The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Eastern Michigan
Zips Unveil New FEAR THE ROO Uniforms Against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday
January 14 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF) | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron Zips (9-7, 1-2)Â vs. Eastern Michigan (8-8, 2-1)
Tuesday, Jan. 15 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 7:00 PM • ESPN+
Eastern Michigan Head Coach
Rob Murphy (Central State '96)
Overall Record:Â 137-118Â (8th Season)
Record at EMU: 137-118 (8th Season)
MAC Record: 65-63 (8th Season)
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 203-156 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 23-25 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 7-14 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 41-44 (at Ohio and Akron)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 28-21 Groce vs. EMU 0-2 (2-4Â Overall)
Last Meeting: Eagles, 67 , Akron 58 at Quicken Loans Arena on March 8, 2018
First Meeting: Akron 62, Eastern Michigan 55 in Akron on Feb. 3, 1968Â
In Akron:15-9, Neutral: 3-1, In Ypsilanti: 10-11
Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Quick Hits
• A win would improve Akron's home record to 8-1 and give the Zips their second league win
• Akron Ranks in the Top 60 of NCAA in 10 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 20th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 62.9 points per game
• Akron is ranked 19th in 3-point FGs attempted (480), 23rd in fewest TO (181), 30th in 3pt/game (9.8), 33rd in TO/game (11.3), 45th in 3-point FGs made (157), 53rd in scoring margin (+10.4), 56th in FG% Defense (40.5), 59th in 3-point FG% Defense (31.0) and 60th in TO margin (2.8)
What's Ahead
The Akron men's basketball continues the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play at home against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. The Zips are scheduled to debut their new "Fear the Roo" uniforms, and the game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN+ and Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
The Broadcasts
The Zips' game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ as Michael Reghi will call the action and Jacki Windon provides 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.
Scouting The Eagles
Eastern Michigan enters the contest with an 8-8 overall record and 2-1 in MAC play. The Eagles are riding a two-game winning streak in league play, defeating Ball State (84-82) in double overtime on the road and Kent State (95-61) at home. EMU opened league play with a 74-58 loss to No. 19 ranked Buffalo.
EMU is 7-3 (1-1 MAC) at home and 1-5 (1-0 MAC) on the road. EMU averages 72.2 points per game on 45.3 percent shooting from the floor (442-of-975) and 29.8 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (99-of-332), draining 6.2 triples a game. In addition, the Eagles shoot 63.7 percent from the free throw line (172-of-270) with 10.8 per game.Â
EMU has three players scoring in double figures led by Elijah Minnie with 14.0 points on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor (70-of-170) with more than half of his attempts coming from long distance. He is shooting 33.6 percent from downtown with a team-high 36 made 3-point FG (36-of-107). Minnie leads the squad in steals (23) wile adding 18 assists and 65 rebounds (4.6 rebs/g) to the stat sheet.
Paul Jackson follows with 13.2 points per game. Jackson leads the squad in field goals made (78), assists (65) while shooting 38.8 percent from the floor (78-of-201) with 12 made triples. James Thompson IV rounds out the double-digit scoring with 13.2 points per game. Thompson leads the Eagles rebounding efforts with 164 rebounds. Of his team-best 10.3 rebounds per game, Thompson secured 94 defensive boards and 70 offensive rebounds. He is second in blocked shots (17) and adds nine steals.
In addition, Boubacar Toure is the team leader in blocked shots (23) and is second on the glass (8.1 rebs/g and 122 total) while averaging 9.0 points per game. Kevin McAdoo is a threat from deep, draining a second-best 21 triples on 53 attempts (.396) with 8.3 points per night on average.Â
Defensively, EMU limits its opponents to 71.2 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor and 35.0 percent from 3-point range, allowing 9.3 long distance strikes per night. The Eagles caused 230 turnovers (14.4 to/g) with 128 steals (8.0 stl/g). Eastern Michigan holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +3.9 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 558 total boards compared to the 621 total rebounds secured.
The Akron-Eastern Michigan Series
Tuesday's game marks the 50th meeting in series history between Akron and Eastern Michigan, and seventh meeting for a Groce coached squad, third at Akron. Akron holds a 28-21 all-time series advantage while Groce is 2-4 overall against the Eagles, 0-2 at Akron.Â
The Zips have won 18 of the last 23 meetings, including 5-of-7 games. However EMU is riding a two-game winning streak in the series. Last season, Eastern Michigan snapped Akron's five game winning streak in the series with a 63-49 win at the Convocation Center. In addition, the Eagles came from behind to advance to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament with a 67-58 win. EMU overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half, 47-28 Zips with 12:30 remaining in the game.Â
The Zips won both regular-season meetings in 2016-17, 70-63 on Jan. 20, at Rhodes Arena and 87-76 on Feb. 10, at the EMU Convocation Center. The Zips and the Eagles played a third time during the 2016-17 season. Akron met Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinal of the MAC Tournament for the second-straight season. The No. 1 ranked Zips defeated the No. 8 ranked Eagles, 79-62, at Quicken Loans Arena on March 9, 2017. Akron is 5-1 in the MAC Tournament against the Eagles.
The Last Meeting...
The Akron Zips fell in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference as No. 3 Eastern Michigan parlayed a second-half comeback into a 67-58 victory past the No. 11 Zips at Quicken Loans Arena.Eastern Michigan garnered the victory on the strength of a 21-1 run over the final 6:57 to erase a 19-point deficit while the Zips missed their final 10 shots of the contest.
Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) paced Akron with a team-high 14 points, while adding 13 points apiece was Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) and Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas). Elijah Minnie scored a game-best 21 points for the Eagles, including 15 points in the second half.
The Zips finished the evening shooting nearly 40 percent (.396) from the field, including making nine three pointers. Buoyed by connecting on 61.9 percent of its second-half shots, Eastern Michigan concluded the affair making 45.7 percent of its attempts from the floor. Akron won the battle of the boards, 32-31, owning a 13-8 edge on the offensive glass, while the Eagles outscored the Zips in the paint, 28-16.
The Zips took a nine-point, 31-22 lead into the intermission. Akron connected on 44.4 percent of its attempts in the opening half, including draining five triples. The Eagles were limited to a 32 percent shooting mark in the first half and were just 2-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The Zips began the final period making three of their first five shots, all from beyond the arc. Akron's defense stepped up holding the Eagles without a field goal for nearly six minutes (5:38), while using a 7-2 run of its own to lead 47-28 after a Utomi jumper at the 12:30 mark.
Eastern Michigan fired back a run of its own outscoring the Zips 7-0 over the next 1:02 before a layup by Akron with 10:37 remaining ended the surge and gave Akron a 49-35 lead. The Eagles edged back to within eight points after a dunk by James Thompson with 7:30 remaining in the game.
Eastern Michigan answered with an 11-0 run to square the game at 57 after a three pointer by Jordan Nobles at the 3:15 mark. The Eagles took their first lead of the tilt and went ahead to stay on a layup and a free throw by Paul Jackson with 2:23 to play. Duvivier ended the 14-0 Eastern Michigan surge with a free throw at the 1:59 mark to bring the Zips within two, 60-58. The Eagles closed the game outscoring Akron, 7-0 to earn their first-ever tournament victory over the Zips in six games.
Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 49-27 mark (.645) in the last 76 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-3 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 101-50 in the regular season against the West Division (.668), including winners of 44 of the last 58 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.
Akron is 55-13 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.809). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 162-79 overall (.672), including a 100-20 mark in MAC play at home (.833). The Zips' 162 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 82 of their last 117 MAC games (.701).
Akron is 29-18 all-time in the MAC Tournament, going 22-7 in its last 29 tournament games. The Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year since the 2004-05 season and have made nine MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last 11-of-12 seasons with an unprecedented 12-of-13 semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of the consecutive title game (11) and semifinal appearances (12)Â are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips are 24-12 at Quicken Loans Arena. Akron is 6-6 in opening round games, 1-0 second round, 10-3 in the quarterfinals, 9-3 semifinals, and 3-6 in title games.Â
Strong Defensive Stance
The Akron Zips have limited opponents to scoring only 62.9 points per game which ranks No. 20 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 40.5 shooting from the floor (56th) and 31.0 from long distance (59th). Akron has caused 226 turnovers (14.1 t/g) with 84 steals (5.3 stl/g). Jimond Ivey leads the team in takeaways with 19 steals, Loren Cristian Jackson is second (18), Tyler Cheese is third (14), and Daniel Utomi (10). In addition, players are sacrificing their bodies by taking charges as Jackson has taken 15, Cheese 13 and Channel Banks nine.
Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 9-7 overall and 1-2 in MAC play, picking up seven wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all nine games by a +22.6 margin and currently rank 53rd in the NCAA and third in the MAC with a +10.4 scoring margin. Taking it a step further, in six of Akron's setbacks, the Zips have only lost by a combined total of 20 points, falling by six points or less in each contest. Akron fell 72-69 to No. 16 Clemson, 73-68 to Illinois State, 68-65 to Purdue Fort Wayne, 75-74 to Marshall, 68-62 to No. 6 ranked Nevada and 88-86 to Central Michigan. However, the Zips fell 73-56 to Northern Illinois.
Another 1,000 Point Scorer?
As Jimond Ivey entered the 1,000 point club, teammate Daniel Utomi is close to becoming the 45th member. Utomi is leading the Zips' scoring efforts with 15.3 points per game and 244 points scored this season and is 78 points shy of the 1,000 mark. The Junior wing led last year's squad with 16.7 points per game and 535 total points. As a freshman he notched 143 points for an 922 career total. In addition, Utomi is ranked in the NCAA's Top 100 players in three categories. He is 39th overall in 3-point FG attempts (132), 47th overall in 3-point FG made (49), and 45th (2nd MAC) in 3-point FG per game (3.06), and 112th in 3-point FG percentage (37.1).
Ivey Passes 1,000 Career Points
Senior guard Jimond Ivey reached the 1,000-point career milestone against Tennessee State with an old-fashioned 3-point play. He became the 44th member of the Zips' 1,000 point club after scoring 19 points to finish with 1,013 points in 111 games. In 2018-19, Ivey has scored 221 points, averaging 13.8 points per game as Akron's second leading scorer. Over his four-year playing career at Akron, Ivey averages 9.4 points per game. He appeared in 116 total games with 77 starting appearances and 1,089 total points. Last season, Ivey set Akron's single-game scoring record with a 48-point performance on the road at Ball State (1/27/18).
Raising the Bar
Loren Cristian Jackson didn't show any signs of rust as the sophomore transfer from Long Beach State has scored double-digits in 9-of-16 games which includes a career-high (26), three 20-plus point performances and three consecutive game efforts . He continues to raise the bar, setting and resetting career-highs in points. He set a new personal best by scoring 25 points against No. 16 Clemson and broke his personal record against Marshall with 26 points on a career-high 9-of-18 (.500) shooting from the floor with an exceptional 5-of-8 (.625) showing from downtown. He followed with a 23-point performance against Tennessee State and started the three-straight performances with a 12-point showing at Purdue Fort Wayne. He scored 12 points in two league games this season (CMU and WMU).
Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese set a career-high scoring mark against Alabama State with 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown and a 7-of-9 effort from the floor. He added a career best five assists. Cheese has scored in double figures 6-of-16 games with 14 points against Marshall, 13 points against Youngstown State and Clemson, 12 points against Carnegie Mellon, and 16 points at CMU. Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring with 9.1 points per game.
Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks has scored in double digits 6-of-15 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 8.9 points per game. He is shooting 36.5 percent (27-of-74) from long distance. Those 27 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (49) and Loren Cristian Jackson (34) leads the way. Banks led the squad in scoring with 15 points (Cedarville) and 17 points (Chicago State), while adding a 10-point performances against Alabama State and Detroit Mercy. He has scored double figures the last 2-of-5 times out, 11 against No. 6 Nevada and 13 against Carnegie Mellon.
From Down Under
Junior transfer Deng Riak missed 3-consecutive games with a shoulder injury, but is back and leading the Zips defensive efforts. The defensive floor general leads the team lead in blocked shots (10). He is third on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.0 boards per game (65), sixth in scoring with 5.9 points per contest and has nine assists and five steals. Riak scored 77 points on 44.1 percent shooting from the field. He is 3-of-9 from deep (.333).
UP NEXT
Akron will be on the road, traveling to Oxford, Ohio to play the Miami Redhawks on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. The game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN3 and Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Â
