The MAC is a competitive league and usually has a few new teams rise to the top to try and take the crown. This year, it was the Miami Ohio Redhawks who were the team that everyone was talking about as they had their best season in a long time, but the team that won the league is the team that has been the most consistent performer over the last six years with head coach John Groce. That is the Akron Zips. Akron won the MAC and secured the automatic bid after defeating Miami (Ohio) in a close conference championship game.
Akron is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and it is the 3rd appearance in the last 4 seasons for the Zips. Coach Groce has turned them into a MAC power, and they are expected to compete in the tournament every year. The Zips head to the tournament with an overall record of 28-6 and went 17-1 in the conference. They were a tier above everyone else and they blew out most of their competition in the MAC.
Akron earned a 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they are one of the picks that people are going to have as an upset. Don’t be surprised if they are the one upset pick that is picked more than the top-seeded team. They have a ton of talent, and they are well coached. Here are some reasons that Akron can win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
Three Point Line
Akron loves to shoot threes. In fact, the Zips shoot the 8th most threes in the country, make the 6th most in the country, and shoot at a 36 percent clip from deep. I will admit the 36% isn’t great and there are many teams who shoot far better than that in the tournament, but Akron will often outshoot you because of sheer volume alone. If you look at the stats of the players who play for the Zips, 6 players have shot over 100 threes, and five players are shooting over 35% from deep.
They will burn you from long range and the Zips will shoot threes above any other shot on the floor. Don’t leave Akron open or it is going to be long night. The prowess from the three point line is what has led the Zips to average 85 points per game and is usually what leads to a blowout. If you run the let it fly offense there are usually two results. Either you win going away or you get run out of the gym. The Zips have done a lot of winning going away this year.
Tempo
Coach Groce loves to play fast, and for him, the faster, the better. Akron is currently the 16th fastest team in the country per KenPom and is very comfortable playing fast. They are a lot like every other fast-paced team that loves to get up and down the floor and shoot threes. They are also fast enough to get the rim and get inside the paint with ease. The goal isn’t to try to see how many possessions you can get, even though it is usually a lot, the goal is to start your offense and score while the other team is getting set or they are still getting players back down the floor from the offensive end. Do not press the Zips because they will throw two passes up the floor and get easy looks at the basket. The team’s better to be ready to play the Zips because they go fast for 40 minutes, and if you are not ready, they can run you out of a gym.
Depth
Akron is different than a lot of the other lower seeds in this tournament because of the way they play. The Zips play nine guys all at least 15 minutes, and a lot of that is because of their style of play, but most teams don’t have nine guys who can all contribute. Only one player gets over 25 minutes a game, and that is the starting point guard Nate Johnson. Depth is key, and quality depth is a game changer, considering that it helps alleviate foul trouble and makes your team harder to prepare for. Everyone of the players scores at least 7 points per game, the Zips don’t have a star, everyone can shoot, and all of them contribute to winning. The Zips have a fantastic time pulling the upset.
Akron is still searching for their first win in the Big Dance. This is the best Akron team that has ever been in the NCAA Tournament and as a 13 seed they are a very tough matchup for the power school they are going to have to play. The Zips have the roster to make a deep run in the tournament especially if they are hitting shots.