Zips Enter MAC Eastern Division Play at Miami

Tuesday, January 21

Oxford, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

Miami

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Akron Zips (14-4, 4-1 MAC) vs Miami (8-10, 1-4 MAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 21 • Millett Hall • Oxford, Ohio • 7 PM • ESPN+

Miami Head Coach
Jack Owens (Eastern Illinois '99)
Overall: 39-45 (3rd season)
Record at Miami: 39-45 (3rd season)
MAC Record: 16-25 (3rd season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 225-169 (12th Season)
Record at Akron: 46-38 (3rd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 18-23 (3rd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 52-53 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Miami Leads: 32-31 - Groce vs. Miami 2-3 (8-6 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 80, RedHawks 51 at James A. Rhodes Arena on March 11, 2019
First Meeting: Miami 45, Akron 14 in Oxford on Feb. 20, 1915
In Akron:19-9, Neutral: 2-1, In Oxford: 10-22

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ – Steve Baker (PxP) and Randy Hollowell (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 enters Mid-American Conference Eastern Division play in Oxford, Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 21 against Miami. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. The divisional series 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.
The Zips are coming off their first home and MAC setback and owns a 14-4 overall record with a 4-1 league mark. Akron is on the road for the next 3-of-4 games after opening league play against five consecutive western division opponents. All other league foes have played at least two divisional opponents during that stretch. Akron defeated Eastern Michigan on the road in the MAC season opener (69-45), Western Michigan (84-69, H), Ball State (75-60, H), Northern Illinois (72-49, A) and fell to Toledo (99-89, H).

Scouting the RedHawks
Miami enters the contest with an 8-10 overall record and 1-4 in MAC play. The RedHawks dropped the first three MAC games before securing their first league win over Kent State at home. Miami is coming off a road loss to Ball State. Miami is 6-3 (1-1MAC) at home, 1-5 (0-3 MAC) on the road and 1-2 in neutral site games. The RedHawks have been outscored 723-715 in the second half this season.

Miami has two players averaging double figures in points led by Nike Sibande with 14.6 points per game. Sibande is shooting 43.8 percent from the floor with 91 made field goals on 208 attempts. From long distance, he has buried 21 triples while shooting at a 33.9 percent clip. Sabande adds a second-best 6.0 rebounds per game (108 rebs) with 38 assists and a team-best 14 steals. Dalonte Brown follows with 12.7 points per game and averages a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game (114 rebs) with 12 blocked shots. Brown has made a second-best 23 long-distance buckets while shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from deep.

The RedHawks have six additional players with double-digit made 3-pointers as Dae Dae Grant, Mekhi Lairy, Bam Bowman and Isaiah Coleman-Lands average 8.9-7.4 points per outing. Grant and Lairy register 8.9 and 8.4 while Bowman and Colman-Lands chip-in 7.6 and 7.4 points per game. Grant dishes out 36 assists and has 11 steals and Lairy owns team-highs in both categories, 56 assists and 14 steals. Bowman snags 4.0 rebounds per game and Coleman-Lands leads the squad in 3-pointers made (31). Josh Brewer and Milos Jovic connect with 14 and 11 from downtown and around 4.0 points per game.

Defensively, Miami limits its opponents to 72.7 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the floor and 36.0 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.2 long distance strikes per night. The RedHawks caused 226 turnovers (12.6 to/g) with 91 steals (5.1 stl/g). Miami is slightly outrebounded by the opponent by a -0.6 margin. The opponents snagged 678 (37.7) total boards compared to the 667 (37.1) total rebounds secured.

The Akron-Miami Series
Tuesday's game marks the 64th meeting in series history between Akron and Miami, and 15th meeting for a Groce coached squad (8-6), sixth at Akron (2-3). Miami owns a 32-31 series advantage, but the Zips have won the last two meetings. Akron dropped the first meeting in Oxford last season (68-61) and posted two victories in Akron, 70-58 and 80-51 in the first round of the MAC Tournament. With the wins, Akron snapped Miami's four-game winning streak.

In 2016-17, the two teams split the season series with both squads winning on the road. Akron posted a 74-70 win in Oxford and, the RedHawks bounced back with a 79-75 victory at Rhodes Arena. The Zips' win marked the first win in Oxford since February 9, 2013.

Akron and Miami have met five times in the MAC Tournament with the series at 3-2 in Akron's favor. The Zips are 2-1 in Cleveland and 1-0 at home against the RedHawks. Akron dropped a first-round game in Oxford (69-56, 2001).

Akron is 19-9 against the RedHawks in Akron, 10-22 on the road in the series, and 2-1 in neutral site competition.

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 110-53 in the regular season against the West Division (.679), including winners of 53 of the last 70 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season. Akron is 63-16 (.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 173-86 overall (.671), including a 108-23 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 136 MAC games (.689).

2020 Vision
Four different players have scored at least 20 points 15 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 five 20-plus point performances, registering a career-high 33 points in addition to a 28- and 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 four 19-point efforts by Williams (NC Central), Cheese (YSU, Toledo) 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 64.5 points per game, ranking No. 68 in the NCAA for scoring defense and 3rd MAC. Akron limits opponents to 38.9 shooting from the floor (33^rd NCAA, 1^st MAC) and 28.8 from long distance (28^th NCAA, 1^st MAC). Akron has caused 248 turnovers (13,8 t/g) with 87 steals (4.8 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 17.5 points per game followed by Tyler Cheese (15.8), Xeyrius Williams (14.3) and Channel Banks (11.2). Over the first 18 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).

Pass the Cheese
Senior Tyler Cheese ranks second in scoring for the Zips, averaging 15.8 points per game, ranking 7th in the MAC. He registered double-digit points in 16-of-18 games with a season high of 25 points. He posted games of 23, 21, 20 (x3), 21, 19 (x2), 17 (x2) and 15 (x2). Cheese is fourth on the squad in 3-pointers made (28) and is shooting at a 38.4 percent clip from deep (29-of-77). In the MAC, he stands 4th in free throw percentage (.797, 59-of-74), 10th assists (3.1) and 18th in 3-point FG percentage (.377).

ARE YOU XEYRIUS?
Senior Xeyrius Williams impacts both sides of the floor for the Zips, nearly averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per night. He owns team-highs in rebounds (178) and blocked shots (21). Williams is shooting 88.2 percent from the free throw line (30-of-34). In the NCAA, Williams ranks 8th in defensive rebounds per game (8.6), 28th rebounds per game (9.9), 27th total rebounds (178), 36th double-doubles (7), 154th total blocks (21) and 169th blocked shots per game (1.2). He ranks among the league's best in seven categories including rebounding (2nd), defensive rebounds (2nd), blocked shots (5th), 3-pointers made (7^th, 2.6), scoring (16th) and 3-point FG percentage (26^th, .348). He has scored with double figures 14 times this season, including a career-high 25 points against Marshall. He has seven double-doubles this season and grabbed double-digit rebounds 10 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 86 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 3rd in the MAC and 14^th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage, draining 43.9 percent from long distance. His 2.6 triples per game leads the Zips and ranks 5th in league play and 78th in the NCAA. Banks has buried 47-of-107 from deep and ranks in the 73rd in the NCAA. Banks scored in double figures in 10-of-18 games which includes a career-high 21 against UMass.

Action Jackson
Junior Loren Cristian Jackson is the leading scorer for the Zips, averaging 17.5 points per game and ranks 4th in the MAC. He scored double-digit points in 15-of-18 games, including a season-high 33 points against Toledo. He leads the squad in assists (93), dishing out 5.2 helpers per game while making 73-of-85 from the charity stripe (.859). Jackson buried a team-best 48 triples. Jackson is ranked in the top of the MAC in six categories, including free throw percentage (3rd, .859), assist/to ratio (2nd, 2.5), assists (4th, 5.2), scoring (4th, 17.5), 3-point FG made (4th, 2.6) and 3-point FG percentage (7th, .417). In the NCAA, Jackson ranks 32nd assist/turnover ratio, 50th free throw percentage, 53rd total assists, 39th assists per game, 67^th 3-point FG made and 71^st 3-pointers per game. He earned MAC East Player of the Week.

The Broadcasts
The Zips game is available for broadcast on ESPN+ with Steve Baker calling the action and Randy Hollowell 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 continue the divisional road swing at Ohio on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 3:30 p.m. The game 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.