Akron Hosts Second Round Matchup Against Northern Illinois

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Akron Zips (11-8 3-3) vs. Northern Illinois (11-8, 4-2)
Saturday, Jan. 26 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 5 PM • ESPN+

Northern Illinois Head Coach
Mark Montgomery (Michigan State)
Overall Record: 99-141 (8th Season)
Record at NIU: 99-141 (8th Season)
MAC Record: 48-80 (8th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 205-157 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 25-26 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 9-15 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 43-45 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 25-12 - Groce vs. NIU 1-1 (5-1 Overall)
Last Meeting: Huskies 73, Akron 56 at NIU Convocation Center on Jan. 12, 2019
First Meeting: Akron 75, Northern Illinois 68 in DeKalb on Jan. 23, 1988
In Akron:16-2, Neutral: 0-0, In DeKalb: 9-10

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 record to 10-1 at the JAR, 4-0 in league play at home
• Akron Ranks in the NCAA Top 65 in 10 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 17th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 62.7 points per game
• Akron is ranked 15th in 3-point FGs attempted (553), 30th in TO/game (11.4), 41st in fewest TO (216), 54th in FG% Defense (40.7), 55th in 3pt/game (9.2), 55th in TO margin (2.6), 59th in 3-point FGs made (174), 63rd in scoring margin (+8.6), 65th in 3-point FG% Defense (31.5) and 86th in Personal Fouls per game (17.1)

What's Ahead
The Akron men's team basketball continues the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena when the Zips host Northern Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. The two teams played 14 days ago in Dekalb, Ill. where the Huskies protected home court, 73-56. NIU is coming off a 77-75 win over No. 14 ranked Buffalo, and the Zips enter the game after defeating CMU, 70-67. 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.

Scouting the Huskies
Northern Illinois enters the contest after knocking off the No. 14 ranked Buffalo Bulls 77-75 earlier this week in DeKalb. With the win, the Huskies snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 11-8 overall and 4-2 in MAC play.

NIU opened league play with three-straight wins over Ohio (72-66, OT), Miami (83-70) and Akron (73-56) before dropping two league contests to Central Michigan (78-69) and Kent State (78-68).

Northern Illinois is 7-2 (2-1 MAC) at home, 3-5 (2-1 MAC) on the road, and 1-1 in neutral site games. NIU averages 77.9 points per game on 49.9 percent shooting from the floor (561-of-1,124) and 37.1 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (135-of-364), draining 7.1 triples a game. In addition, the Huskies shoot 70.4 percent from the free throw line (224-of-318) with 11.8 per game.

NIU has three players scoring in double figures and one player just shy of 10 points per game. Eugene German leads the Huskies with 20.6 points per game. German shoots 51.4 percent from the field with a team-high 126 made field goals which includes a 50-of-115 (.435) effort from long distance. He also leads the squad in steals (17) and assists (49) while ranking third in rebounds (85, 5.0 rbd/g).

Levi Bradley and Donte Thorpe follow with 15.4 and 13.4 points per game. Bradley connects with 52.1 percent of his shots from the field (110-of-211) with a second-best 21 made triples (.429). He is second on the glass, grabbing 5.8 boards a game (110 rebounds) while adding 27 assists and 11 steals. Thorpe shoots 54.9 percent from the floor (95-of-173) with 14 made 3-pointers (.368). He is the team leader in assists (49) and has 52 rebounds and 16 steals.

In addition, Lacey James controls the paint for the Huskies, leading the squad in rebounds with 133 or 7.0 per game and blocked shots with 13 denials. He contributes 8.7 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting. Rod Henry-Hayes has buried 15 long-range buckets for a 34.9 percentage.

Defensively, NIU limits its opponents to 72.5 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range, allowing 9.4 long distance strikes per night. The Huskies caused 235 turnovers (12.4 to/g) with 97 steals (5.1 stl/g). Northern Illinois holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +4.7 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 592 (31.2) total boards compared to the 681 (35.8) total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Northern Illinois Series
Saturday's game marks the 38th meeting in series history between Akron and NIU, and 7th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 25-12 series advantage while Groce is 1-1 at Akron and 5-1 against the Huskies all-time.

The Zips have won eight of the last 11 games, but fell 73-56 in DeKalb 14 days ago. Akron won last season's lone matchup, 82-67, at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron on Jan. 20. In 2016-17, The Zips won 76-73, at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb on Jan. 31. Akron and the Huskies split the 2015-16 season's series, winning at Rhodes Arena on Jan. 26, 76-66, but falling at NIU Convocation Center on Feb. 13, 80-79.

Akron is 16-2 all-time against the Huskies at Rhodes Arena. However, NIU holds a 10-9 overall record in DeKalb. The Huskies have won six of the last nine meetings at the NIU Convocation Center.

The Last Meeting...
The Northern Illinois Huskies rallied in the second half to defeat the Akron Zips 73-56 at the NIU Convocation Center on Saturday. Akron (9-7, 2-1 MAC) controlled the first half of the game and was led in scoring by Juniors Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) and Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) with nine points each.

Senior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) added an eight-point effort, while junior Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia), junior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.), sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), sophomore Jeremy Roscoe (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio) all notched six points.

Game started back-and-forth as both teams recorded nine points by the first media stoppage at 14:56. NIU attempted to make separation on the scoreboard with a 5-0 run, but the Zips answered with a run of their own. Utomi initiated a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws and drive to the basket while Ivey added a long-distance shot for a 19-17 advantage for Akron. Moments later, NIU scored in the paint, but Akron scored nine more unanswered points.

Banks started the second scoring burst with a triple from the corner and Jackson added a pair of free throws and a layin. Ivey kept the run going with a dribble-drive down the lane, lifting Akron to a 28-19 lead with 4:56 left to play in the half. Utomi capped the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play before NIU touched the bottom of the net again. The Huskies ended the half with a 6-3 run, but Akron took a nine-point, 34-25 advantage in to the locker room.

The Zips limited the home team to just 9-of-23 (.391) shooting from the field and 2-of-11 (.182) from deep while causing nine turnovers. Akron also held a 15-14 edge on the glass.

The second half was much different as two quick layups by Eugene German set the tone for the second half. Northern Illinois (10-6, 3-0 MAC) used a 27-5 run that lasted 10:25 to take over the scoreboard and the game. By the 7:58 mark, the Huskies established a 54-44 advantage and continued to shoot the basketball lights out in the final stanza. NIU couldn't miss, shooting a stifling 21-of-30 (.700) from the floor which included a 5-of-10 effort from long distance. German led the Huskies with 27 points and Lacey James contributed 10 points.

The Zips only connected with 5-of-25 (.200) shots from the floor and 3-of-16 (.188) of those shots came from beyond the 3-point arc. Both teams had 10 turnovers and the Huskies won the battle of the boards 34-26.

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 103-50 in the regular season against the West Division (.673), including winners of 46 of the last 60 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 57-13 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.814). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 164-80 overall (.672), including a 102-20 mark in MAC play at home (.836). The Zips' 164 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 84 of their last 120 MAC games (.700).

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 62.7 points per game which ranks No. 17 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 40.7 shooting from the floor (54th) and 31.5 from long distance (65th). Akron has caused 266 turnovers (14.0 t/g) with 105 steals (5.5 stl/g). Loren Cristian Jackson leads the team in takeaways with 24 steals, Jimond Ivey is second (21), Tyler Cheese is third (19), Daniel Utomi (12), Channel Banks (11). In addition, players are sacrificing their bodies by taking charges as Jackson has taken 19, Cheese 16 and Channel Banks 10.

Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 11-8 overall and 3-3 in MAC play, picking up nine wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all 11 games by a +19.4 margin and currently rank 63rd in the NCAA and fifth in the MAC with a +8.6 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. Zips fell 73-56 @NIU and 68-61 @ Miami.

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 14.1 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 36th (1st MAC) overall in 3-point FG attempts (153), 68th (3rd MAC) overall in 3-point FG made (53), and 77th (4th MAC) in 3-point FG per game (2.79) and 126th (5th MAC) in 3-point FG percentage (34.6).

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 260 points, averaging 13.7 points per game as Akron's second leading scorer. Over his four-year playing career at Akron, Ivey averages 9.5 points per game. He appeared in 119 total games with 79 starting appearances and 1,128 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 12-of-19 games, including three straight. He notched a career-high 26 and three 20-plus point performances, Marshall (26), Clemson (25) and Tennessee State (23). 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 scored double figures in 5-of-the-last-6 games 13 points against Miami, 12 points three times (WMU, CMU and @CMU) and 10 points last time out (EMU).

Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese had a career game against Central Michigan with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was his first career double-double. Cheese has scored in double figures in 8-of-19 games CMU (20), Alabama State (19), @Miami (17), @CMU (16), Marshall (14), vs.Youngstown State (13), vs.Clemson (13) and Carnegie Mellon (12). Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring (10.1 ppg) with 48 assists and 19 steals.

Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks has scored in double digits 6-of-18 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game. He is shooting a team-best 36.3 percent (29-of-80) from long distance. Those 29 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (53) and Loren Cristian Jackson (40) leads the way. Banks led the squad in scoring with 15 points (Cedarville) and 17 points (Chicago State), while adding 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 (14). He is third on the team in rebounds, averaging 5.2 boards per game (83), sixth in scoring with 5.9 points per contest and has nine assists and five steals. Riak scored 94 points on 43.4 percent shooting from the field. He is 3-of-13 from deep.

The Broadcasts
The Zips' game is scheduled to air on ESPN3 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.

UP NEXT
After a mid-week bye, Akron will be traveling to Athens, Ohio to play the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 3:30 p.m. at the OU Convocation Center. 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.

Akron Hosts Second Round Matchup Against Northern Illinois

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Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Jimond Ivey

Loren Cristian Jackson

Deng Riak

Jeremy Roscoe

Jaden Sayles

Daniel Utomi

The University of Akron Athletics