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Zips vs Buffalo 3-14-15 (MAC Tourney Rnd 4)


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Should be a good game, the only team that the Zips don't match up well against is Toledo, so I'm really rooting for CMU tonight as well. Both Buffalo games were close contests, my only concern is how tired the Zips might be. Great run in this one. After having never even made the semifinals in MAC tournament history before this long run of dominance, the Zips have now made at least the semifinal every year in the last ten years. Last time they didn't make it at least this far was in the 2005 MAC tournament. We're pretty spoiled. Edited - since I seemed to have touched a nerve with my verb choice, I will amend it to say we're lucky that we've been treated to a long run of success, especially knowing it doesn't happen all of the time as we know from being Zips fans in the past. I'll still bet every other fan base in the league would be happy to trade places over the last ten years with us, just as I'm sure we'd have been happy to trade for the best team in the leagues experience prior to that. Of course part of reveling in the good times is the sticking through the hard times.

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We're pretty spoiled.

I contend we're "fortunate."

Ohio State fans are spoiled. Kentucky fans are spoiled.

Zips fans are hardscrabble motherf*ckers that deserve something special like what this basketball team is providing.

I sat through a decade-and-a-half worth of Coleman Crawford and Dan Hipsher...seeing great basketball seasons implode as knees get blown out... players punching coaches... opponents banking-in dream-killing, 3-point buzzer-beaters... Five Pound Friday.... MAC POTY candidates prematurely leaving the program under often program-embarrassing circumstances...VCU...and the list could go on.

In this week alone, I've driven 30 minutes back and forth to support the team in Akron, and 50 minutes back and forth, twice, to support them in Cleveland, getting home with my son after midnight during the week, all in support of the Zips.

There's few things that irk me more than when someone calls me, or any other Zips fan "spoiled." We're fortunate to have the run we've experienced over the past 11 years, but we are not spoiled. We paid a lot of dues along the way, and deserve whatever thrills, fun, and satisfaction we experience in supporting the team.

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One of the keys to the game last night was getting Can't in team foul trouble. Tonight, we should be getting the ball into Pat and Big Dog and let them work on Justin Moss. If he gets in foul trouble, Moss will either be on the bench or playing soft D. Without him, the Bulls are not as good as Can't and we should win. If Moss scores 24+ though, we are in trouble.

Not turning the ball over and shooting better will help too. I wonder if last night's shooting woes were attributable to Can't's good D, tired legs, or both.

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One of the keys to the game last night was getting Can't in team foul trouble. Tonight,, we should be getting the ball into Pat and Big Dog and let them work on Justin Moss. If he gets in foul trouble, Moss will either be on the bench or playing soft D. Without him, the Bulls are not as good as Can't and we should win. If Moss scores 24+ though, we are in trouble.

Not turning the ball over and shooting better will help too. I wonder if last night's shooting woes were attributable to Can't's good D, tired legs, or both.

Reminded me of Zeke vs Justin Greene.. Seemed like Zeke fouled him out or got him in trouble early every time. They can't stop you down low when they're playing timid.

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All week, I felt like we would get 2 wins, and had a chance to get 3, but I have been referring to this Buffalo game as the "Brick Wall" of this tournament.

Lets hope that my Game 4 vision is a serious miscalculation. I just have no idea how we'll get this done tonight. I'm just happy to be spending another Friday in Cleveland partying in March.

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All week, I felt like we would get 2 wins, and had a chance to get 3, but I have been referring to this Buffalo game as the "Brick Wall" of this tournament.

Lets hope that my Game 4 vision is a serious miscalculation. I just have no idea how we'll get this done tonight. I'm just happy to be spending another Friday in Cleveland partying in March.

You get it done by controlling and limiting Moss. As Moss goes, so go the Bulls.

Will Buffalo be one of the teams that I've been predicting will come out flat? They haven't played in a week.

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I think it was to our advantage to see Ken+ defend the perimeter so vehemently last night and still come away with a win. Hurly and some of his players sat next to me studying the outcome. He sat very quietly (ironic right). I kept looking over trying to think what he thought. I wonder how he will defend after watching last night.

PS I briefly spoke with him and his first response was respect for Akron's team.

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Good news is that Pat is more rested than anybody from Buffalo, and he seems to be getting back into form. We'll need him, especially if Buffalo decides to go all in on perimeter defense and with Moss guarding the rim. Dambrot mentioned on the radio after last night's game that the biggest concerns for rest were Antino and Kwan.

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This team has exceeded just about all of my expectations. We've become a very mentally tough group as it would have been pretty easy to quit last night Knowing that I may be tagged as easy to please I'd say that anything from here out is gravy for me. Don't get me wrong, I still have an eye on the prize, but I'll call this a pretty darn successful season regardless of what happens tonight.

I'd sure still love to be the guys who send that little weenie Hurley packing though........

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Even if the Zips are not as good as we hoped going in (avg & injuries), they can now start to believe in themselves and make a run...winning the MAC this yr would be an accomplishment....lets hope they put it together

Make a run? It's already a run, we just want it to be longer. :cheers:

You know, there aren't many advantages to playing this many games and playing rested teams. But, we've been shooting on these baskets for two nights already. It's very awkward to be shooting at baskets that sit in the middle of a large, cavernous arena. That's an advantage that hopefully can pay off for us tonight.

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Make a run? It's already a run, we just want it to be longer. :cheers:

You know, there aren't many advantages to playing this many games and playing rested teams. But, we've been shooting on these baskets for two nights already. It's very awkward to be shooting at baskets that sit in the middle of a large, cavernous arena. That's an advantage that hopefully can pay off for us tonight.

I played at the Q once. The depth perception of 5k seats behind a hoop compared to the HS walls I was used to is tough. But I'm assuming these guys aren't phased by that.

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Being spoiled is having more than others and constantly demanding more without acknowledging appreciation for what we already have. Certainly most Zips fans are not spoiled by the Zips' unmatched consistent success in the conference tournament over the past decade or believe they're somehow entitled to more. Those who've suffered the longest with mediocre results from Zips basketball teams should be the ones who most appreciate what we've got now compared with what we had before.

During last night's Can't game one Zips fan was lamenting that Can't has more athletic wings than the Zips. After the game a Can't fan was lamenting that one of the Zips (presumably unathletic) wings (Reggie) is the best shooter in the MAC. Human nature is to want what someone else has even though what we already have is coveted by others.

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It's very awkward to be shooting at baskets that sit in the middle of a large, cavernous arena. That's an advantage that hopefully can pay off for us tonight.

Buffalo's arena is not large, but it is cavernous. Almost like a converted warehouse. Weird sightlines everywhere.

I think the biggest advantage will be the crowd. Akron will have more fans at the game. And Akron fans are better than most MAC fans at sensing when they need to cheer to rally the team. If you watched yesterday, you saw that Can't fans would only cheer when their team was already doing well, and Akron fans would start cheers when their team looked down and out.

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I played at the Q once. The depth perception of 5k seats behind a hoop compared to the HS walls I was used to is tough. But I'm assuming these guys aren't phased by that.

I never played there, but different gyms create different things in your line of sight. And this is unlike any gym that our conference plays in. I was just stating that there could be some advantage for the team that's been looking at those targets for two nights already.

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"Zips fans are hardscrabble motherf*ckers that deserve something special! CK 2015" T-shirts will be available in the concourse before, during and after the game tonight. Proceeds to benefit ANYTHING but refurbishing the JAR.

A little nervous about how much gas is left in the tank but have really enjoyed and appreciate the effort and determination this week, coaches and players alike. Go Zips!!!

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I think the biggest advantage will be the crowd. Akron will have more fans at the game.

Buffalo will get some fans. But, since it's a Friday evening and not a Saturday championship game, I bet we'll outnumber them 10 to 1

It should be close to a home game for us, but the arena might not be full enough for us to get a JAR-like atmosphere.

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Buffalo will get some fans. But, since it's a Friday evening and not a Saturday championship game, I bet we'll outnumber them 10 to 1

It should be close to a home game for us, but the arena might not be full enough for us to get a JAR-like atmosphere.

It really depends on how tickets are distributed. The past two games, Zips fans might have noticed the group of noisy students and recent alumni that suddenly showed up in the empty corner section next to the two official Zips fan sections. Sharp-eyed fans might have noticed that that group originally was up in the furthest reaches of the arena in an upper corner before both games. This is where the athletics department bought tickets for the AK Rowdies. The furthest possible location, to make the least possible impact. After getting to their seats, and looking down on all the empty sections, they moved down on their own once the ushers stopped guarding the stairways.

If there are more fans at the game, there is less of a chance for some of the loudest Zip fans to sit where anybody can hear them, since there won't be open seats and the Rowdies will have to sit where athletics wants them.

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