2016 Awards Banquet

[kreed5120]

3 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

Actually, I am not even sure if that game is a good example of the types of games we are talking about here.

 

I'm sure when they scheduled that game, they did it to add to their long list of "cupcake games" that they book every year, and they got quite a pleasant surprise.  They surely didn't schedule that to have a semi-competitive contest against a formidable mid-major. 

 

But any fan knows if you play enough cupcake games year over year, you are bound to lose at some point.

[Let'sGoZips94]

What is the University/Athletic Department doing to differentiate themselves from every other Mid-Major that's looking to get to the next level? Why aren't we at the forefront of an All-Ohio tournament? Better yet, why don't we start some sort of MAC vs. A10, Big East, CUSA, or AAC tournament? Using the regular season results, take the top 4 MAC teams from the year before, take take the top 4 teams from an aforementioned conference, create a bracket style tournament with the Championship game being played at the Q or another rotating neutral site (i.e. FedEx Forum if playing against the AAC or CUSA) while every other game is played at the higher seeds' arena. The regular season conference champions would be the #1 seeds on each side of the bracket, guaranteeing at least one home game for each. You could even shrink the "tournament" to feature just 2 teams from each conference (the Conference Tournament Champion and the Regular Season Champion; in event of each champion being the same team, go to the second place finishing team from the regular season).

 

I am sick and tired of hearing about our scheduling revolving around "money" games. 10 straight 21+ win seasons, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances in that stretch, a national ranking at one point, and we act like we are still a small mid-major. If you want to hang your hat on your mediocre (by national standards), quit hiding behind excuses. Stick your neck out there, take the bull by the horns, and control your own destiny.

 

Edit: I want to add that I completely understand the difficulties of scheduling. So many schools nowadays are looking for the easy win instead of earning everything. It's sad and pathetic that nobody wants to play Akron. The point of my post was to merely express some frustration with what appears to be a misdirected scheduling search in my opinion. Just seems like we are dropping the ball when it comes to which teams to target.

 

(Edit cont.) I like the idea of playing at Creighton. That is a solid name and a winnable game. Ty Dalton as a walk-on is an interesting development. I wonder what made him decide to come here to walk-on instead of staying closer to home? I'm excited for next year! Go Zips!

Edited April 11, 2016 by lilroodude
Additional Thoughts

[dirtyolcrowe]

17 minutes ago, lilroodude said:

What is the University/Athletic Department doing to differentiate themselves from every other Mid-Major that's looking to get to the next level? Why aren't we at the forefront of an All-Ohio tournament? Better yet, why don't we start some sort of MAC vs. A10, Big East, CUSA, or AAC tournament? Using the regular season results, take the top 4 MAC teams from the year before, take take the top 4 teams from an aforementioned conference, create a bracket style tournament with the Championship game being played at the Q or another rotating neutral site (i.e. FedEx Forum if playing against the AAC or CUSA) while every other game is played at the higher seeds' arena. The regular season conference champions would be the #1 seeds on each side of the bracket, guaranteeing at least one home game for each. You could even shrink the "tournament" to feature just 2 teams from each conference (the Conference Tournament Champion and the Regular Season Champion; in event of each champion being the same team, go to the second place finishing team from the regular season).

 

I am sick and tired of hearing about our scheduling revolving around "money" games. 10 straight 21+ win seasons, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances in that stretch, a national ranking at one point, and we act like we are still a small mid-major. Stick your neck out there, take the bull by the horns, and control your own destiny.

YEAH!!!!  Akron is a top destination for coaches!!  so........we should have no problem scheduling quailty OCC opponents!   Just heard we signed a 10 year agreement with LIpscomb and South Carolina St. for Men's BB!   Woo Hoo!!!!!!

[skip-zip]

2 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

But any fan knows if you play enough cupcake games year over year, you are bound to lose at some point.

 

Not this fan.  Fortunately, it hasn't happened to us. And it better stay that way. 

 

I remember the OT game against Bethune-Cookman about 5 years ago.  That better be as close as it ever gets. 

[kreed5120]

3 hours ago, skip-zip said:

 

Not this fan.  Fortunately, it hasn't happened to us. And it better stay that way. 

 

I remember the OT game against Bethune-Cookman about 5 years ago.  That better be as close as it ever gets. 

 

We lost to a 17-15 Austin Peay team at the JAR in 2009. I'd say that's a cupcake.

[BirdZip]

Which is more damaging to a team's chances of making the tournament:  a loss to Akron or a win over Coppin State?

[UAZip0510]

Here's what nobody wants to admit - strength of schedule doesn't matter that much in relation to Akron getting an at-large.  How many mid-majors earn at-large bids?  One, maybe two per year?  Wichita State is the only one that comes to mind from this year's tournament, while teams like Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Valparaiso, and many others worthy of being considered were sent to the NIT instead.  And it's only going to get worse now that Syracuse - a team selected as an at-large that did not have the resume of any of the teams I just listed - made a Final Four run.  They'll say the RPI isn't high enough, or there aren't enough Top 50 wins, or they had one too many bad losses.  Playing at Louisville isn't going to change all of that.  

 

Would it help seeding if they get in with an automatic bid?  Maybe.  But I'd counter that by pointing out most had us projected as a #12 or #13 (pretty solid for a mid-major) had we defeated Buffalo.  I don't know how much better they'd get than that, tougher schedule or not.  

 

Could Akron find a few tougher teams to schedule every year?  Probably.  Have they progressively scheduled better and better over time?  Certainly.  In the end, do they pretty much have to win the MAC Tournament to go Dancing?  Unfortunately, yes.  

 

If complaining about the schedule makes you feel better, have at it.  If you want to believe Akron could schedule bigger state schools but chooses not to, feel free.  But no matter which side of the debate you're on, please just realize that whether Akron plays the eventual National Champion (which they did this year) or Marshall in the regular season, they're still going to have to win 3 games at The Q to return to the NCAA Tournament.  

 

 

Edited April 12, 2016 by UAZip0510

[GoZips]

9 hours ago, UAZip0510 said:

Here's what nobody wants to admit - strength of schedule doesn't matter that much in relation to Akron getting an at-large.  How many mid-majors earn at-large bids?  One, maybe two per year?  Wichita State is the only one that comes to mind from this year's tournament, while teams like Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Valparaiso, and many others worthy of being considered were sent to the NIT instead.  And it's only going to get worse now that Syracuse - a team selected as an at-large that did not have the resume of any of the teams I just listed - made a Final Four run.  They'll say the RPI isn't high enough, or there aren't enough Top 50 wins, or they had one too many bad losses.  Playing at Louisville isn't going to change all of that.  

 

Would it help seeding if they get in with an automatic bid?  Maybe.  But I'd counter that by pointing out most had us projected as a #12 or #13 (pretty solid for a mid-major) had we defeated Buffalo.  I don't know how much better they'd get than that, tougher schedule or not.  

 

Could Akron find a few tougher teams to schedule every year?  Probably.  Have they progressively scheduled better and better over time?  Certainly.  In the end, do they pretty much have to win the MAC Tournament to go Dancing?  Unfortunately, yes.  

 

If complaining about the schedule makes you feel better, have at it.  If you want to believe Akron could schedule bigger state schools but chooses not to, feel free.  But no matter which side of the debate you're on, please just realize that whether Akron plays the eventual National Champion (which they did this year) or Marshall in the regular season, they're still going to have to win 3 games at The Q to return to the NCAA Tournament.  

 

 

Well said. You nailed it. Win three at the "Q".

[skip-zip]

9 hours ago, UAZip0510 said:

 Syracuse - a team selected as an at-large that did not have the resume of any of the teams I just listed - made a Final Four run.  

 

I'll agree with you on this point, that this was not a good development for us.  Not only did they get IN, but they got IN with a #10 seed.  And now the Selection Committee can boast that they made the right decision by sneaking another P5 team in there, and possibly use that justification to make a similar decision again next year.

 

This is why I was pulling for teams like Wichita and Gonzaga and even Villanova (yes, another "non P5" also) to make deep runs in the tourney.  Those types of teams performing well is probably the best hope that an Akron, or anyone like Akron has to influence any change in the future of the selection process. 

[Blue & Gold]

10 hours ago, UAZip0510 said:

Here's what nobody wants to admit - strength of schedule doesn't matter that much in relation to Akron getting an at-large.  How many mid-majors earn at-large bids?  One, maybe two per year?  Wichita State is the only one that comes to mind from this year's tournament, while teams like Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Valparaiso, and many others worthy of being considered were sent to the NIT instead.  And it's only going to get worse now that Syracuse - a team selected as an at-large that did not have the resume of any of the teams I just listed - made a Final Four run.  They'll say the RPI isn't high enough, or there aren't enough Top 50 wins, or they had one too many bad losses.  Playing at Louisville isn't going to change all of that.  

 

Would it help seeding if they get in with an automatic bid?  Maybe.  But I'd counter that by pointing out most had us projected as a #12 or #13 (pretty solid for a mid-major) had we defeated Buffalo.  I don't know how much better they'd get than that, tougher schedule or not.  

 

Could Akron find a few tougher teams to schedule every year?  Probably.  Have they progressively scheduled better and better over time?  Certainly.  In the end, do they pretty much have to win the MAC Tournament to go Dancing?  Unfortunately, yes.  

 

If complaining about the schedule makes you feel better, have at it.  If you want to believe Akron could schedule bigger state schools but chooses not to, feel free.  But no matter which side of the debate you're on, please just realize that whether Akron plays the eventual National Champion (which they did this year) or Marshall in the regular season, they're still going to have to win 3 games at The Q to return to the NCAA Tournament.  

 

 

 

Good post.  I absolutely agree that it's nearly impossible for us to get an NCAA at-large bid.

 

However, the primary reason I really want to see us amp up our scheduling is not for a possible at-large bid, but for our local perception.  People in the Akron area still think we're small-time and not worth coming out to see.  I believe we need to do something radical to break that perception.  We need to go on the road and play the big boys in their houses, not worrying about any return game what-so-ever.  We need to not worry much about our 21-game winning streak.  The only time I ever hear it mentioned is when Akron is on t.v. & the announcers are looking for something to talk about.  What are the other schools?  Kansas, Gonzaga, Duke, Ohio State.  They never mention that 21-game win streak when those teams are on t.v. because I don't think anyone really cares.  Recruiting?  We'll still have a good record, even if it's a 19-win season.

[skip-zip]

20 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

However, the primary reason I really want to see us amp up our scheduling is not for a possible at-large bid, but for our local perception.  People in the Akron area still think we're small-time and not worth coming out to see.  I believe we need to do something radical to break that perception.  We need to go on the road and play the big boys in their houses, not worrying about any return game what-so-ever.  We need to not worry much about our 21-game winning streak.  The only time I ever hear it mentioned is when Akron is on t.v. & the announcers are looking for something to talk about.  What are the other schools?  Kansas, Gonzaga, Duke, Ohio State.  They never mention that 21-game win streak when those teams are on t.v. because I don't think anyone really cares.  Recruiting?  We'll still have a good record, even if it's a 19-win season.

 

I applaud you for bringing up the bigger picture.  There are far more opportunities to make an impact than waiting for the NCAA tournament, and we don't do it.  Those who keep touting the "just win 3 games in Cleveland" philosophy fail to realize that this has only given us 3 chances in 10 years. 

 

However, if what we have to market ourselves right now is a long stretch of consistent winning that can only be matched by a few other teams in the country, we BETTER be talking about it as often as we can.  If we didn't, I'd be pissed.  You don't just ignore an accomplishment like that.  That's just common sense marketing. 

[kreed5120]

I agree with much of what has been said, but I'd like to add playing Bethune-Cookman or South Carolina State doesn't prep us well for when it comes time to play a VCU, Notre Dame, or Gonzaga at tournament time. The Zips aren't accustomed to playing against opponents that have big, fast, strong, and highly skilled players. Sure a MAC team might have a few of those guys on the roster, but they don't have a roster full of them. It's easy to see why the Zips have been overwhelmed at the big stage.

Edited April 12, 2016 by kreed5120

[zippy5]

13 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I agree with much of what has been said, but I'd like to add playing Bethune-Cookman or South Carolina State doesn't prep us well for when it comes time to play a VCU, Notre Dame, or Gonzaga at tournament time. The Zips aren't accustomed to playing against opponents that have big, fast, strong, and highly skilled players. Sure a MAC team might have a few of those guys on the roster, but they don't have a roster full of them. It's easy to see why the Zips have been overwhelmed at the big stage.

Ding ding ding

[Valpo Zip]

Here is my question for you:
Scheduling the way Akron does and racking up wins against cupcakes:

a - helps prepare the team to win big games in the post season?

b - attracts fans and excites them about the program?

c - puts the team in a good spot to get a good seed/at large in the tournament?

d - helps coaches achieve contract incentives and build up their resumes?

[zippyman23]

On 4/11/2016 at 0:11 PM, skip-zip said:

 

I've often felt that we were not pursuing those games enough.  But please don't fool yourself into thinking that any of these programs have something to gain.  A loss at home against Akron would be a devastating blow to a Top program.  I wouldn't call it "poison", but we're a threat and a risk because we're basically still a disregarded (yet successful) program.  And most of them get plenty of opportunities for Top-50 wins during the conference schedules.  

 

Top programs lose OOC home games all the time to mid majors. Sure, fans are upset at the time but a few a days later there is a new game. Win and all is right with the world. People get over it. This board does the same thing. There not devastating blows by any means. Has a lost to Akron cost one of our OOC opponents a tourney bid in the past? So, what really is the risk? 

 

Just as an example, I know that Dayton seeks out teams that are projected to win there conference for their buy games. Losing to a Chattanooga didn't crush their season. Maybe they would schedule a buy game with us, maybe not. Stay in the A10 and give VCU a call. They've played Toledo and Buffalo in buy games in the past two years. It doesn't need to be a "blue blood" program.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2016 by zippyman23

[wadszip]

On April 12, 2016 at 9:39 PM, UAZip0510 said:

Here's what nobody wants to admit - strength of schedule doesn't matter that much in relation to Akron getting an at-large.  How many mid-majors earn at-large bids?  One, maybe two per year?  Wichita State is the only one that comes to mind from this year's tournament, while teams like Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, St. Mary's, San Diego State, Valparaiso, and many others worthy of being considered were sent to the NIT instead.  And it's only going to get worse now that Syracuse - a team selected as an at-large that did not have the resume of any of the teams I just listed - made a Final Four run.  They'll say the RPI isn't high enough, or there aren't enough Top 50 wins, or they had one too many bad losses.  Playing at Louisville isn't going to change all of that.  

 

Would it help seeding if they get in with an automatic bid?  Maybe.  But I'd counter that by pointing out most had us projected as a #12 or #13 (pretty solid for a mid-major) had we defeated Buffalo.  I don't know how much better they'd get than that, tougher schedule or not.  

 

Could Akron find a few tougher teams to schedule every year?  Probably.  Have they progressively scheduled better and better over time?  Certainly.  In the end, do they pretty much have to win the MAC Tournament to go Dancing?  Unfortunately, yes.  

 

If complaining about the schedule makes you feel better, have at it.  If you want to believe Akron could schedule bigger state schools but chooses not to, feel free.  But no matter which side of the debate you're on, please just realize that whether Akron plays the eventual National Champion (which they did this year) or Marshall in the regular season, they're still going to have to win 3 games at The Q to return to the NCAA Tournament.  

 

 

Or we could strive to become Wichita State. I don't see a problem with that being a goal, or it being unrealistic.

 

(As I've readily admitted) I grew up a Cleveland State fan (didn't start rooting for Akron until I became a UA student in 2002). Anyway, I remember a game in the late 90s where Wichita State came to the Convocation Center. That Wichita State was nothing like the Wichita State team you see now. It was a team that people from Northeast Ohio would expect a team from BF Kansas to look like. I remember they had a big 6-10, floppy bowl-cut haired stiff who had legs that looked like tree trunks lumbering up and down the court. Cleveland State (which was very mediocre that year, but it was Rollie Massimino's first year which created some buzz locally) beat them. Fast forward 15-20 years, and now Wichita State is taking a guy like Anton Grady (who is a Cleveland kid) who was statistically one of the best players in CSU history, as a grad transfer to be a mid-tier starter at a mid-major power. 

 

Akron, actually has been under a similar rise as Wichita State, IMO, for the past 10 or so years. Just that Wichita was able to make that leap within the last 5 or so years (and it did help that the MVC was much better than the MAC when WSU made the move) to high-mid-major status. Say what you want, and while it's still not like the MVC of 5-6 years ago, the MAC is improving. It's time for Akron to step up and make a WSU type move. The 21-win streak obviously isn't as cracked up as KD and company want to make it out to be.

 

Part of making that move is winning three in Cleveland (then another, or two, in the tourney). Another part of that is beating teams outside of MAC play that could still put you in the NCAA tournament if you "win 21" but only win two in Cleveland.

 

And, even if you schedule more marquee teams and lose them all, you still have the three in Cleveland (see Buffalo, which actually was beaten even worse in almost all of their top-tier games than Villanova beat Akron).

 

To be fair, though, the Arkansas game should've been a second marquee game for Akron. It just so happened that Arkansas lost two players early to the NBA and then had two more starters booted over the summer. I actually didn't mind Akron's schedule from last year. It was solid if not spectacular. My thing would be if you are willing to give up two home dates, let's not do it to play Iona and Santa Barbara in Las Vegas (even if they are solid teams). Play a true road game against a marquee school, and then try to get a marquee game in NEO (at the Q). Tough, yeah. Impossible, I don't believe so.

 

I'm not talking going all Charlie Coles and playing your first 10 games on the road against high-caliber teams (like, seemingly, some of those Miami teams). But 3-4 of those games can only help (again, see Buffalo). And, if possible, try to get one of them at the Q. Akron is name enough, and NEO is churning out enough talent, where a marquee team could agree to it if properly pitched. And yes, Akron is now the most high-profile of the four NEO D1 teams. 

 

And if you doubt the amount of talent coming out of this area. Just take a look at 247sports' rankings for 2016.

 

Ohio: http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Basketball/CompositeRecruitRankings?State=OH

 

You'll notice 8 of the top 13 and 10 of the 19 listed were from either Cleveland or Akron (all 10 recruited by high majors).

 

How does that stack up with the entire states of:

 

Illinois: http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Basketball/CompositeRecruitRankings?State=IL

 

That's 10 total kids (not just Chicago, but the entire state of Illinois, and that list is essentially nothing but mid-majors).

 

How about the mecca of basketball ... New York: http://247sports.com/Season/2016-Basketball/RecruitRankings?InstitutionGroup=highschool&State=NY

 

That's 14 total kids (from the entire state, and most are also mainly mid-majors).

 

Yeah, it's one year, but Cleveland/Akron has as many high majors as NYC and Chicago combined. Think about that. And the NEO talent isn't going away. There are a handful of 2017 high majors from the region. Beyond that, there is a boatload of talent coming up. I'll call it the LeBron James effect on HS basketball in NEO. These are kids who know nothing but LeBron (mainly with the Cleveland Cavaliers). He has turned this area into a national hotbed. Akron is the closest thing to being a "marquee" local program, and Akron has the backing of LeBron. How do you turn these kids into Akron recruits? IMO, the best way is to go out and play (and hopefully beat) other high-profile teams. True, the best of the best will still go to Villanova, Syracuse, Michigan State, Michigan, Louisville and (I hate to say it Ohio State). But you could conceivably get the next-tier ... Willie Jackson (remember him, Missouri), Frankie Hughes (who also looks like he will be at Missouri since Louisville had to drop him ... he had an Akron offer). Or even more likely, not losing Akron's own Henry Baddley (I'm guessing Akron offer?) to Butler. ... Or Maishe Dailey (another Akron offer to Rutgers).

Edited April 13, 2016 by wadszip

[wadszip]

On 4/11/2016 at 3:08 AM, wadszip said:

I agree.

 

Ok, Houston turned down Akron. Move on to the next. Texas A&M (90 something miles away) is out there if you want to give Antino and the other Houston guys a "home game." Did Akron approach Texas A&M (a legit top 50 program)? I know KD doesn't want to play Shaka Smart, but Texas is also within driving distance from Houston. I'm sure if KD got over the not wanting to go up against his good friend, I'm guessing Shaka would do KD a solid if Akron was striking out left and right trying to get a game in the state of Texas. It's not like KD and Shaka are recruiting the same players. 

 

I've said this one before, and I'll continue to bring it up. Has Akron tried to get something together with Louisville? Play a game (2016) in Cleveland and then make a return (if Louisville wants one) in 2017. Why Louisville? For one, Rick Pitino has recruited the Cleveland/Akron area hard in recent years ... Zach Price (St. Edward), Terry Rozier (Shaker Heights), Trey Lewis (Garfield Heights, grad transfer from CSU) ... and 5-star freshman V.J. King (SVSM) is going to be a freshman (and potential one-and-done) this coming season. While King left SVSM to go to a school in Virginia, he grew up most of his life in the Akron area and most of his immediate family is from the Cleveland/Akron area. A game in Cleveland would be a homecoming for King, and King is the type of player Pitino, I'd imagine, would be open to granting a "homecoming". Plus, Louisville is recruiting 2017 (Cleveland) East Tech PG Markell Johnson hard (Johnson has Louisville in his top 5). A game in Cleveland could give Pitino a chance to just happen to "bump" into Johnson. 

 

On the Akron end, the biggest ally the school has is the guy who fills Quicken Loans arena 50 times a year (LeBron). KD obviously has a close relationship with LeBron, and LeBron has a close (and now a financial stake) in the University of Akron. I'd imagine if you get LeBron involved (and Louisville would definitely benefit off being apart of something that has LeBron's name attached to it) there is, IMO, a possibility of something coming together if properly pitched/marketed.

 

How many people do you think would attend Akron-Louisville at the Q? I'm saying at least 15,000. Akron would bring 5,000; Louisville has a huge national following and I think would be well-represented; and Louisville is a brand that would get a large number of unaffiliated local college basketball fans buzzing. 15,000 should make that type of game financially feasible, as long as Akron doesn't expect it to be a "home" game for its bottom line. Hell, even if Louisville is the "home team" and gets whatever gate share that is out there, it's still a win for Akron, just getting a program like Louisvillle to come and play in NEO is a win regardless. And Akron has given up home gates (see the Vegas tourney this year against Santa Barbara and Iona) for less. Even if you aren't making money off of this type of game, the fact that you could potentially play the No. 1 brand in all of college basketball (if you believe the WSJ's recent valuations) in your backyard is every reason in the world to try to make it a possibility. And Akron could sweeten the pot, and make up money on the back end, by saying it will take half the amount Louisville usually pays an opponent to come to the Yum Center the following year. 

 

Basically, what you would have:

Akron: Overall, still makes money off a 2017 game in Louisville, even if going down there is at a discount and not getting a share of the gate in Cleveland. And you get a premier team to come to your backyard. And since Akron has given up gates for less recently (see last year's Vegas tournament), just being able to get two games against a program like Louisville is a huge win from a marketing standpoint (and imagine if Akron actually wins one of the games?). Let's just say Akron gets $50,000 off of two games against Louisville (one being as close of a home game as you can ever come close to getting), is that worth losing two home games against Arkansas Pine-Bluff?

 

Louisville: Could actually make some money (though not nearly as much as a true home game) on a neutral game in Cleveland if it acts as the "home" team. But could make up some of those losses if Akron comes down next year and "only" demands $50,000 (I think Louisville averages about $100,000 for visiting teams). Louisville's main incentive would be giving up one true home gate to get the chance to play a game in an area that it has heavily emphasized in recruiting recently (remember Louisville, to go along with the names above, also had a commitment from 2016 Garfield Heights guard Frankie Hughes, but had to part with him due to the NCAA situation they are in). 

 

Dan Gilbert (Quicken Loans Arena): Let's say Louisville gets 100 percent of the ticket sales (throwing out 15,000 at $20 a pop for $300,000), still potentially money to be made for Dan Gilbert if he takes all the concessions. I'm guessing concessions would net at least another $300,000. Maybe that isn't worth it in a vacuum for Gilbert (who would have to pay workers and other costs of having the venue open for a day), but the guy is a multi-billionaire, so even if it happens to be a $100,000 loss, that isn't a big deal, especially since Akron could have the ace in the hole of making something like this happen. LeBron (with no financial stake) could easily approach Gilbert and say, look I've made you a billion dollars, eat this $100,000 or $200,000, if that would be what is holding a game like this up.

 

This is pretty basic, and I guess a blueprint for what KD and UA could use to at least reach out to Louisville. Who knows, maybe Louisville won't be interested. If that's the case, oh well. At least you tried (and trying to get two games against Louisville >>>>> trying to get one game against Houston). 

 

BTW, I'm sure somebody will bring up the potential NCAA sanctions against Louisville. I'll eat crow on this if I'm wrong, but nothing is going to happen to slow that train down (they make too much money). Louisville already gave up the tourney this year (a year they legitimately had a chance at a national title) and have self-imposed two scholarship reductions (one this year which cost them Frankie Hughes) and one in 2017. That will be enough to satisfy the NCAA. With the talent they have already and coming in (led by Akron's V.J. King), those sanctions will merely be a speed bump for that program.

 

I continue to bring up Louisville because that is the most realistic school that could come to Cleveland ... though maybe Kansas is also an option because they have 5-star sophomore Carlton Bragg (Cleveland VASJ), but Kansas hasn't traditionally recruited Cleveland/Akron like Louisville. But overall, Akron could, IMO, get ONE game AT any marquee program if it wants. But that would mean taking a discount (like I alluded to above) to make it happen.

 

For example, I'm sure Akron could go up to North Carolina and say, we'll play you at the Dean Dome for $50,000. North Carolina would take that, since they, like Louisville, probably average $100,000 paydays to mid-majors to come in. UNC doesn't care about a potential home loss to Akron (it's not like that would affect their overall tourney chances). They would look at it as:

 

We can pay Radford (just a vague example) for $100,000, or we can pay Akron $50,000. Yeah, we'll go with Akron.

 

I think all this talk about "nobody" wanting to play Akron is bogus. Of course UNC is going to pick Radford over Akron if the money is equal. Those marquee programs are selling out either way and "Radford" is the much easier win. But if Akron comes in at half the cost, yeah, UNC is going to listen. True, that means Akron is kind of whoring itself to get that kind of game, but that comes with the territory of being a successful mid-major who still needs those kinds of games (gaining even $50,000 at UNC>losing out on a home game against North Carolina A&T). I think Akron "missing" out on those types of games is them thinking they deserve Radford type money to go there, even though (and this is a good thing) they aren't a "Radford" type program.

 

 

I'm gonna bump this so I don't have to rehash why I've felt Louisville (even in Cleveland) could make sense on both ends.

[taxpayer]

I'm tired of reading about the VCU game.  Mr. Abreu was no longer running the point, his backup was a freshman with very little playing experience. Brian Walsh had spent the entire night before in the emergency room due to food poisoning and was taking IV's right up to the opening tip and probably never should have been allowed to try and play.  Two other Zips were sick but not hospitalized. VCU took full advantage with their havoc full court & full game press.  The Zips were a star crossed team that year  Akron's best group (?) but they were physically and emotionally battered.  If all were healthy they would have given VCU their money's worth but we will never know and all we remember is the heartless pounding Skaka delivered on KD's team and a lost opportunity to get an NCAA win and advance in the tournament.