Zips Host Second Round Bout Against Ohio

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Akron Zips (15-13, 7-8 MAC) vs. Ohio (12-15, 4-11 MAC)
Saturday, March 2 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 2 PM • ESPN+

Ohio Head Coach
Saul Phillips (Wisconsin-Platteville '96)
Overall Record: 212-159 (12th Season)
Record at Ohio: 78-75 (5th Season)
MAC Record: 114-93 (5th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 209-162 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 29-31 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 13-20 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 47-50 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 42-39 - Groce vs.Ohio 2-1 (6-1 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 65, Ohio 53 at Convocation Center on Feb. 2, 2019
First Meeting: Akron 21, Ohio 18 in Akron 1911-12 season
In Akron: 25-13, Neutral: 3-1, In Athens: 14-25

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-Learfield/IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips

Quick Hits
• A win would give Akron its first series sweep over Ohio since the 2015-16 season
•The Zips are No. 19 in defense efficiency, and No. 97 overall team in KenPomeroy Rankings
• Akron Ranks in the NCAA Top 100 teams in 11 Categories
• The Zips are ranked 15th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 63.1 points per game
• Akron is ranked 12th in 3-point FG% Defense (29.6), 20th FG% Defense (40.1), 20th 3-point FGs attempted (791), 58th TO/game (11.7), 66th Fewest TO (327), 67th 3-point FGs made (249), 69th TO margin (2.0), 64th 3pt/game (8.9), 70th DREB/g (26.68) and 79th Scoring Margin (+6.2).

What's Ahead
The Akron Zips host MAC Eastern Division opponent Ohio on Saturday, March at 2 p.m., at James A. Rhodes Arena. The men's game kicks-off the first of two games against the Bobcats as the women's basketball team is scheduled to play Ohio at 5 p.m. The men's game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN+ and Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship).

Scouting the Bobcats
Ohio enters the contest with an 12-15 overall record and 4-11 in MAC play. The Bobcats are 1-6 in their last seven games, since playing Akron, but had a huge overtime win over Bowling Green (92-87).

Ohio is 10-4 (3-4 MAC) at home, 2-9 (1-7 MAC) on the road, and 0-2 in neutral site games. The Bobcats average 70.2 points per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the floor (703-of-1,608) and 30.5 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (169-of-554), draining 6.3 triples a game. In addition, the Bobcats shoot 61.3 percent from the free throw line (320-of-522) with 11.9 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 16.6 points per game. Carter shoots 48.4 percent from the field with a team-high 162 made field goals which includes a 21-of-57 (.368) effort from long distance. He also contributes 6.9 rebounds per game (186 rebs), 51 assists, 18 blocks and 17 steals.

Teyvion Kirk follows with 14.5 points per game with a 41.7 shooting percentage with a second-best 155 field goals and 62 assists. He leads the squad in steals (38) and grabs 5.7 boards per game (155 rebs).

Leading the Bobcats from beyond the 3-point arc is Gavin Block. He shoots 36.2 percent from deep with 43 made 3-pointers and dished out 60 assists. Block averages 7.5 points per game, while Ben Vander Plas contributes 8.7 points per game and is second from long distance. He knocked down 42 3-pointers at a 31.1 clip with 43 assists, 25 steals and 13 blocks.

Controlling the paint is Doug Taylor. He buried 83-of-141 shots for a team-best 58.9 percent shooting from the floor. He is second-best in rebounds (6.6 rbs/g, 178 total boards) and first in blocked shots (50). Jason Preston holds a team-high 90 assists while chipping in 5.9 points per game.

Defensively, Ohio allows its opponents to score 74.8 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.0 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.3 long distance strikes per night. The Bobcats caused 361 turnovers (13.4 to/g) with 175 steals (7.2 stl/g). Ohio holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +1.1 margin and limiting the opponent to grab 975 (36.1) total boards compared to the 1,006 (37.3) total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Ohio Series
Saturday's game marks the 82nd meeting in series history between Akron and Ohio, and fourth meeting for a Groce coached UA squad.

Akron holds an all-time 42-39 series advantage. The Zips have won 11 of the last 16 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 14-25 against OU in Athens, winning four of the last seven meetings at the Convocation Center, including a 65-53 win earlier this season (Feb. 2). The Zips dropped two meetings last season 99-75 (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.

Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese set a new career-high against Miami at Rhodes Arena, leading the Akron Zips to a 70-58 win with a career-high 27 points. He shot 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from the floor, including a perfect 3-of-3 showing from beyond the 3-point arc. He added a 4-of-6 effort from the free throw line, grabbed five rebounds, secured three steals, dished out two assists, and blocked a shot. His previous best was against Central Michigan with 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was also his first career double-double. Cheese has scored in double figures in 14 games, including the last 5-of-6. Miami (27), @Buffalo and CMU (20), Alabama State and Toledo (19), @Miami (17), Buffalo and @CMU (16), Kent State (15), Marshall (14), vs.Youngstown State (13), vs.Clemson (13), Carnegie Mellon (12) and Ball State (10). Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring (11.4 ppg) with 74 assists and 33 steals.

The Broadcasts
The Zips' game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ as Michael Reghi will call the action and Jacki Windon will provide 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-Learfield/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 wrap-up the regular season at home against Bowling Green on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. The game will serve as the Zips' Senior Night as Akron will honor its lone senior Jimond Ivey before the game. Fans can also follow the action on ESPN3/+, Akron-Learfield/IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship). The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Cheese

Jimond Ivey

The University of Akron Athletics