The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Kent State
Zips Battle Kent State on ESPNU on Friday
February 26 | Men's Basketball
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 373-225 | At Akron: 191-93
Kent State:Â Rob Senderoff | Overall Record: 309-183 | At Kent State: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 86-82 | Groce vs. Kent State: 17-12 overall (13-7 at UA)
First Met: 1915-16 At Kent State (Akron 37, Kent 16)
Last Met: Jan. 30, 2026 At Akron (Akron 69, Kent 52)
At Akron:49-25 | Neutral: 10-3 | At Kent: 27-54 | Current Streak: 6W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game marks the 169th meeting in series history between Akron and Kent State. Akron leads 86-82. The first meeting was during the 1915-16 season at Kent State where Akron pulled out the win,37-16. The Zips have won 25 of the last 40 meetings, including the last six meetings. Akron is 1-0 against Kent State in 2025-26, winning 69-52 at the JAR on Jan. 30, 2026.
The Zips went 2-0 against the Flashes in 2024-25 after winning at the M.A.C. Center 85-71 on January 31 and 77-72 at the JAR on February 28. Akron claimed the MAC regular season title with its home victory over Kent State last season.
Akron swept the regular season with a 77-71 win at Kent State (Jan. 19) and an 83-70 victory at
Rhodes Arena (Feb. 23) in 2023-24 while taking down Kent State in the MAC Championship title
game 62-61 to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Zips went 1-2 against the Golden Flashes in 2022-23 with each side defending its home court, while Kent State won in the MAC Tournament to take a 82-80 advantage in the overall series. In 2020-21, Akron swept the season series, claiming the New Year's Day game at The JAR (66-62) and followed with a win at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio on Feb. 5 (72-61). The season sweep marked the first time either team swept the series since the 2011-12 season when Akron posted three wins. In 2019-20, the two teams split the series as Akron posted a 79-76 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena (March 6) and KSU claimed the earlier contest 68-67 (Jan. 31) at the M.A.C Center.
In 2018-19, Akron and Kent State split the series -- Zips won at home 72-53 (Feb. 8) and Kent State won 68-65 in Kent (March 8). The team from the east entered 2018-19 season winning 2-of-3 contests, including a split in the 2017-18 season series (W 78-68 in Kent), (L 67-65 in Akron) and the 2017 MAC Championship game (W 70-65 in Cleveland). Akron earned a season series sweep, during the 2011-12 season.In fact,the Zips posted three consecutive wins that season, defeating the Flashes 84-75 at home (Jan. 21), 61-55 in Kent (March 2) and 78-74 in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland (March 9).
In addition, Akron won 2-of-3 games the following season (2012-13), winning on the road (71-67, Jan.15) and falling at home (68-64, March 8) before winning its second consecutive semifinal matchup in the MAC Tournament (62-59, March 15). During that stretch, Akron won 5-of-6 games.
Neither team has done historically well on the road. Akron is 48-25 at home while just 27-54 on the road against the Golden Flashes. Akron and Kent State have met in the MAC Tournament 10 times. Akron is 7-3 in the MAC Tournament against the Golden Flashes. In 2016-17,Kent State snapped Akron's 30-game home-court winning streak at the JAR. The longest winning streak in the series for Akron is 9-games from 1941-1947 and Kent State's longest winning streak in the series is 5-games, and it happened twice, 1991-1994, and 1980-1985.
In addition, Akron and Kent State have played for the MAC Tournament championship five times with the the series in favor of the Zips 3-2 in MAC title games. Kent State won the tournament in 2007-08 (74-55), Akron won the title in 2010-11 in overtime (66-65), Kent State won the tournament in 2016-17 (70-65) and the Zips won in 2022 (75-55) and 2024 (62-61).
LAST TIME OUT (VS BUFFALO 2/24/26)
AKRON, Ohio - Five Zips (23-5, 14-1) scored in double figures as the Akron men's basketball team defeated the Buffalo Bills 99-85 at home Tuesday.
Akron secured its 30th consecutive home win, tying the longest home winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena. The first 30 win streak was set from 2015-17.
Tavari Johnson led the way with 23 points, going 11-of-11 from the free throw line, while adding five assists, one rebound and one steal. Evan Mahaffey notched a career-high 20 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, while adding nine rebounds, three steals and three assists. Amani Lyles also helped out with a double double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Shammah Scott supplied 13 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Eric Mahaffey gave Akron 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.
As a team, the Zips went 26-of-29 from the free throw line.
Akron forced 14 Buffalo turnovers. The Zips turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Mahaffey's three steals led the way for Akron.
After falling behind 20-13, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 11:50 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Lyles, to take a 21-20 lead. The Zips then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 39-35 advantage. Akron did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 39 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 59-49 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Mahaffey's layup, to grow the lead to 67-49 with 12:21 to go in the contest. The Bulls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 99-85 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 16 of its 60 total points.
LAST TIME AGAINST KENT STATE (1/30/26)
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team recorded its 28th consecutive win at James A. Rhodes Arena while defeating Kent State 69-52 on Friday.
Akron's 28 game home winning streak currently stands as the longest in the nation. The Blue and Gold have also defeated Kent State in the previous six contests.
The Zips did a great job at limiting Kent State from deep, holding the Golden Flashes to a 4.3 percent night from 3-point range in a 1-for-23 shooting performance.
The Zips (18-4, 9-1) had two players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Bowen Hardman tacked on 15 points off of the bench. Eric Mahaffey, Evan Mahaffey and Shammah Scott all recorded nine points in the win.
Chabi Barre pulled down two offensive rebounds to pace the Akron offense which grabbed 10 boards and turned them into eight second chance points.
After playing to a 2-2 tie, Akron went on a 9-0 run with 16:59 left in the first half to take an 11-2 lead. The Zips then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 38-29 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 a 12-0 run, finished off by Hardman's three, to grow the lead to 50-33 with 12:25 to go in the contest. The Zips held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 69-52 win. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting five shots from deep to score 15 of its 31 points.
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Akron travels to battle rival Kent State on Friday.
The Zips enter Friday's contest with a 23-5 overall record and a 14-1 record in the MAC. The Blue and Gold are 8-4 on the road this season.
Akron recently defeated Buffalo on Tuesday. Five Zips scored in double figures with Tavari Johnson (23) and Evan Mahaffey (20) leading the charge. Amani Lyles posted a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Johnson leads the Zips in points (20.6) and assists (5.2). Lyles leads the Blue and Gold in rebounds (7.5) while Evan Mahaffey leads the way in steals (1.8) and total blocks (19).
Akron is scoring 89.8 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 14.9 points. The Zips shoot .504 from the field while shooting .373 from beyond the arc and average 10.8 3s per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .779 ft percentage while averaging 38.0 rebounds, 19.0 assists, 10.9 turnovers, 7.5 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.
The Zips rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (2nd - 89.8), scoring defense (5th - 74.9), scoring margin (2nd - +14.9), fg pct (2nd - .504), opp fg pct (1st - .423), 3pt pct (3rd - .373), 3s made per game (1st - 10.8), ft pct (1st - .779), rebounds (2nd - 38.0), off rebounds (4th - 11.5), def rebounds (3rd - 26.5), rebound margin (3rd - +4.4), turnover margin (3rd - +2.82), assist-turnover ratio (1st - 1.74) and assists (1st - 19.0).Â
Akron ranks 14th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.74), 5th in assists per game (19.0), 41st in bench points per game (29.25), 8th in effective fg pct (.588), 20th in fastbreak points (15.54), 12th in fg pct (.504), 78th in fg pct defense (.423), 64th in fewest fouls per game (16.0), 17th in ft pct (.779), 64th in rebound margin (+4.4), 57th in def rebounds (26.50), 59th in rebounds per game (37.96), 11th in scoring margin (+14.9), 6th in scoring offense (89.8), 28th in 3pt pct (.373), 18th in 3s made per game (10.8), 38th in turnover margin (+2.9) and 52nd in turnovers forced per game (13.79).
Individually, Evan Mahaffey ranks 65th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+2.58), total steals (50) and 86th in steals per game (1.79). Tavari Johnson ranks 47th in total assists (146), 47th in assists per game (5.2), 38th in fg pct (.576), total fg made (210), 16th in ft pct (.904), 20th in total points (577) and 23rd in points per game (20.6). Amani Lyles ranks 97th in double-doubles (6), 100th in total rebounds (208) and 87th in def rebounds (5.43).
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State enters Friday's contest with a 21-7 overall record and a 12-3 record in the MAC. The Golden Flashes are 13-2 at home this season.
Down by as many as 19 points, Kent State took a late lead against Central Michigan to post an 83-81 victory. The Golden Flashes only led for 48 seconds the entire game.
Delrecco Gillespie leads Kent State in points (18.7), rebounds (11.6) and total blocks (41). Cian Medley leads the way in assists (6.6) and steals (1.4).
Kent State is scoring 85.6 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 5.9 points. The Golden Flashes shoot .456 from the field while shooting .353 from beyond the arc and average 9.6 3s per game. Kent State holds a .743 ft percentage while averaging 40.2 rebounds, 16.2 assists, 13.8 turnovers, 6.7 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
Kent State ranks in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (3rd - 85.6), scoring margin (4th - +5.9), fg defense (4th - .435), 3s made per game (4th - 9.6), ft pct (4th - .743), rebounds (1st - 40.2), off rebounds (1st - 13.1), def rebounds (2nd - 27.1), rebound margin (1st. -+6.3), blocked shots (4th - 3.6) and assists (4th - 16.25).
The Golden Flashes rank 52nd in the NCAA in assists per game (16.3), 85th in fastbreak points (12.61), 6th in ft attempts (26.8), 7th in ft made (19.9), 30th in rebound margin (+6.3), 36th in def rebounds (27.11), 30th in off rebounds (13.11), 25th in rebounds per game (40.21), 97th in scoring margin (+5.9), 20th in scoring offense (85.6) and 50th in made 3s per game (9.6).
Individually, Cian Medley ranks 20th in the NCAA in total assists (179) and 14th in assists per game (6.6). Delrecco Gillespie ranks 82nd in total blocks (41), 86th in blocks per game (1.46), 1st in double-doubles (21), 69th in fg pct (.545), 41st in total made fg (187), 72nd in ft attempts (171), 64th in made ft (134), 58th in total points (525), 62nd in points per game (18.7), 3rd in total rebounds (326), 2nd in def rebounds (8.50), 42nd in off rebounds (3.14) and 1st in rebounds per game (11.6).
CAREER-HIGHS AGAINST THE BULLS
Tavari Johnson set a career-high in made FT made (11) and FT attempts (11) against Buffalo.
Evan Mahaffey set a career-high in scoring (20) and FG made (8) against Buffalo.
ON THE ROAD
Akron is 8-3 in road contest this season, defeating Tulane, Bowling Green, Buffalo,Ohio, Eastern Michigan Western Michigan, and Ball State, while falling to No. 2/1 Purdue,(RV) Miami (OH) and Troy. The Zips were 8-4 on the road in 2024-25.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 97-27 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.782) in the league. The Zips are 82-24 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 117-28 (.807) 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 265-110 overall (.707), including a 159-32 mark in MAC play at home (.833). The Zips' 265 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 181 of their last 264 MAC games (.681).
STREAKY ZIPS IN CONFERENCE ACTION
The Zips have won 13 straight conference games in back-to-back seasons. A win at Kent State will give Akron it's longest MAC winning streak in program history. The 2025-26 squad joins the 2024-25 and the 2012-13 Zips to all record 13 straight wins.Â
ON NATIONAL TV
The Zips are 5-2 this season in national televised games, defeating Bowling Green (CBSSN), Ohio (ESPNU), Kent State (CBSSN), UMass (CBSSN) and Ball State (CBSSN) while falling to Purdue (Big Ten Network) and Troy (ESPN2).
Akron will be featured two more times on national television, Akron will be featured on ESPNU when they travel to Kent State (Feb. 27) and CBSSN when they host NIU on Senior Day (Mar. 6)
Akron went 6-2 on the national stage in 2024-25 with wins against Bowling Green, Kent State (x2), Ohio,Â
Toledo and Miami (OH) (76-74). The two defeats came at Ohio (84-67) and against Arizona (93-65).
SINCE 19-20
Since the 2019-20 season, Akron has recorded a 160-59 (.731) overall record and an 97-27 (.782) record in the MAC. The Zips have claimed the MAC Regular Season Title twice ('20,'25) and the MAC Tournament Title three times as well ('22,'24'25). The Zips' 73.1 winning percentage ranks 12th in the country and best in the MAC.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 97-34 (.741) overall and 57-12 (.826) in the MAC. Akron has also claimed the MAC Regular Season Title (2025) and MAC Tournament Title (2024+25) in that span as well. Akron's 74.1 winning percentage ranks 12th in the country and 1st in the MAC in that span.
UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Akron is just one of 12 teams this season to post a perfect record at their home arena. The Zips are joined by MAC foe Miami (OH). Akron is currently 14-0 at James. A. Rhodes Arena this season.
CONSISTENTLYÂ WINNING
With their win over UMass on Feb. 13, the Zips have recorded 20 wins in five consecutive seasons. So far this season, there are 17 teams who've recorded 20 wins in five consecutive seasons. Coming into 2025-26, 39 teams had won 20 games in each of the past four seasons.
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
One of the nation's top scoring team's, Akron ranks in the top 10 in scoring offense (6th - 89.9). The Zips are 17-2 this season when scoring 85 or more points. The most recent game this season to feature 85 or more points was 99 against Buffalo on Feb. 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 68-5 (.931) when scoring 85 or more points.
DISHING OUT DIMES
Ranking in the top 10 in assists per game in the NCAA (5th - 19.0), the Zips aren't afraid to share the rock. Akron has recorded 20 or more assists in 10 games with a season high 32 coming against PSU Shenango (Nov. 12). The most recent game with 20+ assists was at Buffalo (21) on Jan. 20, 2026.
The Zips are 10-0 this season when recording 20 or more assists and 37-0 with John Groce leading the Blue and Gold.
Akron is also one of the top teams in the country when it comes to assist-turnover ratio, ranking No. 14 (+1.74).
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
TOP 10 FOR ASSISTS AND CLIMBING
Tavari Johnson entered the top 10 for career assists with 10 assists against CMU (Jan. 6). Standing with 371 assists, Johnson needs 11 more to pass Loren Cristian Jackson (2018-21) who is 5th all-time with 381 assists.
SINGLE SEASON ASSISTS TOP 10
Tavari Johnson entered the top-10 for the most assists in a single season on Feb. 20 at Ball State when he dished out six assists. Currently with 146 assists in 2025-26, Johnson ranks sixth for the most assists in a single season. Nick Dials (07-08)Â is fifth with 148 and Alex Abreu(11-12) is fourth with 149.
SINGLE SEASON SCORING TOP 10
Tavari Johnson currently has scored 577 points in 2025-26, with just 22 points remaining untill he over takes Isaiah Johnson (2016-17) for the 10th most points scored in a single season. Marcel Boyce (1986-87) is 9th with 601 points scored in a season.
1K SCORING AS A ZIP AND CLIMBING
Tavari Johnson recorded his 1,000th career point wearing the Akron Blue and Gold against Concord on Dec. 29, 2025 with a 28 point performance. He became the 50th player in program history to record 1k points. Johnson, who stands at 1,311 points, currently ranks as the 19th highest scorer in program history. He is just the 13th player in program history to score 1,300 or more points.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron travels to Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 3, for the final road contest of the regular season. The Zips and Chippewas will battle at 7 p.m.
