clarkwgriswold Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 The Zips conclude their home regular season Tuesday night by hosting the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. Stan “Somehow Schools Keep Hiring Me” Heath’s Eagles come in at 12-17/5-11 and scored a mere 37 points in their last game, a 52-37 loss to Miami. Tyson Acuff continues to lead the Eagles and the MAC at 21.7 ppg. Despite Acuff’s numbers, the Eagles are last in the MAC in team offense. They are 8th in defense. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reslife4Life Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 So if we win, do we cut down the nets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 Will be interesting to see how the rotation continues to evolve. Minutes over the last two games: vs Ohio 25 - N. Johnson 17 - Scott 13 - Thornton 3 - T. Johnson DNP - Prather Jr. vs NIU 24 - Thornton 14 - N. Johnson 6 - Scott 6 - Prather Jr. 4 - T. Johnson I don't think Tavari gets many minutes in Cleveland, although I think his scoring off the bench is worth giving up a little defense. Scott and Thornton are both way too passive on offense, but I suspect Thornton will play because of his defense. I suspect Scott may lose minutes alongside Tavari. The two wild cards are Nate Johnson - who struggled tonight and may still be getting his game conditioning back - and Prather Jr, who is looking more comfortable out there and could add an outside threat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 18 minutes ago, Reslife4Life said: So if we win, do we cut down the nets? Only if Toledo loses at Miami. If we win and Toledo wins, we have to win at Western or hope Kent upsets Toledo. Still very much in the balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 21 minutes ago, Reslife4Life said: So if we win, do we cut down the nets? In 2020, we cut down the nets by just clinching a share, so I would imagine so. Don’t want to get into a situation where you wait til you officially lock up the 1 seed and have an awkward empty gym party like the 2017 team. I believe @NWAkron was our reporter live on-site for that event and the vibes were atrocious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 14 minutes ago, Westie said: Only if Toledo loses at Miami. If we win and Toledo wins, we have to win at Western or hope Kent upsets Toledo. Still very much in the balance. If we win we clinch at least a share of the regular season championship regardless of if we're the #1 or #2 seed, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 6 minutes ago, Zippy87 said: If we win we clinch at least a share of the regular season championship regardless of if we're the #1 or #2 seed, correct? Right but it would be preferable to get the 1 seed. Presumably a better first round matchup and the early semifinal on Friday if you get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy87 Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 32 minutes ago, Westie said: Right but it would be preferable to get the 1 seed. Presumably a better first round matchup and the early semifinal on Friday if you get there. For sure, I'm just saying I think we are at least co-regular season champs with a win Tuesday no matter what Toledo does if they wanted to cut nets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 3 Author Report Share Posted March 3 10 hours ago, Zippy87 said: Will be interesting to see how the rotation continues to evolve. Minutes over the last two games: vs Ohio 25 - N. Johnson 17 - Scott 13 - Thornton 3 - T. Johnson DNP - Prather Jr. vs NIU 24 - Thornton 14 - N. Johnson 6 - Scott 6 - Prather Jr. 4 - T. Johnson I don't think Tavari gets many minutes in Cleveland, although I think his scoring off the bench is worth giving up a little defense. Scott and Thornton are both way too passive on offense, but I suspect Thornton will play because of his defense. I suspect Scott may lose minutes alongside Tavari. The two wild cards are Nate Johnson - who struggled tonight and may still be getting his game conditioning back - and Prather Jr, who is looking more comfortable out there and could add an outside threat. I think with Groce how much you play comes down to matchups and how you did in practice that week. As such, there can always be surprises or changes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWAkron Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 12 hours ago, LoyalZIP said: In 2020, we cut down the nets by just clinching a share, so I would imagine so. Don’t want to get into a situation where you wait til you officially lock up the 1 seed and have an awkward empty gym party like the 2017 team. I believe @NWAkron was our reporter live on-site for that event and the vibes were atrocious. awkward event. KD trying to convince himself that the 2017 team would win the MAC. Since CMU is tanking, Zips need to win out to get #1 seed or need a loss by Toledo. Getting the #2 seed likely puts Zips with Kent, Miami, and Ohio in the "Tulsa Region." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westie Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 Eastern isn't very good but they have won 3 of their last 5 so Zips better not let a sleepy Tuesday night game get away from them. Would be amazing to clinch the outright title with a little help in Oxford. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 On 3/3/2024 at 9:54 AM, NWAkron said: awkward event. KD trying to convince himself that the 2017 team would win the MAC. Since CMU is tanking, Zips need to win out to get #1 seed or need a loss by Toledo. Getting the #2 seed likely puts Zips with Kent, Miami, and Ohio in the "Tulsa Region." CMU is just returning to the mean. Everyone could tell CMU wasn't as good as their MAC record indicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted March 4 Report Share Posted March 4 You should love this; check out MAC Bracket 2024 & MAC Tournament Predictions (@ teamrankings.com) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 1 hour ago, Zipmeister said: You should love this; check out MAC Bracket 2024 & MAC Tournament Predictions (@ teamrankings.com) Linky 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsrule Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 The line is Akron by 19.5 points. That is a lot of points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 8 hours ago, Blue & Gold said: Linky Like our odds. No respect for CMU at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 1,583 days ago, Greg Tribble and Ali Ali suited up for their first regular season game for Akron, against Malone. Was Freeman with the team yet? He played later that month. Anyway, Ali started and played 19 minutes, Tribble played 14 minutes and both made an impact in the box score. Today, all 3 will play at the JAR for the last time. The last home game is always bittersweet, but this one is far and away the most I’ve ever felt that before. These 3 guys have been in my life longer than some of my close friends. I’m going to enjoy every second of tonight. Hopefully a comfortable win. These guys have done so much, and still have a lot on the table. Go Zips! 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle66 Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 On 3/2/2024 at 8:10 PM, clarkwgriswold said: The Zips conclude their home regular season Tuesday night by hosting the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. Stan “Somehow Schools Keep Hiring Me” Heath’s Eagles come in at 12-17/5-11 and scored a mere 37 points in their last game, a 52-37 loss to Miami. Tyson Acuff continues to lead the Eagles and the MAC at 21.7 ppg. Despite Acuff’s numbers, the Eagles are last in the MAC in team offense. They are 8th in defense. Acuff didn’t play against Miami, which helps explain the 37 points Saturday. Haven’t heard if he’s out tonight too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1981 grad Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 50 minutes ago, LoyalZIP said: 1,583 days ago, Greg Tribble and Ali Ali suited up for their first regular season game for Akron, against Malone. Was Freeman with the team yet? He played later that month. Anyway, Ali started and played 19 minutes, Tribble played 14 minutes and both made an impact in the box score. Today, all 3 will play at the JAR for the last time. The last home game is always bittersweet, but this one is far and away the most I’ve ever felt that before. These 3 guys have been in my life longer than some of my close friends. I’m going to enjoy every second of tonight. Hopefully a comfortable win. These guys have done so much, and still have a lot on the table. Go Zips! Each of these players have improved their game over their time with Akron. I remember Freeman's first game. We will never see a player improve as much from his first year to his senior year. Tribble would be a close second. Nobody on this board ever thought he would be an offensive threat. He has worked on his game and has developed his scoring in the paint and his 3 point shot. Both him and Freeman have developed into good free throw shooters Ali has also improved his senior year being deadly in the paint with a short jumper and taking advantage of smaller guards. I wish Groce could clone their work ethic. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 5 Author Report Share Posted March 5 I will admit that I had given up on Tribble ever becoming a better shooter and he sure as hell proved me wrong. Given what Groce has said about Greg over his time here concerning his basketball IQ, I hope he has some coaching in his future. I wouldn't mind seeing that at UA in some role. He could be to Groce what Dru Jr. is to KD. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 This Jon Ekey guy played one year under Groce and is now the Zips Director of Men's Basketball Operations & Analytics. So sure, Greg, LCJ, any of them could potentially come back around if they choose to start a coaching career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 3 hours ago, 1981 grad said: Each of these players have improved their game over their time with Akron. I remember Freeman's first game. We will never see a player improve as much from his first year to his senior year. Tribble would be a close second. Nobody on this board ever thought he would be an offensive threat. He has worked on his game and has developed his scoring in the paint and his 3 point shot. Both him and Freeman have developed into good free throw shooters Ali has also improved his senior year being deadly in the paint with a short jumper and taking advantage of smaller guards. I wish Groce could clone their work ethic. I don't think it's as much about cloning their work ethic as it is Groce continuing to build his culture here. Banks, X1.0, Cheese, LCJ, X2.0, and Duvivier were all guys that have played the game the right way while wearing the Akron Blue & Gold under Groce. We've seen the most growth in the individual games of Freeman, Tribble, and Ali because they've been here for 3+ years, but we would've seen the same growth with any of the aforementioned players if they were here for longer than a year or 2. Guys like Prather, Nate Johnson, and Dawson will be instrumental next year in cementing the foundation that has been built by Freeman, Tribble, Ali, X1 & X2, Cheese, Banks, Duvivier, and LCJ. Incoming players like Sharron Young could be extremely special if they see what Akron is under Groce and choose to stay & develop for 4 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoyalZIP Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 Tribble's 18-40 from three in conference play is good for #1 in the league at 45% (ranking qualifying shooters, of course). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted March 5 Report Share Posted March 5 3 hours ago, LoyalZIP said: Tribble's 18-40 from three in conference play is good for #1 in the league at 45% (ranking qualifying shooters, of course). Amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 6 Author Report Share Posted March 6 Good start. Acuff is out for EMU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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