Gonzaga coach Mark Few paid the Akron Zips the highest compliment when he said: "'I don't think, in 20 years of watching game tape, I have seen a team that plays that hard." This could be the proverbial blow-smoke-up-the-other-team's-butt pregame stuff, but basketball coaches tend to be pretty honest. And Few is right. The Zips play as hard as any team in the country, especially defensively.

That is Akron's key. They are not the most talented team, but they play you-know-what-to-the-wall defense. And sometimes effort can overcome shortcomings in talent.

This is an exciting time for Akron. Coach Keith Dambrot said he heard from the Mayor, old friends, new friends, young people, older people … and one very famous supporter of Akron athletics, a guy from the Cavs who paid for the shoes and uniforms for the Akron team.

"I heard from LeBron via texts," Dambrot said of LeBron James. "I told him 'We couldn't lose with the shoes.'"

"He made jokes when we did the deal. He said, 'You guys better be good enough to wear my shoes.'

"I told him, 'You get me a top 25 player and we might be.'"

Zeke Marshall is coming, but a win over Gonzaga tonight would help get more of those top 25 players. It's a little premature to say the Zips have captured everyone's imagination, but they have a gigantic chance to do so tonight. The NCAA tournament provides that chance in ways few other events provide. Gonzaga might have a home-crowd edge, but tournament fans love underdogs. If Akron is in the game late, the crowd might just be a boost to the Zips.

Russell Holmes was a player on the last Akron team to go the NCAAs, in 1986. He now works for Key Bank in town, and I spoke with him Wednesday for a story that appeared in Thursdays' Beacon Journal.

Holmes was near ecstatic about the Zips success, and he likes their chances. He really, really likes their chances.

"I'm close with Lamont (Paris), the assistant coach, and I shared with him that this team this year reminded me so much of our team back in '86," Holmes said. "From the perspective no one gave us a chance to be successful. We were picked last in the conference. We had a young team with not a lot of experience.

"For them to over-exceed all expectations, and to do it the hard way, is really something. I told him that they have the will to win, that they will succeed."

Holmes scoffs at the notion that Gonzaga is favored. "Let them be the underdog," Holmes said. "There's nothing wrong with teams taking people lightly."

Problem is that Gonzaga might not take the Zips lightly. Not if the words of their coach get through, and not if the memory of two recent first-round tournament losses linger. Gonzaga knows what it means to be the underdog and win, but it also knows what it means to be the favorite and lose.

What does Akron have to do? Here are my thoughts:

• 1) Control the pace. Don't let Gonzaga get the game into the 80s. Akron shot well in the MAC Tournament, but its strength is not an up-and-down game.
• 2) Don't worry too much about giving up some easy baskets. Gonzaga's height advantage will lead to some inside points. It will happen. Akron should defend aggressively, but not get down if it gives up a bunny. Just keep playing.
• 3) Play defense like a banshee from the opening tip until the end of the game. Akron's on-the-ball harassment can be very disruptive. Keep it going.
• 4) Shoot well. Sounds simple, but Akron was not a good shooting team until the MAC Tournament. I saw some games when some of their shots landed like a safe being dropped from a third-story window. But the team found its shooting eye in the MAC tournament. It needs to keep it.
• 5) Get a big game. Brett McKnight is the team's most talented offensive player. Akron will need a good game from him. And it will need good games from Humpty Hitchens and Steve McNees – Hitchens with his quickness and McNees with his outside shooting.
• 6) Keep it close. Hang in until the end and who knows what happens. At that point, Gonzaga will be thinking "don't lose" and the Zips will probably be too young and dumb (he wrote in a complimentary way) to know what's happening.

All that has to go well for the Zips. Can it all happen? Yes. Is it likely? No. Akron would have been better off with a Purdue-type team. Gonzaga deserves to be favored. The Zags will win, but it won't be easy. Akron will give them a challenge much like the Akron team in 1986 gave Michigan that challenge.

It will be close until the final minutes, but Gonzaga has too much talent. That being said, Akron will leave Portland proud and buoyed for the future. Gonzaga 74, Akron 62.

I'll offer my prediction here in a couple hours on tonight's Akron-Gonzaga game. But first here's a sampling of what folks are writing and saying about tonight's game.

Gonzaga might actually be feeling a little pressure tonight. Bud Withers of the Seattle Times opines of the Zags that "Early in a decade of NCAA appearances, the Zags maxed out, simply got as far in this thing as anybody could expect. What's the description lately? Is it … Underachieving?"

Withers also provided an interesting and insightful scouting breakdown of the game. He predicts a Gonzaga win.

Our own Tom Gaffney offered his scouting take here.

The Portland Oregonian posted this video preview of the Zips. It doesn't offer a lot, but I'll post it anyway:

And this one of Gonzaga:

In an interesting rundown on Gonzaga, John Hunt of the Oregonian agrees with Akron coach Keith Dambrot that Gonzaga really is not a mid-major anymore: "The Bulldogs thrive in the in-between zone, a small school playing with the big boys. They beat those teams on the court often enough and they win recruiting battles just enough to keep alive their astounding run — 11 consecutive tournaments and counting."

Finally, the University of Akron's fine Sports Information Department provided this page of facts and figures about the matchup.

This guy says he means no disrespect to the Zips — while he tears them into little shreds of tire scraps.

Catching up on some leftover stuff from visiting the Akron Zips practice on Monday:

–Humpty Hitchens said his ankle feels much better. He did not practice Monday, but coach Keith Dambrot said that was just to take care of him. Hitchens said he should be fine on Thursday. "What I learned after that Tournament game," Dambrot said, "was that he's so fast when he's fresh we may as well get him fresh."

–Coach Keith Dambrot knows how good Gonzaga is, and can be. "They're beating the Pac-10 on players," he said. Two of the trees on the frontline are transfers – from Kansas and Arizona. "They're not really a mid-major," Dambrot said.

–Does Dambrot think this draw is too challenging? "We were going to play somebody good regardless," he said. "The hardest part of it is the trip. But we've been through enough stuff, it doesn't matter."

–Dambrot thinks Joe Carr, the psychologist he brought in to talk to the team prior to and during the MAC Tournament, made a big difference. "He calmed me," Dambrot said. "We're such good friends that he makes me look at things a little differently. H's not always right, but at least he makes me look at things different."

–Concrete example of the positive effect: Dambrot said he did not feel a lot of nervousness when his team fell behind against Miami. Instead, he and his team stayed calm and came back.

–Concrete example II: Carr talked with Chris McKnight at length about doing all the little things, especially rebounding. McKnight had two double-digit rebounding games after averaging ?.? for the season.

–Miami coach Charlie Coles said this about Akron after their regular-season game: "People better get 'em this year, because you won't be able to next year."

–The trip will be long, but Dambrot is confident his team will play well. Of 35 games this season. "That's an amazing number of road and neutral games, to win as many as they did," he said. "At times they've played better on the road than they have at home. Sometimes at home they probably play outside themselves a little bit. They have friends and family here. On the road, they play better as a team."

–The key to winning the MAC? "Our guard play was tremendous," Dambrot said. Backup Steve McNees earned some Tournament MVP votes for the way he stepped in for Humpt. "And Darryl (Roberts) was just as good," Dambrot said.

–Some coaches have very strict substitution patterns. Not Dambrot. His go totally by feel, or as he said "total gut." If it seems like organized chaos, well it's because it is. "I have a basic idea how I want to go to begin with, but then I go by feel," he said.

–This is why Akron should be able to stay in any game: The Zips gave up 58.9 points per game this season, 19^th best in the nation.

–But Gonzaga sounds like a confident team heading into Thursday night

–Not many folks who voted here think the Zips can pull off an upset.

–Gonzaga coach Mark Few concedes: "We're capable of losing in the first round." The same link has a nice rundown on Gonzaga's state of mind and state of the team as the game approaches.

 The first time I met Mack Rhoades, he mused about whether the Akron Zips could become the Gonzaga of the Midwest. A small school that consistently builds a winning basketball team, that reaches the NCAA Tournament and wins some games in that tournament.

Well, now Akron gets to prove it – against the potential role model. The Selection Committee gave the Zips a 13 seed and they will travel to Portland to face Gonzaga.

This is a tough, tough game, for several reasons. Gonzaga has been to the NCAAs 11 years in a row. The Bulldogs have been ranked as fourth, and are ranked 10^th. They dominated St. Mary's in the WCC Tournament Title game to earn their bid. Gonzaga also will be playing in much more familiar territory than Akron (One player told a teammate after the announcement: "I get to go to the West Coast."). The Bulldogs have lost once since Jan. 7.

But … 13 seeds are known for their upsets, and if Akron defends the way it did against Buffalo … well … anything is possible.

This was the first time I'd been to one of these selection parties. I must admit that on TV it seems like the most staged thing I've seen this side of announcing the Grammy winner right after the guy performs. Guys sit there, their team is called, they yell. Only thing missing is the guy holding up the sign that reads: "Stand and scream now!"

Akron's scene at the Ohio Brewing Company — I recommed the amber — was kind of humorous, because every time a three, four or five seed was announced, the players would hoot and holler as if they wanted to play that team. Happened with Purdue, Washington, Florida State, Villanova and Illinois before finally the Zips were shown as Gonzaga's opponent.

The place went bonkers. Players stood on chairs and cheered, and everyone screamed. Can't speak for other schools, but Akron's scene was anything but scripted. It was actually kind of fun.

Bottom line about where Akron plays and who they play: Who cares? They're in.

This is a challenging day. I must try to figure where the Akron Zips might play in the NCAA tournament while trying to get over the shock that the parish where I grew up – St. James in Lakewood – is closing. It kind of takes a piece of yourself away from you. I reserve the right to blog more about this emotional occurrence at a later time.

As for the Zips, there was a lot of speculation last night after Akron's win in the MAC Tournament Final that UA could wind up in any of three places: Greensboro, Dayton or Philadelphia. But the committee also must put Ohio State in a nearby locale, and the Big Ten team is going to get the preferred low-miles road trip. So expect the Buckeyes to play in Dayton. Where Akron goes is anyone's guess.

The seed will be problematic. Most feel it will be a 13 or 14, but some worry that the Zips' RPI of 106 might doom it to a 16 seed.  That could set up a first-round game against Pitt or North Carolina.

I don't think Akron merits that low a seed, though. Winning the MAC should earn UA at least a 14^th seed, perhaps a 13. And many of the predictors agree … though they do have the Zips making a long road trip. EPSN has the Zips in Portland (Oregon) as a 13 seed playing Purdue. SI.com has them in Portland as well, also as the 13^th seed playing Washington. CBSSports.com has them in the same place with the same opponent. (Maybe somebody out there knows the definitive bracket predictor; if so, I invite them to post the link in the comments.)

It's really something that this Zips team won the MAC after it lost five 1,000-point scorers the last two years. This year's team didn't return a guy who averaged double figures. Expectations were minimal, at best.

It sounds trite, but this season's team showed the value of a team. The Zips had nobody who averaged a ton of points. They worked together, played together and played defense as if there was lighter fluid in their shoes. It relied on 10 players, three of whom are freshmen and three of whom are sophomores. They played together, and won together. And they did it that way in the tournament. Brett McKnight was outstanding. Humpty Hitchens helped win the first round game, and when he got hurt Steve McNees stepped in and played outstanding. Darryl Roberts contributed big play after big play. Nate Linhart was all over the court. (Linhart was named tournament MVP, but my vote went to McNees). Chris McKnight rebounded like a madman. So many helped.

Good for them, and good for coach Keith Dambrot and his staff.

Mike Rasor's outstanding blog on the Zips has some thoughts and emotions, and an excellent live rundown of the game, which of course at this point would not be live.

Ed Suba Jr. posted some outstanding photos from the game.

My column in the Beacon Journal is here.

Tom Gaffney wrote that UA "believed in itself when others didn't and proved to be a team of destiny."

The Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander wrote: "The 16 points delivered by sophomore forward Brett McKnight and the inspirational boost from freshman Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens' 10 first-half points were icing on the cake."

And Bill Livingston of the PD opined that "There are not a whole lot of happy stories in this area in this economy, and when one comes along, it should be savored. The roars from this game will echo down Interstate 77 for a long time."

Rodney McKissic of the Buffalo News correctly wrote that "Akron won this game with defense."

The Zips and their fans should relish this day. The tournament will make its bracket announcements at 6 p.m.

Nice win for the Cavs last night in LA. Yes it's the Clippers and you wish they'd have put them away early, but a win is a win is a win. A wise man once said that.

ESPN.com covered the Cavs pursuit of the overall home court playoff advantage. They also wrote about Mo Williams. Which makes me wonder — two ESPN.com stories from a Clipper game?

On a separate topic … it almost seems as if the Celtics are writing off home-court advantage in the East.

And on this night of crazy finishes … Akron's win over Toledo in the MAC tournament defies all belief, as Tom Gaffney pointed out in his story. Talk about exciting. Humpty Hitchens makes a three at the buzzer to send it to overtime, then Brett McKnight makes a basket off an amazing inbounds pass with less than a second left for the win. The inbounds pass came from Humpty as well, and was really something – especially given it came from the sidelines and had to go under the basket.

A while back my good friend Andre Knott (here he is … and it's hard not to say this page pretty much has him looking and sounding like a goober … and yes … who am I to talk?) and I were talking about Akron basketball, and all he said was: "Humpty."

I said something intelligent, like: "Huh?"

"Humpty," he said. "He makes them go."

And I have to say that Mr. Knott – a St. V guy – is right. Humpty is the key to the Zips. Just like Al Fisher is the key to Kent State's success. Point guards are the most important players in college basketball, and for a freshman to make that three and make that pass is quite something.

Here's the Akron highlights, with a parental warning that it's taken from the stands and there is some offensive language (thanks to zipsnation.org for this one):

As for Kent State, it sure seems like the Golden Flashes will go as far as Fisher will take them. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the last two wins – over Akron in the season finale and in the first-round game of the MAC Tournament over Northern Illinois. Fisher is an interesting guy. A year ago he was the MAC Player of the Year. Coach Geno Ford told me that his numbers this year were better, but the perception was that he wasn't playing as well. Ford's right. Fisher's scoring and shooting percentage are up (15.4 and 42 percent compared to 13.9 and 40 percent) and his assists and three-point shooting are the same. He's the reason I'd be very afraid of the Flashes in the MAC Tournament, because a senior point guard is so very valuable. (Can't find any video to post of the Kent State-NIU game … if anyone has it, send it along and I'll add it).

Regarding Chris Singletary, Ray Mernagh of MACreportonline.com writes: "He's a dirty player." The same site named Brett McKnight of Akron the MAC Sixth Man of the Year, and Jordan Mincy of Kent State the Defensive Player of the Year.

Kent State's Chris Singletary was ejected early from Kent State's win over Akron for throwing a punch into the gut of UA's Nate Linhart. The video — and the strong reaction of broadcasters Michael Reghi and Steve Mix — is below.

I talked to Kent State AD Laing Kennedy about an hour ago, and he said he and basketball coach Geno Ford would discuss whether to take further action against Singletary (who has had other problems off the court). Kennedy said the officials made the right call, and added that a suspension was on the table. As Dave Carducci wrote in the Record-Courier: "Chris Singletary's punch to the sternum of Akron's Nate Linhart set an ugly tone to Kent State's regular season-ending rivalry game at the M.A.C. Center."

Carducci also opined that Singletary should be suspended for one game — an opinion I agree with completely. The question to me isn't should he be suspended, it's for how long. I might even consider the entire MAC Tournament. A decision should be announced this afternoon.

I'm still debating if I should completely turn on Adriana Lima now that she went and got married to that guy from that basketball team. Clearly she forgot the principle of "remember who you got you there." I mean … would she even have met this guy without the support of dumpy Irish guys everywhere? Does she even realize this reality? Clearly this will take more thought … meanwhile here's a shot of Adriana on her honeymoon.

The Browns need a receiver. Lavaranues Coles was cut by the Jets. Eric Mangini used to coach the Jets. I wonder if the Browns will have interest in Coles. Makes sense, no?

We reporters always grimace when a guy like Coles is signed, because it means looking up his name every time he catches a pass. It's the little things like that that make our jobs challenging. Same with T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The T.J. is not the problem, mind you. It's the Houshmandzadeh. H-o-u-s-h-m-a-n-d-z-a-d-e-h. Kind of like a certain reporter's last name.

I think the signing of Mikki Moore by Boston means the Cavs will be the leader in the clubhouse if Joe Smith gets a buyout from Oklahoma City. At least that's what I hope it means.

Seems like Akron's Mack Rhoades got caught in a political hornet's nest when he interviewed to be the Athletic Director at Rutgers. The school could have hired a good man and outstanding AD with experience like Rhoades, but chose to hire a close associate of football coach Greg Schiano. It's to Akron's benefit that Rhoades was not hired, mind you, but you wonder if Rhoades would have interviewed had he known the political connections at play.

Does anyone know a store anymore where you can buy something without getting one of those ridiculous cards that get you nothing but a sore hind end from sitting on a wallet with 38 cards in it that get you nothing?

Soon to be Boston Celtic Stephon Marbury has not played in a game since January of 2008. For some unknown reason, I find that interesting.

It doesn't seem like the Browns will make a big-money free-agent splash shortly after the signing period starts. If so, that's a good thing, and a good decision by Eric Mangini and George Kokinis. One thing the Browns did in the previous regime was lavish money on guys because they could. If that stops and the Browns are more judicious, that's a good thing.

And another personal note to Alan (perhaps we should start our own debating blog):
1) Your comments crack me up … love the previous one about the draft!
2) I am soooooooooo sorry about the job situation. Clearly I am not and would not ever make fun of anyone in that situation. If I can help, e-mail me. In fact, e-mail me what you do, and perhaps I can help.
3) Clearly the Don Rickles remarks were much akin to some of the ones you direct to me. All meant in fun, nothing else.
4) Did I mention your comments crack me up?
Hang in there. Can't be an easy time.