2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball team
2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball | |
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MAC tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, First Round | |
Conference | Mid-American Conference |
Record | 24–11 (13–5 MAC) |
Head coach |
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Associate head coach | Dustin Ford (7th season) |
Assistant coaches |
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Home arena | James A. Rhodes Arena |
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 → |
| Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toledo | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Akron † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ohio | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Central Michigan | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling Green | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kent State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ball State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Michigan | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Illinois | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Buffalo | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 4 | – | 27 | .129 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2024 MAC tournament winner |
The 2023–24 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by seventh-year head coach John Groce, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.[1][2][3] They finished the regular season 21–10, 13–5 in MAC play to finish tied for 2nd place. They defeated Miami, Ohio, and Kent State to win the MAC tournament, earning them a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a 14-seed in the Midwest region.[4][5][6][7] They were defeated by Creighton in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, bringing their final record to 24–11.[8]
Previous season
The Zips finished the 2022–23 season 22–11 and 13–5 in MAC play to finish in third place.[9] As the third seed they defeated Buffalo in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State.[10][11]
Offseason
Departures
Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garvin Clarke | G | 6'0" | 184 | Sophomore | Euclid, Ohio | Transferred to Indiana (PA) |
Kobe Mitchell | G | 6'2" | 190 | Sophomore | Cadiz, Ohio | Transferred to Walsh |
Trendon Hankerson | G | 6'2" | 185 | Grad. Student | Euclid, Ohio | Exhausted Eligibility |
Xavier Castaneda | G | 6'1" | 188 | Senior | Chicago, Illinois | Exhausted Eligibility |
Prince Mosengo | F | 6'8" | 205 | Freshman | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College |
Incoming transfers
Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shammah Scott | G | 6'2 | 180 | Junior | Cleveland, Ohio | Transferred from Wichita State |
Kaleb Thornton | G | 6'0 | 175 | Senior | Cadiz, Ohio | Transferred from Northern Illinois |
Ali Ali | G | 6'8 | 205 | Senior | Kendallville, Indiana | Transferred from Butler |
Recruiting class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Darrion Baker F | Chicago, Illinois | Hillcrest | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Zach Halligan G/F | Uniontown, Ohio | Walsh Jesuit High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Marvin Musiime-Kamali G/F | Boston, Massachusetts | Cushing Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
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Roster |
Schedule and results
Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
November 6, 2023* 9:15 p.m., SLN | at South Dakota State | W 81–75 | 1–0 | 19 – Dawson | 14 – Freeman | 5 – Freeman | Frost Arena (2,617) Brookings, SD | ||||
November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Southern Miss MAC-SBC Challenge | W 72–54 | 2–0 | 17 – N. Johnson | 8 – Freeman | 2 – Tied | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,432) Akron, OH | ||||
November 14, 2023* 7:30 p.m., − | Heidelberg | W 114–56 | 3–0 | 25 – Dawson | 17 – Freeman | 9 – Thornton | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,782) Akron, OH | ||||
November 19, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FloSports | vs. FIU Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals | W 77–71 | 4–0 | 27 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 3 – Dawson | John Gray Gymnasium (−) George Town, Cayman Islands | ||||
November 20, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FloSports | vs. Utah State Cayman Islands Classic semifinals | L 62–65 | 4–1 | 25 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 3 – Tribble | John Gray Gymnasium (−) George Town, Cayman Islands | ||||
November 21, 2023* 5:00 p.m., FloSports | vs. Drake Cayman Islands Classic 3rd place game | L 59–79 | 4–2 | 11 – Tied | 5 – Scott | 4 – T. Johnson | John Gray Gymnasium (−) George Town, Cayman Islands | ||||
November 28, 2023* 10:00 p.m., MWN | at UNLV | L 70–72 | 4–3 | 22 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 6 – Johnson | Thomas & Mack Center (4,702) Paradise, NV | ||||
December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Bradley | W 67–52 | 5–3 | 21 – Freeman | 18 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | James A. Rhodes Arena (3,100) Akron, OH | ||||
December 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Northern Kentucky | W 77–76 | 6–3 | 21 – Freeman | 10 – Freeman | 5 – Tied | Truist Arena (4,163) Highland Heights, KY | ||||
December 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., − | Miami-Hamilton | W 88–45 | 7–3 | 15 – Tied | 17 – Freeman | 5 – Thornton | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,605) Akron, OH | ||||
December 21, 2023* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | Gardner–Webb | W 94–90 OT | 8–3 | 29 – Ali | 20 – Freeman | 5 – N. Johnson | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,756) Akron, OH | ||||
December 30, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | vs. St. Bonaventure Legends of Basketball Showcase | L 61–62 | 8–4 | 20 – Ali | 13 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (−) Cleveland, OH | ||||
MAC regular season | |||||||||||
January 2, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Northern Illinois | W 73–51 | 9–4 (1–0) | 21 – Freeman | 10 – Freeman | 5 – Thornton | Convocation Center (917) DeKalb, IL | ||||
January 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | Bowling Green | W 83–67 | 10–4 (2–0) | 24 – Freeman | 11 – Freeman | 5 – Thornton | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,394) Akron, OH | ||||
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Ball State | W 80–76 | 11–4 (3–0) | 17 – Ali | 13 – Freeman | 3 – Ali | Worthen Arena (3,715) Muncie, IN | ||||
January 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | Buffalo | W 76–59 | 12–4 (4–0) | 21 – Freeman | 15 – Freeman | 4 – Tribble | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,535) Akron, OH | ||||
January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Western Michigan | W 77–66 | 13–4 (5–0) | 20 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 6 – Thornton | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,061) Akron, OH | ||||
January 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | at Kent State | W 77–71 | 14–4 (6–0) | 23 – Tied | 9 – Scott | 4 – Hunter | MAC Center (6,330) Kent, OH | ||||
January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Ohio | W 67–58 | 15–4 (7–0) | 19 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 2 – Tied | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,604) Akron, OH | ||||
January 27, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Miami (OH) | L 68–70 | 15–5 (7–1) | 23 – Ali | 12 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | Millett Hall (1,408) Oxford, OH | ||||
January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Eastern Michigan | W 77–46 | 16–5 (8–1) | 17 – Freeman | 11 – Freeman | 3 – Ali | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,733) Ypsilanti, MI | ||||
February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Toledo | W 77–70 | 17–5 (9–1) | 26 – Ali | 14 – Freeman | 4 – Freeman | James A. Rhodes Arena (3,151) Akron, OH | ||||
February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Central Michigan | W 68–47 | 18–5 (10–1) | 17 – Tied | 15 – Freeman | 3 – Thornton | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,268) Akron, OH | ||||
February 10, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | at James Madison MAC-SBC Challenge | L 59–73 | 18–6 | 20 – Tribble | 10 – Freeman | 2 – Freeman | Atlantic Union Bank Center (6,454) Harrisonburg, VA | ||||
February 17, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Buffalo | W 73–62 | 19–6 (11–1) | 16 – Freeman | 15 – Freeman | 4 – Tied | Alumni Arena (2,721) Buffalo, NY | ||||
February 20, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Toledo | L 64–72 | 19–7 (11–2) | 19 – Tribble | 15 – Freeman | 2 – Tied | Savage Arena (5,547) Toledo, OH | ||||
February 23, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Kent State | W 83–70 | 20–7 (12–2) | 24 – Freeman | 12 – Freeman | 4 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (5,160) Akron, OH | ||||
February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Ohio | L 67–74 | 20–8 (12–3) | 16 – Ali | 7 – Freeman | 3 – N. Johnson | Convocation Center (5,753) Athens, OH | ||||
March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Northern Illinois | W 80–73 | 21–8 (13–3) | 22 – Freeman | 11 – Freeman | 4 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,331) Akron, OH | ||||
March 5, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Eastern Michigan | L 60–61 | 21–9 (13–4) | 15 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,923) Akron, OH | ||||
March 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Western Michigan | L 84–90 | 21–10 (13–5) | 18 – Tribble | 11 – Freeman | 5 – Tribble | University Arena (1,636) Kalamazoo, MI | ||||
MAC tournament | |||||||||||
March 14, 2024 4:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (2) | vs. (7) Miami (OH) Quarterfinals | W 75–63 | 22–10 | 30 – Freeman | 12 – Freeman | 5 – Ali | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,854) Cleveland, OH | |||
March 15, 2024 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | (2) | vs. (3) Ohio Semifinals | W 65–62 | 23–10 | 24 – Freeman | 21 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,802) Cleveland, OH | |||
March 16, 2024 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) | vs. (8) Kent State Championship | W 63–62 | 24–10 | 18 – Ali | 9 – Freeman | 5 – Ali | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (7,955) Cleveland, OH | |||
NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
March 21, 2024 1:30 p.m., TNT | (14 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 11 Creighton First Round | L 60–77 | 24–11 | 21 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 2 – Ali | PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. |
References
- ^ "John Groce". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
- ^ "MAC Men's College Basketball Standings - 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
- ^ "Athletics Facilities - JAMES A. RHODES ARENA". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ "Akron 75, Miami 63". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Akron 65, Ohio 62". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ "Akron vs. Kent State". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
- ^ "Akron vs. Creighton". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ "MAC Basketball Standings - 2022-23". ESPN. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Buffalo 77, Akron 101". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "2023-24 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
- ^ a b "2023 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
- ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". Akron Athletics.
- ^ "Akron Zips Schedule 2023-24". ESPN.