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NCAA Tournament- Game 1- UCLA


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19 hours ago, Z.I.P. said:

Born and raised in Akron (Green exactly), I swear I only learned Mogadore was in Summit County a year ago!  Why does Mogadore HS compete in the Portage County League?? 🤷‍♂️🙃

Part of Mogadore is in Summit and part is in Portage County. At least that's what an old coworker of mine from Mogadore used to say.

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3 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

 

Zips practiced...yesterday (??) at Portland State's new Viking Ship auditorium, something like the Stroh Center in BGSU.  A really nice small gym that has gotten all kinds of plaudits from the alums and Park Lots (downtown Portland campus) community.  I ❤ my two alma maters. 

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8 hours ago, ewbrooman1 said:

Great location. 🙄 Uniontown? Really? How about someplace in Akron? With a huge screen? Like the centrally located JAR?

I like the location. It's on Massillon Road in Green, about a mile south of the 77S off ramp.  It's right across from the Akron General Wellness Center where I work out.

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1 hour ago, NWAkron said:

agree.  Uniontown?  Might as well be Mogadore (the West side.)

I lived in Mogadore briefly after college. I had to join the Moose Lodge as it was the only bar in town. Im pretty sure I was the only member under the age of 40.

 

Town Tavern I've been to a few times and I've enjoyed myself there. It is a little bit on the smaller side to be hosting an invite like this, but then again it is a late night game during the work week so most will likely just be watching it from their home.

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9 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I lived in Mogadore briefly after college. I had to join the Moose Lodge as it was the only bar in town. Im pretty sure I was the only member under the age of 40.

 

Town Tavern I've been to a few times and I've enjoyed myself there. It is a little bit on the smaller side to be hosting an invite like this, but then again it is a late night game during the work week so most will likely just be watching it from their home.

Yeah, I wouldn't expect a huge crowd when you can watch the 9:50 game on your couch in your pajamas.  

 

Is anyone planning on going. If I go (I'm fighting off a bit of a cold) I'm going to be flying solo.

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1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

I like the location. It's on Massillon Road in Green, about a mile south of the 77S off ramp.  It's right across from the Akron General Wellness Center where I work out.

I'm sure it works for some, but it would make more sense to have the "official" party more centrally located. I guess the gametime is too late for the JAR? I did enjoy watching the soccer championship there. Have fun if you go.

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Good morning and happy potentially Biggest Day in Program History! I've loved having my dancing shoes on all week, and I'm not ready to be done yet! As I write this post, we're about 12 hours on the nose to tip. I'm so excited. I've missed meaningful March postseason basketball so much. This team has been an underdog almost from the jump this year. They've had to go through so much garbage, put up with so much adversity from the schedule, to COVID stoppages, to seeing Kent go on a huge run, to getting swept by Kent, to losing to NIU at home. After one of the most impressive MAC tournament runs ever, HERE. WE. ARE.

 

Let's briefly talk about the idea of a "giant-killer." There's a new podcast that's only a few episodes old called "Underdogs," and it's a Meadowlark Media podcast. It's a bunch of sports/math nerds that use numbers to justify underdogs and predict upsets. It came out right in time for tournaments! In their first episode a few weeks ago, they talked about potential underdogs and giant killers in the upcoming conference and NCAA tournaments. They talked about a few teams from high and mid-majors, but not Akron. Obviously, they can't talk about everyone so that's fine. They talked about teams like North Texas, La Tech, UAB, St. Bonaventure, etc.

 

They have a few metrics to look at when predicting upsets. A few of the biggest ones are pace, 3pt. rate, 3pt%, FT rate, FT%, turnover defense, offensive rebounding. First of all, a slower pace means fewer possessions. To make an analogy, if you had to play Michael Jordan in a game of 1-on-1, you'd rather play to 3 than 21. The Zips play super slow, and that's a big advantage when you're an underdog. Also, when you take and make a lot of 3s, you tend to have more efficient possessions. Couple that with a slow pace, and the math does itself. The Zips get to the line more than just about everyone in the country, and they cash them in relatively well. They are also top 60 in eFG% (valuing 3pt% more than 2pt%). The more turnovers you create, the more chances you have to score. The more you offensive rebound, the more chances you have to score. These metrics jumped out to me before the MAC tournament, and gave me some more hope.

 

If Akron was playing any other 4-seed, I would predict an outright win. Of course, in true UAMBB fashion, they get paired up with an underrated Final Four participant from last year with pretty much the entire team back. It's almost all too perfect for the Zips to pull this one off, right?? We'll see. I think they will be out-talented, but if they simply stick to the blueprint and gameplan of being a giant killer, they have a decent chance. Looking at UCLA's numbers, they are really, really, really good all across the board. They score efficiently and force a lot of turnovers. They've got a few guys who can really shoot the three as well, which has been UA's achillies heel most of the year. They can't let UCLA get hot, or it could be over quickly. And Freeman/Wynn must block out and not foul too much. We need their athleticism at all 5 positions on defense for 40 minutes. Ali must not be a turnover machine, and we'll need a few threes from Dawson and Clarke.

 

Like coach says, it takes EVERYBODY. Today is no different. This team has something special, and it could become even more special than anyone has ever imagined. The message is one possession at a time, one play at a time, win in the margins. Preparation trumps pressure. Believe, Akron! BELIEVE!!! GO ZIPS!!!!!!!

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