Zips Ready for Rematch against Central Michigan on Tuesday

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Akron Zips (10-8 2-3) vs. Central Michigan (14-4, 3-2)
Tuesday, Jan. 22 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 7 PM • ESPN+

Central Michigan Head Coach
Keno Davis (Iowa, 1995)
Career Record: 186-156 (11th season)
Record at CMU: 112-101 (7th season)
MAC Record: 45-66 (7th season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 204-157 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 24-26 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 8-15 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 42-45 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 33-15 - Groce vs. Central Michigan: 1-1 (4-3 Overall)
Last Meeting: Central Michigan 88, Akron 86 (OT) - Jan. 8, 2019 at McGuirk Arena
First Meeting: Akron 29, Central Michigan 23 - 1938-39 season in Akron
In Akron:19-5, Neutral: 1-0, In Mount Pleasant: 13-10

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – 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 record to 9-1 at the JAR
• A win would preserve Akron's unblemished conference record at home (3-0)
• Akron Ranks in the NCAA Top 60 in 10 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 16th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 62.4 points per game
• Akron is ranked 19th in 3-point FGs attempted (526), 62nd in 3-point FGs made (169), 43rd in 3pt/game (9.4), 30th in TO/game (11.3), 49th in 3-point FG% Defense (31.0), 26th in fewest TO (203), 48th in TO margin (2.9), 61st in scoring margin (+8.9) and 64th in FG% Defense (40.9)

What's Ahead
Akron men's basketball continues the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play with the first of two home games this week against the Central Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. The Zips look avenge the overtime road loss to the Chippewas earlier this season, 88-86 (OT). The game 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.

Scouting the Chippewas
Central Michigan enters the contest with a 14-4 overall record and 3-2 in MAC play. The Chippewas defeated Akron in overtime earlier this season at McGuirk Arena (88-86) and is coming off an 83-72 home loss to Ball State. The Chippewas also picked up league wins against Miami (84-77) and Northern Illinois (78-69) while falling to Bowling Green in overtime (97-87). In addition, CMU played Youngstown State and eventually won 100-94 after three overtime periods. Central Michigan is 8-2 (1-2 MAC) at home, 4-1 (2-0 MAC) on the road, and 2-1 in neutral site games. CMU averages a MAC-best 86.3 points per game on 47.3 percent shooting from the floor (531-of-1122) and 35.6 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (154-of-432), draining 8.6 triples a game. In addition, the Chippewas shoot 65.3 percent from the free throw line (337-of-516) with 18.7 bonus buckets a night.

CMU has five players scoring in double figures led by Larry Austin with 17.5 points per game. Austin shoots 51.5 percent from the field with a team-high 122 made field goals. He also leads the squad in, assists (104),and steals (43).

Shawn Roundtree follows with 16.0 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the floor (82-of-180) with 29 made 3-pointers. Roundtree is second in assists with 56 helpers. He has 22 steals. In addition, Dallas Morgan (7.0 ppg) and Matt Beachler (5.4 ppg) have also drained 29 and 23 long-distance buckets, respectively.

Kevin McKay adds 12.4 points per game, shooting 56.3 percent from floor and 30.0 percent from downtown. McKay has buried a second-best 85 field goals and paces the Chippewas on the glass with 128 rebounds (7.1 rebs/g) while adding 31 steals and 18 blocked shots.

He leads the squad from beyond the 3-point arc (64) and on the glass (178) while adding 34 assists and 24 steals. Teammates Kevin McKay and Luke Meyer contribute 9.9 and 9.7 points per game, respectively.

DiLeo leads the team from behind the 3-point arc, connecting with 50-of-118 shots from deep with a 42.4 shooting percentage. He has grabbed 94 rebounds and adds 17 assists, 14 steals, and seven blocked shots. Rounding out the double-digit scoring is Rob Montgomery with 10.9 points per game with a team-best 22 blocked shots.

Defensively, CMU limits its opponents to 74.3 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting from the floor and 30.8 percent from 3-point range, allowing only 7.1 long distance strikes per night. The Chippewas caused 238 turnovers (17.0 to/g) with 127 steals (9.1 stl/g). Central Michigan holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +2.7 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 517 total boards compared to the 555 total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Central Michigan Series
Tuesday's game marks the 49th meeting in series history between Akron and Central Michigan, and eighth meeting for a Groce coached squad, third at Akron. The Zips hold an all-time 33-15 series advantage while Groce is 4-3 overall.

The Zips have won 18 of the last 21 meetings as Akron fell in overtime 88-86 at McGuirk Arena earlier this season, but claimed last season's sole meeting 69-63 at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Zips have won three of the last four games against the Chippewas, dating back to the 2015-16 season. Central Michigan's previous win came on January 12, 2016 at McGuirk Arena (92-81). Later that season (Feb. 5), the Zips won 92-87 at home. In addition, Akron posted an 89-85 win at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 10, 2017. UA is 19-5 at Rhodes Arena, 13-10 at McGuirk Arena and 1-0 in neutral site games against CMU.

Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 49-28 mark (.636) in the last 77 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 163-80 overall (.670), 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 119 MAC games (.697).

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 games of 50 points or under. The Zips allow only 62.4 points per game which ranks No. 16 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 40.9 shooting from the floor (64th) and 31.0 from long distance (49th). Akron has caused 255 turnovers (14.2 t/g) with 100 steals (5.6 stl/g). Loren Cristian Jackson leads the team in takeaways with 22 steals, Jimond Ivey is second (21), Tyler Cheese is third (18), Daniel Utomi (11), Channel Banks (10). In addition, players are sacrificing their bodies by taking charges as Jackson has taken 17, Cheese 15 and Channel Banks nine.

Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 10-8 overall and 2-3 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 61st in the NCAA and third in the MAC with a +8.9 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.

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 14.8 points per game and 267 points scored this season and is 55 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 945 career total. In addition, Utomi is ranked in the NCAA's Top 100 players in three categories. He is 46th overall in 3-point FG attempts (142), 57th overall in 3-point FG made (53), and 55th (2nd MAC) in 3-point FG per game (2.94), and 117th in 3-point FG percentage (36.3).

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 245 points, averaging 13.6 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 118 total games with 78 starting appearances and 1,113 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 11-of-18 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 4-of-the-last-5 games 13 points against Miami, 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 7-of-18 games with 14 points against Marshall, 13 points against Youngstown State and Clemson, 12 points against Carnegie Mellon, 16 points at CMU nad 17 points at Miami. Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring (9.1 ppg) with 45 assists and 17 steals.

Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks has scored in double digits 6-of-17 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game. He is shooting 35.5 percent (27-of-76) from long distance. Those 27 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (53) and Loren Cristian Jackson (39) 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. The last time he scored double figures was against No. 6 Nevada (11) and Carnegie Mellon (13).

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 (11). He is third on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.9 boards per game (73), sixth in scoring with 5.9 points per contest and has nine assists and five steals. Riak scored 88 points on 44.3 percent shooting from the field. He is 3-of-11 from deep (.273).

UP NEXT
Akron will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 26, at 5 p.m. Akron will play the Huskies following 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.

The University of Akron Athletics

Zips Ready for Rematch against Central Michigan on Tuesday

Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Jimond Ivey

Loren Cristian Jackson

Deng Riak

Daniel Utomi

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