeks ago that the experimentation needed to end. And it appeared that it did. Let guys like Zeke and Abreau try to improve their games between April and November. Now is the time to rest on your best players, and let them carry you. This will sound a little blunt, but with the one-and-done tournament scenario on the horizon, we need better opportunities than launching wild, over-the-head circus shots over guys a foot taller than you in the lane, and feeding a post player who still appears to have trouble hanging onto the ball, and has yet to be a consistent finisher.

But to answer that post, I am a bit surprised that we are playing so well with Zeke virtually being a non-factor. And beyond that, I'm concerned that after two years of significant playing experience that he is not a much bigger contributor.

[The Hip Zip]

Best case scenario now to move up to the #3 seed....

What two teams scare you to play at the Q? What would the worst case scenario be for you (and others)?

I'm not D.I.G. but I'll tell you that OU is very quietly playing some decent ball again. They worry me as much as anybody right now but we'll know more about that after our trip to Athens.

Since I posted that before they beat K S U on their own floor I am obviously even more conerned with OU now because they have kept matching us win for win lately. Nobody else really scares me. Bottom line is that I think if we play up to our abilities, we win. Simple as that.

You really have to love our depth and balance as the tourney nears. I really like the way that we've been closing out games as well. The FT shooting seems to get better and better which I think is huge. We have the coach and players that know how to and expect to win. I am really starting to like our chances to do something special. Hell, even being in the position we are is special after that slow start in conference play.

[Spin]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

Right now, I really don't care if we start trying to work the ball to Zeke and get him going. This team is winning games in relatively impressive fashion with Cvetinovic and McKnight carrying the load out of the post. Trying to force feed Zeke to get him going (as we did earlier in the season) is only going to serve to disrupt the chemistry and rythm this team has going right now. KD is taking the correct approach right now. Let our proven horses carry the load and whatever you can get out of Zeke on a given night is just gravy. This isn't the time of year to be trying to stroke the confidence of the finiky big man. We'll have the offseason to work on that.

Agreed. Zeke is still a project, and next year, when we're minus 4-5 guys is a much better year for projects. Abreu started playing better when he figured out it wasn't his job to drive the lane every time he had the ball. At 5'9 that rarely works against a Buffalo. I'm still not impressed yet. Where was Dakotah? I've been in hockey land the past few months and haven't kept up with the hoops like I should.

[phil]

Don't give up on Zeke! He had 9 rebounds on Wed. night and he is a great shot blocker and can intimidate the other team in the middle. His offense still needs work but he is only a soph. He needs to work on his inside game and have the confidence to take the ball to the hoop. The refs did not help him last night by calling a ticky tack offensive foul off the ball 7 seocnds into the game. Each one of his fouls were non calls that had no effect on play. His second foul he ran into a Buffalo player getting back on defense and his 3rd foul the Buffalo player lowered his shoulder into Zeke getting position and when Zeke touches the guy on defense they call a foul on Zeke off the ball. (I dislike refs that call fouls off the ball that do not effect play but swallow their whistle when players get hacked driving to the basket)

But look at the difference a year can make. Cvenetovic's game is so much better today than it was last year. Remember how he used to hesitate at the foul line, hesitate making his move to the basket, would try to draw offensive fouls at least 2-3 times a game and then get upset when he would miss shots or not get the calls. Now he is playing with great confidence and scoring from the paint. He and Brett are taking the pressure off the outside shooters by scoring in the paint.

This team is playing great basketball without Zeke being the go to guy. There is nothing wrong with this and I still believe he will be a valuable contributor during the remainder of the season.

[Quickzips]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

Right now, I really don't care if we start trying to work the ball to Zeke and get him going. This team is winning games in relatively impressive fashion with Cvetinovic and McKnight carrying the load out of the post. Trying to force feed Zeke to get him going (as we did earlier in the season) is only going to serve to disrupt the chemistry and rythm this team has going right now. KD is taking the correct approach right now. Let our proven horses carry the load and whatever you can get out of Zeke on a given night is just gravy. This isn't the time of year to be trying to stroke the confidence of the finiky big man. We'll have the offseason to work on that.

Agreed. Zeke is still a project, and next year, when we're minus 4-5 guys is a much better year for projects. Abreu started playing better when he figured out it wasn't his job to drive the lane every time he had the ball. At 5'9 that rarely works against a Buffalo. I'm still not impressed yet. Where was Dakotah? I've been in hockey land the past few months and haven't kept up with the hoops like I should.

Not impressed by what? Abreu or the team? If you aren't impressed by what the team has done the past 3-4 weeks I would certainly like to know what unreasonably high standards you have for them. If it is Abreu you are un-impressed with then you need to go back to hockey land and just stay there. Abreu has played a critical role in this streak, coming in off the bench and pestering opposing PG's, hitting some pretty critical shots and bringing an energy to the floor that other teams bench guards can't bring.

As far as Dakotah, he hasn't been playing at all lately. I said when we burned his redshirt at Dayton that we would come to regret it and we certainly have. At this point it has been an absolutely wasted year for him. Hopefully things work out as well for him as they have for Nitro after we wasted his redshirt year late in the season.

[skip-zip]

I do not mean to be a Debbie downer in anyway and I am absolutely stunned and stoked at how well the Zips have been playing. Does anyone else think though during this win streak that the Zips have proven to be able to play and win without their big man Zeke Marshall. I understand he is only a sophomore and I think the real Zeke could potentially blossom next year, but the guy looks completely lost out there on defense and offense. Sometimes he plays like he is 6' tall. Missing layups instead of slamming home the dunk. Every time Zeke is fed the ball you can tell he is already thinking about passing it as soon as it touches his hands, he wants no part of it. He dishes it off as quickly as he gets it. Right now he lacks confidence, intensity and the pissed off attitude of what a big man should play like. He plays way to soft out there. Honestly, Zeke is not a true center either, no matter how tall he is. To me he is more like a forward in Chris Bosh. He is too long and lanky to out muscle and throw around any big guys down low. Buffalo's Javon Mcrea played like an awesome center and moved so easily around the Zeke. Definitely know Zeke will improve though, just super frustrating watching his size not being able to produce much lately.

Right now, I really don't care if we start trying to work the ball to Zeke and get him going. This team is winning games in relatively impressive fashion with Cvetinovic and McKnight carrying the load out of the post. Trying to force feed Zeke to get him going (as we did earlier in the season) is only going to serve to disrupt the chemistry and rythm this team has going right now. KD is taking the correct approach right now. Let our proven horses carry the load and whatever you can get out of Zeke on a given night is just gravy. This isn't the time of year to be trying to stroke the confidence of the finiky big man. We'll have the offseason to work on that.

Agreed. Zeke is still a project, and next year, when we're minus 4-5 guys is a much better year for projects. Abreu started playing better when he figured out it wasn't his job to drive the lane every time he had the ball. At 5'9 that rarely works against a Buffalo. I'm still not impressed yet. Where was Dakotah? I've been in hockey land the past few months and haven't kept up with the hoops like I should.

Not impressed by what? Abreu or the team? If you aren't impressed by what the team has done the past 3-4 weeks I would certainly like to know what unreasonably high standards you have for them. If it is Abreu you are un-impressed with then you need to go back to hockey land and just stay there. Abreu has played a critical role in this streak, coming in off the bench and pestering opposing PG's, hitting some pretty critical shots and bringing an energy to the floor that other teams bench guards can't bring.

As far as Dakotah, he hasn't been playing at all lately. I said when we burned his redshirt at Dayton that we would come to regret it and we certainly have. At this point it has been an absolutely wasted year for him. Hopefully things work out as well for him as they have for Nitro after we wasted his redshirt year late in the season.

It's possible that you are not paying enough attention to everything he's doing on the floor. During the post-game show, our coach talked about the same frustration that I have with his game right now. If everything is going well, then do you think it's just a coincidence that he was removed from the starting lineup several games ago? And I don't think his reduced time last night was solely a result of his 1 for 5 shooting performance, although many of those were just really bad decisions.

[Hilltopper]

It's possible that you are not paying enough attention to everything he's doing on the floor. During the post-game show, our coach talked about the same frustration that I have with his game right now. If everything is going well, then do you think it's just a coincidence that he was removed from the starting lineup several games ago? And I don't think his reduced time last night was solely a result of his 1 for 5 shooting performance, although many of those were just really bad decisions.

Skip, Abreau is a freshman. Do you really think he should be playing like a senior? Its taken Dambrot most of the season, but it now appears that we have something of a set rotation for playing time. Some nights one guy is going to have a good game, other nights it will be another players opportunity to get PT at crunch time. Yes Rico has had some turnovers, but overall his assist to turnover ratio is pretty good. I attribute a big part of our turn around to his willingness to drive the lane. How much complaining was there about Steve's lack of ability to drive the lane and finish. Suddenly Steve is driving to the hole more and getting the big guys easy shots. Personally, I'm looking forward to three more years of Abreaus' ball hawking and fearless ply around the basket. Stop taking everything KD says in the post game interview so seriously, I'm sure he loves what Alex brings to the team.

[RowdyZip]

It's possible that you are not paying enough attention to everything he's doing on the floor. During the post-game show, our coach talked about the same frustration that I have with his game right now. If everything is going well, then do you think it's just a coincidence that he was removed from the starting lineup several games ago? And I don't think his reduced time last night was solely a result of his 1 for 5 shooting performance, although many of those were just really bad decisions.

Skip, Abreau is a freshman. Do you really think he should be playing like a senior? Its taken Dambrot most of the season, but it now appears that we have something of a set rotation for playing time. Some nights one guy is going to have a good game, other nights it will be another players opportunity to get PT at crunch time. Yes Rico has had some turnovers, but overall his assist to turnover ratio is pretty good. I attribute a big part of our turn around to his willingness to drive the lane. How much complaining was there about Steve's lack of ability to drive the lane and finish. Suddenly Steve is driving to the hole more and getting the big guys easy shots. Personally, I'm looking forward to three more years of Abreaus' ball hawking and fearless ply around the basket. Stop taking everything KD says in the post game interview so seriously, I'm sure he loves what Alex brings to the team.

Right on. And I could probably count a dozen plays that went in the turnover category for Alex that were plays that other guys just weren't ready for a pass. I'm sure none of our guys have played with a PG that has the creative delivery abilities that Alex has. He is already and above average PG, he'll be a great one before his career is over. Another key has been Steve's emphasis on penetrating. It always appeared he had the ball handling ability and speed to do so, but now he's taking full advantage of it and it's REALLY opening things up. With Diggs next year, plus the possibility of a couple more athletic forwards that can create shots, I'm not at all afraid of next year.

[Spin]

Not impressed by what? Abreu or the team? If you aren't impressed by what the team has done the past 3-4 weeks I would certainly like to know what unreasonably high standards you have for them. If it is Abreu you are un-impressed with then you need to go back to hockey land and just stay there. Abreu has played a critical role in this streak, coming in off the bench and pestering opposing PG's, hitting some pretty critical shots and bringing an energy to the floor that other teams bench guards can't bring.

Not impressed with Abreu last night, in the first half he seemed to have a shoot-first, shoot-later attitude. That doesn't impress me in any player, especially the playmaker. As I said he did get his act together later in the game and remembered he was a point guard. If you can't accept that observation, that's pretty sad. If you don't want to me to point out the negative along with the positive, maybe a forum isn't the best place for you.

And I won't apologize for watching more than one sport. Maybe you should take a lottle road trip this weekend too.

[GoZips]

What the hey? Carping about Abreu. Sheesh. Wish you clam heads would pay attention to your idol's

inability to play the point let alone the two guard where he belongs.

Abreu is a solid, contributing player who is getting under minutes because his coach has the Hipsher

syndrome. i.e. only his sons can be trusted. Compare Abreu's stats to the golden boy's. Abreu wins.

Hands down Abreu wins. Half the floor time, nearly double the points scored, more assists, the game

changes to positive. Golden boy disappears when he is moved to the two hole. Check the game

play-by-play. Abreu would get twenty-five minutes or more if golden boy manned up and played his

ass off when he gets switched to the two. KD is pulling the wrong guy.

Here I read that Abreu had one for five shooting. And golden boy had? Oh, one for five shooting. In

golden boy's favor is that his was one for five in twenty-nine unproductive minutes while Alex got his

one for five in eleven minutes. Alex outscore golden boy seven to four and has two-thirds the assists

in less than half the minutes.

Here is a teaser for you. Play golden boy on the point and move Alex to the two hole. Let Alex drive

and shoot while golden boy runs the offense. Alex's handicap here would be his size. Nothing else.

[skip-zip]

It's possible that you are not paying enough attention to everything he's doing on the floor. During the post-game show, our coach talked about the same frustration that I have with his game right now. If everything is going well, then do you think it's just a coincidence that he was removed from the starting lineup several games ago? And I don't think his reduced time last night was solely a result of his 1 for 5 shooting performance, although many of those were just really bad decisions.

Skip, Abreau is a freshman. Do you really think he should be playing like a senior? Its taken Dambrot most of the season, but it now appears that we have something of a set rotation for playing time. Some nights one guy is going to have a good game, other nights it will be another players opportunity to get PT at crunch time. Yes Rico has had some turnovers, but overall his assist to turnover ratio is pretty good. I attribute a big part of our turn around to his willingness to drive the lane. How much complaining was there about Steve's lack of ability to drive the lane and finish. Suddenly Steve is driving to the hole more and getting the big guys easy shots. Personally, I'm looking forward to three more years of Abreaus' ball hawking and fearless ply around the basket. Stop taking everything KD says in the post game interview so seriously, I'm sure he loves what Alex brings to the team.

What I have highlighted says it all.

I think some people want it both ways...they think he's deserving of a major role and a lot of credit, but they also want us all to preface all of our criticism of his poor plays with "he's just a freshman". Or, pass off the coach's comments as meaningless. Basketball players at every experience level struggle. And he's struggling to do what we need him to do, as we saw last night, and is getting criticized. He has a lot of work ahead of him. He hasn't started now for several weeks for a reason. I'm sure he played a reduced role last night for a reason as well. And his coach quite candidly displayed his frustration with his play, and I agree completely.

[ksu sucks]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see much of a reason to question Dambrot's decisions when it comes to playing time. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but when you're on a seven game winning streak, sometimes it's best to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Go zips!

[Spin]

JHC I made one comment about his play, and you guys go ape shit. I realize he's a Freshman and has lots of potential. I just saw things that (as I've said twice) were corrected later in the game. And I have no idea who you're insinuating my "golden boy" is. Wanna clue me in?

Unbunch your panties and grow a few more layers of skin.

Maybe I should stick to hockey, their fans can take someone saying something negative. Crimony...

[The Hip Zip]

Same old... Same old....Same old tired shit from the same old suspects. "Golden Boy"..... give me a break.

I'll stop short of calling people "clam heads" but it's just getting too freaking petty and stupid around here for me. I started this thread to salute our seniors and to start a game thread with a positive vibe. I didn't create this thread to become a pissing match or for someone rag on our starting PG for about the 50th time. Perhaps I have too low of a tolerance for bullshit, but I don't need it. I am out of here.

Good luck to the Zips going forward. Overall, it's been a fun season.

[Dave in Green]

GoZips, what's the deal with you still trying to spread the misconception that Rico blows away McNees in the stats? We already resolved that myth in the WMU thread:

..... Oh, and the statistics show that Alex Abreu is far and away a better point guard than Steve McNees. .....

Depends on what stats are being considered. A thorough direct statistical comparison between McNees and Abreu on statsheet.com shows that they're fairly closely matched, with each doing better in some categories than the other.

In the important Offensive Rating category, which measures total player impact on scoring, assists, rebounds, turnovers, etc., McNees rates higher than Abreu, 98.4 to 91.8.

I like Rico. He's going to be a great asset to the Zips this season and, hopefully, the next three as well. He's definitely more of a pure PG than McNees. But he's a relatively inexperienced freshman and McNees is a senior who's been there and done that. Also, McNees tends to peak toward the end of the season, as he's been showing the last few games.

Overall, McNees is the best guard to lead the Zips right now, with Abreu playing an important supporting role.

McNees-Abreu comparison on statsheet.com

Anyone can click on that statsheet.com link comparing the current stats of McNees and Abreu and see that they are both effective PGs with each having the edge in different statistical categories.

There's no reason for any Zips fan to try to belittle one of these two players to try to build up the other. They're both good PGs, but in different ways. That's a really good situation, because it can throw the other team's defense off to have to try to play against two different style PGs who are both effective in their own ways.

I'm glad the Zips have two such different PGs. I like them both, and I especially like the game results the Zips have been delivering with the way KD is playing the two PGs down the stretch.