Game 24- Toledo

[RooFan]

Sometimes you have to take punch in this game, this one was not pretty but you gotta still love this team. Bruised not broken. We can get them back on the 21st. Toledo hung it on us tonight give them credit for it but I take these zips over everyone else in the MAC everyday of the week and twice on Tuesdays. 

[NWAkron]

Too bad the student section wasn't chanting "1980" at Toledo and their traveling crew.  I've never seen a double foul called.  One charged.  One blocked.  Ok.  Now it's the Rockets turn in the barrell.   

 

Unfortunately for all MAC schools the only glory is the MAC tournament.  Win there, cut down the nets, hoist the trophy, and hope you aren't sent to Anchorage for the first round.  Maybe win a game, then watch your best players, and coach leave and start over.

 

 

[ewbrooman1]

This just in: 

 

 

 

[Blue & Gold]

https://twitter.com/AkronEcho/status/1623315268544987138

 

👆Akron Beacon Journal: Toledo men's basketball beats Akron, ends winning streak 

[LoyalZIP]

Groce is now 2-7 against Toledo as head coach of Akron. Very strange. The good news is, he wins a MAC regular season title every time Toledo beats them by exactly 10 at the JAR (99-89 in 2020) 😂😉

 

Last night was a slap in the face to this team in that they saw what happens to them when they’re the ones that come out ice cold and go up against a group that’s defending as hard as they do. The big thing was the fouling. Akron fouls less than about 80% of D1 teams, and Toledo on average does significantly more. It was a weird game to watch, and hopefully an outlier moving forward. 

[kreed5120]

I really thought the game was lost when Freeman was out of the game due to foul trouble. When he picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st half, I believe the Zips were down 2. Toledo managed to extend that lead to as much as 11, and finished the half up 9. Akron rallied back in the 2nd half and were down 3 when Freeman picked up his fourth. I still don't understand that double foul. Toledo was able to them get the lead back to double figures with Freeman on the bench.

 

I'm not saying this to make any excuses for the loss. Toledo was the better team last night. I felt defensively we had too many breakdowns for a team that prides itself on defense. They were particularly bad defensively when Freeman wasn't on the court. Groce will need to review the game and make adjustments before we play Toledo, which I'm sure he will. If we're to beat Toledo, we have to beat them with our style of play.  

[Let'sGoZips94]

32 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

Groce is now 2-7 against Toledo as head coach of Akron. Very strange. The good news is, he wins a MAC regular season title every time Toledo beats them by exactly 10 at the JAR (99-89 in 2020) 😂😉

 

Last night was a slap in the face to this team in that they saw what happens to them when they’re the ones that come out ice cold and go up against a group that’s defending fouling as hard as they do. The big thing was the fouling. Akron fouls less than about 80% of D1 teams, and Toledo on average does significantly more. It was a weird game to watch, and hopefully an outlier moving forward. 

 

Toledo is 330th in the nation in opponent points per game. The day they "defend hard" will be the same day OU becomes a dry campus. We came out ice cold indeed, but that was largely influenced by the mauling of Freeman (and any Akron player that got into the paint) that was allowed to take place from the get-go; it forced more jump shot attempts. Very poorly officiated game that heavily catered to Toledo's strengths and really minimized their weakness. 23-12 was the foul differential in favor of Toledo, which led to a 28-11 free throw advantage. Props to Toledo for knocking 82% down, but Akron also made 82% - just had 17 less attempts.

 

Love the fight in our guys to keep that as close as we did. Cleveland will be a different story, and ultimately where it matters. Toledo's regular season trophy case is quite full; their MAC tourney case is more bare than Rachel Phelps at the end of Major League.

Edited February 8, 2023 by Let'sGoZips94

[clarkwgriswold]

2 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I really thought the game was lost when Freeman was out of the game due to foul trouble. When he picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st half, I believe the Zips were down 2. Toledo managed to extend that lead to as much as 11, and finished the half up 9. Akron rallied back in the 2nd half and were down 3 when Freeman picked up his fourth. I still don't understand that double foul. Toledo was able to them get the lead back to double figures with Freeman on the bench.

 

I'm not saying this to make any excuses for the loss. Toledo was the better team last night. I felt defensively we had too many breakdowns for a team that prides itself on defense. They were particularly bad defensively when Freeman wasn't on the court. Groce will need to review the game and make adjustments before we play Toledo, which I'm sure he will. If we're to beat Toledo, we have to beat them with our style of play.  

 

I thought they were bad when Freeman was on the court and covering guys like Milliner.  He and Hunter both suffered from having to guard smaller quicker players.  They were getting blown by or giving cushion and closing out too slow on threes.

[zippy5]

40 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

Akron fouls less than about 80% of D1 teams, and Toledo on average does significantly more. It was a weird game to watch, and hopefully an outlier moving forward. 

Fluke L imo. Onto the next one

[LoyalZIP]

7 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Toledo is 330th in the nation in opponent points per game. The day they "defend hard" will be the same day OU becomes a dry campus.

In MAC play, they’re middle of the pack in MAC defense. They made things really hard on X early and everyone struggled because of it. They are nowhere close to being as good on defense as Akron, but they executed their game plan pretty well. 

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

In MAC play, they’re middle of the pack in MAC defense. They made things really hard on X early and everyone struggled because of it. They are nowhere close to being as good on defense as Akron, but they executed their game plan pretty well. 

Yes, I thought they did a really great job of sending help defense the moment Freeman dribbled then recovering fast enough defensively to prevent too many open looks. I've s*** on Toledo's defense as bad as anyone on this board all season, but they showed up with effort. They did a fantastic job of contesting Castaneda on 3's and forcing the ball out of Freeman's hands. They came in with a good game plan and more importantly executed it.

[NWAkron]

Toledo's night.  Reminded me a lot of the Akron/Kent game.  But this time Akron was Kent and couldn't get it going.   Zips have the toughest schedule.  Toledo, Kent, and Ball State twice!  That should have them well prepared for March.

[Let'sGoZips94]

58 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

In MAC play, they’re middle of the pack in MAC defense. They made things really hard on X early and everyone struggled because of it. They are nowhere close to being as good on defense as Akron, but they executed their game plan pretty well. 

 

Their nationwide ranking is middle of the MAC since MAC play, or their defensive ranking in the MAC is middle of the pack? If it's the latter, that's largely due to half the MAC not playing a lick of defense, either. Miami, Buffalo, EMU, etc. all blow defensively, especially EMU. In fact, the only time "defense" has ever been used in Ypsilanti was for Emoni Bates in court.

 

From what I saw, I wasn't impressed with their defense as much as what they were able to get away with. Seemed like there was a lot of hand checking, bodying, etc. - not sound defense. I'm all for that stuff as long as it's called both ways, and it wasn't. 

 

Just an unfortunate game all around. 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Let'sGoZips94

[Let'sGoZips94]

13 hours ago, ewbrooman1 said:

This just in: 

 

 

 

 

What screwed up love triangle lands KSUcks the 1 seed? 

[kreed5120]

4 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

What screwed up love triangle lands KSUcks the 1 seed? 

Toledo, Kent, and Akron are all 1-1 against one another so the tie-breaker is that Kent has a better record against the current #4 seed than Toledo and Akron do. Once Kent wins that tie-breaker, Toledo is naturally seeded a head of us due to the head-to-head win.

[LoyalZIP]

29 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Their nationwide ranking is middle of the MAC since MAC play

 

I like to use KenPom for basketball analytics. Toledo is rated as the 6th best defense in MAC play, while Akron is 1st. On the same scale, Akron's offense was not great from the start of the year, but in MAC games, they are #2.

 

Toledo D deserves some credit, refs deserve some credit, Freeman making a few uncharacteristic mistakes deserves some credit, and Dante Maddox deserves some (a ton) credit. Just not the Zips' night, and that's okay. I don't want to fall back into the KD mindset of every win streak and win total being precious. Akron needs to take a look in the mirror after last night and respond, that is all. 

[NWAkron]

21 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said:

 I don't want to fall back into the KD mindset of every win streak and win total being precious. Akron needs to take a look in the mirror after last night and respond, that is all. 

For message boards and media the streaks and totals are important for a narrative and loyalzip is right again.  We were conditioned in a certain way during those years which always led to disappointment.   And I don't care what the seeding is in Cleveland.  Play Kent in quarters for all I care.  I don't need a sold out final game to enjoy a championship.  We learned last year you have to run the gauntlet.  There's no more hoping to be seeded on the "ball state" mac west side of the bracket. 

Edited February 8, 2023 by NWAkron

[zippy5]

spinzone time:

 

the loss was good, we were close to peaking too early. Groce will have us peaking again in March!