The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Travels to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday
January 21 | Men's Basketball
Gameday Central | Purchase Tickets
Follow Akron Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Akron at Eastern Michigan Game Notes in PDF Format
Game Day Coverage:
Listen to Free Audio Stream (iHeartRadio)
Follow Free Live Statistics
Watch Free Video Stream
Akron (11-6, 3-1 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (11-6, 3-1 MAC)
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014 • 7 p.m. ET
Convocation Center (8,800)
Ypsilanti, Mich.
Television: TWC Sports Channel/ESPN3. Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Tony White (analyst).
Webcast/Live Statistics: Available at GoZips.com – webcast and live statistics free of charge.
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network – 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 6:30 p.m. ET.
Akron Coach Keith Dambrot (Akron, 1982): Is in his 10th season at Akron, posting a 221-100 (.688) mark. Dambrot is 329-170 (.659) in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Coach Dambrot is 14-3 all-time against Eastern Michigan, including an 11-2 mark at Akron.
Series: Akron owns a slim 21-19 series advantage, with the Zips winning 11 of the last 13 contests. Akron is 8-10 against EMU in Ypsilanti and has wins in four of its last five trips. UA won the only match-up last season, 70-62, in Ypsilanti on Feb. 13.
Schedule Note: Akron's Feb. 1 contest at Kent State will air on TWC Sports Channel and will tip off at 6 p.m. ET.
Akron Opens Two-Game Michigan Road Trip
The Zips will play two-straight games in the state of Michigan, beginning with a Wednesday night match-up at Eastern Michigan.
News, Notes and Storylines
• Akron saw its five-game overall and 18-game winning streak against the MAC West snapped on Saturday after falling 75-61 to Toledo.
• Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell led the Zips in scoring with 18 points and 10 rebound. Jake Kretzer (14) and Nick Harney (11) also scored in double figures.
• In MAC play, the Zips have posted wins in 30 of the last 36 league contests (13-3 in 2012; 14-2 in 2013; 3-1 in 2014).
• UA is 61-21 (.744) in the month of January under 10th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, having won 20 of the last 22 games in the first month of the year.
• UA has won 18 of its last 19 contests against opponents from the MAC's West Division, including eight-straight on the road.
• Tonight's contest is No. 500 as a head coach in the 16-year career for head coach Keith Dambrot (321 at Akron).
• The Zips have not lost back-to-back games in MAC play since Feb. 26-29, 2012. The last time UA has lost back-to-back games vs. MAC West teams was during the 2004-05 season (Dec. 4 at Northern Illinois; Jan. 6 at Toledo; and Jan. 8 at Western Michigan).
• Akron has hit 10 or more 3-pointers in six games this season. The Zips are 5-1 when they make double-digit long balls in a contest. Akron is third in the Mid-American Conference in 3-pointers made per game (7.1).
• Nine of the 11 Akron players to see action this season have at least one game with 11 points.
• Akron is just the 13th team in the MAC's 67-year history to open play as a two-time defending regular season champion.
• Akron has won 22-plus games in each of the last eight seasons, one of only six Division I programs to do so. The other five teams are Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Ohio State and Pittsburgh.
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Michigan enters tonight's game with an 11-6 record and is 3-1 in MAC play. The Eagles are coming off a 72-59 win at Central Michigan on Saturday. EMU is 8-1 at home, winning three-straight.
Four Eagles are averaging double figures in the scoring column, including Karrington Ward (13.4 ppg), Raven Lee (10.7 ppg), Mike Talley (10.5 ppg) and Glenn Bryant (10.3 ppg). Ward is the team's leading rebounder (6.7 rpg).
On the Line vs. Eastern Michigan
• A victory would be the 12th win and the last 14 meetings with Eastern Michigan.
• A win would guarantee the Zips enter the Central Michigan game with at least a share of the MAC East lead for the 38th-consecutive league game.
• Akron looks to avoid its first losing streak to MAC West opponents since the 2004-05 campaign.
What You May Not Know About the Series
• The Zips are a perfect 3-0 against Eastern Michigan in overtime contests.
• Akron head coach Keith Dambrot was an assistant coach at EMU from 1986-89.
• Assistant coach Charles Thomas played at Eastern Michigan from 1987-91.
Last Time Out vs. Eastern Michigan
For the eighth-straight year, the Zips won at least 20 games thanks to a 70-62 road win over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 13, 2013, in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The win extended Akron's overall winning streak to 16 games, the longest in the nation.
Brian Walsh led four Zips in double figures with a game-high 16 points, going 5-of-9 from the field and 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Nick Harney (14), Zeke Marshall (12) and Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell (11) also scored in double figures.
For the game, Akron shot 53.2 percent from the floor (25-of-47) and connected on 39.1 percent from long range (9-of-23). The Zips out-rebounded EMU 34-26, but committed 20 turnovers to just 14 by the Eagles.
Glenn Bryant lead Eastern Michigan with 11 points.
Toledo at Akron Recap
The Zips had their five-game winning streak snapped on Saturday following a 75-61 loss to Toledo on Saturday.
The loss ended a seven-game winning streak against the Rockets and an 18-game winning streak against the MAC's West Division for the Zips.
Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell led Akron with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the year. Jake Kretzer (14) and Nick Harney (11) also reached double figures.
Akron closed the game shooting 41.7 percent from the floor (20-of-48) and 26.3 percent from long range (5-of-19). The Zips were out-rebounded 42-28 and committed 13 turnovers.
Julius Brown led Toledo with 25 points.
MAC Play Notes
• The Zips were the last undefeated team in MAC play this season, going 3-0. This was the third-straight season that Akron was the last team to post a loss against a league foe (3-0 in 2011-12; 13-0 in 2012-13).
• Akron is 75-34 against the West Division (.688), including winners of 18-of-19 contests, since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season (45-13 under head coach Keith Dambrot). The Zips last road lost to a MAC West team came on Feb. 2, 2011, at Eastern Michigan (60-56).
• The Zips have posted wins in 21-6 mark in the last 27 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 3-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
• Akron is 22-4 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule.
• UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season. Akron is 110-42 overall (.724), including a 65-11 mark in MAC play at home (.855). The Zips' 110 wins are the most in the league during that stretch.
• The Zips have won 30 of their last 36 regular-season MAC games.
• Since 2011, the Zips are 16-2 in the month of January against MAC teams.
January is a Good Month
• Akron is 61-21 (.753) in the month of January under 10th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, having won 20 of its last 22 games in the first month of the year.
• The Zips are even better at home during the month, posting a 34-4 mark (.895) at the JAR in January. UA has gone undefeated at home in 6-of-10 January slates under Dambrot and has won 9-of-10 at home.
Going for the Three-peat
As the two-time defending Mid-American Conference regular season champions, the Zips will look to do something that is rare in the league...win three-straight regular season crowns. In 67 years of basketball, 12 teams before the Zips had a chance to three-peat (including shared titles), with only one program claiming three-straight regular season titles. From 1948 through 1951, founding member Cincinnati won four-straight titles. In fact, of the 11 previous back-to-back champs not to three-peat, only three finished second in their bid for a third title.
Collecting MAC Wins at a Record Pace
Akron enters the 2014 MAC season looking place its name in the league record books.
With a 30-6 record in conference play over the last two-plus seasons, the Zips have a chance to challenge several league marks.
The first is for overall MAC wins over a three-year stretch. Kent State won 43 games from 2000-02 while playing 54 league games (43-11). With the Zips only playing one 18-game schedule (50 total games), Akron will have to go 16-2 to tie the Kent State mark.
The only team to break 40 wins in 50 games (two 16-game, one 18-game schedule) was Kent State from 2006-08 (40-10). For Akron to break the 50-game wins record, the Zips will need to go 14-4 in league play.
Overall, nine teams have won 40 or more conference games over a three-year stretch.
The most wins for Akron in a three-year stretch in MAC play is 38, as the Zips went 38-12 from 2006-08 and 38-14 from 2005-07.
Inside the Scoring Numbers
The Zips have been one of the top defensive squads in the league over the last 10 seasons. In 321 games under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have held 231 opponents to 70 points or less, going 190-41 (.823). Akron has held 180 of those foes to 65 points or less, going 160-20 (.889). The Zips are 31-59 (.344) when allowing more than 70 points.
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. Zeke Marshall was the only player to lead the Zips in scoring in more than back-to-back games, leading Akron in four-straight contests.
• So far this season, six Zips have had at least a share of top scoring honors, with Quincy Diggs and Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell being the only player to lead the Zips in scoring in back-to-back games.
Road Warriors
• Like their non-conference schedule, the Zips will open Mid-American Conference play in a familiar way...on the road. Akron will play seven of its first 11 league games on the road.
• During the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Zips put their frequent flyer memberships to work. Akron played four true road games and three games in Hawaii at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Adding up the round trip miles, the Zips logged 15,941 miles before MAC play began in January.
The Quest for 1,500 Wins
Akron is on a quest to join some elite programs this season. Entering the 2013-14 campaign, 49 Division I teams had won at least 1,500 games all-time. So far this season, Minnesota, USC, Montana State, North Dakota and California have joined that group to push that number to 54 programs.
In games through Jan. 19, there are currently five teams, including the Zips, within reach of that milestone this season. Akron has 1,495 wins, the most by any Mid-American Conference team.
RPI Watch
• In games through Jan. 19, the Zips hold the No. 104 spot in the RPI Forecast rankings.
• The Zips have nine opponents on their schedule with an RPI of 125 or higher, including Iowa State (15), Toledo (43), Ohio (48), Saint Mary's (51), Eastern Michigan (64), Buffalo (79), Oregon State (105), Cleveland State (109) and Middle Tennessee (113). Kent State (127), Oral Roberts (131), South Carolina (148) and Western Michigan (154) are just outside the top-125.
A Look at the Polls
• Akron is ranked No. 17 in the Jan. 20 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. Seven opponents appeared in the poll, including No. 4 Toledo, No. 11 Saint Mary's, No. 13 Ohio and No. 21 Kent State. Eastern Michigan (31), Buffalo (30) and Western Michigan (8) received votes.
• One opponent appeared in the Jan. 20 AP and two opponents in the USA TODAY Coaches polls. Iowa State is ranked No. 16 in the AP poll and No. 17 in the Coaches poll, while Toledo received three votes in the coaches poll.
A Mix of Youth and Experience
On paper, the Akron roster may look like a youthful one, but it is also an experience roster. The Zips list nine freshmen and sophomores on the roster. UA's five sophomores have made 202 appearances and 48 starts in their Akron careers. In fact, two sophomores – Pat Forsythe and Jake Kretzer – have appeared in every game at Akron, while Reggie McAdams has made 48 appearances in 49 possible games.
