The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Travel to Ball State for a Saturday Matinee Game
January 29 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (16-4, 5-2 MAC) vs Ball State (13-7, 4-3 MAC)
Game 21 • Saturday, Jan. 30
Worthen Arena (11,500)
Muncie, Ind. • 1:00 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN3 - Joel Goddett (PxP) and David Eha (Analyst)
Webcast: GoZips.com - Live Stats and web stream
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
James Whitford (Wisconsin '94)
Overall Record: 25-55 (3rd season)
Record at BSU: 25-55 (3rd season)
MAC Record: 8-35 (3rd season)
Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record: 376-195 (18th season)
Record at Akron: 268-125 (12th season)
MAC Record: 143-82 (14th season)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 20-15 | Dambrot vs BSU: 12-5 (12-0 UA)
Last Meeting: Akron 59, BSU 47 January 27, 2015 at James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron basketball Notes:
• One of five teams to win at least 21 games in each of the last 10 seasons. Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State.
• Eleven teams have won at least 19 games in each season since 2004-05. Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, VCU and Wisconsin.
• Akron owns 3-2 record against Power Five Conference opponents over the last two seasons, and has five-straight seasons with at least one win over a Power Five Conference opponent (at Mississippi State in 2011-12; vs. Penn State in 2012-13; vs. Oregon State in 2013-14; Southern California and South Carolina in 2014-15; vs. Arkansas in 2015-16)
• Akron's 13-2 record to open the season marks the best start for the Zips in the Keith Dambrot's time at the helm, and the Zips' best start in the Division I era. The Akron Zips (16-4, 5-2 MAC) currently own a 77 NCAA RPI and rank 90th best in the country on the Ken Pomeroy RPI (as of Jan. 28).
• The Zips extended its winning streak to 10 games before a two-game skid falling to Central Michigan, 92-81, and Toledo, 78-64. The Zips bounced back with wins over Eastern Michigan, 92-88, Miami (OH), 75-46, and Northern Illinois ,76-66, for a 5-2 league record. Akron recorded its second-best winning streak (10 games) under Dambrot behind a 19-game run in 2012-13.
• Akron has the No. 1 ranked 3-point FG defense in the NCAA, limiting opponents to 26.1 percent shooting. Four Zips are scoring in double figures, and six players have connected from downtown on at least 20 occasions with four posting 30+ triples this season.
What's Ahead
The Akron men's basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play, traveling to Muncie, Ind. for a matinee game against Ball State on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Worthen Arena. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action live on ESPN3, with Joel Goddett calling the action and David Eha providing analysis, or on GoZips.com via live stats.
The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network [SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts at 12:30 p.m. ET. A free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips. Fans can also catch the action on American Sports Network, ESPN3, and GoZips.com via live stats.
The Akron-Ball State Series
Saturday's game marks the 36th meeting in series history between Akron and Ball State, and 13th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Akron holds a 20-15 all-time series advantage while Dambrot is 12-0 against the Cardinals at UA and 12-5 overall. The Zips are riding a 12-game winning streak against the Cardinals. UA won last season's meeting at James A. Rhodes Arena, 59-47. Akron is 8-10 all-time against BSU in Muncie, winning the last five games at Worthen Arena. Akron's last loss at BSU came on March 8, 2004, in the opening round of the MAC Tournament (76-72).
Scouting the Cardinals
BSU enters the contest with a 13-7 overall record and a second-best 4-3 MAC West mark. The Cardinals split their last two outings, winning in double overtime at Eastern Michigan (88-87) before falling at Buffalo (76-64). The Cardinals are 9-2 at home, 2-5 on the road, and 2-0 in neutral site games this season.
BSU has three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Ryan Weber with 12.1 points per game. Weber is shooting 46.3 percent from the field (68-of-147) and a second-best 42.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc with 40 made triples (40-of-94). Franko House follows with 11.3 ppg on 55.9 percent shooting from the floor (80-of-143). He is second in team rebounds and blocked shots with 103 and 13, respectively. Bo Calhoun rounds out the double-digit performers with 10.7 points per outing. Calhoun leads the team on the glass, securing 174 total boards while shooting 45.1 percent from the floor (82-of-182) and 35.1 from long distance (20-of-57). In addition, Francis Kiapway poses a threat from deep. He connects at a 46.0 percent rate with a team-leading 46 made 3-pointers while averaging 8.8 points a night.
Defensively, BSU has allowed opponents to score 65.4 points a night on 40.3 percent shooting from the field and 32.9 percent from downtown with 6.4 made 3-pt FG per game. The Cardinals have caused 255 turnovers (12.8 tpg) while collecting 127 steals (6.4 stl/g) and 75 blocked shots (3.8 blk/g). On the glass, the BSU maintains a +2.3 margin, outrebounding its opponents 731-685.
Last Time Out Against the Cardinals
The Zips defeated the Cardinals 59-47 at James A. Rhodes Arena. It was the Zips' 12th-straight victory over Ball State. Akron struggled to shoot the ball in the first half, connecting on just 33.3 percent (9-of-27), but found its rhythm in the second half. The Zips shot 50.0 percent (14-of-28) from the field over the final 20 minutes. Ball State also could not get anything going in the first half, shooting 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from the field. The Cardinals connected on 45.5 percent (10-of-22) in the second half.
Pat Forsythe scored 17 points to lead all players, adding five rebounds and two blocked shots while Aaron Jackson came off the bench to score seven points and grab three rebounds. Bo Calhoun led the way for the Cardinals with a double-double (14 points,12 rebounds).
Akron and Ball State both started the game off shooting just 1-of-5 from the field. Ball State scored the first basket of the game with a 3-pointer, and Akron followed with a lay-up at the 17:26 mark. The Zips offensive struggles would continue, going 1-of-6 after making their first basket. The scoring drought ended with Akron's first 3-pointer of the game, tying the contest at 7-7. Ball State extended their early lead to 15-7 with an 8-0 run, and the Zips would go cold again for two and a half minutes before a three cut the Ball State lead to 20-15. Akron took its first lead of the game 24-22 at the 2:00 mark, however the game was tied at the break 24-24.
After Ball State opened up the second half with two quick baskets, Akron went on a 9-0 scoring run. The Zips found some offensive rhythm and extended the lead to nine, 44-35. The Zips lead did not drop below eight points after the 12:12 mark of the second half, with the lead growing to as many as 15 over the final minutes.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 87-41 in the regular season against the West Division (.680), including winners of 30 of the last 38 regular-season contests, since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 60-20 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.750). The Zips have posted a 33-15 mark (.688) in the last 48 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 4-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
Akron is 39-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.848). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 133-58 overall (.696), including an 82-14 mark in MAC play at home (.854). The Zips' 133 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 53 of their last 75 MAC games (.707).
Playing with the Lead
The Zips know how to finish after establishing a lead late in the game. Akron is 13-0 when leading at halftime. In addition, the Zips are 13-1 this season when leading in the second half at the 10-minute mark and 14-0 when holding a lead with five minutes remaining.
Rebounding After a Loss
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the Zips have been one of best teams in the nation when it comes to rebounding after a loss. Excluding season-ending losses, Akron is 84-31 (.730) following a loss. In head coach Keith Dambrot's 12-year tenure, Akron has only posted 23 losing streaks. In fact, of those 23 losing streaks, 14 have been just two games and 18 have consisted of two or more games on the road (road/neutral site). UA has never lost more than four-straight games under Dambrot. Akron has not lost five-in-a-row since Jan. 5-19, 2002, under former head coach Dan Hipsher.
Streaking Zips
The Akron Zips are 10-0 at Rhodes Arena and have won three-straight games, defeating Eastern Michigan (92-88), Miami (75-46), and Northern Illinois (76-66), all at Rhodes Arena. Earlier this season, the Zips established a 10-game winning streak before falling on the road to Central Michigan, 92-81 (Jan. 12). The run began at James A. Rhodes Arena on Nov. 27 with a win over Charleston Southern. The Zips continued its winning ways, defeating Coppin State (H,12/2), Marshall (A, 12/4), Bethune-Cookman (H, 12/12), UC Santa Barbara (N, 12/21), Iona (N, 12/23), SC State (H,12/30), Lipscomb (H,1/2), Buffalo (A, 1/5), and Western Michigan (H, 1/8). Akron's 13-2 record to start the season marks the best start for a Dambrot coached squad and best in Akron's Division I era. The Zips have won seven straight MAC openers with 17-7 overall record and 9-3 under Dambrot.
Speaking Defensively
Akron is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA for 3-point field goal defense and No. 42 for field-goal percentage defense while claiming the top spot in the MAC for 3-point FG defense and second in FG defense. Akron defends the perimeter, limiting the opposition to shoot just 26.1 percent from 3-point range (105-of-402). The Zips have held all but three opponents to no more than eight 3-pointers per game -- Lipscomb made 11 triples while the No. 11 ranked Villanova Wildcats and Eastern Michigan connected with nine. NIU posted eight. Akron has allowed seven 3pt FG two times, six (2), five (4), four (4), two (2) and one (2). Akron also challenges shots from other areas of the court, forcing opponents to shoot 39.9 percent from the field (488-of-1224). The Zips' overall scoring defense is rated 56th best in the NCAA and 3rd in the MAC, allowing the opposition to average 66.4 points per game.
Sharp Shooting
Akron has made at least seven 3-pointers in every game this season, and 12 games with 11+ triples. The Zips have connected from downtown 15 times per game on three occasions, 14 times once, 13 times on four nights, 12 three times, and 11 twice. The Zips also had three games with nine 3's, three with seven and one game with eight.
Six players have made at least 20 triples this season with Reggie McAdams leading the way. McAdams poured in a career-best seven 3-pointers against EMU while connecting with a team-best 52 long-range shots. He is connecting at a 44.1 percent rate, fifth in the MAC and 29th in the NCAA. Jake Kretzer follows with 46 made 3-point shots at a team-best 46.0 percent while Antino Jackson (36), Noah Robotham (31), Josh Williams (27), and Kwan Cheatham (20) round out the top six.
For the season, the Zips are shooting 42.8 percent from the field on 509-of-1190, including a 38.5 percent, 225-of-584 effort from deep. The Zips 11.3 triples made per game ranks first in the MAC and 4th overall in the NCAA. The 225 made 3-pointers are 1st in the MAC and 5th in the NCAA while 584 attempts are 7th in the NCAA and first in MAC play. The Zips are second in the MAC for scoring margin at +10.3 and 47th in the NCAA.
The Zips put on a massive shooting performance against Arkansas. The Zips managed to shoot 50.9 percent from the field, cashing in on 29-of-57 shots. In addition, Akron posted a 46.4 percent 3-point effort on 13-of-28 shooting.
Akron opened the South Point Holiday Classic with the hot hand as well. In the first half, the Zips shot 51.7 percent (15-of -29) from the floor and a blistering 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from downtown. Akron knocked down 10 triples in the first 20 minutes. Akron finished the game shooting 48.2 percent, 27-of-56 from the field, including a 46.9 percent, 15-of-32 performance from downtown. Akron also connected with 15-of-21 shots from the free throw line for a 71.4 percent showing.
For the first time this season, the Zips connected at a 50-percent rate from long range for the game in a 92-88 win over Eastern Michigan. Akron went 13-of-26 from long distance, including a career-best seven 3-pointers made by McAdams. The Zips followed with a 53.8 percent showing from deep (14-of-26) against Miami (Ohio) while Wiliiams notched a game- and career-high five triples with 15 points.
On the Glass
The Zips are currently ranked third in the MAC and 61st in the NCAA for defensive rebounds per game with 27.6 boards per game, and fifth in the MAC for offensive rebounds per game, 11.25. Akron has pulled down a total of 552 defensive rebounds and 225 offensive boards for a 777 total effort. The 38.85 total rebounds per game ranks third in MAC play and 73rd in the NCAA.
Off the Bench
The Akron bench has been the catalyst for success under 12th-year head coach Keith Dambrot and this year is no different. The Zips' bench is scoring 26.0 points per game (519 total points). The UA reserves are shooting 43.9 percent from the floor (169-of-385), 36.6 percent from long range (74-of-202), and 66.5 from the free throw line (107-of-161). The UA bench has contributed 18.0 rebounds per game (359), including 12.1 defensive (242) and 5.9 offensive (117). The squad is receiving 4.5 assists (90), 1.6 steals (32), and 1.6 blocked shots (31).
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring, led by a pair of 11+ scorers. Junior center Isaiah Johnson leads the way, contributing 12.3 points per game. Johnson registered three 20+ point scoring performances, including a career-high 24 points against South Carolina State. He leads the Zips in shooting percentage and on the glass, shooting nearly 60 percent (.589, 86-of-146) with 155 total rebounds or 7.8 reb/g.
Sophomore guard Antino Jackson follows with 11.4 ppg while making several big plays with clutch shooting from the outside. He has made 36 long-range shots for a 33.6 shooting percentage from deep (36-of-110 3pt FG). He owns a team-best 83 assists (4.2 apg).
Coming off a career-best shooting performance from beyond the arc, senior wing Reggie McAdams is third in scoring with a 10.6 average. McAdams' 45.1 percent from the floor and 44.1 from deep supports 65 total field goals and a team-best 52 triples.
Sophomore guard Noah Robotham rounds out the double-digit scoring. His 10.4 ppg are generated by a 46.9 percent effort from the floor (45-of-96), including a 31-of-64 team-high 48.4 percent mark from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Starting Five
Reggie McAdams is the Zips' only player to start all 20 games this season. Kwan Cheatham and Antino Jackson follow with 19 starts apiece while Pat Forsythe and Noah Robotham have 14 and 13, respectively. Isaiah Johnson entered a starting lineup for seven straight games when Forsythe went down with an injury, while Jake Kretzer and Josh Williams each have four starts due to Robotham's absence.
The starting five have combined for 1013 of the 1532 total points scored for 50.7 points per game. They are shooting a combined 42.2 percent from the field (340-of-805), including a 39.5 percent from deep (151-of-382) and 70.0 percent effort from the free throw line (182-of-260).
Starting the Season Off Right
The 2015-16 Akron Zips started the season with a 3-0 winning streak and completed a 10 game winning streak. The three consecutive wins to open the season marks the best start in the Division I era of Akron men's basketball history, defeating Arkansas, Hiram, and Cleveland State. After two setbacks, the Zips continued its winning ways, posting a 13-2 overall record. The 13-2 start is the best start to a season in Akron basketball's Division I era. In addition, the Zips win over the Razorbacks marks the fifth consecutive season the Zips posted a win over a Power Five Conference opponent. The Zips are 70-45 (.609) all-time in season openers. Taking it a step further, Akron is 56-12 (.824) when starting the season at home. UA has opened the season at home six times under 12th year head coach Keith Dambrot, standing 5-1. In addition, the Zips own a 94-21 home opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 13-of-15 home opening games.
Up Next For the Zips
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday, Feb. 2, traveling to Athens, Ohio to play the East Division rival Ohio Bobcats. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET. and will be televised on Time Warner Cable and ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via live stats or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
