Game 22- Toledo

[Westie]

So what was the attendance? Looked pretty full on tv but didn’t get too many looks at the upper level

[NWAkron]

I don't care how ugly it got.  A win v Toledo is a big deal.

[csims0917]

I never heard an announced audience. Felt like a ton 

[Let'sGoZips94]

According to ESPN, the attendance was 3151.

 

@clarkwgriswold Who won Mr. Wilson?

Edited February 3, 2024 by Let'sGoZips94

[1981 grad]

We really played well the first half and Dawson had a great first half playing the best he has all season.  However, he cooled off the 2nd half as did the rest of the team.  And with Freeman in foul trouble and on the bench, we had difficulties scoring.  We were stuck on 53 and I do not believe we scored a basket in 7 minutes.  We got to 57 making some foul shots.  

 

We had problems breaking the press and Groce put in Tavari instead of Hunter.  I thought it was a great move and then Tavari turns the ball over twice.  We must have had 5 turnovers against their press.  And what was Dawson thinking when he took the 3 shot when we are trying to kill time.  That is at least the 3rd mental error he has made in the last 2 minutes of a game.

 

Finally, if Freeman is the captain of this team I wish he would tell all the players to stop motioning to the opposing bench whenever they score.  Freeman is the leading scorer and if I don't do it, nobody else on the team should be doing it.  It is a bad habit and I sit behind the opposing bench and it is completely uncalled for.  Groce and Freeman should tell the players to stop it.

[zipnetter1951]

3 minutes ago, zipnetter1951 said:

 

3,160, better but not good enough for battle for league lead  should have been over 4 thousand. Toledo undersized, Hunter should have dominated but was a non-facto. Finally, a decent contribution from Dawson. Next on our plate Central Mich, picked finish last. , but sitting in 3rd.

 

 

[Westie]

3,151. Not great but it looked and sounded good on tv. Good exposure for the Zips

[Zippy87]

A few thoughts after getting home from the game:

 

- Really good win overall. Definitely some things to work on but they came out fired up and ready. 

- Late game execution is a concern. We had a lot of difficulty just getting the ball in. I'm sure it's something Groce is going to work a lot on with the team.

- When Freeman is out of the game we struggle on both ends. Thankfully Toledo doesn't have the bigs to take advantage.

- Tribble has had 4 or more fouls in 5 of 10 MAC games. I love his aggressiveness but something to watch.

- I know Tavari had a few bad turnovers but I'd rather Thornton lose minutes when Nate Johnson comes back. 

- The student showed out today - fantastic turnout and energy.

[zippy5]

Toledo is a good matchup for us, they worry me very little going into Cleveland. We played a pretty bad second half and still won somewhat comfortably. No mismatches to be concerned about - they're built similarly to us, just lesser talent imo

[akzipper]

7 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Toledo is a good matchup for us, they worry me very little going into Cleveland. We played a pretty bad second half and still won somewhat comfortably. No mismatches to be concerned about - they're built similarly to us, just lesser talent imo

 

Freeman was unstoppable and we were hitting everything in the first half. Second half he got into foul trouble and the shots weren't falling. I like our chances if Freeman stays on the floor. 

[clarkwgriswold]

I too thought bringing in a guard, Tavari, to handle the pressure late was a good idea, until it wasn't.  I'd have switched him out for Thornton quickly given his experience and assist to turnover ratio over his career.

 

I'll give Toledo credit.  They are scrappy as hell and their speed and dribble penetration can kill you.

 

The Zips just need to stop any kind of celebration to try that can result in the petty technicals.  It's obvious that it has been made a point of emphasis for the MAC refs and while it's clearly not being applied consistently, they just need to redirect the energy before it makes a huge difference in an outcome. 

[clarkwgriswold]

3151... and the winner is...@Head coach Huell Jackson with a guess of 3135.

[GP1]

9 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

 

 

Finally, if Freeman is the captain of this team I wish he would tell all the players to stop motioning to the opposing bench whenever they score.  Freeman is the leading scorer and if I don't do it, nobody else on the team should be doing it.  It is a bad habit and I sit behind the opposing bench and it is completely uncalled for.  Groce and Freeman should tell the players to stop it.

It's part of a bigger problem. He should be upset about the casual approach the team took to the game once they achieved a big lead. 

[MDZip]

On 1/31/2024 at 10:25 AM, Blue & Gold said:

Toledo #1?

This was odd because the last published set of tiebreakers indicated two tied teams have head to head and then best record against the rest of the conference top to bottom. Toledo lost to third place CMU and Akron to 6th place Miami so Akron should have been top seed here. But it was released by the MAC who also have division tie breakers still included in those same procedures so take that for what it's worth. And for the moment it is all moot anyway.

Edited February 3, 2024 by MDZip

[Illini Zip]

I’m going to rewatch this game without my emotions involved. Toledo had success driving into the lane like a heat seeking missile, drawing contact and throwing the ball up while flopping. It worked, the refs gave them that all game. Except for one time when Rique stepped out of the way and the Toledo player crashed to the ground. One of my favorite moments. Ha!! Anyway, we were caught off guard more than a few times. They are fast. So I’m thinking the Zips should go with a box and one zone since they only have one good perimeter shooter. I have a feeling we will see them a couple more times this season. 

[Zipmeister]

46 minutes ago, MDZip said:

This was odd because the last published set of tiebreakers indicated two tied teams have head to head and then best record against the rest of the conference top to bottom. Toledo lost to third place CMU and Akron to 6th place Miami so Akron should have been top seed here. But it was released by the MAC who also have division tie breakers still included in those same procedures so take that for what it's worth. And for the moment it is all moot anyway.

 

I have not read the MACs published tiebreakers, but I'm confused by your interpretation of "the best record against the rest of the conference top to bottom." How would a team losing to a 6th place team give them a better seed than the team they are tied with who lost to a 3rd place team. Shouldn't it be the opposite of what you explained?

Edited February 3, 2024 by Zipmeister

[zipsrule]

11 hours ago, LoyalZIP said:

Tremendous win. Great game. Some of the best perimeter defense I have ever seen an Akron team play. Toledo, an offensive juggernaut, had maybe 3 good looks from the perimeter? Great execution of the game plan. 

💯 (out of likes)

[Zipmeister]

Three takeaways from the Toledo game.

1. The Zips should watch lots of film on how teams successfully beat the press.

2. The Zips should practice breaking a press a lot.

3. The Zips should repeat takeaway #1 and #2.

Edited February 3, 2024 by Zipmeister

[kreed5120]

16 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

I’m going to rewatch this game without my emotions involved. Toledo had success driving into the lane like a heat seeking missile, drawing contact and throwing the ball up while flopping. It worked, the refs gave them that all game. Except for one time when Rique stepped out of the way and the Toledo player crashed to the ground. One of my favorite moments. Ha!! Anyway, we were caught off guard more than a few times. They are fast. So I’m thinking the Zips should go with a box and one zone since they only have one good perimeter shooter. I have a feeling we will see them a couple more times this season. 

 

I would have liked to see the Zips slow the game down offensively when Freeman was on the bench. Perhaps work on getting Ali into the low post or Hunter matched up with a smaller defender. Those missed jump shots, which lead to long rebounds, enabled Toledo to push the ball before Akron could get set defensively. Toledo struggled most of the night when they were forced to run a half court offense.

[zippy5]

Zips need to get set on D after a make. I bet Toledo had 20 points just busting it straight to the hoop after a bucket. Groce will adjust 

[Let'sGoZips94]

Dare I say that was Groce's best regular season win as the Zips head coach? 

 

- Freeman finished with 20 & 14 in only 26 minutes due to foul trouble. That's simply amazing. Another MAC POTW coming his way.

 

- Ali Ali really stepped up with Freeman's limited minutes. Very efficient 26 point performance by him.

 

- Despite Freeman only being on the floor for 26 minutes, we still out-rebounded Toledo 39-31. Impressive effort on the boards. 

 

- Big night from Dawson, shooting 40% from 3 with a 14 pt performance. Needed that. 

 

- Don't love Hunter being completely MIA, and it's odd that Tribble wasn't a go-to on offense.

 

- Toledo had all 5 of their starters in double digits for scoring. Their bench added on a whopping 4 points. If that's the type of performance they get from their bench on a consistent basis, I'm not worried about them in March.

 

- Only 13 minutes for Thornton was head-scratching. I figured he would've been a staple in the lineup for his defensive prowess. 

[Illini Zip]

I agree, getting back on defense in time was a problem also. 

[Blue & Gold]

43 minutes ago, zipsrule said:

💯 (out of likes)

Aren't we all

[clarkwgriswold]

This team has had issues facing pressure this season.  There are spots on the floor that you teach grade school kids not to get trapped in and this team seems to somehow fall prey into getting pressured into those areas.

 

Also, the perimeter defense lacks lateral quickness, maybe with the exception of Tavari and Thornton (who can get pushed around) to slow down the penetration.  Tribble bodies up to make up for it but others have issues.

 

The good news is these issues are fixable to some extent by better technique or adjustments I'm confident Groce and staff can make.  I did like the switches to the 1-3-1 at times last night, though Toledo did a good job of combatting it a couple of times.

[csims0917]

Begging for more like 😂. We’re all out of reactions