The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Northern Illinois
Akron Takes 11 Game Winning Streak to Northern Illinois
January 30 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (18-3, 8-0 MAC) at Northern Illinois (13-8, 5-3 MAC)
Tuesday, January 31 • NIU Convocation Center
DeKalb, Ill. • 8:00 p.m. ET
TV/Video: WatchESPN/ESPN3 - Andy Garcia (PxP) and Carl Armato (Analyst)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
NIU - Mark Montgomery (Michigan State '92)
Overall Record: 73-105 (6th season)
Record at NIU: 73-105 (6th season)
MAC Record: 36-58 (6th season)
UA - Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record: 404-203 (19th season)
Record at Akron: 296-133 (13th season)
MAC Record at Akron: 149-61 (13th Season)
Career MAC Record: 159-85 (15th Season)
All-Time Series: Akron Leads: 23-11 - Dambrot vs NIU: 8-6 (8-6 Overall)
Last Meeting: Northern Illinois 80, Akron 79 - Feb. 13, 2016 - NIU Convocation Center, DeKalb, Ill.
Akron basketball Notes:
• Akron has won at least 21 games in 11-straight seasons under 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot, joining the likes of Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State. Over the last 12 seasons, the Zips have won 296 games, most by any team in the MAC.
• Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader on Jan. 3, with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green. At UA, Dambrot collected 289 wins in 422 games, replacing Russell Beichly's mark of 288 wins in 432 games (1941-59). Dambrot earned his 400th collegiate career win on Jan. 14 at Miami.
• The Zips are riding an 11 game winning streak, which currently ranks fifth in the NCAA behind Gonzaga (22), New Mexico St. (18), Arizona (14), and Cincinnati (12). As a result, Akron received five votes in this week's AP Top 25 poll and one vote in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll (Week 13 – Jan. 30). In addition, Akron is ranked No. X on the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and currently owns a 42 NCAA RPI and 98 Ken Pomeroy RPI.
• Akron owns the third longest home winning streak in the country behind Kansas (53) and Oregon (38). The Zips own a 173-23 (.883) at James A. Rhodes Arena and have been winners of 28-straight games at Rhodes Arena, setting a new Rhodes Arena's longest winning streak record.
• As of Jan. 31, UA ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 14-of-32 statistical categories (347 teams), ranking No. 6 in the NCAA for 3-point FG's made per game (10.7), No. 12 total 3-point FG's made (225), No. 23 in 3-point FG's attempted (575), and No. 28 3-Point FG Percentage (39.1). The Zips also rank No. 24 in Field Goal Percentage (48.6), No. 47 in Scoring Margin (+9.7) , and No. 65 in rebound margin (4.3).
What's Ahead
The Akron Zips will travel to DeKalb, Ill. for and East-West crossover conference game against Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Zips enter the contest riding an 11-game winning streak, which ranks as the fifth longest winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball. Akron also built a three-game lead over the Mid-American Conference opponents with a 8-0 record and 18-3 overall mark. The Zips extended the Rhodes Arena record of longest home-court winning streak of 28 consecutive wins, defeating the Buffalo Bulls 91-90. In addition, the Zips' run of consecutive home wins ranks No. 3 in the NCAA behind Kansas (53) and Oregon (38). Akron is 11-0 at home and 5-0 at the JAR in league play. Akron is 3-3 on the road and 3-0 when traveling to a MAC opponent. Fans can follow the action on WatchESPN, ESPN3 with Andy Garcia calling the action and Carl Armato providing analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Akron opened MAC play with a pair of wins over Bowling Green (89-84) and Western Michigan (66-59) at Rhodes Arena. After two road wins against Central Michigan (89-85) and Miami (74-70), the Zips returned to the JAR to defeat Ohio (83-68) and Eastern Michigan (70-63), and extended the streak to 11 games after defeating Western Michigan (90-80) and Buffalo (91-90) Akron has won 11-straight MAC regular season games.
The Akron-Northern Illinois Series
Tuesday's game marks the 35th meeting in series history between Akron and NIU, and 15th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Akron holds an all-time 23-11 series advantage while Dambrot is 8-6 at Akron. The Zips have won six of the last nine games and split last season's series, winning at Rhodes Arena on Jan. 26, 76-66, but falling at NIU Convocation Center on Feb. 13, 80-79. Akron is 15-2 all-time against the Huskies at Rhodes Arena. However, NIU holds an 8-9 overall record in DeKalb. The Huskies have won five of the last seven meetings at the NIU Convocation Center.
Scouting the Huskies
Northern Illinois enters the first meeting with a 13-8 overall record and 5-3 conference mark. The Huskies are 1-2 in their last three conference games, defeating Toledo on the road, 74-72 after falling to and Ohio (78-69) and Kent State (73-66) at home. However, Northern Illinois started the season on fire, winning four of the first five games, including four-straight games. NIU is 8-4 at home and 5-4 on the road. In league play, NIU is 2-2 at home and 3-1 on the road. Northern Illinois averages 72.8 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor and a 30.0 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 4.9 triples a game. In addition, the Huskies shoot 68.1 percent from the free throw line with 16.0 bonus buckets a night.
The Huskies have a balanced offensive attack with one player scoring in double figures and five players above 7.5 points a night. Marin Maric leads the scoring efforts with 13.1 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting from the field while grabbing a team-best 7.3 rebounds. Maric is tied for the team lead in blocked shots (15) with Aaric Armstead, who averages 9.0 points per night. Armstead adds a second-best 19 triples to the mix on 30.2 percent shooting from the outside and 31.7 percent overall and owns a team-high 32 steals. Jaylen Key is second in scoring at 9.1 points per game on 53.4 percent shooting from the field, while Dontel Highsmith and Laytwan Porter tally 8.4 and 7.9 points, respectively. Highsmith has knocked down 15 triples at a 30.0 percent rate while dishing out 35 assists and securing 21 steals. Porter is the team leader from beyond the 3-point arc, nailing 21 long distance buckets while shooting 45.7 percent from deep. He holds the team high for assists (38) and steals (23). Levi Bradley adds 7.6 points on 43.2 percent shooting from the floor.
Defensively, the Huskies limit their opponents to 68.0 points per game on 42.2 percent shooting from the floor and 33.5 percent from 3-point range, allowing just 7.7 long distance buckets a night. NIU has caused 340 turnovers (16.2 to/g) with 158 steals (7.5 stl/g) and 65 blocked shots (3.1 blk/g). The Huskies have outrebounded their opponent 823-736, establishing a +4.1 margin on the glass.
Last Time Out Against Northern Illinois
The Huskies snapped Akron's seven-game winning streak last season in the final seconds as NIU defeated the Zips 80-79.
With 15 seconds remaining, Zips' Isaiah Johnson buried two free throws to give Akron a one-point 79-78 advantage. Northern Illinois hurried the ball down the floor and fired a 3-pointer, which missed the mark, but retained the possession after the ball was batted around and sailed out of bounds.
After the lengthy review, NIU's Aaric Armstead received the inbounds pass and took the ball to the center of the key where Johnson was called for a foul with 1.7 seconds on the clock. Armstead drained both free throws to give the Huskies an 80-79 lead.
On the Zips final attempt to secure the game, Reggie McAdams threw a full court pass, hitting Johnson at the top of the key. Johnson turned to make a move, and was tangled up with the defender, but no whistle sounded before time expired.
As a team, the Zips shot 48.1 percent from the floor (26-of-54) while connecting at a 44.1 percent rate from downtown (15-of-34). Akron had three players score in double figures. Freshman guard Josh Williams led the way with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 6-of-9 effort from long distance. Johnson followed with 16 points, and Noah Robotham recorded 11 points.
Northern Illinois posted a 42.0 percent shooting effort from the field (26-of-69), including a 9-of-23 showing from beyond the 3-point arc (.391). The Huskies used a 17-3 run to overcome an eight-point Zips' advantage. Armstead led the Huskies with 21 points while Marin Maric and Laytwan Porter followed with 17 and 10, respectively.
The Huskies held a slight 41-34 advantage on the glass and won the turnover battle 7-13.
Akron Basketball Raising Eyebrows
The Akron Zips men's basketball program is starting to grab the attention of the national media. The Zips are currently on a 11-game winning streak, the fifth longest streak in NCAA Division I basketball.
The Zips' recent success began to attract the attention of several media outlets and analysts, including ESPN. On Jan. 20, after the Zips defeated Eastern Michigan at the JAR, ESPN's Kevin Connors selected Akron Zips Basketball as Kevin's Star of the night on ESPN SportsCenter.
Also, ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi's NCAA tournament projections has Akron ranked as a 13 seed in the latest edition of ESPN Bracketology, while CBS Sports Network's Jon Rothstein mentioned the Zips in his weekly Rothstein Files release on FanRagSports.com. In addition, Hero College Sports News reporter Daniel Reynolds highlighted the Zips as one of five mid-major programs to bust brackets in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
In addition, ESPN personalities Dick Vitale and Seth Greenburg mentioned Akron when discussing mid-major bracket busters as reported by Mid-Major Madness, while NCAA.com had the Zips as one of five teams who were slowly making their way to March Madness.
After two straight weeks of receiving one vote for the AP Top 25 poll, Akron earned five votes in this week's poll (Jan. 30 - Week 13), sitting about 30th in the NCAA. Akron also received one vote in the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. In addition, the Zips have climbed one spot to a No. 7 ranking in CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid-Major Top 25 poll, receiving 501 points on Jan. 16, followed by 549 points on Jan. 23, and now, 577 votes on Jan. 30.
Akron currently owns a 42 NCAA RPI, and ranks in the NCAA's Top 100 in 14-of-32 statistical categories. However, for the buzz to continue, the Akron Zips will need to continue their winning ways against good competition in the Mid-American Conference.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 94-42 in the regular season against the West Division (.691), including winners of 37 of the last 45 regular-season contests since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 69-25 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.734). The Zips have posted a 43-17 mark (.717) in the last 60 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
Akron is 46-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.868). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 149-61 overall (.710), including an 92-14 mark in MAC play at home (.868). The Zips' 149 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 69 of their last 92 MAC games (.750).
Akron is 25-9 in the MAC Tournament under head coach Keith Dambrot, going 19-5 in its last 24 tournament games. Under head coach Keith Dambrot, the Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made eight MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last ten seasons with an unprecedented 11-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips own a 22-9 record at Quicken Loans Arena.
Streaking Zips
Akron established a six-game winning streak early in the season, and is now on an 11-game run. The 11 consecutive wins ranks fifth among all current NCAA Division I winning streaks. In addition, the Zips currently own a 28-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena, setting the facility record which spanned three seasons from 1985-87 under head coach Bob Huggins. The Zips have rattled-off 11 consecutive wins this season at Rhodes Arena over American, Radford, Georgia Southern, Adrian, Coppin State, Marshall, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, and Buffalo.
Akron's current home court winning streak is the third longest in the NCAA and dates back to the 2014-15 season. Akron won the final two home games that season over Ohio and Northern Illinois, and posted an unblemished 15-0 record in 2015-16 at Rhodes Arena. The Zips are 173-23 with an 88.3 winning percentage at the JAR and have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami (57-52).
Akron Zips Undefeated in MAC Play
The Akron Zips are 8-0 in league play, defeating Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Eastern Michigan, and Buffalo. In league play, Akron averages 81.5 points per game in the MAC while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 38.8 from long distance with 10.1 made 3-pointers a game. The Zips own a +2.1 margin on the glass, outrebounding the competition 278-261. Akron averages 15.5 assists (124), 10.9 turnovers per game (87), 5.3 steals (42), and 3.3 blocked shots (26) in league play.
The Zips have won 11 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season which is the second longest MAC winning streak in Dambrot's tenure. The 2006-07 Zips won nine straight games in a single season after dropping the MAC opener to Ohio. However, the 2012-13 Zips won 19-straight games and rattled off 13 consecutive league games during that run.
Akron WINS 11th Straight Game
The senior tandem of Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and Isaiah Johnson combined to score 58 points en route to a 91-90 victory over the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena. With the win, Akron extended its winning streak to 11 games and pushed its home-court winning streak to 28-straight games at Rhodes Arena.
Cheatham led the way for the Zips with a career-high 31 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Cheatham also set a new career-high for three-pointers made in a contest, knocking down seven long distance buckets while shooting 7-of-13 from deep and 10-of-17 overall. Johnson registered his fourth double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds, including the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds left on the clock. Antino Jackson and Josh Williams chipped in 12 points apiece.
Blake Hamilton led the way for the Bulls with a game-high 33 points. Willie Connor added 19 and Nick Perkins totaled 14 points and eight rebounds.
For the contest, the Zips shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor and connected on 35.5 percent (11-of-31) of their shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, Akron converted 65 percent (26-of-40) of their attempts. The Bulls connected on 53.2 percent (33-of-62) of their shots from the field and knocked down 45.5 percent (10-of-22) of their three-point attempts. Buffalo shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) of their shots from the free throw line.
The Akron-Buffalo game came down to the wire as Johnson split a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to lift the Zips to a 91-90 advantage. The back-and-forth battle featured seven lead changes and nine tied scores. Akron led for 24:31, while Buffalo's leads lasted only 9:32 and the game was tied for 5:57.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 12-7 lead, but Cheatham connected on a three from the corner to cut the Buffalo lead to two. In addition, two free throws from Johnson tied the game at 12 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
The two teams traded three-point baskets on four straight possessions, and Buffalo held a 25-20 advantage with just over ten minutes in the first half. The Zips used a quick 7-0 run, highlighted by an and-one from Johnson to take a 27-25 lead. Akron took a 43-40 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Bulls came out of the locker room firing and used an 8-4 run to take a 48-47 lead, but the Zips came storming back, establishing a three-point lead following a Cheatham layup. Akron continued to feed Johnson in the paint and
The Zips and Bulls continued to trade blows in the paint and the two teams traded blows to a tie at 58 at the under-12 media timeout.
Cheatham brought the Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet with consecutive triples to push the Zips lead to 73-67, and forced the Bulls to call a timeout to stop the Akron momentum. Cheatham struck again from deep on the next possessions to keep the home crowd on its feet as the Zips took a nine-point lead with just under seven minutes to play, 76-67.
However, Buffalo would not go quietly as they used a quick five-point run to cut the Zips lead to three. A layup on the ensuing possession cut the Akron lead to one, but four straight points from Jackson brought the Zips lead back up to five, 83-78.
Jackson continued his scoring ways, burying a triple from the top of the key to give the Zips an 87-83 lead with just over a minute to play. Buffalo and Akron traded free-throws, then the Bulls converted a layup to cut the lead to one. Johnson converted two clutch free throws to put the Zips back ahead by three points, 90-87, with just over 30 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Buffalo tied the game at 90 with a three pointer at the top of the key by Hamilton, and the Zips called a timeout with possession of the ball and 15.6 seconds left in the game.
The Zips went to Johnson on the final play of the game. Big Dog went to the middle of the paint with his back to the basket, made a move and was fouled once again. Johnson missed the first shot but drained what proved to be the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation. The Bulls heaved up a last-second effort that fell short, giving the Zips a 91-90 victory.
Cheatham Named MAC East Player of the Week
Senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. In addition on Jan. 30, Cheatham was selected as the University of Akron's Student-Athlete of the Week.
Cheatham led the Zips through another undefeated week in Mid-American Conference play as Akron (18-3, 8-0) extended its winning streaks to 11-straight games on the season and 28-consecutive at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Cheatham scored 51 points last week, averaging 25.5 points. In a pair of wins over Western Michigan (90-80), and Buffalo (91-90), He shot 60.7 percent from the field (17-of-28) , 52.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (10-of-19), and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.
Against WMU, Cheatham poured in a team-high 20 points to go along with a team-best 11 rebounds for the double-double. In 33 minutes of work, he shot 63.6 percent from the field (7-of-11), 50.0 percent from downtown (3-of-6) and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line, Against Buffalo, Cheatham had a career night with 31 points in 35 minutes of play. He shot 53.6 percent from deep, connecting with 7-of-13 long distance shots while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor (10-of-17). He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and added seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
Akron Sets Rhodes Arena Record with 70-63 Win Over Eastern Michigan
The Akron Zips set the all-time longest winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena with its 27th straight victory on Friday night, defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 70-63. The Zips' run ranks as the third best home winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball behind Kansas (53) and Oregon (38). The streak also replaces the 26-game winning streak that spanned three seasons under head coach Bob Huggins from 1985 to 1987. The Zips have not lost at home since Feb. 21, 2015 against Miami.
The Zips 1,000 Point Club
Senior center Isaiah Johnson leads the Zips' scoring efforts with 16.2 points per game, scoring double digits in 19-of-21 games including 13-of-the-last-14 outings. He has scored 340 points to date and ranks No. 8 in the NCAA for field goal percentage at 63.8 percent. As a result, Johnson became Zips' 42nd member of Akron's 1,000 point club and the 12th member under head coach Keith Dambrot to enter this elite club. Johnson used a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan to eclipse the 1,000 point threshold, totaling 1,032 career points. He now has 1,116 career points.
All-Time Wins Leader
Head coach Keith Dambrot became Akron's All-Time Wins Leader with his 289th career victory at Akron on Jan. 3, 2017. The Zips defeated Bowling Green 89-84 as they opened MAC play at James A. Rhodes Arena. In his 13-year career at UA, Dambrot collected 289 career wins in 422 games, replacing the previous all-time win mark (288) held by Russell Beichly. Beichly coached the Zips from 1941 to 1959. In those 19 seasons, he reached 288 wins in 432 games. In addition, Dambrot earned his 400th career victory as a collegiate coach and is four wins shy of his 300th all-time win at Akron.
Breakout Moment
Redshirt freshman Daniel Utomi received his first start on Saturday, Jan. 14, against Miami. The Houston, Texas native took full advantage of the moment, scoring a career-high 15 points. Utomi started the game on fire, knocking down five 3-pointers on five attempts in the first half. For the game, he went 5-of-7 from the field and 5-of-6 from deep with a career-best three steals and a rebound. He followed with three-straight games of at least five points, adding a 13-of-25 effort from the floor and 8-of-15 showing from deep in the last five games.
Chop-ing Up the Competition
Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. has emerged as one of the Zips leaders in all areas of the game. Cheatham scores a second-best 12.2 points per game and is second on the team in 3-point FG percentage (25 attempts min.) while ranking No. 6 in the MAC at 43.5 percent. He has buried a team-high 50 triples and connects from the charity stripe with a team-best 84.2 percent. In addition, he is the leader on the glass, pulling down 7.5 rebounds per game with a team-high 122 defensive boards and 35 offensive grabs. Cheatham is also the Zips' leading rim protector with 18 blocked shots while adding 41 assists and 11 steals.
Trifecta!
Three of Akron's players rank in the Mid-American Conference Top 15 for 3-point FG percentage and four are shooting at or above 40.0 percent for the Zips. Kwan Cheatham leads the Zips, ranking No. 6 in the MAC with a 43.5 shooting percentage with a team-high 50 trifectas on 115 attempts, while No. 8 is Antino Jackson with a 42.1 percentage on 40-of-95 shooting. Ranked 10th overall is Tavian Dunn-Martin with a 40.0 percentage on 22-of-55 shooting. Noah Robotham (.382, 29-of-76) and Josh Williams (.373, 47-of-126) are key in Akron's perimeter game, while Daniel Utomi knocked down 12-of-26 trifectas for a 46.2 percent average.
The Zips rank among the nations best from behind the 3-point arc. The Zips rank No. 6 out of 347 teams in the NCAA for 3-point FG made per game with 10.7 triples. In addition, Akron is No. 12 overall in total 3-pointers made with 225, and ranked 23th for 3-point attempts at 575. As a result, the Zips 39.1 long distance percentage ranks 28th best.
Zips Continue to Feed the Dog
Last season, Isaiah Johnson was a force in the paint for the Zips, and this year, he is on pace to be even better. Big Dog has led the Zips' scoring efforts in 10-of-21 games, while averaging a team-high 16.2 points per game. He scored in double-digits 19-of-21 contests, including a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan. He posted his fourth double-double against Buffalo, scoring 27 points with 10 boards. Big Dog ranks No. 8 in the NCAA for FG percentage, shooting 63.8 percent from the floor (125-of-196), and pulled down a second-best 156 rebounds with 96 defensive boards and 60 on the offensive end. He owns a team-high 68 assists with 17 blocks and nine steals. Big Dog earned the Savannah Invitational MVP award, MAC East Player of the Week (twice, 11/28 and 1/16), College Sports Madness Player of the Week, and Sun Bowl All-Tournament team honors.
Four Zips Averaging Double Figures
Four Zips are averaging double figures in scoring led by Johnson's 16.2 points per game while fellow senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr. is second with 12.2 points per game. Junior guard Antino Jackson follows with 11.1 points per game, and junior Jimond Ivey averages 10.3 points. Noah Robotham and Josh Williams follow closely with 9.1 and 8.1 points per game. Five players have scored in double figures six times this season, including the starters twice. In the UMES game, all five starters scored double-digits for the first time since March 10, 2009, and the Zips matched that feat as the starters did it again against Western Michigan (1/24). Johnson ranks No. 8 overall in the MAC for scoring while Cheatham and Jackson are 26th and 29th, respectively.
Thriving in A New ROLE
With the loss of two starters and a third key player from the Akron's 2015-16 MAC Championship run, more minutes have been available for junior guard Jimond Ivey, and he has made the most of his time on the court. Ivey has played himself into the starting lineup after three starts due to an injury to point guard Noah Robotham. Now, Ivey is thriving in his new role, making 14 starts in 21 games. He has scored in double digits 13 times and 7-of-the-last-9 games, including a career-high 23 points and a personal best 11 rebounds. In addition, he posted his first career double-double against American that included 12 points and a career-best 11 boards.
In 21 games, Ivey averages 27.6 minutes with 10.3 points and ranks second in the MAC with a 55.7 shooting percentage from the field. He drained 73-of-131 shots and leads the team with 23 steals. Ivey is third on the squad with 5.7 rebounds per game, hauling in 120 total rebounds with 95 defensive and 25 offensive boards.
The Zips Sixth Man
Sophomore Josh Williams is a career 39.5 percent shooter from long distance, knocking down 105-of-266 triples to date. The Akron, Ohio native started nine games this season, and now is the Zips' sixth man, leading Akron's second unit. He has buried a second-best 47 long distance buckets on 126 attempts while averaging 8.1 points per game. Williams matched a career-high 18 points against UC Irvine, burying six 3-pointers on nine attempts.
In 21 games, Williams averages 24.0 minutes while shooting 38.1 percent from the field, 56-of-147. In 17 trips to the charity stripe, Williams collected 11 bonus buckets while pulling down 49 rebounds and dishing out 21 assists with nine steals.
Fire and Ice
We are not talking hot and cold, rather high intensity and fast play mixed with a methodical calculated approach to describe Akron's backcourt. The combination of junior guards, Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham, provide the Zips' with that type of leadership. Both, Jackson (Fire) and Robotham (Ice) are a threat with or without the ball in their hands.
Jackson, and his high-energy approach, is always in attack mode. He has the ability to beat an opponent off the bounce and uses a devastating step back to generate several different types of open looks. He is third in team scoring (11.1 ppg), and has buried 40 long distance field goals. He shoots 45.8 percent from the field and 42.1 from deep and has a second-best 17 steals, while adding 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game.
On the other hand, Robotham has a methodical approach to navigating the offense and picking apart defenses. His change of pace during play keeps defenders on their heels as he contributes 9.1 points per outing following a career-high 27-point performance against Marshall. He has 49 assists and 13 steals. He shoots 41.4 percent from the floor and 38.2 from behind the 3-point arc, burying 29 triples this season.
Fresh Start
The Akron Zips continue to improve its bench play this season with the help of five newcomers, two freshmen and three redshirt freshmen, whom are beginning to see more and more action. Playing in all 21 games is freshmen Tavian Dunn-Martin. After 16 straight appearances, freshman Michael Hughes was sidelined with an injury, while second-year freshmen, Emmanuel Olojakpoke, Daniel Utomi, and Craig Eubanks are starting to see their roles increase.
Dunn-Martin has made an immediate impact from the outside, draining 22-of-55 long distance shots for a 40.0 3-point FG shooting percentage, that ranks 11th in the MAC. In 11.2 minutes a game, Dunn-Martin owns a 44.3 FG shooting percentage (35-of-79) en route to adding 5.0 points per game. As a backup point guard, Dunn-Martin has dished out 21 assists and made 18 trips to the charity stripe, draining 14 bonus buckets for a 77.8 free throw percentage.
Hughes has logged 8.4 minutes per game in the center position, second most of the newcomers. He has scored 33 points and pulled down 22 rebounds and has 10 blocked shots with four steals.
Olojakpoke is a rim protector who managed to block four shots against Coppin State. In 17 games and 6.1 minutes on average, Olojakpoke is shooting 63.0 percent on 17-of-27 shots from the field and has pulled down 25 rebounds with 13 blocked shots.
Meanwhile, Utomi has a knack for scoring the ball. He is 22-of-43 from the floor for a 51.2 shooting percentage, including a 46.2 percent effort from downtown. In 7.4 minutes per game, Utomi has connected with 12-of-26 shots from deep while adding 13 rebounds, five steals, two assists, and a blocked shot. Rounding out the newcomer play is Eubanks. He provided a spark in 26 minutes of work, knocking down 3-of-5 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance with one rebound and one blocked shot.
Zips Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions
The Akron Zips secured its second tournament championship this season, defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions at the Don Haskins Center. Junior guard Antino Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title, while senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the Sun Bowl All-Tournament Team. In addition, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot recorded his 288th victory at Akron, tying former head coach Russell Beichly (1941-59) as the winning-est coach in program history.
Jackson used two stellar performances to lead the Zips at the Sun Bowl Invitational, scoring a career-high 23 points against UC Irvine and followed with 13 points, six assists and four rebounds in the finale. Against UMES, he shot 5-of-12 from the field with three long distance buckets in 32 minutes of work. Meanwhile, Johnson followed a 12-point, six-rebound tournament-opening performance with his second double-double of the season. Johnson scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-best 13 rebounds. He shot 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from the charity stripe while dishing out four assists and blocking two shots.
All five starters scored in double figures for the first time since March 10, 2009 as junior Jimond Ivey, senior Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin joined Jackson and Johnson with double-digit scoring performances. Ivey poured in 13 points with a second-best eight rebounds, while Cheatham and Dunn-Martin tallied 10 points each. It was Dunn-Martin's first career start.
2016 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational All-Tournament Team: Antino Jackson (MVP), Isaiah Johnson (Akron), Bakari Copeland (Maryland Eastern Shore), Jaron Martin (UC Irvine), Dominic Artis (UTEP), Dante Caldwell (Maryland Eastern Shore - Don Haskins Award)
Big Dog Earns Second MAC Weekly Honor
For the second time this season, senior Center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday. In addition on Jan. 16, Johnson was selected as the University of Akron's Student-Athlete of the Week. Johnson became Akron's 42nd member of the 1,000 point club after a career-high 33-point performance against Central Michigan.
For the week, Johnson scored 41 points on 59 percent (13-of-22) shooting from the floor and a 65 percent (15-of-23) performance from the free throw line. He added 14 rebounds (7.0 rebs/g), three assists (1.5 ast/g), two blocked shots (1.0 blk/g), and a steal (0.5 stl/g).
Jackson Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Antino Jackson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, announced by the league office on Dec. 27. In addition, Jackson is the third player from Akron to be recognized as MAC East Division Player of the Week this season, joining Isaiah Johnson (Nov. 28) and Noah Robotham (Dec. 19). Jackson earned the Barry Kobren Most Valuable Player Award for leading the Zips to their second tournament title defeating Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-60, to be crowned the 55th Annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Champions. For the tournament, Jackson logged 59 minutes, averaging 18 points per game on 56.5 percent shooting from the field (13-of-23) that included a 50.0 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc (6-of-12). He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line and averaged 4.5 assists (9) and 4.0 rebounds (8) per game.
Robotham Named MAC East Player of the Week
Junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week on Dec. 19. In addition, Robotham was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com. Robotham earned the honor after posting a career-high 27 points and leading the Zips to a 99-88 victory over Marshall on Saturday. The win marked Akron's 23rd consecutive victory at James A. Rhodes Arena. Robotham started the game on fire and never really slowed down. He only missed one shot in Akron's lone game of the week and was a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the first half. In 34 minutes of play, Robotham shot 6-of-7 (.857) from long distance and 8-of-9 from the field (.889). In addition, he made five trips to charity stripe and drained all five attempts. Robotham also contributed four assists and three rebounds.
BIG DOG Named MAC East Player of the Week
After securing the 2016 Savannah Invitational Most Valuable Player Award, senior center Isaiah Johnson was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week. In addition, Johnson was selected as the Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week by collegesportsmadness.com and Student-Athlete of the Week by the University of Akron. Johnson had a big week, leading the Akron Zips to the 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship. Akron defeated Georgia Southern, Air Force and Mercer to claim the inaugural title. Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts in all three games. For the week, Johnson scored 58 points in three games to average 19.33 points. He shot 22-of-30 from the floor for a 73.3 shooting percentage and 14-of-23 from the free throw line for a 61-percent effort. Johnson finished with 15 rebounds (5.0 rebs/g), 10 assists (3.33 ast/g), and three blocked shots (1.0 blk/g).
Zips Win Savannah Invitational
The Akron Zips won the inaugural 2016 Savannah Invitational Championship, defeating Mercer 65-63 on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Savannah Civic Center. Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, while junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) was named to the all-tournament team. Akron led by as many as 12 points throughout the Savannah Invitational finale, but the Mercer Bears found their way to claw back into the game to be decided in the final minutes.
Akron finished the game shooting 20-of-43 from the floor for a 46.5 percentage, including a 50-percent effort from downtown on 10-of-20 triples. In addition, the Zips made 19 trips to the charity stripe, knocking down 15 shots for a 78.9 percentage. Mercer won the battle of the boards, 36-24, and the Zips held a slight 10-11 advantage in the turnover battle.
For the second-straight night, Johnson led the Zips' scoring efforts with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a 5-of-7 effort from the free throw line. For his efforts, Johnson was selected as the Savannah Invitational MVP. Also scoring in double figures in back-to-back games was Jackson. He poured in 15 points on Friday against Air Force and returned with a 14 point showing in the finale on 5-of8 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 showing from deep. Jackson added two rebounds, two assists, and a block. Cheatham finished with nine points, draining 3-of-4 3-pointers.
2016 Savannah Invitational All-Tournament Team: Isaiah Johnson, Akron, (MVP), Antino Jackson, Akron, Desmond Williams, FAMU, Derick Newton, Stetson, Ike Smith, Georgia Southern, Ed Polite Jr., Radford, Frank Toohey, Air Force, B.J. Tyson, East Carolina, Ria'n Holland, Mercer
The Zips LeBron James Shoe Deal and New LOOK
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks. The Zips are just one of two college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the other is Ohio State.
The Akron Zips men's basketball team will be sporting new uniforms in 2016-17. The new look represents a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The new design for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City" slogan that men's basketball will carry throughout the season. The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within community.
The home uniforms are white with dark blue trim and accents, while the away are dark blue with white trim and accents. The "Pride of the UniverCity" uniforms display the name Akron in a prestigious old-style script font on the chest with the number(s) below. The script font and numbers are the same color as the jersey top (white/white or blue/blue) and outlined with the opposite color. The inspiration for the script writing and to use Akron on the chest stemmed from tradition and an overwhelming amount of pride for the city of Akron and its University.
The game shorts have three distinguishing marks. The right side of the shorts depicts the Zips' mascot Zippy, and her Fear the Roo head logo, while the left side dons the University's official seal. The final mark on the shorts is the notorious Z logo, which appears on the front waistband.
Up Next
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference, traveling to Ohio for a matinee game on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Noon. CBS Sports Network will televise the game with Ed Cohen calling the action and Pete Gillen providing analysis. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via live stats, or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Johnson Named to Preseason All-MAC Squad
Senior center Isaiah Johnson was named to the East Division Preseason All-MAC team by the 24-member MAC News Media Panel and 12 league head coaches. In 2015-16, he played in all 35 games, making nine starts and averaging 13.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, and 1.3 bpg. He led the Zips' offensive and rebounding efforts en route to an All-MAC First Team selection, NABC All-District First Team honor, and the MAC Sixth Man of the Year award. Furthermore, Johnson was a three-time MAC East Player of the Week recipient while being named to the MAC All-Tournament team, the South Point Classic Most Valuable Player, and collegesportsmadness.com Madness Mid-American Men's Basketball Player of the Week.
Zips Add Two Players in Early Signing Period
The Akron men's basketball program added a pair of student-athletes to the 2017-18 roster during the early signing period, announced by head coach Keith Dambrot. Signing national letters of intent to play for Akron were Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) and Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Parrish, a 6-6, 185-pound wing, played for Cypress Springs High School in 2015-16 and will spend the 2016-17 playing for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. In 30 games during his senior season, Parrish nearly averaged a double-double from the wing position, scoring 18.4 points and pulling down 8.2 rebounds per game. In addition, he added three assists, two steals, and 1.6 blocks on average per night. During his four-year high school career, Parrish eclipsed the 1,000 point scoring threshold, recording 1,132 points while earning back-to-back team MVP awards. In addition, Parrish was a two-time all-district award winner as well as a two-time academic all-district recipient.
Sayles, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, plays Sycamore High School. As a junior, Sayles led the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game while shooting at a 53.6 percent clip from the field and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe. He pulled down a team-best 4.9 rebounds per game and averaged a team-high 1.5 blocks a night. Sayles finished the season ranked sixth in scoring, third in blocked shots and 14th in rebounds for Greater Miami Conference en route to a Second-Team ALL-GMC selection.
Zips Basketball Selected for Eight Television Appearances
As a result of the largest television package in Mid-American Conference history, the Akron men's basketball program enters the 2016-17 season with eight guaranteed television games on various regional and national sports networks. In addition, the Zips' current schedule allows for nine games to be selected as wildcard games for television. Six of the nine dates provide several TV opportunities that may involve a change in game dates and times and/or same date with time changes.
Last season, the Zips appeared in 17 televised games with an additional four games aired exclusively on ESPN3. Included in those contests were the MAC Championship (ESPN2) and National Invitation Tournament (ESPN). New to this season, CBS Sports Network agreed to air the MAC semifinal game in addition to the MAC season finale.
Zips Selected to Win MAC
For the fourth consecutive year, the Akron men's basketball team was selected to win the Mid-American Conference East Division while ranking as the favorite to claim the MAC Tournament title, according to the 2016-17 MAC Preseason Men's Basketball Poll. The Zips received 15 first-place votes for 194 points, edging out Ohio, who finished second in voting with 190 points and 16 first-place votes. Buffalo (144 points, five first place vote) was picked third overall in the East followed by Kent State (116 points), Bowling Green (63 points), and Miami (49 points).Eastern Michigan is the favorite in the West Division.
In addition, the Zips were selected as the favorite to claim the season finale in March. Akron received 15 votes to be crowned champions at the MAC Tournament, holding a four-vote margin over Ohio (11). Eastern Michigan earned three votes, while Buffalo and Northern Illinois each had two. Rounding out the tournament voting were Central Michigan, Kent State, and Miami with one vote apiece.
