Making Sense of Monday and Looking Ahead to Thursday

Monday night's First Round MAC Tournament contest against Western Michigan was so wild, such an emotional roller coaster, that Zips fans might have needed an extra day to process it.  This program, no stranger to wild games in March, adding another instant classic and moved on to Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena.  But before they/we do, let's look at a few key takeaways from Monday's game.

A Dreadful Start

This contest started with the Broncos jumping out to an 18-0 lead and extending that lead to as high as 23 points in the 1st Half.  It took 8:06 for the Zips to score their first points on a Daniel Utomi dunk.  During the 18-0 Western Michigan run, the Zips missed nine shots and turned the ball over six times.  It looked like Akron's season would end without a visit to The Q for the first time since 2004.  But the young Zips had other plans.

The Comeback

Akron refused to quit, going on a 17-0 and 27-8 run to trail just 35-31 at halftime.  They pressed further, taking the lead 4 minutes into the 2nd Half, then extending that lead to as many as 11 points.  They moved the ball, hit difficult shots, and played tenacious defense.  What looked improbable earlier in the game now looked likely - the Zips were going to Cleveland.

The Wild Finish

Up 7 with 45 seconds, it looked certain that Akron would advance.  However, a combination of superb defense by the Broncos and sloppy play by the Zips changed the course of the game.  First, it was fouling Reggie Jones as he attempted a three pointer.  Jones hit all three free throws, cutting the Zips lead to 4.  On the next possession, Virshon Cotton made an ill-advised pass that was stolen away by the Broncos' Thomas Wilder, who then laid it in to cut the Zips lead to 2 at 77-75.  All the Zips had to do was take a foul, hit two free throws, and the game would likely be over.  Unfortunately, Western Michigan intercepted a Utomi pass and Bryce Moore hit a wild, off-balanced, bank-shot three pointer that gave longtime Zips fans flashbacks of Doug Penno.  It did not feel like this would end well for Akron.

Down 1, Virshon Cotton went end-to-end and got fouled with 1 second left on the clock.  Impressively, the true freshman stepped up and hit two free throws to give the Zips the lead back.  Western Michigan had one more chance, but the Zips defense held tight.  Akron was moving on.

Looking Forward

Eastern Michigan is a much tougher opponent than the Broncos.  The Eagles have 20 wins on the season and feature the Defensive Player of the Year and MAC-All Defensive 1st Teamer in Tim Bond, fellow MAC All-Defensive 1st Team selection and NBA prospect James Thompson IV, also named to the MAC's 1st Team All-MAC, Elijah Minnie (All-MAC 3rd Team), and Paul Jackson (All-MAC Honorable Mention).  If the Zips start off or finish this game the same way they did on Monday, Thursday will be their final game of the season.

The Eagles have won 8 of their last 9.  They defeated Akron in their only matchup this season, 63-49.  In that game, Utomi and Cotton combined to go 1-17, scoring only 10 points.  The Zips will clearly need more from both to pull off a victory on Thursday.

Eastern Michigan has lost to teams lower in the standings this year - once to Ohio, twice to Bowling Green, and once to Northern Illinois.  Their last loss came against Akron's Monday opponent, Western Michigan.  They'll certainly be favored in this one.

If there's one thing Akron fans have learned, it's that anything can happen in March at The Q.  We've been on both sides on that over time - winning the tournament as a lower seed and, more recently, losing as the top seed.  With defense similar to what they played in the 2nd Half Monday, hitting from outside, and most importantly, taking care of the basketball and limiting turnovers, the Zips could just find themselves in the Semi-Finals on Friday.