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Games 4, 5 & 6- The Akron Basketball Classic


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This game was great with lots of offense and some great blocks and great passing.  We really had problems on defense keeping guys in front of us and we were outmuscled in the block several times.  We also had the problem of getting around screens.  Kevin Johnson had some outstanding moves around the basket.  Tavari finally found the 3 ball and had some great passes with 9 great assists.  Okonkwo was good on the boards and made a couple of shots around the basket.    I thought Grey had his best game making some tough shot muscling his way to the basket.  Reminds me of Jamie Bosley, a smaller guy who just seem to be able to play big and get to the hoop.  Lyles was good offensively but I wish we had a big guy who could clog up the middle.  Hardman was 4 of 10 from three and had some wide open looks.  Zips continually pass the ball well and seem to create openings on their offensive set.  Harris, Wilson and Scott were really not big factors.  I hope we can repeat this offense Sunday with better defense.

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It will be interesting to watch the transfers as the season unfolds. So far, it's been mixed results.

 

Okonkwo looks more like a rotational big than a difference maker. Wilson has been really underwhelming and barely played today. Hardman looked the best he has so far today. Same with Gray. Harris looked like our best player in the first two games and hasn't played as well the last 2. It's very early and they need time, so I'm hoping to see them all continue to settle in as the season progresses and they get more. 

 

Rebounding/interior defense is going to be a problem against team with any kind of size, which I think may ultimately limit this team's ceiling, but hopefully I'm wrong.

Edited by Zippy87
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Yes, the future looks promising and bright. Yes, this still looks like an elite MAC team. But let's not fool ourselves about who the Zips are playing. Understand, according to Kenpom, the best team in this tournament after the Zips is Alabama State, currently No. 229 Kenpom. Zips move up the ladder a bit after that with future games against No. 193 Northern Kentucky, No. 179 Milwaukee then a real tester vs. No. 84 Yale.

 

Understand, best I can tell, the MAC overall has just one Top 100 victory, and that was by BG over George Mason ... and BG just lost to a team, Bellarmine, with a Kenpom rank below No. 300. All other MAC games vs. Top 100 teams, I believe, have all been 20-point losses.

 

Akron, BTW is currently Kenpom ranked No. 150 with an offense ranked No. 115 and a defense ranked No. 240. All of this is not to rain on the parade ... just letting folks know what the weather is like.

 

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9 hours ago, RoyalBlu said:

Yes, the future looks promising and bright. Yes, this still looks like an elite MAC team. But let's not fool ourselves about who the Zips are playing. Understand, according to Kenpom, the best team in this tournament after the Zips is Alabama State, currently No. 229 Kenpom. Zips move up the ladder a bit after that with future games against No. 193 Northern Kentucky, No. 179 Milwaukee then a real tester vs. No. 84 Yale.

 

Understand, best I can tell, the MAC overall has just one Top 100 victory, and that was by BG over George Mason ... and BG just lost to a team, Bellarmine, with a Kenpom rank below No. 300. All other MAC games vs. Top 100 teams, I believe, have all been 20-point losses.

 

Akron, BTW is currently Kenpom ranked No. 150 with an offense ranked No. 115 and a defense ranked No. 240. All of this is not to rain on the parade ... just letting folks know what the weather is like.

 

1.  I can look out the window to check on the weather.

2.  Are you saying "the MAC Blows?"  

3.  Why can't I fool myself?  Makes the experience a lot more fun

Edited by NWAkron
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10 hours ago, RoyalBlu said:

Yes, the future looks promising and bright. Yes, this still looks like an elite MAC team. But let's not fool ourselves about who the Zips are playing. Understand, according to Kenpom, the best team in this tournament after the Zips is Alabama State, currently No. 229 Kenpom. Zips move up the ladder a bit after that with future games against No. 193 Northern Kentucky, No. 179 Milwaukee then a real tester vs. No. 84 Yale.

 

Understand, best I can tell, the MAC overall has just one Top 100 victory, and that was by BG over George Mason ... and BG just lost to a team, Bellarmine, with a Kenpom rank below No. 300. All other MAC games vs. Top 100 teams, I believe, have all been 20-point losses.

 

Akron, BTW is currently Kenpom ranked No. 150 with an offense ranked No. 115 and a defense ranked No. 240. All of this is not to rain on the parade ... just letting folks know what the weather is like.

 

 

It's still too early to base anything off of Kenpom. The ratings have preseason expectations built into the formula until around mid-January. 

 

Much of what you say about the MAC being weak will remain true, but any team specific ranking is subject to change as preseason expectation data gets replaced by real world game results.

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Seth Wilson is shooting 15.8% (3-19) on 3 pointers. He shot 37.9 and 41.5 respectively his previous two seasons at WVU, so I'm hopeful this is just early season rust while adapting to a new team. Only MMK has played less minutes among rotation players. 

 

 

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I had high hopes for Seth Wilson. But with a loaded backcourt he really should not play. He was brought in as a sniper and he is shooting 15%. Hardman has taken all of his minutes and done a great job. 
 

today is the “championship” game both teams are 2-0 and tired… going to be fun to see if we can gut out a win. 
 

Omaha is was really big and that gave us trouble as we have no true PF. Zips defense can improve. I think the match up was poor. Luckily we hit a ton of shots to stay above water as the Refs tried to give Omaha the game. 

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1 hour ago, Zippy87 said:

Seth Wilson is shooting 15.8% (3-19) on 3 pointers. He shot 37.9 and 41.5 respectively his previous two seasons at WVU, so I'm hopeful this is just early season rust while adapting to a new team. Only MMK has played less minutes among rotation players. 

 

 

He is a wide body and looks really strong and he had some great box outs when he was on the floor.  I always wonder when somebody transfers from a big program whether he thought minutes would be given and not earned.  

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1 hour ago, 1981 grad said:

He is a wide body and looks really strong and he had some great box outs when he was on the floor.  I always wonder when somebody transfers from a big program whether he thought minutes would be given and not earned.  

I'm sure that was made abundantly clear to him by the coaching staff.

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