Akron

College Football: Virginia Tech @ Miami Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:39:05 -0500

A rivalry that in recent years switched from the Big East to the ACC takes center stage on Thursday night, as Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-2 ACC Coastal) visits Miami (6-3, 3-2) at 7:30 PM on ESPN. The winner gets a leg up in the unpredictable Coastal Division race, while the loser would be in serious trouble. Although Miami has a 16-9 advantage in the series, the Hokies have the upper hand of late winning nine of the last thirteen meetings. A star was born last Thursday night for Virginia Tech, with redshirt freshman Darren Lewis rushing for 253 yards in their win over Maryland. Sean Glennon was effiecient in his first game back from an ankle injury suffered against Florida State and he'll have to do the same tonight. It's still unsure whether or not Tyrod Taylor will see any action (ankle).

Miami has gone back and forth between Robert Marve and Jacory Harris at quarterback, and predictably they haven't been the most consistent offensive unit in the conference. But there are plenty of weapons at the fingertips of offensive coordinator Patrick Nix, who will have to contend with a defense that last week held Maryland to -12 yards rushing (Da'Rel Scott, who leads the ACC in rushing, mustered eleven yards). The key for the Hurricanes is not shooting themselves in the foot with costly penalties and turnovers. if they can stay out of their own way then Miami has a shot. But since Virginia Tech joined the ACC, they're 14-1 in November. Defense, special teams and the work of Frank Beamer would be three good reasons why, and look for those to push the Hokies to 15-1 in November.

Buffalo @ Akron 7 PM EST on ESPNU

The Bulls (5-4, 3-2 MAC East) and Zips (5-4, 3-2) are tied atop the MAC East standings, and it's quite fitting given how close they are in many of the major statistical categories. Both are near the top of the conference in turnover margin and in the middle of the pack in regards to offensive and defensive categories. However, while Buffalo is third in the conference in third-down conversions (48.9%) Akron is only tenth (39.1%). Combining these numbers with the fact that Buffalo gives up the third-fewest first downs in the conference, what the Zips do offensively on the first two downs could tell the story of this one. Third and short situations and J.D. Brookhart's team has a very good chance to take control of the division race. Also, keep and eye on backs James Starks (UB) and Dennis Kennedy (Akron), two of the top four running backs in the MAC. Akron wins by a field goal.

Wyoming @ UNLV 9 PM EST on CBS College Sports

What a difference a week makes, huh? Last week the Thursday night game in the Mountain West had serious national implications in regards to the BCS. This one...could have a national impact as well, but only in regards to job security. Joe Glenn's Cowboys (4-6, 1-5) are coming off of a 13-7 win at Tennessee, but Tennessee isn't Tennessee this year if you know what I mean. UNLV (4-6, 1-5) had the misfortune of losing some close games before getting pasted by TCU, but Mike Sanford's Rebels are coming off of a 27-20 win over New Mexico. Mike Clausen gets the start once again for UNLV, who will be looking to end a four-game losing streak in the series. Look for the Rebels to get it done and keep their slim bowl hopes alive (the Pac-10 probably won't fill their slots, so the winner could have a shot at a bid).

Friday: #22 Cincinnati @ Louisville 8 PM on ESPN2

How much value does a keg of nails have? If you're a fan of either of these teams, the "Keg of Nails" has some serious value that can't be measured in dollars and cents. Louisville is the current holder of the rivalry trophy, but the Cardinals are reeling following a 41-7 pasting at the hands of Pittsburgh. Brian Kelly's Bearcats, on the other hand, will arrive in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium just six days after beating West Virginia in overtime. Louisville has won nine of the last ten meetings in the series, but that streak ends thanks to a stout defense led by DT Terrill Byrd and DE Connor Barwin (Big East leader in sacks), combined with a passing attack that boasts one of the best receiving corps (Dominick Goodman, Mardy Gilyard and Marcus Barnett) in the conference.

MAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:17:57 -0500

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Conference Rank: 13th

10 year average: 13th

MAC Conference Page

All-MAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Al Fisher	Kent State	Sr
G	Michael Bramos	Miami	Sr
G/F	David Kool	Western Mich.	Jr
F	Anthony Newell	Ball State	Sr
F	Jerome Tillman	Ohio	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Michael Bramos Al Fisher		Points: Anthony Newell (Ball) 16.9 Tyrone Kent (Toledo) 16.9 Rebounds: Anthony Newell 8.0 Assists: Michael Allen (Ohio) 4.0

MAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Kent State	MAC	1	NCAA
73	Miami (OH)	MAC	2	NIT
97	Western Michigan	MAC	3
122	Central Michigan	MAC	4
129	Ohio	MAC	5
173	Akron	MAC	6
178	Toledo	MAC	7
196	Bowling Green	MAC	8
238	Eastern Michigan	MAC	9
256	Ball State	MAC	10
291	Buffalo	MAC	11
298	Northern Illinois	MAC	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MAC?

Other MAC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Charlie Coles: Miami

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: MAC

State of 08: Ohio

College Football: Miami (Ohio) @ Buffalo Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:17:59 -0500

I'm not going to even get into my opinion as to teams playing on Election Day (I sure hope the Miami (Ohio) and Buffalo players get to the polls), but there is football to be played on both Tuesday and Wednesday with all three games being MAC matchups. Could Ball State be a possible upset victim on Wednesday night? Who will take control of a muddled MAC East race after these two days? Here's a preview of the three games on the slate for Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Tuesday: Miami-Ohio (2-6, 1-3) @ Buffalo (4-4, 2-2) 7:30 PM EST on ESPN2

The Bulls are currently tied with Akron atop the MAC East standings, with the Redhawks just a game back in the standings. The division race has been every bit as wild as what's been going on in the ACC but without the same amount of national television coverage. But in QB Drew Willy the Bulls have one of the better signal-callers in the MAC. Miami will most certainly have their hands full with Buffalo, especially when you take into consideration the following two statistical rankings: Miami is tied for last in turnover margin and twelfth in total offense. Yes the Redhawks are second in the conference in total defense, but the fact that their offense struggles to put points on the board will cost them in this one. Buffalo wins and gives a little clarity to the East race.

Wednesday's Games

Northern Illinois @ #17 Ball State 8 PM EST on ESPN2

The race in the MAC West is wide-open in regards to the top four in the division, but thankfully for the conference those four teams are with either zero or one league loss. An NIU win in Muncie would throw the race for a loop and eliminate any small, correction miniscule, chance that the Cardinals would have to crash the BCS party. QB Nate Davis is arguably the best quarterback in the conference, but he'll have his hands full with the league's top-ranked defense. And if Brady Hoke isn't the unanimous choice for MAC Coach of the Year then don't be surprised if one of those votes went to Northern Illinois' Jerry Kill, who has the Huskies one win away from bowl eligibilty in his first year in DeKalb. But they don't get that sixth win here, for the Cardinals have too much offensive firepower to drop this one at home.

Toledo (2-6, 1-3) @ Akron (4-4, 2-2) 8 PM EST on ESPNU

It's been a tough year for the Rockets, who announced today that head coach Tom Amstutz would step down at season's end and take on a fundraising role within the athletic department. The problems for Toledo have been on offense, with the conference's eleventh-ranked attack struggling to establish a consistent passing game and failing to hold onto the football (11th in turnover margin). The Zips, on the other hand, find themselves tied with Buffalo atop the MAC East due to a ranking of third in the MAC in turnover margin and fifth in total offense. But the Rockets do have a shot at putting some points on the board due to Akron being one of the poorer defenses in the MAC (12th in total defense). So even though the Rockets would like to win one for their soon-to-be departed head coach, look for the Zips to pull out a close one.

- Phil Fulmer steps down at Tennessee.

Unless you've been away from a computer, radio or television all day then you know that Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer will be stepping down come season's end. The main culprits in this: the eleventh-ranked offense in the SEC and recent struggles to beat rivals Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Add to this a decline in the quality of recent recruiting classes and you have all the makings for a departure. Fulmer is currently 150-51 at Tennessee and won a national title back in 1998. The Volunteers (3-6, 1-5) need to win out to reach bowl eligibility this season and host equally struggling Wyoming on Saturday.

-Texas Tech named FWAA/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.

Thanks to their exciting 39-33 home win over then-#1 Texas the Red Raiders were named National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Other nominees were Florida (49-10 win over Georgia) and Northwestern (24-17 win over Minnesota clinched with an interception return for a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining).

2008 BracketBusters Participants (Home/Away)

Press Release — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:14:05 -0400

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Bristol, CT -- The seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters event, a two-day men’s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 20-21, will feature 13 nationally televised games – on either ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360.com -- selected from a pool of 102 teams.

For the fourth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise five BracketBusters games while ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will offer two. ESPN2 will televise six contests. ESPN360.com will also simulcast ESPN2’s six telecasts. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced February 2, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 9.

The 102-team field is highlighted by the return of last season’s BracketBusters participant Davidson, who made it to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament and will feature 12 teams from the Mid-American and Colonial Athletic; 10 from the Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley, Horizon League and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic and Big West; four from the America East and Southern; three from the Big South; two from the Big Sky, Summit League and West Coast; and one from the Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast and Patriot.

As part of the agreement, all 13 of the BracketBusters home teams, as well as the remaining 38 home squads, will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

This year’s BracketBusters pool features teams with 77 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); one in the Elite Eight – Davidson (2008); and six Sweet Sixteen squads – Butler (2007), Southern Illinois (2007), Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005) and Nevada (2004).

2009 BracketBusters Participation Pool Conference # teams Home teams Road teams America East 4 (2-2) Vermont UMBC Boston University U of Hartford Big Sky 2 (1-1) Portland State Montana State Big South 3 (1-2) Winthrop Liberty Gardner-Webb Big West 9 (4-5) Cal Poly CS-Fullerton Long Beach State CS-Northridge UC-Davis UC-Irvine UC-Santa Barbara UC-Riverside Pacific Colonial 12 (6-6) Drexel Delaware James Madison George Mason UNC-Wilmington Georgia State Old Dominion Hofstra Towson Northeastern William & Mary VCU Horizon 10 (6-4) Loyola Butler UIC Cleveland State Valparaiso Detroit Wright State Green Bay Youngstown State Milwaukee Metro Atlantic 10 (5-5) Fairfield Canisius Marist Iona Niagara Loyola Rider Manhattan Siena Saint Peter’s Mid-American 12 (6-6) Ball State Akron Central Michigan Buffalo Eastern Michigan Ohio Western Michigan Miami (OH) Bowling Green Northern Illinois Kent State Toledo MEAC 1 (0-1) Morgan State Missouri Valley 10 (5-5) Creighton Bradley Drake Illinois State Evansville Missouri State Indiana State Northern Iowa Wichita State Southern Illinois Northeast 1 (0-1) Fairleigh Dickinson OVC 10 (5-5) Murray State Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Austin Peay Tennessee State Eastern Illinois UT-Martin Jacksonville State Patriot 1 (1-0) Bucknell Southern 4 (2-2) Davidson Appalachian State Georgia Southern Elon Summit League 2 (0-2) North Dakota State South Dakota State West Coast 2 (2-0) San Diego St. Mary’s WAC 9 (5-4) Hawaii Boise State Idaho Fresno Nevada LA Tech New Mexico State Utah State San Jose State 51 teams 51 teams

Three Stars of the Day: Witter, Dials, Shaw

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:58:40 -0400

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Cavel Witter - Creighton

Hit the game-winning three with 3.2 seconds left as the Bluejays came back from a big half-time deficit

Nick Dials - Akron

Scored 13 of his 21 points in OT, as the Zips upset FSU on the road

Matt Shaw - Southern Illinois

Scored 21 points and added 9 boards in an easy win over OK State in the NIT

Other Top Performers

James Harden - Arizona State - Had a great line of 25 points and 13 boards, but it was against Alabama State

Rob McKiver - Houston - Scored 22 points as the Cougars opened the CBI with a win

Previous Stars of the Day

March 15th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 11th - Jeremy Evans, WKU

March 10th - Kevin Kanaskie, MTSU

March 9th - Brandon Johnson, San Diego

March 5th - Marquis Weddle, UTM

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

2008 NIT Capsule: Akron

Joel Welser — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:59:36 -0400

Akron Zips

Mid-American Conference (23-10, 11-5)

Seed: #6

RPI: 69

Big Wins: 11/26 Temple (67-65), 12/15 at Austin Peay (64-55), 3/4 at Ohio (80-77)

Bad Losses: 1/26 at Central Michigan (64-65), 2/6 at Western Michigan (66-86), 2/12 Northern Illinois (78-88)

Coach: Keith Dambrot

Probable Starters:

Nick Dials, Senior, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 4.3 apg

Cedrick Middleton, Senior, Guard, 9.7 ppg, 1.5 apg

Nate Linhart, Junior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg

Jeremiah Wood, Senior, Forward, 13.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg

Chris McKnight, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Steve McNees, Freshman, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.9 apg

Darryl Roberts, Sophomore, Guard, 3.9 ppg

Jimmy Conyers, Junior, Forward, 2.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Quade Milum, Senior, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

The Zips of Akron hit over eight three-pointers per game. Senior Nick Dials knocks down over two of those. The point guard has become a little one-dimensional in his offensive game since six of his eight shots per contest come from long range, but he will drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line enough to make the opposing defense have to cover him off the dribble.

Fellow starters Cedrick Middleton and Nate Linhart and sixth man Steve McNeese can all get hot from long range. Middleton is the guy who will penetrate and score, but he will compliment that ability quite well with his consistent outside shooting. At 6-7, Linhart has great size for a wing in the Mid-American Conference. His versatility allows him to play just about anywhere on the floor and Linhart has a smooth left-handed stroke from outside. McNeese will usually be the first guard off the bench and the freshman does a decent job handling the ball when he is not hitting the long ball.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Despite the nice size on the wing with Linhart, the Zips are not a big team. The frontline consists of 6-6 Jeremiah Wood, 6-7 Chris McKnight and 6-7 Quade Milum. That is not horrible by MAC standards, but the lack of height has led to some problems in the rebounding department. Wood is a great scorer, a superb rebounder and will never back down from bigger opponents. A team full of players like him and Akron would be great on the glass, but Wood does not get much help. Milum and McKnight split minutes, which hurts their numbers, but they combine for just over six rebounds per contest. Akron did not play very many tough, bigger teams during their non-conference play, so if they run into a big team, the troubles on the glass could get worse.

Who To Watch:

If Akron is going to make any postseason run, it will be on the shoulders of Wood and Dials. Wood has had some injury problems throughout his career, but when he is healthy he is tough to stop. On some days, the only way to stop him is to foul him and that theory is not a bad one to follow. Wood shoots just 56.8 percent from the charity stripe and when he is feeling it, the opposition will have no choice but to be physical with Wood on both sides of the floor.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 71.7 (119^th in nation, 1^st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 63.5 (61, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.4 (151, 4)

Field-Goal Defense: 44.5 (213, 6)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.5 (30, 1)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.8 (31, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.8 (89, 4)

Rebound Margin: -0.4 (194, 8)

Assists Per Game: 13.6 (143, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.0 (64, 3)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Florida State

- More 2008 NIT Coverage & Team Capsules

- Complete 2008 NCAA Tournament Coverage

- NCA Tournament Capsules

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MAC Championship: Kent State Dominates Akron

Joel Welser — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:47:01 -0400

Cleveland, OH - It came down to two near-by rivals and a packed Quicken Loans Arena in the Mid-American Conference Championship but in the end the No. I seed pounded the No. 3 seed as Kent State cruised by Akron 74-55.

Kent State (28-6) was the dominant team in the MAC this year and the Golden Flashes dominated Akron by almost every measure.

They out-shot Akron (23-10) from the field 50.9 percent (27-53) to 30.8 percent (18-52) and from the foul line 88.9 percent (16-18) to 54.3 percent (18-33). Both teams shot poorly from 3-point land but the Golden Flashes won that one too 33 percent (4-12) to 27.7 percent (5-22). Kent State also out-rebounded the Zips 36-27.

This year Kent State won the East Division title, they had the player of the year, the coach of the year and the best defensive player, Haminn Quaintance who was chosen tournament MVP. Tonight he scored 16 points, pulled down six rebounds and had a blocked shot.

Cleveland State has an RPI of 21 and most likely would have been in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happened tonight. This game was probably for seeding purposes and the Golden Flashes made their case in convincing fashion.

As for the Zips for the second straight year they saw their Big Dance dreams shattered as they again lost in the championship game. Last year it was a buzzer-beater by Miami’s Doug Penno that sunk them.

It was a relatively tight game until Akron hit a dry spell toward the end of the first half that allowed Kent State to close out the first half on a 16-1 run that sent the Zips into the locker room at halftime down 13 points at 33-20.

A dry spell is putting it mildly. Akron went the final 7:46 without scoring missing their last nine shots and three free throws to end the half.

Akron coach Keith Dambrot thought that his team’s poor shooting hurt them at the other end of the court. “I think our offensive performance affected our defense. I think we got inside on them better than we ever have . We got it at point-blank range, we just couldn’t make it, which is difficult.”

“We just wanted to put pressure on the ball and give them a hard time getting into their offensive sets. We wanted them to chance what they wanted to do,” explained Kent State player Al Fisher.

In the second half Akron did make a run cutting the Kent State lead to 10 points at 51-41 at the 8:20 mark on a basket by Nate Linhart. Kent State’s Mike Scott responded by making a jump shot. Right after that he was intentionally fouled on a steal play. He sunk both foul shots.

Then Kent State’s Chris Singletary converted a 3-point play, but was knocked down after making the final foul shot by Linhart who backed into him.

Kent State coach Jim Christian had some choice words for Linhart after everyone got untangled.

“Singletary is a key person for us when putting pressure on the ball because he is so strong. That was a key for us to have an option like him to go to,” said Christian.

When the final horn sounded Fisher, the MAC Player of the Year, provided an exclamation point on a good night by doing a back flip in front of the Kent State bench.

Notes:

-LeBron James of the Cavalier and Akron’s most famous native son was in attendance for tonight’s game.

-Tonight’s meeting was the 125 meeting between the two programs. Kent leads the all-time series 65-60. Akron won last year’s three games and Kent won this year’s three games.

-This is the seventh time in the past 11 years tht Kent has played in the MAC Championship game. Kent has won five of those seven games.

The All-Tournament Team

-Joe Reitz, Western Michigan
-Jeremiah Wood, Akron
-Al Fisher, Kent State
-Mike Scott, Kent State
-Haminn Quaintance, Kent State

MAC Semifinals Review: Akron to Face Kent St

Bill Kintner — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:41:10 -0400

CLEVELAND – For second time in two days Akron has exacted some revenge against teams that beat them earlier in the season.

Tonight it was Western Michigan that felt the revenge wrath of the Zips as they fell to Akron 73-62.

In a game where Akron (23-9) consistently led and led by double digits starting at the end of the first half It came down to the Zips’ strong shooting performance.

Akron shot a blazing 58.7 percent (27-46) from the field versus 44.7 percent (21-47) for Western Michigan (20-12).

“I think we were able to shoot the ball well. One of the things coach emphasized was sharing the ball. I feel we didn’t run as many plays as we have because we were able to pass the ball around,” said Akron’s Chris Knight.

Akron coach Keith Dambrot thought his team turned up the intensity to pull out the win.

“We matched their intensity,” Dambrot said with a smile after the game.

Another key for the Zips was containing Western Michigan’s David Kool, who scored 24 points in yesterday’s win against Eastern Michigan. Akron managed to hold him under 50 percent (6-13) for the game, although he still got 17 points.

“We used a variety of people (on Kool), mostly (Nate) Linhart, who is very long. I thought the length bothered him,” explained Dambrot. “He gets a lot of points around the rim and at the line. I think Linhart gave him a little more trouble than he’s used to.”

The game started out with Akron’s Cedrick Middleton hitting a 3-pointer at the 19:37 mark and the Zips never trailed in the game. Akron finally pushed the lead out to double digits at the 6:32 mark when Chris Mc Knight put in a layup to make it 25-15.

By the half Akron pushed their lead to 13 points at 37-24.

In the second half the Broncos didn’t cut Akron’s lead to single digits until the 1:31 mark when Kool hit a 3-pointer to make it 67-59 but the Zips pushed the lead back to 11 by the end of the game, 73-62.

“They shot lights out. It was just too much for us to overcome. Said Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins. “We showed a lot of fight in the second half, but every time we came back they hit big shots.”

Game Two: Miami vs Kent State

Does history repeat itself? Miami attempted to answer that question in the semifinals against Kent State.

With :02 left Miami inbounded the ball in front of their bench they got the ball to their ace, Tim Politz. He got it in the lane, about five feet from the basket, he twisted shot it and it bounced off the rim, and Kent State won 49-47.

It was just a year ago that Doug Penno hit the game winner against Akron as time expired to punch Miami’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

But tonight it was not to be for Miami.

With :34 remaining in the game Miami’s Kenny Hayes put in a layup to tie the game 47-47.

After a Kent State (27-6) timeout they began working the ball around the perimeter and they finally got it to Al Fisher. He drove down the lane spun to his right and shot a floater over the out-stretched hand of Tyler Dierkers to put Kent State up 49-47 and that was stake the landed in Miami’s heart.

Fisher said he just was looking to get any shot when he got the game winner. “We were just looking to get a shot up. It’s easier when your coach and teammates have a lot of trust in you. It takes off a lot of the pressure.”
Miami actually out-shot Kent State 42.2 percent (19-45) to 35.8 percent (19-53) but Kent State coach Jim Christian thought it was experience and maintaining intensity that did the trick.

“We’ve been in many of these situations before. We’ve won many close games,” he said. “There is something to be said of the will to win. You have to be intense the whole time.”

Miami (17-15) scored the first basket a little over two minutes into the game on a layup by Hayes to go up 2-0. Aside from a brief one point lead a little over two minutes later Kent State led the whole first half and went into halftime up 25-23.

The second half was more back and forth with the biggest lead being four by the Golden Flashes at the 4:25 mark on a jumper by Rodriquez Sherman.

This game was tied 12 times and there were nine lead changes.

A tired acting Miami coach Jermaine Henderson thought his team played hard and just came up short.

“I think we played hard and leave it all out there” he said after the game. The right guy got a shot off but it came up a little short.”

Notes:

-I mentioned yesterday that Keith Dambrot is a great coach; he is also entertaining to watch during the game. His favorite position on the sidelines is bent over with his hands on his knees; with his tie hanging down like an outfielder waiting for the pitch to be delivered. Sometimes he runs the length of the bench clapping his hands. Bottom line, if you take a look over at the Akron bench there is a good chance Drambot will entertain you.

-Yesterday I ranked Ohio’s dance team as the best looking team in the MAC. Upon further review I would rank Western Michigan’s as number two and Akron’s as number three. There you have it the MAC Hot Dance Team rankings.

-Former Miami great and current Cleveland Cavalier Wally Szczerbiak was in attendance for the Miami/Kent State game sitting in the front row across from the Miami bench.

-The clock crew has had a tough tournament. They have consistently screwed up starting and stopping the clock at the proper time. I hope this is not the crew that works the clock for the Cavs games.

Live From the MAC Tournament: Quaterfinals

Bill Kintner — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:25:16 -0400

CLEVELAND – With four quarterfinals games today I am just going to get the highlights of the games and try to give fans a flavor for what is going.

Game One: WMU vs EMU

Led by David Kool’s 24 points No. 2 seed Western Michigan (20-11) beat No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan (14-17). In a game that Eastern Michigan never led, they did make it interesting when at the 10:34 mark they tied the game at 34-34 when Jarrad Axon made two foul shots, but that was a fleeting moment of joy as the Broncos closed it out to end Eastern Michigan’s season.
Fav quote:

“We weren’t talking well on defense and they are a great shooting team. With this being their first game of the tournament, we knew they were going to be pumped up and ready to go and we did not match their intensity and that hurt us in the long run.”
EMU guard Travis Lewis.

-This is WSM’s first trip to the semifinals since 2005.

-The crowd for this game was rather meager considering that Michigan leads the country in unemployment. With all that free time you would think more of them would be here watching two Michigan teams play.

-WMU leads the all-time series with EMU 49-44.

-Western Michigan plays Akron at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Game Two: Akron vs CMU

Akron the No. 3 seed stayed true to form and whipped up on the No. 6 seed Central Michigan 81-60. This game was close for the first 23 minutes before the Zips opened up a double digit lead at the 16:42 mark. Akron’s Jeremiah Wood led all scorers with 17 points. Akron (22-9) shot 56 percent (28-50) from the field and 58.8 percent (10-17) from beyond the 3-point line. Central Michigan (14-17) shot just 34.5 percent (20-58).

Fav quote:

“Today it was, ‘I just want to play basketball.’ Whatever I could do I wanted to do. We are in the part of the season where every game can be your last and I just wanted to leave everything out there.”

You thought the quote was going to be Akron coach Keith Dambrot and nine times out of 10 it usually is, just not today.

-Akron leads the all-time series with CMU 23-13.

-Akron plays Western Michigan at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Game Three: Kent State vs Toledo

No. 1 seed Kent State pounded No. 8 seed Toledo into submission 77-54. The first half was relatively close with Toledo (11-19) getting their biggest lead at three at 7-4 at the 16:42 mark. At halftime Kent State (26-6) led 39-29. In the second Kent just enlarged their lead as they were led by Mike Scott’s 23 points.

Fav Quote:

“On the court we do not think we should get any fouls. The officials made a few calls we did not necessarily agree with and the calls gave us a disadvantage and took away from us being aggressive.”
Toledo forward Jerrah Young.

-Kent State had a nice crowd at the game and they made a lot of noise.

-Toledo leads the all-time series with Kent 78-41.

-Kent State plays Miami at 9:30 p.m. on Friday night.

Game Four: Miami vs Ohio

A typical Miami/Ohio game that No. 5 seed Miami pulled out over No.4 seed Ohio 74-61. The game was a lot tighter than the score indicates. Miami (17-14) was led by Michael Bramos’ 23 points and after getting pounded on the boards by 19 in their last game, the RedHawks out-rebounded the Bobcats 42-31. With 2:10 left it was still a close game with Miami clinging to a four point lead at 63-59. Ohio would score just one more basketball in the game.

Fav quote:

“I think we won with our guards and we got solid contributions from everybody on the boards. Last night we got out-rebounded by 19 so to come back to night and go plus 11 was a big thing.”
Miami forward Tyler Dierkers

-Ohio leads the all-time series with Miami 93-88.

-Miami plays Kent State Friday at 9:30 p.m.

MAC Notes:

-Miami has a four man broadcast team which is by far the biggest in the MAC. Steve Baker delivers the pbp, Joe Berry adds the color, Tim Bray gives sideline updates and Tommy Leugers engineers the whole mess. Some MAC schools simply have one guy that does all four jobs.

-And yes, Tim Bray actually does something besides carry Steve Baker’s luggage. At 1:30 p.m. today he was in the media room hard at work doing research for tonight’s game Miami/Ohio University game. Tommy Leugers calls him “Tidbit Tim” for all the great research he does that provides his reports. I would put that broadcast team up against any from the BCS programs.

-They are playing the woman’s tourney here at the same time as the regular tourney so it makes for a lot of downtime especially on Friday and Saturday for the fans and writers.

-Akron coach Keith Dambrot is one of the best quotes in college coaching and I like using him when I can. After I finished interviewing him he looked at my rather large stature and told me to come up to Akron to take a look at his program and he would take me to one of the best restaurants ever. That may just cost him a boatload of money someday. He also is not very PC which makes for a better interview.

-Ohio University has the best looking dance in the MAC.

-Miami’s coach Charlie Coles is not with the team. He had a heart procedure performed in a local hospital and there is no word as to when he might return. Assistant coach Jermaine Henderson is coaching the team for the remainder of the season.

Games of the Night: Akron at Kent State

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:56:47 -0500

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

Akron (14-3) at Kent State (14-4)

7:00 PM

Two of the three best teams in the MAC (w/ Ohio) get together for what is a big night for the High-Major leagues. The Zips haven't lost in league play, but Kent State has had a more impressive overall season with wins over the likes of George Mason, Illinois State, and Cleveland State. Kent State is the safe choice here, at home, and coming off a loss to Ohio.

Prediction: Kent State

San Diego State (14-4) at BYU (13-5)

8:00 PM

Early in the year, BYU was a trendy Top 25 pick.. I guess by virtue of beating Louisville. In the past couple of weeks, their play has slipped with bad losses at Boise State and UNLV (by 29 points). Due to these struggles, their at-large chances have slipped tremendously so they need to pick it up in MWC play. SDSU comes in a perfect 4-0 in league play, and their 14-4 record looks good, but their overall results are anything but awe-inducing. As mediocre as BYU has been of late, I like them to win at home.. leaving the MWC with 4 one-loss teams when the night is over.

Prediction: BYU

Western Kentucky (14-5) at New Orleans (14-5)

8:00 PM

Rounding out a rare night without power conference teams is a quality Sun Belt matchup. WKU is 6-1 in league play, while UNO is 4-3. Along with this conference as whole, both teams are probably underrated nationally. WKU's star is Courtney Lee while UNO features Bo McCalebb, one of the best scorers in the country. Both these teams play with good tempo, and it's disappointing this game isn't even on ESPN Full Court. Vegas favors WKU, but I like the Privateers.

Prediction: New Orleans

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

January 21st - Drake at Creighton (1-2)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma State (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)