Game 24: at Akron (16-9, 9-3)
As we begin the 2nd trip through the East, the Scouting Report will be set up a little differently. The 1st section will recap the 1st meeting and provide some of the general info as before. The player breakdown will look at conference averages and what he did against us in the 1st meeting. The final section will provide overall analysis, but not as much as before in terms of complete offensive and defensive breakdowns. If you'd like to read those again, go back to the Basketball News section and reread the original report. Just trying to keep it fresh! The Evansville report will be a normal report.
Akron returns home from a disappointing loss in DeKalb Sunday, falling one win short of a Western sweep. This is pretty close to a must-win game for the Zips if they hold any hopes of catching Buffalo and Miami, while trying to hold off BG for the 4 seed and last 1st round bye in the conference tournament. In the 1st meeting, Miami won 64-51 in overtime at Millett. As you would expect, it was a game dominated by defense. The Zips only shot 32% from the floor, 27% from 3 and were outrebounded by 15, 14-9 on the offensive glass. Akron was outscored 34-16 in the paint and attempted fewer free throws than Miami made, two very telling statistics.
Probable Starters (Conf. Averages)
Humpty Hitchens, 5'9" 168 Fr. 9 pts, 3 ass. 37% FG, 26% 3PFG, 70% FT. 12 pts, 6 ass, 5 turnovers 1st meeting.
Darryl Roberts, 6' 165 Jr. 9 pts, 2 reb. 48% FG, 44% 3PFG, 97% FT. 5 pts in 1st meeting.
Chris McKnight, 6'7" 225 Jr. 11 pts, 5 reb. 48% FG, 29% 3PFG, 68% FT. 5 pts, 4 reb. in 1st meeting
Nate Linhart, 6'8" 205 Sr. 9 pts, 6 reb. 45% FG, 39% 3PFG, 83% FT. 8 pts, 5 reb, 3 steals, 2 ass. in 1st meeting
Nikola Cvetinovic, 6'8" 230 Fr. 4 pts, 3 reb. 51% FG, 60% FT. Played 1 minute in 1st meeting
Off the Bench
Brett McKnight, 6'6" 245 So. 13 pts, 4 reb. 50% FG, 33% 3PFG, 63% FT. 10 pts, 7 reb, 4 turnovers in 1st meeting
Jimmy Conyers, 6'5" 220 Sr. 2 pts, 3 reb. 35% FG, 25% 3PFG, 83% FT. 4 pts, 6 reb. in 1st meeting
Steve McNees, 6'2" 170 So. 4 pts, 2 ass. 27% FG, 21% 3PFG, 60% FT. 3 pts, 4 reb. 4 turnovers in 1st meeting.
Brett McClanahan, 6'4" 185 Fr. 5 pts, 2 reb. 33% FG, 33% 3PFG, 100% FT. Didn't play in 1st meeting.
Mike Bardo, 6'10" 240 So. 2 pts, 2 reb. 53% FG, 29% FT.
Offensively, Akron has gotten better play from the McKnights, Roberts, Cvetinovic, and McClanahan. Both McKnights are playing really well, scoring inside and outside and are showing they can score with a variety of moves. Chris is still the better shooter who you have to watch on pick and pop while Brett has done some good work in the post. Roberts is a very solid player who can shoot, drive, and pullup. Cvetinovic gives Akron a 2nd post player who makes you pay attention to him. He can score if you divert your attention to McKnight, but doesn't have enough game yet to blow you away. McClanahan is a gunner who has deep range, can't leave him. Meanwhile, Humpty and McNees may be starting to hit the wall a little bit as their percentages are down from earlier in the year. Humpty is still dangerous off the dribble and is very quick, but not shooting the 3 as well. What makes Akron tough to defend is they're able to keep their 3-5 players fresh because they're so deep at those positions.
Defensively, Akron is not only of the top teams in the MAC, but also nationally. Akron ranks 2nd nationally in turnover percentage and they force 18 turnovers a game. Also, they rank in the top 40 in defensive efficiency, shot selection and 3 point field goal percentage defense. Because they're deep, they can put a lot of pressure on the ball, which turns into turnovers, which results in points at the other end. They will extend their pressure and even press a little bit.
How do we win? Akron is vulnerable on the boards and they foul a lot, ranking in the bottom 50 in each category. The ball has to go inside and we have to attack their pressure. If we don't attack offensively, we'll settle for bad shots, turn the ball over, and get even fewer calls than we're going to get playing in the JAR. Also, this is a game where our guys have to do a good job of moving without the ball, make their 3-5 men move and not let them sit in the paint and/or in the passing lanes. Defensively, make them a jump shooting team and prevent the ball from going inside. EPo, Bramos, Ballard, and Winbush need to use their length to make entry passes and jump shots difficult. Akron's only shooting 32% from 3 in conference play, so if we force contested 3s, that will play into our hands. Every possession counts, even more so when we play Akron, so we better be ready to play, especially with them coming off the loss at NIU.
Know someone who would find this article interesting? Send them a link!