2024-25 Post Mortem and Looking Ahead to 2025-26

[NWAkron]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

In conference starts before Christmas.  No trip to UMASS.  Interesting.

What's interesting?  The early start or the lack of away game with UMass?  Or maybe both?

[clarkwgriswold]

40 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

What's interesting?  The early start or the lack of away game with UMass?  Or maybe both?

We haven't started league play until after New Year's this century.  We're also not travelling to the newest league member and the farthest member.  So, both.  

[Let'sGoZips94]

Akron had 14 Q1/2/3 games last year, excluding Arizona. All but 2 non-conference games that fell in those categories were road games.

 

Not including any questionable MAC programs (directional Michigans, Balls, NIU, BUGS, etc.), Akron should have at least 12 Q1/2/3 games this year with 2 of those being home games (JMU and Princeton). The difference is, I didn't count Milwaukee and Bucknell in those 12, and both could end up being Q2/Q3 (similar to how Omaha was a huge surprise last year; Milwaukee would be less of a surprise). With the addition of UMass, the MAC should have an elevated NET this season, meaning 2-3 more programs could sneak into the Q2/Q3 discussion. 

 

All of this to say, around half the schedule (at least) could end up being Q1/Q2/Q3 vs. last year which saw 18 Q4 games. 

[NWAkron]

3 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

We haven't started league play until after New Year's this century.  We're also not travelling to the newest league member and the farthest member.  So, both.  

no trip to Mass and DeKalb is a MAC gift to the 2 time defending champion.

[RoyalBlu]

8 hours ago, NWAkron said:

MAC schedule: no trip to Toledo, Massachusetts, or DeKalb.  Get the Michigan directionals twice. (that should help the at large conversation)

 

Or put it another way ... 1 game only vs. Toledo, UMass, Ohio, Miami and NIU.

 

Zips should easily dispatch Toledo, Ohio and NIU. UMass is an unknown no matter home or away. Miami on the road is the only real ???, and Zips play them before students return for the semester.

 

Tough to argue with this MAC schedule, no matter how you look at it.

 

[Blue & Gold]

Home versus

James Madison

Princeton

Milwaukee

Bucknell

 

On the road versus

Purdue

Iona

Tulane

Murray State

 

Great non-conference schedule put together by the staff.

 

The only bummer of the conference schedule is not getting a home game versus Ohio.

[tpsjugglerdude]

16 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

With the addition of UMass, the MAC should have an elevated NET this season, meaning 2-3 more programs could sneak into the Q2/Q3 discussion. 

 

What makes you think this? Only 2 of the last 5 years have been respectable. 

UMass

2020–21: 119

2021–22: 178

2022–23: 205

2023–24: 91

2024–25: 223

[csims0917]

If 220 is the floor that’s still a great addition compared to the bottom dwellers in the conference. NIU leaving will be a positive in basketball next year 

[NWAkron]

Surprised Groce couldn't arrange a home and home with Miami, considering his half-brother is the coach.

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

 

What makes you think this? Only 2 of the last 5 years have been respectable. 

UMass

2020–21: 119

2021–22: 178

2022–23: 205

2023–24: 91

2024–25: 223

 

They were 12-20 last year and bottomed out at only 223. Only 5 MAC schools finished ahead of them in NET:

 

Akron - 91

PCCC - 128

Miami OH - 147

Ohio - 179

CMU - 219

 

It's all pure speculation, but I think the general public expects UMASS to be a top 4-6 MAC program as their floor which puts them within striking distance of the Q3 threshold (76-160 for Home games). Time will tell if the A10 overly inflated their NET, or if a (likely) better record in the MAC will be more beneficial. Frank Martin is the highest paid coach in the MAC now by quite a bit, and outside of the Groce, he's easily the best coach in the MAC. Their 5 year NET average based on the numbers you shared is ~163, and Frank should have them within that range again. The MAC has been dying for another team to be in that range, which will elevate the whole conference. Not to mention it makes us that much more competitive in the MAC/SBC Challenge, which again should help all NET rankings for the MAC.

 

8 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Surprised Groce couldn't arrange a home and home with Miami, considering his half-brother is the coach.

 

Maybe little bro is having PTSD from the absolute shellacking they took at the JAR last season. 

[RoyalBlu]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

They were 12-20 last year and bottomed out at only 223. Only 5 MAC schools finished ahead of them in NET:

 

Akron - 91

PCCC - 128

Miami OH - 147

Ohio - 179

CMU - 219

 

It's all pure speculation, but I think the general public expects UMASS to be a top 4-6 MAC program as their floor which puts them within striking distance of the Q3 threshold (76-160 for Home games). Time will tell if the A10 overly inflated their NET, or if a (likely) better record in the MAC will be more beneficial. Frank Martin is the highest paid coach in the MAC now by quite a bit, and outside of the Groce, he's easily the best coach in the MAC. Their 5 year NET average based on the numbers you shared is ~163, and Frank should have them within that range again. The MAC has been dying for another team to be in that range, which will elevate the whole conference. Not to mention it makes us that much more competitive in the MAC/SBC Challenge, which again should help all NET rankings for the MAC.

 

 

Maybe little bro is having PTSD from the absolute shellacking they took at the JAR last season. 

 

I'm not so sure, at this point, he's the No. 2 coach in the MAC behind Gross. Probably, yes. But let's give the guy a year in the MAC to solidify that statement. Boals, Steele, Kowalczk, Senderoff can all make solid arguments for No. 2 at this point, IMO. I agree Martin's pedigree speaks loudly. But winning in the MAC is no joke, no matter where the MAC ranks nationally. Until Martin runs that gauntlet successfully - and goes deep in the MAC Tournament - I'd say he's even with the four guys above. That would make him No. 2, or maybe No. 6. We'll see.

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, RoyalBlu said:

 

I'm not so sure, at this point, he's the No. 2 coach in the MAC behind Gross. Probably, yes. But let's give the guy a year in the MAC to solidify that statement. Boals, Steele, Kowalczk, Senderoff can all make solid arguments for No. 2 at this point, IMO. I agree Martin's pedigree speaks loudly. But winning in the MAC is no joke, no matter where the MAC ranks nationally. Until Martin runs that gauntlet successfully - and goes deep in the MAC Tournament - I'd say he's even with the four guys above. That would make him No. 2, or maybe No. 6. We'll see.

 

 

Martin has a .575 winning percentage in 18 seasons as a head coach at Kansas State (5 seasons), South Carolina (10 seasons), and UMass (3 seasons). UMass is the only place he doesn't have a winning record at, and he's at .500 exactly (47-47; reclamation project as 2 seasons ago he delivered their first winning season since 2014-15). The top of the MAC is solid mid-major basketball, but let's not act like the MAC is going to bolster his resume vs. winning in the Big 12, SEC, and A10. Steele is the only respectable challenger outside of Groce for "best coach in the MAC" but the jury is still out on him. Kowalchoke and Pinky being in the same conversation as Groce, Steele, and Martin is disrespectful to those 3. If Martin fails to take UMass to the top of the MAC, he will lose a lot of credibility, but he's coming in as a top 2 coach, 3rd at absolute worst. 

S Tier: Groce, Martin
A Tier: Steele
B Tier: Kowalchoke, Pinky, Boals
C Tier: Simon

D/F Tier: Really, who the hell cares after those top 7?

[tpsjugglerdude]

3 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

They were 12-20 last year and bottomed out at only 223. Only 5 MAC schools finished ahead of them in NET:

 

Akron - 91

PCCC - 128

Miami OH - 147

Ohio - 179

CMU - 219

 

It's all pure speculation, but I think the general public expects UMASS to be a top 4-6 MAC program as their floor which puts them within striking distance of the Q3 threshold (76-160 for Home games). Time will tell if the A10 overly inflated their NET, or if a (likely) better record in the MAC will be more beneficial. Frank Martin is the highest paid coach in the MAC now by quite a bit, and outside of the Groce, he's easily the best coach in the MAC. Their 5 year NET average based on the numbers you shared is ~163, and Frank should have them within that range again. The MAC has been dying for another team to be in that range, which will elevate the whole conference. Not to mention it makes us that much more competitive in the MAC/SBC Challenge, which again should help all NET rankings for the MAC.

 

 

Maybe little bro is having PTSD from the absolute shellacking they took at the JAR last season. 

 

If they were in the MAC last year they would have been 300+ for sure. They won't be able to rely on their conference helping their NET going forward. 

[Zips1991]

3 hours ago, NWAkron said:

Surprised Groce couldn't arrange a home and home with Miami, considering his half-brother is the coach.

They have no say in the conference schedule, it's determined by the MAC office.

[NWAkron]

1 hour ago, Zips1991 said:

They have no say in the conference schedule, it's determined by the MAC office.

Yes, my comment wasn't serious.  It was a play on the "home and home" trope often used on ZipsNation.

[Let'sGoZips94]

4 hours ago, tpsjugglerdude said:

 

If they were in the MAC last year they would have been 300+ for sure. They won't be able to rely on their conference helping their NET going forward. 

 

Only 2 teams finished 300+ in the MAC - Buffalo (341st; 9-22) and NIU (354th; 6-25).

 

Most of the teams in the MAC that finished with a similar record to UMass ended up in the 260-280 range, and odds are UMass would've ended up with a few more wins at least to probably settle around the same ~220 spot they finished in the A10. Ohio was 16-16 and finished 179th, for example. CMU finished 219th after going 14-17. 

 

It's all hypothetical, but I do believe UMass will be a Q3 opportunity for us.