VCU Vs. Akron

[Dave in Green]

Good thing I like driving at night, and have made the trip from Akron to Detroit and back more than 300 times over the years.

[akzipper]

9:45 or 30 minutes after the Michigan game, according to ESPN.com

Lundquist/Raftery/Nichols carrying the game on CBS. Solid placement if you ask me. Nichols isn't as annoying anymore since she isn't talking about the Miami Heat 99% of the time.

[Let'sGoZips94]

My dad and I just bought 3 tickets from TicketMaster.

Session 2-only tix can be had here.

[GoZips88]

Good thing I like driving at night, and have made the trip from Akron to Detroit and back more than 300 times over the years.

Love night driving and will enjoy the 3-day work week - Thursday and Friday vacation days and attending Zips dance party in person - yes!

[w00t]

Wow, I would have picked just about anyone else for this matchup... not because I think it's unfavorable necessarily, but because VCU is a team I cheer for when they aren't playing UA. VCU being an overachieving "mid-major" with family ties to UA... what's not to like? I also think it's great that they have a classy fan who posts here often and genuinely hopes for the good fortune of the Zips when they aren't playing his team (Districtballer). We couldn't have gotten Wisconsin, UNLV, or a rematch with Okie St.? Ugh.

Obviously we're not favored to win, but I don't quite understand all of the doom and gloom. We're well coached, fearless, and familiar with our opponent. We counter the strength of their pressure defense with superior size and our athleticism should be roughly on par with theirs. If we manage to keep them in a half court game (no small task of course) it shifts into our favor... our half court defense is capable of shutting any team down and we should enjoy a significant rebounding margin.

Plus how great it is that we got sent to Auburn Hills and not San Jose! Anyone who wants to can get up and back in a day... hopefully we make the drive twice!

[akzipper]

Plus how great it is that we got sent to Auburn Hills and not San Jose! Anyone who wants to can get up and back in a day... hopefully we make the drive twice!

I think the location and drive is just about perfect for Zips fans. Maybe it's too late in the evening, but I think regardless fans would have to take a day off work. We definitely have the location advantage for once, but I still say VCU is way too tough.

[phil]

I just bought my tickets from ticketmaster. I just read AD comment about tickets and doesn't look like there will be many left for the fans. Ticketmaster has only upper corner tickets left. However, I believe that some Michigan fans may leave after their game and maybe can move to better seats. Stubhub had better seats but over $100.

[johnnyzip84]

Been trying to think of a catchy phrase for the Zips play of late to couple with VCU's reputation. How about this?

Havoc vs Tree-nacity?

[OZoner]

Don't sleep on Nate Wolters, DB.

Most of us know you lived there previously Dave, but I don't believe most UM fans care one way or another about the Ohio MAC schools. The majority will simply look at an upset as a way to avoid a perceived bigger hurdle in VCU.

I went to Michigan for the NCAA volleyball tournament a few years back. They seemed unable to differentiate Ohio schools from Ohio State. Their antics last year reinforced that.

[GP1]

I saw VCU play UNCC this year in person. They have a great perimeter defense and the Zips guards need to be ready to play 40 minutes of intense basketball.

The A10 is a very good conference. It is one I think the Zips could compete well in. We'll find out how well this Thursday.

Congrats to the fans who get an easy trip to Auburn Hills. Very nice area.

Go Zips!

[skip-zip]

I like that we got a winnable matchup. I just don't like that VCUs style of play will expose our thinnest position right now. And it didn't help when I realized that they forced us into 20 turnovers at our place last year.

[GP1]

I like that we got a winnable matchup. I just don't like that VCUs style of play will expose our thinnest position right now. And it didn't help when I realized that they forced us into 20 turnovers at our place last year.

Good post Skip. The part of their defense that impressed me the most was the half court perimeter defense they played against UNCC. Their pressure kept the ball far from the basket and didn't allow easy post entry passes at all. They absolutely controlled the tempo and execution of UNCC's offense. UNCC currently has better guards than what the Zips have. Our guards really need to be a the top of their game this Thursday and limit turnovers.

This is absolutely a winnable game for the Zips. A 12 beating a 5 is not unusual. I would go as far as to say this is the most important game in the history of the MBB program.

[Blue & Gold]

I like the matchup.

They beat us by 1 in overtime last year; both Zeke and Tree are much better than they were last year.

Also, while Melo is not the playmaker that AA was, Melo is the better ball handler, which might just be what we need. AA often tried to do too much & would get sloppy. CB will simply play within himself.

Harney @ backup PG will be... interesting.

[Districtballer]

They beat us by 1 in overtime last year; both Zeke and Tree are much better than they were last year.

That goes both ways. We didn't get a 5-seed for no reason.

Briante Weber and Treveon Graham were both freshmen last year. One is the Atlantic 10 Defensive POY and the other is our leading scorer and a 2nd-teamer in a 5-bid conference.

VCU leads the country in steals and forced turnovers. VCU fans like the matchup without Abreu in there too.

It'll be an interesting game. I still hate it, but there are reasons to believe both teams could win.

[originalrowdy]

The best type of team to handle the havoc defense--which tires, confuses, and frustrates opponents--is one with a deep bench. The substitutions can get frustrated and tired players off the floor. Akron's size advantage will be a further barrier to VCU's FC press and will tire them out. I really like this matchup.

[MontrealExposloveZippy]

VCU seems very confident in beating us...I've been reading through their board and they are definitely looking way past us...except DistrictBaller

[MontrealExposloveZippy]

In order for us to beat HAVOC, we need to shut them down defensively, so they never have a chance to set up the full court press, which I think is possible... just look at the 2nd half of the OU Championship game. I also hope Harney is not playing point because he will be a turnover machine

[Districtballer]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/sports/colleg...d1c8dd33cb.html

Watch the video. You can see how tough this is for Shaka to have to face Akron on a personal level. It's very clear.

[originalrowdy]

I'm seeing VCU -7 right now, a spread I'd definitely take us in. Surprised it's that large, my fandom must be blinding me!

[akzipper]

Someone just called Baskin & Phelps, on TheFan in Cleveland. Now this might be hard to believe, but he actually said Can't State should have gotten an at-large bid. Wow I thought it was bad OhioU fans wanted an at-large.

[Zipgrad01]

In order for us to beat HAVOC, we need to shut them down defensively, so they never have a chance to set up the full court press, which I think is possible... just look at the 2nd half of the OU Championship game. I also hope Harney is not playing point because he will be a turnover machine

You are exactly right and this is why I am confident that we can win. Akron has been playing some tremendous defense lately. The PG combo of Harney and Betencourt is a huge step on on D from Abreu and the addition of a healthy Chauncy has even ticked that up another level. Chauncey is flat getting after it on defense.

We have a large size advantage, so the keys for us are playing great D, which keeps them out of their press and dominating the interior on offense. VCU struggles in their half court defense and there is no way that they want to have to guard Zeke and Tree pounding away on the inside for 40 minutes.

However, if our defense has a let up and VCU is scoring, we could be in trouble because that press is nasty.

[MDZip]

My dad and I just bought 3 tickets from TicketMaster.

Session 2-only tix can be had here.

I taked to some folks this morning about the tickets distribution and was told there are only around around 500 available for the Akron fans and of course highest priority will go to the biggest donors. Just to be safe I bought a few of Ticketmaster. There are not many left on there, only the end court seats up high but at least it gets you in the building. I figure if I do get Zips tickets I will just put these on StubHub at face value since it looks like it might sell out since Michigan is in our group. Just wanted to give Zips fans a heads up.

[MDZip]

Been trying to think of a catchy phrase for the Zips play of late to couple with VCU's reputation. How about this?

Havoc vs Tree-nacity?

Intensi-Tree?

[LZIp]

How in the hell are there only going to be 500 available for Akron fans? What a joke.

[Dave in Green]

..... VCU leads the country in steals and forced turnovers. .....

Well, you forced me to go look at the stats, which I really hate to do. VCU easily leads the country in steals per game at 11.8. OU, who the Zips beat three times this season, is #10 at 9.2. Interestingly, #3 in the country is Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 9.9. VCU also leads the country in forced turnovers at 19.9 per game, while OU is #5 at 17.6 and UAPB is #23 at 16.2. So the UAPB game helped prepare the Zips for OU, and the three OU games offer at least some lessons for the Zips on how to protect the ball against a national leader in steals and forced turnovers, with the understanding that VCU is a much better overall team with a different style of forcing turnovers.

Against UAPB, the Zips committed 25 turnovers and had the ball stolen 18 times. But the Zips were so dominant in other areas that they were playing a little carelessly and still won, 76-46. Obviously VCU is a much, much better team than UAPB, and the Zips will not be able to win by even 1 point if they commit 25 turnovers and allow 18 steals no matter how well they execute the rest of their game. But it does show that there was some wisdom in scheduling UAPB to get some experience against defenses that get lots of steals and force lots of turnovers.

The three OU games are more interesting. In the first OU game at the JAR, the Zips had 12 turnovers, gave up 8 steals and won by 14 points. In the OT game in Athens, the Zips had 13 turnovers and gave up 5 steals in 45 minutes and won by 7. In the MAC tournament championship game against OU, playing without Abreu at the point, the Zips had 14 turnovers and gave up 6 steals -- virtually the same as in the first two OU games with Abreu -- and won by 19. So in all three games against OU, the Zips had the ball stolen and gave up forced turnovers at a much lower rate than OU's average. But the most telling stat is that OU was not able to get any more steals or forced turnovers against the Zips without Abreu playing. That is an impressive stat, and shows that the Zips are fully capable of protecting the ball when they really focus on it.

Again, of course it's understood that VCU is a better team than OU with a different style of forcing turnovers. But it can't be ignored that OU returned all the players who made a Sweet 16 run last year and came one bucket away from beating North Carolina and going to the Elite 8. However much we might dislike the Kitties, they are a dangerous team that wins games with steals and forced turnovers. While VCU's Havoc is impressive, it's not invincible. The Zips are capable of doing a reasonably good job of protecting the ball if they execute to the best of their abilities. This team wants to be remembered as the best in Zips history, and they know that the only way to do that is to beat VCU. They will be ready.