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2025 MAC Tournament


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Can someone tell me?  On Miami's last possession before the half-court heave, who was the on-ball defender, and who made the rebound and outlet to Nate?  That defensive play was clearly the key to our runout for victory!  I know Tavari was either the defender or the rebounder/passer.  The defender was just able to put enough of a hand on Miami's ball-handler to throw him off his step, without picking up the foul.  I've watched it about 20 times, and will watch many more...I KNOW!!!

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5 minutes ago, Z.I.P. said:

Can someone tell me?  On Miami's last possession before the half-court heave, who was the on-ball defender, and who made the rebound and outlet to Nate?  That defensive play was clearly the key to our runout for victory!  I know Tavari was either the defender or the rebounder/passer.  The defender was just able to put enough of a hand on Miami's ball-handler to throw him off his step, without picking up the foul.  I've watched it about 20 times, and will watch many more...I KNOW!!!

 

Tavari was the on-ball defender, and Lyles made the rebound/outlet pass. 

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1.  pre-game I thought Miami and Travis needed a 2007 moment and then come back very strong next few years.

2. Akron had the experience and steeliness to win.

3. At halftime, I thought "12 points" is doable, but I didn't think Miami would collapse like so many others have.

4. Watching replay, the game seems much closer than it was in person.  The announcers were giving credit to the Zips the  entire time, saying Miami had to be wary of the Zips going off on a huge run.  Instead of huge run it was a slow bleed from Miami.

5. TAVARI, AMANI, AND NATE ARE MUTUAL HEROES.  AMANI EFFING BOXED OUT AND GRABBED THAT REBOUND.   TAVARI'S DEFENSE PREVENTED THE MIAMI BASKET.  AMANI HAD THE ASSIST OF THE YEAR AND HIS LIFETIME.

Edited by NWAkron
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Can I say, okay, I'm saying it here and now!  I've watched Akron Zips basketball since the late 1960s, and THIS is the best Akron team of them all.  This team has much of the same talent level, athleticism, physicality and grit as the legendary 1972 NCAA College Division national finalists, but I have to think the mental toughness and strength of Groce's squad is unprecedented.  These guys are "no ka 'oi".  They da bes' brah!

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4 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

What a great night in Cleveland. That pass by Amani isn't getting enough love. 9 times out of 10 that is getting kicked out to an outlet man right there. To see that and make that pass.. phew. Great stuff 

Absolutely! It was a very smart play - situational awareness, knowledge of where NJ was and then putting the ball right on him! Bill Walton would have been so stoked about that pass!

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Some thoughts...

 

- The key to this game was Akron's aggressiveness in the first half to get the 2nd foul on Suder in the 1st half. He sat the final 7 minutes of the 1st half and although it didn't quite cool him off in the 2nd half, Miami really missed his offense to finish the 1st half. Imagine 7 more minutes of Suder that game; we most likely wouldn't have had a chance at the comeback. 

 

- I was watching Seth Wilson pregame. He was standing at the top of the arc trying to make a 3 before going into the locker room. He'd miss short, then long, then rattle it out. Took him more than several attempts to finally make it, and I thought "Oh no, he doesn't have his shot tonight," as he was was seemingly trying to find it. It looked way too mental. Turned out to be exactly the case, and despite not having his shot, he gave us his best effort. He was terrific defensively.

 

- Bowen Hardman showed up quite well when we needed him most. You could tell when our offense was about to let it fly from deep because Groce would sub Hardman and Wilson in. Bowen's couple of 3s towards the latter part of that second half were really what solidified the comeback. 

 

- Another terrific performance from Tavari. He and NJ are going to have quite the battle next year for MAC POTY. 

 

- Okonkwo and Lyles split their big man duties perfectly tonight. Okonkwo was the physical beef while Amani was the finesse/athletic beef. Thank goodness Amani was in at the end for whatever reason (3P shooting abilities maybe?) because I'm not sure how many bigs are finding that outlet pass and hitting it knowing you have a couple timeouts and your PG right next to you. 

 

- Travis Steele coached one heck of a game for most of it. Their defensive gameplan really really really messed with the Zips as they were constantly switching up looks and switching in general. It took away our flow and our passing and dribble-drive lanes. Miami's Achilles heal (lack of athleticism) became too much and once the shots stopped falling, their offense really sputtered late in that game. They are a young team and definitely puckered when the moment was the biggest. Really hoping Suder finds his way into the Portal. If Miami runs it back, they will be out for blood next year. 

 

- Lots of complaining by Miami fans about the refs. Pretty laughable IMO. I thought the refs were pretty inconsistent both ways and it's not like Akron had a huge advantage with the 1-and-1. Not to mention their only MAC Title this century came with the aid of a faulty clock operator. 

 

Let's go dancing. Go Zips!

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In this transfer portal era of college basketball, how great was it seeing three guys recruited out of high school to Akron and developed by the staff make the winning plays. Tavari with the D, Amani with the rebound and outlet and Nate with the bucket!

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