The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Buffalo
Akron Battles Buffalo to Begin the MAC Tournament
March 11 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron Zips battle the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday, Mar. 12, at 4 p.m. for the 80th all-time meeting between the two schools. Akron and Buffalo can be viewed on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi (PxP) and Rhett Boyd (Analyst) on the call. Fans can listen to the action on the Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst) on the call. Live stats are also available on GoZips.com/coverage.
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 376-225 | At Akron: 194-93
Buffalo: George Halcovage III | Overall Record: 30-63 | At Buffalo: Same
ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 46-33
Groce vs Buffalo: 17-12 Overall (12-8 at UA)
First Met: Dec. 4, 1954 At Akron (Akron 84, Buffalo 74)
Last Met: Feb. 24, 2026 At Akron (Akron 99, Buffalo 85)
At Akron: 29-8 | Neutral: 3-4 | At Buffalo: 14-21
Current Streak: 11W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Thursday's game marks the 80th meeting in the series history between Akron and Buffalo, and 30th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 46-33 series advantage while Groce is 167-12 overall and 12-8 at Akron. The Zips have won the past 11 meetings.
The Zips and the Bulls have met seven times in postseason play with Buffalo holding a 4-3 edge. Akron went 2-0 against the Bulls in 2024-25 after recording a 90-58 victory at Alumni Arena and an 88-70 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron is 2-0 against Buffalo in 2025-26, posting an 82-63 at Alumni Arena on January 20 and a 99-85 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena on February 24. The Zips swept the 2024 season series with a 76-59 win at James A. Rhodes Arena on January 12 and a 73-62 victory at Alumni Arena on February 17. Akron swept the regular season series in 2023 as well, defeating the Bulls at Alumni Arena (81-64) and at The JAR (86-66) Akron won the lone regular season meeting in 2021-22 on New Year's Day after trailing by as many as 14 points and won by 12 points (88-76). Akron also defeated Buffalo in the MAC Tournament 101-77.
LAST TIME OUT (VS NORTHERN ILLINOIS 3/6/26)
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team set a new James A. Rhodes Arena record with its 31st straight home win on Friday, March 6. The Zips took down the Northern Illinois Huskies 94-55 at the JAR behind a 66.7 percent shooting night from beyond the arc.
The previous record of 30 straight wins at the JAR was set during the 2015-17 seasons.
Akron (26-5, 17-1) had five players score in double figures, led by Bowen Hardman, who tied his career-high of 20 points. Amani Lyles tacked on 17 points and two steals and Sharron Young helped out with 12 points, six rebounds and two steals off the bench. Evan Mahaffey recorded 11 points while Tavari Johnson added 10 points.
The Zips also set a new program record with its 26th win of the season, setting a new program high for wins in the regular season. The previous record was set by the 2024-25 squad.
The Akron offense was strong from downtown, knocking down 18 threes on 27 attempts. Hardman hit five treys for the Zips in the contest.
Akron's defense held Northern Illinois to only 19.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 37.9 percent from the field. The Zips also limited Dylan Ducommun to 1-of-10 shooting from downtown and nine points in the game. The Huskies did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with five offensive rebounds and managed two second chance points while Akron cleared 34 defensive rebounds.
After jumping out to a 39-27 advantage, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 1:38 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Shammah Scott, to increase its lead to 47-27, a score that would hold until halftime. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down nine shots to account for 27 of its 47 points.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 63-34 before going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Evan Mahaffey's three, to grow the lead to 75-34 with 9:46 to go in the contest. The Huskies narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 94-55 win. Akron shot well from three-point range in the half, hitting nine shots from deep to score 27 of its 47 points.
LAST TIME AGAINST BUFFALO (2/24/26)
AKRON, Ohio - Five Zips (23-5, 14-1) scored in double figures as the Akron men's basketball team defeated the Buffalo Bills 99-85 at home Tuesday.
Akron secured its 30th consecutive home win, tying the longest home winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena. The first 30 win streak was set from 2015-17.
Tavari Johnson led the way with 23 points, going 11-of-11 from the free throw line, while adding five assists, one rebound and one steal. Evan Mahaffey notched a career-high 20 points, going 8-of-12 from the field, while adding nine rebounds, three steals and three assists. Amani Lyles also helped out with a double double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Shammah Scott supplied 13 points, three assists and two rebounds, while Eric Mahaffey gave Akron 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.
As a team, the Zips went 26-of-29 from the free throw line.
Akron forced 14 Buffalo turnovers. The Zips turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Mahaffey's three steals led the way for Akron.
After falling behind 20-13, Akron went on an 8-0 run with 11:50 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Lyles, to take a 21-20 lead. The Zips then added three points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 39-35 advantage. Akron did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of its 39 points close to the basket.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 59-49 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Mahaffey's layup, to grow the lead to 67-49 with 12:21 to go in the contest. The Bulls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 99-85 win.
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
No. 2 Akron battles No. 7 Buffalo in the first round of the 2026 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Thursday.
The Zips enter the MAC Tournament with a 26-5 overall record. The Blue and Gold went 17-1 in conference action.
Akron recently defeated Northern Illinois to conclude the regular season 94-55 to record its 31st consecutive home victory. The Zips shot 66.7 percent from beyond the arc and had five players score in double figures, led by Bowen Hardman's 20 points.
Tavari Johnson leads the Zips in points (20.2) and assists (5.2). Amani Lyles leads the Blue and Gold in rebounds (7.5) while Evan Mahaffey leads the way in steals (1.8). Lyles and Mahaffey both have recorded a team-high 20 blocks.
Akron is scoring 89.6 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 15.9 points. The Zips shoot .507 from the field while shooting .385 from beyond the arc and average 11.1 3s per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .771 ft percentage while averaging 38.2 rebounds, 19.0 assists, 11.1 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.
The Zips rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (2nd - 89.6), scoring defense (4th - 73.7), scoring margin (2nd - +15.9), fg pct (2nd - .507), opp fg pct (1st - .422), 3pt pct (2nd - .385), 3s made per game (1st - 11.1), rebounds (2nd - 38.2), opp rebounds (2nd - 32.7), off rebounds (4th - 11.4), def rebounds (2nd - 26.8), rebound margin (2nd - +5.5), turnover margin (2nd - +2.65), assist-turnover ratio (1st - +1.71), assists (1st - 19.0) and steals (2nd - 7.71).
Akron ranks 14th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+1.71), 4th in assists per game (19.0), 29th in bench points (29.71), 7th in effective fg pct (.594), 24th in fastbreak points (14.87), 9th in pg pct (.507), 66th in fg pct (.422), 52nd in fewest fouls per game (15.7), 28th in ft pct (.771), 42nd in rebound margin (+5.5), 42nd in def rebounds (26.81), 52nd in rebounds per game (38.16), 10th in scoring margin (+15.9), 6th in scoring offense (89.6), 88th in steals per game (7.7), 13th in 3pt pct (38.5), 8th in made 3s per game (11.1), 44th in turnover margin (+2.7) and 42nd in turnover forced per game (13.77).
Individually,Evan Mahaffey ranks 57th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+2.6), 76th in total steals (55) and 81st in steals per game (1.77). Shammah Scott ranks 61st in assist-turnover ratio (+2.58). Tavari Johnson ranks 52nd in total assists (160), 56th in assists per game (5.2), 16th in total fg made (229), 16th in ft pct (.899), 35th in total points (626) and 30th in points per game (20.2). Amani Lyles ranks 93rd in double-doubles (7), 39th in fg pct (.572) and 82nd in def rebounds (5.52).
SCOUTING THE BULLS
No. 7 Buffalo enters the MAC Tournament with a 17-14 overall record. The Huskies Bulls went 7-11 in conference action.
Buffalo fell to Toledo to conclude the regular season 99-78 on the road. Ryan Sabol scored 26 points while hitting six three-pointers. Sabol ranks 1st in Buffalo history for made 3s in a single season with 116. Angel Brizzi added 21 points while Tim Oboh added 15.
Daniel Freitag leads Buffalo in points (19.8) and assists (3.8). Oboh and Noah Batchelor share the lead in rebounds (4.6) while Brizzi leads the team in steals (1.6). Oboh holds the high mark for total blocks (46).
Buffalo is scoring 78.3 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 2.0 points. The Bulls shoot .473 from the field while shooting .383 from beyond the arc and average 9.6 3s per game. Buffalo holds a .741 ft percentage while averaging 31.6 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 10.8 turnovers, 7.6 steals and 2.8 blocks per game.
The Bulls rank in the top five in the MAC in fg pct (5th - .473), 3pt pct (3rd - .383), 3s made per game (4th - 9.6), ft pct (5th - .741), opp rebounds (3rd - 33.3), assists-turnover ratio (4th - +1.35) and steals (4th - 7.58).
Buffalo ranks 31st in the NCAA in effective fg pct (.560), 62nd in fg pct (.473), 71st in fewest fouls per game (16.1), 97th in ft made per game (16.2), 15th in 3pt pct (.383), 51st for 3s made per game (9.6) and 98th in turnover margin (+1.3).
Individually, Derrick Talton ranks 85th in the NCAA in assist-turnover ratio (+2.44). Tim Oboh ranks 77th in total blocks (46) and 81st in blocks per game (1.48). Ryan Sabol ranks 90th in made fg (193), 67th in total points, 65th in points per game (18.7), 47th in 3pt pct (.399), 3rd in made 3s per game (3.74) and 4th in total made 3s (116). Daniel Freitag ranks 72nd in ft attempted (191) and 54th in made ft (158). Angelo Brizzi ranks 71st in total steals (56) and 75th in steals per game.
AKRON IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
The Zips will make their 29th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and third appearance as the No. 1 seed.
Akron holds a 41-21 record in the MAC Tournament and will look to defend its back-to-back MAC Tournament titles. Akron took down Miami 76-74 in 2025 and Kent State 62-61 in 2024. The Blue and Gold are 5-1 all-time as the No. 2 Seed. Akron was the No. 2 seed in 2024 when they won the tournament. The Zips have posted a 15-4 record in the Quarterfinal round, 12-5 record in the Semifinals and 6-6 record in the Championship Game.
COACH GROCE IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Under John Groce, the Blue and Gold have gone 13-4 in the MAC Tournament. This is the second time a Groce led Akron squad has earned the No. 2 seed. 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 22-6 record in the MAC Tournament.
CONSISTENTLY WINNING
With their win over UMass on Feb. 13, the Zips have recorded 20 wins in five consecutive seasons. So far this season, there are 26 teams who've recorded 20 wins in five consecutive seasons. Coming into 2025-26, 39 teams had won 20 games each of the past four seasons.
BEST TWO-YEAR STRETCH IN THE MAC
After defeating NIU on Senior Day, Akron has gone 17-1 in the MAC the past two seasons. The Zips' 34-2 record in conference play the past two seasons is the best two-year stretch in conference history.
MOST WINS IN THE REGULAR SEASON
After setting the program record for wins in the regular season last season with 25, Akron reset the record books with its 26th regular season win in 2025-26 against NIU on Senior Day.
ALL-MAC AWARDS
Akron saw five players earn All-MAC honors after the 2025-26 regular season. Tavari Johnson and Amani Lyles were named to the All-MAC First Team, Shammah Scott was named to the All-MAC Third Team, Evan Mahaffey was named an All-MAC Honorable Mention and Eric Mahaffey was named to the All-MAC Freshman Team. Evan Mahaffey and Amani Lyles were also named to the All-MAC Defensive Team.
SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR... AGAIN
University of Akron guard Shammah Scott was named the Mid-American Conference Sixth Man of the Year for the second consecutive season, as announced by the conference office on Wednesday, March 11.
Scott is the sixth player in program history to earn the award, the first Akron player to earn it in consecutive seasons and multiple times along with becoming just the second player in the history of the MAC to earn the award in consecutive seasons. Nick Perkins from Buffalo was named the Sixth Man of the Year from 2017-19.
DEFEND THE JAR X2
The Zips went perfect at the JAR for the second straight season, posting a 15-0 record at James A. Rhodes Arena in 2025-26. Akron has gone perfect at the JAR in four previous seasons, with the 1986-87 (18-0), 2005-06 (13-0) 2015-16 (15-0), and 2024-25 (16-0) squads going perfect at home.
SINCE 19-20
Since the 2019-20 season, Akron has recorded a 163-59 (.734) overall record and an 100-28 (.781) record in the MAC. The Zips have claimed the MAC Regular Season Title twice ('20,'25) and the MAC Tournament Title three times as well ('22,'24'25). The Zips' 73.4 winning percentage ranks 11th in the country and best in the MAC.
THE SENIOR CLASS: A WHOLE LOT OF WINNING
Akron's senior class has seen a great deal of success wearing the Blue and Gold. Since the 2022-23 season, the Zips have gone 100-34 (.746) overall and 60-12 (.833) in the MAC. Akron has also claimed the MAC Regular Season Title (2025) and MAC Tournament Title (2024+25) in that span as well. Akron's 74.4 winning percentage ranks 11th in the country and 1st in the MAC in that span.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A win over Buffalo will advance the Zips to the MAC Semifinals. Akron would face either No. 3 Kent State or No. 6 Ohio on Friday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m.
