Football

The Buchtelite fellas don't think much about the Zips' chances. We also discuss coach J.D. Brookhart's press conference.

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Football

If Akron beats Western Michigan, the team will be bowl-eligible for three consecutive years.

Still, what chances does a 6-6 team from the MAC have?

The brand-new International Bowl pits a Big East team against the third MAC team. Tom Lowding (sp?), a representative from the bowl, just told Buchtelite sports editor Dan Kadar that he will be at Friday's game "to scout both teams."

Now, the teams' records come first when deciding between UA and WMU. However, what Akron did at last year's Motor City Bowl — selling out its allotment of 9,000 tickets — is certainly appealing.

"Akron set the bar for what MAC teams should try and do," Lowding said.

Maybe, just maybe, last year's bowl is enough to make up the difference between a 6-6 team and a 7-5 team when the 6-6 team has the head-to-head win.

CORRECTION: As a commenter pointed out, Akron can not go to the International Bowl unless Western Michigan receives an invite elsewhere. All 7-5 teams must have a bowl before 6-6 teams are considered.

Men's basketball

It appears likely that both Steve McNees and Mike Bardo will be redshirted this season, the Buchtelite's Michael Beaven reports.

The story will be in tomorrow's paper.

The Plain Dealer tried to address the question but it was still up in the air.

Football

I asked J.D. Brookhart the $1 million question at today's press conference.

"Will you consider getting rid of the 3-3-5 this offseason?"

He said he has no intention to do so, "unless you have a better plan for recruiting defensive lineman."

Brookhart did, however, say the offense would change as each of next year's quarterback candidates are mobile.

I'll post more this evening to preview the Zips/Western Michigan game.

Men's basketball

Zips expert Captain Kangaroo was one of the 1,671 in attendance at Akron's trouncing of Tiffin.

He provided his comments on ZipsNation.org. Since I was watching the Browns, he's my guest columnist, whether he likes it or not.

• With such a lowly opponent, the Zips set school records in 3-point attempts and steals. That should make it obvious what coach Keith Dambrot wanted to accomplish: Improve long-range shooting by jacking up 36 3s.

Rifle

Not surprisingly, Akron remained undefeated against Morehead State.

With all the attention men's soccer got this season, wouldn't it be funny if Akron's national championship actually came from the rifle team?

They have a legitimate shot at going to the eight-team NCAA Championships.

Football

What will the Zips play for now?

Many have assumed Akron has team discipline problems. I think we'll find out for sure on Friday when the Zips play a really good Western Michigan team with only a .500 season at stake.

I'll break down the Broncos tomorrow after I write my column.

Men's basketball

The Zips hoisted 36 3-pointers in their 97-35 win over Tiffin this afternoon.

Akron ruled the turnover and rebounding battles and also made 39 percent of its 3s.

Cedrick Middleton (16) and Jeremiah Wood (14) led Akron in scoring.

The stats show that Akron accomplished its goals heading into the game. The Zips' 3-point percentage improved, they only committed 16 turnovers (which isn't that bad because blowouts usually turn sloppy toward the end) and they played better defense, holding Tiffin to 36 percent field goal shooting.

Heading into MAC play, however, the team needs a couple more bench players to claim roles in the rotation.

I encourage anyone who attended the game to comment below. I was busy watching the Browns break my heart again.

Men's basketball

Heading into what amounts to a scrimmage, coach Keith Dambrot wants to see his Zips improve their shooting, defense and bench play.

Akron will tip off against Dambrot's former team, Tiffin, at 2 p.m. today.

In Tom Gaffney's preview, Dambrot talks about missing the opportunity of playing Texas Tech on national television.

Women's basketball

Akron won its first game of the Jodi Kest era yesterday, beating Binghamton 55-44.

As we can expect this season, the Zips received double-figure scoring from Sarah Tokodi, Niki McCoy and Jessie Crooks. What got Akron ahead was a boost from freshman Riana Miller, a 6-foot-3 forward who notched seven points and five rebounds.

Akron will play next at home Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Valparaiso.

Men's basketball

Maybe I'll hire a freelancer to blog about the results because, in all honesty, I'm not going to miss the Browns-Steelers game to see the Zips run up the score on a Division II team.

Anyhow, Tiffin is a Division II school in Northwest Ohio. They bring back three all-conference selections. Guard Hernandez Skiver was last year's leading scorer at 15 points per game. Center Ryan Pessell added scoring (14.4) and rebounding (5.5). Forward Ryan Frasier is a defensive specialist.

Tiffin alum Rodney Martin is in his first year. He plans to improve on the Dragons' 15-12 record from last year by limiting turnovers and improving defense. Tiffin was 7-11 within the American Mideast South Division. Martin was an assistant at Norfolk State.

This season, Tiffin is 0-2, suffering blowout losses at Central State and Southern Indiana. The Dragons' main problem has been turnovers. They have accumulated 51 screw-ups and only 20 assists.

Expect another blowout tomorrow. Unless the Steelers knock Charlie Frye out of the game earlier than expected, I won't see any of it.

Women's basketball

It appears Akron has something special in freshman point guard Sarah Tokodi.

She scored 24 points in Akron's 88-77 loss at Florida Atlantic.

The Zips trailed 18-8 early, but came back to take a 32-30 lead. FAU took over from there.

Niki McCoy (18 points) and Jessie Crooks (20 points, eight rebounds) also had big games.

Football

Everyone at UA should hate THE Ohio State University.

That's not to say you can't like OSU's football team or its campus (or crime waves). Anyone at any Ohio school, however, should despise "THE" in The Ohio State University, as if there is only one, and if you're not there, you're worthless.

Anyhow, ESPN.com's Page 2 gives props for that pretentious jab and knocks Akron in the process. You'll have to scroll about two-thirds of the way down to find it.

My prediction for "Judgment Day"? Buckeyes 28, Wolverines 13.

Men's basketball

Sports Illustrated released its season preview and gave Akron a bid in its NCAA Tournament predictions.

According to my favorite magazine of all time, Akron is the nation's 47th best team because …

"LeBron's old running mates from St. Vincent-St. Mary, PG Dru Joyce and PF Romeo Travis, form one of the best duos at any mid-major."

I think No. 47 is pretty fair. And you?

Football

In the postgame press conference, coach J.D. Brookhart talked about the O-Zone's volume and the punt-turned-touchdown as the key reasons Akron lost.

I still say the negative four rushing yards was the main problem.

• Another issue was dropped passes on perfect deep balls from Luke Getsy, the Plain Dealer's Elton Alexander writes.

As a poster wrote below, the 3-4 offense should have been used exclusively against Ohio, which is anything but the traditional air-it-out MAC team. I think Brookhart and Jim Fleming should reexamine their defensive strategies. Look at Akron's MAC losses. They all came against teams who specialize in running, whether it be with a back or a quarterback.

This season was a huge disappointment, not only for Akron, but also for the other MAC favorites Northern Illinois, Toledo and Miami. What happened? The MAC transformed.

You might even expect to see more of an option style offense from the Zips next year. That is if Brookhart taylors his playcalls to his personnel. Both Carlton Jackson and Sean Hakes, while capable of throwing downfield, are great runners.

The only good news from this season is that Brookhart is no longer a candidate to move on, unless it's a lateral move. I doubt that; all signs point that he likes it here.

In the next two years, we will see Brookhart's first recruiting classes graduate. As highly touted as they have been, that is exciting.