Zips Battle Rockets on Saturday to Stay Perfect at Home

Saturday, January 18

Akron, Ohio

2 PM

University of Akron

Toledo

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Zips Battle Rockets on Saturday to Stay Perfect at Home

January 17 | Men's Basketball

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Akron Zips (14-3, 4-0 MAC) vs Toledo (9-8, 1-3 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 18 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 2 PM • ESPN3

Toledo Head Coach
Tod Kowalczyk (Minnesota-Duluth '89)
Overall Record: 312-249 (18th Season)
Record at UT: 176-137 (10th Season)
MAC Record: 76-73 (10th Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 225-168 (12th Season)
Record at Akron: 46-37 (3rd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 18-22 (3rd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 52-52 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Toledo Leads: 35-28 - Groce vs. Toledo 0-3 (5-4 Overall)
Last Meeting: Toledo 63, Akron 52 at Savage Arena on Feb. 5, 2019
First Meeting: Akron 37, Toledo 8 in Akron 1915-16 season
In Akron:16-11, Neutral: 1-1, In Toledo: 10-24

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)
Live Stats: (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
Akron will be back at Rhodes Arena to defend their homecourt winning streak against Toledo on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. Saturday's game marks the first time the Zips have opened MAC play against five consecutive western division opponents. All other league foes have played at least two divisional opponents during that stretch. The Akron women's game will follow at 4:30 as the Zips host Northern Illinois.

The Zips are riding five-game winning streak and own a 14-3 overall record while standing 4-0 in league play. Akron is 10-0 at home, 3-2 on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites this season. Akron defeated Eastern Michigan on the road in the MAC season opener (69-45), Western Michigan (84-69, H), Ball State (75-60, H) and Northern Illinois (72-49, A).

The Polls - Zips Rank 14th in Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
For the first time since the 2016-17 season, Akron basketball returned to the The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll at No. 19. The Zips received 194 votes to climb eight spots on the Jan. 6 rankings. The Zips were previously ranked 27th overall with 43 points. After a 2-0 week, defeating Western Michigan and Ball State Akron jumped five spots to No. 14 with 359 points (1/13/2020). In 2016-17, the Zips climbed as high as No. 7 in the mid-major poll, receiving 577 votes by Jan. 30.

In addition, Akron received one vote for the AP Poll on Monday, Jan. 13. The Zips debuted at No. 63 in the first NCAA NET Rankings and now stands 39th overall. In the Ken Pom rankings, Akron is currently 60th overall and has the top defensive efficiency rating in the MAC after three games (83.1) which stands 66th in the NCAA (93.9). Akron is at the top of the MAC in offensive efficiency according to Ken Pom (111.8) and 64^th in the NCAA (106.2). Akron ranks 34^th in RPI and 64^th in BPI.

Creating Space
The Akron Zips have won five straight games, including four consecutive MAC games by double figures. During that stretch, the Zips have outscored the opponents by a +16.6 margin (+83, 385-302). In the four league games, Akron holds a +19.3 margin (+77, 300-223). The Zips defeated UMass (+6, 85-79), EMU (+24, 69-45), WMU (+15, 84-69), BSU (+15, 75-60) and NIU (+23, 72-49).

Long Distance Attacks
Akron is shooting 37.6 percent as a team from beyond the 3-point arc (163-of-434), ranking 28th NCAA and 1st MAC. The 163 made 3-pointers ranks 18th NCAA and 1st MAC while attempts rank 47th NCAA and 5th MAC. Akron averages 9.6 triples per game, standing 29th NCAA and 1st MAC.
The long distances attacks are spearheaded by Channel Banks and Xeyrius Williams with 44 triples each or 2.6 per game. Banks and Williams rank 81st in the NCAA and 4th in the MAC. Loren Cristian Jackson follows with 41 long distance strikes and Cheese has 28 made 3-pointers.

Scouting the Rockets
Toledo enters the contest with an 9-8 overall record and 1-3 in MAC play. Toledo dropped their first two MAC games to Ball State (61-57) and Kent State (84-77) before winning defeating Western Michigan (67-59) at home. The last time out, Toledo fell 74-67 to Central Michigan at Savage Arena.

Toledo is 6-2 (1-1 MAC) at home and 3-6 (0-2 MAC) on the road. The Rockets average 75.7 points per game on 43.1 percent shooting from the floor (432-of-1,002) and 36.5 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (157-of-430), draining 9.2 triples a game. In addition, the Rockets shoot 71.7 percent from the free throw line (266-of-371) with 15.6 per game.

Toledo has four players scoring in double figures and six players that average 6.6 or better. Marreon Jackson leads the way with 17.2 points per night on 39.1 percent shooting (90-of-230). He leads the squad in 3-pointers made (43), assists (105) and steals (35) while shooting 33.1 percent from long distance (43-of-130).

Luke Knapke follows with 15.2 points per game and is second on the glass with 8.1 rebounds per game. He shoots 47.3 percent from the floor (89-of-188) and 38.4 percent from deep (28-of-73). Knapke is the team's top shot blocker with 44 and adds 32 assists and seven steals.

Willie Jackson and Spencer Littleson round out the double-digit scoring with 11.5 and 11.4 points per night, respectively. Jackson buries 47.8 percent of his shots from the field (76-of-159) and is the leading rebounder with 12.5 boards per game (213 rebs) with 38 assists, 11 steals and seven blocked shots. Littleson is a threat from deep, draining 39-of-101 for a 38.6 3-point shooting percentage and adds 35 assists and 28 steals. Keshaun Saunders and Dylan Alderson chip-in 8.0 and 6.6 points per night on average.

Defensively, Toledo limits its opponents to 68.1 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor and 32.1 percent from 3-point range, allowing 7.4 long distance strikes per night. The Rockets caused 226 turnovers (13.3 to/g) with 119 steals (7.0 stl/g). Toledo holds the edge on the glass, outrebounding the opponent by a +3.1 margin and limits the opponent to grab 631 (37.1) total boards compared to the 683 (40.2) total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Toledo Series
Saturday's game marks the 64th meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and 10th meeting for a Groce coached squad (fourth at Akron). Toledo owns a 35-28 all-time series advantage while Groce is 5-4 all-time and 0-3 at Akron against the Rockets. The Zips have won eight of the last 15 meetings and snapped a four-game losing skid with a 71-65 win on Feb. 14, 2017, at James A. Rhodes Arena, but the Rockets swept last three games in the series.

In 2018, the two teams met at Savage Arena (Jan. 5) on CBS Sports Network as Toledo claimed a narrow 67-65 advantage. Almost a month later (Feb. 3), Toledo claimed its second win of the season, 77-56, at Rhodes Arena. Last season, Toledo claimed the lone matchup at Savage Arena 63-52 (Feb. 5, 2019).
UA is 16-11 all-time at Rhodes Arena, 10-24 on the road at Savage Arena, and 1-1 in the MAC Tournament with a loss at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Last Meeting...
The Akron Zips fell 63-52 in a tightly played game on the road at Savage Arena against Toledo on CBS Sports Network. The Mid-American Conference's two top-ranked defenses collided and points were at a premium as Toledo used the final 3:25 for an 11-2 run to secure the league win.

Akron limited the Rockets to 63 points, 16.5 points below their scoring average, but the Toledo defense also made it tough for the Zips. Akron was led in scoring by Tyler Cheese, who finished with 19 points which included 15 second-half points. In addition, Cheese secured six rebounds and dished out three assists. Loren Cristian Jackson followed with 11 points and Deng Riak pulled down a second-best nine boards.

A closely played first half ended in a nine-point advantage for the home team as Toledo scored the final two baskets of the first stanza with under a minute to play. Nate Navigato connected in the paint for two of his 11 total points, and Chris Darrington buried a triple to send the Rockets into the locker room with a 29-20 advantage.

Toledo started the second-half scoring and establish an 11-point lead, but the Zips used a 16-0 run to overhaul the scoreboard. Cheese scored the initial four points and Channel Banks added a triple from the top of the key.

Cheese and Banks added more firepower as both recorded points in the paint, and Jackson added a bucket which gave Akron a 33-31 lead at the 13:23 mark. Cheese finished the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play, which lifted Akron to its largest lead of the game at 36-31 with 12:08 left to play.

From there, the game went back-and-forth as Toledo tied the game four times and Akron regained the lead five times to stay ahead 44-42 at the 7:04 mark. The Rockets answered a fifth time, but grabbed the lead as Spencer Littleson buried a 3-pointer for a one-point advantage, 45-44.

With 3:42 remaining, UT's Navigato pushed it two a two-possession game, 52-48. The Rockets held Akron scoreless for the next two minutes and scored seven points in the process, 59-50.

Cheese broke the Zips' scoring silence with a pair of free throws, and the Rockets leading scorer Jaelan Sanford buried four consecutive free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Sanford had 17 points.

Akron in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 53-33 mark (.616) in the last 86 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 6-3 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 110-52 in the regular season against the West Division (.679), including winners of 53 of the last 69 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season. Akron is 63-15 (.808) at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule. UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 173-85 overall (.671), including a 108-22 mark in MAC play at home (.829). The Zips' 173 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 93 of their last 135 MAC games (.689).

Defending the JAR
Akron is 10-0 at James A. Rhodes Arena and is riding a 12-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.

The Zips only allow opponents to score 57.8 points per game at home on 35.5 percent shooting from the field (219-of-617) and 25.4 percent from deep (49-of-193). Akron has allowed 578 total points in 10 games – 79 points was the most for the opposition at Rhodes Arena this season. In fact, Akron has held seven teams to 60 points or less, including five teams to 50 or less.

2020 Vision
Four different players have scored at least 20 points 14 times this season. Tyler Cheese own six of those performances, scoring 20 points three times coupled with 23- 21- and 25-point efforts. Loren Cristian Jackson follows with four 20-plus point performances, registering a season high 28 points, a pair of 26 -point showings and a 20-point effort. Xeyrius Williams and Channel Banks round out the 20-point performers list as Williams posted a career-best 25-point, 23-point and 20-point games. Banks is also a career-high with 21 points. In addition, the Zips have three 19-point efforts by Williams (N.C. Central), Cheese (YSU) and Jackson (YSU).

Strong Defensive Stance and Sacrifice
The Akron Zips have limited opponents to scoring 60 points or less in 10 games, including six games of 50 points or under. The Zips allow only 62.5 points per game, ranking No. 46 in the NCAA for scoring defense and 2nd MAC. Akron limits opponents to 37.9 shooting from the floor (22^nd NCAA, 1^st MAC) and 26.5 from long distance (7^th NCAA, 2^nd MAC). Akron has caused 238 turnovers (14.0 t/g) with 84 steals (4.9 stl/g). In addition, players are sacrificing their bodies by taking charges as Banks leads with 17 followed by Jackson (13) and Cheese (13).

Zips Scoring in Bunches
The Zips have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Loren Cristian Jackson with 16.6 points per game followed by Tyler Cheese (15.6), Xeyrius Williams (14.1) and Channel Banks (11.2). Over the first 17 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).

Williams Earns Second MAC East Player of the Week Honor
Williams led the Zips to a pair of Mid-American Conference wins last week, averaging a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. He shot 66.7 percent from all areas of the court and connected on eight 3-pointers, 12-of-18 from the field and 8-of-12 from deep. Williams scored 34 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, had three steals and dished out two assists. Williams scored 11 points in Akron's 84-69 triumph over Western Michigan to start the week. He shot 4-of-5 (.800) from the field which included a 3-of-4 (.750) effort from long distance. Williams added a team-high eight rebounds, three steals and an assist. Against Ball State, Williams recorded his fifth double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 23 points while securing 12 rebounds. Williams shot 8-of-13 (.615) from the floor and 5-of-8 (.625) from downtown with one assist.

Pass the Cheese
Senior Tyler Cheese ranks second in scoring for the Zips, averaging 15.6 points per game, ranking 7th in the MAC. He registered double-digit points in 14-of-17 games with a season high of 25 points. He posted games of 23, 21, 20 (three times), 21, 19, 17 (two times) and 15 (two times). Cheese is fourth on the squad in 3-pointers made (28) and is shooting at a 38.4 percent clip from deep (28-of-73). In the MAC, he stands 3rd in free throw percentage (.803, 57-of-71), 12th assists (2.9) and 17th in 3-point FG percentage (.384).

ARE YOU XEYRIUS?
Senior Xeyrius Williams impacts both sides of the floor for the Zips, nearly averaging a double-double with 14.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per night. He owns team-highs in rebounds (167) and blocked shots (20). Williams is shooting 86.7 percent from the free throw line (26-of-30). In the NCAA, Williams ranks 8th in defensive rebounds per game (8.1), 28th rebounds per game (9.8), 19th total rebounds (167), 44th double-doubles (6), 146th total blocks (19) and 172nd blocked shots per game (1.2). He ranks among the league's best in five categories including rebounding (2nd), defensive rebounds (2nd), blocked shots (5th) and scoring (17th). He has scored with double figures 13 times this season, including a career-high 25 points against Marshall. He has six double-doubles this season and grabbed double-digit rebounds nine times, including a career-best 15 rebounds against Tulane. He earned MAC East Player of the Week two times.

R&R In The Paint...
Senior Deng Riak and Junior Camron Reece are huge pieces for the Zips frontcourt and they don't let the defense relax. Combined, the two big-men average 11 points and 10 rebounds per game which allows the offense to flow and forces defenses to pick their poison.
Riak is the Zips defensive anchor, seeing plays before they happen and making sure the four other players are in position to guard. He averages 20 minutes per game, scores 3.9 points and grabs 4.9 rebounds on average. He secured 83 total rebounds and blocked 12 shots.
Reece clocks 18-minutes per game and averages 7.0 points on 59.7 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 seven blocked shots. Reece has made 27-of-39 free throws for a 69.2 free throw percentage.

Like Money in the Bank$
Senior Channel Banks is 2nd in the MAC and 22^th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage, draining 43.6 percent from long distance. His 2.6 triples per game leads the Zips and ranks 4th in league play and 81st in the NCAA. Banks has buried a team-high 44-of-101 from deep and ranks in the 61st in the NCAA. Banks scored in double figures in 10-of-17 games which includes a career-high 21 against UMass. He is ranked 15th in the MAC for steals with 1.3 per game.

Action Jackson
Junior Loren Cristian Jackson is the leading scorer for the Zips, averaging 16.6 points per game and ranks 5th in the MAC. He scored double-digit points in 14-of-17 games, including a season-high 28 points against Marshall. He leads the squad in assists (90), dishing out 5.3 helpers per game while making 67-of-77 from the charity stripe (.870). Jackson buried a second-best 41 triples. Jackson is ranked in the top of the MAC in six categories, including free throw percentage (1st, .870), assist/to ratio (2nd, 2.5), assists (4th, 5.3), scoring (5th, 16.6), 3-point FG made (10th, 2.4) and 3-point FG percentage (12th, .394). In the NCAA, Jackson ranks 33rd assist/turnover ratio, 42nd free throw percentage, 39th total assists and 44th assists per game. He earned MAC East Player of the Week.

Jackson Named MAC East Player of the Week
Loren Cristian Jackson earned Mid-American Conference Eastern Division Player of the Week honors as a result of two outstanding performances during the week of Dec. 30 – Jan. 5, the league announced on Monday. Jackson led the Zips to a pair of victories, averaging 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He buried 54.2 percent (13-of-24) of his shots from the field, including a 53.3 percent (8-of-15) effort from beyond the 3-point arc. For the week, he recorded 43 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and a steal. Jackson shot 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the charity stripe. Jackson led the Zips to an 85-79 win over UMass with a game-high 26 points on 50.0 percent (5-of-10) shooting from the floor and 62.5 percent (5-of-8) from downtown. Jackson grabbed three rebounds and dished out a trio of assists. In the MAC opener at Eastern Michigan, Jackson contributed 17 points to the 69-45 triumph. Again, Jackson was hot from the floor, connecting with 60.0 percent (6-of-10) of his shots from the field and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from deep. He secured six rebounds, dished out five assists and had a steal.

Williams Named MAC East Player of the Week
Xeyrius Williams 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.

The Broadcasts
The Zips 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 will be on the road for the next two league games, traveling to Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. and Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3:30 p.m. Both contests are scheduled to be broadcasted on ESPN+ or 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.