The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Preps For Duquesne
February 25 | Men's Basketball
GAME 28
Akron (21-6, 11-3 MAC)
at Duquesne (10-16, 6-9 A10)
Monday, February 26
7 p.m. EST
A.J. Palumbo Center (5,358)
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Television: None
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).
(6:30 p.m. EST airtime)
Akron Coach
Keith Dambrot (Akron
'82):
Is in his third season with the Zips, owning a 63-26 (.708) mark in
that time. He is 171-96 (.640) in his ninth season as a collegiate
head coach. He is 2-0 all-time versus Duquesne.
Duquesne Coach Ron Everhart (Virginia Tech
'85):
Is in his first season on the sideline for the Dukes, owning a
10-16 (.385) mark in that time. He is 184-188 (.495) in 13 seasons
as a collegiate head coach.
The Series: Monday serves as the 20th meeting
between the two schools on the hardwood. Duquesne holds a 12-7
advantage in the all-time series, but Akron has taken the last five
meetings. The Zips claimed a 79-61 victory in last season's
match-up in Akron (Nov. 30, 2005), and also won 77-65 in Pittsburgh
on Dec. 1, 2004. The teams have meet in each of the last three
seasons.
Up Next: Akron travels to Buffalo on March 1 for a
7 p.m. EST game.
Akron Faces Duquesne On One-Day Rest...
The University of Akron men's basketball team (21-6, 11-3
Mid-American Conference) steps out of league play on Monday when it
travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face Duquesne (10-16, 6-9 Atlantic
10). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at A.J. Palumbo Center.
Akron, which is tied for first place in the MAC East Division
standings with Kent State, comes off a 93-87 victory over Bowling
Green on Saturday. That victory, the Zips 12th in their last 14
outings, assured them a bye in the opening round of next month's
league tournament at Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena.
UA received votes in both national polls last week (19 in
Associated Press and 15 in ESPN/USA Today), and is also
ranked No. 7 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
Duquesne looks to correct a five-game losing skid, and enters
Monday's contest following a 97-94 loss to St. Bonaventure at home
on Saturday.
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• Akron has achieved its second consecutive 20-win season
(23-10 in 2005-06). The program last performed that feat in 1987-88
(21-7) and 1988-89 (21-8) under coach Bob Huggins. Last season's 23
wins was the most in the program's Division-I era (since 1980-81
season).
• Duquesne has scored 90 points or more in consecutive games
and in eight contests this season. Over the last three seasons
(under coach
Keith Dambrot), Akron is
1-7 when it allows 80 points or more (1-2 this season). The lone
win in that stretch was Saturday's 93-87 win over Bowling
Green.
• Dambrot's father, Sid, played at Duquesne during the 1952,
'53 and '54 seasons. The Dukes competed in the NCAA Tournament and
the NIT during the '52 season, and the NIT in the '53 and '54
campaigns.
• Counting Monday's game, the Zips close the regular season by
playing three-straight on the road. Akron is 8-5 (including a 1-1
neutral mark) on the road this season (3-3 in MAC play), but has
dropped its last two away games (at Toledo 68-65 on Feb. 10 and at
Miami 64-62 in overtime on Feb. 21).
• The Zips, who lead the MAC in field-goal percentage (48.7
percent), shot 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the floor versus
Bowling Green. UA has shot 48 percent or better from the field in
17 of 27 games this season, and has converted below 42 percent just
twice (both against Miami - 38.2 percent/21-of-55 on Jan. 11 and
39.6 percent/21-of-53 on Feb. 21).
• Akron also leads the league in 3-point field-goal percentage
(39.3 percent) as well as in 3-pointers made-per-game (7.6). The
Zips shot a season-high 56.3 percent (9-of-16) behind the arc
against Bowling Green.
• MAC Player-of-the-Year candidate
Romeo Travis comes off a
career high 37 points and 11 rebounds showing against Bowling
Green. He leads the Zips in scoring (15.0 ppg/seventh in MAC), and
ranks 13th on UA's career scoring chart with 1,402 points (116
games). Travis is also the program's all-time blocked shots leader,
with 144 (44 blocks/1.7 bpg this season), while his 738 career
rebounds is ninth best all-time in school history.
•
Dru
Joyce became UA's all-time assists leader (482/117 games) after
notching seven against Bowling Green. He has had 18 assists
compared to just six turnovers in the last four games. Joyce has
997 career points.
• Reigning MAC East Player-of-the-Week Jeremiah Wood leads
the squad in rebounding (7.5 rpg/6th in MAC). He has scored in
double figures and tallied at least six rebounds in each of the
last seven games. He has two double-doubles this month (12 pts, 10
rebs vs. Ohio/14 pts, 11 rebs vs. Austin Peay).
