clarkwgriswold Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 ZipsNation, we are off the NCAA Tournament. I don't want to post an individual game thread because this is the year we go beyond one game! Here's hoping for a regional site that's easily travelable. I'll be out of town the next couple of days so I wanted to get this thread up so you guys could get rolling. Go Zips! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZippyRulz Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 ESPN for the moment thinks it's Michigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Odds are very high Zips will be a 13, if very lucky a 12. Both those play at the same sites, Providence, Denver and Seattle (x2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 25 minutes ago, MDZip said: Odds are very high Zips will be a 13, if very lucky a 12. Both those play at the same sites, Providence, Denver and Seattle (x2). Yep. High chance we’re going to Seattle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 My gut tells me Seattle as it's one of most inconvenient. Takes me back to Portland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 How much did Amani grow this year? His game went through the roof. His on court maturity blossomed. His body went through an impressive transformation. He found his shot. I couldn't be more proud of that kid. One thing overlooked in that amazing ending is Nate's state of mind after the basket to jump into defense mode and pick up Ipsaro and actually force him to regather to get off his heave. My question is how is the ball in Ipsaro's hands as the clock winds down and not Suder's? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reslife4Life Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 So this is what it feels like to be a Yankees fan. I can live with this. The Akron aura and mystique is building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 8 hours ago, MDZip said: Odds are very high Zips will be a 13, if very lucky a 12. Both those play at the same sites, Providence, Denver and Seattle (x2). The NCAA likes to screw over the MAC with trips to the far west. I predict they will do it again this year. Have fun in Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipsBBjunkie Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 The trip to Portland might have been a bear, but they almost pulled it out against UCLA! I don't see this year's team impacted by much of anything. I think wherever they head they will be highly prepared, poised and confident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 2 minutes ago, Illini Zip said: So this is what it feels like to be a Yankees fan. I can live with this. The Akron aura and mystique is building. 6th tournament appearance since I've become a fan and 3rd in the past 4 years. Between the Zips BB and Cavs, they sure make up for my football suffering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoopsFan03 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 10 hours ago, MDZip said: Odds are very high Zips will be a 13, if very lucky a 12. Both those play at the same sites, Providence, Denver and Seattle (x2). 14s play in Milwaukee. I'd be ok with that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 4 minutes ago, HoopsFan03 said: 14s play in Milwaukee. I'd be ok with that. No thanks. We're at least a 13 and our chances of an upset increase dramatically in the 12/13 range vs 14. Send us wherever. We're getting our first tourney win this year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1981 grad Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 9 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said: No thanks. We're at least a 13 and our chances of an upset increase dramatically in the 12/13 range vs 14. Send us wherever. We're getting our first tourney win this year. USA today had us as a 14 heading to Providence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 This is what I typically look at when wanting to check where we can expected to be seeded at. It takes the average from all of the various national bracketologists. To me it appears we'll be a solid 13 seed. No way we climb ahead of a Liberty, McNeese, or San Diego to take a 12 seed. There is however the possibility that the committee slides a Lipscomb ahead of us and we become a 14. If I had to guess, I'd say it's an 90% we're a 13 seed. A 10% chance we're a 14. http://www.bracketmatrix.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipsFan31 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 (edited) Give me the 13 and let’s roll. Only thing holding this team back is that our “power forward” is 6’3. It’s a rebounding and defense challenge. I think the biggest question mark is can we get to play a team that doesn’t have a rockstar power forward. on the flip side that rock star power forward has to guard Nate! Based on the lunardi latest bracket update I think of the 4 seeds here is the my preferred match up based on size 1. Arizona 2. Texas A&M 3. Maryland 4. Michigan Edited March 16 by ZipsFan31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 (edited) Whoever we face is going to be able to exploit our size. We'll have to put on a shooting clinic and limit turnovers if we're to pull off an upset. If we shoot like we did against Toledo, we have a chance. If we have an okay shooting day, like we did against Miami, we'll likely lose by double figures. Anything worse and it could get ugly fast. Edited March 16 by kreed5120 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtyolcrowe Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 34 minutes ago, ZipsFan31 said: Give me the 13 and let’s roll. Only thing holding this team back is that our “power forward” is 6’3. It’s a rebounding and defense challenge. I think the biggest question mark is can we get to play a team that doesn’t have a rockstar power forward. on the flip side that rock star power forward has to guard Nate! Based on the lunardi latest bracket update I think of the 4 seeds here is the my preferred match up based on size 1. Arizona 2. Texas A&M 3. Maryland 4. Michigan They now have us playing Arizona In Seattle per ESPN. I gotta think we are the 2nd best 13 seed. Yale is also a 13 so based on head to head competition they are #1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkwgriswold Posted March 16 Author Report Share Posted March 16 (edited) Taking all of the analysis and science out of it, as a Zips and NEO sports fan, I can't see it being anywhere other than Seattle, especially after beating the odds with Pittsburgh last year. Edited March 16 by clarkwgriswold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy5 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Is Cleveland even a legal option with the MAC being the host? I know we'd never luck out like that two years in a row anyway but just curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kreed5120 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 10 minutes ago, zippy5 said: Is Cleveland even a legal option with the MAC being the host? I know we'd never luck out like that two years in a row anyway but just curious NCAA rules state that you can't be placed where you've played in 3 or more games during the regular season. That would eliminate Cleveland for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zip_ME87 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 14 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: NCAA rules state that you can't be placed where you've played in 3 or more games during the regular season. That would eliminate Cleveland for us. Is the MAC Tournament considered regular season in basketball? In soccer, the conference tournament is considered post season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZipster0305 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 17 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: NCAA rules state that you can't be placed where you've played in 3 or more games during the regular season. That would eliminate Cleveland for us. Is that specific to a city or an arena? Just curious...I realize that with regard to Cleveland, the city and arena would be the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Zip Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 Our second win streak is currently at seven. Six more 1-0s to go. 😉 Let’s Go Zips!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGoZips94 Posted March 16 Report Share Posted March 16 (edited) 33 minutes ago, kreed5120 said: NCAA rules state that you can't be placed where you've played in 3 or more games during the regular season. That would eliminate Cleveland for us. According to Grok, Akron can play in Cleveland. The MAC Tourney does not count towards the 3+ game threshold. Wow. Yes, you’re correct—there is an NCAA rule that impacts where teams can play in the tournament based on their regular-season usage of a site, and it could affect whether Akron plays in Cleveland for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Let’s break this down with the rule in mind and apply it to Akron’s situation. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament hosting policy, outlined in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Principles and Procedures for Establishing the Bracket, includes a provision to prevent teams from gaining a perceived “home-court advantage” at tournament sites. Specifically, a team is generally not assigned to a site where it has played more than three regular-season games in the same season, excluding conference tournament games. This rule is designed to maintain competitive fairness and neutrality. However, the NCAA can make exceptions if logistical constraints (e.g., bracket alignment, travel considerations) leave no viable alternative, though such exceptions are rare. For the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is hosting first- and second-round games on March 21 and 23. Akron, having won the MAC Tournament on March 15, 2025, at that same venue (then referred to as Rocket Arena in your question, likely meaning Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse), has secured their spot in the tournament. The key question is whether Akron played enough regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during the 2024-25 season to trigger this rule. Typically, Akron plays its home games at James A. Rhodes Arena on campus, which seats about 5,500 fans. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, a larger NBA arena with a capacity of over 19,000, is not their regular home venue. However, teams occasionally schedule non-conference games at larger neutral or semi-neutral sites like this for marquee matchups or added exposure. Additionally, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has hosted the MAC Tournament championship in recent years, though the tournament games themselves don’t count toward the three-game limit per the NCAA rule. To assess this: Regular-Season Games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse: Akron’s 2024-25 regular-season schedule would need to include at least four games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the rule to disqualify them from playing there in the NCAA Tournament. Historically, Akron doesn’t play regular-season games at this venue frequently. For instance, in recent seasons (e.g., 2023-24), their non-conference and MAC schedules were primarily at Rhodes Arena or on the road, with no regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The venue is more commonly used for the MAC Tournament, not regular-season play. Without the full 2024-25 schedule (unavailable as of my cutoff), it’s unlikely Akron played four or more regular-season games there, given their typical patterns and the arena’s primary use for Cleveland Cavaliers games and larger events. MAC Tournament Exception: The MAC Tournament final on March 15, 2025, was at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, but this counts as a postseason game, not a regular-season game. Thus, it doesn’t contribute to the three-game threshold. NCAA Assignment Flexibility: Even if Akron played, say, one or two regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (e.g., a neutral-site non-conference game), they’d still fall short of the four-game limit. The NCAA could then assign them to Cleveland, especially since Akron is just 40 miles away, aligning with the preference to keep lower-seeded teams close to home when possible. As a probable mid-to-low seed (e.g., 12-16), Akron could be slotted into Cleveland unless higher-seeded teams or bracket logistics dictate otherwise. Historically, this rule has impacted other teams. For example, in 2011, Brigham Young University (BYU) was barred from playing in Salt Lake City because they had played multiple regular-season games there, despite its proximity. Akron’s case differs because Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse isn’t their home venue, reducing the likelihood of exceeding the limit. Given this analysis, unless Akron unexpectedly played four or more regular-season games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in 2024-25—an improbable scenario based on past scheduling—they can play in Cleveland for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Their MAC Tournament game there doesn’t count toward the restriction, and their regular home (Rhodes Arena) is distinct from the tournament site. The Selection Committee’s bracket, revealed on March 16, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. EDT, would confirm their placement, but the three-game rule likely won’t bar them from Cleveland. Thus, it remains plausible and permissible for Akron to play there, pending final seeding and logistics. Edited March 16 by Let'sGoZips94 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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