The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Marshall
Akron Hosts Marshall for Gold Rush Holiday Game on Saturday
December 14 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF) | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron Zips (6-3) MAC vs. Marshall (6-4)Horizon
Saturday, Dec. 15 • James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio • 2 PM ET • ESPN+
Marshall Head Coach
Dan D'Antoni (Marshall '70)
Overall Record: 78-67 (5th Season)Â
Record at Marshall: 78-67 (5th Season)
Horizon Record: 42-30 (5th Season)
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 200-152 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 20-21 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 6-12 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 40-42 (at Ohio and Akron)
All-Time Series
Zips lead: 14-12 Groce vs Marshall: 0-1 at Akron (2-4 Overall)
Last Meeting: Marshall 86, Akron 64 Dec. 2, 2018 at Henderson Center-Huntington, W.Va.
First Meeting: Marshall 63, Akron 61 1946-47 in Akron, Ohio
In Akron 8-4 -Â In Huntington: 6-8
Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ – Michael Reghi (PxP), Jacki Windon (Analyst)Â
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Quick Hits
• A win would give Akron its seventh win of the season andÂ
• Jimond Ivey is 15 points away from achieving 1,000 career points (985 total points)
• Akron lost all three games by five points or less. (11 points total)
• The Zips are ranked 16th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 60.0 points per game
• Akron is ranked 28th in 3-pointers/game (9.9), 33rd in turnovers/game (11.2), 34th in scoring margin (+15.0), 41st in th NCAA for 3-point FGs attempted (268), 65th in total 3-point FGs made (89)Â
What's Ahead
The Akron men's basketball program continues its 118th season of non-conference hoops by returning to Rhodes Arena to host Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Under second-year head coach John Groce, the Zips are 6-3 overall, winning three of the last four games. The Zips are coming off an 68-65 setback on the road to Purdue Fort Wayne. Akron is 4-0 at Rhodes Arena, 0-1 on the road and 2-2 in neutral site games this season. Saturday's game is also the annual Holiday Game with a holiday shirt giveaway – the first 3,000 fans will receive a holiday shirt, a pregame teddy bear toss that benefits Akron Children's Hospital, pictures with Santa and autograph signing by the men's soccer team.
The Broadcasts
The Zips' home game is scheduled to air on ESPN+ as Michael Reghi will call the action and Jacki Windon provides 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.
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Marshall enters the game with a 6-4 overall record, and coming off a 76-64 win over Morehead State. Marshall averages 84.1 points per outing on 45.8 percent shooting from the floor and a 34.2 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 9.6 triples a game. Two of the four losses for the Thundering Herd came from MAC opponents, Ohio 101-84 and Toledo 75-74 in overtime.
The Herd has two players scoring in double figures led by Jon Elmore with 21.0 points per game on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and a 40.2 percent rate from beyond the 3-point arc with a team-high 35 made 3-pointers. Elmore is the team leader in assists (50) and second in steals (17). He grabs 4.4 rebounds per game.
C.J. Burks follows with 18.5 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting, and 29.1 percent from deep with 16 triples. Burks is tied with Jarrod West for the team lead in steals (22) and ranks second in the assist category with 31 helpers. Burks grabs 3.5 rebounds per game.
In addition, Jannson Williams nearly averages double digits, scoring 9.7 points per game with a third best 15 made 3-pointers. West has also knocked down 15 trifectas, while Rondale Watson paces the Herd on the glass with 50 rebounds or 5.0 rebs/g.
Defensively, Marshall limits its opponents to 79.6 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the floor and 33.7 percent from 3-point range, allowing only 6.9 long distance strikes per night. The Herd has caused 196 turnovers (19.6 to/g) with 100 steals (10.0 stl/g). Marshall is outrebounded by a -7.3 margin, allowing the opponent to grab 426 total boards compared to the 353 total rebounds secured by the Thundering Herd.
The Akron-Marshall Series
Saturday's game marks the 27th meeting in series history between the Zips and the Thundering Herd. Akron holds a 14-12 edge in the series and won the last 7-of-8 meetings. Akron is 8-4 at home and 6-8 on the road against Marshall.Â
The series began during the 1946-47 season and lasted six-straight seasons as the Herd claimed the series opener 63-61 in Akron. The following year, Marshall moved to 2-0 against the Zips with a 73-47 win, and it wasn't until the third meeting (1948-49) when Akron posted its first win over the Herd, 55-51. Marshall claimed the final three games by scores of 94-81, 84-81, and 113-81. The two teams met again in 1974-75, as Akron came out on top with an 87-61 victory. In 1997, Marshall and Akron began Mid-American Conference, playing 13 league contests in eight seasons before Marshall exiting to play in Conference USA in 2005-06 to present.Â
During the MAC days, the Zips held a 7-6 overall advantage, and Akron sent them away with two consecutive losses in 2004-05, the Zips posted a 65-55 win in Huntington and a 71-64 win in Akron. Over the last six seasons, the Zips are 5-1 against the Thundering Herd with three road wins 67-51 ('11-12) 70-63 ('13-14) and 75-65 ('15-16) and two wins at Rhodes Arena 70-63 ('14-15) and 99-88 ('16-17). The loss came last season in Huntington, 86-64.
The Last Meeting...
The Akron Zips men's basketball team fell 86-64 to Marshall as The Herd remained unbeaten at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, W.Va. Akron had three players score in double figures, paced by Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) with 15 points. Utomi shot 50 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, knocking down four 3-pointers while grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) and Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Marshall's leading scorer, Jon Elmore, scored five of The Herd's initial seven points and finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting with three triples and a 5-of-5 effort from the charity stripe.
C.J. Burks also poured in 20 points, as his 3-pointer at the 12:22 mark sparked a 13-0 run, establishing a 24-10 advantage for the home team. Duvivier stopped The Herd's run with a long strike from deep, but another 7-0 run extended Marshall's lead to 20 points, 39-19, with 3:39 remaining in the first half.
The Zips cut the deficit to 13 points several times, but a big play from one of Marshall's 20-point scorers tended to follow. Marshall extended the lead to as many as 23 points, 83-60, before Jimond Ivey recorded the Zips' final four points. The game ended with Elmore connecting with his third triple of the night with 1:18 remaining in the game. Ivey finished with nine points and six rebounds.
The Last Time Out
Akron dug out of a 15-point first-half deficit, but fell three points short in their first true road game of the season against Purdue Fort Wayne, 68-65, at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Junior Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) led Akron (6-3) in scoring and on the glass with 23 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.)Â and senior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) added double-digit points with 12 and 10, respectively.
Purdue Fort Wayne (6-5) was led by Kanson Harrell with a game-high 24 points as the Mastodons took control of the game from the opening tap. The 'Dons created separation on the scoreboard with an 8-0 run that resulted in a 14-3 advantage by the 13:26 mark. The Zips narrowed the margin to nine points, three times over the next four minutes, but Purdue Fort Wayne continued to answer and rallied for their largest lead of the game at 18 points with 50 seconds left in the half. On the final possession of the first frame, junior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) buried a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 40-25.
In the second half, Akron fell behind by as many as 19 points, 53-34, before they made their move. Akron held the Mastodons scoreless for the next five minutes while scoring 16-straight points, fueled by five consecutive points from junior Jeremy Roscoe (Chicago, Ill.). Purdue Fort Wayne, finally, cashed in with two charity points and pushed the lead back to eight points, 58-50, with three points by Harrell. Again, Akron battled back, tying the game 61-all on a Utomi 3-pointer from the NBA stripe and Jackson gave the Zips their first lead of the game, 63-62, finishing in the paint and off the glass.
With 20-seconds remaining on the clock, Akron had the ball, but missed the go ahead opportunity in the paint. The Zips had another possession to takeover the scoreboard, but a turnover proved to be costly as Akron was forced to hoist a long-distance 3-ball to tie the game.
Akron finished the contest shooting 21-of-64 (.328) from the floor and 17-of-37 (.324) from 3-point land. The Zips only turned the ball over four times in the second stanza and ended the night with 35 rebounds. On the other side of the court, the home team shot 23-of-49 (.469) from the floor with a 7-of-18 (.389) effort from deep while grabbing 38 rebounds and committing 20 turnovers for the game.
Strong Defensive Stance
The Akron Zips have limited opponents to scoring only 60.0 points per game which ranks No. 16 in the NCAA for scoring defense and first in the MAC. In addition, the Zips rank 52nd in the country for 3-point defense and first in the MAC, allowing opponents to only shoot 29.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Fight to the Finish
The Akron Zips are currently 6-3 overall, picking up four wins at home and two wins on a neutral floor. Akron won all six games by a +24.3 margin and currently rank 34th in the NCAA and third in the MAC with a +15.0 scoring margin.Â
Taking it a step further, in Akron's three setbacks, the Zips have only lost by a combined total of 11 points, falling by five points or less in each contest. Akron fell 72-69 to No. 16 Clemson, 73-68 to Illinois State and 68-65 to Purdue Fort Wayne. In addition, the Zips have not allowed an opponent to score more than 73 points this season.
Closing on 1,,000 Points
Senior guard Jimond Ivey is quickly approaching the 1,000-point career milestone which will make him the 44th member in Akron basketball history. In 2018-19, Ivey has scored 117 points, averaging 13.0 points per game as Akron's second leading scorer. Over his four-year playing career at Akron, Ivey has accumulated 985 points, averaging 9.0 points per game. He appeared in 109 total games with 70 starting appearances. Last season, Ivey set Akron's single-game scoring record with a 48-point performance on the road at Ball State (1/27/18).
Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese set a career-high scoring mark against Alabama State with 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown and a 7-of-9 effort from the floor. He added a career best five assists. Cheese has scored in double figures 3-of-7 games with 13 points against Youngstown State and Clemson. Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring with 9.8 points per game.
Five Players Score Double Figures... AGAIN
Five Zips reached double digits in scoring against Youngstown State and again this season against Alabama State. Against Alabama State, Tyler Cheese led the way with 19 points followed by Jimond Ivey (13), Emmanuel Olojakpoke (12), Channel Banks (10) and Daniel Utomi (10). Against YSU, Utomi led all scorers with 25 points and Ivey followed with 18 points, while Loren Cristian Jackson (16), Deng Riak (14) and Cheese (13) all turned in career-high performances.
Cayman Islands All-Tournament Team
Sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) earned All-Tournament team honors at the Cayman Islands Classic. In three games, Jackson averaged a career-high 16.3 points per game with 4.3 Assists and 2.3 rebounds. Jackson opened the tournament with a career-best 25-point performance against No. 16 ranked Clemson (L, 72-69). He buried a personal best five 3-pointers (5-of-12, .417) and grabbed a career-high four rebounds with three assists. In the second and third games, he paced the Zips with five assists per game. Jackson added 15 points to his weekly total against Illinois State (L, 73-68) and scored nine points in the win over St. Bonaventure. For the week, Jackson scored 49 points, dished out 13 assists, grabbed seven rebounds and had one steal. He shot 11-of-35 (.314) from the floor, 7-of-24 (.292) from deep, and 20-of-27 (.741) from the free throw line.
Jackson Drops 25 Points on No. 16 Clemson
Jackson opened the Cayman Islands Classic with a career-high 25-point performance against No. 16 Clemson. Jackson shot 7-of-17 from the floor (.412), including a 5-of-12 performance from deep (.417). He made eight trips to the free throw line and buried six charity buckets. In addition, Jackson had four rebounds and three assists.
Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) has scored in double digits 3-of-7 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 9.0 points per game. He is shooting a team-best 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from long distance. Those 13 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (20) and Loren Cristian Jackson (16) leads the way. Banks led the squad in scoring with 15 points (Cedarville) and 17 points (Chicago State), while adding a 10-point performance against Alabama State.
Olojakpoke Returns to Action
After having his 2017-18 campaign cut short due to season ending heart surgery, junior frontcourt specialist Emmanuel Olojakpoke returned to action. EMan played 13 minutes in Akron's season opener, scoring two points while causing havoc in the paint. Olojakpoke grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots and had one steal.Â
Senior Leader Opens Season with a Double-Double
Senior guard/wing Jimond Ivey started the season off right by recording a double-double in Akron's first appearance of the season. Ivey scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He lead the Zips on the glass, pulling down 10 defensive rebounds and grabbing one offensive board. From the floor, Ivey used a 4-of-6 performance from the floor and a 4-of-6 showing from the free throw line for the 12 points.
Loren Cristian Jackson Did Not Miss a Beat
Transfer guard Loren Cristian Jackson didn't show any signs of rust as sophomore transfer from Long Beach State led the Zips offense and was second in scoring in the opener. He tallied 14 points in the 70-50 win over Cedarville. HE grabbed a second best seven rebounds while dishing out two assists. Jackson connected with four long range buckets on seven attempts for a 57.1 percent showing from beyond the arc.
The LeBron James Shoe Deal and Nike Apparel
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 three college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the others are Ohio State and Duquesne. Akron rocks six pairs of LBJ kicks in three different styles all customized to Akron Basketball.
The Akron Zips men's basketball team has six different uniforms, including four new looks for the 2018-19 season. Akron will continue to sport the grey set of uniforms modeled after the Team USA uniforms, which were new for 2017-18. The Grey uniforms feature the script Akron on the chest in blue outlined in the university gold. The numbers are depicted the same way which matches the blue piping that outlines the uniform. The shorts feature the Z-logo on both sides of the leg and are piped with the blue. Akron also had a new set of purple se uniforms last season that are worn as a tribute to former coach and director of operations Dan Peters.
For 2018-19, the Zips will showcase new home and away, whites and blues, with combinations that brings back the gold. Both sets feature the script Akron across the chest in gold with the white set accented by blue outlines and piping, while the  blues are outlined in white.The pants feature the Z-Logo on one leg and script Akron on the opposite side. Also, the Roo-Head debuts on the waistband.Speaking of Gold, Akron's "Gold Standard" uniforms are back. Yes, Akron will be rockin gold uniforms once again. The Team USA inspired uniforms feature the script Akron in blue across the chest with the Roo-Head on the sides of the shorts. The waistband features the Z-Logo.
The final uniform is a Fear The Roo uniform that is anthracite (dark grey) as the base color. Those are all the details we can divulge at this time.
UP NEXT
Akron will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 18 against Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ before traveling to Reno, Nev. to play No. 7 ranked Nevada on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. ET.
