The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Toledo
Zips Return to the JAR, Hosting Toledo Tuesday on Spectrum Sports
February 13 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (21-4, 11-1 MAC) vs Toledo (13-12, 6-6 MAC)
Tuesday, February 14 • James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio • 7:00 p.m. ET
TV/Video: Spectrum Sports Network – Michael Reghi (PxP) and Dave Cecutti (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
UT - Tod Kowalczyk (Minnesota-Duluth '89)
Overall Record: 251-217 (15th season)
Record at UT: 115-105 (7th season)
MAC Record: 57-57 (7th season)
UA - Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record: 407-204 (19th season)
Record at Akron: 299-134 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 152-62 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 162-86 (15th Season)
All-Time Series
Toledo Leads: 33-26 - Dambrot vs. Toledo: 9-7(11-9 Overall)
Last Meeting: Toledo 78, Akron 64 - January 15, 2016 at Savage Arena
Akron basketball Notes:
• Akron has won at least 21 games in 12-straight seasons under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, something only a handful of Division I programs have accomplished. In fact, Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Ohio State are the only programs to post 11-straight 21-win seasons, and of those five teams Akron (21-4), Gonzaga (26-0) and Kansas (22-3) are the only programs to already accomplish that feat this year. Duke (20-5) and Ohio State (15-11).
• Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader on Jan. 3, with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green. At UA, Dambrot collected 289 wins in 422 games, replacing Russell Beichly's mark of 288 wins in 432 games (1941-59). Dambrot earned his 400th collegiate career win on Jan. 14 at Miami.
• Akron owns the second longest home winning streak in the country behind Oregon (40). The Zips own a 174-23 (.883) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 29-straight games at Rhodes Arena, setting a new Rhodes Arena's longest winning streak record.
• The Zips rode a 12 game winning streak into Ohio, which ranked fifth in the NCAA. As a result, Akron received five votes in the AP Top 25 poll and one vote in the USA Today Coaches' Poll (Week 13 – Jan. 30). In addition, Akron is ranked No. 9 on the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and currently owns a 37 NCAA RPI and 99 Ken Pomeroy RPI.
• As of Feb. 12, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 13-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 5 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (10.7), No. 7 total 3-point FG's made (268), No. 13 in 3-point FG's attempted (698), and No. 41 3-Point FG Percentage (.384). The Zips also rank No. 36 in Field Goal Percentage (.478), No. 55 in Scoring Margin (+8.2) , and No. 93 in rebound margin (3.0).
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Akron basketball team is back at James A. Rhodes Arena against Toledo on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. in Akron, Ohio. The Zips enter the contest after posting its 21st win of the season on the road against Eastern Michigan. Akron currently owns a 29-game home-court winning streak that ranks No. 2 in the NCAA behind Oregon (40). Akron owns a four-game lead over the Mid-American Conference with an 11-1 MAC record and 21-4 overall mark. The Zips are 12-0 at home and 6-0 at the JAR in league play. Akron is 5-4 on the road and 5-1 when traveling to a MAC opponent. Spectrum Sports will televise the game with Michael Reghi calling the action and Dave Cecutti providing analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on WatchESPN/ESPN3, GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. 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 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
The Akron-Toledo
Tuesday's game marks the 60th meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and 17th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Toledo owns a 33-26 all-time series advantage while Dambrot is 10-6 at Akron and 11-9 overall. The Zips have won seven of the last 11 meetings, but has dropped four straight games to the Rockets. The Zips fell 78-64 in last season's meeting at Savage Arena on Jan. 15, and have dropped the last two meetings at Rhodes Arena. The Zips last win over the Rockets came during the 2012-13 season when Akron posted a 71-56 win at Savage Arena, extending a seven-game winning streak over Toledo. UA is 16-10 all-time at Rhodes Arena, 10-22 on the road at Savage Arena, and 1-1 in the MAC Tournament with a loss at Quicken Loans Arena. Under Dambrot Akron is 7-1 at home, 3-4 on the road, and 1-1 in the tournament.
Scouting the Rockets
Toledo enters the contest with a 13-12 overall record and 6-6 in MAC play. The Rockets opened league play 4-3, but fell three-straight games including a double-overtime loss to Bowling Green. Toledo bounced back, winning the last two consecutive games over Eastern Michigan and Kent State. The Rockets are 10-2 (5-1 MAC) at home, 2-8 (1-5 MAC) on the road, and 1-2 at neutral sites this season.
Toledo has three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Jonathan Williams with 20.3 points per outing. He is shooting 46.1 percent from the floor (164-of-356), and 34.6 percent from long range with a team-high 55 made 3-point field goals on 159 attempts. Steve Taylor, Jr. follows with 15.9 points per night on 53.6 percent shooting (157-of-293) and leads the team with 12.1 rebounds (290) and 3.68 assists (92) per game. Jaelan Sanford rounds out the double-digit scoring with 14.2 points per night on 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 41.9 from downtown with a third-best 49 made 3-pointers on 117 attempts. He also adds 78 assists, 18 steals, and 12 blocked shots. In addition, Nate Navigato adds a threat from deep with his 9.6 points per night. He shoots 41.1 percent from deep with a second-best 51 made 3-pointers on 124 attempts with 49 assists and a team-high 26 steals.
Defensively, UT allows opponents to score 78.0 points a night on 47.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.7 percent from downtown with 5.8 made 3-pt FG per game. The Rockets caused 278 turnovers (11.1 tpg) while collecting 103 steals (4.1 stl/g) and 65 blocked shots (2.6 blk/g). On the glass, the Eagles have outrebounded its opponents 915-839 for a +3.0 margin.
Last Time Out Against Toledo
The Akron Zips had trouble finding the bottom of the net against Toledo at Savage Arena and suffered its second Mid-American Conference loss, 78-64, last season. Akron's shooting troubles began in the first half, shooting 9-of-28 (.321) and a season-low 4-of-18 (.222) from deep. Akron trailed the Rockets by 11 points at the break, 39-28. Antino Jackson led the Zips with 10 first-half points while Toledo's Nathan Boothe and Jonathan Williams collected 12 and 10, respectively.
The Zips improved after the break, connecting with 15-of-30 from the floor (.500), but still struggled from long range, 3-of-11 (.273). Akron cut the Rockets lead to six points at the 10:42 mark, however an old-fashioned 3-point play from Boothe and a breakaway layup from Stuckey Mosley pushed Toledo's lead back to 11 points. The Rockets extended the lead to as many as 21 points before the final buzzer sounded. Boothe led the Rockets with a game-high 25 points while Mosley and Williams added 19 and 15.
Isaiah Johnson led Akron with 16 points and nine rebounds. He was 7-of-10 from the painted area and added three assists and two steals. Jackson followed with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists while Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and Reggie McAdams chipped in eight points each.
Akron finished the game shooting 41.4 percent from the field (24-of-58) and 24.1 percent from downtown (7-of-29) while the Rockets shot 53.8 percent from the floor (28-of-52) and 35.3 percent from deep (6-of-17). The Rockets were +5 on the glass, outrebounding Akron 37-32 and won the turnover battle 11-7.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 97-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.698), including winners of 40 of the last 48 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 72-25 overall under head coach Keith Dambrot (.742). The Zips have posted a 43-18 mark (.705) in the last 61 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
Akron is 47-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.870). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 152-62 overall (.710), including a 93-14 mark in MAC play at home (.869). The Zips' 152 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 72 of their last 96 MAC games (.747).
Akron is 25-9 in the MAC Tournament under head coach Keith Dambrot, going 19-5 in its last 24 tournament games. Under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made eight MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last ten seasons with an unprecedented 11-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips own a 22-9 record at Quicken Loans Arena.
Akron Sets Rhodes Arena Record with 70-63 Win Over Eastern MichigaN
The Akron Zips set the all-time longest winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena with its 27th straight victory on Friday night, defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 70-63. The Zips' run ranks as the third best home winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball behind Kansas (54) and Oregon (39). The streak also replaces the 26-game winning streak that spanned three seasons under head coach Bob Huggins from 1985 to 1987. The Zips have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami.
Streaking Zips
The Zips secured their 21st win for the 12th consecutive season thanks to a 12-game winning streak that recently ended and rebounding with a pair of wins over Ball State and Eastern Michigan. In addition, the Zips currently own a 29-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena, setting the facility record, which spanned three seasons from 1985-87 under head coach Bob Huggins. The Zips have rattled-off 12 consecutive wins this season at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, and Buffalo. In addition, Akron won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season, second most in Dambrot's tenure.
Akron's current home court winning streak is the second longest in the NCAA and 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 174-23 with an 88.3 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
The win over Ball State moved Akron to 20-4 on the season, which ties the fastest UA team to reach 20 wins in Akron's Division I era. The 2012-13 team reached the 20-win plateau on Feb. 13, 2013 (20-4, 24 games).
Akron Zips Four Game Lead Over the MAC
The Akron Zips are 11-1 in league play, defeating Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, and Northern Illinois before falling to Ohio, and bouncing back with wins over Ball State and Eastern Michigan. In league play, Akron averages 79.2 points per game in the MAC while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 37.5 from long distance with 10.3 made 3-pointers a game. The Zips own a +0.3 margin on the glass, outrebounding the competition 401-399. Akron averages 15.0 assists (180), 10.3 turnovers per game (124), 5.8 steals (69), and 2.8 blocked shots (34) in league play.
The Zips won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season, which was the second longest MAC winning streak in Dambrot's tenure. The 2006-07 Zips won nine straight games in a single season after dropping the MAC opener to Ohio. However, the 2012-13 Zips won 19-straight games and rattled off 13 consecutive league games during that run. Kent State owns the MAC regular season consecutive win record (21), and single season record (17-1).
21 WINS, 12 STRAIGHT SEASONS
The Akron Zips recorded its 21st win of the season on ESPNU, using 18 long distance shots and a 52.9 percent shooting effort from downtown to defeat Eastern Michigan 87-76 at the EMU Convocation Center on Friday night.
Under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, the Akron basketball program has won at least 21 games in 12-straight seasons , something only a handful of Division I programs have accomplished. In fact, Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Ohio State are the only programs to post 11-straight 21-win seasons, and of those five teams Akron (21-4), Gonzaga (24-0) and Kansas (21-3) are the only programs to already accomplish that feat this year. Duke (19-5) and Ohio State (15-10) need just a few more wins.
The Zips (21-4, 11-1 MAC) had five players score in double figures led by redshirt freshman Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) with a career-high 19 points. Utomi was perfect from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 5-of-5 shots from downtown and finishing 6-of-7 from the floor with a 2-of-2 effort from the free throw line in 15 minutes of action.
DOG EARNS THIRD MAC EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists, while senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) collected 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal. Juniors Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) ad Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Ivey grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while junior Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) dished out a team-best six assists.
Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week for the third time this season, the league office announced. Johnson had a huge week for the Zips, leading Akron to its 21st win for the 12th-straight season. Johnson opened the week in the national spotlight, draining the game-winning jumper at the buzzer for a 65-63 win over Ball State. He was featured No. 8 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top Plays of the Night.
Against Ball State on Tuesday, Johnson scored a team high 20 points on 9-of-16 (.563) shooting from the floor and added a 2-of-4 (.500) effort from the free throw line while grabbing nine rebounds (five off. and four def.). Johnson also had a steal. In Friday's 87-76 road win over Eastern Michigan, Johnson was on of five double-digit scorers with a second-best 17 points. He shot 5-of-9 (.556) from the field and added a 7-of-9 (.778) performance from the charity stripe. Big Dog pulled down five rebounds (three off. and two def.) and dished out five assists.
For the week, Johnson averaged 18.5 points per game (37) while shooting 56.0 percent from the field (14-of-25) and 69.2 from the free throw line (9-of-13). He grabbed 7.0 rebounds per game (14), while adding 2.5 assists (5) and 0.5 steals (1).
Johnson Buzzer Beater LiftS Zips to 29th Straight Win at Rhodes Arena
Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson continued his dominant season, hitting a 16-foot jumper from the wing as time expired to give the Akron Zips a 65-63 victory over the Ball State Cardinals. The victory marks the 29th consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena, which is the second-best home-court winning streak in the country behind Oregon (40).
Johnson led the way for the Zips, scoring 20 points and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) chipped in 10 points and Antino Jackson added eight points and five assists. Franko House paced the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points and seven rebounds and Ryan Weber added 16 points.
For the game, Akron converted 42.6 percent (26-of-61) of their attempts from the floor and shot 67 percent (8-of-12) from the charity stripe. Ball State shot 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the floor and converted 76.9 percent (10-of-13) of their free throw attempts. The Zips outscored the Cardinals 40-24 in the paint and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in the contest.
Akron BASKETBALL RAISED EYEBROWS
The Akron Zips men's basketball program grabbed the attention of the national media during their 12-game winning streak, the fifth longest streak in NCAA Division I basketball. The Zips' success began to attract the attention of several media outlets and analysts, including ESPN. On 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.
In addition, ESPN personalities Dick Vitale and Seth Greenburg mentioned Akron when discussing mid-major bracket busters as reported by Mid-Major Madness, while NCAA.com had the Zips as one of five teams who were slowly making their way to March Madness. Also, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi's NCAA tournament projections has Akron ranked as a 13 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 reporters Daniel Reynolds and Jeff Ames highlighted the Zips as one of five mid-major programs to bust brackets in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Sports Illustrated's Molly Geary discusses how the Zips' 11-game run prepares them for March Madness.
After two straight weeks of receiving one vote for the AP Top 25 poll, Akron earned five votes in the poll (Jan. 30 - Week 13), sitting about 30th in the NCAA. Akron also received one vote in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. In addition, the Zips climbed one spot to a No. 7 ranking in CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving 501 points on Jan. 16, followed by 549 points on Jan. 23, and 577 votes on Jan. 30.
The Zips 1,000 Point Club
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 16.6 points per game, scoring double digits in 23-of-25 games including 17-of-the-last-18 outings. He has scored 416 points to date and ranks No. 10 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 63.0 percent. As a result, Johnson became Zips' 42nd member of Akron's 1,000 point club and the 12th member under head coach Keith Dambrot to enter this elite club. Johnson used a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan to eclipse the 1,000 point threshold, totaling 1,032 career points. He now has 1,192 career points.
All-Time Wins Leader
Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader with his 289th career victory at Akron on Jan. 3, 2017. The Zips defeated Bowling Green 89-84 as they opened MAC play at James A. Rhodes Arena. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot collected 289 career wins in 422 games, replacing the previous all-time win mark (288) 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 earned his 400th career victory as a collegiate coach and is one wins shy of his 300th all-time win at Akron.
Another Breakout Moment
Redshirt freshman Daniel Utomi received his first start on Saturday, Jan. 14, against Miami. The Houston, Texas native took full advantage of the moment, scoring 15 points. Utomi started the game on fire, knocking down five 3-pointers on five attempts in the first half. For the game, he went 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from deep with a career-best three steals and a rebound. He followed with three-straight games of at least five points, and then exploded for a career-high 19 points against Eastern Michigan with a perfect shooting night from behind the 3-point arc. He shot 5-of-5 from 3-point land and finished the game shooting 6-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Utomi added a steal and assist.
Chop-ing Up the Competition
Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. has emerged as one of the Zips leaders in all areas of the game. Cheatham scores a second-best points per game and is third on the team in 3-point FG percentage and No. 14 in the MAC at 39.7 percent (50 attempts min.). He has buried a team-high 58 triples and connects from the charity stripe with a team-best 83.7 percent. In addition, he is the leader on the glass, pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game with a team-high 154 defensive boards and 38 offensive grabs. Cheatham is also the Zips' leading rim protector with 22 blocked shots while adding 44 assists and 14 steals. Cheatham Earned MAC East Player of the Week on Jan. 30.
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 16.6 points per game while fellow senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. is second with 11.8 points per game. Junior guard Antino Jackson follows with 11.6 points per game, and junior Jimond Ivey averages 10.0 points. Noah Robotham and Josh Williams follow closely with 8.5 and 7.6 points per game. Five players have scored in double figures six times this season, including the starters twice. In the UMES game, all five starters scored double-digits for the first time since March 10, 2009, and the Zips matched that feat as the starters did it again against Western Michigan (1/24). Johnson ranks No. 7 overall in the MAC for scoring while Cheatham and Jackson are 28th and 29th, respectively.
Zips Continue to Feed the Dog
Last season, Isaiah Johnson was a force in the paint for the Zips, and this year, he proves to be even better. On Tuesday, Johnson buried a 16-foot shot from the wing as the buzzer sounded to lift the Zips to 65-63 home win over Ball State. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 12-of-24 games, while averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game. He scored in double-digits 23-of-25 contests, including a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan. He posted his fourth double-double against Buffalo, scoring 27 points with 10 boards. Big Dog ranks No. 10 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 63.0 percent from the floor (155-of-246), and pulled down a second-best 182 rebounds with 109 defensive boards and 73 on the offensive end. He is second in assists (76) and blocks (18) with 10 steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP award, MAC East Player of the Week (three times, 11/28, 1/16, and 2/10), College Sports Madness Player of the Week, and Sun Bowl All-Tournament team.
Trifecta!
Three of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage and are shooting around 40.0 percent for the Zips. Antino Jackson and Tavian Dunn-Martin lead the Zips, ranking No. 6 in the MAC with 42.4 shooting percentages. Jackson is 47-of-113, while Dunn-Martin is 25-of-59. Ranked 14th overall is Kwan Cheatham with a 39.7 percentage on with a team-high 58 triples on 146 attempts, while Noah Robotham (.376, 35-of-93). In addition, Josh Williams (.354, 52-of-147) and Daniel Utomi (.374, 18-of-38) are keys in Akron's perimeter game.
The Zips rank among the nations best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 5 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 10.7 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 7 overall in total 3-pointers made with 268, and ranked 13th for 3-point attempts at 698. As a result, the Zips 38.5 long distance percentage ranks 41st best.
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, more minutes have been available for junior guard Jimond Ivey, and he has made the most of his time on the court. Ivey has played himself into the starting lineup after three starts due to an injury to point guard Noah Robotham. Now, Ivey is thriving in his new role, making 18 starts in 25 games. He has scored in double digits 15 times and 9-of-the-last-13 games, including a career-high 23 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.
In 25 games, Ivey averages 28.0 minutes with 10.0 points and ranks fourth in the MAC with a 55.1 shooting percentage from the field. He drained 87-of-158 shots and leads the team with 29 steals. Ivey is third on the squad with 5.6 rebounds per game, hauling in 139 total rebounds with 110 defensive and 29 offensive boards.
The Zips Sixth Man
Sophomore Josh Williams is a career 38.8 percent shooter from long distance, knocking down 110-of-287 triples to date. The Akron, Ohio native started nine games this season, and now is the Zips' sixth man, leading Akron's second unit. He has buried a second-best 52 long distance buckets on 147 attempts while averaging 7.6 points per game. Williams matched a career-high 18 points against UC Irvine, burying six 3-pointers on nine attempts.
In 25 games, Williams averages 23.0 minutes while shooting 37.1 percent from the field, 63-of-170. In 17 trips to the charity stripe, Williams collected 11 bonus buckets while pulling down 54 rebounds (2.2 rebs/g) and dishing out 23 assists with 11 steals. He is ranked 13th in the Mid-American Conference for 3-pointers made per game (2.1).
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 third in team scoring (11.6 ppg), and has buried 50 long distance field goals. He shoots 45.8 percent from the field and 42.4 from deep and has a second-best 24 steals, while adding 3.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.
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 8.5 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 62 assists and 14 steals. He shoots 40.6 percent from the floor and 37.6 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 35 triples this season.
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 25 games is freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin. After 16 straight appearances, freshman Michael Hughes was sidelined with an injury, 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 25-of-59 long distance shots for a 42.4 3-point FG shooting percentage, that ranks 6th in the MAC. In 10.9 minutes a game, Dunn-Martin owns a 44.2 FG shooting percentage (38-of-86) en route to adding 4.6 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 27 assists and made 18 trips to the charity stripe, draining 14 bonus buckets for a 77.8 free throw percentage.
After missing six games, Hughes returned to action against Ohio and buried two free throws. In 7.7 minutes per game in the center position, he has scored 35 points and pulled down 23 rebounds with 10 blocked shots and five steals. Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 21 games and 6.4 minutes on average, Olojakpoke is shooting 65.7 percent on 23-of-35 shots from the field and has pulled down 32 rebounds with 15 blocked shots.
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 29-of-58 from the floor for a 50.0 shooting percentage, including a 47.4 percent effort from downtown. In 7.9 minutes per game, Utomi has connected with 18-of-38 shots from deep while adding 17 rebounds, seven steals, four assists, and a blocked shot. Rounding out the newcomer play is Eubanks. He provided a spark in 26 minutes of work, knocking down 3-of-5 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance with one rebound and one blocked shot.
Zips Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions
The Akron Zips secured its second tournament championship this season, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions at the Don Haskins Center. Junior guard Antino Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title, while senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the Sun Bowl All-Tournament Team. In addition, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 288th victory at Akron, tying former head coach Russell Beichly (1941-59) as the winning-est coach in program history. Jackson used two stellar performances to lead the Zips at the Sun Bowl Invitational, scoring a career-high 23 points against UC Irvine and 13 points in the finale. Meanwhile, Johnson followed a 12-point, six-rebound game with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
All five starters scored in double figures for the first time since March 10, 2009 as junior Jimond Ivey, senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin joined Jackson and Johnson with double-digit scoring performances. Ivey poured in 13 points with a second-best eight rebounds, while Cheatham and Dunn-Martin tallied 10 points each. It was Dunn-Martin's first career start.
2016 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational All-Tournament Team: Antino Jackson (MVP), Isaiah Johnson (Akron), Bakari Copeland (Maryland Eastern Shore), Jaron Martin (UC Irvine), Dominic Artis (UTEP), Dante Caldwell (Maryland Eastern Shore - Don Haskins Award)
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.
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.
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
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The Akron basketball team will be back in action at James A. Rhodes Arena for the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge rivalry game against Kent State on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. ESPNU will televise the game. Fans can also follow the action on WatchESPN/ESPN3, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
