NWAkron Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 1 hour ago, clarkwgriswold said: When LCJ left, we lamented our point guard play until X hit his stride. When Big Dog graduated, we lamented the drop off in post play. When McLaughlin left, we missed the great point guard play. When Joe Jakubick left, we missed high scoring guard play. I suspect when Len Paul graduated, we probably missed top notch small forward play. Now we're missing X's play. You always miss the play and contribution of legends. Post of the year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 3 minutes ago, NWAkron said: Post of the year! But will it hold up over the next 364 days? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 49 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said: But will it hold up over the next 364 days? I'm not confident it will make it through the day! 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Out of Conference Review was a nice post @csims0917. Sorry, I'm out of likes. I brought the conversation over here as to not distract from your good work. It's not always easy to get bigger, power conference programs to play Akron. And when you do it's usually the first game of the year and in their house. Which is why I like the Thanksgiving tournaments. So even though there are no flashy names on this OOC schedule (Louisville, West Virginia, Ohio State, Mississippi State, LSU and Nevada are some we have played recently.) one could argue this year's slate was more challenging and prepared us better for the MAC season than in years past. Where does everyone stand on this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reslife4Life Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 51 minutes ago, Illini Zip said: Out of Conference Review was a nice post @csims0917. Sorry, I'm out of likes. I brought the conversation over here as to not distract from your good work. It's not always easy to get bigger, power conference programs to play Akron. And when you do it's usually the first game of the year and in their house. Which is why I like the Thanksgiving tournaments. So even though there are no flashy names on this OOC schedule (Louisville, West Virginia, Ohio State, Mississippi State, LSU and Nevada are some we have played recently.) one could argue this year's slate was more challenging and prepared us better for the MAC season than in years past. Where does everyone stand on this? 100% Agree. Comparing this year to the championship season 2 years ago, this schedule has been way better. Yes we played OSU and Marshall, but the other games were not close to what we got this year. That year we had Point Park (compare to Miami-Hamilton), Wheeling (compare to Heidelberg), Wright State (compare to NKU). Other than that, this year had way better games, and a much better Thanksgiving Tournament field. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 I have done my share of joking about playing the likes of Miami-Hamilton and Heidelberg on here in the past, but I guess it makes sense in this era where the NET metrics rule the day. I mean, say Groce wants to schedule a "practice game" mid-season in which he can get all of his players minutes and polish up on specific aspects such as a full-court press or eliminating turn-overs prior to traveling to a tournament for example. And of course, coming off of finals week where he wants his players to focus their attention on their studies. In the past he might have scheduled a bottom tier Quad 4 team at these times. But by playing a quality D2 or D3 school the game doesn't count against the NET metrics. We play enough Quad 4 games as it is. Especially this year. This approach saves us 2 Quad 4 games in the equation. Now I know if you're paying for a season ticket package you don't want to watch such a match-up, but I am putting the blame on the NCAA's use of the NET going forward. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 12:33 PM, Illini Zip said: Out of Conference Review was a nice post @csims0917. Sorry, I'm out of likes. I brought the conversation over here as to not distract from your good work. It's not always easy to get bigger, power conference programs to play Akron. And when you do it's usually the first game of the year and in their house. Which is why I like the Thanksgiving tournaments. So even though there are no flashy names on this OOC schedule (Louisville, West Virginia, Ohio State, Mississippi State, LSU and Nevada are some we have played recently.) one could argue this year's slate was more challenging and prepared us better for the MAC season than in years past. Where does everyone stand on this? I agree 100%. First a power 5 team gets nothing out of coming to the JAR. If they win the rest of the sports world thinks they should have and if they lose it hurts them. Also, there is no way we can close to making it worth their while financially. As to the OOC schedule, it was a nice mix of good to very good comp with practice games sprinkled in. Even thought we came up short, I loved the showcase in Cleveland. It’s great to see some new content for newer members like csims. Keep it up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 On 1/1/2024 at 10:32 AM, clarkwgriswold said: Thornton and Scott have been less that expected. They're also not getting many minutes, each averaging less that 20 minutes a game. It takes a while to build Groce's trust and become an important part. Right now, he's going with the guys he trusts and that's why Tribble is playing the point (he's always going to be on the floor whether or not he's the point). When LCJ left, we lamented our point guard play until X hit his stride. When Big Dog graduated, we lamented the drop off in post play. When McLaughlin left, we missed the great point guard play. When Joe Jakubick left, we missed high scoring guard play. I suspect when Len Paul graduated, we probably missed top notch small forward play. Now we're missing X's play. You always miss the play and contribution of legends. Scott and Thornton have career three point percentages that are nearly identical to the Zips average this year. I'll be more worried if they haven't settled in by the end middle of February. Spot on as usual Clark; however, I do not anticipate anyone three or four years from now lamenting not having guards playing at the level of Thorn or Scott. We did get spoiled. Hopefully, our PG’s settle in and Dawson and Nate get the confidence and/or consistency we need to make some noise in the MAC Tourney. I will miss Tribble’s hustle, drive and toughness. Just not the Olympic style shot-put jumper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csims0917 Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, Zip JD said: It’s great to see some new content for newer members like csims. Keep it up. Just a college kid with not enough friends who like Akron sports. I love local sports 😁 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyalBlu Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, Zip JD said: I agree 100%. First a power 5 team gets nothing out of coming to the JAR. If they win the rest of the sports world thinks they should have and if they lose it hurts them. Also, there is no way we can close to making it worth their while financially. As to the OOC schedule, it was a nice mix of good to very good comp with practice games sprinkled in. Even thought we came up short, I loved the showcase in Cleveland. It’s great to see some new content for newer members like csims. Keep it up. I still say MAC teams (ADs actually) don't leverage their 'buy' FB games against P5 teams into more basketball opportunities either home or on the road. If you can't get a home and home with a bottom tier P5 team, I'd at least wright into the contract that a road upset by the Zips triggers a return game to Akron the following season, followed by a third game back on the road at P5. Might be a tough way to get a 2-for-1, but at least give yourself a fighting chance. For all the body bag games that FB team down the road plays, they should definitely employ a strategy like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 In addition to the ticket sales, the P5 conferences want the home games that way they have more inventory for their TV network, which they have a direct ownership stake in. They're never going to come to the JAR. The best we can hope for is playing them on a neutral court. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip JD Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 19 hours ago, Zip JD said: Spot on as usual Clark; however, I do not anticipate anyone three or four years from now lamenting not having guards playing at the level of Thorn or Scott. We did get spoiled. Hopefully, our PG’s settle in and Dawson and Nate get the confidence and/or consistency we need to make some noise in the MAC Tourney. I will miss Tribble’s hustle, drive and toughness. Just not the Olympic style shot-put jumper. Trib did bury two 3's in the first half of the NIU game so who knows? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.