The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Bowling Green
Zips Open 2025 MAC Tournament with Bowling Green on Thursday
March 12 | Men's Basketball
No. 1 Akron (25-6, 17-1 Mid-American) vs No. 8 Bowling Green (14-17, 8-10 Mid-American)
Thursday, Mar. 13 – Rocket Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
11 am ET – ESPN+ - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 347-219 | At Akron: 165-87
Bowling Green:Â Todd Simons | Overall Record: 172-153 | At Bowling Green: 34-31
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads 47-28 | Groce vs Bowling Green:11-3 at Akron | (14-9 Overall)
First Met: 1937-38 (W, Akron 52 - Bowling Green 29) At Akron
Last Met: Jan. 3, 2025 (W, Akron 71 - Bowling Green 68) At Bowling Green
At UA:27-10 | At BG:16-17 | Neutral: 4-1 | MAC Tournament: 3-2
Current Streak: W5
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 76th meeting in series history between Akron and Bowling Green, and 24th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 47-28 series advantage while Groce is14-9 against BGSU and 11-3 at Akron. The Zips have won 36 of the last 41 games against the Falcons.
Akron is 3-2 against Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament with the last meeting against the Falcons in the postseason coming in 2021, a 74-67 victory for the Zips. Bowling Green won the first two meetings in 1999 and 2002 while Akron has won the past three (2009, 2016, 2021).
SCOUTING THE FALCONS
Bowling Green enters the MAC Tournament with a 14-17 overall record and 8-10 record in the MAC.
Before losing to Western Michigan 64-63 on March 7, the Falcons were on a four-game winning streak.
Two Falcons scored 20 points in the defeat to WMU. Derrick Butler and Marcus Johnson both scored 20 points and hauled in five rebounds. Javontae Campbell filled up the stat sheet with seven assists, six points and four rebounds. Jami Felt recorded eight rebounds and two blocks while adding two points against the Broncos.
Johnson leads the Falcons in points (16.0) and rebounds (4.9). Campbell is the leader in assists (3.0) and steals (2.8). Felt holds the lead for total blocks (46).
Bowling Green averages 73.7 points per game and has outscored their opponents this season by 0.5 points per game. The Falcons are shooting .440 from the field and .345 from beyond the arc with 8.1 3-point shots falling per game. Bowling Green is also shooting .747 from the free-throw line. The Falcons average 34.3 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 11.9 turnovers, 7.3 steals and 3.3 blocks per game.Â
The Falcons rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring defense (4th - 73.2), 3pt pct. (5th - .345), opponent 3pt pct. (4th - .317) and ft pct (3rd - .747).
Bowling Green ranks 84th in the NCAA in ft pct. (.747) and 74th in 3pt pct. defense (.317). Jami Felt ranks 75th in total blocks (46) and 87th for blocks per game (1.48). Javonte Campbell ranks 95th in field goal pct. (.505), 54th in ft attempted (187) 50th in ft made (143), 4th in total steals (86) and 4th in steals per game (2.77).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips battle Bowling Green to begin the MAC Tournament on Thursday and hold a 25-6 overall record and a 17-1 record in the MAC.
Akron is coming off an 88-77 victory over Buffalo on March 7 to conclude the regular season. Four players scored in double figures, with Nate Johnson and and Isaiah Gray both scoring 14 points to lead the Blue and Gold to the victory. James Okonkwo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.5) and steals (1.9). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.8) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.0) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.4). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in blocks (36).
Akron is currently scoring 84.0 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 9.7 points per game. The Zips are shooting .470 from the field while shooting .360 from beyond the arc and averages 10.8 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .747 ft percentage while averaging 39.5 rebounds, 18.3 assists,12.4 turnovers, 7.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
Akron is in the top five in the MAC for scoring offense (1st - 84.0), scoring margin (1st - +9.7), fg pct. (2nd - .470), opp. fg pct (2nd - .425), 3pt pct (2nd - .360), opp. 3pt pct (2nd - .309), 3pters made (1st - 10.8), ft pct (t3rd - .747), rebounds (1st - 39.5), off. rebounds (3rd - 12.0), def. rebounds (1st - 27.4), rebound margin (2nd - +4.6), assist-turnover margin (1st - +1.48), blocked shots (1st - 3.65), assists (1st - 18.29) and steals (t2nd - 7.55).
The Zips rank 32nd in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.48), 3rd in assists per game (18.3), 6th in bench points per game (34.29), 36th in effective fg pct. (.553), 24th in fastbreak points (14.00), 62nd in fg pct. (.470), 86th in ft pct. (.747), 45th in rebound margin (+4.7), 23rd in def. rebounds (27.48), 59th in off. rebounds (12.19), 17th in rebounds per game (39.68), 34th in scoring margin (+9.7), 10th in scoring offense (84.0), 6th in 3pt attempts per game (30.0), 71st in 3pt pct. (.360), 4th in 3pt defense (.309), 8th in 3pters made per game (10.8). James Okonkwo ranks 96th in offensive rebounds per game (2.71) while Nate Johnson ranks 60th in total steals (58) and 61st in steals per game (1.87).
AKRON IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
The Zips will make their 28th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and fifth appearance as the No. 1 seed.
Akron Holds a 38-21 record in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland and will look to repeat as tournament champions after cutting down the nets in 2024. The Blue and Gold are 7-3 all-time as the No. 1 Seed. The Zips have posted a 14-4 record in the Quarterfinal round, 11-5 record in the Semifinals and 5-6 record in the Championship Game.
Akron is 3-2 against Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament with the last meeting against the Falcons in the postseason coming in 2021, a 74-67 victory for the Zips. Bowling Green won the first two meetings in 1999 and 2002 while Akron has won the past three (2009, 2016, 2021).
COACH GROCE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Under John Groce, the Blue and Gold have gone 27-10 in the MAC Tournament. This is the second time a Groce led Akron squad has earned the No. 1 seed (2020). Leading Ohio from 2008-09 through 2011-12, Groce led the Bobcats to a pair of MAC Titles in 2010 and 2012 while going 9-2 in the MAC Tournament. Overall, Groce holds a 36-12 record in the MAC Tournament.
ALL-MAC DOMINATION
The Mid-American Conference announced its All-Conference Awards on Wednesday, March 12 as the Akron Zips took home a bevy of Awards.
Nate Johnson headlined the haul by winning Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors. With Johnson's PotY award, it's the first time in Akron history the Zips have claimed back-to-back PotY honors (Enrique Freeman, 2024; Nate Johnson, 2025) and the first time in the MAC since Buffalo (Javon McCrea, 2014; Justin Moss, 2015) won the award in consecutive seasons.Â
Nate also becomes the first player in program history to be named both the MAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season and the first player in the MAC since Bonzi Wells (Ball State, 1998). Johnson led the Zips in the regular season with 13.5 points and 1.9 steals per game.Â
He averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 0.5 blocks per game while scoring in double-figures a team-leading 23 times and scored 15 or more points in 11 games. Johnson led the team in assists nine times and recorded five games of five or more assists. He led the Zips in rebounding eight times in the regular season and was also named to the All-MAC First Team and was named the MVP of the Akron Basketball Tournament earlier in the year.
Shammah Scott was named the Sixth Man of the Year. Scott is the first Zip to earn the award since Isaiah Johnson in 2016. Appearing in 30 games and starting one, Scott was the go to player for Akron off the bench. Scoring 9.1 points per game, Shammah was effective scoring at any range. Scott shot .455 from the field and .381 from beyond the arc and ranked fourth in made 3-pointers (43) in the regular season. He scored in double figures 14 times and recorded two games of 15 or more points. Scott also added 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game.
For the second time leading the Akron Zips, John Groce was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. Coach Groce was previously named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2020.Â
The Zips reached new heights this season under Groce, winning a program record 25 regular season games while tying the best record in the MAC in the modern era with a 17-1 conference record. The 2024-25 squad is just the second MAC school to finish the regular season 17-1, joining the 2001-02 Kent State squad that first did it.Â
Bringing in nine new faces to the program, coach Groce didn't miss a beat after winning the 2024 MAC Tournament title. Akron went 16-0 at home this season, becoming just the fourth Akron team to go undefeated at James A. Rhodes Arena. The Blue and Gold also tied the program record for most conference victories to begin MAC play (13). Winning 14 games from Jan. 3 through Feb. 18, the Zips held the longest active winning streak in the nation before falling to Ohio on Feb. 22.Â
Tavari Johnson was named to the All-MAC First Team while Isaiah Gray was named an All-MAC Honorable Mention, Sharron Young was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team and N. Johnson was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team.
Tavari Johnson showed out for the Blue and Gold in his junior season, earning his first All-MAC First Team honor.
The junior guard was second on the team in scoring (12.8) while leading the Zips in assists (4.0) per game. T. Johnson recorded a team-high seven games of 20 or more points this season while ranking second on the Zips for double-figure scoring games (20). He led the team in games with five or more assists (11) and led the team in scoring 11 times in the regular season.
Isaiah Gray, a preseason All-MAC selection, averaged 9.5 points per game and is shot .486 percent from the field and .359 percent from long range in the regular season. Gray scored in double-figures in 20 games while scoring 15 or more points four times and has recorded one double-double. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
In his freshman season, Sharron Young was one of the go-to players off the bench. Averaging 7.7 points per game, he is also averaging, 2.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.9 steals per game while averaging 16.2 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures 10 times, scored 15+ points three times and has led the Zips in scoring three times this season.
LIMITED EDITION
The Zips became just the second team in Mid-American Conference history to finish the regular season with a 17-1 record, which is the best mark in the modern era of the MAC. Kent State was the first team to reach that mark when they went 17-1 in the 2001-02 season.
PERFECT AT HOME
Out of the 364 Div. I basketball teams, just six went perfect at home. One of those teams is the Akron Zips, who finished the regular season with a 16-0 record at their home crib. Akron was the only team in the MAC to post a perfect home record. One team that Akron played, Yale (11-0), was among the six teams to post a perfect record at home. New Orleans (Southland) was the only school to not win at home this season. On the flip side, just Houston was the only school to go perfect on the road (10-0).
UNDEFEATED AT HOME?
The 2024-25 Akron squad became just the fourth team to go undefeated at the JAR after finishing the season 16-0. The previous three teams to go undefeated at the JAR were the 1986-87 (18-0), 2005-06 (13-0) and the 2015-16 (15-0) squads.
MOST WINS IN THE REGULAR SEASON
The 2024-25 Akron squad set a program record for most regular season wins (25) after defeating Buffalo 88-70 on Mar. 7 to conclude the regular season. The previous record (24) was reached most recently by 2006-07 and 2019-20 teams.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A win over Bowling Green will advance the Zips to the MAC Tournament Semifinals, which will be played at Rocket Arena on Friday, March 14 at 5 p.m.
