Alaska

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Akron May Be Arriving In Alaska With An AttitudeThe Zips poised to make an impact at this year's BP Top of the World ClassicOct. 29, 2007 By Fred Huff, TOWC Media Coordinator Fans should not be surprised if Akron's Zips arrive in Alaska with an attitude . . . not after the way their 2007 season ended following a 26-win regular-season which included a first-place finish in the Mid-American Conference's East Division. It wasn't that they were upset by a second-division team in the postseason league tournament when Miami of Ohio claimed a 53-52 win in the title game: it was the manner in which the loss was administered . . . on a Hail Mary shot with only a challenged split second on the clock. And, missing the automatic berth in the NCAA in such a manner wasn't the bottom line. Akron was unable to gain an at-large berth and then, to make matters worse yet, the Zips, who owned a somewhat classy RPI rating of 68, were snubbed by the NIT. Keith Dambrot, who has guided Akron to 68 wins in just the last three seasons since returning to his alma mater, seemingly has refused to dwell on the misfortune. He has been quoted in one preseason hoops magazine as saying, "Overall, we had a great season and when you consider that this program has never had any kind of history until recently, we have a lot to be proud of here." And, there are reasons to believe that the Zips may not allow their 2008 postseason chances to reach such a precarious position. Last season: Won 26 of 33 games and finished first (13-3) in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference ahead of Can't State, Miami of Ohio, Ohio, Buffalo and Bowling Green. Lost to Miami of Ohio in the post-season conference tournament's championship game after having split two games with the Red Hawks during the regular season. Owned a 68 RPI at the close of the season which was not enough to get them an at-large berth in the NCAA or a call from the National Invitation Tournament. Key personnel losses: Seniors Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis. Travis was Akron's leading scorer with 478 points (14.9 ppg) and a better-than-average rebounder with 5.9 rpg. Having started 27 of 32 games, Travis averaged 28.3 minutes per game and connected on .523 percent of his shots from the floor. Joyce, meanwhile, was only the club's fifth-leading scorer (10.0), but the school's all-time assists leader. Both will be missed. Key returning players: All juniors last season, Cedrick Middleton, Jeremiah Wood and Nick Dials are in line for post-season honors this year. Middleton (6-0 and 185) will be running Akron's offense and is expected to be a strong offensive threat after finishing second behind Travis last year when he averaged 11.1 ppg. Wood is a 6-6, 245-pound power forward who averaged 10.3 ppg and an impressive 7.8 boards per game. Dials (6-1 and 175) was close behind in points scored with a 10.1 ppg and was the team's steals leader with 51. Quade Milum and Nate Linhart also have meaningful stats from last season. Key newcomers: Brett McKnight, just one year behind his brother, Chris, who averaged seven minutes of playing time per game last season, may be challenging for serious playing time this season. A 6-6, 245-pound freshman, he'll be joined by another true first-year candidate in Ronnie Steward. What the experts are saying: The Blue Ribbon Yearbook says, "The Akron Zips have put together three straight solid seasons . . . and while they have to replace some important pieces from last year's squad, the Zips should not be counted out in the rugged MAC East. The Zips will once again be a factor in the MAC." source