The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Ball State
Zips Look to Bounce Back at Ball State on Tuesday
February 24 | Men's Basketball
Akron (21-6, 13-1 Mid-American) at Ball State (14-13, 7-7 Mid-American)
Tuesday, Feb. 25 – Worthen Arena – Muncie, Ind.
7 pm ET – ESPN+ - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 343-219 | At Akron: 161-87
Ball State: Michael Lewis | Overall Record: 49-41 | At Ball State: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 31-19 | Groce vs. Ball State: 8-4 (11-7 Overall)
First Met: 1937-38 (L, Ball State 39, Akron 38 At Akron)
Last Met: Feb. 4, 2025 (W, Akron 81, Ball State 73 At Akron)
At Akron:18-6 | Neutral: 2-0 | At Ball State: 12-13
Current Streak: 3W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Akron and Ball State will be meeting for the 51st time on Tuesday. The Zips are 31-19 all-time against the Cardinals while John Groce is 11-7 overall and 8-4 at Akron against Ball State.
Akron is 18-6 all-time against BSU at home, 11-12 at BSU and 2-0 in neutral site games. Akron is 1-1 all-time versus Ball State in the MAC Tournament.
The Zips are 1-0 against BSU in 2024-25 after taking down the Cardinals 81-73 at the JAR on February 4. Sharron Young scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Zips to the victory. The Akron bench was highly productive against Ball State, with a season-high 49 points coming from the reserves
In the sole meeting last season, Akron came away with an 80-76 victory at Worthen Arena. Down 35-33 at the half, Akron used a 47-point second half to come away with the victory.
Akron split the series in 2022-23 against BSU with each team winning on their home court. The Zips fell 70-63 on January 6 in Muncie, Ind., while winning 87-83 at the JAR.
UA's Jimond Ivey broke Worthen Arena's all-time scoring mark of 41 points previously held by Bonzi Wells (Ball State, 1996) and Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan, 1998). Ivey's nine 3-pointers set an arena record and he tied the arena record for made field goals (15) set in 1992 by Xavier's Brian Grant. In addition, the 217 combined points are the most in Worthen Arena history, while Akron's 106 points are the most ever by a visiting team and by the losing team in that arena.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Ball State come into Tuesday's game with a 14-13 overall record, an 7-7 record in the MAC and a n 8-5 record at home.
The Cardinals are coming off an 80-66 victory over Buffalo at Worthen Arena on February 22. Payton Sparks had a game-high 18 points and added eight rebounds, while Mickey Pearson Jr., went for 14 points and seven boards. Jermahri Hill tallied a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double with four assists.
Hill leads the Cardinals in points (15.7), assists (3.4) and steals (1.0) per game. Sparks in the leader in rebounds (7.8) per game and total blocks (15).
Ball State averages 76.6 points per game and has outscored their opponents this season by 2.4 points per game. The Cardinals are shooting .463 from the field and .351 from beyond the arc with 7.2 3-point shots falling per game. Ball State is also shooting .699 from the free-throw line. The Cardinals average 35.7 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 11.9 turnovers, 5.2 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.Â
The Cardinals rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring (5th - 76.6), scoring defense (5th - 74.2), fg pct. (4th - .463), opp fg pct. (5th - .442), 3pt pct. (4th - .351), opp 3pt pct. (2nd - .311), rebounds (5th - 35.7), rebound margin (5th - +1.8), opp. rebounds ( 5th - 33.9) and def. rebounds ( 2nd - 26.2).
Ball State ranks 4th in the NCAA in ft attempts per game (27.0), 8th in Fft made per game (18.9), 70th in def. rebounds (26.19) and 53rd in 3pt def. pct. (.311). Payton Sparks ranks 97th in double doubles (6), 17th in ft attempts (191), 65th in ft made (121), 88th in total rebounds (210), 57th in off. rebounds (2.93) and 78th in rebounds per game (7.8). Jermahri Hill ranks 26th in ft attempts (181) and 65th in ft made (121).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips look to bounce back against the Ball State Cardinals when they travel to Muncie, Ind., on for a conference battle on Tuesday. Akron holds a 21-6 overall record, a 13-1 record in the MAC and a 6-4 record on the road
Akron is coming off an 84-67 loss at Ohio on February 22. The loss snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Zips. Shammah Scott recorded a career-high seven assists while Amani Lyles led the way in scoring with 17 points.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.7) and steals (1.9). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.6) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.1) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.6). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in for blocks (29).
Akron is currently scoring 83.6 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 9.8 points per game. The Zips are shooting .467 from the field while shooting .359 from beyond the arc and averages 10.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .746 ft percentage while averaging 39.6 rebounds, 18.4 assists,12.6 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 3.7 blocks per game.
Akron is in the top five in the MAC for scoring offense (1st - 83.6), scoring defense (4th - 73.8), scoring margin (1st - +9.8), fg pct. (3rd - .467), opp. fg pct (2nd - .420), 3pt pct (2nd - .359), opp. 3pt pct (1st- .308), 3pters made (1st - 10.9), ft pct (4th - .746), rebounds (1st - 39.6), off. rebounds (3rd - 11.8), def. rebounds (1st - 27.8), rebound margin (2nd - +4.2), assist-turnover margin (1st - +1.47), blocked shots (1st - 3.70), assists (1st - 18.44) and steals (2nd - 7.67).
The Zips rank 37th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.47), 4th in assists per game (18.4), 7th in bench points (33.59), 44th in effective fg pct. (.551), 20th in fastbreak points (14.59), 83rd in fg pct. (.467), 85th in fg def. pct. (.420), 92nd in ft pct. (.746), 58th in rebound margin (+4.4), 17th in def. rebounds (27.85), 79th in off. rebounds (11.96), 18th in rebounds per game (39.81), 32nd in scoring margin (+9.8), 12th in scoring off. (83.6), 89th in steals per game (7.7), 4th in 3pt attempts (30.4), 73rd in 3pt pct (.359), 42nd in 3pt pct def. (.308) and 4th in 3pters made per game (10.9). James Okonkwo ranks 99th in total rebounds (207), 92nd in off. rebounds per game (2.70) and 90th in rebounds per game (7.7). Nate Johnson ranks 49th in total steals (52) and 56th in steals per game (1.93).
LAST TIME AGAINST BALL STATEÂ (2/4/25)
AKRON, Ohio - Sharron Young scored a career-high 18 points to lead the Akron men's basketball team to an 81-73 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena Tuesday night.
With the win, Akron has now won 10 straight games to begin Mid-American Conference action while staying undefeated at home this season. The last time the Zips won 10-straight games to begin conference play was during the 2012-13 season.
The Zips (17-5, 10-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Young, who had 18 points, five assists and two steals. Nate Johnson tacked on 16 points and Shammah Scott chipped in as well with 13 points, six assists and two blocks off the bench. Amani Lyles provided 12 points.
The Akron bench was highly productive against Ball State, with a season-high 49 points coming from the reserves. The Zips bench has scored 30 or more points in 15 games while scoring 40 or more points in seven games.
Akron shared the ball well in Tuesday's game, racking up 21 assists on 35 made field goals. Scott's six assists led the Zips. This was the 11th game Akron has recorded 20 or more assists.
After falling behind 6-2, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 15:56 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Scott, to take a 9-6 lead. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 38-36 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down six shots to account for 18 of its 38 points.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Amani Lyles' layup, to grow the lead to 76-66 with 3:58 to go in the contest. The Cardinals narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 81-73 win. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 28 of its 43 points in the lane.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 78-26 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.750) in the league. The Zips are 64-23 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 107-28 (.793) 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 247-109 overall (.694), including a 149-32 mark in MAC play at home (.823). The Zips' 247 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 162 of their last 227 MAC games (.714).
CAREER NIGHT AGAINST THE BOBCATS
Shammah Scott dished out a career high seven assists at Ohio (Feb. 22). His previous high for assists in a game was six, which he recorded this season against Ball State (Feb. 4).
COMING OFF THE BENCH
Akron ranks 7th in the NCAA for bench production with 33.59 points per game. The Zips' bench has recorded 19 games with 30 or more points and eight games with 40 or more points. The Akron bench recorded a season high 49 points against Ball State om February 4.
DISHING OUT DIMES
Ranking in the top-10 in assists per game in the NCAA (4th - 18.4), the Zips aren't afraid to share the rock. Akron has recorded 20 or more assists in 13 games with a season high 28 coming against Ohio Wesleyan (11/8/24).Â
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron returns home to host rival Kent State on Friday, February 28 for a 9 p.m. start. The Zips and Golden Flashes will be featured on ESPN 2.
Â
