Charlie Coles Is Hilarious

In yesterday's post, I said the keys to the game against Miami (Ohio) would be defending the three-pointer and keeping Julian Mavunga out of the paint. The Redhawks were held to 5-23 (21.7%) shooting from beyond the arc. Julian Mavunga scored just 14 points, only getting to the line 6 times (in comparison with 15 the last time these two teams met).

The Zips won 72-55. And they look like the Zips that we've seen for the last few years.

Nik Cvetinovic once again gets my game MVP award. 21 points, from 8-11

shooting (5-6 from the line), 9 rebounds, 3 assists (and 3 turnovers), and just 2 personal fouls in 30 minutes.

Brett McKnight was a bit shaky in the post, but finished with 15 points on 6-12 shooting and 6 rebounds.

Alex Abreu's stats don't look too flashy (8 points, 3-4 shooting, 3 assists), but he single-handedly brought the Zips into this game. Akron missed 10 out of their first 13 shots and just looked groggy until Abreu sank two three-pointers.

Brett McClanahan had a bad day, shooting 0-4 and not grabbing a single rebound. Quincy Diggs started rough, but made a clutch steal near the end that kept the momentum in Akron's favor.

Lastly, Miami head coach Charlie Coles is flippin' awesome. I think I'm in love with that old codger.

Not only are the Redhawks a well-coached, well-disciplined team, but even in the midst of losing badly near the end of last night's game, Coles was fist-pumping and joking around with the AK Rowdies during a "Charlie!" chant.

The next men's basketball game is home Saturday against Buffalo at 7pm. Seniors Brett McKnight, Darryl Roberts, Steve McNees and Mike Bardo will be recognized.

Jam The JAR

The Zips are returning for two home games this week at the perfect time; riding a 5-game win streak. The first game is tonight at 7pm against Miami (Ohio).

There are still plenty of tickets available, so come watch the Zips fight for a first round bye in the MAC tournament. The first matchup between these two teams resulted in an 84-76 loss, but this is a completely different Akron team. The key will be defending the 3-point shot and keeping Julian Mavunga out of the paint. He shot 15 free throws in the last go-'round.

Creighton's Been BracketBusted

The Zips capitalized on a poor-shooting game from Creighton to grab a 76-67 victory yesterday, in ESPNU's BracketBuster shindig. That makes 5 wins in a row for a team that was rather inconsistent just a few weeks ago.

Brett McKnight stepped up in a big way, shooting 9-13 for 21 points and a steal. Strangely enough, that did not come with a single rebound.

Nik Cvetinovic has been the team MVP this year in my book. He's not always there offensively (in terms of percentage), but his defensive effort and intensity never go away. He finished yesterday 7-14 for 19 points, with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He was also 5-6 from the free throw line, an area he struggled greatly in last year.

Another solid game from Alex Abreu: 2-4 shooting, 5-7 from the line, for 9 points, 3 assists and 2 steals, all in just 14 minutes.

And then there's Zeke Marshallow....that's probably enough said, but just in case you don't believe me: 1-6 shooting, 2 points, 3 rebounds (HE'S 7'0"!!!!), an assist, a block, and a steal. And 5 personal fouls. In 13 minutes. Holy cow.

The Zips are at home Wednesday against Miami (OH).

Zips Defeat Ball State. Twice.

Men's Basketball:

The Zips have looked like a good team for the first time this year recently, and reinforced it yesterday with a 75-60 victory over Ball State. Five Akron players scored at least 10 points and Mike Bardo stepped up in Zeke Marshall's absence, who was in foul trouble for most of the game. Only playing 12 minutes didn't stop Marshall from setting the new Akron sophomore block record, now with 60 on the season.

Steve McNees led the team in scoring with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He also scored the first points off of an aggressive drive, which really set the tempo for the rest of the game.

Nikola Cvetinovic played another excellent defensive game, grabbing 8 rebounds, but also put up 13 points and nabbed 2 assists.

Brett McKnight played another game with less than 20 minutes, but scored 12 points on 3-6 shooting (3-5 from 3-point range) and grabbed 3 rebounds.

Alex Abreu was only 2-7 shooting, but played an aggressive game and ended at 7-8 from the line, with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.

Ball State was a one-man show. Jarrod Jones scored 19 points off of 9-14 shooting and grabbed 8 rebounds. They had 14 turnover's to Akron's 8.

Women's Basketball:

My DVR decided to record a grand total of 0 minutes of this game, instead of 3 hours, and I'm still feeling a bit salty about it. Not only did the lady Zips grab a 78-65 victory over Ball State, but Taylor Ruper set a new Zips record for three-pointers in a single game with 8. She shot 8-10 from beyond the arc, and 9-13 total to finish with 26 points, tying her career high.

Zips Basketball Saturday

For those that don't know (because I haven't posted it...d'oh!) there's a Zips doubleheader going on today. Both the women's and men's basketball teams will be playing Ball State at home. Both games are being televised on SportsTime Ohio; the women at 5 and the men at 7:30.

Also, time for a rare Cavaliers sidenote. Go. Cavs. Holy cow, that was a great game yesterday. I sincerely hope LeBron was watching that game. Very few teams in the NBA (and definitely not the Miami Heat) are able to draw 20,000 people a night on a 20+ game losing streak. Some of the best fans in the league are in Cleveland. Enjoy your time in South Beach, LeBron. I'm sure it's worth it.

Roo News 2/3/11

1) The men's basketball team lost yesterday's game at Eastern Michigan 60-56. It was a poor shooting night for both squads, with the Eagles shooting 40.8% and the Zips just 30.6%.

Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry was the easy MVP of the game, shooting 9-15 for 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Nik Cvetinovic had a monster night on the boards, pulling in 16 total (10 offensive!). He also had 13 points. Zeke Marshall led the Zips in scoring with 15, to go with 7 boards.

The Zips travel to Toledo on Saturday.

2) The women's basketball squad dropped another conference game to Toledo, falling to 2-7 in conference play. Rachel Tecca had yet another double-double (her 10th of the season...so does that make it a double-double-double?). To be fair, the Rockets are leading the MAC at the moment. The lady Zips next head to 9-13 (3-6) Northern Illinois for a 4pm Saturday matchup.

3) The football team signed 23 total players to the squad. It breaks down to:

5 offensive linemen

4 defensive backs

4 defensive linemen

3 running backs

3 quarterbacks

2 linebackers

1 wide receiver

1 kicker

And a partridge in a pear tree. What does this all mean? Well, we at least know we have some depth at quarterback now. Maybe having his job threatened will help make Patrick Nicely a better passer. Probably not.

The large number of linemen and running backs is also a great thing. The linemen because our offensive line was so horrid last year, the running backs because, well...we don't have any good ones now that Alex Allen is gone.

The 1 wide receiver worries me. We were really stretched last year halfway through the season.

We'll see if Rob Ianello lives up to his reputation as a top-25 recruiter. Heck, dare we hope to win 2 games this season?

You can see a more detailed summary and player profiles for this year's recruiting class here.