The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Saint Mary's
Akron Battles Saint Mary's on the Road on Tuesday
November 11 | Men's Basketball
Akron (1-1, 0-0 Mid-American) at Saint Mary's (2-0, 0-0 West Coast)
Tuesday, Nov. 12 – University Credit Union Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
10:00 pm ET – ESPN + - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 323-214 | At Akron: 141-82
Saint Mary's:Â Randy Bennett | Overall Record: 535-216 | At Saint Mary's: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Series Tied 1-1
Groce vs Saint Mary's: 0-0
Frist Met: Dec. 19, 1973 (W, Akron 71, Saint Mary's 56)Â
Last Met: Nov. 12, 2013 (L, Saint Mary's 85, Akron 63)
At Akron: 1-0 | At Saint Mary's: 0-1 | Current Streak: 1L
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Zips and Gaels will meet for just the third time in the all-time series. The first meeting came on Dec. 19, 1973, in Akron where the Zips won 71-56. Saint Mary's took the most recent meeting with an 85-63 victory on Nov. 12, 2013 in Moraga, Calif.
SCOUTING THE GALES
The Gales come into Tuesday's contest with a 2-0 record after picking up home wins over Towson (76-69) and Chattanooga (86-74) to begin the season.Â
In their most recent contest against Chattanooga, the Gales shot 51.9 percent from the field and had a pair of 20+ scorers. Augustas Marciulionis led all scorers with 27 points while Paulius Murauskas scored 23 points.Â
Saint Mary's was picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference in the preseason poll. The defending WCC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, the Gaels were picked to finish behind 2023-24 WCC Runner-Ups Gonzaga, who they defeated in two of three meetings last season. This is the third consecutive year that the Gaels have been picked as one of the top-two teams in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.Â
The Gaels had two named to the Preseason All-Conference Team, as defending WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis and defending WCC Defensive Player of the Year Mitchell Saxen each earned the nod.Â
Marciulionis was recently named to the John R. Wooden Award Watchlist. Serving as both scorer and facilitator, he averaged 12.4 points and 5.3 assists per game last year, and was named the conference's player of the year and the conference tournament Most Outstanding Player, the second ever Gael to accomplish this feat (Matthew Dellavedova).Â
Saxon was recently named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List. Saxen averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per contest,. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the conference after leading the WCC with 43 blocks to go along with 134 defensive rebounds.
Marciulionis and Murauskas are tied for the lead in scoring with 18.5 points per game while Luke Barrett (12.5) and Mikey Lewis (12.0) are both averaging over 10 points per game. Murauskas is also the leading rebounder with 12.0 boards per game. Marciulionis holds the title for most assists per game with 7.5 while two Gales, Marciulionis and Jordan Ross, average 1.0 steals per game. Saxon leads the squad in blocks with two on the season.Â
As a team, the Gales are fifth in scoring offense (81.0), fourth in fg percentage (.491), fifth in rebounds per game (38.5), third in off. rebounds (13.5), third in rebound margin (+11.0) and first in opp. rebounds per game (27.5).
ZIPS AT A GLANCEThe Akron Zips hit the road for the second time this season as they battle Saint Mary's for just the third time in program history.
Akron comes into Tuesday's contest with a 1-1 record after defeating Ohio Wesleyan on November 8 in the home opener. Five Zips scored in double-figures against the Battling Bishops with Bowen Hardman leading the way with 15 points. Isaiah Gray added 13 points, Sharron Young chipped in with 13 points off the bench while Nate Johnson added 11 and James Okonkwo supplied 10.
Akron did a stellar job moving the basketball as they dished out 28 assists. Johnson and Seth Wilson both supplied seven assists to pace the Zips.
Young has been electric through the first two games of his freshman campaign. Leading the Zips in scoring with a pair of double-figure scoring nights, he's also been efficient shooting the ball. Young is 11-of-15 (.733) from the field and 6-of-10 (.600) from deep. He's also recorded four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Gray has also made his presence known in the early going. The preseason All-MAC selection is shooting 87.5 (7-of-8) percent from the field while hauling in an even six offensive and defensive rebounds. Gray has also tacked on eight assists, three steals and is averaging 8.5 points per game.
The Zips currently have three players in double-figure scoring. Young leads the way with 14 points per game while Josiah Harris is averaging 13.0 and Johnson averages 11.0. The Blue and Gold also have three players averaging four or more assists per game. Johnson is the leader with 4.5 per game while Gray and Seth Wilson both average 4.0. James Okonkwo is the leading rebounder with 8.5 boards per game while Amani Lyles averages 8.0 and Harris is hauling in 7.0. Okonkwo also serves as the leader in blocks with three on the season while Harris and Shammah Scott are second with two each.
Akron is currently top five in the MAC in scoring offense (5th - 81.5), scoring margin (4th - +13.0) 3pt percentage (t2nd - .362), 3pt field goals made ( 1st - 12.5), free throw percentage (3rd - .750), total rebounds (4th - 39.0), off. rebounds (4th - 11.5), def. rebounds (4th - 27.5), rebound margin (t4th - +4.5), opp. rebounds (t4th - 34.5), assist-turnover margin (1st - 1.88), assists (1st - 23.50), steals (2nd - 10.5) and blocks (t2nd - 4.0).
A RAREÂ CALIFORNIAÂ GAME
Playing a team from the state of California has been a rarity for the Zips, with playing within the Golden State being even more rare.
Akron is just 9-7 against schools from the state of California (California, 0-1; Saint Mary's, 1-1; Southern California College, 1-0; UC Santa Barbara, 1-2; UC Irvine, 1-0; San Francisco State, 4-1; USC 1-1; UCLA 0-1). Only three of those games have come within the California state lines (L, 65-56 at UCSB, 12/5/96; L, 89-75 at California, 12/3/05; L, 85-63 at Saint Mary's 11/12/13).
PRESEASON AP TOP/ COACHESÂ POLLÂ 25
Two teams the Zips will face this season received votes in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Preseason Poll. Saint Mary's and Princeton received votes while Creighton, who the Zips faced in the NCAA Tournament last season, was ranked No. 14 in the Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the AP Poll.Â
WE'LL TAKE YOUR BEST
The Zips are set to battle three teams picked to finish first in their respective conference preseason poll. Arkansas State (Sun Belt), Milwauekee (Horizon) and Princeton (Ivy League) were all selected to be the top team in their conference. Three other schools were selected in the top three with Saint Mary's (West Coast) selected to finish second, Yale (Ivy League) picked to finish second and Northern Kentucky (Horizon) picked to finish third.
ON NATIONAL TV
The Akron Zips men's basketball program was selected for three nationally televised broadcasts with five 21-day wildcard dates. Akron is slated to open MAC play at Bowling Green on CBS Sports Network at the Stroh Center on Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. The Zips are then scheduled to travel to Ohio on Friday, January 17 on CBSSN with a 6 p.m. tipoff time.Â
The first installment of the rivalry game between Akron and Kent State was also selected to be aired on national TV as CBSSN will broadcast the game from the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. The remaining dates will be announced 21 days prior to the contests which may affect four game dates for Akron, including a pair of home games against Kent State (3/1/24) and Buffalo (3/7/24) as well as a pair of road games at Central Michigan (2/15/23) and at Ohio (2/22/24).
IN THE ASSOCIATION
Enrique Freeman became the first Akron player to be selected in the modern two-round NBA Draft era as the Indiana Pacers selected him with the 50th pick of the second round on June 27, 2024.
He became the seventh Zip to be drafted in the NBA Draft, joining Louis Arko (Syracuse Nationals, 1950), Bill Turner (Golden State Warriors, 1967), Len Paul (Detroit Pistons, 1973), Nate Barnett (Houston Rockets, 1975), Joe Jakubic (Cleveland Cavaliers, 1984) and Marcel Boyce (Phoenix Suns, 1987). In addition, Fred "Fritz" Nagy (Pittsburgh Ironmen, 1947) and Joe Wahl (Philadelphia Warriors, 1948) were selected to the Basketball Association of America that existed for three seasons and merged with the NBA in 1949.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron returns home to host the Akron Basketball Classic from November 22-24. Along with the Zips, Lamar, Nebraska Omaha and Alabama State will battle at James A. Rhodes Arena.
