The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Miami
No. 1 Akron Battles No. 2 Miami for MAC Championship on ESPN2 Saturday Night
March 15 | Men's Basketball
No. 1 Akron (27-6, 17-1 Mid-American) vs No. 2 Miami (25-8, 14-4 Mid-American)
Saturday, Mar. 15 – Rocket Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
7:40 pm ET – ESPN2 - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 349-219 | At Akron: 167-87
Miami: Coach:Travis Steele | Overall Record: 122-95 | At Miami: 52-45
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 39-33| Groce vs. Miami: 10-4 (16-7 Overall)
First Met: Feb. 20, 1915 (L, Miami 45, Akron 14) At Miami
Last Met: Jan. 25, 2025 (W, Akron 102, Miami 75) At Akron
At Akron: 23-9 | Neutral: 3-1| At Miami: 13-23
Current Streak: 2W
INSIDE THEÂ SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 73rd meeting in series history between Akron and Miami, and 24th meeting for a Groce coached squad (16-7), 15th at Akron (10-4). Akron leads the series 39-33, and the Zips have won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including a sweep in 2022 and the lone meetings in 2023 and 2025. Akron took the lone regular season meeting in 2024-25 with a 102-75 victory at the JAR on January 25.
The Zips fell to the RedHawks on the road in the first meeting in 2023-24, 70-68 on January 27 before defeating the RedHawks in the MAC Tournament 75-63.
Akron is 23-9 at home, 3-1 at neutral site courts and 13-23 in Oxford.
AKRON IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
The Zips will make their 28th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and fifth appearance as the No. 1 seed.
Akron Holds a 40-21 record in the MAC Tournament and will look to repeat as tournament champions after cutting down the nets in 2024. The Blue and Gold are 10-3 all-time as the No. 1 Seed. The Zips have posted a 15-4 record in the Quarterfinal round, 12-5 record in the Semifinals and 5-6 record in the Championship Game.
The Zips are 4-2 against Miami in the MAC Tournament. The Blue and Gold took a 75-63 victory over the RedHawks in the quarterfinals last season. Before 2024, Akron last faced Miami in 2019 where the Zips won 80-51. Akron has also beat Miami in 2011 and 2009 while falling to the RedHawks in 2007 and 2001.
COACH GROCE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Under John Groce, the Blue and Gold have gone 12-4 in the MAC Tournament. This is the second time a Groce led Akron squad has earned the No. 1 seed (2020). Leading Ohio from 2008-09 through 2011-12, Groce led the Bobcats to a pair of MAC Titles in 2010 and 2012 while going 9-2 in the MAC Tournament. Overall, Groce holds a 21-6 record in the MAC Tournament.
SCOUTING THEÂ REDHAWKS
Miami advanced to the MAC Championship after defeating Kent State 72-64 on March 14. With the win, Miami improved its record to 25-8 overall.
In a back-and-forth game that featured 11 ties and 19 lead changes, Kam Craft buried five three-pointers after intermission, including two off set plays that head coach Travis Steele drew up in timeout huddles down the stretch.
Craft serves as the leading scorer (13.7) while Peter Suder leads the RedHawks in assists (3.8). Eian Elmer is the leader in steals (1.5), Antwone Woolfolk is the leader in rebounds (5.4) and total blocks (28).
Miami averages 80.8 points per game and has outscored their opponents this season by 8.2 points per game. The RedHawks are shooting .481 from the field and .394 from beyond the arc with 10.5 3-point shots falling per game. Miami is also shooting .725 from the free-throw line. The Rockets average 34.3 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 12.2 turnovers, 8.1 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.Â
The RedHawks rank 76th in assist-turnover ratio )+1.34), 36th in assists per game (16.3), 24th in bench points per g ame (28.64), 8th in effective fg pct. (.569), 27th in fg pct. (.481), 54th in scoring margin (+8.2), 32nd in scoring offense (80.8), 55th in steals per game (8.1), 5th in 3pt pct (.394), 13th in made 3pt shots per game (10.5), 57th in turnover margin (+2.1) and 39th in forced turnovers per game (12.2).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips battle the Miami RedHawks in the MAC Tournament Championship on Saturday with a chance to win their second consecutive MAC title.The Zips defeated Toledo 100-90 in the semifinals to advance their record to 27-6.
Akron shot 55.6 percent from deep on the way to the victory that saw five Zips score in double figures.
The Zips were led by Nate Johnson, who had a career-high 31 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks. N. Johnson's 31 points ties the Akron record for most points scored in a MAC Tournament game. The last player to score 31 points for the Zips in the MAC Tournament was Xavier Castaneda against Buffalo on Mar. 9, 2023. Isaiah Gray added 15 points and Tavari Johnson helped out with 15 points.
The Akron offense was very productive from downtown, pouring in 10 threes on 18 attempts. Nate Johnson was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, draining three treys in the contest.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.8) and steals (1.8). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.8) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.0) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.3). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in blocks (39).
Akron is currently scoring 84.8 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 10.3 points per game. The Zips are shooting .473 from the field while shooting .365 from beyond the arc and averages 10.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .751 ft percentage while averaging 38.9rebounds, 18.2 assists,12.1 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.
The Zips rank 26th in assist-turnover ratio (+1.51), 4th in assists per game (18.2), 4th in bench points per game (34.61), 28th in effective fg pct. (.558), 28th in fastbreak points (13.73), 49th in pg defense (.427), 67th in ft pct. (.751), 54th in rebound margin (+4.3), 34th in def. rebounds (27.06), 67th in off. rebounds (12.03), 24th in rebounds per game (39.09), 27th in scoring margin (+10.3), 6th in scoring offense (84.8), 80th in steals per game (7.7), 7th in 3pt attempts per game (29.9), 55th in 3pt pct. defense (.307)and 5th in 3pters made per game (10.9). James Okonkwo ranks 92nd in total rebounds (243) and 93rd in off. rebounds per game (2.73). Nate Johnson ranks 49th in total steals (60) and 69th in steals per game (1.82).
LAST TIME OUT (VS TOLEDO, 3/14/25)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - For the second straight year, the Akron men's basketball team will battle for a Mid-American Conference Tournament title after a thrilling 100-90 victory over the Toledo Rockets on Thursday.
Akron shot 55.6 percent from deep on the way to the victory that saw five Zips score in double figures.
The Zips (27-6) were led by Nate Johnson, who had a career-high 31 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks. N. Johnson's 31 points ties the Akron record for most points scored in a MAC Tournament game. The last player to score 31 points for the Zips in the MAC Tournament was Xavier Castaneda against Buffalo on Mar. 9, 2023. Isaiah Gray added 15 points and Tavari Johnson helped out with 15 points.
The Akron offense was very productive from downtown, pouring in 10 threes on 18 attempts. Nate Johnson was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, draining three treys in the contest.
Akron did a great job disrupting Toledo shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Nate Johnson's two rejections led the way individually for the Zips.
After jumping out to a 33-30 advantage, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 7:08 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Shammah Scott, to increase its lead to 41-30. The Zips then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 52-41 advantage. Akron got a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 52 total points.
The Zips then held on for the victory in the second half. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 18 of its 48 total points.
ON NATIONAL TV
Akron is 5-1 on the national stage with wins at Bowling Green (71-68),against Ohio (92-80) at Kent State (85-71), against Kent State (77-72) and against Toledo (100-90). The lone loss was on ESPN2 when the Zips fell at Ohio (84-67) on February 22.
ONE AWAY FROM A NEW RECORD
A win against Miami will not only secure the second straight MAC title for the Zips, but the most wins in a single season in Akron program history. The 2024-25 squad is currently tied for the record with the 2016-17 squad with 27 wins.
WHAT'S NEXT?
An Akron win will advance the Zips to their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third in the past four seasons.
