The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Western Michigan
Zips Open #MACtion at Home Against Western Michigan
January 04 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF) | ESPN3 | Live Stats | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron Zips (8-5, 0-0 MAC)Â vs. Western Michigan (6-7, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 5 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 2 PM • ESPN3
Western Michigan Head Coach
Steve Hawkins (South Alabama '87)
Overall Record: 413-337 (25th Season)
Record at WMU:276-226 (16th Season)
MAC Record: 150-107 (16th Season)
MAC Tournament: 17-12 (16th Season)
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 202-154 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 22-23 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 6-12 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 40-42 (at Ohio and Akron)
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 31-20 (7-2 MAC Tournament) - Groce vs. Western Michigan: 1-1 (4-3Â Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 79, Western Michigan,78 - March 5, 2018 at University Arena - First Round MAC Tournament - Kalamazoo, Mich.
First Meeting: Akron 79, Western Michigan 74 - March 5, 1988 in Kalamazoo, Mich.
In Akron: 16-7, Neutral: 5-2, In Kalamazoo: 10-11
Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)Â
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
• Akron is 18-8 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992
• The Zips are 11-3 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home in the last 14 seasons
• Akron lost all five games by six points or less. (18 points total)
• The Zips are ranked 17th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 61.4 points per game
• Akron is ranked 17th in 3-pointers/game (10.3), 27th in th NCAA for 3-point FGs attempted (383), 32nd in 3-point FGs made (134), 40th in scoring margin (+13.6), 42nd in FG percentage Defense (39.3), 52nd in fewest TO (153), 57th in TO/game (11.8) and 68th in TO margin (2.8)
What's Ahead
The Akron men's basketball opens the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena against Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. It is the second consecutive year the Zips and the Broncos kickoff league play while under the leadership of second-year head coach John Groce. Akron enters league play with an 8-5 overall mark and coming off an 82-55 win over Carnegie Mellon. Akron is 6-1 at Rhodes Arena, 0-2 on the road and 2-2 in neutral site games this season.Â
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.
Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan enters MAC play with a 6-7 overall record and snapped a three-game losing skid by defeating UC Riverside, 73-64, the last time out. The Broncos are 3-2 at home, 2-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site games this season. The Broncos and the Zips share two non-conference opponents in Detroit Mercy and Youngstown State as WMU defeated both opponents 89-76 and 88-77, respectively. The Zips also posted a pair of victories, 98-69 over YSU and 71-59 over Detroit Mercy.
WMU averages 74.0 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the floor (322-of-718) and 34.3 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (105-of-306), draining 8.1 triples a game. In addition, the Broncos shoot 69.8 percent from the free throw line (213-of-305) with 16.4 bonus buckets a night.Â
Western Michigan has three players averaging double figures in scoring led by Michael Flowers 16.2 points per game. He shoots 49.2 percent from the floor which includes a team-high 45.6 rate from long distance. Flowers has buried a team-best 26 triples on 57 attempts and leads the squad in assists (48). He is second in steals (8) and ranks third on the glass with 5.2 rebounds per game (67 total rebounds).Â
Seth Dugan and Josh Davis follow with 15.1 and 12.8 points per game, respectively. Dugan controls the paint, draining 54-percent of his close range shots and leads the team in rebounding (109 total rebounds or 8.4 per game) and blocked shots (14). Meanwhile, Davis adds an all-around scoring attack, connecting at a 47.4 clip from the floor with 54 made buckets and a 32.6 frequency from beyond the 3-point arc with 15 made 3-pointers. He grabs 7.1 rebounds per game (73 total rebounds) while collecting 22 assists and seven steals. In addition, Jared Printy adds a deep threat to the Broncos' offense with 25 made long-range shots and a 37.3 shooting percentage from deep with 7.7 points per game. Kawanise Wilkins contributes 8.2 points on average, while Patrick Emilien cleans up 3.8 rebounds per game (50 total rebounds).
Defensively, WMU limits its opponents to 72.2 points per game on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor and 35.2 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.2 long distance strikes per night. The Broncos caused 139 turnovers (10.7 to/g) with 55 steals (4.2 stl/g). Western Michigan holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +4.3 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 431 total boards compared to the 487 total rebounds secured.
The Akron-Western Michigan Series
Saturday's game marks the 52nd meeting in series history between Akron and Western Michigan with the Zips owning a 31-20 all-time series advantage. In addition, the Zips and the Broncos have met nine times in postseason history as Akron holds a 7-2 edge. Head coach John Groce is 4-3 all-time against the Broncos and 1-1 at Akron.
Akron has won seven of the last eight meetings and 19 of the last 23 games of the series. The Zips and the Broncos split last season's series (1-1) as the Broncos defeated Akron in the MAC opener 87-75 in Kalamazoo, ending the Zips five-year, six-game winning streak – Western Michigan's pervious win came during the 2014 MAC Tournament semifinals on March 14. WMU needed overtime to advance to the title game, defeating Akron 64-60 at Quicken Loans Arena.
In the second meeting of 2017-18, Akron pulled-off an improbable come-from-behind victory to advance in the 2018 MAC Tournament. In the first round of the MAC Tournament at University Arena, the No. 11 seeded Zips earned a 79-78 win over No. 6 seeded Broncos after trailing by 19 points. In 2016-17, Akron swept the season series, winning game one 66-59 at James A. Rhodes Arena and followed with a 90-80 win in Kalamazoo, Mich. In the 2015-16 season's lone meeting, Akron posted a 62-53 win over the Broncos at Rhodes Arena.
Akron is 7-2 in the MAC Tournament against WMU and 5-2 on a neutral court. In addition, the Zips are 10-11 in Kalamazoo, winning six of the last eight meetings at University Arena. In 2002, Akron opened the MAC Tournament in Kalamazoo and advanced to Cleveland after a 90-83 win as the 11th seed. The Zips are 2-0 in the MAC Tournament at University Arena and 6-6 all-time in opening round games.
The Last Meeting...
The No. 11 seed Akron Zips men's basketball team outlasted the No. 6 seed Western Michigan Broncos, 79-78, in a rollercoaster of an opening round Mid-American Conference Tournament game on Monday, March 6, at University Arena.
The Zips overcame an 18-0 start and 23-point first half deficit to advance to the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio at Quicken Loans Arena. Western Michigan (17-15, 9-9 MAC) flew out of the gates, knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers for a 9-0 run and forcing Akron (14-18, 6-12 MAC) to spend an early timeout. When play resumed, the Broncos tacked-on one more triple to take a 12-0 advantage into the first media timeout. The Broncos opened the game with seven shots all from behind the arc and made four.
Akron's eight-minute scoring drought ended with a baseline drive and finish by Daniel Utomi at 11:54. The Zips didn't score again until the 10:36 mark, making the score 21-4 WMU. Western Michigan kept their foot on the gas, rattling-off six more unanswered points to take their largest lead of the game at 23-points, 27-4, at the under-8 media break.
From there the momentum dramatically switched sides as Utomi buried a trifecta that sparked a 17-0 run in the Zips' favor. Akron stepped up the defensive effort during the onslaught, collecting three consecutive steals that led to breakaway layups. Akron continued to push the pace by crashing the glass and causing turnovers. Two more steals led to six quick points as the Zips connected with a pair of 3-pointers to cut the deficit to six points, 27-21. At halftime, Akron trailed 35-31.
In the second half, Akron immediately cut the WMU advantage to one-point on a Utomi 3-pointer, and a second 3-pointer by Utomi kept the score at one, 42-41 WMU. After a missed shot, Utomi drove the baseline to give Akron their first lead 43-42 at the 16:23 mark. The Zips increased the lead to 48-45 by 15:01, outscoring the Broncos 17-10 in the first five minutes.
The Zips pushed the lead to as many as 12 points, 66-54, after a Utomi three, but immediately following Jimond Ivey was whistled for his fifth foul with 6:16 remaining in the game. Akron held on to the lead until the closing minutes.Â
The Broncos battled back with one last desperate push, and regained the lead, 78-77, with 6.4 seconds left. The 8-0 run started with three consecutive free throws from Reggie Jones. WMU's Thomas Wilder stole the ensuing pass and ran it out for a layin with less than 16.6 seconds remaining. Bryce Moore kissed a 3-ball off the window to give Western Michigan a 78-77 lead with 6.4 seconds showing on the clock.
Cotton flew up the court for Akron with his sights on getting to the rim and was fouled during his pursuit. Cotton knocked down both free throws to give Akron their final lead 79-78.
Utomi led Akron's scoring with 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a 6-of-9 effort from downtown. Cotton followed for the Zips with 21 points. Wilder led the Broncos with 21 points.
Akron Starting MAC Play
For the second consecutive season, Akron and Western Michigan open MAC play. Akron is 18-8 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Over the last 13 seasons, the Zips are 11-3 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home. Akron has won the last 7-of-8 MAC openers.
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 100-48 in the regular season against the West Division (.676), including winners of 43 of the last 55 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.
Akron is 54-13 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.806). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 161-77 overall (.676), including a 99-20 mark in MAC play at home (.831). The Zips' 161 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 81 of their last 114 MAC games (.711).
Akron is 29-18 all-time in the MAC Tournament, going 22-7in 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 61.4 points per game which ranks No. 17 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 39.3 shooting from the floor (42nd) and 31.5 from long distance (92nd). Akron has caused 189 turnovers (14.5 t/g) with 68 steals (5.8 stl/g). Jimond Ivey and Tyler Cheese lead the team in takeaways with 14 steals each. Cheese has drawn 12 offensive charge fouls. In addition, Loren Cristian Jackson leads the team in offensive charges taken with 14 to go along with a third-best 12 steals.Â
Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 8-5 overall, picking up six wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all eight games by a +24.4 margin and currently rank 40th in the NCAA and third in the MAC with a +13.6 scoring margin. Taking it a step further, in Akron's five setbacks, the Zips have only lost by a combined total of 18 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 and 68-62 to No. 6 ranked Nevada. In addition, the Zips have not allowed an opponent to score more than 75 points this season.
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 16.2 points per game and 211 points scored this season and is 111 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 867 career total. In addition, Utomi in the NCAA's Top 42 players in three categories. He is 33rd in 3-point FG per game (3.23) and 42nd overall two categories, 3-point FG made (42) and 3-point FG attempts (107).
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 171 points, averaging 13.2 points per game as Akron's third leading scorer. Over his four-year playing career at Akron, Ivey averages 9.2 points per game. He appeared in 113 total games with 74 starting appearances and 1,039 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 7-of-13 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.Â
Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) 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 5-of-12 games with 14 points against Marshall, 13 points against Youngstown State and Clemson and 12 points against Carnegie Mellon. Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring with 9.2 points per game.
Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) has scored in double digits 6-of-12 games this season and is currently fourth on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game. He is shooting 39.0 percent (23-of-59) from long distance. Those 23 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (42) and Loren Cristian Jackson (31) 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 two times out, 11 against No. 6 Nevada and 13 against Carnegie Mellon.
From Down Under
Junior transfer Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia) missed 3-consecutive games with a shoulder injury, but is back and has made four appearances since. Riak is third on the team in rebounds, averaging 4.6 boards per game (46), fifth in scoring with 6.5 points per contest. Riak is tied (with Utomi) for the team lead in blocked shots (7) and has seven assists and five steals. Riak averages 6.5 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting.
UP NEXT
The Zips continue league play on the road, traveling to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to play Central Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. The second league contest of the season 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.
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.Â
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.
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