The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Basketball Raising Eyebrows
January 24 | Men's Basketball
Follow Akron Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | Follow Coach Dambrot on Twitter
GAME NOTES (PDF) | LIVE STATS | WatchESPN - ESPN3 | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Individual Game Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron, Ohio – The Akron Zips men's basketball program is starting to grab the attention of the national media. The Zips are currently on a nine-game winning streak, the seventh longest streak in NCAA Division I basketball heading into tonight's game against Western Michigan at University Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., at 7 p.m.
Recently, Akron (16-3, 6-0) extended its home winning streak to 27 games, breaking the James A. Rhodes Arena record of 26 consecutive games set over three seasons from 1985-87 under head coach Bob Huggins. The Zips' 27-game run ranks third in the NCAA for longest home winning streaks behind Kansas (53) and Oregon (37), and has been intact since the 2014-15 season. The last time Akron lost at home was Feb. 21, 2015 to Miami.
The recent success began to attract the attention of several media outlets and analysts, including ESPN. On Friday evening (Jan. 20) after the Zips defeated Eastern Michigan at the JAR, ESPN's Kevin Connors selected Akron Zips Basketball as Kevin's Star of the night on ESPN SportsCenter.
Also, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi's NCAA tournament projections has Akron ranked as a 12 seed in the latest edition of ESPN Bracketology, while CBS Sports Network's Jon Rothstein mentioned the Zips in his weekly Rothstein Files release on FanRagSports.com. In addition, Hero College Sports News reporter Daniel Reynolds highlighted the Zips as one of five mid-major programs to bust brackets in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
For two straight weeks, the Zips have received one vote for the AP Top 25 poll, sitting tied for 34th in the NCAA. In addition, the Zips have maintained a No. 8 ranking in CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving 501 points on Jan. 16, followed by 549 points on Jan. 23, which is just 12 points behind No. 7 ranked Chattanooga of the Southern Conference.
Akron currently owns a 43 NCAA RPI, and ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 14-of-32 statistical categories. However, for the buzz to continue, the Akron Zips will need to continue their winning ways against good competition in the Mid-American Conference.
