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Akron @ EMU 2-14-15


cjapsu

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Sorry if this is started a few days early but just noticing that EMU is 13-1 at home this year with that lone loss coming in OT to Ball State to open the season. Normally I'd just say "who cares" but considering EMU knocked off Michigan earlier in the year and absolutely blew the doors off of a schizophrenic OU on their home court last month, do we need to be worried about another West division road trip game like the NIU one?

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In a word: YES

There are no gimmes on the road. EMU's zone can be tough, If the Zips are having one of those days from the field and the stripe they will be in danger. IMO, Eastern is probably the biggest under achiever in the conference. I expected much more from them. Still, they will be a tough out at home in front of their 247 rabid fans. I think that the Zips will probably be favored but not by more than 3 or so. I expect nothing less than a tough game that goes down to the final minutes.

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EMU is a problem due to their uncommon 2-3 zone. But their 13-1 home record is deceiving. Of the 14 teams they've played at home, 4 were not D-I. The 10 D-I teams they've played in Ypsilanti had an average RPI of about #250. Their best home win is by 6 over a WMU team crippled by the loss of starting senior PG Austin Richie. EMU plays the 2-3 zone with the intensity of a man defense or even a press. Their players are all quick and follow the ball like a swarm of bees whose hive is under attack. They defend both the inside and outside uncommonly well.

Good ball movement with multiple quick passes will be critical to finding Zips players with enough of an opening to quickly get off shots before the swarm arrives. Pat and Big Dog will be especially vulnerable to getting swarmed if they hesitate before shooting or passing. The Zips beat EMU in Ypsilanti and at the JAR last season. On their floor, Jake hit 7-12 3-pointers and Carmelo had 8 (!) assists. The Zips are stronger this season at PG but may need a player or two to get hot from behind the arc. This will be a big test for our freshmen. They need to study EMU game tape and take this game as seriously as if it were UB or UT, not NIU.

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"Their players are all quick and follow the ball like a swarm of bees whose hive is under attack."

That was excellent writing right there.

I was thinking perhaps more in the terms of..... a school of five famished great whites pursuing the ball as if it were a chubby baby seal.

I like your version better though, it truly really paints a terrifying picture,

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Thanks, THZ. I've been meaning to tell you how much I appreciate your more active participation on the forum this season as you bring a wealth of knowledge about college basketball. Since you don't participate as much in the football discussions, I assume you're like me in terms of being more interested in basketball than football. The priority on ZN.o has always been biased in favor of football, so I guess that puts folks like us in the minority.

But I'm really impressed with the rising level of interest in the basketball forum. We have a lot of new posters here bringing different viewpoints, and I think that's really healthy for the overall conversation compared with the past when the same forum members were presenting the same repetitious viewpoints. We Zips basketball fans are really fortunate to have a program that's been in the mix for the MAC championship every season for the past decade. We're also fortunate to have a great place like ZN.o to carry on our discussions. Life is good.

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  On 2/13/2015 at 11:52 PM, RowdyZip said:

Zips open as 1.5 point dogs. Biggest challenge tomorrow afternoon is playing to the beautiful yet empty EMU convo.

I'm firmly in the camp that longs for a new arena. But the beautiful EMU Convocation Center can be put alongside UA's beautiful InfoCision Stadium as proof that you need more than a nice facility to draw a crowd.

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  On 2/14/2015 at 7:04 PM, The Hip Zip said:

No go... Frenchy it is

Over and under on times he utters " are you kidding me" or any variation thereof has been set at 3

Place your bets

I'll take over and guess around 5 times. With Deji out, I see more opportunities for Frenchy to get frustrated.

Hip Zip, you could create a drinking game based on the "Frenchyisms".

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