The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Marshall
Akron Plays for 23rd Consecutive Win at Rhodes Arena against Marshall on Buckeye Cable Sports Network
December 16 | Men's Basketball
BOX SCORE PDFÂ |Â PHOTO GALLERYÂ |Â VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSÂ |Â GAME NOTES (PDF)Â
Akron Zips (7-3, 0-0 Mid-American)Â vs Marshall (6-3, 0-0 Conference USA)
Saturday, December 17 • James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio • 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: BCSN Sports - Keith Morehouse (PxP) and Dave Cecutti (Analyst)
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com/Schedule - Live StatsÂ
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
Marshall - Dan D'Antoni (Marshall '70)
Overall Record:34-40 (3rd seaeson)
Record at Marshall: 34-40 (3rd seaeson)
Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record:Â 393-203 (19th season)
Record at Akron:Â 285-133 (13th season)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads:13-11 Dambrot vs Marshall: 6-0
Last Meeting: Akron 75, Marshal 65
December 4, 2015 in Huntington, W.Va.Â
Akron basketball Notes:
• Akron has won at least 21 games in 11-straight seasons under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, joining the likes of Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State. Over the last 12 seasons, the Zips have won 285 games, most by any team in the MAC.
•  The Zips finished the 2015-16 campaign as MAC Regular-Season Champions with a 26-9 overall record, including a 13-5 league mark and an undefeated 15-0 showing at James A. Rhodes Arena. Dambrot led Akron to its eighth MAC Tournament title game appearance in the last ten seasons and an unprecedented 11th-straight semifinal. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history.
•  Akron has three wins 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)
•  The Zips own a 167-23 (.879) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 21-straight games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2014-15 season.
•  As of Dec. 12, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 10-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 11 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (10.4), No. 14 total 3-point FG's made (104), and No. 12 in 3-point FG's attempted (280). The Zips also rank No. 49 in scoring defense (64.5), No. 61 in scoring Margin (+11.6), No. 69 in rebound margin (5.0), No. 83 in win-loss percentage (.700).
What's Ahead
Akron Zips look for their 23rd consecutive home win, hosting Marshall at 7:30 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday, Dec. 17, in a men's and women's basketball double header. The women open againast Duquesne at 5 p.m. The Akron-Marshall game will be televised on Time Warner Cable's Buckeye Cable Sports Network with Keith Morehouse calling the actionand Dave Cecutti providing analysis. Fans can follow the action on GoZips.com live stats or the Akron-IMG Sports Network. The Zips' SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.Â
The Akron-Marshall Series
Saturday's game marks the 25th meeting in series history between the Zips and the Thundering Herd. Akron holds a 13-11 edge in the series. The Zips have won the last six meetings, all under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot. The series began during the 1946-47 season and lasted six-straight seasons as the Herd claimed the series opener 63-61 in Akron. The following year, Marshall moved to 2-0 against the Zips with a 73-47 win, and it wasn't until the third meeting (1948-49) when Akron posted its first win over the Herd, 55-51. Marshall claimed the final three games by scores of 94-81, 84-81, and 113-81. The two teams met again in 1974-75, and Akron came out on top with an 87-61 victory. In 1997, Marshall and Akron began Mid-American Conference, playing 13 league contests in eight seasons before Marshall exiting to play in Conference USA in 2005-06 to present. During the MAC days, the Thundering Herd held a 7-11 overall advantage over the Zips. However, Akron sent them away with two consecutive losses during Dambrot's initial season. In 2004-05, the Zips posted a 65-55 win in Huntington and a 71-64 win in Akron. Over the last five seasons, the Zips have won four meetings against the Thundering Herd, three on the road (67-51, '11-12; 70-63, '13-14; 75-65 '15-16) and one at Rhodes Arena (70-63, '14-15).
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Marshall enters the game with a 6-3 overall record, with wins over two MAC opponents. The Herd defeated Ohio 98-88 in Huntington before dropping two games, Eastern Kentucky (89-80) and Chattanooga (96-85), and defeating Toledo in overtime 111-105.Marshall averages 86.6 points per outing on 46.8 percent shooting from the floor and a 36.8 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 9.4 triples a game. In addition, the Zags shoot 74.6 percent from the free throw line with 19.6 bonus buckets a night.Â
The Herd has five players scoring in double figures led by Jon Elmore with 23.6 points per game on 41.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent rate from beyond the 3-point with 21 made 3-pointers.He is the team leader in assists (63), steals (14) and in a three-way tie for second with 40 rebounds. Stevie Browning follows with 14.7 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting, and 40.0 percent from deep with 14 triples. He is second in assists (26), steals (12), and rebounds (40). Ryan Taylor averages, scoring mostly in the paint with a 44.3 percentage and a team-best 17 blocked shots. Rounding out the double-digit scoring are Terrance Thompson and Austin Loop with 12 and 11.4 points, respectively. Thompson started the initial five games before being sidelined with an injury shoots 52.3 percent from the field, while Loop does most of his work from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 30 of his 31 made baskets from deep with a 48.4 long distance percentage.
Defensively, the Herd allows their opponents to score 84.3 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting from the floor and 31.9 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.4 long distance buckets a night. Marshall has caused 123 turnovers (13.7 to/g) with 54 steals (6.0 stl/g). However, the opponent outrebounds the Herd 331-380, holding a +5.4 advantage on the glass.
Last Time Out Against Marshall
Akron dominated the painted area and used the final 10 minutes to outscore the Thundering Herd by 10 points, 30-20 en route to a 75-65 road win over Marshall at the Cam Henderson Center.Â
In the first half, Akron's disruptive defense limited the Herd to 8-of-26 (.308) shooting from the floor and 1-of-12 (.083) from 3-point range. The Zips controlled the boards 26-19 while swiping five steals. In addition, Akron held Marshall scoreless for seven minutes while taking a 28-22 lead into the locker room. The Zips shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the floor in the second half, including an 80 percent (12-of-15) effort from the free throw line.
For the game, Akron won nearly every statistical category. The Zips offense finished shooting 41.5 percent (27-of-65) from the floor, including a 34.6 percent (9-of-26) effort from deep and a 75 percent (12-of-16) performance from the free throw line. On the glass, Akron outrebounded the Herd 49-33. The Zips defense caused 12 turnovers with seven steals. The Zips committed 19 turnovers and had one less blocked shot, finishing with three.
Four Zips notched double figures in scoring, led by Pat Forsythe's 20 points, while Reggie McAdams followed with 14 points. Sophomore guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Johnson rounded out the double-digit performers with 12 and 10, respectively.Â
James Kelly and Stevie Browning led the Herd's offense with 18 points each. Ryan Taylor followed with 17 points while the team finished shooting at a 40 percent (24-of-60) clip from the field and 20 percent (5-of-25) from deep.
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 88-32 (.733) following a loss. In head coach Keith Dambrot's 13-year tenure, Akron has only posted 24 losing streaks. In fact, of those 24 losing streaks, 15 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.
Zips Fall to No. 8 Ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs
Zips The Akron Zips stood toe-to-toe with the No. 8 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs for 33 minutes, but eventually fell 61-43, at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash. on Saturday evening.
The Akron-Gonzaga meeting was physical as both teams used their 300-pound centers as the focal point of their offenses. The game went back-and-forth through the first and second halves with Gonzaga maintaining a slim margin throughout. At the halftime break, the Zags were clinging to a six-point advantage, in a low-scoring first half, 23-17, but eventually used a 13-0 run to end the game.
Akron won the battle of the boards 42-36, pulling down 22 defensive rebounds while grabbing 20 offensive boards for 18 second-chance points. The Zips ended the game shooting 26.7 percent from the field on 16-of-60 shots, including a 20 percent, 5-of-25 effort from long distance. The Bulldogs shot 40 percent, connecting with 20-of-50 from the floor and 4-of-15 from deep for a 26.7 shooting percentage from downtown. In addition, Akron was 6-of-14 from the free throw line while the Zags capitalized on 17-of-20 bonus buckets.
Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts with 11 points while grabbing a team-best nine rebounds. Ivey followed with 10 points and seven rebounds, while Cheatham recorded five points with six rebounds. Junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) also had five points.
Chasing History
Zips' head coach Keith Dambrot is knocking at the door to become the winning-est coach in Akron Basketball history. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot has collected 285 career wins in 418 games, which is three wins shy of tying the all-time win mark held by Russell Beichly. Beichly coached the Zips from 1941 to 1959. In those 19 seasons he reached 288 wins in 432 games. In addition, Dambrot is just seven wins away from 400 career victories as a collegiate coach and 15 wins shy of his 300th all-time at Akron.
Zips Continue to Feed the Dog
Last season, Isaiah Johnson was a force in the paint for the Zips, and this year, he is on pace to be even better. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 6-of-10 games, while averaging a team-high 14.8 points per game while scoring in double-digits in 9-of-10 contests, including a season-high 20-point performance against Georgia Southern. He posted one double-double of 14 points and 10 boards and also scored 19 (twice), 17, 15, 14, 13, and 11 this season. Big Dog is shooting 65.1 percent from the floor (56-of-86), and pulled down a second-best 61 rebounds with 34 defensive boards and 27 on the offensive end. He owns a team-high 28 assists and nine blocks with three steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP awards, MAC East Player of the Week (11/28), and College Sports Madness Player of the Week.
Two Zips Averaging Double Figures
Three Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 15.2 points per game while junior Antino Jackson scores 11.3 points a night on 43.4 percent shooting (36-of-83), including a 39.2 percent from deep (21-of-27). Juniors Noah Robotham and Jimond Ivey adds 9.3 and 9.2 points on average, while senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. chips-in 8.3 points per game with a team-best 6.9 rebounds (69) and nine blocked shots.
Streaking Zips
Akron established a six-game winning streak early in the season, and the Zips currently own a 22-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena. The Zips have rattled-off five consecutive wins at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, and Coppin State. Akron's current home court winning streak dates back to the 2014-15 season. Akron won the final two home games that season over Ohio and Northern Illinois, and posted an unblemished 15-0 record in 2015-16 at Rhodes Arena. The Zips are 167-23 (.879) at the JAR.
Thriving in A New ROLE
With the loss of two starters and a third key player from the Akron's 2015-16 MAC Championship run, the Zips have inserted Isaiah Johnson and Josh Williams into the starting lineup, freeing up more minutes for junior Jimond Ivey. Ivey has also made three starts due to an injury to point guard Noah Robotham. So far, Ivey has taken full advantage of the new role, scoring in double digits 5-of-10 games, including a career-high 20 points and a personal best 11 rebounds. In addition, he posted his first career double-double against American that included 12 points and a career-best 11 boards. Â
In ten games, Ivey averages 24.9 minutes, 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. He drained 32-of-56 shots and is third on the squad with 53 rebounds, 42 defensive and 11 offensive.Â
Trifecta!
The 2016-17 Akron Zips are ranked among the nation's best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 11 out of 347 teams in 3-point FG made per game with 10.4 triples. In addition, Akron is 14 overall in total 3-pointers made with 104, and ranked 12th for 3-point attempts at 280. As a result, the Zips 37.1 long distance percentage ranks 108th best. Josh Williams leads the squad with 22 made 3-pointers made and is fourth in percentage (.367), while Antino Jackson is second in made 3-pointers (20) and in percentage (.392). Kwan Cheatham, Jr. has buried 16 triples for a 39.0 trifecta percentage, while Tavian Dunn-Martin leads the team in 3-point FG percentage (.406). Noah Robotham and Dunn-Martinhave drained 14 and 13 made 3-point baskets, respectively.
Fire and Ice
We are not talking hot and cold, rather high intensity and fast play mixed with a methodical calculated approach to describe Akron's backcourt. The combination of junior guards, Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham, provide the Zips' with that type of leadership. Both, Jackson (Fire) and Robotham (Ice) are a threat with or without the ball in their hands.
Jackson, and his high-energy approach, is always in attack mode. He has the ability to beat an opponent off the bounce and uses a devastating step back to generate several different types of open looks. He is second in team scoring (11.3 ppg), and has buried 20 long distance field goals. He shoots 43.4 percent from the field and 39.2 from deep and leads the team with 10 steals, while adding 2.6 assists and rebounds per game.Â
On the other hand, Robotham has a methodical approach to navigating the offense and picking apart defenses. His change of pace during play keeps defenders on their heels as he contributes 9.3 points per outing with 15 assists and six steals. He shoots 39.7 percent from the floor and 35.9 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 14 triples this season.Â
Two other members of the backcourt share the same attributes as freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin provides a high level of intensity and sophomore Josh Williams approaches the game with the same calm, cool, and collectiveness. Dunn-Martin leads the squad in 3-point FG percentage at 40.6 percent while Williams owns the team-high in 3-point FG made with 22 triples.Â
Fresh Start
The Akron Zips continue to improve its bench play this season with the help of five newcomers, two freshmen and three redshirt freshmen, whom are beginning to see more and more action. Playing in all nine games are freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin and Michael Hughes, while second-year freshmen, Emmanuel Olojakpoke, Daniel Utomi, and Craig Eubanks are starting to see their roles increase.
Dunn-Martin has made an immediate impact from the outside, draining 13-of-32 long distance buckets for a team-high 40.6 3-point FG shooting percentage. In 136 minutes, Dunn-Martin owns a 43.5 FG shooting percentage (20-of-46) en route to adding 6.2 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 13 assists and made 11 trips to the charity stripe, draining nine bonus buckets for an 81.8 free throw percentage.
Hughes has logged 100 minutes in the center position, second most of the newcomers. He has scored 20 points and pulled down 18 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Hughes is tied for a team-high nine blocked shots and has four steals.
Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 46 minutes played, he is shooting 60 percent on 9-of-15 shots from the field and has pulled down 16 rebounds with five blocks.
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 9-of-17 from the floor for a 52.9 shooting percentage, including a 40 percent effort from downtown. In 45 minutes of action, Utomi has connected with 4-of-10 shots from deep while adding six rebounds, two steals, two assists, and a blocked shot.
Rounding out the newcomer play is Eubanks. He has provided a spark in 26 minutes of work, knocking down 3-of-5 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance for eight points with one rebound and one blocked shot.
Mr. Chairman
After serving three seasons on the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, Akron men's basketball head coach Keith Dambrot was named the new chairman of the committee, starting with the 2015-16 season. Dambrot is currently in his second season as chairman, replacing former chairman and Belmont head coach Rick Byrd, who completed his term on the rules committee in August 2015. The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee is comprised of 13 coaches and administrators, who assess both current and proposed rules to promote consistency and fair play in the game. The committee meets once a year and votes on changes every other May unless there's a pressing issue about player safety.
Starting the Season Off Right
The Zips are 70-46 (.603) all-time in season openers with a 56-12 (.824) home record and 14-34 (.292) on the road. UA is 8-5 (.615) when opening the season under Dambrot, standing 5-1 (.833) at home and 3-4 (.429) on the road. In addition, the Zips own a 95-21 (.819) home opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 14-of-15 home opening games.Â
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 and the 10-game streak stands as the second-best under Dambrot behind a 19-game run in 2012-13. In addition, the 13-2 start was the best opening to a season in Akron basketball's Division I era, while the Zips win over the Arkansas Razorbacks marks the fifth consecutive season the Zips posted a win over a Power Five Conference opponent.
BIG DOG Named MAC East Player of the Week
After securing the 2016 Savannah Invitational Most Valuable Player Award, senior center Isaiah Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. In addition, Johnson was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com and Student-Athlete of the Week by the University of Akron.
Johnson had a big week, leading the Akron Zips to the 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship. Akron defeated Georgia Southern, Air Force and Mercer to claim the inaugural title. Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts in all three games. For the week, Johnson scored 58 points in three games to average 19.33 points. He shot 22-of-30 from the floor for a 73.3 shooting percentage and 14-of-23 from the free throw line for a 61-percent effort. Johnson finished with 15 rebounds (5.0 rebs/g), 10 assists (3.33 ast/g), and three blocked shots (1.0 blk/g)
The Zips LeBron James Shoe Deal and New LOOK
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks. The Zips are just one of two college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the other is Ohio State.Â
The Akron Zips men's basketball team will be sporting new uniforms in 2016-17. The new look represents a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The new design for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City" slogan that men's basketball will carry throughout the season. The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within community.Â
The home uniforms are white with dark blue trim and accents, while the away are dark blue with white trim and accents. The "Pride of the UniverCity" uniforms display the name Akron in a prestigious old-style script font on the chest with the number(s) below. The script font and numbers are the same color as the jersey top (white/white or blue/blue) and outlined with the opposite color. The inspiration for the script writing and to use Akron on the chest stemmed from tradition and an overwhelming amount of pride for the city of Akron and its University.Â
The game shorts have three distinguishing marks. The right side of the shorts depicts the Zips' mascot Zippy, and her Fear the Roo head logo, while the left side dons the University's official seal. The final mark on the shorts is the notorious Z logo, which appears on the front waistband.
Zips Win 22-Straight at Rhodes Arena
The University of Akron Men's basketball team secured its 22nd consecutive victory at James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday night, with an 87-63 victory over Coppin State. The win marked career win number 285 for Zips' head coach Keith Dambrot, just four wins away from becoming the winning-est coach in program history.
Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) led the way for the Zips (7-2), scoring a career high 20 points, adding five rebounds and four assists. Four other Zips scored in double figures with sophomore guard Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) and senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipping in 15 and 14 points, respectively. Junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) and freshman guard Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W. Va.) rounded out the double figure scorers with 12 points apiece. Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) tied his career high with 12 rebounds and added three assists and three blocks.Keith Shivers led the way for the Eagles (0-11), scoring 13 points and collecting 6 rebounds and Dejuan Clayton added 12 points.Â
For the contest, the Zips shot 57 percent (29-of-51) from the floor and connected on 46 percent (12-of-26) from beyond the three-point line. From the free throw line, Akron shot 68 percent (17-of-25). The Zips also registered a season-high 10 blocks. The Eagles shot 39 percent (25-of-6) from the field and hit 47 percent (8-of-17) of their outside shots. Coppin State converted 50 percent (5-of-10) of their free throws.
Zips Win Savannah Invitational
The Akron Zips won the inaugural 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship, defeating Mercer 65-63 on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Savannah Civic Center. Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, while junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) was named to the all-tournament team. Akron led by as many as 12 points throughout the Savannah Invitational finale, but the Mercer Bears found their way to claw back into the game to be decided in the final minutes.Â
Akron finished the game shooting 20-of-43 from the floor for a 46.5 percentage, including a 50-percent effort from downtown on 10-of-20 triples. In addition, the Zips made 19 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 15 shots for a 78.9 percentage. Mercer won the battle of the boards, 36-24, and the Zips held a slight 10-11 advantage in the turnover battle.
For the second-straight night, Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. For his efforts, Johnson was selected as the Savannah Invitational MVP. Also scoring in double figures in back-to-back games was Jackson. He poured in 15 points on Friday against Air Force and returned with a 14 point showing in the finale on 5-of8 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 showing from deep. Jackson added two rebounds, two assists, and a block. Cheatham finished with nine points, draining 3-of-4 3-pointers.Â
2016 Savannah Invitational All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Johnson, Akron, (MVP), Antino Jackson, Akron, Desmond Williams, FAMU, Derick Newton, Stetson, Ike Smith, Georgia Southern, Ed Polite Jr., Radford, Frank Toohey, Air Force, B.J. Tyson, East Carolina, Ria'n Holland, Mercer
Zips Add Two Players in Early Signing Period
The Akron men's basketball program added a pair of student-athletes to the 2017-18 roster during the early signing period, announced by head coach Keith Dambrot. Signing national letters of intent to play for Akron were Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) and Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Parrish, a 6-6, 185-pound wing, played for Cypress Springs High School in 2015-16 and will spend the 2016-17 playing for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. In 30 games during his senior season, Parrish nearly averaged a double-double from the wing position, scoring 18.4 points and pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. In addition, he added three assists, two steals, and 1.6 blocks on average per night. During his four-year high school career, Parrish eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring threshold, recording 1,132 points while earning back-to-back team MVP awards. In addition, Parrish was a two-time all-district award winner as well as a two-time academic all-district recipient.
Sayles, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, plays Sycamore High School. As a junior, Sayles led the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game while shooting at a 53.6 percent clip from the field and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe. He pulled down a team-best 4.9 rebounds per game and averaged a team-high 1.5 blocks a night. Sayles finished the season ranked sixth in scoring, third in blocked shots and 14th in rebounds for Greater Miami Conference en route to a Second-Team ALL-GMC selection.
Zips Selected to Win MAC
For the fourth consecutive year, the Akron men's basketball team was selected to win the Mid-American Conference East Division while ranking as the favorite to claim the MAC Tournament title, according to the 2016-17 MAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Zips received 15 first-place votes for 194 points, edging out Ohio, who finished second in voting with 190 points and 16 first-place votes. Buffalo (144 points, five first place vote) was picked third overall in the East followed by Kent State (116 points), Bowling Green (63 points), and Miami (49 points).Eastern Michigan is the favorite in the West Division.Â
In addition, the Zips were selected as the favorite to claim the season finale in March. Akron received 15 votes to be crowned champions at the MAC Tournament, holding a four-vote margin over Ohio (11). Eastern Michigan earned three votes, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois each had two. Rounding out the tournament voting were Central Michigan, Kent State, and Miami with one vote apiece.
Johnson Named to Preseason All-MAC Squad
Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named to the East Division Preseason All-MAC team by the 24-member MAC News Media Panel and 12 league head coaches. In 2015-16, he played in all 35 games, making nine starts and averaging 13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.3 bpg. He led the Zips' offensive and rebounding efforts en route to an All-MAC First Team selection, NABC All-District First Team honor, and the MAC Sixth Man of the Year award. Furthermore, Johnson was a three-time MAC East Player of the Week recipient while being named to the MAC All-Tournament team, the South Point Classic Most Valuable Player, and collegesportsmadness.com Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week.Â
Up Next
Akron will travel to El Paso, Texas for the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational on Monday, December 19. Akron is scheduled to play UC Irvine at the Don Haskins Center on Wednesday, December 22, followed by a win-loss situation on Thursday, December 22 against either Maryland Eastern Shore or Texas El Paso. wednesday's tipoff against UC Irvine is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, while Thursday's game is scheduled for 5 or 7 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action on GoZips.com via live stats or by the Akron-IMG Radio Network.
Zips Basketball Selected for Eight Television Appearances
As a result of the largest television package in Mid-American Conference history, the Akron men's basketball program enters the 2016-17 season with eight guaranteed television games on various regional and national sports networks. In addition, the Zips' current schedule allows for nine games to be selected as wildcard games for television. Six of the nine dates provide several TV opportunities that may involve a change in game dates and times and/or same date with time changes.
The MAC television package includes ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), CBS Sports Network (CBSSN), American Sports Network (ASN), Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) and Time Warner Cable Sports Channel (TWCS). In addition, Akron can be seen on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and ROOT Sports. ESPN3 broadcast are not considered when determining television appearances.
Last season, the Zips appeared in 17 televised games with an additional four games aired exclusively on ESPN3. Included in those contests were the MAC Championship (ESPN2) and National Invitation Tournament (ESPN). New to this season, CBS Sports Network agreed to air the MAC semifinal game in addition to the MAC season finale.
