MAC Tournament Predictions

[Akron330]

Good game. Grew up in NE, Ohio and had a brother graduate from Akron. Would have liked to see the Zips get it done but gotta tip your cap to the Bobcats.

I dont think either team would win a game in the tourney

 

[Deezus]

O.U. OH YEAH!


Such a frustrating game to watch as an OU fan. I felt like we should have won by 10 points, but kept shooting ourselves in the foot (going 1 on 4, stupid turnovers, fade-away jumpers the last few minutes) The refs were equally horrendous for both teams. Have to tip my hat to Akron... these were clearly the 2 best teams in the conference. If I were an Akron fan, there would be 2 things I'd be asking myself:

#1, Why does the 7 footer, Marshall, play like such a pussy? He should be dominating.

and

#2, Why does this douchebag look like he just swallowed something sour every time he's shown on camera:

 

[I.K.W.T]

Was there tonight again. Tough loss for my Zips. DJ Cooper is a hell of a player, I remember seeing him 2 years ago and was blown away. Good news is most Zips are returning, but DJ is too.

Also, I learned OU is a haven for sloppy girls. I need to meet me some of those.

 

[Steve_424]

Kind of reminds me of the prostitutes and strippers that hang out just outside of crAkron's ghetto-ass campus. I've only been to campus once and stayed with this chick in some old Holiday Inn that they turned into a dorm. What a shit hole. Oh yeah, and our team is better than yours.

The campus is actually quite beautiful now. The university has done well in creating an outstanding campus atmosphere. Not that your one visit to one dorm lacks credibility or anything though...

By the way, the Cooper picture apparently came as part of a bet he lost to some friends of his. He tried pulling it down, but as it usually goes with embarrassing pictures, it was too late and it already spread.

 

[Steve_424]

O.U. OH YEAH!


Such a frustrating game to watch as an OU fan. I felt like we should have won by 10 points, but kept shooting ourselves in the foot (going 1 on 4, stupid turnovers, fade-away jumpers the last few minutes) The refs were equally horrendous for both teams. Have to tip my hat to Akron... these were clearly the 2 best teams in the conference. If I were an Akron fan, there would be 2 things I'd be asking myself:

#1, Why does the 7 footer, Marshall, play like such a pussy? He should be dominating.

and

#2, Why does this douchebag look like he just swallowed something sour every time he's shown on camera:

It's funny, because I feel the same way about Akron. On more than one occasion, they had opportunities to take control of the game only to make a silly turnover or force a shot.

Zeke is what he is. He can dominate one game and be non-existent the next. I'm not sure he has the necessary mental make-up to ever dominate on a consistent basis. He likes basketball, but he doesn't love it. He's actually more interested in computers, software development, and his education than athletics. Basketball was just his path to getting that education. He's a very good player who should be great, but will probably never reach that level. I'm still proud to have him represent the Zips though, he's class act.

As for Walsh, I thought he looked like a d-bag when he first transferred here. He's grown to become one of my favorite players. He plays hard, is an excellent teammate, and by all accounts, a great person.

Both teams played hard, the ball just seemed to bounce OU's way tonight. Cooper's fadeaway, off-balanced three was the epitome of the contest to me. If only Walsh's shot had rattled in, if only Zeke would have been able to tip the ball in at the end...if, if, if...tough loss to swallow. Hats off to OU, they played an excellent game.

 

[PriceCarr]

Dambrot chokes again.

If he wasn't from Akron, how long would he realistically last? The guy simply can't get it done.

 

[Steve_424]

Dambrot chokes again.

If he wasn't from Akron, how long would he realistically last? The guy simply can't get it done.

The same guy who has been in the last six championship games and won two of the last four? :huh:

 

[czvo]

Was there tonight again. Tough loss for my Zips. DJ Cooper is a hell of a player, I remember seeing him 2 years ago and was blown away. Good news is most Zips are returning, but DJ is too.

Also, I learned OU is a haven for sloppy girls. I need to meet me some of those.

Was there too (supporting OU for obvious reasons). That game was nerve-wracking.

Also, Ohio returns EVERYONE. Really good be a sleeper mid-major next year.

 

[Steve_424]

Was there too (supporting OU for obvious reasons). That game was nerve-wracking.

Also, Ohio returns EVERYONE. Really good be a sleeper mid-major next year.

It wouldn't shock me at all to see an Akron-Ohio rematch next year. Akron only loses one important rotation guy (Cvetinovic), OU brings back everyone, and they were about as close to even this year as you can get. Should be fun to watch both battle it out again next season.

 

[Bob_The_Cat]

It wouldn't shock me at all to see an Akron-Ohio rematch next year. Akron only loses one important rotation guy (Cvetinovic), OU brings back everyone, and they were about as close to even this year as you can get. Should be fun to watch both battle it out again next season.

Ohio also has a transfer coming in from Mizzou, 6'8" 210 lb forward Kadeem Green. Extremely long (massive wingspan) and athletic forward. He'll be available around mid-December once grades are turned in for fall semester. Also had offers from VCU, Temple, Xavier, St. Joe's, Wake Forest, Colorado, and George Mason to name a few. Should add a huge boost to the front court depth. I think he has two years of eligibility left.

 

[PriceCarr]

The same guy who has been in the last six championship games and won two of the last four? :huh:

A guy that has been there 6 times, has won only twice, despite having the best team in the conference for at least three of those. He can't get it done.

 

[Steve_424]

A guy that has been there 6 times, has won only twice, despite having the best team in the conference for at least three of those. He can't get it done.

Akron's only been the #1 seed once in those six years, and that was this year, so they were the best team in the conference once going in. If anything, they have overachieved. Of his teams' four losses, one was an OT loss, one was a one point loss, and one was a screw-job.

He's taken Akron's program to a new level. The idea that his job should be on the line is insane.

 

[Bill Walton.]

Akron's only been the #1 seed once in those six years, and that was this year, so they were the best team in the conference once going in. If anything, they have overachieved. Of his teams' four losses, one was an OT loss, one was a one point loss, and one was a screw-job.

He's taken Akron's program to a new level. The idea that his job should be on the line is insane.

I also find it surprising that his job is in question. He's doing quite well for a ex high school coach. I think he's affiliation with LeBron also makes Akron a hot spot for other future athletes

 

[PriceCarr]

He was a college coach before St V and before he was dropping N bombs in the huddle.

This may have been their first #1 seed, but they were arguably one of the best teams in the tournament for three of those years and fell on his face twice. He has had a poor out of conference record and has almost zero stand out Ws. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any major upsets this team has ever had.

He has done a good job at getting the Zips to play consistent, but he has clearly shown he cannot take this team to the next level and the fact that people aren't discussing his future is setting up the program for failure. There needs to be the discussion over his inability to take this team to the next level. I am not saying it's time to fire him at this time, but to say there shouldn't be a discussion is absurd. Attendance is horrible, he refuses to play a tougher schedule, only one regular season MAC title (which is one of the worst conferences in America), and has choked in the title game four out of six years.

The discussion of if he is capable of taking this program to the next step is a valid question.

 

[Steve_424]

He was a college coach before St V and before he was dropping N bombs in the huddle.

This may have been their first #1 seed, but they were arguably one of the best teams in the tournament for three of those years and fell on his face twice. He has had a poor out of conference record and has almost zero stand out Ws. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any major upsets this team has ever had.

He has done a good job at getting the Zips to play consistent, but he has clearly shown he cannot take this team to the next level and the fact that people aren't discussing his future is setting up the program for failure. There needs to be the discussion over his inability to take this team to the next level. I am not saying it's time to fire him at this time, but to say there shouldn't be a discussion is absurd. Attendance is horrible, he refuses to play a tougher schedule, only one regular season MAC title (which is one of the worst conferences in America), and has choked in the title game four out of six years.

The discussion of if he is capable of taking this program to the next step is a valid question.

- I suggest you do a bit of research on the "dropping N bombs in the huddle"...you might be surprised at what you find.
- They defeated Mississippi State on the road to start this season. Mississippi State was ranked as high as 11th this season and was in the Top 25 for most of the year. That was a pretty damn good win. The Zips finished with 55th in RPI, which is pretty damn good for a mid-major.
- Attendance isn't horrible. I believe Akron ranked 5th out of 12 teams last year, and while I haven't seen this year's numbers yet, it seemed to improve.
- He hasn't refused to play a tougher schedule, in fact, this year was the most difficult yet. Akron's SOS was 80th in D1 this season. Compare that to rest of the conference:

Miami - 98
Buffalo - 120
W. Michigan - 140
Bowling Green - 142
Kent State - 162
Ohio - 163
Central Michigan - 264
Eastern Michigan - 275
N. Illinois - 276
Toledo - 294
Ball State - 320

So yeah, his scheduling is just fine. And next year's is supposed to get even more difficult.

As for the championship games:

2011-2012 - Lost by one point to Ohio
2010-2011 - Won by one point over Kent (in overtime)
2009-2010 - Lost by six points to Ohio (in overtime)
2008-2009 - Won by twelve points over Buffalo
2007-2008 - Lost by nineteen to Kent
2006-2007 - Lost by one point to Miami

First of all, being in the championship game six straight years is an accomplishment on its own. They had one convincing win, one convincing loss, one screwjob (Miami), and three that could have gone either way.

When Keith Dambrot took over the Akron Zips, they were coming off of a 13-15 season and a 1st Round MAC Tournament exit. The program had three winning records in its twelve seasons in the Mid American Conference. They had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in the MAC Tournament. As an assistant in Dan Hipsher's final season as head coach, Keith played a large role in recruiting two players (Dru Joyce and Romero Travis) largely unnoticed by other schools. These two players would help Dambrot begin the rebirth of Akron Zips basketball. Starting with 2004-2005, Dambrot has led the Akron Zips to eight straight winning seasons and seven straight 20+ win seasons. Dambrot now has 291 career victories at The University of Akron. His teams have played in the MAC Tournament Final for six straight years, winning two of the past four. He's led them to six postseason appearances (2 NCAA, 3 NIT, 1 CBI). During his eight year tenure, seven players have been added to the school's 1,000-point scorer's list. He helped turn Dru Joyce into the school's all-time assist leader and Romeo Travis into the MAC Player of the Year and an All-American Honorable Mention. He helped three players (Nate Linhart, Jimmy Conyers, and Zeke Marshall) to be named MAC Defensive Player of the Year, three (Cedrick Middleton, Brett McKnight, and Quincy Diggs) to be named as MAC Sixth Man of the Year, and two (Nate Linhart and Zeke Marshall) to be named MAC Tournament MVP.

This season was a difficult test for Dambrot. He had just lost four seniors (Steve McNees, Darryl Roberts, Brett McKnight, and Mike Bardo), giving him the 16th youngest team in Division I-A basketball. Six of his players weren't on last year's active roster and four of his rotation players (including two starters) didn't play a minute of college basketball last season.

The Zips still won the MAC Regular Season Title and just missed earning their 3rd NCAA appearance in four years.

Is he perfect? Absolutely not. Do the Zips need to take another step forward as a program? No doubt.

But Keith Dambrot on the hot seat? Ridiculous.

He has turned down offers to go elsewhere. Akron should (and will) show him the same commitment in trusting that he'll take us to that next level.