Akron Travels to Oxford for MAC East Showdown with Miami

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Akron Zips (10-7, 2-2) vs. Miami (8-9, 0-4)
Saturday, Jan. 19 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 3:30 PM • ESPN3

Miami Head Coach
Jack Owens (Eastern Illinois '00)
Overall: 14-27 (2nd season)
Record at Miami: 14-27 (2nd season)
MAC Record: 8-14 (2nd season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 204-156 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 24-25 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 8-14 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 42-44 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Miami Leads: 31-29 - Groce vs. Miami 0-2 (6-5 Overall)
Last Meeting: RedHawks 64 , Akron 62 at James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 24, 2018
First Meeting: Miami 45, Akron 14 in Oxford on Feb. 20, 1915
In Akron: 17-9, Neutral: 2-1, In Oxford: 10-21

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Steve Baker (PxP), Randy Hollowell (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 snap Miami's three-game winning streak over the Zips
• A win would give Akron their first true road win (0-4)
• Akron Ranks in the NCAA Top 60 in 10 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 16th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 62.1 points per game
• Akron is ranked 11th in 3-point FGs attempted (500), 33rd in 3-point FGs made (163), 38th in 3pt/game (9.6), 38th in TO/game (11.5), 44th in 3-point FG% Defense (30.5), 56th in fewest TO (195), 58th in TO margin (2.8), 59th in scoring margin (+9.9) and 60th in FG% Defense (40.7)

What's Ahead
Akron men's basketball continues the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play on the road against the Miami RedHawks on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3:30 p.m. The Zips look to snap the RedHawks three-game winning streak in the series, while Miami strives to earn their first league win. The game 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.

The Broadcasts
The Zips' game is scheduled to air on ESPN3 as Steve Baker will call the action and Randy Hollowell 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 RedHawks
Miami enters the contest with an 8-9 overall record and 0-4 in MAC play. The RedHawks are still looking for their first league win this season and stand at 6-2 (0-2 MAC) at home, 1-5 (0-2 MAC) on the road and 1-2 in neutral site games. Miami fell to Central Michigan (84-77), Northern Illinois (83-70), Buffalo (88-64), and Toledo (71-59).

Miami has seven players that average over 6.5 points per game with 10 or more made 3-point field goals. Two players scoring in double figures as Nike Sibande leads the way with 16.9 points per game. He is shooting 41.1 percent from the floor with 92 made field goals on 224 attempts. More than half of Sibande's attempts are from long distance (129) as he buried a team-high 45 made 3-pointers while shooting at a 34.9 percent clip. Sabande adds 22 assists and a second-best 10 blocked shots.

Dalonte Brown follows with 14.2 points per game and averages a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game (92 rebs). Brown has made 33 long-distance buckets while shooting 46.0 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from deep. Bam Bowman averages 8.8 points with 11 made 3-pointers on 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and 39.3 percent from deep. He owns a second best 4.9 rebounds per game (79 rebs).

Jalen Adaway and Mekhi Lairy contribute 7.3 and 7.0 points, respectively. Adaway has 10 made triples with a team-best 41.7 long-range shooting percentage while Mekhi buried 13 3-point field goals (.283) with 25 assists. Isaiah Coleman-Lands averages 6.8 points per game with 10 made 3-pointers. Darrian Ringo leads Miami with 82 assists and 42 steals while posting 6.6 points per with 11 made shots from beyond the 3-point arc.

Defensively, Miami limits its opponents to 72.0 points per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the floor and 33.8 percent from 3-point range, allowing 7.9 long distance strikes per night. The RedHawks caused 200 turnovers (11.8 to/g) with 90 steals (5.3 stl/g). Miami holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +3.6 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 563 total boards compared to the 624 total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Miami Series
Saturday's game marks the 61st meeting in series history between Akron and Miami, and 12th meeting for a Groce coached squad, third at Akron. Miami claimed a 31-29 series advantage after sweeping the season series last year with a pair of wins, starting with a 79-64 win at Millett Hall and a 64-62 win at James A. Rhodes Arena. Groce holds a 6-5 advantage over the RedHawks, but is 0-2 as a Zip. The RedHawks have won the last 3-straight meetings, while the Zips have won 13 of the last 21 games.

In 2016-17, the two teams split the season series with both squads winning on the road. Akron posted a 74-70 win in Oxford and, the RedHawks bounced back with a 79-75 victory at Rhodes Arena. The Zips' win marked the first win in Oxford since February 9, 2013. In 2015-16, Miami defeated Akron 77-64 at Millett Hall, and the Zips won 2015-16 series opener 75-46 in Akron.

Akron is 17-9 against the RedHawks in Akron, 10-21 on the road in the series, and 2-1 in neutral site competition. Akron and Miami have met four times in the MAC Tournament with the series tied at 2-2. The Zips are 2-1 in Cleveland against the RedHawks and dropped a first-round game in Oxford. the RedHawks won four of the last six games at Millett Hall.

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 102-50 in the regular season against the West Division (.671), including winners of 45 of the last 59 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 56-13 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.811). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 163-79 overall (.673), including a 101-20 mark in MAC play at home (.834). The Zips' 163 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 83 of their last 118 MAC games (.703).

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) 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.

Strong Defensive Stance
The Akron Zips have limited opponents to scoring 60 points or less in eight games, including five 50 points or under. The Zips allow only 62.1 points per game which ranks No. 16 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 40.7 shooting from the floor (61st) and 30.5 from long distance (44th). Akron has caused 243 turnovers (14.3 t/g) with 94 steals (5.5 stl/g). Loren Cristian Jackson leads the team in takeaways with 21 steals, Jimond Ivey is second (20), Tyler Cheese is third (17), and Daniel Utomi (10). In addition, players are sacrificing their bodies by taking charges as Jackson has taken 16, Cheese 14 and Channel Banks nine.

Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 10-7 overall and 2-2 in MAC play, picking up eight wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all 10 games by a +21.4 margin and currently rank 59th in the NCAA and third in the MAC with a +9.9 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. 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 15.1 points per game and 256 points scored this season and is 66 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 934 career total. In addition, Utomi is ranked in the NCAA's Top 100 players in three categories. He is 29th overall in 3-point FG attempts (138), 36th overall in 3-point FG made (52), and 46th (2nd MAC) in 3-point FG per game (3.06), and 106th in 3-point FG percentage (37.7).

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 233 points, averaging 13.7 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 117 total games with 77 starting appearances and 1,101 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 10-of-17 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 double figures in 3-of-the-last-4 games 12 points twice (CMU and WMU) and 10 points last time out (EMU).

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-17 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, 45 assists and 17 steals.

Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks has scored in double digits 6-of-16 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 8.4 points per game. He is shooting 36.0 percent (27-of-75) from long distance. Those 27 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (52) and Loren Cristian Jackson (36) 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 three 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 4.9 boards per game (68), sixth in scoring with 6.0 points per contest and has nine assists and five steals. Riak scored 84 points on 45.3 percent shooting from the field. He is 3-of-9 from deep (.333).

UP NEXT
Akron will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena for a two game homestand against Central Michigan and Northern Illinois. On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the Zips play host to the Chippewas at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Jan. 16, at 5 p.m., Akron will play the Huskies following a the Akron women's game. Both games are 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.

ZIPS LIVE
Zips LIVE, presented by Lee Hyder and Associates, is Akron's radio show airing live from the Spaghetti Warehouse (510 South Main Street) with men's basketball head coach John Groce and women's basketball head coach Melissa Jackson and host Bill Morgan. The weekly hour-long radio show covering Zips Athletics airs locally on Akron-IMG Sports Network flagship Fox Sports Radio 1350 AM (WARF). Podcasts are available on GoZips.com and iHeart Radio.

Zips Basketball Weekly with... John Groce
Zips Basketball Weekly with John Groce presented by Wentz Financial Group is Akron's weekly television show, airing Tuesday nights at 7 PM on SportsTime Ohio with head coach John Groce and host Joe Dunn. Watch replays on www.GoZips.com.

Akron Travels to Oxford for MAC East Showdown with Miami

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Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Jimond Ivey

Loren Cristian Jackson

Deng Riak

Daniel Utomi

The University of Akron Athletics