Akron Hoops Back on the Road, Battles Ohio on Saturday

Akron Zips (12-8 4-3) vs. Ohio Bobcats (11-9, 3-5)
Saturday, Feb. 2 • OU Convocation Center • Athens, Ohio •3:30 PM • ESPN+

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Game Notes (PDF) | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule

Ohio Head Coach
Saul Phillips (Wisconsin-Platteville '96)
Overall Record: 211-153 (12th Season)
Record at Ohio: 77-69 (5th Season)
MAC Record: 113-87 (5th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 206-157 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 26-26 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 10-15 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 44-45 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 41-39 - Groce vs. NIU 1-1 (5-1 Overall)
Last Meeting: Ohio 99, Akron 75 at Convocation Center on Feb. 6, 2018
First Meeting: Akron 21, Akron18 in Akron 1911-12 season
In Akron:25-13, Neutral: 3-1, In Athens: 13-25

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ – Marty Bannister (PxP), Toni Roesch (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 Ohio's two-game winning streak at the Convocation Center
• Akron Ranks in the NCAA Top 71 in 10 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 18th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 62.8 points per game
• Akron is ranked 23rd in 3-point FGs attempted (588), 30th in fewest TO (229), 41st in TO/game (11.5), 43rd in 3pt/game (9.4), 53rd in FG% Defense (40.8), 56th in TO margin (2.7), 64th in 3-point FGs made (188), 62nd in scoring margin (+8.3), 71st in Fewest Fouls per game (343) and 79th in 3-point FG% Defense (31.8).

What's Ahead
The Akron men's team basketball continues the 27th season of Mid-American Conference play on the road in Athens, Ohio when the Zips play Ohio on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3:30 p.m. 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 Bobcats
Ohio enters the contest with an 11-9 overall record and 3-5 in MAC play. The Bobcats swept the season series against Ball State (70-52 and78-74) while posting a third win over Western Michigan (81-76). Ohio fell to Northern Illinois twice (72-66 ot and 71-60), Bowling Green (82-63), Kent State (66-52) and Toledo (75-52).

Ohio is 9-2 (2-2 MAC) at home, 2-5 (1-3 MAC) on the road, and 0-2 in neutral site games. The Bobcats average 70.7 points per game on 43.3 percent shooting from the floor (519-of-1,199) and 30.0 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (125-of-416), draining 6.3 triples a game. In addition, the Huskies shoot 63.9 percent from the free throw line (251-of-393) with 12.6 per game.

Ohio has two players scoring in double figures and eight players over 5.5 points per game. Jason Carter leads the Bobcats with 16.2 points per game. Carter shoots 47.2 percent from the field with a team-high 117 made field goals which includes a 13-of-40 (.325) effort from long distance. He also contributes 7.0 rebounds per game, 41 assists, 12 blocks and 12 steals.

Teyvion Kirk follows with 14.8 points per game with a 41.1 shooting percentage with a second-best 113 field goals and 46 assists. He leads the squad in steals (31) and grabs 6.1 boards per game.

Leading the Bobcats from beyond the 3-point arc is Gavin Block. He shoots 36.2 percent from deep with 34 made 3-pointers and dished out 41 assists. Block averages 7.4 points per game, while Ben Vander Plas contributes 8.5 points per game and is second from long distance. He knocked down 30 3-pointers at a 31.6 clip with 26 assists, 20 steals and 11 blocks.

Controlling the paint is Doug Taylor. He buried 62-of-109 shots for a team-best 56.9 percent shooting from the floor. He adds a team-high in rebounds (7.5 rbs/g, 150 total boards) and blocked shots (36). Jason Preston holds a team-high 56 assists while chipping in 5.5 points per game.

Defensively, Ohio allows its opponents to score 72.2 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.2 long distance strikes per night. The Bobcats caused 283 turnovers (14.2 to/g) with 144 steals (7.2 stl/g). Ohio holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +4.5 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 685 (34.2) total boards compared to the 774 (38.7) total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Ohio Series
Saturday's game marks the 81st meeting in series history between Akron and Ohio, and third meeting for a Groce coached UA squad.

Akron holds an all-time 41-39 series advantage. The Zips have won 10 of the last 15 meetings, and Akron is 25-12 against the Bobcats in Akron, winning 14 of the last 16 meetings at Rhodes Arena, including a 71-68 win on Jan.23, 2018.

The Zips are 13-25 against OU in Athens, winning three of the last six meetings at the Convocation Center. The Zips dropped the last two meetings 99-75 last season (2/6/18) and 85-70 (2/4/17) at the Convocation Center. The Zips are 3-2 against the Bobcats in the MAC Tournament.

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 104-50 in the regular season against the West Division (.675), including winners of 47 of the last 61 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 58-13 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.817). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 165-80 overall (.673), including a 103-20 mark in MAC play at home (.837). The Zips' 165 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 85 of their last 121 MAC games (.702).

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 62.8 points per game which ranks No. 18 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. Akron limits opponents to 40.8 shooting from the floor (53rd) and 31.8 from long distance (79th). Akron has caused 283 turnovers (14.2 t/g) with 112 steals (5.6 stl/g). Jimond Ivey leads the team in takeaways with 25 steals, Loren Cristian Jackson is second (24), Tyler Cheese is third (21), Daniel Utomi (12), Channel Banks (12). 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 12-8 overall and 4-3 in MAC play, picking up 10 wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all 12 games by a +19.4 margin and currently rank 62nd in the NCAA and fifth in the MAC with a +8.3 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. Akron limits opponents to 57.1 percent shooting at James A. Rhodes Arena.

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 281 points scored this season and is 41 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 a 959 career total. In addition, Utomi is ranked in the NCAA's Top 100 players in three categories. He is 45th (1st MAC) overall in 3-point FG attempts (161), 71st (2nd MAC) in 3-point FG per game (2.85), 72nd (4th MAC) overall in 3-point FG made (57) and 116th (6th MAC) in 3-point FG percentage (35.4).

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 271points, averaging 13.6 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 120 total games with 80 starting appearances and 1,139 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 13-of-20 games, including three straight. He notched a career-high 26 and four 20-plus point performances, Marshall (26), Clemson (25), Tennessee State (23) and Northern Illinois (22). 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 6-of-the-last-7 games 22 points (NIU), 13 points (Miami), 12 points three times (WMU, CMU and @CMU) and 10 points (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-20 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 (9.9 ppg) with 52 assists and 21 steals.

Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks has scored in double digits 6-of-19 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 7.8 points per game. He is shooting a team-best 35.3 percent (30-of-85) from long distance. Those 30 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (57) and Loren Cristian Jackson (43) 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 5.4 boards per game (91), sixth in scoring with 5.7 points per contest and has nine assists and five steals. Riak scored 97 points on 43.0 percent shooting from the field. He is 4-of-14 from deep.

The Broadcasts
The Zips' game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ as Marty Bannister will call the action and Toni Roesch 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
Akron will travel to Toledo, Ohio to play the Toledo Rockets on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. at Savage Arena. 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.

Akron Hoops Back on the Road, Battles Ohio on Saturday

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Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Jimond Ivey

Loren Cristian Jackson

Deng Riak

Daniel Utomi

The University of Akron Athletics