The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Three-Game Road Trip at West Virginia
November 27 | Men's Basketball
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Akron at West Virginia Game Notes in PDF Format
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Akron (3-2) at (rv/-) West Virginia (3-1)
Monday, Nov. 28, 2011 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Morgantown, W.Va.
WVU Coliseum (14,000)
Television: BIG EAST Network. Rob King (play-by-play) and Roger Lenhart (analyst).
Live Statistics:
Available at GoZips.com live statistics free of charge.
Radio: SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) and for free at SportsRadio1350.com. Steve French (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (analyst) (6:30 p.m. ET airtime).
Akron Coach Keith Dambrot
(Akron, 1982):
Is in his eighth season at Akron, posting a 165-77 (.682) mark. Dambrot is 273-147 (.650) in 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach. This will be the first time he will coach against the Mountaineers.
The Series: Akron holds a 2-1 advantage in the series which began during the 1904-05 season. Akron is 2-0 at home and 0-1 on the road. The two teams last faced off on Nov. 29, 1980, in Morgantown, with the Mountaineers winning the contest 108-74.
News, Notes and Storylines
• The Zips open the first of two three-game road trips this season tonight against West Virginia.
• Akron is 13-22 all-time against the current Big East Conference stable of teams, including a 2-1 advantage in the West Virginia series.
• The Zips are 24-11 (.686) in the month of November under head coach Keith Dambrot.
• Junior forward Chauncey Gilliam made his first start in the Akron Blue and Gold against Detroit (Nov. 26), scoring seven points and pitching in with three steals, two assists and two boards.
• Forward Quincy Diggs made his first-career start at point guard against the Titans (Nov. 26).
• The Zips have now shot over 50.0 percent from the field in two-consecutive games [54.2 percent vs. Detroit (Nov. 26); 57.1 percent against Duquesne (Nov. 19)].
• Junior center Zeke Marshall, with two blocks against Detroit, passed Romeo Travis' (2004-07) school record for career blocked shots with his 167th swat. Marshall reached the milestone in just 76 games.
• The Zips extended their winning streak at Rhodes Arena to 10 games on Saturday. Under eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot, Akron has three home winning streaks of 10 or more games, including a 22-game winning streak (2006-07 to 2007-08) and a 21-game winning streak (2004-05 to 2006-07).
• Akron has six players averaging 8.8 or more points per game, including Quincy Diggs (11.2), Nick Harney (10.6), Nikola Cvetinovic (9.8), Zeke Marshall (9.0), Brett McClanahan (9.0) and Brian Walsh (8.8).
• While on the court, Zeke Marshall is blocking 14.29 percent of the shots taken by Akron opponents, which is the best mark in the nation.
• The Zips have six players in the top-15 in the Mid-American Conference in shooting percentage and is the top shooting team from the field in the league.
• West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins also coach the Zips from 1985-89, leading Akron to one NCAA Tournament appearance, one NIT appearance and a 97-46 record.
A Look at the Mountaineers
West Virginia is coming off an 83-48 victory over Morehead State on Nov. 22 in Charleston, W.Va. Kevin Jones had a double-double (23/10) to lead the way.
Jones leads the team in points (21.8) and rebounds (12.3) per game. Darryl Bryant (15.3), Deniz Kilicli (10.5) and Jabarie Hinds (10.0) also average double figures in the scoring column.
Last Time Out Against West Virginia
The Zips last faced the Mountaineers on Nov. 29, 1980, falling 108-74 in Morgantown. The contest was the first for the Zips in the Division I era and was the first game under then head coach Bob Rupert.
Akron-Detroit Recap
Nikola Cvetinovic led all Akron players with 16 points and had six rebounds to help the Zips to an 81-63 victory over Detroit ion Nov. 26.
Cvetinovic was 6-of-8 from the field, including going 1-of-1 from behind the arc, to be one of four Akron players to finish with double-figure points. Nick Harney had 15 points while Brett McClanahan and Zeke Marshall had 12 and 11 points respectively.
Marshall became the school's all-time leader in the blocked shots category, passing Romeo Travis' mark of 165 blocks. Marshall had two swats on the night and now has 167 for his career.
For the game, Akron (3-2) shot 54.2 percent from the field (32-of-59) and 50.0 percent from 3-point range (8-of-16). Detroit (3-4) closed out the game shooting 42.6 percent from the floor (23-of-54) and 33.3 percent from behind the arc (4-of-12).
Lights, Camera, Action
The Zips will appear on television six times this season, with the potential for nine additional TV games to be added to the schedule. Akron won its first TV game, a 68-58 road win over Mississippi State, on Nov. 9 on ESPNU. Last season Akron went 9-7 on TV.
Let the Block Party Continue
Junior center Zeke Marshall picked up right where he left off last season. Marshall is averaging 3.2 blocked shots per game on the early season, including at least four blocks in three-of-five games. Against Detroit, he passed Romeo Travis (165, 2004-07) for the school record in the category (167).
For his career, he has 45 multi-block games and has four or more blocked shots in 13 career games. He has blocked at least one shot in 19-straight and in 67-of-76 career games.
Making an Early Impact
Sophomores Brian Walsh, Nick Harney and Demetrius Treadwell have stepped into the Akron rotation early this season to make an immediate impact. The three have combined to average 26.0 points and 10.6 rebounds over the first four games.
Harney is second on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) and is averaging 3.2 rebounds.
Walsh is averaging 9.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for the Zips to start the season while Treadwell is second on the team in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and is averaging 6.6 ppg.
Akron and the Big East
The Zips have had some success against the Big East Conference, posting a 13-22 record against the current member institutions. Akron has posted winning records against WVU (2-1), UConn (1-0) and Rutgers (1-0).
The Zips have also faced Cincinnati (8-11), Louisville (0-1), Notre Dame (0-3), Pittsburgh (1-3), St. John's (0-1), South Florida (0-1) and Syracuse (0-1).
Horizon League Schedule
This season, the Zips will face off against four teams from the Horizon League (Valparaiso, Detroit, Cleveland State and Youngstown State).
Overall, the Zips are 121-86 (.585) against the conference and are 1-1 so far this season (L, 62-59 at Valparaiso; W, 81-63 vs. Detroit).
Bench Power
The Akron bench has provided a ton of productivity early on this season. In four games, the Zips' bench players hold a 150-61 scoring advantage and are averaging 30.0 points/game.
Inside the Scoring Numbers
The Zips have been one of the better defensive squads in the league under eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot. In 242 games, the Zips have held 177 opponents to 70 points or less, going 142-35 (.802). Akron has held 138 of those foes to 65 points or less, going 119-19 (.862). On the flip side, Akron is 23-42 when allowing 70-plus points (.354).
A Look at the Polls
• Six opponents appeared in the latest AP-Top 25 and three in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Mississippi State was the only ranked team (No. 24) in the AP poll while receiving 58 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Cleveland State (94/20) and Marshall (1/1) received votes in both poles. In the AP poll, Kent State (7), Middle Tennessee (2) and West Virginia (1) also received votes.
• The Zips enter the weekend ranked No. 18 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll (Nov. 14). Additionally, seven Akron opponents also appeared in the poll, including No. 3 Cleveland State, No. 6 Kent State, No. 19 VCU, No. 16 Detroit, No. 22 Middle Tennessee and No. 24 Valparaiso. Miami (Ohio) received 18 votes.
• For the first time since Nov. 12, 2007, the Zips are receiving votes in the AP poll. Akron received one vote in the Nov. 14 edition of the poll.
A Winning Standard
Since taking over the program before the 2004-05 season, eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot has created a winning mentality in the program that has not been seen in 110-plus seasons of basketball. Of the five senior classes to win 90 or more games in their career, four of those have come under Dambrot. The current senior class of Nikola Cvetinovic, Brett McClanahan and Kyle Petersen currently sit at 73 wins and need 25 more to tie the school record for most wins in a career (97).
• Class of 2010 (2007-10) – 97 wins
• Class of 2009 (2006-09) – 96 wins
• Class of 2011 (2007-11) – 94 wins
• Class of 2008 (2005-08) – 92 wins
• Class of 1966 (1963-66) – 91 wins
Career List Watch
• Senior forward Nikola Cvetinovic is on pace to break Steve McNees' (141, 2008-11) record for career games played. Currently sitting at 112 contests, Cvetinovic needs to appear in 30 games to take over the top spot. Looking at the schedule, the Zips would have to play in four postseason contests for Cvetinovic to take over the top spot.
• Junior center Zeke Marshall, with 167 blocked shots in his career, passed Romeo Travis (165, 2004-07) on Nov. 26 to become the all-time leader at Akron. Marshall also owns the single-game (9), single-season (92), freshman season (59) and sophomore season (92) blocked shot records.
• After breaking the freshman season assists record (128), sophomore guard Alex Abreu is setting his sights on the career top-10. He currently has 147 assists and needs 115 dimes to pass Mike Dowdell (261, 1984-87) for tenth place. Abreu's 128 dimes last season were also the ninth-best of any season in program history.
Looking at the MAC Record Book
• Junior center Zeke Marshall currently sits in 12th place on the career blocked shots list for the Mid-American Conference (167). He needs nine swats to pass Dan Roundfield (CMU, 1972-75) to move into the top-10 (175). Should he have a repeat performance of 92 blocked shots from last year, Marshall would finish the season in fifth place (243). If Marshall posts the same number of blocks the next two seasons as he did the last two seasons (151), he would break Lonnie Jones' (Ball State, 1998-2002) conference record of 301 by one blocked shot.
• Compared to other coaches all-time in the MAC, head coach Keith Dambrot is tied for fifth place with a .625 win percentage while coaching in the MAC (185-111 overall; 165-77 Akron, 20-34 CMU), eighth in overall wins (185), 10th in conference wins (90) and 11th in league games winning percentage (.600, 90-60).
Winning Ways
• In his time at Akron, head coach Keith Dambrot has led the Zips to a 165-77 (.682) record, the most wins of any UA coach in their first seven season. He ranks third in UA history in wins (165) and winning percentage (.682).
• Through his first seven seasons, Dambrot led the Zips to a 162-75 record (.684). The program's 162 wins are tied for the top spot in the MAC and tied for 29th-best in the nation during that period.
1,000-Point Club
For the second-consecutive season, a Zips' student-athlete has the potential to join the Akron 1,000-point club. Senior forward Nikola Cvetinovic enters the season with 869 career points and needs 131 points to become the 39th player to break the 1,000-mark. If he maintains his 7.7 ppg career scoring average, he will score his 1,000th point against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 4.
The Century Club
• Senior guard Brett McClanahan enters the 2011-12 campaign having appeared in 97 career games. Barring injury, he will play in his 100th-career game, joining senior forward Nikola Cvetinovic, at Cleveland State (Dec. 10).
• Junior center Zeke Marshall is also closing in on the 100 games played mark. He currently sits at 76 games and needs to appear in 24 more contests to reach the century mark. If he doesn't miss a game, he will play in his 100th game at Ohio on Feb. 25.
The Drive for 500
This season, the Zips will have the opportunity to notch win No. 500 as a Division I program. Currently sitting at 482 wins, Akron needs 18 victories to reach the 500 plateau.
Climbing the Coaching Ladder
Eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot continues to climb the coaching ranks at The University of Akron. Currently sitting at 165 wins at the helm of the Blue and Gold, Dambrot needs 14 wins to pass Tony Laterza (178, 1960-68) for second place on the career wins list. Russell Beichly (1941-59) owns the school record with 286 career victories.
Let's Go Streaking
• Akron has enjoyed six-straight 20-win seasons (23-10 in 2005-06; 26-7 in 2006-07; 24-11 in 2007-08; 23-13 in 2008-09; 24-11 in 2009-10; 23-13 in 2010-11). It is the longest streak of 20-win seasons in school history. The Zips have won at least 19 games in each of head coach Keith Dambrot's first seven seasons (19-10 in '04-05).
• UA has advanced to the postseason in four-straight and five of the last six years, participating in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2011, the National Invitation Tournament in 2008 and 2006, and the College Basketball Invitational in 2010.
• The Zips have appeared in the MAC tournament championship game five-straight times, with those being the only five appearances in their 19 years in the league.
• Akron has hit at least one 3-point bucket in 348-consecutive games, 242-straight under head coach Keith Dambrot. The last time the Zips missed from long range was Dec. 27, 2000, against Purdue at Rhodes Arena (0-for-10). The UA opponents' streak of 3-point buckets ended at 12-straight games at Valparaiso on Nov. 18 (0-of-14). Akron has shut out opponents from behind the arc seven times under coach Dambrot.
How Hard is it to Win 20 Games?
• The Akron Zips are the only team in the Mid-American Conference to have won 20-plus games the last six seasons. How hard is it to win 20-plus games on a regular basis? In the last four seasons, only 34 of 346 teams (9.8 percent) have won 20 games each year. Over the past five years, that number drops to 24 of 346 teams (6.9 percent). At the end of the 2010-11 season, only 20 teams, including Akron, were able to reach 20 or more wins (5.8 percent) in the last six seasons.
• On the coaching side of 20-win seasons, head coach Keith Dambrot is currently tied for 14th place among active coaches with current 20-plus game winning streaks (6). Eighteen active coaches in Division I basketball have posted longer streaks of 20-win seasons than Dambrot and only three of those coaches (Mark Few, Gonzaga; Stew Morrill, Utah State; Dana Altman, Creighton) have posted longer streaks of 20-win seasons than Dambrot solely at mid-major programs.
Zips Sign Three to 2012-13 Freshman Class
On Nov. 16, head coach Keith Dambrot announced that Carmelo Betancourt (San Juan, Puerto Rico), Jake Kretzer (Waverly, Ohio) and Reggie McAdams (Elida, Ohio) signed national letters of intent to play for the Zips in 2012.
Betancourt, a 5-11 point guard, was a starter on the U19 Puerto Rican National Team at the 2011 Nike Global Challenge and represented his native country at the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic International Game.
Kretzer, a 6-7 small forward, comes to Akron as one of the top-ranked players in the state of Ohio. He averaged 21.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior while earning All-Ohio honorable mention honors for the second-consecutive season.
McAdams, a 6-6 guard, will join Akron as the No. 5 recruit on the 2012 ESPNU Top Ohio Recruits list. The senior at Elida High School averaged 19.5 points per game during his junior season and went over the 1,000-points mark for his career. He was named second-team All-Ohio after being selected as the Western Buckeye League Player of the Year.
Defending the Crown
For the second time in three seasons, the Zips open up play as the defending Mid-American Conference champions. Since joining the Division I ranks, Akron posted records of 21-9 (1986-87) and 24-11 (2009-10) in the season following a conference championship.
Repeating as tournament champion in the MAC is no east feat. Since the tournament began in 1980, only two teams, Ball State (1989-90) and Kent State (2001-02), have successfully repeated as tourney champs.
Akron and the SEC
The Zips improved to 2-3 against the Southeastern Conference (2-0 vs. Mississippi State; 0-1 vs. Alabama; 0-2 vs. Kentucky). Akron head coach Keith Dambrot is 2-0 against the SEC, with both victories coming against the Bulldogs.
Home Cooking
Akron is 93-15 (.861) at Rhodes Arena under eighth-year head coach Keith Dambrot (2-0 overall, 0-0 MAC this season). The Zips have recorded nine-straight winning seasons at home overall and have won at least 13 home contests in six of the last seven years. In fact, the Zips have not posted a losing home record since 1995-96 (2-11).
