The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Tulane
Zips Travel to Battle Tulane on Saturday
December 05 | Men's Basketball
Akron (7-2, 0-0 Mid-American) at Tulane (6-2, 0-0 American Conference)
Saturday, Dec. 6 – Avron B. Fogelman Arena – New Orleans, La.
4 pm ET – ESPN + – WHLO 640 AM
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 357-222 | At Akron: 175-90
Tulane:Â Ron Hunter | Overall Record: 540-405 | At Tulane: 95-91
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads 1-0 | Groce vs Tulane: 1-0
First /Last Met: Dec. 20, 2019 In Washington DCÂ (DC Holiday Hoops) (Akron 62, Tulane 61)
Current Streak: W1
LAST TIME OUT (VS BUCKNELL 12/3/25)
AKRON, Ohio - Amani Lyles collected 24 points and Tavari Johnson added 23 as the Akron men's basketball team knocked off the Bucknell Bison 97-77 at home Wednesday.
Lyles and Johnson's stellar scoring performances led the Zips (7-2) in the contest. Lyles tacked on five rebounds and four assists and Johnson added five assists. Evan Mahaffey also helped out with 10 points and four assists.
Akron utilized excellent ball movement in Wednesday's game, piling up 25 assists on 35 made field goals. Individually, Sharron Young was on top of the distribution list for the Zips with six assists. In total, five Zips recorded four or more assists, with Shammah Scott and Johnson following close behind Young with five each. Lyles and Mahaffey each had four helpers.
Akron moves to 58-4 under John Groce when recording 85 or more points, along with a 32-0 record when recording 20 or more assists in a game under Groce.
The Zips also recorded their 21st consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena and have won the past 41 non-conference matchups at the JAR.
After playing to a 34-34 tie, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 3:42 left in the first half to take a 41-34 lead. The Zips then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 49-36 advantage. Akron took advantage of seven offensive rebounds to score nine second-chance points out of 49 total in the period
Akron kept its lead intact before going on an 11-0 run, finished off by Johnson's three, to grow the lead to 60-42 with 15:07 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 97-77 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 14 of its 48 total points.
LAST TIME AGAINST TULANE (12/20/19)
WASHINGTON DC – The Akron Zips advanced to the DC Holiday Hoops Fest championship game on a late 3-pointer from senior Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) and a blocked shot by senior Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia) in the final 18.5 seconds for a 62-61 win over Tulane at the Entertainment and Sports Arena on Friday afternoon.
Akron (9-2) controlled the scoreboard for most of the game, but a late 12-0 run by the Green Wave gave Tulane a 56-53 advantage with 3:10 remaining in the game. On the ensuing possession, Akron junior Camron Reece (Oakland, Calif.) ended the Zips eight-minute scoring drought with a dunk, which cut the Tulane lead to one point, 56-55.
From that point, the two teams traded buckets as Williams nailed his first of two 3-pointers and senior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) split a pair of free throws to give Akron a 59-58 advantage with 1:53 remaining in the game.
Tulane (8-3) answered with a long-distance bucket of their own as Kevin Zhang buried his third triple of the game at the 1:32 mark, 61-59. Both teams followed with missed shots and Williams snagged the final defensive rebound of the game.
In the final 18 seconds, Cheese nearly stole the ball from Tulane, but got tied up, resulting in a jump ball that the Green Wave retained possession with five seconds left. Tulane's Christion Thompson attempted the final shot of the game in the lane, but Riak denied the attempt and lifted Akron to the one-point victory. Riak set a career-high four blocks in the game.
Williams led the Zips scoring with 16 points and recorded his fourth double-double of the season as he grabbed a career-high 15 boards. Junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) followed with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds, while senior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) recorded 14 points and added a team best three steals. Jackson was 5-of-11 from the field with three triples and Banks buried 50-percent of his shots from the floor which included a 3-of-6 performance from long range.
Akron led for 32:53 and edged the Green Wave on the glass by one, 42-41. Teshaun Hightower led the Tulane offense with 18 points while K.J. Lawson (14), Zhang (11) and Thompson (10) chipped in double-digit scoring efforts.
With the win, Akron advances to the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21. The Zips will play the winner of game two between Liberty and Towson.Â
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips travel to New Orleans to battle the Tulane Green Wave on December 6.
Amani Lyles collected 24 points and Tavari Johnson added 23 in a 97-77 win over Bucknell at James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday.
This will be the second meeting in the all-time series and the first meeting at Tulane.
Tavari Johnson leads the Zips in points (18.6) and assists (5.3). Amani Lyles leads the way in rebounds (5.8) while Evan Mahaffey leads the Blue and Gold in steals (1.7) and total blocks (8).
Akron is scoring 96.2 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 21.0 points per game. The Zips shoot .527 from the field while shooting .396 from beyond the arc and average 11.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .734 ft percentage while averaging 38.1 rebounds, 21.4 assists, 10.0 turnovers, 8.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game.
The Zips rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (2nd - 96.2), scoring margin (2nd - +21.0), fg pct (2nd - .527), opp fg pct (3rd - .419), 3pt pct (2nd. - .396), 3pters made per game (2nd - 11.9), rebounds (4th - 38.1), off rebounds (5th - 11.7), def rebounds (4th - 26.4), rebound margin (5th - +4.6), turnover margin (2nd - +4.56), assist-turnover ratio (1st - +2.14), blocked shots (4th - 3.44), assists (1st (21.44) and steals (5th - 8.11).
Akron ranks 3rd in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+2.14), 3rd in assists per game (21.4), 6th in effective fg pct (.616), 23rd in fastbreak points (17.89), 7th in fg pct (.527), 36th in fewest fouls per game (15.3), 15th in scoring margin (+21.0), 5th in scoring offense (96.2), 23rd in 3pt pct (.396), 7th in 3pters made per game (11.9), 26th in turnover margin (+4.7), 73rd in forced turnovers per game (14.67) and 41st in fewest turnovers per game (10.0).
Individually, Tavari Johnson ranks 15th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+4.36), 55th in assists per game (5.3), 25th in total fg made (60), 62nd in ft pct (.897), 40th in total points (167) and 76th in points per game (18.6). Shammah Scott ranks 25th in assist-turnover ratio (+4.0), 79th in 3pt pct (.411) and 95th in total made 3pters (23). Evan Mahaffey ranks 31st in assist-turnover ratio (+3.89). Amani Lyles ranks 29th in fg pct (.625).
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE
The Tulane Green Wave enters Saturday's contest with a 6-2 record after defeating Grambling State 65-63 at home on December 2.
The victory also pushed Tulane's record to 34-7 at home under Head Coach Ron Hunter in non-conference play. The Green Wave forced a season-high 15 turnovers against the Tigers to hold on to victory in the defensive struggle.
Tulane was paced by the trio of Curtis Williams Jr., Rowan Brumbaugh, and Asher Woods, each with double figures in scoring. Williams recorded the first double-double of his career, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds while also adding four steals against the Tigers. Brumbaugh matched him with 17 points of his own, including the final two free throws of the contest to secure the victory. Woods rounded out the leaders for the Green Wave with 13 points to mark his 48th career game in double digits.
Brumbaugh leads Tulane in points (19.1), assists (3.0), and steals (1.9) per game. Williams Jr. is the leader in rebounds (5.8) while Percy Daniels leads the Green Wave in total blocks (12).
As a team, Tulane scores 76.0 points per game and is being outscored by its opponents by 0.4 points. The Green Wave are shooting .461 from the field and .352 from beyond the arc with 7.8 3pters falling per game. Tulane shoots .780 from the free-throw line while averaging 29.1 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 9.2 turnovers, 7.6 steals and 4.8 blocks per game.
The Green Wave were picked to finish third in the American Conference Preseason Poll while Rowan Brumbaugh was named the AC Preseason Player of the Year. Along with Brumbaugh, Asher Woods earned a Preseason All-Conference nomination.
Tulane ranks in the top five in the American Conference in scoring defense (3rd - 70.4), scoring margin (4th - +4.1), fg pct (4th - .451), opp fg pct (1st - .411), opp 3pt pct (2nd - .317), ft pct (2nd - .780), turnover margin (5th - +1.09), assist-turnover ratio (3rd - +1.36), blocked shots (3rd - 4.44) and assists (3rd - 14.71).
The Green Wave ranks 50th in the NCAA in blocked shots per game (4.8), 25th in ft pct (.780), 53rd in ft attempts per game (25.6), 25th in made ft per game (20.0) and 11th in fewest turnovers per game (9.3).
Individually, Curtis Williams Jr. ranks 84th in fg pct (.561) and 17th in minutes per game (35:23). Rowan Brumbaugh ranks 7th in ft attempts (74), 5th in made ft (61) and 57th in points per game (19.1).
ON THE ROAD
Akron is 0-1 in road contest this season, falling to No. 2/1 Purdue.
The Zips were 8-4 on the road in 2024-25.Â
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
One of the nation's top scoring team's, Akron ranks in the top 10 in scoring offense (5th - 96.2). The Zips are 7-1 this season when scoring 85 or more points. The most recent game this season to feature 85 or more points was 97 against Bucknell on Dec. 3. 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 58-4 (.935) when scoring 85 or more points.
RAINING 3'S
Ranking in the top 10 for made 3's per game (7th - 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 seven games this season, with a season-high 15 falling against Princeton.Â
Akron is 5-2 this season when hitting 10 or more 3's and went 18-2 in during the 2024-25 season. Under the direction of John Groce, Akron is 93-22 (.809) when making 10 or more 3's.
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.
DISHING OUT DIMES
Ranking in the top 10 in assists per game in the NCAA (3rd - 21.4), the Zips aren't afraid to share the rock. Akron has recorded 20 or more assists in five games with a season high 32 coming against PSU Shenango (Nov. 12). The most recent game with 20+ assists was against Milwaukee (24) on Nov. 29.
The Zips are 5-0 this season when recording 20 or more assists and 32-0 with John Groce leading the Blue and Gold.
The Zips ranked 4th in the nation in assists per game (17.7) last season. The Blue and Gold recorded 20 or more assists in 15 games with a season high 28 coming against Ohio Wesleyan (11/8/24).Â
FOUR OR MORE
The Zips have had four or more players score in double-figure scoring in six game this season. The most recent game with four or more Zips scoring in double figures happened on Nov. 29 when seven Zips scored 10 or more points against Milwaukee.
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
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 four games while scoring a career-high 35 points against Yale. Amani Lyles has three games while scoring a career-high 25 against Milwaukee. 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.Â
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 81-31 (.723) 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 on the road as it travles to Henderson, Nev. to battle the Murray State Racers in the Jack Jones Classic on December 13.
