Zips Basketball- Looking Back to 21-22/Looking Forward to 22-23

[LZIp]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Here's an interesting question: does X need to be 1st Team All MAC for Akron to win the MAC? Or is there enough of a supporting cast where 2nd Team All MAC will suffice?

Depends. Do Hankerson and Hunter come in and push for all conference recognition or are they just another guy? Losing Dawson hurts a bit.

[AkronAlumnus]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Here's an interesting question: does X need to be 1st Team All MAC for Akron to win the MAC? Or is there enough of a supporting cast where 2nd Team All MAC will suffice?

He needs to be 1st team bc Freeman can't do it all and we lost Dawson who was one of our better guys. More pressure on Hank/Tribble

[AkronAlumnus]

28 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Depends. Do Hankerson and Hunter come in and push for all conference recognition or are they just another guy? Losing Dawson hurts a bit.

I don't expect much from Hunter (I really hope I'm wrong but idk)

[Zipmeister]

On 10/11/2022 at 2:57 PM, AkronAlumnus said:

Will Akron be the pre-season favorite? My intuition says yes, Freeman and X will be first team.

 

A look at last year's preseason coaches poll will add some insight into the critical importance of MAC basketball preseason polls.

2021-22 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

Buffalo – 143 points (11 first place votes)

Ohio – 126 points

Toledo – 107 points (1)

Kent State – 98 points

Akron – 95 points

Bowling Green – 93 points

Miami – 92 points

Ball State – 54 points

Western Michigan – 44 points

Central Michigan – 34 points

Eastern Michigan – 29 points

Northern Illinois – 21 points

MAC Tournament Champions: Buffalo (8), Bowling Green (1), Kent State (1), Miami (1), Toledo (1)
 
Preseason All-MAC First Team
Daeqwon Plowden, 5th-Sr., G/F, Bowling Green
Josh Mballa, Sr., F, Buffalo
Jeenathan Williams, Sr., F, Buffalo
Ben Vander Plas, R-Sr., F, Ohio
Ryan Rollins, So., G, Toledo
 
Preseason All-MAC Second Team
K.J. Walton, Grad., G, Akron
Sincere Carry, R-Jr., G, Kent State
Dae Dae Grant, Jr., G, Miami
Jason Carter 5th-Sr., F, Ohio
B. Artis White, So., G, Western Michigan

[kreed5120]

I didn't want to create a new thread for this so figured I'd put it here. There is talks going that the NCAA is looking to expand the tournament by 20 or so teams. My first thought is that would be great that the MAC would have a chance to get an at-large. My immediate second thought is I bet the tournament would just take the 12th and 13th place Big 10 team instead.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources: The Division 1 Transformation Committee has had dialogue to expand the NCAA Tournament in all sports to include 25% of the programs who are eligible. <br><br>This would mean the Men&#39;s Basketball NCAA Tournament would expand by approximately 20 teams.<br><br>Many have opposed this.</p>&mdash; Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1583128946169638913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[clarkwgriswold]

45 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I didn't want to create a new thread for this so figured I'd put it here. There is talks going that the NCAA is looking to expand the tournament by 20 or so teams. My first thought is that would be great that the MAC would have a chance to get an at-large. My immediate second thought is I bet the tournament would just take the 12th and 13th place Big 10 team instead.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources: The Division 1 Transformation Committee has had dialogue to expand the NCAA Tournament in all sports to include 25% of the programs who are eligible. <br><br>This would mean the Men&#39;s Basketball NCAA Tournament would expand by approximately 20 teams.<br><br>Many have opposed this.</p>&mdash; Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1583128946169638913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

More room for Rutgers and Georgia Tech.

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Blue & Gold]

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

On 10/25/2022 at 8:57 PM, Blue &amp; Gold said:

 

 

If I get the chance to look up from keeping my head down during the walk to the JAR to block the freezing wind, I'll get to admire these lights through watering eyes. 

 

In all seriousness, that really does look nice. Looking forward to what Guthrie has in store for the interior. 

[LoyalZIP]

3 minutes ago, Let&#x27;sGoZips94 said:

 

If I get the chance to look up from keeping my head down during the walk to the JAR to block the freezing wind, I'll get to admire these lights through watering eyes. 

 

In all seriousness, that really does look nice. Looking forward to what Guthrie has in store for the interior. 

It is a nice touch, the old bulbs had many burned out and they had some kind of rusty gunk gathered in the bottom. A very rustic look indeed, it was time for a little face-lift. 
 

Inside, allllllllll of the old banners are gone, with some newer ones finally rolling in. It looks like a bit of a mess with the faded carpet walls, but I’m hoping it comes together and think it will look nice once it does. Zips volleyball is home Friday and Saturday if you want to stop in and see the new look, court, etc. 

 

Guthrie has a vision, finally beginning to play out so far beyond the hiring of Moorhead, etc. The new branding and his philosophy on what he wants the place to look like will be quite different from what we’re used to. He’s a bit much for some people and I don’t agree with every thing he does and says, but it’s a nice breath of fresh air to have an AD being proactive and trying to change things that haven’t been working. No matter what happens on the field or in the court, it’s awesome to have a guy in charge that’s involved and wants everything to be better. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

It is a nice touch, the old bulbs had many burned out and they had some kind of rusty gunk gathered in the bottom. A very rustic look indeed, it was time for a little face-lift. 
 

Inside, allllllllll of the old banners are gone, with some newer ones finally rolling in. It looks like a bit of a mess with the faded carpet walls, but I’m hoping it comes together and think it will look nice once it does. Zips volleyball is home Friday and Saturday if you want to stop in and see the new look, court, etc. 

 

Guthrie has a vision, finally beginning to play out so far beyond the hiring of Moorhead, etc. The new branding and his philosophy on what he wants the place to look like will be quite different from what we’re used to. He’s a bit much for some people and I don’t agree with every thing he does and says, but it’s a nice breath of fresh air to have an AD being proactive and trying to change things that haven’t been working. No matter what happens on the field or in the court, it’s awesome to have a guy in charge that’s involved and wants everything to be better. 

 

I'll beat this like a dead horse, but I full-heartedly believe Guthrie is trying to get us out of the MAC. I think he wants to make Akron an attractive school to root for athletically. Football just needs to win, and that beautiful stadium should start filling up. Basketball has a winner, but needs an improved arena experience for fans. Soccer is soccer - We are Akron. We are Akron. We are Soccer Kings. 

 

Building an athletic department that goes from the MAC to say the American Athletic Conference is the type of resume builder that will land him the AD job at his Alma Mater - Syracuse. 

[LoyalZIP]

33 minutes ago, Let&#x27;sGoZips94 said:

 

I'll beat this like a dead horse, but I full-heartedly believe Guthrie is trying to get us out of the MAC. I think he wants to make Akron an attractive school to root for athletically. Football just needs to win, and that beautiful stadium should start filling up. Basketball has a winner, but needs an improved arena experience for fans. Soccer is soccer - We are Akron. We are Akron. We are Soccer Kings. 

 

Building an athletic department that goes from the MAC to say the American Athletic Conference is the type of resume builder that will land him the AD job at his Alma Mater - Syracuse. 

 

I am not going to pretend to know what I'm talking about when it comes to conference realignment. I'll say that for starters. I see what your point is and that may well be what Guthrie wants to do, but I believe he will be gone from Akron long before that ever becomes a possibility. Former Buffalo ADs made it to UCF, Auburn, Tennessee in very little time for doing far less than that. Also, I don't know what all would go into a full-time member of the MAC jumping to something like the AAC.

 

I was very much against this about 10-15 years ago--leaving the MAC or having visions above the MAC. However, every time I have the chance to walk around Infocision whether it be on gamedays on the 5th or 6th floor or any other time, I'm almost disheartened by what I see. That place is 100x nicer and more beautiful and functional than anyone on this board even thinks. That stadium should be showcasing so much better football than terrible Akron football and now terrible MAC football. It should be a college football destination for die-hard fans who like to take road trips to different games in different towns just to see them. Alas, it is invisible thanks to 15 years of some of the worst football at this level. Again, I don't know the specifics or if it is indeed a possibility, but any jump Akron would make, would have had to be done about 10-15 years ago when the Big East was blowing up and ICS was still brand new (it kind of still is). Akron could not have possibly opened that stadium at a worse time in the program's timeline, could not have hired a worse coach, could not have replaced Bowden with a worse coach and so on. UGH.

 

[72 Roo]

1 hour ago, Let&#x27;sGoZips94 said:

 

I'll beat this like a dead horse, but I full-heartedly believe Guthrie is trying to get us out of the MAC. I think he wants to make Akron an attractive school to root for athletically. Football just needs to win, and that beautiful stadium should start filling up. Basketball has a winner, but needs an improved arena experience for fans. Soccer is soccer - We are Akron. We are Akron. We are Soccer Kings. 

 

Building an athletic department that goes from the MAC to say the American Athletic Conference is the type of resume builder that will land him the AD job at his Alma Mater - Syracuse. 

I've talked with Charles about this very issue and he is adamant that the MAC is the best place for Akron. I asked about AAC membership and he said the economics don't work for us. He feels we can achieve all we want in the MAC as college athletics stand today. I'm sure he would reevaluate if there is a seismic shift at the G5 level, but the P5 schools do not give a rat's ass about the G5 and most all changes in college athletics will be strictly to benefit the P5 schools, especially the BIG Ten and SEC. I think Guthrie wants to be a force to elevate the MAC, not leave it. 

 

My opinion of the MAC is probably closer to yours than you think. There are some schools who would response positively to an improvement process. Yet there are more that want to stay just as it is and be happy there. I hate that attitude. I believe most on the site feel the same way. We want to shoot higher. How we get there remains to be seen. 

[Captain Kangaroo]

We've won 2 total MAC football games over the past 4 calendar years. We're as attractive as Rosanne Barr's puddle of barf after gagging on a dead carp. 

 

The MAC is perfect for the Zips. Any other conference has far more pitfalls than benefits.

 

 

 

 

[kreed5120]

59 minutes ago, 72 Roo said:

I've talked with Charles about this very issue and he is adamant that the MAC is the best place for Akron. I asked about AAC membership and he said the economics don't work for us. He feels we can achieve all we want in the MAC as college athletics stand today. I'm sure he would reevaluate if there is a seismic shift at the G5 level, but the P5 schools do not give a rat's ass about the G5 and most all changes in college athletics will be strictly to benefit the P5 schools, especially the BIG Ten and SEC. I think Guthrie wants to be a force to elevate the MAC, not leave it. 

 

My opinion of the MAC is probably closer to yours than you think. There are some schools who would response positively to an improvement process. Yet there are more that want to stay just as it is and be happy there. I hate that attitude. I believe most on the site feel the same way. We want to shoot higher. How we get there remains to be seen. 

Once UC, Houston, and UCF leave, the AAC is pretty much going to be what the C-USA was 10 years ago. I'd say it's a upgrade, but really not all that better than the MAC. I'd rather just save the millions we'd have to spend flying our non-revenue sports teams to places like Texas, Florida, Louisiana, etc and instead invest that money on better coaches and facilities.

[Aaron]

For the soccer team, is the only way out of the MAC if the conference were to stop sponsoring the sport?  We seem to be in one of the worst conferences available for our best sport.

 

Is the soccer team allowed to play in the ACC, Big 10, Big East, or Sun Belt without any of our other sports signing on? 

 

Is there anyone in the MAC committed to increasing the training and oversight of the basketball referees?  They are my biggest problem with Bball in the MAC.  

[clarkwgriswold]

Am I in love with the MAC?  No.  Is there a better fit out there right now for University of Akron Athletics?  No.

[kreed5120]

27 minutes ago, Aaron said:

 

Is there anyone in the MAC committed to increasing the training and oversight of the basketball referees?  They are my biggest problem with Bball in the MAC.  

 

Referees aren't hired by the MAC. The same referees who work B10, Horizon, A10, MVC, etc are the same refs who work MAC. I'm pretty sure college football is the only collegiate sport where conferences have their own officials.

[clarkwgriswold]

As I understand it, the refs are independent contractors and work for specific assignors hired by the conferences.  If conferences have a common assignor, they will have common refs. 

[Blue & Gold]

I'm content in the MAC. Heck, I'll even say I like it. We've got a small handful of authentic rivalries which I look forward to every season: KSUcks, Ohio, and Buffalo in football; add Toledo in basketball.  Having 3-4 true rivals is pretty cool.

[zippy5]

I'd probably be excited to look at the AAC or something similar if we were dominating the MAC year-in and year-out - until then, we have no right or realistic expectations to think anyone would even want us, let alone that we'd deserve it. Could hoops hang in the AAC and possibly elevate their stature? Sure.. Football would be (even more of) an embarrassment. The MAC is fine for us

[LZIp]

1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

I'm content in the MAC. Heck, I'll even say I like it. We've got a small handful of authentic rivalries which I look forward to every season: KSUcks, Ohio, and Buffalo in football; add Toledo in basketball.  Having 3-4 true rivals is pretty cool.

Count in me in as being a big fan of the MAC as well. Just wish the conference collectively would elevate in football and basketball. Money is obviously a large part of that and a lot of the conference members having enrollment decline doesn’t help. Additionally, I think I read somewhere the B1G’s new TV deal is paying $70mm per team, while I think we are getting something like $500k per team. We need to renegotiate that to at least a few mil a team. Don’t see any reason we shouldn’t be able to do that.

 

I would’ve really liked to have us add any combination of JMU/Marshall/WKU/MTSU.

Edited October 27, 2022 by LZIp

[clarkwgriswold]

1 hour ago, LZIp said:

 Just wish the conference collectively would elevate in football and basketball.

That would certainly be the best way to go.  Elevate the MAC by elevating the level of play.  That would get the MAC noticed on a national level and take it beyond being a one team NCAA tourney/Tuesday night football playing conference.  In that process, it is just as important to elevate the teams at the bottom (which unfortunately right now includes Zips football) as those at the top.

[mrelegazna]

2 hours ago, zippy5 said:

I'd probably be excited to look at the AAC or something similar if we were dominating the MAC year-in and year-out - until then, we have no right or realistic expectations to think anyone would even want us, let alone that we'd deserve it. Could hoops hang in the AAC and possibly elevate their stature? Sure.. Football would be (even more of) an embarrassment. The MAC is fine for us

No no no. That's not the Message Board Way.  For that matter, why hasn't anyone suggested yet that the most practical, just, and right solution would be to swap conferences with Ohio State?