1-8-2016 vs. Western Michigan

[LZIp]

Antino is effective because he isn't timid or hesitant to take over. I think once he starts second guessing and passing up shots we lose a lot of his upside.. Basically, deal with his shots not falling because soon enough they're going to start to fall and there won't be much a defender can do about it.

Well said. He will probably never be a very efficient player consistently, but its worth dealing with when he takes over a game like he is capable of.

[dirtyolcrowe]

The Zips are an eleven and a half point favorite.

she can eat my cupcake anytime

[GJGood]

Potato Photos Tonight

Where will they be keeping the trophy when it is not being brought out for basketball games? Will it be in a display case somewhere? I had actually hoped to see the Tater Trophy when I was in town and attended the South Carolina State game.

Edited January 8, 2016 by GJGood

[K92]

One thing you can count on from Western. . . ugly white guys.

[ace]

One thing you can count on from Western. . . ugly white guys.

Amen

[RowdyZip]

Zips had 23 points at the 11 min mark. 27 now with 2 min to go in the half...

[mes102]

So many offensive boards given up..need to fix that if we're going to win or even pull away from this game.

[mes102]

Nice back to back 3's by Kretzer to get some momentum into half. Now get a defensive rebound!!!!!

[zippy5]

Buffalo up late at Can't

[mes102]

Definitely a lot to still work on defensively. I think we'll be fine offensively. We get in these droughts when our defense isn't in sync.

[zippy5]

Ugly game outside the first ten minutes. Blocking out has been optional

[RowdyZip]

Western has to be approaching 20 offensive boards. Atrocious.

[phil]

We look very slow on the offensive boards. Antino scores and then gets beat on the other end. It has happened twice this game. When we are not hitting the 3 ball we are struggling. Josh Williams and Antino are getting not strong enough under the boards. KD should play Jimond more as he is a strong rebounder.

[mes102]

WMU is winning the boards, 47-32...We've given up 22 offensive rebounds(17 pts off of them).

[RowdyZip]

Tell me about Vegas again? Zips up 11 after Kwan's 3. Insane.

[The Hip Zip]

Normally not one to get on the officials but these 3 were really, really bad tonight. They were as bad as we were on the boards.

[phil]

We shot the ball poorly, only 34% overall and 31% from the 3 line, got killed on the offensive boards, 24 to 11, and shot poorly from the line, 55% and still won by 9 points. This team can play a lot better. When their guards are able to penetrate, even if they miss, it opens up offensive rebounding opportunities. The one stat that has been consistent is that we are not turning over the ball and had only 8 turnovers tonight. I cannot remember a Zip team that has been this good with the ball. Our guards and forwards have to keep their men in front of them and box out and rebound. A good win for the Zips!!

[LoyalZIP]

Interesting that WMU killed both Akron and Can't on the boards but lost both

Edited January 9, 2016 by LoyalZIP

[zipsrule]

Not very pretty, but I'll take the win. We didn't shoot well and we allowed a ton of offensive rebounds, but we still won by 9.

[skip-zip]

I mentioned it earlier before the game. We somehow are having trouble pulling away from anyone. That trend needs to change. Although, Keith really gave Western credit for defending us well.

But beyond that, giving up 24 ORBs is unfathomable, and completely ridiculous. You can't do that and win. We're very fortunate. We ended up having to grind out a win in a game where it appeared that we were clearly the superior team.

[ZachTheZip]

Sometimes I wonder if the players let the pressure of a win streak get to them. The longer it goes, the worse it gets, and this was a big one with getting to double digits and being on ESPNU (I bet ESPN regrets the decision to air that disaster).

Usually, we choke when it comes to national TV games.

[wadszip]

I'm done trying to figure this team out, and I say that as a positive. They are so deep that they can be helter skelter and still beat the teams they should, even if it isn't pretty.

Case in point, I was just talking about how Kwan deserves the green light on open threes (as long as they are good shots). He did that tonight, but had his worst shooting night from 3 since the GB game. Go figure.

I also said Antino has to calm down his early trigger, and while he played the same way he has all year, it was arguably his best game of the year. The guy hits big shots, so we'll just have to live with the selection. Not saying he's in the same overall realm, but Antino has a bit of Allen Iverson in him. His percentage may not be good, but when you look at the shots he does hit, they seem to come at big points of games. And every once in a while, he will simply win you a game.

And I was talking up Big Dog as a potential NBA player due to his touch around the rim and his ability to create offense out of the low post. And he goes on for his worst game in a month.

Then Jake and Reggie seem to be trading off big games. Tonight, it was Jake and Reggie was basically non-existent... But there have been games where it is the opposite.

All that and we're picking apart a 9 point win. That alone shows how good this team is. And Im not worried about being killed on the glass. That's an aberration. The shooting again was head scratching, but this team continues to get good looks, they are just in a "team" slump. Luckily, a guy or two has been able to get hot and it hasn't cost a win.

Even the perimeter defense, which is easily the team's biggest weakness wasn't bad tonight. Wilder just simply hit some tough shots and WMU was in the right place at the right time on about half their 24 offensive rebounds.

The MAC is good enough, where this team simply won't go 18-0. In fact, I see 14-4 being an optimistic, but reasonable, expectation. But with that said, this team easily has the highest upside of any Akron team I've seen.

I'll put it like this. For the talent they have, so far this year, they have played at about a 5 or 6 level (out of 10) overall, and are still 13-2. If they can kick that up to a 7 or 8, this is a very dangerous team at a national level. If they can put some 9 or 10s together, there is no doubt in my mind that they could beat any team in the country on a given day.

It's been frustrating in that they haven't blown out some teams they should have, especially at home, but still it's been fun ride when seeing the best start in school history and adding in the unrealized potential this team has.

[pdt1420]

I'm worried about the defensive rebounding. They don't seem to leave their feet and attack the rebounds, instead I see a lot of reaching, sometimes with one hand like they're trying to tip it to themselves.

I'm also going to miss Jake when he's done. So much hustle, does so many little things, and will absolutely kill you if you leave him open in the corner.

[skip-zip]

wadszip....did you just say that our perimeter defense is "easily our biggest weakness"? Are you aware that we are something like 3rd in the nation in guarding the 3-point line?

Keith actually addressed this last night. He said our success in this area might be because we have so many good 3-point shooters on this team, and we spend so much time in practice guarding each other on the 3 line. He might be right.

[Zipgrad01]

wadszip....did you just say that our perimeter defense is "easily our biggest weakness"? Are you aware that we are something like 3rd in the nation in guarding the 3-point line?

Keith actually addressed this last night. He said our success in this area might be because we have so many good 3-point shooters on this team, and we spend so much time in practice guarding each other on the 3 line. He might be right.

Statistics should be a guide, not an absolute measure. He is correct that our perimeter defense is our biggest weakness. Nobody needs to shoot 3's on us because everyone gets to the rim at ease. Why shoot the 3 when you can get layups?

After last night, rebounding is gaining ground quickly.