The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Bowling Green
Akron Begins #MACtion at Bowling Green on Friday
January 02 | Men's Basketball
Akron (7-5, 0-0 Mid-American) at Bowling Green (5-7, 0-0 Mid-American)
Friday, Jan. 3 – Stroh Center – Bowling Green, Ohio.
6 pm ET – CBS Sports Network - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 329-218 | At Akron: 147-86
Bowling Green: Todd Simon | Overall Record:163-143 | At Bowling Green: 25-21
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads 46-28 | Groce vs Bowling Green: 10-3 at Akron (13-9 Overall)
First Met: 1937-38 (W, Akron 52 - Bowling Green 29) At Akron
Last Met: Jan. 5, 2024 (W, Akron 82 - Bowling Green 67) At Akron
Current Streak, W4
INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday's game marks the 75th meeting in series history between Akron and Bowling Green, and 23rd meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 46-28 series advantage while Groce is 13-9 against BGSU and 10-3 at Akron. The Zips have won 35 of the last 40 games against the Falcons.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green comes into Friday's contest with a 5-7 overall record and a 4-2 record at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons have gone 3-2 over their last five contest which included an 87-62 victory over Aquinas College. Bowling green has also defeated Morgan State (102-81) and New Mexico State (61-60).
Against Aquinas, Marcus Johnson led the Falcons in scoring with 20 points and was one of four Falcons to score in double figures while shooting 80-percent from the field. Jami Felt (13 pts, 11 reb) recorded a double-double while Javontae Campbell (11 pts, 11 reb, 10 ast) for the first BGSU triple-double since 2007.
Bowling Green is scoring 78.4 points per game and holds a scoring margin of +3.5 entering conference action. The Falcons shoot .460 from the field and .355 from deep, hitting 8.9 3's per game.
Marcus Johnson leads the Falcons in scoring with 17.3 points while two other Falcons (Campbell- 15.8, Derick Butler - 14.9) are scoring 14 or more points per game.Sam Towns leads the way in rebounds with 7.0 while Campbell is the leading assist (3.0) and steal producer (3.4). Felt is the leader in blocked shots with 10 on the season.
Bowling Green ranks in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (4th - 78.4), fg percentage (5th - .460), 3pt percentage (3rd - .355), 3pt made (4th - 8.9), opp. 3pt percentage (.315), ft percentage (1st - .802) and steals (2nd -Â 8.00).
The Falcons rank 11th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.802) while Marcus Johnson is ranked 8th with a free throw percentage of .943). Javontae Campbell is ranked 3rd in total steals (41) and 2nd in steals per game (3.42).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Akron heads to Bowling Green with a 7-5 overall record and 0-3 in true road games this season. The Zips are coming off a 76-75 loss at Princeton on December 30.
Akron had three players score in double figures led by Nate Johnson, who had 17 points and two blocks. James Okonkwo added a double-double off of the bench with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Isaiah Gray chipped in as well with 15 points and two steals.
The Zips are currently score 80.7 points per game while holding an +7.4 scoring margin over their opponents. The Blue and Gold shoot .430 from the field and .348 from long range while hitting 11.2 3's per game. Akron is also averaging 40.1 rebounds per game, 17.4 assists,12.8 turnovers, 8.0 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game.
Tavari Johnson leads the Zips in scoring with 12.8 points and is one of two Zips to average double figures in scoring. Nate Johnson is second on the team in scoring (11.9) and leads the Zips in assists (3.5), and steals (1.3). James Okonkwo is the leader in rebounds with 8.5 per game and total blocks with 11. Amani Lyles is second on the team in blocks with nine.
Akron is in the top five in the MAC for scoring offense (2nd - 80.7), scoring margin (1st - +7.4), scoring defense (5th - 73.3), opp. fg pct (5th - .439), 3pt pct ( 4th - .348), 3pters made (2nd- 11.2), opp. 3pt pct (5th - .331), ft pct (4th .735), rebounds (1st - 40.1), off. rebounds (2nd- 13.5), def. rebounds (4th - 26.6), rebound margin (4th - +2.4), turnover margin (5th - +2.00), assist-turnover margin (2nd - +1.37), steals (3rd - 8.00) and assists (1st - 17.42).
The Zips rank 88th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ration (+1.37), 32nd in assists per game (17.4), 26th in bench points per game (32.08), 67th in fastbreak points (13.75), 27th in off. rebounds per game (13.92), 30th in rebounds per game (40.67), 75th in scoring offense (80.7), 9th in 3-pointers made per game (11.2) and 57th in turnovers forced per game (14.75).Â
James Okonkwo ranks 92nd in the NCAA in rebounds (103) and 45th in rebounds per game (8.6).
LAST TIME AGAINST BOWLING GREENÂ (Jan. 6, 2024)
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team used a 47-point second half to defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 83-67 at the JAR on Friday evening.
Enrique Freeman notched a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds as he moved to ninth for all-time scoring with 1,448 career points. Freeman surpassed Don Williams (1963-67). Romeo Travis (2004-07) is next with 1,491 career points.Â
In addition to Freeman's strong outing, the Zips (10-4, 2-0) were led by Greg Tribble, who had 16 points, and by Shammah Scott, who added 10 points, four assists and three steals coming off the bench.
Akron did a great job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 22 assists while turning the ball over nine times. Individually, Kaleb Thornton lent a helping hand the most for the Zips with five assists.
After falling behind 36-27, Akron went on a 5-0 run with 4:06 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Mikal Dawson, to narrow its deficit to 36-32. Bowling Green answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Zips down 41-36 entering halftime.
After intermission, Akron came back to even it up at 52-52 before going on a 12-0 run to seize a 64-52 lead with 6:47 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 83-67 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 47 total points.
ON NATIONAL TV
The Akron Zips men's basketball program was selected for three nationally televised broadcasts with five 21-day wildcard dates. Akron is slated to open MAC play at Bowling Green on CBS Sports Network at the Stroh Center on Friday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. The Zips are then scheduled to travel to Ohio on Friday, January 17 on CBSSN with a 6 p.m. tip-off time.Â
The first installment of the rivalry game between Akron and Kent State was also selected to be aired on national TV as CBSSN will broadcast the game from the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. The remaining dates will be announced 21 days prior to the contests which may affect four game dates for Akron, including a pair of home games against Kent State (3/1/24) and Buffalo (3/7/24) as well as a pair of road games at Central Michigan (2/15/23) and at Ohio (2/22/24).
OPENING MAC PLAY
Akron is 24-8 in MAC openers since joining the league in 1992. Over the last 18 seasons, the Zips are 15-3 in MAC openers. Akron has won the last 15-of-16 MAC openers, including a 6-1 mark under head coach John Groce. The Zips fell in Groce's initial MAC opener, but have won six straight.Â
Akron started 2023-24 MAC play with seven straight wins before falling 70-68 on the road to Miami (OH). The 7-0 start to begin MACtion is the best start for Coach Groce since taking over the program.
The last time the Zips started 7-0 was back in 2016-17 where the Zips ultimately started conference action with a 9-0 start. The 2012-13 squad started #MACtion to the tune of a 13-0 record. The Zips finish that season 26-7 overall and 14-2 in the MAC.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 65-25 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.722) in the league. The Zips are 51-22 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 100-28 (.781) at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule. UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 234-108 overall (.684), including a 142-32 mark in MAC play at home (.816). The Zips' 234 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 149 of their last 214 MAC games (.696).
COMING OFF THE BENCH
Akron ranks 26th in the NCAA for bench production with 32.08 points per game. The Zips' bench has recorded eight games with 30 or more points and two games with 40 or more points. The Akron bench recorded a season high 45 points against Alabama State on November 24.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron returns to James A. Rhodes Arena to host Central Michigan on January 7 for a 7 p.m. start.
