The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Oxford to Face Miami (Ohio) on ESPNU on Saturday
February 08 | Men's Basketball
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(rv/rv) Akron (18-4, 9-0 MAC) at Miami (Ohio) (8-13, 3-6 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 • 1 p.m. ET
Millett Hall (6,600)
Oxford, Ohio
Television: ESPNU. Adam Amin (pbp) and Brooke Weisbrod (color).
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 beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Akron Coach Keith Dambrot
(Akron, 1982):
Is in his ninth season at Akron, posting a 202-91 (.689) mark. Dambrot is 310-161 (.658) in 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach. He is 13-10 vs. Miami (Ohio), with a 13-6 mark against the RedHawks at Akron.
The Series: The series, which dates back to the 1914-15 season, is tied 24-24. The Zips have won four-straight, including a 65-60 road win in Oxford, Ohio, on Jan. 7. UA is 8-17 in Oxford, having won two of their last three games at Millett Hall.
Schedule Notes: Akron will play host to North Dakota State in the Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters event on Friday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Zips' contest at Buffalo on March 2 will air on STO at 6 p.m. ET.
Akron Travels to Oxford to Face Miami (Ohio)
Akron hits the road for an afternoon contest at Miami (Ohio) on Saturday on ESPNU.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron needed some late-game heroics and a 11-0 run over the final 1:48 to down Central Michigan 68-56 on Tuesday.
• For 37 minutes, the Chippewas battled toe-to-toe with the Zips, but nine-straight points beginning with two Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell buckets – the first with 2:39 remaining – was the difference.
• Alex Abreu led the Zips with 15 points and seven assists. Treadwell had 12 points and five boards, including six of Akron's final 13 points.
• Akron's 9-0 start is the best in program history since joining the MAC during the 1992-93 campaign. The 9-0 start is the first by any team in the league since 1983-84 [Miami (Ohio)].
• In games through Feb. 6, UA is one of 12 undefeated teams in league.
• The Zips received votes in the AP (4) and USA Today Coaches Poll (2). That marks the first time UA has been in both polls at the same time.
• Akron's 14-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the nation and tied for the third-longest by any program this season. It is also the Zips' first win streak of 14 or more games since the 1972-73 season (14-straight).
• UA's current run is the first 14-game winning streak in the MAC since Kent State won 21-straight during the 2001-02 campaign.
• During their 14-game winning streak, the Zips are out-scoring their opponents by 15.2 points/game and hold a +10.4 rebounding advantage. UA is shooting 46.6 percent and has held at least a share of the lead for 451:38 out of the last 560:00 minutes (80.6 percent).
• UA is the only program in the MAC with five players connecting on 24-plus 3-point buckets.
• In games through Feb. 3, the Zips are 11th in the nation in blocked shots (5.9 bpg), 37th in scoring offense (75.3 ppg) and 24th in scoring margin (+12.5 ppg).
A Look at the RedHawks
Miami (Ohio) enters today's contest with an 8-13 overall record and a 3-6 mark in MAC play. The RedHawks have lost five of their last six contests and are 5-5 at home (1-4 in league play).
Two RedHawks are averaging double figures in the scoring column, including Allen Roberts (12.9 ppg) and Will Felder (11.7 ppg). Felder is the team's leading rebounder (5.6 ppg).
On the Line vs. Miami (Ohio)
• An Akron victory would give the Zips their first 15-game winning streak since 1958-59 (21-straight).
• A win would guarantee that the Zips enter the Eastern Michigan game with at least a share of the MAC East lead for the 26th-straight league game.
• A win would give Akron its first 10-0 start to MAC play in program history and the best start by any team since Miami (Ohio) won its first 10 league games in 1983-84.
What You May Not Know About the Series
• Of the 48 meetings between these two programs, the winning team has scored 55 or fewer points on 16 occasions (Akron 9-7).
• Akron has won 10 of the last 12 in the series.
Last Time Out vs. Miami (Ohio)
Chauncey Gilliam finished with 14 points to help Akron to a 74-59 win over Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 15, 2012, at Rhodes Arena.
Gilliam, who went 5-of-8 from the field for the game and scored 10 of his points in the first half, was one of two Akron players to finish with double-figure points. Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell tallied 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go with a game-high eight rebounds for the Zips, while
Zeke Marshall had nine points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot for UA.
Brian Sullivan paced four Miami players in double-digit points with 19 in 40 minutes.
Success in League Play
• UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season. Since that time, Akron is 102-39 overall (.723), including a 62-9 mark in MAC play at home (.873). The Zips' 102 wins are the most in the MAC during that stretch.
• The Zips have won 22 of their last 25 and 28 of the last 33 regular-season MAC games.
Defending the Crown
For the first time is program history, the Zips opened play as the defending Mid-American Conference regular season champions.
Repeating as regular season champion in the MAC is no easy feat. Since the conference went to its current divisional-play format (1997-98), only Kent State (2010-11) has repeated. In 65 years of basketball, only 11 programs have repeated as regular season champions, with only two repeat champions coming in the last 30 years (Ball State 1989-90; Kent State 2010-11).
Best MAC Starts
• Akron's 9-0 start to Mid-American Conference play is the best start under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot and is the first 9-0 start in 21 seasons for Akron in the league.
• The Zips are climbing the rankings for the best start to MAC play in league history. UA's 9-0 start is the fifth-best start ever by a MAC school. Only two teams have gone undefeated in MAC play (Maimi, 1975-76; Cincinnati, 1949-50).
1. 12-0 – Miami (Ohio), 1957-58
2. 11-0 – Miami (Ohio), 1983-84
3. 10-0 – Western Michigan, 1975-76
10-0 – Cincinnati, 1949-50
5. 9-0 – Akron, 2012-13
A Look at the Polls
• For the first time in program history, the Zips appeared in both the USA TODAY & AP polls in the same week. The Zips received two votes in the coaches poll and four in the AP poll.
• Three opponents appeared in the Feb. 4 edition of the USA TODAY Coaches poll and two in the AP poll. Creighton (13/16) and Oklahoma State (24/22) were ranked in both while Middle Tennessee (4) received votes in the coaches poll.
• Akron is ranked 9th in the Feb. 3 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. Six UA opponents appeared in the poll, including No. 3 Creighton, No. 6 Middle Tennessee, No. 16 Ohio and No. 17 North Dakota State. Western Michigan (17) and Detroit (15) received votes.
Polling History
• Since moving to the Division I ranks in 1980, the Zips have appeared in the AP and Coaches polls on several occasions. Until Monday, Akron had never appeared in both polls in the same week.
• Akron last appeared in the AP poll last season after defeating Mississippi State 68-58 on Nov. 9. UA also appeared in the poll on Nov. 12, 2007.
• The Zips last appeared in the coaches poll in week one of the 2003-04 season after receiving four points. UA also received votes in the 2003-04 preseason and 1985-86 final polls.
RPI Watch
• Entering tonight's game, the Zips check in at No. 48 in the Ken Pom RPI rankings (games through Feb. 6).
• In other RPI rankings the Zips are 47th (ESPN BPI), 53rd (Real Time RPI), 53rd (NCAA) and 56th (ESPN RPI).
• So far, Akron has played three teams inside the top 40 of the RPI (Ken Pom), including Creighton (No. 15), Oklahoma State (No. 24) and Middle Tennessee (No. 38), in addition to two top-100 opponent in Ohio (No. 70) and Princeton (No. 91).
• The Zips will face North Dakota State 2013 Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters event. The Bison are currently ranked No. 41 in the Ken Pom RPI.
The Stretch Run
UA is 47-18 (.723) in the month of February, including a 22-6 (.786) mark the last three-plus seasons, under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot. The Zips have won 15 of their last 18 contests in the month. UA is also 31-5 (.861) at the JAR in February under Dambrot.
Akron and the BracketBusters
The Zips will play in their 10th Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters game in the 11 years of the event's existence. Akron will play host to North Dakota State on Friday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Akron is 3-6 overall and 3-2 at home. Here is UA's history in the event.
2003: DNP
2004: Drake 82, @Akron 78 (OT)
2005: @Akron 74, Niagara 68
2006: @Nevada 88, Akron 61 – ESPNU
2007: @Akron 74, Austin Peay 57 – ESPNU
2008: VCU 57, @Akron 52 – ESPN2
2009: @Valparaiso 74, Akron 66
2010: @VCU 70, Akron 53 – ESPNU
2011: @Akron 76, Creighton 67
2012: @Oral Roberts 69, Akron 61 – ESPN2
On a Roll
Akron has two winning streaks that rank in the top-15 nationally. The Zips' 14-game winning streak is the longest active streak in all of DI basketball while UA's run of 12-straight victories at home is tied for 14th (games through Feb. 7).
How Many Double-Doubles?
• In Akron's 91-63 win over Coppin State on Jan. 2, three Zips' players recorded double-doubles in the same game for the first time in the program's Division I era (since 1980-81). Zeke Marshall (13 points, 12 rebounds), Nick Harney (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Jake Kretzer (14 points, 12 rebounds) helped make history and record just the fourth such instance of three double-doubles in the same game this season (LIU Brooklyn, Dec. 1, 2012; Iowa State, Nov. 9, 2012; Jacksonville, Jan. 10, 2013).
• Additionally, Akron is one of six schools with five players with at least one double-double [Baylor, Hampton, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Youngstown State].
Against the West
• The Zips are 73-33 (.689) against the MAC West since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, including a 43-12 mark under head coach Keith Dambrot (.782).
• UA has won 14-straight regular season and 16-straight games overall against MAC West opponents.
Inside the Scoring Numbers
The Zips have been one of the top defensive squads in the league over the last nine seasons. In 293 games under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have held 213 opponents to 70 points or less, going 174-39 (.817). Akron has held 166 of those foes to 65 points or less, going 146-20 (.880). On the flip side, Akron is 28-52 when allowing 70-plus points (.350).
Recent Domination
• During its 14-game winning streak, the Zips have been dominating in almost every statistical category.
• Akron is averaging 73.9 points/game during the stretch while out-scoring opponents by 15.2 points/game (58.7). UA is shooting 46.6 percent while holding the opposition to just 37.0 percent from the floor.
• UA is averaging 40.2 rebounds/game and holds a +10.4 rebounding advantage while dishing out 16.5 assists and recording 6.4 steals.
• A key part to the stretch has been the play of the Akron front line. Zeke Marshall (13.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg), Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell (11.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg), Nick Harney (10.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg), and Pat Forsythe (4.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) have accounted for 53.7 percent of UA's points and 58.0 percent of the Zips' rebounds.
Lights, Camera, Action
The Zips will appear on television a minimum of 13 times this season, with the potential for six additional TV games. Akron has gone 7-3 so far, defeating Central Michigan 68-56 on SportsTime Ohio in its last TV appearance (Feb. 5).
Last of the Undefeateds
Akron is one of 10 teams that remain undefeated in conference play (games through Feb. 7).
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, eight players have had a least a share of the top-scoring performance, with Brian Walsh, Zeke Marshall and Nick Harney as the only players to lead the Zips in back-to-back game. No player has led UA in scoring in three-straight contests this season.
Home Cooking
Akron is 116-17 (.872) at Rhodes Arena under ninth-year head coach Keith Dambrot (12-0 overall, 5-0 MAC this season). UA has now won 32 of its last 34 games at the JAR (.941). The Zips have recorded 11-straight winning campaigns at home, including this 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.
1,000 Point Club
With a dunk just three minutes into the game against Coppin State on Jan. 2, senior center Zeke Marshall became the 40th member of Akron's 1,000-point club. He needs six points to pass Cedrick Middleton for 31st place (1,120).
32. 1,115 - Zeke Marshall (2010-Present)
31. 1,120 - Cedrick Middleton (2005-08)
30. 1,136 - Andy Hipsher (2000-04)
29. 1,142 - Brett McKnight (2007-11)
28. 1,143 - Ryan Andrick (1996-2000)
27. 1,151 - Jeremiah Wood (2004-08)
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 +10.0 scoring advantage (25.9-15.9), having been out-scored only four times this season (38-21 vs. MTSU; 46-38 vs. UAPB; 23-19 at Bowling Green; 24-18 vs. Ohio). The Akron reserves are shooting 40.9 percent from the floor compared to 33.9 percent by the opponent reserves.
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).
Marshall Earns Fourth MAC POW Award
Zeke Marshall was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Feb. 4, his fourth POTW week honor this season.
Marshall, who earned his top honors on Nov. 19, Dec. 31 and Jan. 28, helped the Zips to a perfect 2-0 record last week, including wins over Bowling Green (68-55) and Ohio (86-72). For the week, he averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 blocked shot per game while connecting on a near-perfect 15-of-17 from the field (.882).
The Century Club
Junior guard Alex Abreu has appeared in 89 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.
Cleaning the Offensive Glass
On three occasions this season, the Zips posted 20-plus offensive boards in a game (26 vs. Kent State). It was also the first time Akron had more offensive boards (26) than defensive boards (25) in a game since a 20/15 performance at VCU on Feb. 20, 2010. UA's 26 offensive boards are also the most since the Zips grabbed 26 vs. Toledo on March 10, 2009, also a game with more rebounds on offense than defense (26/22).
Double the Performance
After posting just one double-double in his first 45 games as a Zip, junior forward Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell has caught fire and posted double-doubles in four of the last six games. Against Kent State (Jan. 19), he posted 15 points and a career-high 16 boards. At Toledo and Bowling Green, he scored 10 points and grabbed 11 boards. He also had 15 points and 10 boards against Ohio. His strong play coincides with the start of league play, in which he is averaging 10.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Torching the Net
Senior center Zeke Marshall is torching the net of late, both from the field. In the last 13 games, he is shooting 74.5 percent from the floor (70-of-94). Only 25 of his 70 makes have come via the dunk.
Breaking Down the Stats
• Junior guard Alex Abreu ranks fourth in the MAC and 28th in the nation in assist rate, recording a dime on 36.45 percent of the field goals made by the Zips while on the floor.
• Senior center Zeke Marshall is second in the MAC and fifth in the nation in block rate, swatting 11.47 percent of the shots taken by Akron opponents while on the floor. Redshirt freshman center Pat Forsythe is sixth in the MAC (6.76) in the same category. He would be 51st in the nation if he qualified (20 mpg min.).
Win No. 200
With Akron's 68-55 win at Bowling Green on Jan. 30, head coach Keith Dambrot became just the second coach in school history with 200 wins, joining Russell Beichly (288, 1941-59).
Win No. 300
Thanks to the Zips' 62-58 win over Princeton on Dec. 30, head coach Keith Dambrot earned his 300th career win in his 15th season as a head coach.
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, five have come under Dambrot. Zeke Marshall, the lone member of the senior class that has been with Akron for his entire career, has 87 wins and counting.
• Class of 2010 (2007-10) – 97 wins
• Class of 2009 (2006-09) – 96 wins
• Class of 2011 (2008-11) – 94 wins
• Class of 2012 (2009-12) – 92 wins
• Class of 2008 (2005-08) – 92 wins
• Class of 1966 (1963-66) – 91 wins
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 11th in the nation in blocked shots per game (5.9) in games through Feb. 3.
• Senior center Zeke Marshall continues to be one of the premier shot blockers in the nation. In games through Feb. 3, Marshall is fifth in the nation in blocked shots per game (3.57), has blocked more shots (75) than 172 DI teams and is averaging more swats per game (3.57) than 189 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 tenth in the MAC with 1.04 blocked shots per game.
• Combined, Marshall and Forsythe have more blocked shots per game (4.61) than nine of 12 MAC programs and 295 DI teams (out of 347). The two alone would be tied for 52nd in the nation in blocked shots per game.
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 second 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).
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) at one school.
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. Of those teams, 10 already have 18 or more wins this year, including Akron. Only Gonzaga (21-2) has reached 20 wins so far.
• 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.
Let's Go Streaking
• Akron has enjoyed seven-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; 22-12 in 2011-12). 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 eight seasons (19-10 in '04-05).
• UA has advanced to the postseason in five-straight and six of the last seven years, participating in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 and 2011, the National Invitation Tournament in 2006, 2008 and 2012, and the CBI in 2010.
• The Zips have appeared in the MAC tournament championship game six-straight times, with those being the only six appearances in their 20 years in the league. The run is also the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Gonzaga (15).
• Akron has hit at least one 3-point bucket in 399-consecutive games, 293-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 is at 52 games. Akron has shut out opponents from behind the arc seven times under Dambrot.
Watching the Akron Record Book
• Senior center Zeke Marshall is looking to add to his list of school records. With 77 blocked shots through 22 games this season, he is on pace to break his own school record for swats in a single season (95). Marshall is on pace for 105 swats (through the end of the regular season). He would become the first UA player to crack the century mark for blocked shots in a season.
• For the third-straight season, the career games played school record could be equalled or eclipsed. Senior center Zeke Marshall has appeared in 127 games over the last three-plus seasons. The Zips would need to appear in six postseason games to tie and seven 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 list. Against Ohio on Feb. 2, he became just the third player in UA history to record 400 career assists (402). He is currently third on the all-time UA list, passing Jimmal Ball (391, 1997-2000) with his six dimes at Bowling Green. At his current pace of 6.0 assists/game, he could break Dru Joyce's single-season assists mark of 165 (2005-06) by the end of the regular season. He is currently on pace for 180 dimes.
Looking at the MAC Record Book
• With four blocked shots against Kent State on Jan. 19, senior center Zeke Marshall became the Mid-American Conference's all-time blocked shots leader with 323. He passed Ball State's Lonnie Jones (301, BSU, 1998-02).
• The career mark is not the only MAC record Zeke Marshall is chasing. He is also on pace to become the second player in MAC history to crack the century mark for blocked shots (Patrick Flomo, Ohio, 105, 2000-01). Marshall is on pace for 105 swats (through the end of the regular season).
• Compared to other coaches all-time in the MAC, head coach Keith Dambrot is fourth in overall wins (222), fourth in league history with a .640 win percentage while coaching in the league (222-125 overall; 202-91 Akron, 20-34 CMU), fifth in league games winning percentage (.640, 112-63) and seventh in conference wins (112).
