Looking forward to March

[odhgibo]

I just read the in-game thread and got several good laughs.

Had to work late. Started listening when McAdams' 3 got it to 34-22. Listened to the remainder of the first half, then was able to watch the 2nd half and OT (in between helping kids w/ homework). Best TV I've seen in months!

Kretzer was insanely en fuego. What a night to have a perfect shooting night.

Are the players discouraged from blocking out? OU players actually were getting open runs from the top of the key on a regular basis.

Yes, Boroski appeared to miss the ball hitting the OU player's head, but wasn't that offset by the phantom ball-on-the-line call by McJunkins at the other end? Yes, Keely was able to get a weak #5 on Zeke, but Deji somehow avoided a call on the Cooper chuck-and-pray. The traveling calls that some complained about couldn't help but be called after the preceding contact was ignored, but I think the OU fans probably thought that many calls were missed during the big 2nd half run. The upshot is that complaining about calls on an ad hoc basis is pointless.

I agree with one posting about Saturday being a trap game. Buffalo lost in OT and needs to win to stay in the hunt for a 3 or 4 seed and get a bye. However, if the Zips can beat UB, the final two home games should be VERY fun.

[LZIp]

I would agree the reffing was probably bad all around tonight. What do you expect out of MAC refs?

However, as for the on-the-line call, it was close. But what difference does it make? After he "saved" it, it went out of bound off of his teammate anyways.

[Sergeant Zip]

Zac Jackson and George Thomas had good recaps.

[Dr Z]

I agree with one posting about Saturday being a trap game.

Trap shmap. UB is terrible, POUND them.

[djcoop5]

Have to give you guys a ton of credit. Looked like Ohio was going to run away with this one easily. You guys came back in the 2nd half on fire. Knew you guys were loaded, but I am really impressed with your freshman, minus Forsythe. For those who made the drive down, more credit to you. Hopefully, you were treated well and enjoyed the atmosphere as much as I did. Last night was BIG-time college basketball at its finest. Congrats on the win(s) and I hope it continues until we meet again in March!

See you in Cleveland!

[odhgibo]

Zac Jackson and George Thomas had good recaps.

From Eamonn Brennan (full blurb here) - "This is a team I want to see in the Dance -- and probably one many coaches don’t. Akron can win games in mid-March."

[ksu sucks]

Have to give you guys a ton of credit. Looked like Ohio was going to run away with this one easily. You guys came back in the 2nd half on fire. Knew you guys were loaded, but I am really impressed with your freshman, minus Forsythe. For those who made the drive down, more credit to you. Hopefully, you were treated well and enjoyed the atmosphere as much as I did. Last night was BIG-time college basketball at its finest. Congrats on the win(s) and I hope it continues until we meet again in March!

See you in Cleveland!

If this is for real..then that is so cool.

[akzipper]

I would agree the reffing was probably bad all around tonight. What do you expect out of MAC refs?

However, as for the on-the-line call, it was close. But what difference does it make? After he "saved" it, it went out of bound off of his teammate anyways.

Maybe they are fixing it. Maybe it's all a conspiracy to get 2 teams in the dance? Let Akron win last night, and OhioU win in the championship.

...at least this is what OhioU fans are saying now.

[ksu sucks]

...at least this is what OhioU fans are saying now.

You mean that's what you are saying right now...

[akzipper]

You mean that's what you are saying right now...

I don't think the game was "fixed." It was a typical MAC game with bad calls going both ways.

[zippy5]

Have to give you guys a ton of credit. Looked like Ohio was going to run away with this one easily. You guys came back in the 2nd half on fire. Knew you guys were loaded, but I am really impressed with your freshman, minus Forsythe. For those who made the drive down, more credit to you. Hopefully, you were treated well and enjoyed the atmosphere as much as I did. Last night was BIG-time college basketball at its finest. Congrats on the win(s) and I hope it continues until we meet again in March!

See you in Cleveland!

Minus Forsythe? OU trolls can't get an entire compliment without taking a shot at somebody.

[djcoop5]

Minus Forsythe? OU trolls can't get an entire compliment without taking a shot at somebody.

I'm so sorry. Can't expect me to kiss butt too much can you? In all seriousness though, I hope this rivalry continues for a very long time and we meet in Athens on a Saturday for once.

[Dave in Green]

Forsythe didn't have much chance to show his stuff in Athens. OU fans will discover next season that Zeke's graduation will not leave the Zips weak at the post.

[odhgibo]

Sagarin just updated to reflect last night's games. Zips went up ~0.5 pt., OU went down ~0.5. In his system, a 0.5 pt. jump at this stage of the season is big.

Zips now over the 82 point hump, which officially puts them in bubble land. Given the remaining opponents, however, the odds of getting to an 83 rating are not good. (As a point of comparison, Akron at 82.15 is #54 while Butler at 83.18 is #47. Most self-appointed experts have Butler as a lock.)

2-3 weeks ago I said no chance for an at large berth. There's now some chance, depending on how they finish the regular season and play in the MAC tournament semis.

[Dr Z]

Minus Forsythe? OU trolls can't get an entire compliment without taking a shot at somebody.

Honestly, the guys team suffers a huge loss at home, he comes over to the opposing team's forum to post. He or she puts up their opinion, and you attack? PH didn't have a good game last night, coop5 is right. Even if he did, it's just an opinion. That's what ZN is about. I enjoy reading other teams fans opinions on ZN when they have something to add, please don't deter that just because your opinion differs.

[zippy5]

Honestly, the guys team suffers a huge loss at home, he comes over to the opposing team's forum to post. He or she puts up their opinion, and you attack? PH didn't have a good game last night, coop5 is right. Even if he did, it's just an opinion. That's what ZN is about. I enjoy reading other teams fans opinions on ZN when they have something to add, please don't deter that just because your opinion differs.

When they have something to add, definitely. Hasn't really been the case lately. Maybe I took it the wrong way, seemed like a pretty backhanded compliment. I enjoy the opposing fans that keep it classy.

[LZIp]

When they have something to add, definitely. Hasn't really been the case lately. Maybe I took it the wrong way, seemed like a pretty backhanded compliment. I enjoy the opposing fans that keep it classy.

Forysthe didnt look good last night in his limited time. You cant blame an OU fan for the small sample-size he has seen; because it is spot on based on last night's game. We all know PF has a lot of potential.

[Blue & Gold]

Forsythe didn't have much chance to show his stuff in Athens. OU fans will discover next season that Zeke's graduation will not leave the Zips weak at the post.

Agreed. Zeke has really elevated his game this season, so it has not left many minutes for Forsythe. However, though Zeke certainly has a much bigger upside than Forsythe, I believe Forsythe will actually be a better college player than Zeke. IMHO Forsythe is much better as a freshman than Zeke was. Pat's 6'11", muscular & is more aggressive on the offensive end than Zeke has ever been. Also, since Forsythe isn't as concerned about blocking shots, he stays in position for rebounding better than Zeke did during his first 3 years (this year Zeke is blocking shots, rebounding, and not getting into foul trouble - he's truly dominating games, but he didn't do that his first 3 years).

Anyway, Forsythe is going to be a beast.

[djcoop5]

Honestly, the guys team suffers a huge loss at home, he comes over to the opposing team's forum to post. He or she puts up their opinion, and you attack? PH didn't have a good game last night, coop5 is right. Even if he did, it's just an opinion. That's what ZN is about. I enjoy reading other teams fans opinions on ZN when they have something to add, please don't deter that just because your opinion differs.

Amen, brother. One other thought: As far as Zeke's replacement for next year, as an Ohio fan, I'm more worried about Isaiah Johnson. Very jealous that you got him. Next year, we will have a lot of new faces on the team. One of them being Johnson's current HS teammate, DJ Wingfield. I'm sure that will add to the growing rivalry even more.

[Dave in Green]

I agree that Isaiah Johnson is a really promising recruit, and will give the Zips a lot of depth at center. He's having a monster HS senior season. Forsythe has shown brief flashes in his limited minutes to date. OU fans really haven't had a chance yet to see him at his best. A lot of folks are going to be surprised next season when the Zips are built more along Pat's style of center play than Zeke's.

[odhgibo]

I agree that Isaiah Johnson is a really promising recruit, and will give the Zips a lot of depth at center. He's having a monster HS senior season. Forsythe has shown brief flashes in his limited minutes to date. OU fans really haven't had a chance yet to see him at his best. A lot of folks are going to be surprised next season when the Zips are built more along Pat's style of center play than Zeke's.

What do you consider to be his "style of center play"?

[Dave in Green]

We don't completely know Pat's style of play yet, because he hasn't played a lot of minutes and he's been playing in a team designed around Zeke's game. But in HS he was better known for his offense than his defense, just the opposite of Zeke. He blocked a lot of shots, but not as many as Zeke. He grabbed more rebounds and he scored a lot more points than Zeke. He could score from both the inside and outside. Some of the forum members who watched him play in HS could add more to my basic description.

Anyone who's watched Pat in practice and warmups knows that he's comfortable nailing 3s from the corner like a shooting forward. So he's likely a better inside-outside offensive player than Zeke. At times on offense the Zips could send him into the corner to pull the opposing center out and let Tree and Harney cover the boards. Pat will want to be more active and engaged in the Zips' offense than Zeke was in the beginning. He will be looking for the shot more often than Zeke, but will look for the open man if he's covered. He has good lateral movement like Zeke, but has quicker feet. The coaching staff will get more familiar with Pat's game after this season and rebuild the team around him.

[akronzips71]

We don't completely know Pat's style of play yet, because he hasn't played a lot of minutes and he's been playing in a team designed around Zeke's game. But in HS he was better known for his offense than his defense, just the opposite of Zeke. He blocked a lot of shots, but not as many as Zeke. He grabbed more rebounds and he scored a lot more points than Zeke. He could score from both the inside and outside. Some of the forum members who watched him play in HS could add more to my basic description.

Anyone who's watched Pat in practice and warmups knows that he's comfortable nailing 3s from the corner like a shooting forward. So he's likely a better inside-outside offensive player than Zeke. At times on offense the Zips could send him into the corner to pull the opposing center out and let Tree and Harney cover the boards. Pat will want to be more active and engaged in the Zips' offense than Zeke was in the beginning. He will be looking for the shot more often than Zeke, but will look for the open man if he's covered. He has good lateral movement like Zeke, but has quicker feet. The coaching staff will get more familiar with Pat's game after this season and rebuild the team around him.

I have to agree. Pat gets caught flat footed on defense because he can not play Zekes game - guard at the three point line and somehow get back and block a shot in the paint. Zeke is very long and exceptional, there are very few players who can do that.

Next year the offensive schemes and defenses will be different, in respect to 6'11" Pat F in the middle, rather than Zeke. There year he was trying to be the substitute Zeke, and he can't do that. He has to be Pat F.

[odhgibo]

The coaching staff will get more familiar with Pat's game after this season and rebuild the team around him.

I don't think the O will be built for or around Pat. My suspicion is that he'll be asked to be the garbage man next year, with most of the offense coming from the 1-4 positions. He might get some pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop opportunities, but much of his time will be spent crashing the boards after setting a ball screen.

Even if they do more high-low post (which I'd love to see, btw, particularly with Harney down low), I think PF will be the high post passer more the low post receiver.

It's not that I don't think he is or will be a good offensive center, just that Alex, Nyles, Nick, Jake, Reggie, and hopefully Q will have the ball 90%+ of the time, with Tree getting numerous touches as well.

Not trying to be contrarian, just giving an opinion.

[Blue & Gold]

Amen, brother. One other thought: As far as Zeke's replacement for next year, as an Ohio fan, I'm more worried about Isaiah Johnson. Very jealous that you got him. Next year, we will have a lot of new faces on the team. One of them being Johnson's current HS teammate, DJ Wingfield. I'm sure that will add to the growing rivalry even more.

DJ Wingfield is a stud. At least by looking at his stats he is. I wish I could find more information on Isaiah Johnson. He's definitely huge, but have you seen him play? If so, what are his strengths & weaknesses?