The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Milwaukee
Zips Begin Two Game Homestand; Welcomes Milwaukee on Saturday
November 28 | Men's Basketball
Akron (5-2, 0-0 Mid-American) vs Milwaukee (3-4, 0-0 Horizon League)
Saturday, Nov.29 – James A. Rhodes Arena – Akron, Ohio
7 pm ET – ESPN + – WHLO 640 AM
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 355-222 | At Akron: 173-90
Milwaukee:Â Bart Lundy | Overall Record: 495-232 | At Milwaukee: 66-42
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Trails 1-2 | Groce vs Milwaukee: 0-1
First Met: Feb. 4, 1980Â (Akron 69, Milwaukee 82) At Milwaukee
Last Meeting: Dec. 15, 2024Â (Akron 81, Milwaukee 100) At Milwaukee (Fiserv Forum)
Current Streak: L1
LAST TIME OUT (VS YALE 11/24/25)
ST. THOMAS, USVI - Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott produced career-highs in scoring with 35 and 25 points respectively as the Akron men's basketball team fell to the Yale Bulldogs 97-94 at Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center Monday night in the Paradise Jam Championship Game.
Johnson along with Eric Mahaffey were named to the Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team.
The Zips (5-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Johnson, who led all scorers with 35 points and eight assists. Scott added 25 points and Amani Lyles helped out with 12 points and two steals.
The Akron offense was very productive from beyond the arc, making 12 threes on 23 attempts. Scott was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, draining five treys in the contest.
After falling behind 44-31, Akron went on a 6-0 run with 1:24 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Johnson, to narrow its deficit to 44-37. Yale answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Zips down 46-37 entering halftime.
Akron narrowed its deficit to 78-70 before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Scott's three, to shrink the deficit to 78-76 with 6:23 to go in the contest. Yale responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 97-94. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting eight shots from deep to score 24 of its 57 points.
LASTÂ TIME AGAINST MILWAUKEE (12/15/2024)
MILWAUKEE, Wis -The Akron men's basketball team scored 34 points off of turnovers, but fell 100-81 to the Milwaukee Panthers at UWM Panther Arena Sunday.
The Zips (6-3) had four players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 22 points and two steals. Nate Johnson tacked on 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals and Sharron Young chipped in as well with 11 points and three steals off the bench.
The Akron offense was impressive from three-point land, pouring in eight threes on 20 attempts. Young hit three treys for the Zips in the contest.
Akron forced 22 Milwaukee turnovers while committing 17 themselves in Sunday's game. The Zips turned those takeaways into 34 points on the offensive end of the floor. Young's three steals led the way for Akron.
Akron struggled out of the gate, falling behind 58-45 heading into halftime.
After intermission, Akron kept the Panthers from increasing their lead before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Nate Johnson's layup, to shrink the deficit to 68-63 with 11:38 to go in the contest. Milwaukee responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 100-81. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 26 of its 36 points in the lane.
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena after playing four straight games away from home.
Akron concluded the Paradise Jam 2-1 with a 97-94 loss to Yale in the championship game.
Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott both set new career-highs in scoring with 35 and 25 points, respectively, against the Bulldogs.
Akron and Milwaukee are set to battle for the fourth time in the all-time series.
Akron is scoring 94.9 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 20.7 points per game. The Zips shoot .506 from the field while shooting .381 from beyond the arc and averaged 11.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .735 ft percentage while averaging 38.0 rebounds, 20.6 assists, 10.0 turnovers, 8.7 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.
The Zips rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (1st - 94.9), scoring margin (2nd - 20.7), fg pct (2nd - .506), opp fg pct (5th - .428), 3pt pct (3rd - .381), rebounds (5th - 38.1), opp rebounds (5th - 32.6), off rebounds (4th - 12.9), rebound margin (3rd -5.6), turnover margin (2nd - +5.57), assist-turnover ratio (1st - +2.06), blocked shots (4th - 3.14), assists (1st - 20.57) and steals (3rd - 8.71).
Akron ranks 5th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+2.06), 5th in assists per game (20.6), 24th in effective FG pct (.593), 29th in fastbreak points (18.14), 35th in fg pct (.506), 57th in fewest fouls per game (16.0), 98th in rebound margin (+5.4), 90th in off rebounds (12.86), 26th in scoring margin (+20.7), 7th in scoring offense (94.9), 73rd in steals (20th in 3pters attempted per game (31.1), 44th in 3pt pct (.381), 9th in 3pters made per game (11.9), 14th in turnover margin (+5.7), 52nd in turnovers forced (15.71) and 41st in fewest turnovers per game (10.0).
Individually, Shammah Scott ranks 18th in assist-turnover ratio (+5.0), 77th in 3pt pct (.435), 79th in made 3pters per game (2.86) and total made 3pters (20). Tavari Johnson ranks 52nd in assist-turnover ratio (+3.56), 40th in total fg made (48), 45th in ft pct (.917), 71st in total points (133) and 65th in points per game (19.0). Evan Mahaffey ranks 52nd in assist-turnover ratio (+3.56). Bowen Hardman ranks 99th in total made 3pters (19).
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
The Milwaukee Panthers enter Saturday's contest with a 3-4 overall record after defeating Dominican (Ill.) 125-70 on November 25.
Amar Augillard scored a game-high 20 points and Milwaukee had eight players finish in double-figures for the first time in program history to lead the way in a 125-70 victory over Dominican. The Panthers turned it on after intermission, setting a school record with 72 points in the second half on their way to tying the all-time record of 125 points in a game.
Before winning against Dominican, Milwaukee had lost three straight road games to Indiana, Texas Tech and Wichita State.
This will be the fourth meeting between the two schools, with the Panthers leading 2-1 after taking a 100-81 victory at the MKE Tip Off at Fiserv Forum last season.
Seth Hubbard leads the Panthers in points (16.1) and steals (1.1) per game. Isaiah Dorceus is the leader in assists (3.6) while Danilo Jovanovich leads the way in rebounds (5.9). Faizon Fields and Tate Mackenzie are tied for the lead in blocks (5).
As a team, Milwaukee scores 82.0 points per game and outscores its opponents by 0.6 points. The Panthers are shooting .486 from the field and .333 from beyond the arc with 7.3 3pters falling per game. Milwaukee shoots .652 from the free-throw line while averaging 36.9 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 10.4 turnovers, 7.1 steals and 2.7 blocks per game.
The Panthers rank in the top five in the Horizon League in fg pct (5th - .469), opp fg pct (5th - .453), rebounding (4th - 36.9), off rebounds (5th - 12.6), def rebounds (4th - 24.3), rebound margin (5th - +0.3), turnover margin (5th - +2.29) and assist-turnover margin (5th - 1.36).
Milwaukee ranks 23rd in the NCAA in fastbreak points (19.14) and 60th for fewest turnovers per game (10.4). Individually, Seth Hubbard ranks 76th in fg attempts (95) and 78th in total fg made (45). Danilo Jovanovich ranks 11th in fg pct (.673).
CAREER-HIGHS IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
- Multiple Zips recorded career-highs in the Paradise Jam.Â
- Bowen Hardman recorded career-highs in rebounds (4 vs Iona) and steals (2 vs Yale).Â
- Tavari Johnson set career-highs in points (35 vs Yale) and made FG (16 vs Yale).Â
- Eric Mahaffey set career-highs in points (20 vs Iona), FG made (8 vs Iona) and FT made (3 vs Iona).Â
- Evan Mahaffey tied his career high for points (16 vs Iona) while setting a career-high for FT made (6 vs Iona).
- Shammah Scott set a career-high in points (25 vs Yale) and FG made (9 vs Yale) while tying his career high for 3pters made (5 vs Yale).
HOME SWEET HOME
The Zips own a 488-136 (.782) all-time record at the James A. Rhodes Arena. In the last 21 seasons, Akron has posted a 284-40 (.876) record at the JAR. Akron is currently on a 19-game winning streak at the JAR dating back to the 2024-25 season, which currently is tied for the third longest home winning streak in the country.
Under coach Groce, Akron is 109-15 (.879)Â at home. The Zips were 15-1 at home in 2022-23,13-1 in 2023-24 and 16-0 at the JAR in 2024-25.
Akron owns a 103-21 (.831) home-opening record and 39-4 (.907) at Rhodes Arena. The Zips have been winners in the last 23-of-24 home opening games. Akron is 21-8 in MAC openers, and 12-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Over the last 18 seasons, the Zips are 15-3 in MAC openers and 7-1 at home. Akron has won the last 9-of-10 MAC openers.
Akron went 12-4 at Rhodes Arena in Groce's first year as head coach and followed with a 14-3 effort. The Zips went 15-2 at home in 2019-20 en route to the regular season MAC Championship. The Zips set the all-time longest home winning streak record at Rhodes Arena with 30 consecutive wins during the 2015-17 seasons, replacing the 26-game run the Zips made during the 1985-87 seasons under head coach Bob Huggins. The streak ranked No. 2 in the NCAA.
NON-CONFERENCE FOES AT THE JAR
Under John Groce, Akron is 50-1 (.980) at home against non-conference opponents. Akron is on a 40-0 run against non-conference foes at the JAR since losing to Marshall on Dec. 15, 2018.
FOUR OR MORE
The Zips have had four or more players score in double-figure scoring in five game this season. The most recent game with four or more Zips scoring in double figures happened on Nov. 23 when four Zips score 10 or more points against Evansville
Akron had four or more players record double-figure scoring in 21 games in the 2024-25 season. The season high was seven players scoring 10 or more points against SUNY Brockport (Dec. 7) and Eastern Michigan (Jan. 11).Â
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
One of the nation's top scoring team's, Akron ranks in the top 10 in scoring offense (7th - 94.9). The Zips are 5-1 this season when scoring 85 or more points. The most recent game this season to feature 85 or more points was 94 against Yale on Nov. 24. Akron scored 85 or more points in 19 games in 2024-25, were 19-0 when hitting that mark and finished ranked No.8 in the nation in scoring offense (84.0).
Under John Groce, Akron is 56-4 (.933) all-time when scoring 85 or more points.
DISHING OUT DIMES
Ranking in the top 10 in assists per game in the NCAA (5th - 20.6), the Zips aren't afraid to share the rock. Akron has recorded 20 or more assists in 3 games with a season high 32 coming against PSU Shenango (Nov. 12). The most recent game with 20+ assists was against Iona (20) on Nov. 21.
20-POINT PERFORMANCES
The Zips have seen four Zips record 20 or more points in a game this season. Tavari Johnson leads the way with three games while scoring a career-high 35 points against Yale. Shammah Scott has one game while scoring a career-high 25 against Yale. Eric Mahaffey has one game while scoring a career-high 20 points against Iona. Amani Lyles has one game while scoring a career-high 22 against James Madison.
RAINING 3'S
Ranking in the top 10 for made 3's per game (9th - 11.9), Akron has been one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country the past couple of seasons. The Zips have made 10 or more 3pters in five games this season, with a season-high 15 falling against Princeton.
Akron ranked 8th in the nation for made 3's per game in 2024-25 (10.7). The Blue and Gold hit 10 or more 3's in 20 games, 15 or more in six, while connecting on 19 3's against South Alabama (Feb. 8), which is the second most in program history.
THE SENIOR CLASS: A WHOLE LOT OF WINNING
Akron's senior class has seen a great deal of success wearing the Blue and Gold. Since the 2022-23 season, the Zips have gone 79-31 (.718) overall and 43-11 (.796) in the MAC. Akron has also claimed the MAC Regular Season Title (2025) and MAC Tournament Title (2024+25) in that span as well.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron stays home as it welcomes Bucknell to the JAR on Wednesday, December 3 for a 7 p.m. start.
