2025-26 Post Mortem and Looking Ahead to 2026-27

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, zippy5 said:

We're 34-2 in our last two years in the MAC. This doesn't hurt us

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And now we've lost what was a phenomenal tradition of 4 games on a March Thursday in Cleveland with no guaranteed benefit. 

[Zippy87]

13 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And now we've lost what was a phenomenal tradition of 4 games on a March Thursday in Cleveland with no guaranteed benefit. 

 

It's only been this way since 2021. Before that, it was another format for 4 seasons. Before that, it was a different format from that for 4 seasons, and before that, it was yet another format for 8 years. 

 

[NWAkron]

16 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And now we've lost what was a phenomenal tradition of 4 games on a March Thursday in Cleveland with no guaranteed benefit. 

Ugh.  Have to agree with LGZ here.  This blows.  Not that anyone would ask me, but this would make somewhat more sense if all 12 teams participated.  Frankly, that may benefit those top 2 teams even more.  

[kreed5120]

I'm fairly indifferent to it. They can still play 4 games those days. It will just be 2 men's, 2 women's. In fact, it's probably what they're doing. I haven't looked at the women's tournament to validate.

[Let'sGoZips94]

46 minutes ago, Zippy87 said:

 

It's only been this way since 2021. Before that, it was another format for 4 seasons. Before that, it was a different format from that for 4 seasons, and before that, it was yet another format for 8 years. 

 

 

You're skipping the detail that one of those previous formats was this exact one and people hated it. 

[Zippy87]

Just now, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

You're skipping the detail that one of those previous formats was this exact one and people hated it. 

 

Based on? 

[Zippy87]

46 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Ugh.  Have to agree with LGZ here.  This blows.  Not that anyone would ask me, but this would make somewhat more sense if all 12 teams participated.  Frankly, that may benefit those top 2 teams even more.  

 

Has this been confirmed either way? I kind of assumed this meant all 12 teams were now participating. 

 

Seeds 5-12 on Monday at campus sites, Quarterfinals, Second Round on Wednesday, Quarterfinals on Thursday, Semifinals Friday, Championship Saturday. 

 

I suppose they could go: 

 

Wednesday

5 vs 8

6 vs 7

 

Thursday

3 vs 6/7

4 vs 5/8

 

Friday

1 vs 3/6/7

2 vs 4/5/8

 

Saturday - Championship

 

Regardless, it will make it much more difficult for a team seeded lower than 4 to win the tournament. Not impossible, but very difficult. 

[1981 grad]

We have won the MAC title the last 3 years and have not gotten past the first round.  Three games in three days to win the MAC is a grind.  You then have the excitement of selection Sunday and then a travel day Tuesday.  Maybe it will help in the NCAA tourney if it only takes 2 games to win the title.

[mrelegazna]

1 hour ago, 1981 grad said:

We have won the MAC title the last 3 years and have not gotten past the first round.  Three games in three days to win the MAC is a grind.  You then have the excitement of selection Sunday and then a travel day Tuesday.  Maybe it will help in the NCAA tourney if it only takes 2 games to win the title.

I dunno man.  Seems like most other multiple MBB MAC champions going through the same grind have managed to knock off a team or two in the big dance.

[kreed5120]

7 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

Has this been confirmed either way? I kind of assumed this meant all 12 teams were now participating. 

 

Seeds 5-12 on Monday at campus sites, Quarterfinals, Second Round on Wednesday, Quarterfinals on Thursday, Semifinals Friday, Championship Saturday. 

 

I suppose they could go: 

 

Wednesday

5 vs 8

6 vs 7

 

Thursday

3 vs 6/7

4 vs 5/8

 

Friday

1 vs 3/6/7

2 vs 4/5/8

 

Saturday - Championship

 

Regardless, it will make it much more difficult for a team seeded lower than 4 to win the tournament. Not impossible, but very difficult. 

 

Top 8 format is what I saw. Why does it need to be easy for a seed 5-8 to be champion? It should be a challenge for them if we want the regular season to have more meaning.

[Let'sGoZips94]

8 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

Based on? 

 

1) It wasn't unanimous and even Tod K voted against it originally. 

 

2) It only lasted 4 years, 2012-15, reverting back to the original format in 2016. The format had the shortest lifespan of the 3 formats and seemingly the only reasons it's back are because Miami OH got embarrassed in the first round last year and Toledo couldn't end their drought despite being a 1 seed for 4 of the 6 years.

 

8 hours ago, Zippy87 said:

 

Has this been confirmed either way? I kind of assumed this meant all 12 teams were now participating. 

 

Seeds 5-12 on Monday at campus sites, Quarterfinals, Second Round on Wednesday, Quarterfinals on Thursday, Semifinals Friday, Championship Saturday. 

 

I suppose they could go: 

 

Wednesday

5 vs 8

6 vs 7

 

Thursday

3 vs 6/7

4 vs 5/8

 

Friday

1 vs 3/6/7

2 vs 4/5/8

 

Saturday - Championship

 

Regardless, it will make it much more difficult for a team seeded lower than 4 to win the tournament. Not impossible, but very difficult. 

 

Yes, it's confirmed. Your latter format is what they're going with. 

 

How does this make it any more difficult for a 5-8 to win? They get to avoid the top 2 teams in the league until the semis on Friday and get 2 warm up games to adjust to Rocket Arena. 

 

The Sun Belt's gauntlet yielded a semifinals of 1v8 and 2v10, with 1v10 being the championship. 

 

The now-previous format featured a top 2 seed in the Finals all 6 years, and a top 2 seed won it all 4 out of the 6 years. Ohio - a 5 seed in 2021 - was one of the non-top-2-seed winners and went on to win a game in the NCAAs and Akron - a 4 seed in 2022 - nearly beat UCLA in the NCAAs. I bring that up to say those anomalies were arguably the better teams in the MAC that didn't have the best regular seasons, but rose to the top when it mattered. It wasn't broken. 

 

The suits need to quit trying to have their cake and eat it, too. If the goal is to have an advantageous format for the top 2 seeds, just put them into the Finals automatically. If the goal is to make more money, they should have left it how it was. Unless Kent/Akron/OU are playing on that Wednesday, those games will be far less attended than the all day marathon that was Thursdays. 

[zippy5]

4 games on Thursday big whoop. Probably 3k at the noon game and 4k by 230. Now all fans can attend all games after work. Hard to complain about this 

[Blue & Gold]

14 hours ago, zippy5 said:

Hell yeah 

 

12 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

So dumb. 

😂😂😂❤️

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, zippy5 said:

4 games on Thursday big whoop. Probably 3k at the noon game and 4k by 230. Now all fans can attend all games after work. Hard to complain about this 

 

Probably the best selling point. As a fan it doesn't feel like much of a prize to have an 11 AM tip-off on a work day where many can't attend in person nor watch on TV.

Edited yesterday at 01:17 PM by kreed5120

[csims0917]

At least it gives more stakes to the regular season, I loved the 3 days of chaos but with a 22-game slate now it'll keep people focused if someone runs away with first again. If I was the athletic department, I'd want to keep the fans educated so they know what is at stake before each game.

Edited yesterday at 12:58 PM by csims0917

[NWAkron]

Kent just landed Christian Henry former EMU and Fordham stand out.  So at this point, a bye to the semis is far from certain for the Zips.  But Kent's stock went up.

[Let'sGoZips94]

6 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Kent just landed Christian Henry former EMU and Fordham stand out.  So at this point, a bye to the semis is far from certain for the Zips.  But Kent's stock went up.

 

Me trying to see the stock increase by getting a career 31% 3P / 62% FT shooting guard who regressed at Fordham.

 

[csims0917]

In his defense, doesn’t everyone regress under the Guthrie regime? Lol

[kreed5120]

A player regressing in a step up in competition wouldn't be a first time occurence. I think it's a solid addition for Kent. Not a league winning move, but they added a MAC caliber starter.

 

All that said, I'm fully expecting another season sweep of them.

Edited yesterday at 02:44 PM by kreed5120