Akron vs. Miami Postgame

[sgm405]

My thoughts here

[Bleacher Bum]

Good point about forgetting about the polls. I think we were getting too excited and now it's time to take a step back and gather ourselves. We're gonna find out what this team is made of in the next 4 games. BG at home should be a cakewalk. Duquesne, Buffalo, and Can't all on the road are gonna be a test. It's starting to get exciting folks! Have I mentioned that I love college basketball?

[sgm405]

I agree it'll be a huge test...I'm telling you guys, March 4th is shaping up to be an amazing day...Akron vs. Can't...tied for 1st place...sold out crowd...MAC East title on the crown...the long-time King vs. Eventual Successor...Hollywood script right there!

[skip-zip]

I'll say this again. Coming up with at least one or two good conference wins on the road this year could have turned a good season into a great one. We've now wasted 3 of those 4 chances. We only have one chance left, at Can't.Free throw shooting finally haunted us. We knew this would happen all along. Let's stay on the positive side and know that we can beat any of these teams on a neutral court in Cleveland.Go Zips !!

[zippyrifle32]

i think it's really interesting that the women's game put up more points than the men's AND the men even went into overtime! sounds like you got a good game either place tonight... although 2 wins would have been even nicer.

[Z-Pouch]

Disagree with your MAC prediction in the blog. I think Can't loses at Ohio on Saturday. That will be a huge game for the Bobcats as they try to stay in the race for a bye in Cleveland. No one wants to have to play Wednesday in Cleveland and look at winning 4 straight games in 4 days which seems nearly impossible and Can't (like Akron) is very vulnerable on the road against decent MAC competition. I'd expect OU to bring their best game and have a huge fan turnout. Tough one for Can't to win.There are a lot of scenerios for the MAC East title and the top 4 seeds in the tourney. I wouldn't bet on it just being the Akron/Can't game that decides the East. Three way tie between Can't, Miami and Akron is possible but the more probable is a Can't/Akron tie at 12-4 and Miami losing at OU to fall to 5 losses. Not sure of the Can't/Akron Tiebreaker ???? Guessing Toledo game factors in. I know - Take care of businees at Can't and none of this matters. That will be a tall order for the Zips with travel to the Pitts and Buffalo during the week. I'd rather beat them in Cleveland anyway when it really matters.SGM - No disrespect, you are a good ZN poster - the blog is good - but why not just cut and paste it over here on Zipsnation rather then making us jump around sites. Jumping sites just seems to stiffles the feedback. No biggie just an opinion.

[InTheZone]

I'm pretty disheartened after this one, but after an hour to cool down and find a shirt that'll match that ugly red tie my coworker is bringing in for me tomorrow.... we're gonna be alright. We struggled with Miami the first time at home, and they're the only team I can really see having a chance to beat us in Cleveland. Being that in all likelihood we're not going to see them there, we'll be fine. We weren't going to get an at large regardless, we could piss down our leg the rest of the year and it wouldn't matter. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO CLEVELAND. What we do there will define this season, with no regard to what happened tonight.

[sgm405]

Disagree with your MAC prediction in the blog. I think Can't loses at Ohio on Saturday. That will be a huge game for the Bobcats as they try to stay in the race for a bye in Cleveland. No one wants to have to play Wednesday in Cleveland and look at winning 4 straight games in 4 days which seems nearly impossible and Can't (like Akron) is very vulnerable on the road against decent MAC competition. I'd expect OU to bring their best game and have a huge fan turnout. Tough one for Can't to win.There are a lot of scenerios for the MAC East title and the top 4 seeds in the tourney. I wouldn't bet on it just being the Akron/Can't game that decides the East. Three way tie between Can't, Miami and Akron is possible but the more probable is a Can't/Akron tie at 12-4 and Miami losing at OU to fall to 5 losses. Not sure of the Can't/Akron Tiebreaker ???? Guessing Toledo game factors in. I know - Take care of businees at Can't and none of this matters. That will be a tall order for the Zips with travel to the Pitts and Buffalo during the week. I'd rather beat them in Cleveland anyway when it really matters.SGM - No disrespect, you are a good ZN poster - the blog is good - but why not just cut and paste it over here on Zipsnation rather then making us jump around sites. Jumping sites just seems to stiffles the feedback. No biggie just an opinion.

Thanks for the response...I guess I'm guilty of trying to get you guys to all bookmark the blog and get the word out about the site.

[RowdyZip]

I'll say this again. Coming up with at least one or two good conference wins on the road this year could have turned a good season into a great one. We've now wasted 3 of those 4 chances. We only have one chance left, at Can't.Free throw shooting finally haunted us. We knew this would happen all along. Let's stay on the positive side and know that we can beat any of these teams on a neutral court in Cleveland.Go Zips !!

Just a thought here: It's not the first time FTs have haunted us!Loss one vs. UALR: Lost by 2, missed 10 FT.Loss two @. UIC : Lost by 6, missed 9 FT.Loss three v. Nevada: Lost by 2, missed 9 FT.Loss four @ Ohio: Lost by 5, missed 3 FT.Loss five @ Toledo: Lost by 3, missed 1 FT.Loss Six @ Miami: Lost by 2, missed 7 FT.4 of our 6 losses have come directly because of Free throws. Shoot 75-80% from the line and we're 24-2 right now. That's depressing.

[Kflasher]

I agree it'll be a huge test...I'm telling you guys, March 4th is shaping up to be an amazing day...Akron vs. Can't...tied for 1st place...sold out crowd...MAC East title on the crown...the long-time King vs. Eventual Successor...Hollywood script right there!

I'm not so sure about that eventual successor thing but "the game II of III" should be a dandy. Our FT shooting stinks, your FT shooting stinks. If UA would have knocked a few FT's down during the course of the season they may be ranked. The stretch run will be fun to watch. Playing in Athens is always a treat (as UA can attest). I look forward to 3/4/07. I just hope our teams are not.

[Bleacher Bum]

Not sure of the Can't/Akron Tiebreaker ???? Guessing Toledo game factors in.

Click here for tiebreaker informationIf Can't beats us and we have the same record, it then goes to winning percentage against ranked conference opponents. Since noone in the MAC is ranked, it goes to a coin flip. It's great to know that MAC East Champs could be decided by a friggin coin!At least I think that's what this says. The second option is confusing.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Not sure of the Can't/Akron Tiebreaker ???? Guessing Toledo game factors in.

Click here for tiebreaker informationIf Can't beats us and we have the same record, it then goes to winning percentage against ranked conference opponents. Since noone in the MAC is ranked, it goes to a coin flip. It's great to know that MAC East Champs could be decided by a friggin coin!At least I think that's what this says. The second option is confusing.

Per Steve French last night, if we were to tie with K.e.n.t, the tiebreaker is the highest ranked team beaten. Since K.e.n.t beat Toledo (#1 ranked in the west) and we lost to Toledo, we would lose-out.

[Bleacher Bum]

Per Steve French last night, if we were to tie with K.e.n.t, the tiebreaker is the highest ranked team beaten. Since K.e.n.t beat Toledo (#1 ranked in the west) and we lost to Toledo, we would lose-out.

That sounds lame to me and not just because I'm a Zips fan. Can't got Toledo at home, we got them on the road. It should mean something that we lost to the best team in the West and they lost to the second best team in the West since both losses were on the road. I guess we'll just have to beat them on March 4th!

[zip81]

I'll say this again.  Coming up with at least one or two good conference wins on the road this year could have turned a good season into a great one. We've now wasted 3 of those 4 chances.  We only have one chance left, at Can't.Free throw shooting finally haunted us.  We knew this would happen all along. Let's stay on the positive side and know that we can beat any of these teams on a neutral court in Cleveland.Go Zips !!

Just a thought here: It's not the first time FTs have haunted us!Loss one vs. UALR: Lost by 2, missed 10 FT.Loss two @. UIC : Lost by 6, missed 9 FT.Loss three v. Nevada: Lost by 2, missed 9 FT.Loss four @ Ohio: Lost by 5, missed 3 FT.Loss five @ Toledo: Lost by 3, missed 1 FT.Loss Six @ Miami: Lost by 2, missed 7 FT.4 of our 6 losses have come directly because of Free throws. Shoot 75-80% from the line and we're 24-2 right now. That's depressing.

Rowdy, you read my mind.Look at all the close games that we've had on the road and against ranked teams at home.How many of those L's would be W's if we were a better free throw shooting team?We should have won last night in Oxford.Great teams win games like that.I guess we are a very good team.I'll tell you this, if we don't get our foul shooting act together by tournament time, we're not going to win it.Those are going to be close games....too close to give up points at the charity stripe.Last night was tough to take.

[skip-zip]

BleacherBum....I'm with you on your thoughts about the tie-breaker.When we only play the MAC West teams once, it's a significant advantage for the team that got the best team from the West at home. Not only did it give Can't a win, and cost us a loss. But now it affects the tie breaker too? Unbelievable.Just think, if we had gotten Toledo at home, and Can't had them on the road, the MAC East race would be OVER. Even if we both got Toledo at home, it might still be over at this point.And I still would like to know why the MAC gave Can't a home game against us to close the season, knowing that we were likely to be the two best teams in the East this year. That was a real disadvantage to us, and I saw that as soon as the schedule came out.I didn't realize that shooting just a "decent" percentage from the line would have won us a few more games already. Especially that Nevada game, which very well could have been a victory that would get us an at-large bid to the tournament. Thanks for those stats Rowdy.

[bigzipguy]

The Zips need to recover from that loss last night and recover quickly. Take a look at the current MAC east standings. Then look at who Miami, Can't, and OU are playing and where the games are taking place. THE ZIPS ARE INDEED IN DANGER OF LOSING THE BYE!!!!! Even with a win over BG, the Zips could still end up with 5 conference losses. The chances of Miami and OU ending up with 5 conference losses are a real possibility. Then, because of that loss at Toledo, we miss the bye. Winning at Can't , on the last day of regular season will be difficult. To me , IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GAME AT BUFFALO.

[BZip_08]

Loss one vs. UALR: Lost by 2, missed 10 FT.Loss two @. UIC : Lost by 6, missed 9 FT.Loss three v. Nevada: Lost by 2, missed 9 FT.Loss four @ Ohio: Lost by 5, missed 3 FT.Loss five @ Toledo: Lost by 3, missed 1 FT.Loss Six @ Miami: Lost by 2, missed 7 FT.Oy veh. Last night I turned on the radio to listen to Dru Joyce taking a shot from another county at the buzzer. When they're hot out past the arc, awesome- go for those big shots. But if the game is on the line- go for the sure thing. Yes, a lovely storybook ending winning by a three in hostile territory (miami) would be lovely, but this isn't a storybook. Stop taking shots in an attempt just to get on sportscenter. Win the game humbly.If nothing else, it's another reality check for our boys. They aren't perfect. They're making simple mistakes, like missing free throws, something that should be given.

[FearTheRoo]

I agree it'll be a huge test...I'm telling you guys, March 4th is shaping up to be an amazing day...Akron vs. Can't...tied for 1st place...sold out crowd...MAC East title on the crown...the long-time King vs. Eventual Successor...Hollywood script right there!

I'm not so sure about that eventual successor thing but "the game II of III" should be a dandy. Our FT shooting stinks, your FT shooting stinks. If UA would have knocked a few FT's down during the course of the season they may be ranked. The stretch run will be fun to watch. Playing in Athens is always a treat (as UA can attest). I look forward to 3/4/07. I just hope our teams are not.

That's a great quote for any coach or parent who wants to impress upon a child the importance of practicing this fine skill in the driveway. You easily could argue that FT's were the difference between wins and loss and ranked and un-ranked.

[Z-Pouch]

Oy veh. Last night I turned on the radio to listen to Dru Joyce taking a shot from another county at the buzzer. When they're hot out past the arc, awesome- go for those big shots. But if the game is on the line- go for the sure thing. Yes, a lovely storybook ending winning by a three in hostile territory (miami) would be lovely, but this isn't a storybook. Stop taking shots in an attempt just to get on sportscenter. Win the game humbly.

Good point, I was thinking along the same lines - finishing a close game strong. Last night was probably our best effort since the Oral Roberts game - got it to OT atleast. Miami buzzer beater at home was good but if I'm not mistaken, we actually lost a 7 point lead with 1:30 left making it closer then it should have been. That was almost a choke.In addition to the late game missed FTs, it's a little concerning that in 4 of those 6 losses, we had the last possession to tie or win the game and didn't come out with at least one win. And in each, the last shot was hardly a good wide open look, more like a prayer. We are still mssing that player that can create a shot with 10 seconds left - I'm not sure why Dials ended up with the ball trying to create a shot last night when you have Middleton or Joyce to penetrate and make something happen. Our offense at the end of close games is horrible right now and could be another reason this team is not ready to win a championship.

[Captain Kangaroo]

In addition to the late game missed FTs, it's a little concerning that in 4 of those 6 losses, we had the last possession to tie or win the game and didn't come out with at least one win. And in each, the last shot was hardly a good wide open look, more like a prayer. We are still missing that player that can create a shot with 10 seconds left - I'm not sure why Dials ended up with the ball trying to create a shot last night when you have Middleton or Joyce to penetrate and make something happen. Our offense at the end of close games is horrible right now and could be another reason this team is not ready to win a championship.

That pretty much says it all. Someone posted that this Miami loss was actually a blessing in disguise because it will make the team hungrier for the tourney. I couldn't disagree more. Great players...great teams shine in crunch time. In the past we've all seen Ben Reed's 3 at The Gund, Brandon Hunter's shot, Keith McCloud's jumper, Anthony Stacey's buzzer-beater, Jose' Davis' cold-blooded daggers...all those shots went against us in MAC tourney play and knocked us out. All were made by big-time players. We don't have a player like that. In tight games we're pretty defendable. And, we can't shoot free throws. The trend in our 2006-7 road losses is undeniable.I hope Dambrot and his staff work on getting good looks at the end of the half and end of the game. That's the biggest chink in our armor. Free throws...we aren't going to get any better. We are what we are.That said, we still have a good a shot as anyone in Cleveland.

[zff]

Give the ball to the best handler on the team Ced!!!!He can drive for a shot or kick it out for an open look.

[BirdZip]

When you think about it, the last couple of minutes for Akron in a close game is scary for a variety of reasons:1: We can't make free throws.2: We stink against the press.3: We can't get a good shot at the end of a game (or end of half) when it's on the line.4: Leading up to those last few minutes, if it's close, we panic and start firing threes instead of just pounding it inside and shooting higher percentage twos (and keeping the pressure on). Think Toledo on this one.I agree with the Captain--we can't do anything about #1 at this point (should have been a focus from the start), but the remaining three are manageable and must be addressed.The other thing that this loss to Miami does (since it eliminates any possibility of an at large) is that it makes the Duquesne game meaningless except to tire us out more.We should beat BG and Buffalo and Can't may beat Ohio and will beat BG. I'm glad I got my K-ent tickets early and am really looking forward to that one. I think the Mac East and #2 seed is decided that Sunday night and not before.

[JP Morgan]

Someone posted that this Miami loss was actually a blessing in disguise because it will make the team hungrier for the tourney. I couldn't disagree more. Great players...great teams shine in crunch time. In the past we've all seen Ben Reed's 3 at The Gund, Brandon Hunter's shot, Keith McCloud's jumper, Anthony Stacey's buzzer-beater, Jose' Davis' cold-blooded daggers...all those shots went against us in MAC tourney play and knocked us out. All were made by big-time players. We don't have a player like that. In tight games we're pretty defendable. And, we can't shoot free throws. The trend in our 2006-7 road losses is undeniable.

I posted that.......well sort of. My point at the time I posted it was, this loss is not the end of the world and was generally in response to the multitude of "we suck....its over" posts that were flying in. Miami plays a style of basketball that if executed properly enables them to have a chance to beat anyone on any given night regardless of the talent on the floor. This is the same team that we only beat by 2 AT HOME one month ago! Did we suck then too?This is one....I repeat.......one of the last 5 games (Miami (away),Duesquesne (away), BG, Can't (away), Buffalo (away)). If someone told you we'd end up 3-2 I think most of us would be happy. A road loss at Miami is maybe......I repeat......maybe the kick in the a$$ this team needs heading into the tourney. We lost this game becasue we didn't play Akron basketball, we didn't execute when it counted and we (as usual) tanked at the free throw line. The team needs to be reminded of that and losing a game where all of those factors contribute should really hit home. As a group, we fans on this site are more bi-polar than ever. We win, we get post after post of "we should be ranked".....we lose, we get post after post of "we suck or.....in Steve Frech fashion.....here we go again."My point is....lets see how this team reacts to this loss.....that will tell us where this team is heading into the tourney.

[Bleacher Bum]

And I still would like to know why the MAC gave Can't a home game against us to close the season, knowing that we were likely to be the two best teams in the East this year. That was a real disadvantage to us, and I saw that as soon as the schedule came out.

Are you kidding me? The MAC knew how big this game would be! It's gonna be the biggest game of the year and it's between one of the best rivaliries not only in the MAC, but in college sports! I, for one, cannot wait! Win or lose, it's gonna be fun and exciting!

[exexec]

I spent some time looking at the box score. Yes the missed free throws hurt, BUT if look at the shooting of DRU, DIALS and CED it was bad-really bad.Usually if one guy is off the other two make up for it. This was bad night for all three. Hope we can get some rest for em for the tourney.