Akron Set for Charity Exhibition at WVU

Friday, October 29

Morgantown, WV

7 PM

University of Akron

West Virginia

Tickets

October 28 | Men's Basketball

Akron Set for Charity Exhibition at WVU
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Akron Zips (0-0, 0-0 MAC) at West Virginia (0-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, October 29 • WVU Coliseum • Morgantown, W.Va. • 7:00 p.m. • ESPN+

West Virginia Head Coach
Bob Huggins (West Virginia '77)
Overall Record: 900-382 (39th Season)
Record at WVU: 310-171 (5th Season)
Record at Akron: 97-46 (Five Seasons)
OAC Record at Akron: 25-17 (Three Seasons)

Akron Zips Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 250-180 (13th Season)
Record at Akron: 70-49 (4th Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 40-32 (4th Season)
Overall MAC Record: 74-62 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
WVU Leads: 3-2 - Groce vs. WVU: 0-2
Last Meeting: WVU 94, Akron 84 at WVU Coliseum on Nov. 8, 2019
First Meeting: Akron 31, WVU 25 in Akron on Feb. 9, 1905

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+: Andrew Caridi (PxP) and Warren Baker (Analyst)
Radio: No Radio Broadcast
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats

What's Ahead
The Akron Zips open the 2021-22 season with a charity exhibition against Big 12 Conference West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 29 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. Proceeds will benefit the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund. Fans can follow the action on ESPN+ with Andrew Caridi (PxP) and Warren Baker (analyst) calling the action. The game can also be followed via live stats on GoZips.com.

The Akron-WVU Series
Friday's game marks the sixth meeting in series history between Akron and West Virginia, and the second meeting for a Groce coached UA squad. WVU leads the all-time series is tied 3-2 as Akron won the first two meetings and WVU won the last three contests.

The series began on Feb. 9, 1905, in Akron, Ohio as the Zips posted a 31-25 victory. Akron followed with a 34-32 win on Jan. 2, 1937 in Akron. The third meeting was played in Morgantown and was Akron's first game as a Division I program. The Zips fell 108-74 on Nov. 29, 1980. WVU evened the all-time series on Nov. 28, 2011 with a 77-56 win at the WVU Coliseum. Zips' head coach John Groce is 0-2 against the Mountaineers as WVU posted an 89-57 win against Groce's former team (Illinois) on Nov. 24, 2016 and defeated the Zips 94-84 on Nov. 8, 2019.

The 2021-22 Campaign
Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach John Groce, the Akron basketball program embarks on the 122nd season in program history. Coach Groce led the Zips to a 2020 regular season championship and owns a 70-49 overall record at Akron, including a 39-15 mark over the last two seasons. In league play, the Zips are 40-32 under Groce with a 26-10 MAC record the last two years.

Akron returns eight players from the squad that posted a 15-8 overall mark and 12-6 in MAC play and advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinal round, including junior Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.), sophomore Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio), junior Michael Wynn (Albany, N.Y.), sophomore Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.), sophomore Mikal Dawson (Huntington, W.Va.), sophomore Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio), freshman Garvin Clarke (Euclid, Ohio), freshman Aziz Bandaogo (Senegal, Africa),

Trimble was a second team NABC All-District selection and earned All-MAC honorable mention in 2020-21 while leading the Zips' offensive attack from deep. He played in all 23 games with 20 starting appearances and averaged a second-best 12.0 points per game, scoring 277 total points while leading the team from beyond the 3-point arc with 74 made 3-point field goals. He finished the season shooting 39.8 percent from deep (74-of-186) and 39.5 from all areas of the court (92-of-233).

Freeman was tabbed to the All-MAC Defensive Team in a breakout year. He led the MAC in blocked shots (44 BLK, 1.9 BLK/G) and field goal percentage (.740, 77-of-104) while ranking second in total rebounds (211 REB, 9.2 REB/G) and defensive rebounds (146 REB, 6.3 REB/G). He played in all 23 games with 18 starting appearances and averaged 7.9 points per game.

Also joining the 2021-22 squad are seven newcomers consisting of two transfers and five freshmen. Graduate transfer K.J. Walton (Indianapolis, Ind.) is no stranger to the MAC. Walton arrived to Akron from Ball State and earned 2020-21 honorable mention All-MAC honors, averaging 16.4 points per game while draining a team-best 127 field goals with no made long distance buckets. He shot 54.3 percent from the field (127-of-234) and made 92 appearances at the charity stripe.

Junior Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) averaged a fourth-best 8.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 20 games played with five starting appearances for South Florida. Castaneda shot 54-of-150 from the floor, including a 38.7 percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc with 24 made triples and ranked seventh overall in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).

The freshmen class includes Nate Johnson (Liberty Twp., Ohio), Sekou Kalle (Louisville, Ky.), Pat Mayfield (Elgin, Ill.), Kobe Mitchell (Cadiz, Ohio) and Evan Wilson (Noblesville, Ind.).

Akron's non-conference schedule is highlighted by a pair of Power 5 opponents and an appearance at the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Zips' 11-game non-conference campaign features six games at James A. Rhodes Arena and five games on the road.

Akron is scheduled to travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for a 7 p.m. charity exhibition game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 29. All proceeds from the game will benefit the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund.

On Tuesday, Nov. 9, the Zips travel to Value City Arena in Columbus to battle Ohio State for the season opener. It marks the ninth meeting between the Zips and the Buckeyes as OSU holds a 7-1 series advantage and won the last meeting 72-63 in overtime to advance in the 2016 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

UP NEXT
Akron is scheduled to open its 2021-22 season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 against Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.