Akron Back on the Road for MAC Play

Friday, January 5

Toledo, OH

6:30 p.m.

University of Akron

Toledo

Tickets

January 04 | Men's Basketball

Akron Zips (7-6, 0-1 ) at Toledo (8-6, 0-1)
Friday, Jan. 5 • Savage Arena • Toledo, Ohio • 6:30 PM ET • CBS Sports Network

Toledo Head Coach
Tod Kowalczyk(South Alabama '87)
Overall Record: 127-116 (8th Season)
Record at UT: 263-228 (16th Season)
MAC Record: 60-61 (8th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce(Taylor '94)
Overall Record: 187-137 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 7-6 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 0-1 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 34-31 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Toledo Leads: 33-27 - Groce vs. Toledo: 0-0 (5-1 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 71, Toledo 65 - February 14, 2017 at James A. Rhodes Arena

Broadcast
TV/Video: CBS SN – Dave Ryan (PxP) and Steve Wolf (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 Zips are on the road for their second league game against Toledo. On Friday, Jan. 5, the Zips are scheduled to take the court at Savage Arena against the Rockets at 6:30 p.m. ET. CBS Sports Network is scheduled to air the game as Dave Ryan will call the action with Steve Wolf providing analysis. Akron and Toledo, both, dropped their Mid-American Conference openers.

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-Toledo Series
Friday's game marks the 61st meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and 7th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Toledo owns a 33-27 all-time series advantage while Groce enters his first matchup as a Zip, and is 5-1 all-time against the Rockets. The Zips have won eight of the last 12 meetings and snapped a four-game losing skid with last season's victory.

Akron defeated Toledo 71-65 on Feb. 14, 2017, at James A. Rhodes Arena. UA is 16-10 all-time at Rhodes Arena, 11-22 on the road at Savage Arena, and 1-1 in the MAC Tournament with a loss at Quicken Loans Arena.

Scouting the Rockets
Toledo enters the contest with an 8-6 overall record and 0-1 in MAC play. The Rockets opened league play against Buffalo, falling 104-94 at Alumni Arena. Prior to the league schedule, Toledo won three-straight games to close out non-conference play, defeating Jackson State, (83-57) Cleveland State, (77-62) and Penn (85-72). The Rockets are 5-2 (0-0 MAC) at home, 3-4 (00 MAC) on the road, and 0-0 at neutral sites this season.

Four players are currently averaging double figures for the Rockets, led by Tre'Shaun Fletcher with 18.1 points per outing. He is shooting 44.3 percent from the floor (86-of-194), and 34.9 percent from long range with 22 made 3-point field goals on 63 attempts. Fletcher also leads the squad in rebounds (118 ) and assists (50) with 8.4 boards and 3.6 helpers per game.

Jaelan Sanford follows with 16.1 points per night on 44.3 percent shooting (78-of-176). He is second in 3-pointers made (27) and assists (49) while shooting 35.1 percent from distance (27-of-77) and dishing out 3.6 assists per game.

Nate Navigato leads the squad from behind the 3-point arc with 43 long-range buckets en route to 13.9 points per game. He shoots 44.8 percent from deep (43-of-96) and 45.7 percent from all areas of the floor (64-of-140).

Luke Knapke rounds out the double-digit scoring with 11.4 points per night on 56.4 percent shooting from the field (62-of-110) and 40.0 from downtown with 10 made 3-pointers on 25 attempts. In addition, Marreon Jackson is a threat from deep, burying 23-of-52 for a 41.0 shooting percentage.

Defensively, UT allows opponents to score 77.9 points a night on 41.0 percent shooting from the field and 44.2 percent from. The Rockets caused 145 turnovers (10.4 tpg) while collecting 58 steals (4.1 stl/g) and 50 blocked shots (3.6 blk/g). On the glass, the Rockets have outrebounded its opponents 524-489 by a 1.9 margin.

Last Time Out Against Toledo
Akron The Akron Zips erased an 11-point second-half deficit and defeated the Toledo Rockets, 71-65, at James A. Rhodes Arena.The win marked the 30th consecutive victory at James A. Rhodes Arena for the Zips and halted a four-game skid for the Zips.

Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. led the way for the Zips with a game-high 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Senior center Isaiah Johnson added 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while junior guard Antino Jackson rounded out the Zips in double-digit scoring efforts with 13 points. Steve Taylor poured in 13 points and pulled down 13 boards for the Rockets. Nate Navigato added 13 points and Jonathan Williams chipped in 12 points and seven assists.

For the contest, the Zips shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the field and connected on 35.5 percent (11-of-31) of their shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Zips converted 53.3 percent (8-of-15) of their attempts. The Rockets were successful on 43.4 percent (23-of-53) percent of their attempts from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-of-24) from downtown. Toledo converted 58.8 percent (10-of-17) of their free throw attempts.

Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 45-22 mark (.672) in the last 67 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 98-43 in the regular season against the West Division (.695), including winners of 41 of the last 50 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 49-9 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.845). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 155-66 overall (.701), including a 94-16 mark in MAC play at home (.855). The Zips' 155 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 75 of their last 103 MAC games (.735).

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, 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, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo. The Zips dropped two consecutive games to Kent State and Bowling Green, but went on the road and defeated Buffalo and Kent State before falling at home to Miami.

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 own a -0.6 margin on the glass, being slightly outrebounded by the competition 604-615. Akron averages 14.8 assists (266), 10.7 turnovers per game (193), 5.8 steals (104), and 3.1 blocked shots (56) in league play.

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 95-35 (.731) following a loss. During this run, Akron has only posted 27 losing streaks. In fact, of those 27 losing streaks, 16 have been just two games and 20 have consisted of two or more games on the road (road/neutral site). UA has not lost more than four-straight games in over a decade. The last time Akron lost, five-in-a-row was Jan. 5-19, 2002, under former head coach Dan Hipsher. Head coach John Groce is 3-2 following a loss at Akron, a three-game skid in Hawaii.

Undefeated at the JAR - Home Sweet Home
Akron is 7-0 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 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.

Stepping into 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 all 13 games, recording five 20-plus point performances.

Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 18.0 points per game, shooting 45.2 percent from the floor (76-of-168) and 42.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc with a second-best 43 made triples (43-of-101).

Currently, Utomi ranks 22nd in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (3.31), 52nd in 3-point FG made (43) , 67th in 3-point FG percentage (.426), 111th in points per game (18.0), and 70th in defensive rebounds per game (6.15).

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.

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 80 career games for the blue and gold, starting 41 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 13.2 points per night and second in rebounds 5.4. Ivey Leads in assists with 4.1 per outing (53). 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 14.7 points with 3.7 assists per game (48 assists). Duvivier scored a career-high 24 points against App State and Concord. He has scored in double figures in nine 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 Akron with 44 made 3-pointers. Currently, Duvivier ranks 15th in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (3.38), 40th in 3-point FG made (44) , and 65th in 3-point FG percentage (.427).

Akron vs. Western Michigan Recap
The Akron Zips started strong in the first Mid-American Conference game of the season, but the home-standing Western Michigan Broncos pulled away for an 87-75 win at University Arena on Tuesday night.

Akron jumped out to an early lead as Malcolm Duvivier started the scoring with a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Duvivier led the Akron offense with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including a 4-of-11 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. Daniel Utomi finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds, while Jimond Ivey rounded out Akron's double-digit scorers with 18 points while providing seven assists, five rebounds, two blocked shots, and a steal. Freshman Torrey Patton added eight points and a team-best six rebounds.

The Zips pushed the lead to as many as five points and held the lead for six minutes until the Broncos captured the lead for good at the 13:35 mark. WMU's Josh Davis scored 10 of the Broncos initial 14 points en route to a game-high 26 point performance. He finished the game shooting 10-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from deep with seven rebounds.

Western Michigan had four others to reach double figures in scoring as Thomas Wilder led the supporting cast with 15 points followed by Bryce Moore (13), Reggie Jones (12), and Drake Lamont (11)

The Zips shot 44.3 percent from the field (27-of-61), including an 80.0 percent showing from the free throw line (12-of-15) and 33.3 percent effort from downtown (9-of-27).

The Broncos held a plus-10 advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Zips 37-27, and made a high percentage of field goals, shooting 55.4 percent from the field (31-of-56) and 47.4 from deep (9-of-19). In addition, Western Michigan snapped a six-game losing streak to Akron.

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.

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
Akron returns to James A. Rhodes Arena for its Mid-American Conference home opener against Buffalo on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3, 1350-AM, or GoZips.com.