Zips Back at JAR Against Northern Illinois on Saturday Afternoon

Saturday, January 20

Akron, OH

4:30 p.m.

University of Akron

Northern Illinois

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Zips Back at JAR Against Northern Illinois on Saturday Afternoon

January 19 | Men's Basketball

Akron Zips (8-9, 1-4) vs Northern Illinois (9-9, 2-3)
Saturday, Jan. 20 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 4:30 PM ET • ESPN3

Northern Illinois Head Coach
Mark Montgomery(Michigan State)
Overall Record: 84-123 (7th Season)
Record at NIU: 84-123 (7th Season)
MAC Record: 40-69 (7th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Overall Record: 188-140 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 8-9 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 1-4 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 35-34 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 24-11 - Groce vs. NIU 0-0 (4-0 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 76, Huskies 73 at Convocation Center on Jan. 31, 2017

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Michael Reghi (PxP) and Jacki Windon (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

What's Ahead
The Akron basketball returns to James A. Rhodes Arena for a MAC East/West crossover matchup against Northern Illinois. On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Zips are scheduled to host Huskies at 4:30 p.m. ET. The game will be aired on ESPN3 with Michael Reghi calling the action and Jacki Windon providing analysis.

Fans can also follow the action on 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-Northern Illinois Series
Saturday's game marks the 36th meeting in series history between Akron and NIU, and 5th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 24-11 series advantage while Groce is 4-0 against the Huskies all-time. The Zips have won seven of the last 10 games, winning last season's lone matchup, 76-73, at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb on Jan. 31. The Zips and the Huskies split the 2015-16 season's series, winning at Rhodes Arena on Jan. 26, 76-66, but falling at NIU Convocation Center on Feb. 13, 80-79. Akron is 15-2 all-time against the Huskies at Rhodes Arena. However, NIU holds a 9-9 overall record in DeKalb. The Huskies have won five of the last eight meetings at the NIU Convocation Center.

Scouting the Huskies
Northern Illinois enters the contest with a 9-9 overall record and 2-3 in MAC play. The Huskies opened MAC play with a 75-61 win over Kent State, but dropped two contests to Ohio and Bowling Green on the road, 78-68 and 66-57, respectively. NIU bounced back with a win over Eastern Michigan, 72-66, and fell the last time out to Buffalo, 95-67. This season, NIU is 7-1 (2-0 MAC) at home, 1-6 (0-3 MAC) on the road, and 1-2 in neutral site games.

NIU has three players scoring in double figures led by Eugene German with 19.7 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the floor (131-of-281) and 33.7 percent from downtown with a team-high 31 made 3-point FG (31-of-92). German's 131 field goals leads the squad and ranks 38th in the NCAA. In addition, he ranks 42nd for points per game (19.7) and 68th in total points. German adds 64 rebounds, 34 assists, 18 steals and two blocked shots to the stat sheet.

Levi Bradley follows with 14.2 points per game. Bradley leads the Huskies efforts on the glass with 110 rebounds (6.1 rebs/g) and in blocked shots (7) while ranking second in field goals made (86) and 3-point FG made (16). He shoots 42.0 percent from the floor and 29.1 from deep to go along with a team-best 84.0 from the free throw line (68-of-81).

Dante Thorpe rounds out the double-digit scoring, averaging 11.9 points per game. He shoots a team-high 57.3 percent from the field (82-of-143) and 42.9 percent from deep (12-of-28), while teammates Justin Thomas and Anastasios Demogerontas are threats from downtown. Thomas averages 6.6 points with 16 3-pointers, and Demogerontas scores 4.6 points with 18 long-range buckets.

Defensively, NIU limits opponents 73.5 points a night on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 35.2 percent from downtown with 8.1 made 3-pt FG per game. The Huskies caused 217 turnovers (12.1 tpg) while collecting 130 steals (7.2 stl/g) and 37 blocked shots (2.1 blk/g). On the glass, Northern Illinois has been slightly outrebounded its opponents 654-638 for a slim -0.9 margin.

Last Time Out Against Northern Illinois
The Akron Zips erased a 15-point deficit in the second half to remain undefeated in Mid-American Conference play, defeating Northern Illinois 76-73 at the NIU Convocation Center. For the game, the Zips shot 26-of-57 (.456) from the field, including an 11-of-28 (.393) effort from deep. Akron made 13-of-20 free throws and won the turnover battle 16-9 with a season-high 11 steals.

NIU finished the game shooting 28-of-53 (.528) from the floor, 8-of-12 (.667) from deep, and 9-of-13 (.692) from the charity stripe. The Huskies won the battle of the boards 34-28, but Akron held and 18-15 the second-half advantage on the glass.

In the first half, NIU capitalized on a slow start by the Zips. Akron went 1-of-7 from the field in the opening five minutes of the game as the Huskies built an 8-2 advantage. Akron finished the first half shooting 44.0 percent from the field (11-of-25) and 50.0 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (7-of-14), but the Huskies, a team that averages 4.5 three-pointers a game, drilled five first-half triples while shooting 71.4 percent from deep. NIU also controlled the paint, scoring 24 points in the key as Maric led all scorers with 18 points mixed with Armstead's 11 points.

In the second half, NIU established a 15-point, 52-37 advantage by the 17:27 mark. However, the Zips immediately cut the deficit to seven points. During the final 11:26, Akron tightened up on defense, causing six of NIU's 12 second-half turnovers with five steals while forcing the Huskies into tough shots. The defensive stance generated a 13-2 run for the Zips. Akron took its first lead of the game, 66-65. Next, the Huskies buried three free throws to make it a two-point game, but Jackson answered with a pair from the Charity stripe to keep it a two-possession game with 23 seconds left. Down 74-73 with six seconds remaining, NIU fouled Jackson on the inbounds pass. Jackson delivered the final blow by draining both free throws.

Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 46-24 mark (.657) in the last 70 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-2 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 98-44 in the regular season against the West Division (.690), including winners of 41 of the last 51 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 49-10 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.831). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 155-69 overall (.692), including a 94-17 mark in MAC play at home (.847). The Zips' 155 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 75 of their last 106 MAC games (.708).

Akron is 27-10 in the MAC Tournament in the last 12 seasons, going 21-6 in its last 27 tournament games. The Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made nine MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last 11 seasons with an unprecedented 12-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of the consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips are 24-10 at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Zips won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season. 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).

In 2016-17, the Akron Zips finished 14-4 in league play.Akron averaged 76.8 points per game in the MAC while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 36.7 from long distance with 10.0 made 3-pointers a game. The Zips averaged 14.8 assists (266), 10.7 turnovers per game (193), 5.8 steals (104), and 3.1 blocked shots (56), but were slightly outrebounded 604-615 in league play.

E-MAN Season Cut Short
On Wednesday morning (1/10), sophomore frontcourt player Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) received difficult news. Due to a medical condition that required surgery, Olojakpoke will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Full details will be disclosed at a later date.

Statement from Akron Basketball head coach John Groce on Emmanuel Olojakpoke:
"Yesterday (1/10), Emmanuel Olojakpoke had successful open-heart surgery. He is resting and expecting a full recovery. We fully anticipate this recovery will require him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. The Zips basketball family is committed to assisting E-Man in his return to full health. We ask to keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Please allow E-Man and the entire Olojakpoke family the privacy they deserve at this time." #EManStrong

Home Sweet Home

Akron is 8-1 at Rhodes Arena under first-year head coach John Groce, who became the third Akron coach since 1940 to win his first six home games in his first season as head coach. The Zips rattled off seven straight wins at the JAR before falling in the MAC home opener to Buffalo.

The Zips set the all-time longest home winning streak record at James. A. Rhodes Arena with 30 consecutive wins during the 2015-17 seasons, replacing the 26-game run the Zips made during the 1985-87 seasons under head coach Bob Huggins. The streak ranked No. 2 in the NCAA. In 34 seasons at the JAR, the Zips own a 388-120 (.764) all-time record. In the last 13 seasons, Akron has posted a 181-25 (.879) record at Rhodes Arena.

Building on a Career Week
During the week of Jan. 9, freshman guard Virshon Cotton led the Zips men's basketball team through a 1-1 week en route to lifting Akron to its first Mid-American Conference win by draining a game-winning 3-pointer against Bowling Green. Cotton led Akron's scoring effort in both games, scoring a career-high 23 points twice last week. For the week, Cotton scored 46 points (23 pts/g) on 11-of-19 (.579) shooting from the field and 6-of-11 (.545) from deep. He buried 18-of-22 (.818) free throws to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Against Bowling Green, Cotton buried the game-winner from long distance with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation. He led Akron to an 80-78 victory with a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 (.667) shooting from the floor which included a 5-of-7 (.714) performance from downtown. Cotton added a 6-of-7 (.857) effort from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds and three assists.

The Zips opened the week with an 87-65 loss to Buffalo as Cotton posted a team-high 23 points on 5-of-10 (.500) shooting from the field. Cotton made a career-best 15 trips to the free throw line and connected with a career-high 12 bonus buckets for an 80.0 percent showing from the charity stripe. He added two steals, two rebounds, and an assist.

Chasing 1,000 Points
Malcolm Duvivier is currently 140 points shy of reaching the 1,000 career points milestone. During his three-year career at Oregon State, Duvivier scored 623 points for the Beavers. Currently, Duvivier has posted 237 points for Akron, bringing his career total to 860 points.

In the Spotlight
Sophomore guard/wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) opened the 2017-18 season as a starter and used the opportunity to lead the Zips to a season-opening win over Cleveland State with a (then) career-high 20 points. He topped that performance in the second game of the season, dropping 32 points and knocking down a career-best eight 3-pointers to lead Akron to a 76-59 win over UT Martin. Utomi is the only Zip to score double digits in 14 games with five 20-plus point performances.

Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 15.5 points per game, shooting 42.2 percent from the floor (86-of-204) and 39.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc with a second-best 49 made triples (49-of-124).

Currently, Utomi ranks 61st in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (2.88), 102nd in 3-point FG made (49), 96th in 3-point FG percentage (.395), and142nd in defensive rebounds per game (5.35).

Leading a Young Crew
The Akron Zips look to veteran leaders junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) and graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) to navigate through the 2017-18 campaign. Ivey, the only returning starter from last year's squad, has played 85 career games for the blue and gold, starting 46 of those contests. He earned a starting role last season and has averaged 10 points per game for two consecutive seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17).

In 2017-18, Ivey ranks third in scoring for Akron with 12.8 points per night and second in rebounds 5.8 (99). Ivey Leads in assists with 3.9 per outing (67). He notched a double-double against App State with 15 points and 10 assists. Ivey scored a career-high 25 points against Davidson and followed with 24 points against Concord.

The other seasoned vet on the squad is a transfer from Oregon State. Duvivier played three seasons with the Beavers, accounting for 95 games played with 62 starting appearances. Over that three-year span, he averaged 23.85 minutes per game against some of the best competition in college basketball with 6.56 points, 2.03 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per night. As a sophomore, He scored 10.7 points per game. Only two additional Zips have appeared in more than 30 games for their collegiate careers.

In 2017-18, Duvivier averages a second-best 13.9 points with 3.5 assists per game (59 assists). Duvivier scored a career-high 24 points against App State and Concord. He has scored in double figures in 12 games with four 20-plus performances, 21 points against Davidson and Western Michigan. Against Concord, Duvivier hit a career-best seven triples and has made at least five 3-pointers, including 6-5-7 in three-straight games. Duvivier leads the squad with 51 made 3-pointers. Currently, Duvivier ranks 40th in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (3.00), 76th in 3-point FG made (51) , and 84th in 3-point FG percentage (.405).

E-MAN SHATTERS CAREER MARK
Sophomore frontcourt player Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) shattered his career-scoring record against Fort Wayne, pouring in 24 points in 25 minutes of work. E-Man erased his previous game-high scoring effort (11 points) by halftime, tossing in 14 points before the break. He continued to elevate his personal stat sheet by doubling his career field goals made and attempted. He knocked down 10 field goals, six more than his previous high, on 13 shot attempts, seven more than before, for a 77.0 shooting percentage. E-Man also made two more trips to the free throw line, burying career-best four freebies on six attempts. In addition, Olojakpoke tied his career-high blocked shot performance with four denials.

Groce Debuts with a WIN
Zips' head coach John Groce has spent over two decades on the sidelines of a basketball court as a coach and enters his 10th season as the lead man, but first at Akron. On April 6, 2017, Groce was named the 22nd head coach in Akron Basketball history. For the last six and a half months, Groce has been preparing a young team for the new season. On Nov. 11, Groce and the Zips accomplished something that has only been done 10 times in Akron's history, debuting a coaching career with a win. Akron defeated Cleveland State 67-57 in Groce's Akron coaching debut to become the first coach since the 1984-85 season to win their initial game.

In fact, the last coach to start his Akron career with a win was Bob Huggins during the 1984-85 season against Western Illinois, 64-57. Prior to Huggins, six coaches were unsuccessful in accomplishing that feat since Thomas Dowler did so in 1939-40 against Franklin, 34-25.

Akron vs. Eastern Michigan Recap
Freshman guard Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) scored a career-high 18 points as the Akron Zips fell 63-49 to Eastern Michigan at the Convocation Center. Parrish paced the Akron (8-9, 1-4 MAC) offense in the first half, scoring 12 points by intermission. He shot 5-of-8 from the field, including a perfect 2-of-2 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. He swiped three of his four steals in the first stanza. Parrish finished the game 7-of-15 from the floor and 2-of-5 from downtown with a perfect 2-of-2 performance from the charity stripe. He added four rebounds and three assists.

Akron and Eastern Michigan (11-7, 2-3 MAC) battled in the opening frame that featured four tied scores and two lead changes. With 4:31 left until the break, the Eagles used an 8-0 run to take a 34-25 lead with 2:08 left to play. Parrish scored the half's final bucket as the home team entered the locker room with a 34-27 advantage.

Akron opened the second half shooting 1-of-8 as the Eagles built a 10-point lead by 15:47 mark. An Ivey 3-pointer at 9:40 sparked a 5-0 run and forced the Eagles into a timeout with 8:48 remaining in the game. EMU pushed the lead back to 10 points after Minnie connected from deep as the shot clock expired and Jackson finished a fast break, giving the Eagles a 53-43 edge at the 6-minute mark.

Freshman Mark Kostelac (Cleveland, Ohio) stopped EMU's 5-0 run with a strong post move and senior transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) followed with a pair of free throws to bring Akron within six points, 53-47, but the Eagles outscored the Zips 10-the rest of the way.

The Zips finished the game shooting 17-of-55 (.309) from the field with a 7-of-29 showing from downtown (.241). Akron was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line.Akron won the turnover battle 12-14 but was slightly edged on the glass 32-34.

EMU was led by Elijah Minnie and Paul Jackson with 22 and 20 points, respectively. The Eagles shot 46.7 percent from the floor (21-of-45) and 38.9 from deep (7-of-18). EMU added a 70.0 percent effort from the free throw line (14-of-20). Duvivier added 12 points to the Zips total while junior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio), sophomore Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas), and freshman Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee, Wisc.) chipped in five points each.

Akron vs. Bowling Green Recap
Freshman guard Virshon Cotton hit a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3.7 seconds remaining to lift Akron to an 80-78 win over visiting Bowling Green Saturday afternoon at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips led throughout the game, but on the strength of 43 free throw attempts and a 31-18 foul disparity in favor of the Falcons, Bowling Green was able to stay in the game and tie it up twice late in the contest, for the final time on two free throws by Demajeo Wiggins with 49 seconds remaining. Following the second make, the Zips (8-8, 1-3 MAC) missed a 3-pointer, but junior forward Lucas Smith grabbed the offensive rebound, setting up Cotton's game-winning heroics.

Cotton had his second straight big game off the bench, scoring 23 to tie his career high, set against Buffalo four days prior. The Zips also received a career game from freshman forward Jaden Sayles, who hit his first five field goal attempts, including a pair of putbacks off of offensive rebounds, on his way to a 14-point outing and snagged four rebounds on the afternoon. Junior guard Jimond Ivey added 19 points. Ivey sank a pair of 3-pointers in a 9-0 run that helped Akron to its biggest lead of the game to that point at the 16:29 mark of the second half, 48-37.

Ivey also delivered one of the game's biggest plays, sinking a 3-pointer with 13:16 remaining after the Falcons narrowed the deficit to seven at 51-44. Moments later, graduate transfer guard Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) and Cotton sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Akron lead to 13 once again, and the Falcons slowly whittled away at it before tying it in the final minutes.

Behind Cotton and Sayles, the Zips shot 43.3 percent (13-of-30) for the opening frame in a game that was nearly even by most statistical measures at intermission. The rebounding, shooting and turnover categories all featured a difference of two or less between the Falcons and Zips, but Bowling Green was able to keep itself in the game at the foul line, converting 10-of-15 chances before the half as Akron was whistled for 12 team fouls.

Because of those fouls, Duvivier was sidelined for much of the half after accruing his third foul. Sayles, sophomore guard Daniel Utomi, Ivey and Smith all had two fouls before the break, forcing first-year head coach John Groce to delve deeper into a bench thinned by the absence of sophomore forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke. Due to a medical condition that required surgery, Olojakpoke will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Full details will be disclosed at a later date.

Despite their foul troubles, the Zips held on for a 36-32 lead at the break, surviving 10 turnovers and a cold spell shooting the ball late in the half. Solid defense, including holding the Falcons to 34.6-percent shooting and just two made 3-pointers for the half, allowed Akron to survive its shooting drought to keep its four-point lead intact heading to the locker room. Redshirt freshman guard Justin Turner led Bowling Green with 30 points and sophomore guard Dylan Frye contributed 14 in defeat.

Akron vs. Buffalo Recap
Playing at home for the first time in 2018, the Akron Zips weren't able to snap their two-game Mid-American Conference losing streak, falling 87-65 to the visiting Buffalo Bulls. Freshman guard Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee, Wisc.) led the Zips' scoring with a career-high 23 points while adding two steals, two rebounds and an assist in 29 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) added 16 points, including three of the team's six 3-pointers. Akron received 38 points in bench scoring as four reserves recorded double-digit minutes.

The Zips were ice cold at the outset, missing their first 12 field goal attempts, turning the ball over seven times, and falling behind 27-7 in the game's first 12-plus minutes. Akron's first seven points all came from the foul line as they got into the bonus early. Freshman forward Jaden Sayles buried the first set of bonus buckets, while Cotton made three charity tosses and Sayles collected two more freebies to get the Zips on the board. A baseline jumper by freshman center Mark Kostelac broke Akron's drought from the field, but the Zips were unable to get closer than 15 points before intermission, trailing 38-17.

Junior guards Jeremy Harris and C.J. Massinburg combined for nine early points to get Buffalo off to a strong start and the duo combined for 27 points on the night. The bright spot in the opening 20 minutes for the hosts was strong defense beyond the arc, as they forced the Bulls into 1-of-16 shooting (6.3 percent) from 3-point range prior to the break. Buffalo was able to compensate for its errant marksmanship from long distance by controlling the paint, outrebounding the Zips 40-34 and recording a 44-12 edge on points in the paint.

The Zips were also able to get on track from behind the arc thanks in to Ivey's 6-of-11 effort in the second half in the second stanza. Despite the improved shooting, the Zips weren't able to cut the margin to fewer than 24 points as Buffalo continued its strong inside play behind junior forward Nick Perkins 17 points.

The LeBron James Shoe Deal and Nike Apparel
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 three college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the others are Ohio State and Duquesne. Akron rocks six pairs of LBJ kicks in three different styles all customized to Akron Basketball.

The Akron Zips men's basketball team have four different uniforms. The white (home) and blue (away) uniforms represent a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The designs for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City". The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within the 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 oldstyle 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.

New for 2017-18, Akron has a grey set of uniforms modeled after the Team USA uniforms. The Grey uniforms feature the script Akron on the chest in blue outlined in the university gold. The numbers are depicted the same way which matches the blue piping that outlines the uniform. The shorts feature the Z-logo on both sides of the leg and are piped with the blue.Akron also has a purple set of uniforms that are worn as a tribute to former coach and director of operations Dan Peters.

UP NEXT
The Akron Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena for the second of back-to-back league games. The Zips host Eastern Division rival Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3, 1350-AM, or GoZips.com.