Akron Upsets Florida State In First Round
By Jason Roberts | March 18, 2008
Tallahassee, FL - Whenever Akron travels outside the MAC to play, they are greeted with the usual “Where is Akron?” or “What is a Zip?”. Tuesday night was no different as Akron opened NIT postseason play against the Florida State Seminoles. Whether the Seminoles and their fans received answers to their questions they won’t soon forget that the team that they taunted beat them in overtime 65-60. It is their first ever win over an ACC team and it was Florida State’s first lose in the first round of any postseason tournament. The loss was the first to a non-conference team this season for Florida State.
The win wasn’t pretty. Akron was up by as much as 12 points in the first half, but Florida State battled back to within one at the half as the Zips led 34-33.
The second half was even uglier. Akron couldn’t hit their free throws down the stretch. They went 4-4 in the first half but went 1-8 in the second half. The free throw woes continued for much of the overtime as Akron went 10-19 on the night, but Nick Dials did hit key shots from the charity stripe in the waning seconds of the extra period.
The night belonged to Nick Dials who is playing in his senior year with Akron. Dials only hit 2 baskets for most of regulation, but really turned it on in the last minute. In the overtime period he was unstoppable scoring 15 points, more points than the Seminoles did as a team in the extra frame. Dials had a team high 21 points with 4 assists and no turnovers.
Jeremiah Wood struggled a bit with 9 points, but he had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Nate Linhart put in 12 points and a team high 8 rebounds while Chris McKnight added 10 points. Off the bench for Akron the only points came from Darryl Roberts with 8 points.
Akron shot 38% from the field, they were 11-28 from 3-point range 39% and they shot 10-19 free the throw line. Akron had 12 assists to only 10 turnovers.
Akron will next play second seed UMASS in Amhurst, mass on Saturday 12:00 noon. The game will be televised on ESPN. For all of your Zips game day information, visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page.
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Akron To Play Florida St. In NIT
By Jason Roberts | March 16, 2008
Akron, OH – The Akron Zips will play Florida State Tuesday at 9:00pm in the National Invitation Tournament. The game will be played in Tallahassee, Florida on the campus of Florida State.
This is Akron’s second selection to the NIT in three years. It was expected that Akron would have been in the NIT last year, but they were snubbed by the tournament committee and did not see post-season play. Akron is a 6 seeded team in their respective bracket while Florida State is a 3 seed.
For all of your Game Day information, visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page.
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The Shots Didn’t Fall But The Zips Did
By Jason Roberts | March 15, 2008
Cleveland, OH – Redemption is sweet when you get it. But it makes you bitter when you want it so bad and can’t have it. That is what Akron fans are feeling as the Zips fell to Kent State Saturday night in the MAC Championship game 74-55 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. A win for the Zips would have ranted them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Now Akron will be in a familiar position as they were last year waiting for a miracle invitation to the Tournament or hoping not to be snubbed a second year in a row by the NIT.
Akron led for much of the first 10 minutes of the game, but KSU went on a 8-0 run with 7:00 to go in the half until Jeremiah Wood hit a free-throw with 4:32 to go in the half. Then Akron would continue to go cold as they went rest of the half without a point. KSU led at the half 33-20. Akron was getting great looks, but the ball would just not fall through the hoop.
Jeremiah Wood was a handful for Kent to answer for part of the first half, but KSU coach Jim Christian’s strategy seemed to be to put Wood at the line. Jeremiah is not a very good free throw shooter at 58%. He went 2-7 from the line in the first half. Every time Wood would get close to scoring, the Flashes would foul him to put him at the line.
The Zips came out of the locker room continuing where they left off. There shot selection was decent for most of the second half, but the ball just would not fall. KSU enjoyed leads of as much as 17 in the second half, but Akron began to gain some momentum when they narrowed the score within 10 with 8:13 to go. It proved to be short-lived as Darryl Roberts was charged with an intentional foul after he turned the ball over. Kent hit both free throws and then hit a 3-point play on the ensuing possession.
For the rest of the game, Akron was able to force stops, but they struggled to convert the play on the other end of the court.With 3:44 to go, Akron found themselves down 63-48. For the remainder of the game, Akron could not find their shot. They also struggled at the free throw line, a place that had become friendly to the Zips this season.
Jeremiah Wood led the Zips in scoring with 13 point, but he struggled mightily at the line shooting 5-14. Nick Dials and Nate Linhart had 9 points each while Chris McKnight put in 8 points. Cedrick Middleton didn’t have a very good night shooting going 1-7 from the floor for 4 points. Off the bench Darryl Roberts had 9 points.
Akron shot a 31% from the floor, 54 % from the free-throw line and 23% from 3-point range. The Zips were out rebounded 27-36.
So now it is a waiting game for Akron. The tournament selections will take place Sunday at 5:00pm for the NCAA and at 8:00 pm for the NIT. Stay with UofAZIPS.com for tournament updates on Sunday.
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A Chance At Redemption For The Fans Too
By Jason Roberts | March 15, 2008
Cleveland, OH – For Akron Zips fans, this season began with a chip on our shoulders. Fans were still numb from the controversial game-winning shot by Miami(OH) that sent Akron packing. They lost a chance at an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and were subsequently snubbed by the NIT for postseason play.
Now, the only thing standing between Akron and its first division one conference Championship is the Kent State Golden Flashes. Akron has already faced Kent twice this season, both times losing. Both games were hard fought and close at the finish. Needless to say, Saturday night’s match-up should be an exciting game. Because of both school’s proximity to Cleveland, Quicken Loans Arena should be packed to the rafters and loud.
Coach Keith Dambrot is all business as he prepares his Zips for the big game. Dambrot was to be interviewed with Tony Rizzo and Kendal Lewis of Fox SportsNet during halftime of the Kent-Miami game. They were unable to find coach Dambrot because he was presumably scouting Kent and Miami and then taking his team back to the hotel for a meal and rest.
The most important thing is that Akron will get a chance at redemption Saturday night. They shouldn’t take that chance lightly. And they won’t.
For Akron fans, they too will get another chance at redemption. The Zips were able to get more than 10,000 fans to travel to Detroit the day after Christmas in 2005 for the Motor City Bowl. Akron, now’s your chance to show your spirit. Many of you live less than an hour from Cleveland, much closer than Detroit. Why not postpone your plans for Saturday night and head to Quicken Loans Arena? If you don’t, you may not get a third chance.
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Akron Earns Another Chance For A Title
By Jason Roberts | March 14, 2008
Cleveland, OH - The Zips are one huge step closer to another chance at a MAC Championship title as they took care of the Western Michigan Broncos 78-62 in the MAC Tournament Semi-Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Zips started out strong. Their first two baskets were 3-pointers from Cedrick Middleton and Nate Linhart. Akron had an quick 10-2 lead. The Zips enjoyed a lead most of the first half. At times the lead was as much as 11 points.
Akron’s first-half shooting was very strong especially from the perimeter. The Zips shot 16-28 (57%) from the floor in the first half and were 5-9 from three-point range. Brett McKnight led the Zips in the first half with 12 points while Cedrick Middleton had 11. Akron led the Broncos 37-24 at halftime.
The Zips came out of the locker room strong and did let up. They allowed WMU to get within 8 points with just over two minutes left to go, but crucial free throws unlikely hit by Brett McKnight helped seal the Bronco’s fate.f
Akron for the second night was precise from the floor and tough on defense. They shot 61% in the second half and only allowed a total of 10 turnovers.
Jeremiah Wood again had a strong performance dropping in 12 points, with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Chris McKnight led Akron in scoring with 16 points while Nate Linhart accounted for 7 points and 3 rebounds. Cedrick Middleton had 13 points and Brett McKnight put up 11 points and 4 rebounds. Nick Dials may have only scored 5 points, but he was a huge factor in the Zips win commanding the floor adding 5 assists and only 2 turnovers.
Akron shot 59% from the floor, 47% from 3-point range and 60% from the free-throw line. They out rebounded Western Michigan 28-25 and had 14 assists to 10 turnovers.
Akron improved to 23-9 on the season and will return to the MAC Championship game Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio at 7:00pm. For all of your Zips Game Day information, visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page.
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Zips Handle CMU For Tourney Win
By Jason Roberts | March 13, 2008
Cleveland, Ohio – Some people wondered how the University of Akron Men’s Basketball team would respond after a heartbreaking loss to close out the regular season against rival Kent State. Akron had three days to prepare for their opponent in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. They faced Central Michigan who defeated the Zips in an upset win earlier in the year. Thursday Akron got revenge as they handled the Chippewas 81-60 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
For much of the first half, CMU and Akron traded shots with Central on top most of the time, but in the waning minutes of the half Akron began to pull away. Their precise shooting, stifling defense and low turnovers (a total of eight) proved to be too much for CMU.
The key in the win was Jerimah Wood. Leading the Zips with 17 points and 9 rebounds, the Chippewas could not solve him. When the double teamed him, Wood easily found ways to dish off a pass to the open man. With 10 minutes left to go in the game, coach Keith Dambrot was able to rest Jeremiah and his twice surgically repaired knee for Friday night’s game against Western Michigan.
Nate Linhart added 16 points and 6 rebounds and Nick Dials landed 5 points, and 6 assists. Off the bench Brett McKnight put in 12 points and Darryl Roberts added 8 points.
Akron, the number three seed, will next face second-seeded Western Michigan Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 pm. For all of your Zips game day information, visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page.
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MAC East Title Slips By Zips
By Jason Roberts | March 9, 2008
Akron, OH – Zips fans have to be sick and tired of desperation 3-pointers at the buzzer. Remembering back to last year’s MAC Championship game, fans remember all too well how Miami’s Doug Peno’s prayer-of-a-shot killed Akron’s hopes at a Championship title. Sunday night at the JAR, wasn’t any easier to watch. This time the bullet was delivered by Kent State’s Al Fisher with 2.0 seconds on the clock as the Kent State Golden Flashes defeated the Akron Zips 61-58 to clinch the MAC East title.
The final score would not be an accurate measure of how well the Zips played. From the start, Akron was cold in shooting and lethargic on defense. Nothing was going right for the Zips. One could argue that Akron played poorly for 35 minutes and didn’t pull it together until the last 5 minutes. The score was 55-44 with 1:54 to go in the game, but Fisher’s shot was the killer.
They were out-shot and out-hustled much of the first half. Coach Keith Dambrot could not seem to get his team going as they went to the locker room at half time down 32-15.
Keith Dambrot stated that the Zips need to learn from what went wrong and make changes in the upcoming MAC Tournament. “If we learn from this, six days from now things could go a lot different”.
For Akron, Nick Dials had 5 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds including a huge 3-pointer late in the game. Jeremiah Wood put in 23 points, 21 in the second half, including a long 3-pointer to tie the game at 58. Wood is 2-3 on 3-pointers this season. He also grabbed 7 rebounds. Brent McKnight 11 points, 5 rounds while Cedrick Middleton scored 7 points and had 2 rebounds.
Akron shot a dismal 32% from the field. Even worse they went 3-23 from 3-point range. They were 74% from the foul line. 5The Attendance was 5,607 (sell out).
Akron finishes the regular season 21-9, 11-5 while Kent lands at 25-6, 13-3. Akron earned a bye in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Their next game will be in round two on Thursday at 2:30PM at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. For all of your Zips game day information, visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page.
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The Cedrick Express Helps Lift The Zips Over OU
By Jason Roberts | March 4, 2008
Oxford, Ohio – Cedric Middleton’s timing is so timely that NASA could use him to help shoot down their next errant satelite. Tuesday night, Middleton and the Zips battled Ohio University on the road, a game with a lot on the line. Middleton’s 19-points helped lift the Zips over the Bobcats 80-77 giving them a chance to play for a tie atop the MAC East this Sunday against Kent State.
Middleton started the year struggling. Last season he averaged over 14 points a game, but early in the season this year there were games where he didn’t score or only scored one basket. Tonight, Middleton lead the Zips in scoring. In his last five games, Cedrick has lead the Zips in scoring averaging 17.6 points per game which includes a career high 20 points vs. Buffalo.
Coach Keith Dambrot realizes how crucial Cedrick’s timing is helping the Zips win big in their last 4 games. “Middleton continues to shine and make big plays. I’m excited for him.”
The Zips were very efficient from the field in the win over the Bobcats shooting 60%. They were able to make big plays at crunch time including Nick Dials’ 4-4 from the free throw line with under a minute to go. “Every play we ran at crunch time worked” coach Dambrot added.
Jeremiah Wood was 8-8 from the field for 19-points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 turnover. It was Wood’s 3rd straight double figure scoring game since returning from knee surgery two weeks ago. Chris McKnight and 13-points while Nate Linhart added 8 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Nick Dials put in 11 points on 6 assists with 1 steal.
The Zips were 44% from 3-point range and went 12=16 from the foul line. Akron was significantly out rebounded 17-33 but the had 21 assists to only 9 turnovers.
With the win, Akron improves to 21-8, 11-4 while Ohio drops to 18-11, 8-7. The win also clinched the 3rd seed in the MAC Tournament. Akron has already earned a bye in the first round.
Akron’s final regular season match-up is this Sunday against division rival Kent State at the JAR. The sold out game time is set for 6:00PM. An Akron win will give them a tie for the Division lead with the Golden Flashes. Kent is coming off of a major upset loss to Bowling Green which knocked them out of the Top 25 rankings. For all of your Zips Game Day information visit the UofAZIP.com Game Day page.
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Zips Earn Tough Road Win Over Miami
By Jason Roberts | February 20, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio (via ESPN/AP) — During difficult times, winning teams will call on different players to step up to shoulder the load. The Akron Zips are no different. After losing Jeremiah Wood, one of their leading rebounders and scorers, someone needed to fill the gap. Not many would have figured Cedrick Middleton into the mix. Middleton has struggled all season with his shooting, but lately he’s shown signs of stepping out of the funk he fell into. Tuesday night was Cedrick’s turning point as he helped lift the Zips over the Miami Redhawks 56-52.
The last minute of regulation provided plenty of excitement including a put-back dunk by Quade Milum and a pair of game-clinching free-throws by Cedrick Middleton.
The dunk by Milum, who had six points, came with 36 seconds remaining. The free throws with one second remaining by Middleton, who led the Zips with 18 points, iced the victory. Chris McKnight contributed 10 for Akron (19-7, 9-4), while Nick Dials had eight. The Zips shot 46.5 percent for the game, including 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point line during the second half. Tim Pollitzled the RedHawks (13-12, 7-6) with 18 points, while Kenny Hayes added 13 — his 12th straight game in double figures.Akron broke an eight-game home winning streak for Miami.
Akron returns to Rhodes Arena this Saturday to battle Virginia Commonwealth in the ESPN Bracketbuster. Game time is set fo 11:00am. Visit the UofAZIPS.com Game Day page for more information.
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Wood Could Return On Saturday
By Jason Roberts | February 18, 2008
Akron, Oh – Coach Ketih Dambrot stated on the MAC Men’s basketball coaches weekly teleconference that Senior Forward Jeremiah Wood has a good chance to be back on the court for Saturday’s ESPN Bracketbuster match-up against VCU. Dambrot stated that if it were a “life or death situation”, Wood could be ready to play tomorrow night against Miami (OH).
Wood’s injury limited his playing time in the loss at Western Michigan on February 6th. He left early in the second half and did not return. Surgery was performed on Saturday, February 9th to repair a torn lateral meniscus. During his sophomore year, Jeremiah suffered a torn ACL on the same knee and missed the rest of the season and the next due to rehab. It was presumed that Wood would be out for the remainder of the season, but his hard work has led to a much faster than normal recovery.
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