Akron looks to zip through tourney to the finals
By Zach Swartz, Sports Editor
March 5, 2007 | 12:32 p.m.
The Akron Zips (24-6,13-3 MAC) have a bye on Wednesday and will take on the winner of the Wednesday afternoon game between No. 7 Central Michigan (12-17, 7-9 MAC) and No. 10 Buffalo (12-18, 4-12 MAC) Thursday night. Either way, the Zips are primed to go deep into the tournament.
The Zips’ impressive season this year, which featured just six losses and impressive road wins over such teams as Niagara, Oral Roberts and Kent State, was preceded by expectations as lofty as the ones they face entering the conference tournament.
Although he noted such expectations have the ability to put pressure on players, Coach Keith Dambrot said there isn’t much difference between the Zips and the worst team in the league – “and that’s MAC basketball.”
“Guys like Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce have been put through these expectations before, and I have, also,” Dambrot said. “They just go out there and play and don't worry about what was said at the beginning of the season."
What was said at the beginning of the season was a notice of Akron's talent and competition. Playing on the road against such non-conference mid-majors as Niagara and Oral Roberts was seen as a tough go for the young Zips, who have just two seniors this season. Senior forward Travis, named this year's MAC Player of the Year, leads the team and is tied for sixth in the MAC in scoring with 15.1 PPG, while senior Dru Joyce chips in 10 per game. The 245-pound junior forward Jeremiah Wood leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 per game.
Despite their ages, the experience that the Zips gained throughout the season will indeed be a factor in their game on Thursday. Akron has played both of their possible first-round match-ups this season, beating Central Michigan at home on Feb. 7 and Buffalo twice, most recently on the road last Thursday. Dambrot is confident that his team will be ready for either.
"We played Buffalo not very long ago [March 1] so we know what they'll do, being very big and strong,” Dambrot said. “We have a lot of respect for them because when they came here, we squeaked by them. Coach [Ernie] Zeigler has done a marvelous job at CMU in his first season. Playing Buffalo often the last few years makes me more familiar with them, and there is more uncertainty with CMU. We just have to prepare for both of them."
No matter which team Akron plays, they will be sure to perform at their best to get some quality wins, because the MAC Tournament Championship is not the only thing on the line this week. The Zips, with their 24 wins, have a slight chance of getting an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament if they fail to come out on top in the tourney. Although they have a relatively weak schedule and an RPI ranking of just 68, the Akron Zips have still been impressive.
"Our strength of schedule isn't great but we've had some big road wins," Dambrot said. "When we got our schedule, we had a lot of high mid-major schools on our list. Think about this: we are only 20 points from being undefeated. We played with everyone on our schedule. If that's not enough, then I can't do much about it. I think we can play with a lot of people. We deserve at least a look by the NCAA selection committee."
Still, the Zips' game Thursday is the first thing on their mind. They have high expectations going into the MAC Tournament, and they will be sure not to overlook any of their opponents.
"Our expectations are the same every time we go out whether it be a tournament game, conference game or even a practice,” Dambroth said. “We go out to make our process correct and that is to play hard every single day, play great defense, and work as a team -- all you can control is how hard you play and your attitude. You can't control the points. If you win the tournament, that's an extra bonus to a wonderful season. You can't put more pressure on yourself if it's not in your control."
No. 2 seed Akron will face either No. 7 Central Michigan or No. 10 Buffalo on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
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