Akron basketball back-to-back MAC champions! The Zips look to continue their dominance into the big dance.
General Information:
Team: Akron
Location: Akron, Ohio
Record: 27-6 (17-1)
Head Coach: John Groce (8th season at Akron)
What to know about Akron basketball:
The Akron Zips had high expectations going into this season and they certainly have lived up to the hype. Despite losing one of their all time greats in Enrique Freeman as he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers; the Zips still reloaded. Guards Nate Johnson, and Tavari Johnson were given the keys to the kingdom and were expected to do big things. Head coach John Groce hit the transfer portal hard by acquiring: North Carolina center James Okonkwo, Ohio State guard Bowen Hardman, West Virginia G=guard Seth Wilson, and Cornell Ggard Isaiah Gray.
Akron’s dominant season got off to a rocky start as they started 1-2. They suffered setbacks to Arkansas State, and Saint Mary’s. However, they won six of their next nine games to wrap up conference play. Once Akron hit conference play, there was no turning back for Groce’s squad. They started MAC play 13-0, and at one point had the largest winning streak in all of college basketball with 14 wins.
The Zips only lost one game in the MAC all season and that came against Groce’s former team, the Ohio Bobcats. Despite the loss, there were very few question marks surrounding Akron. They walked into the MAC tournament as the overwhelming favorite led by MAC player of the year Nate Johnson. After double-digit wins against Bowling Green, and Toledo; it was time for their true test in the championship against Miami (OH).
Miami is coached by Travis Steele, the younger brother of John Groce. It was the battle of the brothers in the MAC title game, and it was all Redhawks from the beginning. It looked like Akron’s season was over as they trailed by eighteen at one point. No one seed had won the MAC tournament since the 2019 Buffalo Bulls led by Nate Oats, and it looked like that trend was continuing. However, the Zips fought back led by Nate Johnson and in the final minute of the game; they took their first lead since the first half when they led six to five.
As the score was tied at 74; Johnson pushed up the court full steam ahead and laid it up with two seconds left on the clock. Miami’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed, and the Zips became back-to-back champions led by the heroics of Nate Johnson.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Akron basketball: Round of 64 Exit
Actual seed: 13
Despite the Zips being one of the most dominant mid-major squads, it’s still going to be an up-hill battle to win a tournament game. Akron was a 14 seed last season and fell to Creighton in the first round. The 13 seed seems about right, and Arizona is a big time program, but there are reasons to believe why the Zips could be a potential Cinderella.
They are a team that can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc at 36%. Three point shooting is one of the recipes for success in the tournament, and this can certainly be a benefit for the Zips if they get open looks. Akron basketball also has two guards in Nate Johnson and Tavari Johnson who are two of the best shot creators in the entire MAC. Nate Johnson and Tavari Johnson were both all-MAC first team, and were honestly 1A and 1B for MAC player of the year. If one of them gets into foul trouble or is struggling, you still have to worry about the other one. If they are both on fire, then good luck containing the Zips.
The last time a one seed one the MAC tournament it was the Buffalo Bulls in 2019. That team was led by head coach Nate Oats who currently is leading the Crimson Tide. That Buffalo team ended up being a six seed and won their first round matchup against Arizona State before falling to the eventual runner-ups Texas Tech. The question is: can history repeat itself?
It’s hard telling what Akron will do once the tournament comes around. It will largely depend on the matchup, which is why I don’t want to make an assumption before Selection Sunday. However, this Zips team has some of the key ingredients to bust some brackets.