Akron @ Can't State

[GoZips]

We won, but the officiating was beyond horrid. They really kept Can't in the game after we fought back early in the 2nd half.

Go read the Flushers board. In their ever so humble opinions, the zebras were totally biased for Akron.

Quincy Diggs sighting at the game. He saw right behind me.

[RootforRoo44]

Go read the Flushers board. In their ever so humble opinions, the zebras were totally biased for Akron.

In all fairness, those Can't people are probably high out of their minds right now.

[Dave in Green]

I can't complain too much about the reffing, especially since they didn't pile on Zeke. We needed Zeke every one of the 33 minutes he played. From way up in the bleachers there were questionable calls on both teams. It probably looked a little different at court level. In the first half the refs called 11 on the Zips to 8 for Can't, and in the second half they called 16 on each team. So for the game the home team had only 3 fewer fouls than the visitors, which is not a bad split. My biggest concern is that Harney couldn't seem to play tight D without fouling. Nick played only 12 minutes before fouling out. In the last 3 games he's had 12 personals, averaging 4 per game. While I appreciate his effort to play strong D, he's going to have to develop a little more defensive finesse. He needs to get better at defensive positioning so that he isn't forced to foul when his man slips by him and is heading for an easy bucket.

[jem101]

Go read the Flushers board. In their ever so humble opinions, the zebras were totally biased for Akron.

Quincy Diggs sighting at the game. He saw right behind me.

Stepping back from my pro-Zips bias, these refs were horrible both ways.

[akronzips71]

I get to ask one video question per thread.

What was up with the pink/lavender colors? I recorded it and play it back on a different TV, same thing. Do they have rose colored skylights in there or something?

Disclaimer:

The last time I was in that arena was around 1968 when I saw Blood Sweat and Tears. May not even be the same building for all I know.

[ZipGB8]

I can't complain too much about the reffing, especially since they didn't pile on Zeke. We needed Zeke every one of the 33 minutes he played. From way up in the bleachers there were questionable calls on both teams. It probably looked a little different at court level. In the first half the refs called 11 on the Zips to 8 for Can't, and in the second half they called 16 on each team. So for the game the home team had only 3 fewer fouls than the visitors, which is not a bad split. My biggest concern is that Harney couldn't seem to play tight D without fouling. Nick played only 12 minutes before fouling out. In the last 3 games he's had 12 personals, averaging 4 per game. While I appreciate his effort to play strong D, he's going to have to develop a little more defensive finesse. He needs to get better at defensive positioning so that he isn't forced to foul when his man slips by him and is heading for an easy bucket.

Saw the game from court level and near the bench. I was also near some Can't fans who were bitching about every call against them in the 2nd half. The refs did try to call it both ways, however the typical MAC refs turned up the hand checking and ticky tack fouls in the 2nd half. There were a few bad calls I saw. There was the one where Goodson double clutched in mid air and Walsh and Tree backed off of him and was never touched and they called the foul on Tree. The refs helped Can't out because they couldn't convert after 4 off. reb's. That travel call on Abreu was horrific when Holt clearly reached in as he was driving. Those are the calls the home team always gets though. I agree, the refs never let either team gain momentum throughout most of the game, except for when Can't pushed the ball more at the end of the 1st half and went on that run.

Kretzer unfortunately had to play more because Harney was in foul trouble and couldn't keep up on the full court presses. Most of the 3's Kretzer took he was open so you can't fault him for that. Also Can't was fronting Zeke and Tree from the help side the majority of the game so they kept more shooters in there because of it. Luckily Abreu and Chauncey saw that and got the Zips back in the game. I also give credit to Walsh and Gilliam for taking it to the basket more to allow the defense to collapse. Clearly, Dambrot made half-time adjustments but it wasn't easy to balance out the playing time as much.

I also noticed when Abreu and Gilliam were on the floor together, ball movement was much better and shot selection was better. We forced a little in the 1st half but part of that was because of Can't smothering D inside. Gilliam and Kretzer I believe will improve their shooting percentages as the season goes on.

[Dave in Green]

@akronzips71, I didn't see any strange color shifts in the building. Must have been a TV camera filter to create a traditional Can't psychedelic view. Who knows, some of the Can't fans in the building may have been seeing similar colors today. I believe that building went up in 1952, and is pretty similar to what it was in the early days with minimal updates. They have taken out some of the columns that used to make it important to get there early for unobstructed cheap seat views. No seatbacks at either end or on the second level. I still listen to Blood, Sweat and Tears CDs. Great sounds.

[RootforRoo44]

I get to ask one video question per thread.

What was up with the pink/lavender colors? I recorded it and play it back on a different TV, same thing. Do they have rose colored skylights in there or something?

Disclaimer:

The last time I was in that arena was around 1968 when I saw Blood Sweat and Tears. May not even be the same building for all I know.

Don't know about rose colored, but they definitely have a few AWFUL orange colored lights that just look terrible.

Btw, you say you played it back on a different TV...don't tell me you used VHS

[Dave in Green]

...don't tell me you used VHS

All the nerds knew that Beta was better, but VHS had better PR.

[acstorfer]

I've known Zeke my senior and his freshman year. In all honesty, I didn't even know he was a baller. We used to study together for an Africans studies class we had. I really thought he was a great player and having men like him was great for the University of Akron. I got to gauge his intelligence in cram sessions. Also, he would tell me about his girlfriend that he lived back in Pittsburgh. I really like knowing the guy. Then I found out he was a baller and his stock just rose. Watching home for a time I felt he tripped over his own feet and got pissed off too often. He laughed a few times this game. After seeing that I KNEW Akron was going to win. He bulked up, has confidence and bulked up. If he can stay strong for the season, and hopefully post season, he can actually get his name called in the NBA lottery? Luckily I've always been a New York Giants fan so having Blackburn and Hixon involved in my team always cheers me up. As of now, Chase Blackburn is my favorite New York Giants. Trick question, what does someone call the worst starting lineman in the NFL? You call him a starting NFL linebacker who has two Super Bowl Championships for arguably the most consistent team in the NFL. He'll get his C back soon!

So, yes it's minuscule, but if Zeke, Treadwell or Abrieu ever made it to the Knicks, I would be ecstatic!

Here's the only thing I care about. We aren't again getting an at-large bid for the tournament and the NIT is just kinda sad, so we will win the championships this year and we will make it to the Sweet 16. Want a new stadium, that's how it will happen. Also, we can lesson the use of CJ Thomas Hall. It might have some uses, but a 7,000 seat stadium in addition to our football stadium can bring in major entertainment packages. We can be a venue that's a destination and not just one that if someone is just in the area they'll stop by. Tell me Chrissie Hyndes, LeBron James, Jason Taylor don't have some contact to help us with that.

As far as football, between Bowden and Tressell (once the NCAA clear him), there has to be a future in our program. We have two alums who can show off a couple rings and Jason Taylor to say, we should be able to recruit a respectable level. Of course soccer will be a question without Coach Porter, but we'll still be respectable.

Now the big question, we want out of the MAC, so where do we want to go? The Big East is a shell of what it once was. The Big 10 would be an impossible dream come true. The PAC and WAC stuff will never happen, the sec would be masochastic! I think our best shot would stay MAC and boot out the low RPI guys. With our horrible one loss game to Ohio last year, who went on to the Sweet Sixteen, we should easily be able to get an at large team in the show if we heighten our RPI. Of course our Creighten loss was a kick in the ass with that!

[akronzips71]

@akronzips71, I didn't see any strange color shifts in the building. Must have been a TV camera filter to create a traditional Can't psychedelic view. Who knows, some of the Can't fans in the building may have been seeing similar colors today. I believe that building went up in 1952, and is pretty similar to what it was in the early days with minimal updates. They have taken out some of the columns that used to make it important to get there early for unobstructed cheap seat views. No seatbacks at either end or on the second level. I still listen to Blood, Sweat and Tears CDs. Great sounds.

On TV there were a couple of areas of light reflection on the Court, which is why I asked about windows. Both areas were pink/lavender. As were the shirts of both coaches, and the lower portions of the Can't warm up jackets. And the numbers on the Zips jerseys. It was just a little strange looking. Maybe it was the arena lighting, the camera may have had the white balance improperly calibrated.

[akronzips71]

I've known Zeke my senior and his freshman year. In all honesty, I didn't even know he was a baller. We used to study together for an Africans studies class we had. I really thought he was a great player and having men like him was great for the University of Akron. I got to gauge his intelligence in cram sessions. Also, he would tell me about his girlfriend that he lived back in Pittsburgh. I really like knowing the guy. Then I found out he was a baller and his stock just rose. Watching home for a time I felt he tripped over his own feet and got pissed off too often. He laughed a few times this game. After seeing that I KNEW Akron was going to win. He bulked up, has confidence and bulked up. If he can stay strong for the season, and hopefully post season, he can actually get his name called in the NBA lottery? Luckily I've always been a New York Giants fan so having Blackburn and Hixon involved in my team always cheers me up. As of now, Chase Blackburn is my favorite New York Giants. Trick question, what does someone call the worst starting lineman in the NFL? You call him a starting NFL linebacker who has two Super Bowl Championships for arguably the most consistent team in the NFL. He'll get his C back soon!

So, yes it's minuscule, but if Zeke, Treadwell or Abrieu ever made it to the Knicks, I would be ecstatic!

Here's the only thing I care about. We aren't again getting an at-large bid for the tournament and the NIT is just kinda sad, so we will win the championships this year and we will make it to the Sweet 16. Want a new stadium, that's how it will happen. Also, we can lesson the use of CJ Thomas Hall. It might have some uses, but a 7,000 seat stadium in addition to our football stadium can bring in major entertainment packages. We can be a venue that's a destination and not just one that if someone is just in the area they'll stop by. Tell me Chrissie Hyndes, LeBron James, Jason Taylor don't have some contact to help us with that.

As far as football, between Bowden and Tressell (once the NCAA clear him), there has to be a future in our program. We have two alums who can show off a couple rings and Jason Taylor to say, we should be able to recruit a respectable level. Of course soccer will be a question without Coach Porter, but we'll still be respectable.

Now the big question, we want out of the MAC, so where do we want to go? The Big East is a shell of what it once was. The Big 10 would be an impossible dream come true. The PAC and WAC stuff will never happen, the sec would be masochastic! I think our best shot would stay MAC and boot out the low RPI guys. With our horrible one loss game to Ohio last year, who went on to the Sweet Sixteen, we should easily be able to get an at large team in the show if we heighten our RPI. Of course our Creighten loss was a kick in the ass with that!

You sat next to a seven foot tall guy and didn't know he played hoops?

Seriously

Don't forget to feed the guide dog.

(As an aside, I once had a guy show up for jury duty who was huge, very close to seven feet. My first question was "Where did you play"? The answer was St. Johns. He was not very good and got hurt and was never a star. But anyone that big has to have played someplace. You can not teach size).

[Dave in Green]

After today's MAC games, the Zips and Bobkitties are both 4-0, and the next best conference record is 2-2.

[akronzips71]

On TV there were a couple of areas of light reflection on the Court, which is why I asked about windows. Both areas were pink/lavender. As were the shirts of both coaches, and the lower portions of the Can't warm up jackets. And the numbers on the Zips jerseys. It was just a little strange looking. Maybe it was the arena lighting, the camera may have had the white balance improperly calibrated.

No, it was my DVR. What a bunch of clowns. It was broadcast in HD.

I think I figured it out. On the ends and up above the walls and supports were painted in a lavender or mauve color. All the reflections as seen on TV picked up that color. It was beyond annoying, to the point of almost appreciating the Mac-sports broadcast from the JAR, hum and all.

That foul a the end on Zeke was BS. He could have been seriously hurt. If there is some mechanism to give that player a suspension for that conduct they should use it. Seen on TV, he just grabbed his arm and hung on, pulling him to the deck.

Too bad he didn't try that on Tree. #1 might have stuffed him into the basket along with the ball.

[jem101]

Love the way this team can win inside and not rely on the 3 ball. Not sure if the statistics back me up, but it seem like we've been pretty awful in this category this year. If the Zips can get hot from deep in March and combine that with our inside game LOOK OUT!

Edit: Shooting a bit above 34% from deep on the year as a team.

[akronzips71]

The first half was totally frustrating with us allowing them to keep getting their offensive boards and take shot after shot. With Tree and Zeke on the floor that really should not happen.

[Blue & Gold]

On TV there were a couple of areas of light reflection on the Court, which is why I asked about windows. Both areas were pink/lavender. As were the shirts of both coaches, and the lower portions of the Can't warm up jackets. And the numbers on the Zips jerseys. It was just a little strange looking. Maybe it was the arena lighting, the camera may have had the white balance improperly calibrated.

I don't know about pink/lavender. But I do know that Ken.t's court has an extremely yellow hue. Almost like they use shellac on the floor. It's been like that for years. In fact, Ken.t's yellow uni's almost blend into the color of the court like Boise's blue blends into their smurf-turf football field.

[ZipGB8]

Ever since Dambrot took over the team, our entire offense was capable of doing so many things, especially pushing the tempo more and being able to find the open man easier. Dambrot knows how to recruit compared to most coaches in the MAC. I always thought Charlie Coles at Miami was next best over the past 8 years or so. The problem was his system was too conservative and tactic oriented that players took a while to come out of their shells. The score was always low. But he knew how to get guys in all areas and keep it balanced. Dambrot has always recruited on depth instead of 1 or 2 big stars and making the system around them. As long as Dambrot makes sure he fills the holes each year and recruits the guys who are worthy of decent playing time and can be productive in the offense, we should easily be in the top 5 teams in this conference year in and year out.

We have 11 guys deep right now. Ohio has 9, Can't has 9, and thats about it. The rest don't have much bench and are rebuilding a little bit and have to rely on their top players to help them win. Miami, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Ball State, and Buffalo have many underclassmen and are still figuring out where they're at with their rotation. I would even say that Western Michigan and Toledo have good potential with what they have right now and they could top out the MAC West.

Anyway, there was a good stretch of 5 years where we shot in the high 30's from 3 as a team and had at least 1 or 2 guys stroke above 40%. We have Abreu, Walsh, and Gilliam who have potential for those numbers. If they take more of those in the game, like Gilliam did yesterday, things will come around. In those days with Hipsher coaching, we relied too much on someone stepping up to score a lot and trying to win off of that. He also didn't have his players conditioned well enough to help put winning streaks together and match up with the rest of the conference. There weren't too many win streaks except for the 97-98 team, which was the best starting 5 we had under him in my opinion. Fans got tired of seeing too many of those instances where we would win by 15-20 against a good team in the conference and then lose a few games in a row by 10-15 against the worst teams in the conference.

If Akron were to move conferences, the only one that makes sense would be either back to the Atlantic 10 or Conference USA, but those conferences are already way too filled and they need to weed out a little bit. I hate when conferences get more than 12 schools because then it forces more schools to move out because they probably feel like they're being pushed away and then that creates more conference shifting, which leads me to believe more and more schools don't care about tradition as much anymore but just about getting on the radar and getting more money from the NCAA.

[Zipmeister]

I've known Zeke my senior and his freshman year. In all honesty, I didn't even know he was a baller. We used to study together for an Africans studies class we had. I really thought he was a great player and having men like him was great for the University of Akron. I got to gauge his intelligence in cram sessions. Also, he would tell me about his girlfriend that he lived back in Pittsburgh. I really like knowing the guy. Then I found out he was a baller and his stock just rose. Watching home for a time I felt he tripped over his own feet and got pissed off too often. He laughed a few times this game. After seeing that I KNEW Akron was going to win. He bulked up, has confidence and bulked up. If he can stay strong for the season, and hopefully post season, he can actually get his name called in the NBA lottery? Luckily I've always been a New York Giants fan so having Blackburn and Hixon involved in my team always cheers me up. As of now, Chase Blackburn is my favorite New York Giants. Trick question, what does someone call the worst starting lineman in the NFL? You call him a starting NFL linebacker who has two Super Bowl Championships for arguably the most consistent team in the NFL. He'll get his C back soon!

So, yes it's minuscule, but if Zeke, Treadwell or Abrieu ever made it to the Knicks, I would be ecstatic!

Here's the only thing I care about. We aren't again getting an at-large bid for the tournament and the NIT is just kinda sad, so we will win the championships this year and we will make it to the Sweet 16. Want a new stadium, that's how it will happen. Also, we can lesson the use of CJ Thomas Hall. It might have some uses, but a 7,000 seat stadium in addition to our football stadium can bring in major entertainment packages. We can be a venue that's a destination and not just one that if someone is just in the area they'll stop by. Tell me Chrissie Hyndes, LeBron James, Jason Taylor don't have some contact to help us with that.

As far as football, between Bowden and Tressell (once the NCAA clear him), there has to be a future in our program. We have two alums who can show off a couple rings and Jason Taylor to say, we should be able to recruit a respectable level. Of course soccer will be a question without Coach Porter, but we'll still be respectable.

Now the big question, we want out of the MAC, so where do we want to go? The Big East is a shell of what it once was. The Big 10 would be an impossible dream come true. The PAC and WAC stuff will never happen, the sec would be masochastic! I think our best shot would stay MAC and boot out the low RPI guys. With our horrible one loss game to Ohio last year, who went on to the Sweet Sixteen, we should easily be able to get an at large team in the show if we heighten our RPI. Of course our Creighten loss was a kick in the ass with that!

Early nominee for most eclectic post of 2013.

[UAZipster0305]

Also, we can lesson the use of CJ Thomas Hall. It might have some uses, but a 7,000 seat stadium in addition to our football stadium can bring in major entertainment packages. We can be a venue that's a destination and not just one that if someone is just in the area they'll stop by.

I think our best shot would stay MAC and boot out the low RPI guys. With our horrible one loss game to Ohio last year, who went on to the Sweet Sixteen, we should easily be able to get an at large team in the show if we heighten our RPI. Of course our Creighten loss was a kick in the ass with that!

EJ Thomas is a world-class venue for what it is utilized for. Few (if any) schools in the nation have such a facility. Other than graduations, there is no competition between events hosted at EJ and those at a stadium or arena. Can you imagine a rock concert at EJ or a symphony in an arena? I can't either.

The loss to Creighton did not kill our RPI. Granted, that would have been a great win (especially on the road); however, the losses that hurt our at-large chances were those to Coastal Carolina and Detroit. Both were winnable games. Even the game against Oklahoma State was winnable. Bottom line: yes, this team is winning, but it's not doing so by playing beautiful, tournament-caliber basketball (at least not yet), and we've lost a couple games we shouldn't have when we need to be flawless to receive such consideration. If we had won 2 of those 3 games and were playing excellent, fundamental basketball, I'd agree...let's have the at-large conversation (like we do every year). Unfortunately, the team and KD need to have a sense of urgency about the at-large prospects in November rather than January. Why start off the season saying that all that matters is winning the MACC? That's only true if we give away a couple wins in the OOC schedule. Sadly, because of the expectations, that's exactly what happens. This team still has Sweet 16 potential, but at-large resumes are built on results, not potential.

[Quickzips]

After today's MAC games, the Zips and Bobkitties are both 4-0, and the next best conference record is 2-2.

After 4 games of the MAC season any talk that OU and Akron AREN'T the top two teams in the conference should be pretty well laid to rest. To be honest, I'm not even sure who number 3 is, and in any event, whoever it is isn't that close to challenging the Zips or the Bobcats. You could say maybe Can't, but they struggle more at home than a top 3 team should. Maybe Western, but you would really like your number 3 team to at least be able to keep it close against your top 2 teams. If Oldham wasn't injured maybe Buffalo, but without him they are a complete disaster. I would hate to think it is EMU with how god-awful their style of play is, but their results suggest that they should at least be in consideration. I can't in good conscience say Toledo when they won't have an opportunity to show it at the Q.

Anyways, barring any huge disasters for either team there should really only be 3 more conference games that matter. OU@Akron, Akron@OU and Akron/OU @ the Q in March. Other than that everyone else is playing for an opportunity to get knocked out in the conference semifinals and a trip to the CBI.

[Dr Z]

My quick hitters from yesterday:

-One of the better coached games in recent Zips history. Keep it up!

-Zeke comes up big against Ken+....again. I bet Ken+ fans will be glad to see him graduate.

-Ken+ lacks talent compared to recent teams they have had.

-Trap looked MUCH better then the Western game.

-Whatever percent of practice the Zips spend on defense vs offense, I would like to see 10 percent more added to OFFENSE.

-I would like to see Deji pass the ball at least 50 percent of the time he touches the ball.

-Welcome back Chancey. I think this team needs his shooting to succeed late in the season.

-As posted previously in this thread, great to hear Diggs was at the game. A good sign.

-Why on televised games in Portage County, can I hear screaming 13 year old girl(s) every time the Flushes score??? Annoying.

-I hate reading complaints about the refs on ZN, Zips got some calls yesterday. Nothing that changed the outcome.

-Seems like Ken+'s team has less "thugs" on the team. I actually saw some sportsmanship from them.

-I'm hoping an emotional victory like this one will up the focus of the players and staff.

-We need better plays to get Zeke the ball down low in our half court offense.

-Spotted some ZN members court side on the tube.

[Quickzips]

I'll weigh in on the RPI, at-large discussion.

There are two games that are killing the Zips right now. Loss@Coastal Carolina and Loss@Detroit. Without those two losses we would be sitting at 15-2 right now with our only losses coming against teams that have been in the top 25 all season (Creighton) or who have flirted with the top 25 all season (Oklahoma State). Win those two games and we are likely in the low 50's or high 40's in terms of RPI at least and we are legitimately on the bubble for an at-large selection. Then again, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts....

Are the Zips playing their best basketball right now? No. Anyone with two eyes can see that. They have been off from the 3 point line for at least two or three weeks now. Some nagging injuries have made it hard for certain guys to get into a rythm. And quite frankly, they have seemed indifferent through a lot of these games. Despite that, we've won 9 in a row and now have a two game lead on everyone in the conference other than Ohio. This only 4 games into the season. I think it is safe at this point to say that we all expect at least a top 2 seed in the conference tournament and a 7th straight appearance in the MAC finals.

I do agree that one of the bigger problems overall right now for the Zips is the quality of the rest of the conference. The MAC is just simply not a very good basketball conference, and hasn't been for quite some time. Heck, most years we struggle to be an average baskeball conference. I know I made this point earlier in the week in regards to the CMU/EMU game, but I'll make it again here. The MAC has to stop rewarding teams that play ugly basketball and are only hoping to make it to .500 on the season. There is absolutely no reason for the MAC broadcast package to ever include EMU, CMU, NIU, Ball State or Bowling Green. Their athletic departments have consistently demonstrated that they could care less about putting together a competitive, entertaining basketball team. I do like what the MAC has started to do with implementing the new scheduling standards, but I think it needs to go further than that. If you want a slice of the conference revenues, and you want to see your team on TV you should have to meet certain minimum standards for RPI, Strength of Schedule, Scoring Average, Attendance, etc., etc. It is well past time to stop playing this little league game of everyone is a winner regardless of if you score 18 runs or you stand out in the outfield and pick your nose all game. This is DI athletics. If you aren't trying to put together a competitive squad that can win games, you don't get rewarded with a participation ribbon.

Alternatively, if the MAC doesn't start to step it up the Zips need to start looking for a new conference for the hoops squad. Maybe the A-10? I'm not sure if the Catholic 7 would be interested in taking on a few more good programs that are stuck in bad conferences with the objective of getting to a 10 or 12 team league, but maybe that is a possibility. I don't know for sure what the answer is, but at the end of the day, something has to change.

[Dave in Green]

The Zips 3-point shooting percentage is off from previous seasons, when they were above average. Their current 34.1% is just slightly above the national average (#157 out of 347 teams). A number of Top 25 teams have worse 3-point percentages than the Zips, including Louisville, Syracuse, San Diego State, Missouri, Michigan State, etc. So you don't necessarily need great 3-point shooting to be a highly ranked team as long as you have a strong inside game to compensate.

[tpsjugglerdude]

It's always great to come out of Can't with a win. Lots of complaining about the refs from both sides, but overall I think they evened themselves out. I think part of the awful foul shooting had to be attributed to the stupid balloons they passed out to their student section. If John Groce were here he would be stomping his feet and crying about them to the ref. Congrats to Zeke on becoming the all-time leader in blocks. That take down on the last play of the game look like it hurt pretty bad, I hope he is ok.

Everyone keeps saying the Detroit loss was a bad loss. I disagree, yes it would have been nice to have beaten them, but they are a top 100 team in the RPI. They are sitting at 12-7 and should easily get to 20 wins in the Horizon league. It's not like this is a team in the 200s of the RPI (like Coastal).