Thus The Winning Streak Ends

The men's basketball team did a marvelous job of stopping Nick Kellogg and Tommy Freeman from three-point range yesterday, holding them to 0-4 and 1-6, respectively. However, they forgot all about D.J. Cooper, who went off for 8-13 shooting (7-10 from beyond the arc) to lead the game with 25 points. Oh, and he also had 9 assists.

I guess I forgot the mention that the Zips lost 80-55 TO THE BOBCATS! What is it about these guys? They're 17-13 yet they've managed to steamroll us through both games this year, not to mention taking the MAC Championship out of our hands the previous season.

Alex Abreu led the Zips with 11 points off of 4-6 shooting (3-3 from 3-pt range). Unfortunately he forgot how to pass the ball...0 assists, 5 turnovers.

Brett McKnight followed with 10 points, from 4-9 shooting (2-6 from 3-pt range). No other Zips scored more than 8.

Zeke Marshall had a decent 8 points off of 3-5 shooting, and also sent 3 balls into the stands to set the school block record in a single season. Congratulations, Zeke. Now get some rebounds.

Speaking of which, Brett McKnight and Quincy Diggs led the team in rebounding yesterday with...3 rebounds each...and facepalms ensue. The team as a whole was outrebounded 40-21. That's just embarassing.

Just in case I haven't done a well-enough job of describing exactly how bad this game was, here's a line from GoZips.com recap:

The Zips would begin to crawl back into the game after trailing 54-24 with 15:38 to go. Akron used a 7-0 run over the next three-plus minutes to cut the OU advantage to 54-31 with 12:20 on the second-half clock. The Zips would not reduce the lead any further.

The next Zips game is Friday against Kent State. It will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 7pm. Tune in to watch KSUck.

Roo News, 3/1/11

1) The full football schedule has been released, although since the non-conference schedule was already out, there aren't any real surprises.

Sat, Sept. 3 @Ohio State

Sat, Sept. 10 Temple

Sat, Sept. 17 @Cincinnati

Sat, Sept. 24 VMI

Sat, Oct. 1 @Eastern Michigan

Sat, Oct. 8 FIU

Sat, Oct. 22 Ohio

Sat, Oct. 29 Central Michigan

Thu, Nov. 3 @Miami (Ohio) ESPNU

Sat, Nov. 12 Kent State

Sat, Nov. 19 @Buffalo

Fri, Nov. 25 @Western Michigan ESPNU

Other than the quick Thursday away game (after a home game just a few days before) the schedule looks great. The team will almost certainly start 0-3 (although it's always a close game with Cincinnati), but if Ianello can keep them focused after those three games, what should be easy wins against VMI, Eastern Michigan and FIU follow. A 3-3 Akron Zips team at that point is a very realistic possibility. After that it's a matter of taking control of the home games against Ohio, Central Michigan and Kent State. Three wins there (or during the three late away games) would make us bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.

Also, why is this the year that the only televised games are away games? For three years I've gotten into games for free for being a student, and almost all of the televised games have been home games. Now they switch? Criminal.

2) For the second time this season, Nikola Cvetinovic was named the MAC East Player of the Week. He's been marvelous lately, shooting 66.7% from the floor and an incredible (compared to the last two years) 88.2% from the free throw line (15-17).

3) Speaking of the men's basketball team, they take their 7-game win streak to Ohio today at 7pm. This is going to be a great game, so it's a real disappointment that it's not being televised. The Horizon League televises its games for free online. Hear that, MAC? Probably not.

The key to this game will lie in the matchup between Alex Abreu and Ohio's D.J. Cooper. These two are both flashy point guards, and last time Cooper completely outplayed Abreu, dishing out a ridiculous 15 assists.

As much trouble as the Bobcats generally give us, our three-point defense has improved tremendously from the last matchup, when Nick Kellogg and Tommy Freeman together shot 11-17 from beyond the arc.

4) The women's basketball team also has a big game, coming tomorrow at home against Kent State. Even though KSUcks, their women's basketball team currently stands at 19-8. Kara Murphy, the Zips' only senior, will be honored at halftime.

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.