The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Toledo
Zips Battle Toledo in the MAC Semifinals Friday Night
March 14 | Men's Basketball
No. 1 Akron (26-6, 17-1 Mid-American) vs No. 4 Toledo (18-14, 10-8 Mid-American)
Friday, Mar. 14 – Rocket Arena – Cleveland, Ohio
5 pm ET – CBSSN - WHLO 640
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 348-219 | At Akron: 166-87
Toledo: Tod Kowalczyk | Overall Record: 432-307 | At Toledo: 296-195
ALL-TIME SERIES
Toledo Leads: 42-32
Groce vs. Toledo: 5-9 At Akron | 10-10 Overall
First Met: 1915-16 season (W, Akron 37, Toledo 8) At Akron
Last Met: Mar. 4, 2025 (W, Akron 96, Toledo 87) At Akron
At Akron: 20-13, Neutral: 2-1, At Toledo: 10-28
Current Streak: 2W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Tuesday's game marks the 75th meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and the 21st meeting for a Groce coached squad (15th at Akron). Toledo owns a 42-32 all-time series advantage while Groce is 10-10 all-time and 5-9 at Akron against the Rockets. The Zips have won 13 of the last 26 meetings and snapped a four-game losing skid with a 95-94 overtime win on Jan. 16, 2021, at James A. Rhodes Arena. Akron took the first meeting this season with a come from behind 85-75 victory at the JAR on January 14. The Zips also took round two with a 96-87 victory at Savage Arena on March 4. The win was the first road victory for Akron since 2013 and snapped an eight-game skid at Savage.
The Zips took down the Rockets 77-70 at James A. Rhodes Arena in the first meeting in 2023-24 on February 2, while falling 72-64 in Toledo to split the series last season. 2023 saw Toledo sweep the series with an 84-74 win at the JAR (Feb. 7) and an 84-63 win in Toledo (Feb.21). In 2022, the Rockets won the regular season matchup 84-67 on Jan. 28, but the Zips retaliated by knocking off the No. 1 seeded Rockets in the 2022 MAC Tournament and advancing to the NCAA First Round. Akron is 20-13 all-time at Rhodes Arena, 10-28 on the road at Savage Arena, and 2-1in the MAC Tournament with a loss at Quicken Loans Arena.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
Toledo advanced to the MAC Semifinals after defeating Ohio in a thrilling overtime match on March 13. Winning 90-85, Toledo improved its record to 18-14 overall.
Sam Lewis scored eight points in overtime, including a huge three-point play with 43 seconds left, to give the Toledo men's basketball team a 90-85 victory over No. 5 seed Ohio. Isaiah Adams led Toledo with a season-high 26 points, two shy of his career high. Lewis added 21 points and four blocked shots. Sonny Wilson had 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Lewis serves as the leading scorer (16.0) while Isaiah Adams leads the Rockets in assists (3.4), steals (1.3) and total blocks (21). Javan Simmons leads the way in rebounds (6.8).
Toledo averages 73.5 points per game and has been outscored by their opponents this season by 1.0 points per game. The Rockets are shooting .463 from the field and .338 from beyond the arc with 5.9 3-point shots falling per game. Toledo is also shooting .745 from the free-throw line. The Rockets average 34.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 9.5 turnovers, 5.5 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.Â
Toledo ranks 51st in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.41), 94th in fg pct. (.463), 65th in fewest fouls per game (15.5). 66th in ft attempted per game (21.3), 94th in ft pct. (.745), 53rd in ft made per game (15.9), 69th in scoring defense (78.5), 82nd in turnover margin (+1.7) and 12th for fewest turnovers per game (9.5). Sonny Wilson ranks 74th for fg pct. (.516) and 82nd for fg made (194). Javan Simmons ranks 36th in off. rebounds per game (3.13).
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
The Zips battle Toledo in the MAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday with a chance to advance to the Conference Tournament Championship in consecutive seasons. Akron defeated Bowling Green in the quarterfinals 96-67 on Thursday to increase it's overall record to 26-6.
Six Zips put up double-digit points in the win. Akron was led by Bowen Hardman, who had 17 points. Seth Wilson added 15 points and two steals and Tavari Johnson chipped in as well with 14 points, seven assists and two steals.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.2) and steals (1.8). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.9) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.1) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.4). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in blocks (37).
Akron is currently scoring 84.4 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 10.3 points per game. The Zips are shooting .471 from the field while shooting .362 from beyond the arc and averages 10.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .749 ft percentage while averaging 39.2 rebounds, 18.4 assists,12.3 turnovers, 7.8 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
The Zips rank 29th in the NCAA for assist-turnover ratio (+1.50), 3rd in assists per game (18.4), 4th in bench points (34.63), 33rd in effectient fg pct. (.555), 22nd in fastbreak points (14.03), 60th in fg pct. (.471), 99th in fg defense (.425), 76th in ft pct. (.749), 51st in rebound margin (+4.4),29th in def. rebounds (27.31), 62nd in off. rebounds (12.13), 20th in rebounds per game (39.44), 27th in scoring margin (+10.3), 11th in scoring offense (84.4), 70th in steals per game (7.8), 4th in 3pt attempts (30.3) and 5th in made 3's per game (10.9). James Okonkwo ranks 95th in off. rebounds per game (2.72) while Nate Johnson ranks 56th in total steals (59) and 66th in steals per game (1.84).
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 39-21 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 8-3 all-time as the No. 1 Seed. The Zips have posted a 15-4 record in the Quarterfinal round, 11-5 record in the Semifinals and 5-6 record in the Championship Game.
Akron is 2-1 against Toledo in the MAC Tournament with the last meeting against the Rockets in the postseason coming in 2022, a 70-662 victory for the Zips. Prior to 2022, Akron had last faced Toledo in the MAC Tournament in 2009 where the Zips beat the Rockets 93-92 in overtime. The lone victory Toledo has on Akron came in 2006, a 77-69 victory for the Rockets.
COACH GROCE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Under John Groce, the Blue and Gold have gone 11-4 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 20-6 record in the MAC Tournament.
LAST TIME OUT (VS BOWLING GREEN, 3/13/25)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals after defeating Bowling Green 96-67 at Rocket Arena on Thursday.
With the 29-point margin of victory, Akron tied its MAC Tournament record for largest margin of victory. The last time Akron beat a team by 29 points was Central Michigan in the 2007 tournament. The Zips also set a new program MAC Tournament record for most 3-pointers made with 16 falling against the Falcons. Akron's previous high (14) was set against Northern Illinois in the 2015 tournament.
Six Zips put up double-digit points in the win. Akron was led by Bowen Hardman, who had 17 points. Seth Wilson added 15 points and two steals and Tavari Johnson chipped in as well with 14 points, seven assists and two steals.
James Okonkwo pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead the Akron offense which grabbed 10 boards and turned them into 13 second chance points.
The Akron defense caused its share of mistakes in Thursday's game, forcing 22 Bowling Green turnovers while committing nine. Those takeaways turned into 32 points on the other end of the floor. Sharron Young led the way individually for the Zips with four steals.
After jumping out to a 9-6 advantage, Akron went on a 9-0 run with 16:46 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Hardman, to increase its lead to 18-6. The Zips then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 42-30 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 11 shots to account for 33 of its 42 points.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 77-49 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Shammah Scott's layup, to grow the lead to 85-49 with 7:06 to go in the contest. The Falcons narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 96-67 win. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 30 of its 54 points in the lane.
COMING OFF THE BENCH
Akron ranks 4th in the NCAA for bench production with 34.63 points per game. The Zips' bench has recorded 23 games with 30 or more points and 12 games with 40 or more points. The Akron bench recorded a season high 49 points against Ball State on February 4.
DISHING OUT DIMES
Ranking in the top-10 in assists per game in the NCAA (3rd - 18.4), the Zips aren't afraid to share the rock. Akron has recorded 20 or more assists in 15 games with a season high 28 coming against Ohio Wesleyan (11/8/24).Â
WHAT'S NEXT?
A win would advance the Zips to the MAC Championship game where they would play either No. 2 Miami or No. 3 Kent State on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 p.m.
