Men's Hoops Opens 2011-12 Campaign with First Practice

October 14 | Men's Basketball

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's basketball team opened the 2011-12 campaign Friday evening, holding its first official practice of the season at Barberton High School.

Due to Friday's Akron volleyball match against Buffalo at Rhodes Arena, the men's squad will practice off campus before returning to its home court for practice on Saturday.

Defending their 2011 Mid-American Conference title begins today as the Zips take the first steps towards repeating as MAC Champions and returning to the NCAA Tournament for a second-consecutive season.

The Zips enter the 2011-12 season following their second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons after knocking off neighborhood rival Kent State 66-65 in overtime in the MAC title game on March 12. UA fell to Notre Dame (March 18) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the season with a 23-13 record.

Akron has posted six-straight 20-win seasons, just one of 20 Division I programs to accomplish the feat during that stretch, and has advanced to five-straight conference title games – the third-longest active streak in the nation (Gonzaga 14, Butler 6). The Zips have advanced to the postseason in four-straight and five of the last six seasons, participating in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2011, the National Invitation Tournament in 2006 and 2008, and the CBI in 2010.

Akron returns eight letterwinners and three starters from last season's league tournament championship team. Led by seniors Nikola Cvetinovic and Brett McClanahan, and reigning MAC Tournament MVP Zeke Marshall, the Zips enter the year as one of the favorites in the league.

Sporting News picked the Zips to win the MAC this season in its annual college basketball yearbook while naming Cvetinovic preseason all-league and the league's best leader. The publication also named Marshall the MAC's top shot-blocker.

Lindy's ranked Akron second in the MAC East while naming both Cvetinovic and Marshall preseason All-MAC. Lindy's also tabbed Marshall as the league's top defensive player.

In addition to Cvetinovic, McClanahan and Marshall, the Zips return senior Kyle Petersen, junior Quincy Diggs, sophomores Alex Abreu, Josh Egner and C.J. Oldham, and redshirt-freshman Michael Green.

Akron adds to the lineup transfers Chauncey Gilliam (UMBC) and Brian Walsh (Xavier), sophomores Nick Harney and Demetrius Treadwell, and freshmen Adedeji Ibitayo and Blake Justice.

The Zips will practice until Nov. 3 when they play host to John Carroll in their only exhibition game of the year. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Rhodes Arena.