The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Toledo
Zips Battle Rockets in MAC Championship Final
March 14 | Men's Basketball
HEAD COACHES
Akron: John Groce | Overall Record: 378-225 | At Akron: 196-93
Toldeo:Â Tod Kowalczyk | Overall Record: 451-322 | At Toledo: 315-210
ALL-TIME SERIES
Toledo Leads: 42-34
Groce vs. Toledo: 12-10 Overall (7-9 at UA)
First Met: 1915-16 season At Akron (Akron 37, Toledo 8)
Last Met: Jan. 27, 2026 At Akron (Akron 91, Toledo 81)
At Akron: 21-13 | Neutral: 3-1 | At Toledo: 10-28
Current Streak: 4W
INSIDE THE SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 77th meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and the 23rd meeting for a Groce coached squad (17th at Akron). Toledo owns a 42-34 all-time series advantage while Groce is 12-10 all-time and 7-9 at Akron against the Rockets. The Zips have won 15 of the last 28 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 in 2024-25 with a come from behind 85-75 victory at the JAR on January 14. The Zips 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. Akron and Toledo met once more in 2024-25, as the Zips won 100-90 in the MAC Tournament Semifinals on Mar. 14.
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, 9-28 on the road at Savage Arena, and 3-1in the MAC Tournament.
LAST TIME AGAINST TOLEDO (1/27/26)
AKRON, Ohio - Down 49-41 at the half, the Akron men's basketball team scored 50 points while holding Toledo to 32 in the second half to secure a 91-81 victory at James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday night.
With the win, Akron has secured 27 consecutive wins at the JAR. The Zips have also been victorious over Toledo in four straight games.
Akron (17-4, 8-1) had five players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 25 points, seven assists and two steals. Amani Lyles tacked on 19 points and four assists, Eric Mahaffey helped out with 13 points and eight rebounds off of the bench, Evan Mahaffey had 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals while Zach Halligan scored a career-high 10 points while adding four rebounds and a career-high three steals.
Johnson has scored 20 or more points in four of his last five games. Lyles has also scored in double figures in 16 consecutive games.
Akron out-rebounded Toledo 37-25 in Tuesday's game, paced by Evan Mahaffey's nine boards. The Zips also collected 17 offensive rebounds and scored 20 second chance points.
Akron forced 15 Toledo turnovers while committing 12 themselves in Tuesday's game. The Zips turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Zach Halligan led the way individually with three steals.
After falling behind 19-17, Akron went on a 6-0 run with 13:39 left in the first half to take a 23-19 lead. The Zips then surrendered that lead and entered halftime down 49-41.
Akron came out of halftime clicking on all cylinders, going on an 8-0 run to even the score at 49 all with 15:55 to go in the contest. The Zips kept the rally going and took the lead for good on Shammah Scott's layup with 03:44 left to grab the 91-81 victory. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 34 of its 50 points in the lane.
LAST TIME OUT (VS KENT STATE 3/13/26)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Shammah Scott hit a dagger 3-pointer with 1:50 left in the game to put Akron ahead 68-61, and the Zips secured a 75-68 win against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Rocket Arena Friday.
Akron will battle Toledo in the MAC Championship on March 14. It will be the third consecutive appearance for the Zips in the MAC Championship.
With the win, Akron has defeated rival Kent State in eight consecutive games.
The Zips (28-5) had three players score in double figures, led by Tavari Johnson, who had 18 points and two steals. Scott added 18 points from the bench and Evan Mahaffey chipped in as well with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Led by Amani Lyles' three offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in 11 second chance points.
The Akron defense held Kent State shooters to just 29.4 percent from the field, including 25.9 percent from three-point range. The Zips also kept Morgan Safford to 3-of-12 shooting and seven points in the game.
After falling behind 11-8, Akron went on a 7-0 run with 13:37 left in the first half to take a 15-11 lead. The Zips then added 10 points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 42-28 advantage. Akron got a great contribution from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 15 of its 42 total points.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Lyles' layup, to grow the lead to 64-55 with 6:25 to go in the contest. The Golden Flashes narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 75-68 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for nine of its 33 total points.
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
No. 2 Akron battles No. 4 Toledo in the Mid-American Conference Championship on Saturday.
The Zips enter the final round of the MAC Tournament with a 28-5 overall record. The Blue and Gold went 17-1 in conference action.
Akron recently defeated No. 3 Kent State, 75-68, in the semifinals. Three Zips scored in double figures, with Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott scoring 18 and Evan Mahaffey scoring 16.
Tavari Johnson leads the Zips in points (20.3) and assists (5.0). Amani Lyles leads the Blue and Gold in rebounds (7.8). Evan Mahaffey leads the way in steals (1.8). Mahaffey and Lyles share the lead for blocks (23).
Akron is scoring 88.6 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 15.2 points. The Zips shoot .504 from the field while shooting .382 from beyond the arc and average 10.9 3s per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .760 ft percentage while averaging 38.1 rebounds, 18.5 assists, 11.0 turnovers, 7.6 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.
The Zips rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (2nd - 891.), scoring defense (4th - 73.6), scoring margin (2nd - +15.2), fg pct (1st - .504), opp fg pct (1st - .419), 3pt pct (3rd - .382), 3s made per game (1st - 10.9), ft pct (1st - .760), rebounds (2nd. - 38.1), opp rebounds (2nd - 33.1), off rebounds (4th - 11.3), def rebounds (2nd - 26.8), turnover margin (2nd - +2.55), assist-turnover ratio (1st - +1.68), assists (18.55) and steals (3rd - 7.61).
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
No. 4 Kent State enters the MAC Championship with a 19-14 overall record. The Rockets finished conference play with an 11-7 record in the MAC.
Toledo defeated No. 8 UMass, 77-67, in the MAC Semifinals. Delrecco Four Rockets scored in double figures, led by Sonny Wilson's 18 points, along with Mynor Strong (17), Sean Craig (15) and Leroy Blyden Jr. (12).
Wilson leads the Rockets in points (17.3). Wilson and Blyden Jr. share the lead for assists (4.5), while Blyden Jr. leads the way in steals (1.7). Austin Parkes leads Toledo in blocks (44).
Toledo is scoring 81.2 points per game while outscoring its opponents by 4.7 points. The Rockets shoot .489 from the field while shooting .364 from beyond the arc and average 7.2 3s per game. Toledo holds a .759 ft percentage while averaging 34.0 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 10.2 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.
The Rockets rank in the top five in the MAC in scoring offense (5th - 81.2), scoring margin (5th - +4.7), fg pct (3rd - .489), 3pt pct (4th - .364), ft pct (2nd - .759), turnover margin (3rd - +2.45), assist-turnover ratio (2nd- +1.58), assists (4th 16.09) and steals (2nd - 7.73).
AKRON IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
The Zips will make their 29th appearance in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and third appearance as the No. 2 seed.
Akron holds a 43-21 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 7-1 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 16-4 record in the Quarterfinal round, 13-5 record in the Semifinals and 6-6 record in the Championship Game.
COACH GROCEÂ IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT
Under John Groce, the Blue and Gold have gone 15-4 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 24-6 record in the MAC Tournament.
CONSISTENTLYÂ 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 27 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.Â
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 regualr 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.
WHAT'S NEXT?
A win over Toledo will push Akron into the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.
