The Zips don't have to worry about putting together a long streak of wins to capture this year's Mid-American Conference tournament championship. Unlike last year, when the Zips had to work their way to the championship game via the quarterfinal round, Akron doesn't have to play until Friday's semifinal contest.
Akron closed out its regular season with a sterling comeback for a 61-55 victory over nemesis Kent State on March 2. The Golden Flashes had all the momentum on their side, getting a rare chance to possibly ruin Akron's shot for a regular-season conference title and top seed in the tournament.
Akron coach Keith Dambrot said beating the Golden Flashes was special not only because of the rivalry, but also due to KSU's storied history.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kent State and their basketball program," he said. "To win the game here means a lot to me. They have been the best program in the MAC for a lot of years. We're trying to get there. They're kind of the brand name."
Kent State jumped all over the wounded Zips, who had lost their previous two games, en route to taking a nine-point lead early in the second half. But the veteran Zips responded with a 22-2 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a 11-point lead en route to the six-point win at Kent State.
"Coach reminded us that we have to play like we're the number one team, not the other way around," Akron sophomore guard Alex Abreu said.
Now, the Zips (21-10, 13-3) get a week off to work on their game and rest for the semifinal round at Quicken Loans Arena. Dambrot plans to take a page from former assistant and current VCU coach Shaka Smart's book in preparation for the conference tournament. Dambrot admitted the recent losses to Ohio and Buffalo weighed on him heading into the Kent State contest.
"I talked to Shaka (Smart) a little," he said. "We'll probably take a day off. Take another day where we just do the skill work and shoot. I don't really like it. I'm a guy who wants to play. The thing I like about these three days, we had to put up or shut up. We got smashed at Ohio U. Tonight, I didn't know what I was going to do for a minute. I was thinking, 'Can we do any worse than this?'"
The Zips' win at Kent State soothed some wounds from their 24-point blowout loss at Ohio and frustrating defeat on Senior Night to the Bulls. Dambrot said the frustration from the two losses carried over to the sluggish first half at Kent State.
"We were so bad offensively in this game," Dambrot said. "We were just rotten. It wasn't like we weren't trying. We were lucky we were down nine. The only reason we were only down nine was (Zeke Marshall). The one thing I knew, their team is very similar to our team. We're streak-aholics. Spurt-aholics. They hit the same problems in the second half."
Marshall had 10 second-half points to lead the comeback against the Golden Flashes.
NOTES, QUOTES
Abreu sets sophomore assists record
--PG Alex Abreu broke the school record for assists as a sophomore with his 128th for the season at Kent State on March 4. Abreu's absence early in the year hurt the Zips' offense, but his recent scoring surge thanks to an improved three-point shot has added another dimension to Akron's offense.
--Junior center Zeke Marshall must like playing in March. After a stunning performance in last year's Mid-American Conference tournament that earned him the MVP honors and helped the Zips win the MAC title, Marshall is back to his old tricks. In the first game in March this season, Marshall sparked a moribund Akron offense in the second half at Kent State. Marshall had just two points at halftime with the Zips down 27-18, but he contributed 10 points in the second half to kick-start a 22-2 run. He finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and he shot 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 -- By earning the top seed in the 2012 Mid-American Conference tournament, the Zips have to win just two games to defend their title and secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Zips won the championship by winning all three of their games.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Usually we play at least three games, and we're in Cleveland the day after the regular season. It's a new experience (getting the triple bye). It will be challenging, but we'll be ready for it. It all comes down to two games." -- Akron senior forward Nikola Cvetinovic.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
--Opponent TBA in MAC tournament semifinals, March 9
KEYS TO THE GAME: The Zips have a very deep team with a strong frontcourt. Most conference teams, with the exception of Buffalo, don't have the firepower to match up with Zeke Marshall, Nikola Cvetinovic and Nick Harney inside. Akron must pound the ball down low and take advantage of a tired opponent, as the Zips will have had the week off before their semifinal contest.
FUTURES MARKET: Akron coach Keith Dambrot is a fixture in the community, from his days coaching LeBron James to leading the Zips to the NCAA Tournament last year. His former assistant, VCU coach Shaka Smart, is expected to once again be a hot commodity this offseason, sought by several BCS athletic directors, but Dambrot's name might be one to keep an eye on with his success at Akron. In Dambrot's eight years at Akron, the Zips have become one of the premier teams in the conference. A second straight NCAA Tournament trip would help Dambrot. In particular, an NCAA victory or two would increase his profile.
PLAYER NOTES
--Junior C Zeke Marshall is starting to hit his free throws, something that might help the Zips in the conference tournament. Marshall made six of his eight free throws in the March 2 victory over Kent State, extending his streak to 37 made free throws in his last 46 attempts.
--Junior F Chauncey Gilliam provided a well-timed scoring surge in Akron's win at Kent State, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds. Gilliam's scoring gives opponents another player to defend, helping free up another one of Akron's plethora of scorers. Gilliam had failed to score more than six points in each of his four previous games.
