The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Battle Buffalo on Friday At The JAR
January 11 | Men's Basketball
Akron (11-4, 3-0 Mid-American) vs Buffalo (2-13, 1-2 Mid-American)
Friday, Jan. 12 – James A. Rhodes Arena – Akron, Ohio
7:00 pm ET – CBS Sports Network - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 309-206 | At Akron: 127-74
Ball State: George Halcovage | Overall Record: 2-13 | At Buffalo: Same
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 40-33 Groce vs. Buffalo: 6-8 (11-12 Overall)
First Meeting: Akron 84, Buffalo 74 in Akron 1954-55 season
Last Meeting: Akron 101, Buffalo 77 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Mar. 9, 2023
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Akron Zips return to the JAR to face the University of Buffalo on January 12 for the 74th all-time meeting between Akron and Buffalo. Akron and Buffalo can be viewed on CBS Sports Network with Chris Lewis (PxP) and Mo Cassara (Analyst).Fans can listen to Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst). Live stats are also available on GoZips.com.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
The Bulls come into Friday with a 2-13 overall record and a 1-2 MAC record. After starting conference action with a 76-64 win at Central Michigan, Buffalo has lost to Western Michigan and Miami (OH). The Bulls non-conference win came against Roberts Wesleyan.
Sy Chatman leads Buffalo in scoring with 17.9 points per game while Isaiah Adams is the only other Bull to average double-figure scoring (12.4). Jonnivius Smith leads the way in rebounds with 9.2 while Adams leads Buffalo in assists with 3.4 per game. Chatman is the leader in blocks with 23 on the season.
Shawn Fulcher led the Bulls in scoring against Miami in the most recent game with 20 points. He went 9-of-15 from the field and recorded two rebounds and three assists. Ryan Sabol was second in scoring with 14 points after hitting three 3-pointers and went 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Buffalo allowed Miami to shoot 33-of-58 (65.5%) from the field as four RedHawks scored in double-figures to claim a 86-65 win over the Bulls.
Buffalo ranks 83rd in blocks per game (4.3) and 75th in rebounds per game (12.20). Chatman is 83rd in the country in total blocks (23), 84th in blocks per game (1.53), 67th in double-doubles (4), 53rd in total field goals (99), and 77th in total points (269) and points per game (17.9).
Jonnivius Smith is 7th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.00), 61st in total rebounds (129) and 39th in rebounds per game (9.2).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Akron has won its first three MAC games after taking defeating Ball State on the road 80-76. The Zips have had a winning streak of at least three games three times this season.
Against the Cardinals, five Zips finished in double-figures with Ali Ali leading the way with 17 points. Enrique Freeman posted his 13th double-double of the season with a 14-point, 13- rebound performance while Greg Tribble, Nate Johnson and Mikal Dawson also hit 10 or more points. Dawson was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against BSU.
Tribble has found a grove from long distance, hitting 6-of-11 attempts over the last three games. He's also hit four or more shots in each of the last three games with a 7-of-8 performance against Bowling Green on January 5.
Freeman leads the Zips in scoring (18.1ppg) and rebound (13.0 rpg) while Ali Ali joins Freeman in
double figure scoring with 16.3 ppg. All is also averaging 3.0 assists per game as well this season.
Akron is scoring 77.2 points per game and has a scoring margin of +11.1. The Zips have shot .471 from the field and .362 from 3-point range this season, which featured 9.3 made 3's per game. The Zips have also seen their turnover numbers drop, with just 12.3 turnovers a game from the Blue and Gold.
The Zips are currently 36th in the country in effective fg% (.552), 74th in fg% (.471), 65th in rebound margin (+5.3), 66th in scoring defense (66.1), 55th in scoring margin (+11.1), 69th in 3pt% (.364), and 41st in 3pters made per game (9.3).
LAST TIME OUT (JAN. 9, 2024)
AKRON, OHIO- The Akron men's basketball team used a 47-point second half to defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 83-67 at the JAR on Friday evening.
Enrique Freeman notched a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds as he moved to ninth for all-time scoring with 1,448 career points. Freeman surprised Don Williams (1963-67). Romeo Travis (2004-07) is next with 1,491 career points.
In addition to Freeman's strong outing, the Zips (10-4, 2-0) were led by Greg Tribble, who had 16 points, and by Shammah Scott, who added 10 points, four assists and three steals coming off the bench.
Akron did a great job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 22 assists while turning the ball over nine times. Individually, Kaleb Thornton lent a helping hand the most for the Zips with five assists.
After falling behind 36-27, Akron went on a 5-0 run with 4:06 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Mikal Dawson, to narrow its deficit to 36-32. Bowling Green answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Zips down 41-36 entering halftime.
After intermission, Akron came back to even it up at 52-52 before going on a 12-0 run to seize a 64-52 lead with 6:47 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 83-67 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 47 total points.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game marks the 74th meeting in series history between Akron and Buffalo, and 24th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 40-33 series advantage while Groce is 11-12 overall and 6-8 at Akron. In three of those five setbacks, the Zips led at halftime and took a one possession game to the final minutes. The Zips and the Bulls have met seven times in postseason play with Buffalo holding a 5-2 edge.
Akron swept the regular season series in 2023, defeating the Bulls at Alumni Arena (81-64) and at The JAR (86-66) Akron won the lone regular season meeting in 2021-22 on New Year's Day after trailing by as many as 14 points and won by 12 points (88-76).
LAST TIME AGAINST BUFFALO (FEB. 28, 2023)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The third-seeded University of Akron men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back dispatching of sixth-seeded Buffalo, 101-77, in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday evening.
Akron's 101-point performance represents a single-game program record for points scored in a MAC Tournament tilt.
By virtue of its third triumph of the season past the Bulls, the Zips advance to battle rival Kent State in the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament on Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Senior Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high and Akron MAC Tournament record 31 points, while junior Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio), junior Sammy Hunter (Nassau, Bahamas) and graduate student Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich.) added 19-, 13- and 13-point performances for the Zips.
Akron finished the contest shooting 59 percent from the field, including making 13 three pointers, while holding Buffalo to a 37.1 percent shooting mark in the second half en route to a 24-point victory.
Yazid Powell paced four Bulls scoring in double figures with a 25-point performance.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 56-21 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.727) in the league. The Zips are 42-17 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 92-25 (.786) 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 225-103 overall (.686), including a 135-31 mark in MAC play at home (.813). The Zips' 225 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 140 of their last 200 MAC games (.700).
THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Enrique Freeman has 13 double-doubles this season, ranking 1st in the NCAA and is the only player in the MAC to average a double-double. He is 1-of-14 players in Div. 1 to average a double-double, while recording 20+ points and 10+ rebounds eight times. Freeman has also recorded nine consecutive double-doubles.
Additionally, he ranks 97th in blocks per game (1.47), 50th in fg% (.573), 19th in free throws attempted (112), 33rd in made free throws (77), 71st in points per game (18.1), 83rd in total points (271), 3rd in total rebounds (195), 3rd in def. rpg (9.33),16th in off. rpg (3.67) and 1st in rebounds per game (13.0).
WHEN LEADING...
Akron is a perfect 8-0 when leading at the half while just 3-4 when trailing.
When leading with 10 minutes remaining the Zips are 9-0, and with 5 minutes remaining Akron is 10-0 while 1-4 when trailing with 5 minutes to go.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron will extend its stay at the JAR as it hosts Western Michigan next on Tuesday, January 16.
Friday, Jan. 12 – James A. Rhodes Arena – Akron, Ohio
7:00 pm ET – CBS Sports Network - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 309-206 | At Akron: 127-74
Ball State: George Halcovage | Overall Record: 2-13 | At Buffalo: Same
All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 40-33 Groce vs. Buffalo: 6-8 (11-12 Overall)
First Meeting: Akron 84, Buffalo 74 in Akron 1954-55 season
Last Meeting: Akron 101, Buffalo 77 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Mar. 9, 2023
WHAT'S AHEAD
The Akron Zips return to the JAR to face the University of Buffalo on January 12 for the 74th all-time meeting between Akron and Buffalo. Akron and Buffalo can be viewed on CBS Sports Network with Chris Lewis (PxP) and Mo Cassara (Analyst).Fans can listen to Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst). Live stats are also available on GoZips.com.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
The Bulls come into Friday with a 2-13 overall record and a 1-2 MAC record. After starting conference action with a 76-64 win at Central Michigan, Buffalo has lost to Western Michigan and Miami (OH). The Bulls non-conference win came against Roberts Wesleyan.
Sy Chatman leads Buffalo in scoring with 17.9 points per game while Isaiah Adams is the only other Bull to average double-figure scoring (12.4). Jonnivius Smith leads the way in rebounds with 9.2 while Adams leads Buffalo in assists with 3.4 per game. Chatman is the leader in blocks with 23 on the season.
Shawn Fulcher led the Bulls in scoring against Miami in the most recent game with 20 points. He went 9-of-15 from the field and recorded two rebounds and three assists. Ryan Sabol was second in scoring with 14 points after hitting three 3-pointers and went 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Buffalo allowed Miami to shoot 33-of-58 (65.5%) from the field as four RedHawks scored in double-figures to claim a 86-65 win over the Bulls.
Buffalo ranks 83rd in blocks per game (4.3) and 75th in rebounds per game (12.20). Chatman is 83rd in the country in total blocks (23), 84th in blocks per game (1.53), 67th in double-doubles (4), 53rd in total field goals (99), and 77th in total points (269) and points per game (17.9).
Jonnivius Smith is 7th in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.00), 61st in total rebounds (129) and 39th in rebounds per game (9.2).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Akron has won its first three MAC games after taking defeating Ball State on the road 80-76. The Zips have had a winning streak of at least three games three times this season.
Against the Cardinals, five Zips finished in double-figures with Ali Ali leading the way with 17 points. Enrique Freeman posted his 13th double-double of the season with a 14-point, 13- rebound performance while Greg Tribble, Nate Johnson and Mikal Dawson also hit 10 or more points. Dawson was 4-of-7 from beyond the arc against BSU.
Tribble has found a grove from long distance, hitting 6-of-11 attempts over the last three games. He's also hit four or more shots in each of the last three games with a 7-of-8 performance against Bowling Green on January 5.
Freeman leads the Zips in scoring (18.1ppg) and rebound (13.0 rpg) while Ali Ali joins Freeman in
double figure scoring with 16.3 ppg. All is also averaging 3.0 assists per game as well this season.
Akron is scoring 77.2 points per game and has a scoring margin of +11.1. The Zips have shot .471 from the field and .362 from 3-point range this season, which featured 9.3 made 3's per game. The Zips have also seen their turnover numbers drop, with just 12.3 turnovers a game from the Blue and Gold.
The Zips are currently 36th in the country in effective fg% (.552), 74th in fg% (.471), 65th in rebound margin (+5.3), 66th in scoring defense (66.1), 55th in scoring margin (+11.1), 69th in 3pt% (.364), and 41st in 3pters made per game (9.3).
LAST TIME OUT (JAN. 9, 2024)
AKRON, OHIO- The Akron men's basketball team used a 47-point second half to defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 83-67 at the JAR on Friday evening.
Enrique Freeman notched a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds as he moved to ninth for all-time scoring with 1,448 career points. Freeman surprised Don Williams (1963-67). Romeo Travis (2004-07) is next with 1,491 career points.
In addition to Freeman's strong outing, the Zips (10-4, 2-0) were led by Greg Tribble, who had 16 points, and by Shammah Scott, who added 10 points, four assists and three steals coming off the bench.
Akron did a great job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 22 assists while turning the ball over nine times. Individually, Kaleb Thornton lent a helping hand the most for the Zips with five assists.
After falling behind 36-27, Akron went on a 5-0 run with 4:06 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Mikal Dawson, to narrow its deficit to 36-32. Bowling Green answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Zips down 41-36 entering halftime.
After intermission, Akron came back to even it up at 52-52 before going on a 12-0 run to seize a 64-52 lead with 6:47 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 83-67 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 47 total points.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game marks the 74th meeting in series history between Akron and Buffalo, and 24th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 40-33 series advantage while Groce is 11-12 overall and 6-8 at Akron. In three of those five setbacks, the Zips led at halftime and took a one possession game to the final minutes. The Zips and the Bulls have met seven times in postseason play with Buffalo holding a 5-2 edge.
Akron swept the regular season series in 2023, defeating the Bulls at Alumni Arena (81-64) and at The JAR (86-66) Akron won the lone regular season meeting in 2021-22 on New Year's Day after trailing by as many as 14 points and won by 12 points (88-76).
LAST TIME AGAINST BUFFALO (FEB. 28, 2023)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The third-seeded University of Akron men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and didn't look back dispatching of sixth-seeded Buffalo, 101-77, in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday evening.
Akron's 101-point performance represents a single-game program record for points scored in a MAC Tournament tilt.
By virtue of its third triumph of the season past the Bulls, the Zips advance to battle rival Kent State in the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament on Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Senior Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high and Akron MAC Tournament record 31 points, while junior Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio), junior Sammy Hunter (Nassau, Bahamas) and graduate student Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich.) added 19-, 13- and 13-point performances for the Zips.
Akron finished the contest shooting 59 percent from the field, including making 13 three pointers, while holding Buffalo to a 37.1 percent shooting mark in the second half en route to a 24-point victory.
Yazid Powell paced four Bulls scoring in double figures with a 25-point performance.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 56-21 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.727) in the league. The Zips are 42-17 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 92-25 (.786) 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 225-103 overall (.686), including a 135-31 mark in MAC play at home (.813). The Zips' 225 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 140 of their last 200 MAC games (.700).
THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Enrique Freeman has 13 double-doubles this season, ranking 1st in the NCAA and is the only player in the MAC to average a double-double. He is 1-of-14 players in Div. 1 to average a double-double, while recording 20+ points and 10+ rebounds eight times. Freeman has also recorded nine consecutive double-doubles.
Additionally, he ranks 97th in blocks per game (1.47), 50th in fg% (.573), 19th in free throws attempted (112), 33rd in made free throws (77), 71st in points per game (18.1), 83rd in total points (271), 3rd in total rebounds (195), 3rd in def. rpg (9.33),16th in off. rpg (3.67) and 1st in rebounds per game (13.0).
WHEN LEADING...
Akron is a perfect 8-0 when leading at the half while just 3-4 when trailing.
When leading with 10 minutes remaining the Zips are 9-0, and with 5 minutes remaining Akron is 10-0 while 1-4 when trailing with 5 minutes to go.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron will extend its stay at the JAR as it hosts Western Michigan next on Tuesday, January 16.
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