Zips Host Buffalo for MAC Home Opener

Tuesday, January 9

Akron OH

7 p.m.

University of Akron

Buffalo

Tickets

January 08 | Men's Basketball

Akron Zips (7-7, 0-2) vs Buffalo (10-5, 2-0)
Tuesday, Jan. 9 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 7 PM ET • ESPN3

Buffalo Head Coach
Nate Oats(Maranatha Baptist '98)
Overall Record: 47-35 (3rd Season)
Record at UB: 47-35 (3rd Season)
MAC Record: 23-15 (3rd Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Overall Record: 187-138 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 7-7 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 0-2 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 34-32 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 33-26 - Groce vs. Buffalo: 0-0 (5-4 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 89, Buffalo 83 - February 24, 2017 at Alumni Arena

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 Zips are back at James A. Rhodes Arena for their Mid-American Conference home opener. On Tuesday, Jan. 9, the Zips are scheduled to share the court with the Buffalo Bulls at 7 p.m. ET. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN3 as Michael Reghi will call the action with 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-Buffalo Series
Tuesday's game marks the 60th meeting in series history between Akron and Buffalo, and 10th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 33-26 series advantage while Groce is 5-4 overall.

The Zips swept the regular season series the last two years, winning four of the last five meetings. Last season, Akron defeated Buffalo 89-83 at Alumni Arena and 91-90 at James A. Rhodes Arena. During the 2015-16 season, the Zips claimed a 75-71 (Jan. 5) on the road and 80-70 (Feb. 16) at home. However, Akron fell 64-61 to the Bulls in the 2016 MAC Championship game at Quicken Loans Arena. Akron owns a 6-3 record over the last three seasons as the Bulls won 2-of-3 meetings in 2014-15, including a 68-59 win on March 19 in the semifinal game of the MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. The Zips are 1-2 against the Bulls in the MAC Tournament all-time.

Scouting the Bulls
Buffalo enters the contest with a 10-5 overall record, including a 2-0 record in MAC play. The Bulls opened league play against Toledo (W, 104-94) and Ball State (W, 83-63). Prior to the league schedule, Buffalo won 4-of-6 games to close out non-conference play, defeating Delaware (75-72), Central Penn (88-54), and Robert Morris (86-70) before falling to Syracuse (81-74) and Texas A&M (89-73). The Bulls closed the non-conference schedule with an 86-81 overtime win against NJIT. Buffalo is 6-1 (1-0 MAC) at home, 3-2 (1-0 MAC) on the road, and 1-2 at neutral sites this season.

Five players are currently averaging double figures for the Bulle, led by C.J. Massinburg with 19.6 points per outing. He is shooting 46.2 percent from the floor (92-of-199), and 42.9 percent from long range with a team-best 45 made 3-point field goals (45-of-105). Massinburg also leads the squad at the free throw line (65-of-81, .802) and on the glass (118 rebs, 7.9 rebs/g). In addition, he is second in steals (20) and third in assists (38).

Wes Clark follows with 18.8 points per night on 48.6 percent shooting (35-of-72). In five games, Clark has drained 12 long-distance shots (12-of-29, .414), dished out 29 assists, and swiped 10 passes.

Nick Perkins is third in team scoring with 15.3 points per game. He makes 43.8 percent of his shots (81-of-185) with 16 made 3-pointers (16-of-48, .333). He ranks second on the team in rebounds (95), pulling down 6.3 per game.

Jeremy Harris and Dontay Caruthers round out the double-digit scorers with 11.5 and 11.3 points per night, respectively. More than half of Harris' shots come from long distance as he buried 31 trifectas with 61 total field goals made. Caruthers owns a team-best 69.8 shooting percentage (30-of-43) with 22 assists.

Defensively, Buffalo allows opponents to score 78.2 points a night on 44.3 percent shooting from the field and 37.4 percent from deep with 6.5 triples per game. The Bulls caused 238 turnovers (15.9 tpg) while collecting 102 steals (6.8 stl/g) and 61 blocked shots (4.1 blk/g). On the glass, Buffalo has slightly outrebounded its opponents 577-575 for a 0.1 margin.

Last Time Out Against The Bulls
The Akron Zips secured a share of the Mid-American Conference regular-season title after defeating Buffalo, 89-83, in front of a sold-out crowd at Alumni Arena.

Five Zips scored in double figures led by senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) with 19 points and six rebounds. Junior Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) and sophomore Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) added 16 and 15 points, respectively, while junior Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) and sophomore Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) followed with 14 and 13. All four players went 3-of-4 from long distance, combining for 12 of the Zips 13 made 3-pointers. Blake Hamilton led the Bulls with 23 points. Willie Conner followed with 18 points, while CJ Massinburg and Nick Perkins added 17 and 13.

For the game, Akron shot 59.1 percent from behind the 3-point arc and 56 percent from the field (28-of-50) compared to the Bulls shot 41.1 percent effort from the floor (23-of-56) and 30.4 percent from deep (7-of-23). In addition, Buffalo scored 30 points at the charity stripe in an 81.1 percent performance (30-of-37). The Bulls won the battle of the boards 42-22.

Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 46-22 mark (.676) in the last 68 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 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 155-67 overall (.698), 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 104 MAC games (.721).

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.

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 14 games, recording five 20-plus point performances.

Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 18.1 points per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor (83-of-180) and 44.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc with a second-best 47 made triples (47-of-106).

Currently, Utomi ranks 14th in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (3.36), 46th in 3-point FG made (47) , 38th in 3-point FG percentage (.443), 109th in points per game (18.1), and 84th in defensive rebounds per game (5.93).

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 82 career games for the blue and gold, starting 43 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 12.6 points per night and second in rebounds 5.7 (80). Ivey Leads in assists with 4.2 per outing (59). 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 14.6 points with 3.8 assists per game (53 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 ranks second with 46 made 3-pointers. Currently, Duvivier ranks 19th in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (3.29), 59th in 3-point FG made (46) , and 72nd in 3-point FG percentage (.414).

Akron vs. Toledo Recap
The Akron Zips turned a 10-point first-half deficit into a one-point lead late in the game, but fell, 67-65, two points shy of their first road win against Toledo on CBS Sports Network Friday night at Savage Arena.

Akron limited Toledo to just 35 percent shooting (7-of-20) in the final 20 minutes, but with 14 seconds left to play UT's Jaelan Sanford buried a floater in the middle of the lane to give the Rockets a 64-62 advantage. Sanford led the Rockets with 22 points while Tre'Shaun Fletcher posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) paced the Zips with 19 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep and 7-of-12 overall. Freshman Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) followed with 17 points, scoring nine-straight points in the first half to keep the Zips within striking distance. Parrish added seven rebounds as Akron held a 35-29 advantage on the backboard.

Graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 14 points, while junior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) led the Zips on the glass with 10 boards and six points.

The Zips' halftime adjustments limited Toledo to just three made field goals with about 6:30 left to play in the game. However, the Rockets continued to hold a 1-to-2 possession advantage at the free throw line. Akron opened the second frame with a 16-5 run capped by an Ivey 3-pointer to bring the Zips within one-point of regaining the lead for the first time since 12:58 in the first half. Trailing 47-46, the Rockets split a two-shot foul and recorded their second field goal of the half (10:17) to push the lead back to four points, 50-46.

The two teams traded buckets, and Toledo pushed the lead back to five as Sanford buried the runner and Willie Jackson split a pair of free throws after the Zips were forced to foul after a turnover. Ivey buried a 3-pointer as time expired.

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. 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 second Mid-American Conference game against Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3, 1350-AM, or GoZips.com