The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Central Michigan
Akron Travels to Battle Central Michigan on Saturday
February 14 | Men's Basketball
Akron (19-5, 11-0Â Mid-American) at Central Michigan (11-13, 4-7 Mid-American)
Saturday, Feb. 15 – McGuirk Arena – Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7 pm ET – ESPN + - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 341-218 | At Akron: 159-86
Central Michigan: Tony Barbee | Overall Record: 177-198 | At Central Michigan: 46-71
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 41-15 | Groce vs. Central Michigan: 9-1 At Akron | 12-3 Overall
First Met: 1938-39 (W, Akron 69, Central Michigan 51) at Central Michigan
Last Met: Jan. 7, 2025 (W, Akron 87, Central Michigan 71) At Akron
In Akron: 25-5 | Neutral: 1-0 | In Mount Pleasant: 15-10
Current Streak: 8W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 57th meeting in series history between Akron and Central Michigan, the 16th meeting for a Groce coached squad and ninth at Akron. The Zips hold an all-time 40-15 series advantage while Groce is 12-3 overall and 9-1 at Akron.
Akron took the first meeting this season at the JAR,87-71, behind Seth Wilson's career-high 18 points while shooting .500 from beyond the arc.
The Zips have won 26 of the last 29 meetings, including an eight-game winning streak. Akron has swept the series since the 2019-20 series with the last CMU victory coming in the 2018-19 season when the two teams split the season series. Akron fell in overtime 88-86 at McGuirk Arena in the first meeting but bounced back with a 70-67 win at Rhodes Arena.
The Zips won at the JAR 68-47 while winning at McGuirk Arena (60-56) and the JAR (57-56) in 2022-23. Akron won in 2020-21 (81-67 at James A. Rhodes Arena) and 2019-20 (80-67 at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich.).
Akron has defeated CMU 15 straight times at the JAR. The winning streak has stood since January 24, 2004.
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
The Chippewas come into Saturday's game with an 11-13 overall record, a 4-7 record in the MAC and a 7-4 record at home
Central Michigan is coming off a 91-83 loss at Kent State on February 11. Ugnius Jarusevicius posted a career-high 32-point, 10-rebound performance against the Golden Flashes in the loss while logging a career-high 12-of-15 free throws.. Central allowed Kent State to hit 16 3-pointers in the contest while the Golden Flashes hit over 53 percent of their long range attempts.
Ugnius Jarusevicius leads the Chippewas in points (14.6) and rebounds (2.2). Anthony Pritchard is the leader in assists (5.2) and steals (2.2) while Bryan Ndjonga has the most blocks on the season (16).Â
Central Michigan averages 74.8 points per game and has outscored their opponents this season by 3.6 points per game. The Chippewas are shooting .464 from the field and .318 from beyond the arc with 6.6 3-point shots falling per game. CMU is also shooting .711 from the free-throw line. The Chippewas averages 36.3 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 12.6 turnovers, 7.5 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.Â
The Chippewas rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring def. (2nd - 71.2), scoring margin (5th +3.6), fg pct. (t4th - .464), opp. fg pct. (3rd (.436), opp. 3pt pct. (5th - .328), rebounding (3rd - 36.3), opp. rebounding (1st - 32.0), off. rebounds (t4th - 10.8), def. rebounds (t5th - 25.5), rebound margin (2nd - +4.3) and assists (5th - 13.92).Â
Central Michigan ranks 48th in the NCAA in fastbreak points (13.33), 96th in fg pct. (.464), 64th in rebound margin (+4.3) and 93rd in turnovers forced per game (13.21). Anthony Pritchard ranks 47th in total assists (125), 48th in assists per game (5.2), 26th in total steals (52) and 22nd in steals per game (2.17).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips hit the road to battle Central Michigan on Saturday, February 15. Akron holds a 19-5 overall record, an 11-0 record in the MAC and a 5-3 record on the road.
The Zips are coming off a 105-92 victory over Western Michigan on February 11. Five Zips scored in double figures, with Nate Johnson leading the way with 22 points. Akron shot over 51 percent from beyond the arc and over 62 percent from the field against the Broncos.
N. Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.9) and steals (1.9). Nate is one of three Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.9) and Isaiah Gray (10.1) rounding out the list. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.2) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.9). Okonkwo and Amani Lyles share the lead for blocks this season (25).
Akron is currently scoring 84.6 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 11.2 points per game this season. The Zips are shooting .467 from the field while shooting .368 from beyond the arc and averages 11.7 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .746 ft percentage while averaging 39.9 rebounds, 18.7 assists,12.5 turnovers, 7.8 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.
Akron is in the top five in the MAC for scoring offense (1st - 84.6), scoring defense (4th - 73.5), scoring margin (1st - +11.2), fg pct. (3rd - .467), opp. fg pct (2nd - .421), 3pt pct (2nd - .368), opp. 3pt pct (2nd - .313), 3pters made (1st - 11.7), ft pct (4th - .746), rebounds (1st - 39.9), off. rebounds (3rd - 12.3), def. rebounds (1st - 27.6), rebound margin (1st - +4.5), assist-turnover margin (1st - +1.49), blocked shots (1st - 3.75), assists (1st - 18.67) and steals (3rd - 7.75).
The Zips rank 34th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.49), 4th in assists per game (18.7), 9th in bench points (33.50), 35th in effective fg pct. (.556), 20th in fastbreak points (14.67), 81st in fg pct. (.467), 92nd in fg pct. defense (.421), 83rd in ft pct. (.746), 55th in rebound margin (+4.7), 25th in def. rebounds (27.71), 57th in off. rebounds (12.46), 17th in rebounds per game (40.17), 29th in scoring margin (+11.2), 10th in scoring off. (84.6), 88th in steals per game (7.8), 3rd in 3-point attempts per game (31.8), 57th in 3-point pct. (.368), 70 in 3-point pct. def. (.313) and 3rd for 3-point shots made per game (11.7). James Okonkwo ranks 88th in total rebounds (190), 74th in off. rebounds per game (2.83) and 76th in rebounds per game (7.9). Nate Johnson ranks 69th in total steals (45) and 68th in steals per game (1.88).
LAST TIME AGAINST CENTRAL MICHIGANÂ (1/7/2025)
AKRON, Ohio - The Zips connected on 18 3-point shots while Seth Wilson scored a career-high 18 points in an 87-71 victory over Central Michigan at home Tuesday.
Akron recorded its seventh consecutive home win of the 2024-25 season with the victory over CMU.
The Zips (9-5, 2-0) had six players score in double figures, led by Seth Wilson, who had a career-high 18 points while shooting .500 from beyond the arc. Nate Johnson added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists and Tavari Johnson chipped in as well with 12 points. Shammah Scott and Sharron Young both scored 12 points each while Isaiah Gray added 11 points.
Akron shared the ball well in Tuesday's game, racking up 21 assists on 30 made field goals. Nate Johnson's four assists led the Zips and Isaiah Gray also added four assists of his own.
The Zips have now won the last 15 home meetings against CMU and stand 25-5 all-time against the Chippewas in Akron.
After falling behind 9-6, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 15:24 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Gray, to take a 14-9 lead. The Zips then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 41-38 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 11 shots to account for 33 of its 41 points.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Nate Johnson's layup, to grow the lead to 56-41 with 15:24 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 87-71 win. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting seven shots from deep to score 21 of its 46 points.
WINNING... IT'S WHAT WE DO
Akron is currently on a 12-game winning streak, which is currently the longest active streak in the country. Drake and Towson are second in the nation with an 11-game winning streak. Green Bay holds the nation's longest losing streak with 20 straight defeats.
UNDEFEATED IN CONFERENCE
Akron (11-0) is one of two teams in Div. I to hold a perfect record in conference play. Yale (7-0) is the only other team in Div. I to remain perfect in conference. Seven teams have yet to win a conference game this season.
HOT START TO #MACTION
The Blue and Gold have started conference play with 11 straight wins. The 11 wins to begin conference action is the best start for an Akron-led John Groce squad. The Blue and Gold started last season 7-0 in MAC play.
The last time the Zips started 11-0Â was when the 2012-13 squad began conference with 13 straight wins. The 2012-13 squad started #MACtion to the tune of a 13-0 record and finished that season 26-7 overall and 14-2 in the MAC.
AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron is 76-25 since the 2019-20 season in MAC play, owning the highest winning percentage (.752) in the league. The Zips are 62-22 in the MAC under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 106-28 (.791) 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 245-108 overall (.694), including a 148-32 mark in MAC play at home (.822). The Zips' 245 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 160 of their last 224 MAC games (.714).
WHAT'S NEXT?
Akron returns home to host Northern Illinois on February 18 for a 7 p.m. start.
