GAME PREVIEW: Akron at Miami, Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 PM | Millett Hall

GAME PREVIEW: Akron at Miami, Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 PM | Millett Hall | ESPNU
Follow Akron Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | Follow Coach Groce on Twitter

GAME NOTES PDF | ESPNU | LIVE STATS | TuneIn - Akron-IMG Sports Network | Akron Basketball Schedule

Akron on the Road at Miami on ESPNU

Akron Zips (11-4, 9-3 MAC) at Miami RedHawks (8-7, 5-5 MAC)
Friday, Feb. 12 • Millett Hall • Oxford, Ohio • 7 p.m. • ESPNU

AKRON HEAD COACH
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 246-175 (13th Season)
Record at Akron: 66-44 (4th Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 37-28 (4th Season)
Overall MAC Record: 71-58 (at Ohio and Akron)

MIAMI HEAD COACH
Jack Owens (Eastern Illinois '99)
Overall: 52-61 (4th season)
Record at Miami: 52-61 (4th season)
MAC Record: 26-39 (4th season)

ALL-TIME SERIES
Series Tied: 33-32 - Groce vs. Miami 4-3 (10-6 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 75, RedHawks 65 vs James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 22, 2021
First Meeting: Miami 45, Akron 14 in Oxford on Feb. 20, 1915
In Akron:20-9, Neutral: 2-1, In Oxford: 11-22

BROADCASTS
TV/Video: ESPNU: Jason Benneti (PxP) and Dan Dakich (Analyst)
Radio: Akron Sports Network - Dave Skoczen (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats

WHAT'S AHEAD

The University of Akron men's basketball team is coming off a series sweep of rival Kent State at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, the first sweep by either team since 2012. The Zips look to build another winning streak, starting in Oxford, Ohio against the Miami RedHawks. The game will be televised on ESPNU and is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. at Millett Hall on Friday, Feb. 12.

The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen and Joe Dunn calling the action. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at iHeart Radio and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.

THE AKRON-MIAMI SERIES
Friday's game marks the 66th meeting in series history between Akron and Miami, and 17th meeting
for a Groce coached squad (10-6), seventh at Akron (4-3). Akron leads the series 33-32, but the Zips have won the last four meetings. The Zips swept the series last season, 75-65 and 81-60, and posted two victories in Akron in 2019, 70-58 regular season and 80-51 in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Akron dropped the first meeting in Oxford in 2019 (68-61). 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.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami enters the contest with a 8-7 overall record and 5-5 in MAC play. The RedHawks dropped three out of four games. Miami is 7-2 (4-2 MAC) at home and 1-5 (1-3 MAC) on the road. The RedHawks have been outscored 589-570 in the second half this season.

Miami has three players averaging double figures in points led by Dae Dae Grant with 13.7 points per game. Grant is shooting 42.4 percent from the floor with 70 made field goals on 165 attempts. From long distance, he has buried a team-best 38 triples while shooting at a 46.9 percent clip. Grant adds a team-high 18 steals and 37 assists.

Mekhi Lairy follows with 12.5 points per game and owns a team-high 52 assists and a second-best 17 steals. Delonte Brown has made 22 long-distance buckets while shooting 48.2 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from deep. He also leads the squad with 100 rebounds for 6.7 boards per game.

Isaiah Coleman-Lands and James Beck add 8.2 and 8.1 points per game, Coleman-Lands dished out 45 assists and buried 16 triples, while James grabs a second-best 85 rebounds.

Defensively, Miami limits its opponents to 71.7 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the floor and 36.0 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.1 long distance strikes per night. The RedHawks caused 181 turnovers (12.1 to/g) with 74 steals (4.9 stl/g). Miami is outrebounded by the opponent by a -1.7 margin. The opponents snagged 526 (35.1) total boards compared to the 500 (33.3) total rebounds secured.

AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron opened 2020-21 MAC play with a 90-70 win over Ohio and followed with a 66-62 win over rival Kent State, before falling to Eastern Michigan, 71-59, and Northern Illinois, 67-65. Akron bounced with a six-game winning streak, knocking off the top-ranked Toledo Rockets in overtime, 95-94, the top-ranked Bowling Green Falcons for the first road win, 69-57, the Central Michigan Chippewas, 81-67, the Western Michigan Broncos, 79-68, the rematch against Eastern Michigan, 86-65 and Ball State, 74-42. The Rockets ended the Zips consecutive game win streak with a 91-76 win, but the Zips bounced back with a rivalry sweep of the Kent State Golden Flashes, 72-61.

The Zips are 9-3 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 72-19 (.795) 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 192-92 overall (.669), including a 119-25 mark in MAC play at home (.822). The Zips' 192 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 109 of their last 157 MAC games (.685). Previously, the Zips posted a 59-36 mark (.617) in the last 95 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 112-53 in the regular season against the West Division (.679), including winners of 55 of the last 72 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

THE LAST MEETING
The Akron Zips seized the opportunity to remain in the top of the league standings with a 75-65 win over the Miami RedHawks at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Seniors Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) and Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) led Akron with 17 points each. Cheese added six rebounds and four assists, while Williams collected his 10th double-double of the season by grabbing 10 rebounds. Senior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) and junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) followed with 14 points each in the win. The leading rebounder for the Zips was center Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia), who claimed 11 boards.

Unlike some of their recent home contests, the Zips didn't allow the opposition to get out of the gate quickly. They kept the RedHawks in check throughout the first half, stifling the visitors to the tune of 30.3-percent (10-of-33) shooting. While the game's slower pace kept turnovers down for both sides, Akron (21-6, 11-3 MAC) denied Miami (10-16, 3-10 MAC) clean looks at the hoop and limited the RedHawks to just three offensive rebounds before intermission.

Despite numerous efforts by Miami to mount rallies in the second half, Akron fended off each one as its defense led the way. On the afternoon, Akron blocked seven shots, including two each by Riak and junior Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Those rejections, coupled with clutch layups and 3-pointers by Jackson, Cheese and Banks kept Akron ahead for most of the game. The Zips claimed the lead with 10:14 remaining in the first half and never trailed again, leading by as many as 17 as they won their fifth straight game and their 13th of 15 games at home this season.

With the win, Akron retains the top record in the MAC and is in pole position for a first-round by in the upcoming MAC Tournament. With two of their four remaining games at home, the Zips will have a chance to continue their quest for the top tournament seed with the aid of some home cooking.

Junior Nike Sibande led Miami with 14 points and 11 rebounds in defeat. Junior forward Milos Jovic added 11 points, while sophomores Elijah McNamara and Isaiah Coleman-Lands chipped in 10 each for the RedHawks.

UP NEXT
Akron returns to The JAR on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. against Northern Illinois. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3/+, 640 WHLO AM or GoZips.com.

WALK INTO A STARTING ROLE - ENRIQUE FREEMAN
Starting forward sophomore Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) is a walk-on player that joined the Zips for the 2019-20 season. He is on a full academic scholarship and spent the 2018-19 year completely focused on his academics. During his second year on campus he walked into the gym for walk-on tryouts. Groce and staff added him to the team, and Freeman quickly adjusted to the role of student-athlete. He appeared in seven games last season, scoring five total points with a 1-of-1 showing from the floor and 3-of-4 effort from the free throw line. He grabbed four rebounds and had one block. In the offseason, Freeman put on 20 pounds with workouts and eating habits.

This season he has appeared in all 15 games with 12 starting appearances. Against Malone, he had a career showing with 22 points and 21 rebounds. That effort stands as the most by an Akron player since 1985. He is third in scoring for the Zips with 8.1 points per game (121 pts) and leads the squad on the glass with 9.7 rebounds per game (145 rebs). He has three double-doubles and is leading the MAC in field goal percentage (.754, 52-of-69), defensive rebounds (7.2 - 108), rebounding (9.7 - 145) and blocked shots (1.5 - 23) and 7th in offensive rebounds (2.5 - 37). In addition, he ranks No. 22 in the NCAA in defensive rebounds, No. 25 in rebounds per game and No. 51 in total rebounds.

JACKSON NAMED TO LUTE OLSON AND LOU HENSON PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Senior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) was named to a pair of mid-season watch lists, appearing on the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award and Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award lists, CollegeInsider.com. On Jan. 4, Jackson garnered the Lute Olson National Player of the Week accolades, placing him in the conversation for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award. Jackson is one of 35 players mentioned for early consideration for national player of the year honors. In addition, Jackson made his second appearance on the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award watch list in 2020-21, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in division I college basketball. Jackson appeared on the preseason Lou Henson list after being named a finalist in the 2019-20 voting and earning Lou Henson All-America Team honors. Jackson is one of three players in the Mid-American Conference to receive recognition this season, and one of 40 players in division I basketball. Joining Jackson on the list in the MAC were Toledo's Marreon Jackson and Bowling Green's Justin Turner.

LCJ - ACTION JACKSON
Jackson leads the MAC in scoring with 21.3 points per game and is second in the MAC assists with 6.6 per game. Jackson has scored 320 total points on 43.2 percent (102-of-236) shooting from the field and 34.6 percent (37-of-107) from beyond the 3-point arc with five 30-plus point performances. Jackson notched two double-doubles in points and assists this season and ranks third in the league in free throw percentage (87.8; 79-of-90).

Jackson currently ranks 14th all-time in scoring at Akron with 1,395 points in 79 games played. For his career Jackson has scored 1,591 points and dished out 391 assists which ranks 8th among active players in the NCAA. He is the only player (NCAA) this year to average 20+ points and 6.6 assists per game.

In the national rankings, Jackson ranks 9th assists per game (6.6), 11th points per game (21.3), 20th total assists (99), 35th free throws made (79), 38th free throw percentage (87.8), 48th total points (320), 80th free throw attempts (90), 59th field goals attempted (236), 92nd 3-point field goals per game (2.47), 83rd assist turnover ratio (2.15), 105th 3-point field goal attempts (107), 101st field goals made (102) and 140th 3-point field goals made (37).

HIGH MAJOR PLAYERS
The Zips have three players from high-major schools that are making an impact in 2021. Junior Bryan Trimble,Jr.(St. Johns) averages a second-best 12.3 points per game and leads the team from beyond the 3-point arc, connecting with 51 triples out of 63 field goals made. He leads MAC and No. 7 in the NCAA with 3.4 trifectas made per game. Trimble shoots 40.2 percent from long distance, ranking 4th in the MAC and 46th in the NCAA.

Senior Maishe Daily (Iowa) adds 6.7 points per game with 18 made 3-pointers and ranks 38th in the MAC in 3-point field goal percentage (.300). Dailey is third in rebounds (51), grabbing 3.4 per game while dishing out 1.4 helpers for 21 total assists.

Michael Wynn (Wake Forest) has been making an impact offensively and defensively the last two weeks. He scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds against EMU. He knocked down a crucial 3-pointer that sparked the Zips' run to put away the eagles. He followed with a season-high 10-point performance against Ball State, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from deep and the charity stripe.

THE POLLS - ZIPS RANK IN MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
Akron basketball returned to the The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll on Feb. 1, 2021 the Zips entered the poll at No. 18. after wining six-straight games all against league opponents, and now the Zips rank No. 19. Last season, the Zips finished with their best ranking at No. 12 (2/24/20) and Akron received one vote for the AP Poll on Jan. 27 and Jan. 13 of 2020.

The Zips rank No. 83 in the NCAA NET Rankings. In the Ken Pom rankings, Akron is currently 93rd overall and owns the second-best defensive efficiency rating in the MAC (97.1) and stands 103rd in the NCAA (97.9). The Zips rank fifth in the MAC in offensive efficiency according to Ken Pom (108.7) and 99th in the NCAA (106.2).

QUICK HITS

• Jackson named Lute Olson and Lou Henson National Player of the Year Mid-Season Watch List
• LCJ, Lute Olson National Player of the Week (1/4), MAC Player of Week last two weeks (12/28 & 1/4)
• Jackson has five 30-plus point performances this season and scored double-digits 13-of-14 games.
•Jackson leads the team in scoring (21.4 ppg) and assists (6.5 APG), second in MAC for both
• Jackson has buried three or more 3-point FG in six games with a 7-of-14 best against Kent State
• The Zips are 8-0 at James A. Rhodes Arena and currently own an 13-game winning streak at the JAR
• Enrique Freeman's 21-rebound effort stands as the most by an Akron player since 1985.
• Freeman leads the league in FG % (.758) and DReb with 7.07 per game (99 DREBS)
• Bryan Trimble, Jr. posted a career-high 6-of-6 from deep against Ohio and 25 points against CMU
• Trimble has hit four or more 3-point FG in eight games with a 7-of-14 best performance (CMU)
• Jackson, Dailey and Trimble combined for 14-of-20 from beyond the arc against Ohio 70.0 Percent

GAME PREVIEW: Akron at Miami, Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 PM | Millett Hall | ESPNU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Enrique Freeman

Loren Cristian Jackson

Deng Riak

Jaden Sayles

Bryan Trimble, Jr.

Xeyrius Williams

Michael Wynn

The University of Akron Athletics