Men's Basketball Takes Streak To UIC On Saturday

December 15 | Men's Basketball

GAME 8

Akron (6-1) at UIC (5-5)

Saturday, December 16
4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST)
UIC Pavilion (8,000)
Chicago, Ill.

Television: Comcast SportsNet Chicago and available on ESPN Full Court package and DIRECTV Channel 640 - Dave Wills (play-by-play) and David Kaplan (color). (no satellite coordinates).

Webcast: Available at horizonleague.cstv.com free of charge through the HLN All-Access broadband channel.

Radio: Akron-ISP Sports Network - WARF (1350 AM) in Akron, WERE (1300 AM) in Cleveland and on the Internet at GoZips.com. Steve French (play-by-play) and Scott Taylor (color) (3:30 p.m. EST airtime).

Akron Coach Keith Dambrot (Akron '82):
Is in his third season with the Zips, owning a 48-21 (.696) mark in that time. He is 156-91 (.632) in his ninth season as a collegiate head coach. This is his first time facing UIC.

UIC Coach Jimmy Collins (New Mexico St. '70):
Is in his 11th season on the sideline for the Flames and as a collegiate head coach, owning a 167-143 (.539) mark in that time. This is his first time facing Akron.

The Series: Saturday marks the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools on the hardwood, with UIC owning a 3-2 edge in the series. The schools last met during the 1991-92 season when they were members of the Mid-Continent Conference, splitting a pair of meetings that year. The Zips won 68-64 in Akron (Feb. 24, 1992), while the Flames claimed the meeting in Chicago (Jan. 25, 1992), 77-60.

Up Next: Akron opens a three-game homestand on Dec. 19 when it plays host to St. Francis (Pa.) at 8 p.m. EST. That game is a doubleheader with the UA women's squad, which also plays St. Francis (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m.

Zips Take Six-Game Win Streak To UIC...
The University of Akron men's basketball team (6-1) looks to extend its six-game win streak on Saturday when it travels to UIC (5-5). The game, which will be regionally televised and available on the ESPN Full Court package, is scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. EST (3 p.m. CST) at UIC Pavilion.

Akron, which is off to its best start since the 1998-99 campaign, enters the contest following a 79-67 home-court victory over Winston-Salem State last Saturday.

UIC last competed last Saturday as well, falling 71-66 to Illinois at Chicago's United Center. The Flames have been victors in three of their last four and four of their last six outings.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• The Zips are on a six-game win streak, and their 6-1 start is the best since the 1998-99 squad posted an identical record through its first seven games. This is the club's longest win streak since getting eight-consecutive victories during a December-January stretch last season.
• Included in Akron's six-game win streak are victories in three-consecutive road contests and four-straight games away from Rhodes Arena - counting an 89-61 neutral court win over Gardner-Webb (Nov. 14) as part of the College Basketball Experience Classic in Lubbock, Texas.
• Saturday serves as a homecoming of sorts for UA's Cedrick Middleton. Middleton hails from Chicago Heights, and graduated from Marian Catholic High. The Zips fourth-leading scorer at 9.9 ppg he has averaged 13.5 ppg off the bench over the last two contests, including a career-high 19 in 30 minutes against Winston-Salem State (Dec. 9).
• UA took this past week off from competition to focus on final exams.
• Akron is averaging 52 percent (207-of-397) (ranks seventh nationally) from the field, having converted better than 50 percent from the floor in all seven games this season. The Zips have shot 50 percent or better in 12 of 14 halves as well.
• The Zips have hit 39 percent (60-of-153) of their attempts from 3-point range this season, including 8-of-17 (47 percent) from behind the arc on Saturday vs. Winston-Salem State. The team is averaging 8.6 3-pointers made-per-game, and has converted double figure treys in three games.
• UA has three players averaging double-figure points. Romeo Travis leads the charge with 14.0 ppg, followed by Jeremiah Wood's 11.0 ppg and Nick Dials's 10.3 ppg. Wood leads the rebounding category as well (7.4 rpg).
• Travis, a candidate for MAC player of the year, ranks 27th on Akron's career scoring chart with 1,111 points (97 games), and is the school's all-time blocked shots leader (112) - attaining that spot at Binghamton (Dec. 6).
• Wood has pulled down double-figure boards in the last two games, tallying 10 versus Winston-Salem State (Dec. 9) and 12 to go with 14 points at Binghamton (Dec. 6).
• Dru Joyce ranks second on UA's career assists chart with 392 (97 games) after a season-high eight versus WSSU (Dec. 9). His 4.6 apg leads the club.

On The Line Vs. UIC...
• An Akron victory would be its seventh-straight, and fifth consecutive win away from Rhodes Arena (fourth-straight true road win).
• An Akron victory would make the Zips 7-1 this season, their best start since the 1986-87 squad began that season 10-1 under coach Bob Huggins.
• An Akron victory would even the all-time series with UIC at 3-all.

Winston-Salem State Postgame Notes...
• Cedrick Middleton scored a career-high 19 points to lead Akron to a 79-67 win over Winston-Salem State.
• Middleton, who was 6-for-11 from the field including making 3-of-8 3-pointers, scored 11 of his points in the second half. He gave UA a 37-35 lead at the half by hitting a jump shot one step past half court at the buzzer, then scored the Zips' first five points after the intermission.
• The Zips had four players reach double-figures in points for the second time this season (vs. Tiffin/Nov. 19).
• Dru Joyce had 16 while Nick Dials and Romeo Travis added 13 apiece. Joyce was 5-of-6 from the floor (4-for-5 from 3-point range), and had a season-high eight assists and just one turnover.
• Jeremiah Wood pulled down 10 rebounds for UA.
• Trailing 46-45 at the 15:37 mark in the second half, the Zips responded with a 20-3 run over the next seven minutes that broke the game open, 65-49.
• Winston-Salem State connected on 11-of-16 three-point attempts (68.8 percent) for the game. It was the most 3-point field goals Akron has allowed this season.
• WSSU's Curtis Hines led all scorers with 20 points.

News, Notes, Trends...
• Akron has won 20-straight at Rhodes Arena, the nation's fourth-longest home win streak. UA's last loss on its home floor came against rival Kent State on Feb. 9, 2005 (57-54). The Zips have won 11-straight non-conference home games, with the last loss to a non-league foe being a 82-78 overtime upset by Drake (Feb. 21, 2004).
• The Zips are 29-1 at home under third-year coach Keith Dambrot.
• After opening the season with five of its first six games on either a neutral or away court, the Zips are in the midst of a stretch in which they play four of five games in front of their hometown fans.
• Following Saturday's game at UIC, Akron has a three-game homestand in which St. Francis (Pa.) (Dec. 19), top-25 ranked Nevada (Dec. 22) and Loyola Marymount (Dec. 29) visit.
• Akron is listed No. 7 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (released on Mondays).
• UA's +21.7 scoring margin ranks eighth nationally.
• UA has three players averaging double figure points ( Romeo Travis-14.0 ppg, Jeremiah Wood-11.0, Nick Dials-10.3 ppg), and four others are averaged 6.4 ppg or higher ( Cedrick Middleton-9.9, Dru Joyce-9.7, Quade Milum-6.9, Nate Linhart-6.4).
• Through seven games Akron has compiled 28 blocked shots (4.0 bpg) ( Romeo Travis-12, Quade Milum-7), putting them on pace to have 124 for the season. The program's single-season record is 111 (2004-05), and the Zips 102 rejections last year is second on that chart.
• Akron received one vote in the Associated Press' preseason poll for the first time in program history, and maintained that position on the poll's week 2 list.
• Akron was a hot topic during the preseason. The Zips were picked to win the MAC's East Division in the league's media poll as well as by CBSSportsline.com magazine, Sporting News, Street & Smith's, Lindy's and Athlon. CBSSportsline.com magazine also ranked them 20th nationally in its list of this season's top-64 teams.
• Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis are graduates of Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where they were teammates of NBA All-Star LeBron James. UA coach Keith Dambrot mentored the trio, and won two Ohio state championships, at the prep school before coming to UA as an assistant coach for the 2001-02 season.
• Akron finished the 2005-06 season with a 23-10 record, the most wins in the program's Division I era (joined in 1980-81), and notched the school's first D-I postseason victory in the form of an 80-73 overtime win at Temple (March 14) in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament. UA fell 71-60 at Creighton (March 16) in the next round.

Zips Player Notables...
• Romeo Travis ranks 27th on Akron's career scoring chart with 1,111 points (97 games), and is 25 points shy of the 26th space on the list, occupied by Andy Hipsher (1,136/2000-04/120 games).
• Travis has scored in double figures in five games this season (13 points vs. Winston-Salem State/Dec. 9), and has hit that mark 59 times in 97 career games.
• Travis became UA's all-time blocks leader during the second half of the Binghamton (Dec. 6) game, surpassing Bruce Weinkein (109/1998-2001/100 games) on that list. He now has 112 rejections (97 games) (two vs. Winston-Salem State/Dec. 9), and his 1.7 bpg ranks 96th nationally.
• Dru Joyce's 392 career assists (97 games) is second most in school history, and is 84 away from the top spot held by Eric McLaughlin (476/1985-89/115 games). Joyce's 4.6 apg this season leads the team and he maintains a 2.7 assist-turnover ratio. His 165 dishes (5.0 apg) last season established the program's single-season record.
• Nick Dials is perfect from the line this season, having converted 11-of-11 after a 4-for-4 showing against Winston-Salem State (Dec. 9). Nate Linhart is 7-of-8 from the charity stripe, having his perfect streak (6-of-6) broken against WSSU.
• Linhart has started in the last three games and in five contests total (first two games of the season as well). He had a season-high in points (nine) and rebounds (seven) to go with three steals at Binghamton (Dec. 6). He leads the team with 11 steals (1.6 spg).
• Dials has scored in double figures four times and in each of the last two games (14 at Binghamton/Dec. 6, 13 vs. Winston-Salem State/Dec. 9). His 3.9 apg is second on the squad (Joyce/4.6 apg), and his eight steals (1.1 spg) ties for third (Travis).
• Jeremiah Wood sat out the last season and a half following an ACL injury. He has two double-doubles this season (16 pts., 12 rebs. vs. Gardner-Webb/Nov. 14 and 14 pts., 12 rebs. at Binghamton/Dec. 6).
• Quade Milum has been impressive off the bench thus far this season (one start vs. Tiffin/Nov. 19). He's averaging 6.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg (third on the team), and his seven blocks (1.0 bpg) is second on the squad (Travis-1.7 bpg).