The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Welcomes Cleveland State to Rhodes Arena on Sunday
December 21 | Men's Basketball
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Cleveland State at Akron Game Notes in PDF Format
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Cleveland State (7-4) at Akron (5-4)
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012 • 2 p.m. ET
Akron, Ohio
James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Television: None
Webcast/Live Statistics:
Available at GoZips.com – webcast and live statistics free of charge.
Radio: SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship), for free at SportsRadio1350.com and on iHeartRadio. Steve French (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (analyst) will have the call following the women's game, which will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Akron Coach Keith Dambrot
(Akron, 1982):
Is in his ninth season at Akron, posting a 189-91 (.675) mark. Dambrot is 297-161 (.648) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He is 2-2 all-time against the Vikings, with all four meetings coming as head coach of the Zips.
The Series: The Zips lead the all-time series 33-32, including a 22-12 record in Akron against the Vikings. The Zips dropped a 69-66 decision last season to CSU in Cleveland (Dec. 10). CSU is riding a two-game winning streak in the series.
Zips Continue Six-Game Home Stand
Akron plays host to Northeast Ohio rival Cleveland State in game two of a six-game homestand.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron welcomes Cleveland State to Rhodes Arena on the heels of a 76-46 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 18.
• Brian Walsh led the Zips with 14 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Zeke Marshall (13 points, six rebounds) and Reggie McAdams (11 points) also reached double figures.
• Alex Abreu, with six assists against the Golden Lions, passed Nick Dials (326, 2006-08) for sixth place on the career assists list (329).
• Zeke Marshall, with five blocked shots against UAPB, now has six games this season with at least five swats and has nine multi-block performances in nine games.
• In games through Dec. 19, the Zips are tied for 10th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (8.9) and have connected on fewer than six long balls just once this season (four, at Creighton).
• Zeke Marshall continues to own the defensive space around the rim, blocking more shots (39) than 204 DI teams and is averaging more swats per game (4.33) than 253 DI squads (games through Dec. 19).
• Akron has two players scoring in double figures and seven averaging 7.2 points per game or better, including Zeke Marshall (11.6), Brian Walsh (10.1), Alex Abreu (9.6), Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell (9.2), Chauncey Gilliam (9.1), Jake Kretzer (8.4) and Nick Harney (7.2). In games through Dec. 19, the Zips are the only team in the MAC with seven players averaging at least 7.0 ppg.
• The Zips are 41-19 (.683) in the month of December under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot, including a 28-3 mark at home (.903).
• The Akron-Cleveland State series (65 games) is the sixth-most played series in program history behind Kent State (135), Wooster (92), Baldwin-Wallace (91), Youngstown State (88) and Mount Union (70).
A Look at the Vikings
Cleveland State enters today's game with a 7-4 record and is coming off a 77-66 win over Notre Dame College on Dec. 19. The Vikings are 1-4 on the road, with their lone win coming on a neutral court against Bowling Green (Nov. 12) in the NIT Season Tip-Off.
CSU has three players scoring in double figures, led by Charlie Lee's 14.2 points per game. Anton Grady (13.7 ppg) and Tim Kamczyc (10.0 ppg) are also averaging double figures. Marlin Mason is the team's top rebounder (6.0 rpg).
On the Line vs. Cleveland State
• A win over the Vikings will snap a two-game losing streak for the Zips in the series.
• A victory would be Akron's fifth in its last seven contests.
Last Time Out vs. Cleveland State
Zeke Marshall had a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds as Akron dropped a 69-66 road contest to Cleveland State on Dec. 10, 2011, at The Wolstein Center.
Marshall finished the game 4-of-8 from the field and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell added a then career-high 15 points.
For the game, Akron shot 42.6 percent from the floor (20-of-47) and 55.6 percent from long range (5-of-9). Cleveland State closed the day shooting 45.6 percent from the field (26-of-57) and 42.1 percent from behind the 3-point arc (8-of-19).
Cleveland State tied the game at 66-66 with 1:37 left and a Jeremy Montgomery 3-pointer game the Vikings a 69-66 lead with 21.2 on the clock. A game-tying 3-point attempt from the corner by Treadwell with 1.8 seconds left came upshort.
Akron at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Recap
Brian Walsh netted 12 of his 14 points from behind the 3-point line to lead three Akron players in double figures as the Zips cruised past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76-46 on Dec. 18 at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Zeke Marshall finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots while Reggie McAdams had 11 points off the bench.
The 46 points allowed by Akron were the fewest since the Zips held Eastern Michigan to 47 points on Feb. 4, 2012.
For the game, Akron shot 43.1 percent from the floor (25-of-58) and 32.4 percent from 3-point range (11-of-34). The Zips committed 25 turnovers to Arkansas-Pine Bluff's 18, but held a 50-24 advantage on the boards.
Just How Young Are They?
• Akron entered the season as the ninth-youngest teams in the nation, with 16 players having a total of 15 seasons of collegiate experience (0.94 years/letters won per player). In fact, 12 of 16 players had one year or less in the experience column prior to 2012-13.
• Last season, the Zips had 15 players with a total of 19 seasons of collegiate experience, the 20th-youngest team in Division I basketball (1.27 years/letters won per player. Akron is one of just four teams to appear on this list in each of the past two seasons (Navy, Illinois State and Wright State).
Who to Guard Tonight?
One aspect of the Zips' lineup that makes it so hard to defend is the ability for any player to lead the squad in scoring. Last season, eight different players led Akron in scoring, with only two players holding top scoring honors in back-to-back games. So far this season, seven players have had a least a share of the top-scoring performance, with Brian Walsh as the only player to lead the Zips in back-to-back game.
Welcome to December
• The Zips are 41-19 (.683) in the month of December under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot, including a 28-3 mark at home (.903).
• Akron has won 15 of its last 16 December home games, with UA's only loss coming against VCU in overtime on Dec. 29, 2011 (76-75).
Home Cooking
Akron is 107-17 (.863) at Rhodes Arena under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot (3-0 overall, 0-0 MAC this season). The Zips have recorded 10-straight winning campaigns at home, including last season, and have won at least 13 home contests in seven-of-eight years. UA's last losing record at home came in 1995-96 (2-11).
Free Basketball
So far this season, the Zips have played three overtime games in their first nine contests for the first time in program history. The previous high was two overtimes to start the 1980-81 campaign. The school record for overtimes played in a season is six, which occurred during the 1983-84 campaign.
Now Starting for Akron
Through nine games this season, the Zips have started five different lineups. Last season, Akron had six different starting lineups, with the fifth different line-up coming 12 games into the campaign.
A Tale of Two Halves
• The Zips have seen a major difference in their play between the first and second halves of games this season.
• Akron is out-scoring opponents by 3.4 points per game in the first half, while allowing the competition to shoot 42.9 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from long range.
• However, the second half has been a different story. The Zips are +7.4 points per game in the scoring column while holding opponents to 38.0 percent shooting from the floor and 25.4 percent from behind the arc.
• UA is shooting 3.3 percent better in the second half (48.5 vs. 45.2) and is converting on 69.0 percent from the charity stripe, compared to 64.2 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Shooting the Lights Out
After a sub-par shooting performance against Oklahoma State on Nov. 15 (21-of-70, .300), the Zips have been shooting the lights out over the past six games. Akron is connecting on 49.1 percent from the field (160-of-326) over the previous six contests. The Zips have shot at least 42 percent from the floor in each contest during the run and have posted three performances over 50 percent.
In UA's first three games, the Zips shot 41.5 percent from the floor and shot better than 40 percent just once (57.6 percent vs. John Carroll).
Solid Bench Play
• The Akron bench has been the catalyst for success under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot and this year is no different.
• The Zips' bench holds a +8.4 scoring advantage over the competition (28.6-20.2), having been out-scored twice this season (38-21 vs. MTSU; 46-38 vs. UAPB). The Akron reserves are shooting 42.1 percent from the floor while holding opponents to just 34.6 percent.
Breaking Down the Stats
• Junior guard Alex Abreu ranks second in the MAC and 18th in the nation in assist rate, recording a dime on 40.33 percent of the field goals made by the Zips while on the floor.
• Senior center Zeke Marshall leads the MAC in block rate and is third in the nation, swatting 14.95 percent of the shots taken by Akron opponents while on the floor. Redshirt freshman center Pat Forsythe is fifth in the MAC (11.34) in the same category. He would rank ninth in the nation if he qualified (20 mpg min.).
• As a team, the Zips are tied for 66th nationally in points per possession, averaging 1.04 points per trip down the court. Akron's shooting has also been effective this season as UA is averaging 1.14 points per shot, which is tied for 29th nationally.
Akron vs. the Horizon League
The Zips are very familiar with the current programs in the Horizon League, with today's contest being Akron's 211th game against the conference's nine members. Overall, UA is 123-87 (.586) and is .500 or better against every league member except for Green Bay (3-5). In addition to today's game against Cleveland State (33-32), Akron fell 80-73 at Detroit (4-4) on Dec. 15.
Welcome to the Block Party
• One area the Akron defense has been stout is in the shot blocking category. The Zips lead the Mid-American Conference and are tied for seventh in the nation in blocked shots per game (7.1) in games through Dec. 19.
• Senior center Zeke Marshall continues to be one of the premier shot blockers in the nation. In games through Dec. 19, Marshall is fourth in the nation in blocked shots per game (4.33), has blocked more shots (39) than 204 DI teams and is averaging more swats per game (4.33) than 253 DI squads.
• Redshirt freshman Pat Forsythe is emerging into a solid shot blocker in his first season with Akron. He is second on the team and fifth in the MAC with 1.56 blocked shots per game.
• Combined, Marshall and Forsythe have more blocked shots per game (5.89) than 11 of 12 league programs (Akron, 7.1) and 332 DI teams (out of 347).
RPI Watch
• Entering today's game, the Zips check in at No. 57 in the Ken Pom RPI rankings (games through Dec. 19). Akron's out-of-conference schedule is the 47th-hardest in the nation.
• So far, Akron has played three teams inside the top 40 of the RPI, including Creighton (No. 15), Oklahoma State (No. 24) and Middle Tennessee (No. 38).
• UA could add one more high-RPI opponent with the 2013 Sears BracketBusters event.
Inside the Scoring Numbers
The Zips have been one of the top defensive squads in the league over the last nine seasons. In 280 games under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have held 201 opponents to 70 points or less, going 162-39 (.806). Akron has held 156 of those foes to 65 points or less, going 136-20 (.872). On the flip side, Akron is 27-52 when allowing 70-plus points (.342).
MAC Freshman of the Year Resume
Freshman wing Jake Kretzer is building a nice resume for Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year consideration. He ranks second in 3-pointers made (19), third in offensive rebounding (1.7 rpg), third in 3-point percentage (.413), third in minutes played (26.7 mpg), fifth in scoring (8.4 ppg), fifth in rebounds (4.2 rpg) and tied for fifth in points per shot (1.19) among all MAC freshmen in games through Dec. 19.
And Then There Were Seven
In 2004, college basketball saw 34 programs hire new head coaches, including ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot. Of those 34 coaches to take over new programs that year, only seven remain at the same program.
Compared to those coaches, Dambrot ranks third in wins and is one of only two coaches in that group to lead their program to seven-straight 22-plus win seasons (Thad Matta, Ohio State).
School Coach W-L Next
Ohio State Thad Matta 230-66 12/22
Georgetown John Thompson, III 192-83 12/22
Akron Keith Dambrot 189-91 12/23
Chattanooga John Shulman 134-135 12/21
Loyola (Md.) Jimmy Patsos 131-126 12/28
La Salle John Giannini 125-130 12/20
Maine Ted Woodward 84-133 12/22
Of the coaches not at the program they were hired at in 2004, only Lon Kruger (UNLV, 2004-11) won more than 150 games (161-71).
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 in each of the last seven seasons. In fact, only 17 teams (Akron, Butler, BYU, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Marquette, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Syracuse, Texas, Utah State and Xavier) have won 20-plus games in the last seven seasons.
• Taking things one step further, the Zips are one of only seven programs with at least 22-plus wins during that same stretch (Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Utah State).
• On the coaching side of 20-win seasons, head coach Keith Dambrot is currently tied for 13th place among active coaches with current 20-plus game winning streaks (7) and tied for the tenth-longest streak at the same program. Only two coaches [Mark Few, Gonzaga (13); Stew Morrill, Utah State (12)] have posted longer streaks of 20-win seasons solely at mid-major programs.
The Century Club
Junior guard Alex Abreu has appeared in 76 games in two-plus seasons for the Zips. Barring injury, Abreu and the Zips need to play in three postseason games for him to reach the century mark this season, joining senior center Zeke Marshall.
1,000 Point Club
Senior center Zeke Marshall is on pace to become the 40th member of Akron's 1,000-point club. Marshall needs 59 points to join the group.
– 941 - Zeke Marshall (2010-Present)
39. 1,013 - Sam Serves (1942-47)
38. 1,023 - Nate Linhart (2006-09)
37. 1,041 - Hank Vaughn (1946-50)
36. 1,046 - Dru Joyce (2004-07)
35. 1,055 - Bobby Walker (1946-50)
Looking for No. 200 & 300
Head coach Keith Dambrot can reach two coaching milestones this season. He needs 11 wins to become just the second coach in school history with 200 wins at Akron, joining Russell Beichly (286, 1941-59). Dambrot is also just three wins away from winning his 300th career game (15 seasons).
Lights, Camera, Action
The Zips will appear on television a minimum of nine times this season, with the potential for 12 additional TV games. Akron has gone 2-3 so far, falling 80-73 at Detroit on FOX Sports Detroit in its last TV appearance (Dec. 15).
A Look at the Polls
• Two opponents appeared in the Dec. 17 editions of the AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls. Creighton (17/13) and Oklahoma State (24/24) appeared in both polls.
• Akron is ranked 23rd in the Dec. 17 edition of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. Six of UA's mid-major opponents appeared in the poll, including No. 1 Creighton, No. 11 Ohio and No. 12 Middle Tennessee. Detroit (33), Western Michigan (20) and Eastern Michigan (3) all received votes.
Career List Watch
• Senior center Zeke Marshall, with 285 blocked shots in his career, broke the career mark at Akron against Detroit on Nov. 26, 2011. Marshall also owns the single-game (9), single season (94), freshman (59), sophomore (92) and junior season (95), and Akron Rhodes Arena single-game (7) blocked shot records.
• For the third-straight season, the career games played school record could be equalled or eclipsed. Senior center Zeke Marshall has appeared in 114 games over the last three-plus seasons. The Zips would need to appear in six postseason games to tie and seven for Marshall to break the school record of 141, set by Steve McNees (2008-11) and Nikola Cvetinovic (2009-12).
• After breaking the freshman and sophomore season assists records, junior guard Alex Abreu is setting his sights on moving up the career top-10. Against Penn State on Nov. 18, he became just the ninth player in UA history with 300 career assists (329). He is currently sixth on the all-time UA list, passing Nick Dials (326, 2006-08) against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He needs 16 dimes to crack the top-five (Andy Hipsher, 344, 2000-04).
Looking at the MAC Record Book
• Senior center Zeke Marshall passed Ohio's John Devereaux (260, 1980-84) and Jason Terry (262, 1992-96) in Puerto Rico to take over sole possession of second place on the MAC list for blocked shots (285). At his current pace of 4.3 blocked shots per game this season, he should break the MAC record of 301 (Lonnie Jones, BSU, 1998-02) in roughly four more games (Coppin State, Jan. 2).
• Compared to other coaches all-time in the MAC, head coach Keith Dambrot is fifth in league history with a .626 win percentage while coaching in the league (209-125 overall; 189-91 Akron, 20-34 CMU), fifth in overall wins (209), sixth in league games winning percentage (.620, 103-63) and seventh in conference wins (103).
A Winning Standard
Since taking over the program before the 2004-05 season, ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot has created a winning mentality in the program that has not been seen in 112 seasons of basketball. Of the six senior classes to win 90 or more games in their career, five of those have come under Dambrot. Zeke Marshall, the lone member of the senior class that has been with Akron for his entire career, has helped Akron to 74 wins and counting.
