The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Massachusetts
Akron Set for Final Game of the Calendar Year Against UMass on Monday
December 29 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (9-3) vs UMass (6-6)
Monday, Dec. 30 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 7 PM
UMASS Head Coach
Matt McCall (Florida '04)
Overall Record: 78-65 (5th Season)
Record at UMass: 30-47 (3rd Season)
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 220-168 (12th Season)
Record at Akron: 40-37 (3rd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 14-22 (3rd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 48-52 (at Ohio and Akron)
All-Time Series
UMass Leads: 1-0 - Groce vs UMass: 0-0 (First Meeting)
Last Meeting: UMass 68, Akron 63 - NIT postseason, March 22, 2008 in Amherst, Mass.
Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)
Live Stats:Â (GoZips.com/Schedule) - Live Stats
Radio: Akron Sports Network - Steve French (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst), WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
What's Ahead
After a nine-day winter break, Akron returns to action on Monday, Dec. 30 at James A. Rhodes Arena against UMass. The final game of the calendar year scheduled for 7 p.m. and is scheduled to be broadcasted on ESPN3 and can be heard on at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/AkronZips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats. The Zips are riding a nine-game home winning streak, dating back to the 2018-19 season. Akron owns a 7-0 record at home this season and is 1-1 at neutral sites and 1-2 on the road.
Scouting the Minutemen
Massachusetts owns a 6-6 overall record with 5-2 home, 1-2 away and 0-2 neutral site marks. The Minutemen average 70.6 points per outing on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor and a 36.3 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 8.8 triples a game.
UMass has four players averaging double-digits in scoring, led by T.J. Weeks with 14.7 points per night. Weeks leads the squad in 3-point field goal percentage (.485), knocking down a second best 32 trifectas (32-of-66). He also leads the team in steals (18). Weeks shoots 42.2 percent from the field (46-of-109).
Tre Mitchell follows with 14.2 points per outing while controlling the painted area for the Minutemen. Mitchell owns a team-highs in rebounds (76 tot, 6.3 rebs/g) and blocked shots (13). He shoots 47.5 percent from the field (66-of-139), 61.4 percent from the free throw line (27-of-44) and 26.8 percent from downtown (11-of-41).
Carl Pierre and Sean East round out the double-figure scoring with 13.2 and 10.4 points, respectively. Pierre owns the team high in made 3-point field goals (34) with a 38.2 shooting percentage from deep, while East dishes out a team-best 61 assists.
Defensively, UMass allows its opponents to score 69.8 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting from the floor and 30.1 percent from 3-point range, allowing 5.3 long distance strikes per night. The Flames have caused 162 turnovers (12.5 to/g) with 68 steals (5.2 stl/g). Massachusetts is outrebounded by the opponent by a -5.2 margin, allowing the opponent to grab 442 total boards (36.8 rebs/g) compared to the 380 total rebounds secured by the Minutemen (31.7 rebs/g).
The Akron-UMass Series
Monday's game marks the second meeting all-time in series history. The first meeting was on March 22, 2008 as Akron advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Akron defeated Florida State in opening round action (65-60) in Tallahassee, Fla. before departing to Amherst, Mass. to play Massachusetts. The Minutemen earned the 68-63 win to advance in the NIT. It is the first meeting for a coach Groce led squad against UMass.
2020 Vision
The Zips have seen eight 20-point scoring performances this season, including 28-point and 25-point performances from Loren Cristian Jackson and Xeyrius Williams. Jackson posted a season-high (28) against Marshall and scored 20 against Louisville, while Williams was the first to record 20 points against WVU and added the 25-point effort at Marshall. Tyler Cheese owns four 20-plus point performances against N.C. Central (20), at No.2 Louisville (20), Merrimack (20) and Southern (21). In addition, the Zips have three 19-point efforts by Williams (N.C. Central), Cheese (YSU) and Jackson (YSU).
Defending the JAR
Akron is 7-0 at James A. Rhodes Arena and is riding an nine-game home court winning streak, dating back to the 2018-19 season. Last year, Akron posted a 91-67 win over Bowling Green on senior night and hosted the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, defeating No. 9 Miami 80-51. This season Akron has seven wins at the JAR over Malone (81-64), NC Central (57-47), USC Upstate (76-45), Youngstown State (82-60), Merrimack (64-47), Southern (72-57) and Concord (100-50).
The Zips only allow opponents to score 52.9 points per game at home on 32.5 percent shooting from the field (144-of-443) and 19.8 percent from deep (25-of-126). Akron has allowed 370 total points in seven games – 64 points was the most for the opposition at Rhodes Arena this season. In fact, Akron has held six teams to 60 points or less, including four teams to 50 or less.
Zips Scoring in Bunches
The Zips have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Loren Cristian Jackson with 14.8 points per game followed by Xeyrius Williams (14.6), Tyler Cheese (14.1) and Channel Banks (12.3). Over the first 12 games, the Akron Zips have seen at least three players score in double digits in every game. Akron had five double-figure scorers against Malone (Williams 17, Banks 15, Cheese 15, Reece 13 and Jackson 12) ... four against West Virginia (Williams 20, Banks 16, Jackson 16 and Cheese 15), YSU (Cheese 19, Jackson 19, Banks 12 and Reece 10), Southern (Cheese 21, Williams 15, Banks 14, and Reece 11), Concord (Banks 19, Sayles 16, Williams 12 AND Tribble 11) and Liberty (Banks 17, Jackson 17, Williams 15 and Cheese 12).
Getting Votes
Akron is receiving votes for The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, now in its 21st season of existence. The Zips received 17 votes which places Akron 36th overall among teams from the America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast and Western Athletic.
In addition, the Zips debuted at No. 63 in the first NCAA NET Rankings and now stands 70th overall. Statistically, Akron ranks in the NCAA Top 100 in 12 statistical categories, including 7th 3PT FG Defense (25.8), 25th D-REB/g (29.33), 37th 3PT FG/g (9.5), 43rd Free-Throw % (75.2), 48th FG% Defense (38.7), 49th Scoring Margin (12.2), 51st Total 3PT FGM (114), 57th Total Reb./g (39.75), 58th in win-loss percentage, 59th 3PT FG % (36.3), 62nd Scoring Defense (63.3), 76th FT Made (188) and 78th 3PT FG attempts (314).
Williams Named MAC East Player of the Week
Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference Eastern Division Co-Player of the Week, sharing the honor with Ohio's Jason Preston (12/9/19). Williams led the Zips to a pair of wins last week, averaging 20 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocked shots and 1.0 steals per game. He connected with 44.1 percent of his shots from the field (15-of-34) which included a 50 percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc (8-of-16). For the week, he scored 40 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots and had two steals. Against Marshall, Williams posted his second double-double of the season with 25 points and 14 rebounds, both career-highs. He added a blocked shot and a steal en route to the Zips 85-73 triumph. Against Southern, Williams tallied 15 points with five boards, a blocked shot and a steal for Akron to remain unbeaten at home, 72-57.
Are You Xeyrius?
Senior Xeyrius Williams impacts both sides of the floor for the Zips, nearly averaging a double-double with 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per night. He owns team-highs in rebounds (117) and blocked shots (19). Williams is shooting 87.5 percent from the free throw line (21-of-24). Williams ranks among the league's best in five categories including rebounding (2nd, 9.8), defensive rebounds (2nd, 8.1), blocked shots (3rd, 1.6), free throw percentage (4th, .875) and scoring (11th, 14.6). Among the NCAA, Williams ranks 8th in defensive rebounds per game, 33rd rebounds per game, 40th total rebounds, 75th blocked shots per game, 81st total blocks and 61st double-doubles (3). He has scored with double figures nine times this season, including a career-high 25 points against Marshall – Others: vs WVU (20), vs Malone (17), vs NC Central (19), vs Merrimack (14), vs Southern (15), vs Concord (12), vs Tulane (16) and vs Liberty (15). He has four double-doubles this season.
Pass the Cheese
Senior Tyler Cheese ranks third in scoring for the Zips, averaging 14.1 points per game. He registered double-digit points in 9-of-12 games with a season high of 21 points. He posted 20 points three times – NC Central, No.2 Louisville and Merrimack and also scored 15 twice (Malone and WVU) and 19 (YSU). Cheese is fourth on the squad in 3-pointers made (19) and is shooting at a 37.3 percent clip from deep (19-of-51). He stands 16th in league scoring (14.1), 6th in free throw percentage (.792, 42-of-53) and 12th assists (3.1) and assists/turnover ratio (1.03).
Like Money in the Bank$
Senior Channel Banks ranks fourth in scoring for the Zips with 12.3 points per game. He is shooting a team-high 48.7 percent from deep and owns a team-best 38 made 3-pointers (38-of-78). His 3.2 made 3-pointers per game ranks 2nd best in the MAC. Banks scored in double figures in 9-of-12 games, vs Malone (15), @ WVU (16), vs YSU (12), @ No.2 Louisville (18), vs Merrimack (11), Southern (14), Concord (19 – season and career high), Tulane (14) and Liberty (17). Beyond the arc in the NCAA, Banks ranks 9th 3-point FG percentage, 24th 3-point FG per game and 29th total 3-pointers made.
Action Jackson
Junior Loren Cristian Jackson ranks first in scoring for Akron with 14.8 points per game. He scored double-digit points in 9-of-12 games, including a season-high 28 points against Marshall. He leads the squad in assists (59), dishing out 4.9 helpers per game while making 42-of-49 from the charity stripe (.857). Jackson buried a third-best 23 triples. Jackson is ranked in the top of the MAC in four categories, including free throw percentage (3rd, .857), assists (4th, 4.9), assist/to ratio (3rd, 2.4) and scoring (9th, 14.8). In the NCAA, Jackson ranks 49th assists to turnover ratio, 66th assists per game, 72nd free throw percentage and 77th total assists.
Reece's Piece's
Junior Camron Reece is a huge piece for the Zips frontcourt, clocking 18-minutes per game and averaging 7.5 points on 55.7 percent shooting from the floor. He scored in double-digits five times this season, including a career-high 13 points on two occasions, vs Malone and Marshall. Reece is an electric player that gets the crowd involved as a result of his supreme athleticism and high-flying dunks. He grabs 4.8 rebounds per game and posted five blocked shots. Reece has made 22-of-31 free throws for a 71.0 free throw percentage.
The Broadcasts
The Zips game is available for broadcast on ESPN3 with Michael Reghi calling the action and Jacki Windon providing analysis. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron 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/AkronZips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.
UP NEXT
Akron opens Mid-American Conference play in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Saturday, Jan. 4 against Eastern Michigan. The MAC opener is slated for a Noon start and is scheduled to be broadcasted on ESPN+ and can be heard on at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/AkronZips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.
