Kent State dealt 62-60 loss at Miami

Julian Mavunga hit two free throws with three seconds left as Miami held off a late surge by Kent State.

Kent State dealt 62-60 loss at Miami

Julian Mavunga hit two free throws with three seconds left as Miami held off a late surge by Kent State.

Akron vs. Bowling Green – Preview

Men’s basketball

In a way, I’m glad it’s over.

No more talking about bubbles, berths or RPI.

If Akron’s going to the Dance, it’s going to be because they beat Kent State in Cleveland. And that’s how it should be. The at-large talk is just a distraction, and it could be a hindrance in the MAC Tournament.

The RPI will, of course, help Akron if they win the tournament, but that’s another story.

So it’s back to MAC East play. And the Zips will get a warmup of sorts before a three-game gauntlet (@ Ohio, vs. Buffalo, @ Kent) by hosting Bowling Green on Wednesday.

Akron won by a single point on January 11, thanks to a Nick Harney floater. Since that game, of course, Akron has melded (is that a word?) as a team, and developed their spurtability (now I know that’s not a word).

Getting this victory will be critical, because the Zips could easily lose two of their last three in the conference.

I would expect Akron to be at least a 10-point favorite.

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Cleveland State, Kent State facing important road tests on Tuesday

Vikings and the Golden Flashes still chasing first-round byes in their postseason tournaments.

Ranked powerhouses facing stiff conference challenges: National College Basketball Insider

Some unranked teams are making regular-season life difficult for the NCAA's blue bloods.

Kent State suffers BracketBuster upset loss to College of Charleston, 80-73

Down by 19 twice in the second half, the Golden Flashes got the deficit down to a basket but drew no closer to the Cougars.

Kent State suffers BracketBuster upset loss to College of Charleston, 80-73

Down by 19 twice in the second half, the Golden Flashes got the deficit down to a basket but drew no closer to the Cougars.

Akron can’t overcome slow start, falls to Oral Roberts in BracketBuster, 67-61

Alex Abreu had 13 points to lead the Zips (19-8), whose eight-game winning streak was snapped.

Ohio State cornerbacks coach Bill Sheridan leaves for NFL: College Newswatch

Also, the Akron-Kent State men's basketball game on March 2 will be televised on ESPN2, and the Akron men's soccer team's recruiting class is ranked best in the nation.

Preview capsules for today’s men’s and women’s college basketball games

Cleveland State, Akron and Kent State's men's basketball teams all play BracketBuster games today.

Akron vs. Oral Roberts – Preview

Men’s basketball

This is the first semi-meaningful BracketBuster game in a few years.

By this point, prior Zips teams were out of the hunt for an at-large NCAA bid. This year, while the Zips aren’t on “the bubble” per se, they are nearing that status. If they’re going to be considered at all, they have to win Saturday.

Oral Roberts is 24-5 and 14-0 at home. With a 16-1 conference record, the Golden Eagles are running away with the Summit League.

A big reason is senior Dominique Morrison. The 6-foot-6 forward is 12th in the nation in scoring at 20.3 points per game. Somehow, he’s only 4th in Summit League in that category. Regardless, Morrison will be a tough cover for Akron, because the Zips don’t exactly have a shut-down defender in that role, as they have in the past.

It will be a good warm-up for the Zips, because they have faced weak competition for the past few weeks. The following three weeks will be much more trying.

The game starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, and ESPN2 is televising it.

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Akron men’s basketball team thinking big as BracketBusters date with Oral Roberts looms

As the Zips wind down the season, they head into BracketBusters weekend as the only Northeast Ohio team that appears capable of busting a bracket.

Deadly white-nose syndrome found on bats in Cuyahoga and Geauga County parks

Northeast Ohio's bat population could be wiped out in three years, naturalists warn, now that a devastating disease has been found in Cuyahoga, Summit and Geauga counties.

Deadly white-nose syndrome found on bats in Cuyahoga and Geauga County parks

Northeast Ohio's bat population could be wiped out in three years, naturalists warn, now that a devastating disease has been found in Cuyahoga, Summit and Geauga counties.

Akron outlasts Miami, 74-59, stretches winning streak to eight

With the win, the Zips moved one step closer to a Mid-American Conference regular-season title.

Akron vs. Miami – Live updates

Men’s basketball

Keep refreshing your browser or smartphone for updates…

It’s five minutes until gametime and the crowd looks a little light.

Miami starters: Quinten Rollins, Julian Mavunga, Brian Sullivan, Jon Harris and Adam Thomas.

Akron starters: Brian Walsh, Alex Abreu, Nik Cvetinovic, Chauncey Gilliam and Zeke Marshall.

I enjoyed having a pre-game beverage with some of the guys on ZipsNation.org and George Thomas. We had some good Zips discussions. By the way, if you’re not visiting ZN.org on the reg, you’re probably not a real fan. Just saying.

The Zips are nine-point favorites. Give me Akron and you take the points.

Pregame – Akron 0, Miami 0

Kent State held off Buffalo last night. It was a great game. I hope you saw it. Akron now leads the conference by two games.

The AK-Rowdies get a gold star for fooling Mavunga into thinking the shot clock was nearing zero. He chucked a wild 3-pointer, a brick.

One ref missed a slap on Sullivan’s wrist. The other ref blew a make-up traveling call on Gilliam after the ball bounced away. It’s justice, I suppose.

Mavunga has hoisted two 3-pointers. They were both ugly. But neither came close to the Shawn Marion-esque 3 attempt from Nick Harney. Ew. Work on that during the offseason and maybe, maybe we’ll let you do it in 2013.

10:52 – Akron 17, Miami 13

The Kent-Buffalo game had a disappointing crowd. Shots of the stands showed a lot of empty seats.

The teams are both shooting very well — a combined 14-for-21 and 7-of-11 on 3s.

Harney got the so-so crowd excited with a tip-dunk.

Sullivan just swished his fourth 3-pointer. He’s 4-of-5 tonight from behind the arc. Harris is 2-for-2 on 3s.

The ref called a timeout as Abreu came up limping. I didn’t see the play.

6:32 – Akron 24, Miami 26

NCAA will post ‘credentials’ of every Division I basketball team to add transparency to tournament selection process

To help fans and media understand the selection process, the NCAA adds links on its website that rank teams by RPI and team sheets that break down the raw numbers for every game played.

Eric Gaines’ defense helps fuel Kent State’s comeback win over Buffalo

The Golden Flashes wouldn't have mounted a second-half comeback without 6-4 sophomore guard Eric Gaines coming off the bench.

Capsule look at Kent State vs. Buffalo

Both the Golden Flashes and the Bulls are chasing East Division-leading Akron in the final weeks of the regular season.

Capsule look at Kent State vs. Buffalo

Both the Golden Flashes and the Bulls are chasing East Division-leading Akron in the final weeks of the regular season.

Akron vs. Miami – Preview

Men’s basketball

For years, Miami has been playing tough nonconference schedules. The RedHawks would build an ugly win-loss record and even lose a couple of early MAC games.

But Charlie Coles’ RedHawks always found their identity and contended for a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament.

This year appears to be different than prior years. Miami got off to its usual slow start, but the RedHawks have been too depleted to claw into the top half of the conference.

Before you say, “Is it time for Coles to step down?”–consider this: Three Miami starters are not playing. Point guard Allen Roberts was one of the top returning point guards. He and Penn State transfer Bill Edwards are injured. A third, swingman Orlando Williams, left school after he was arrested on suspicion of burglary. Williams played 31.9 minutes per game last season, averaging 9.8 points.

How would Akron be faring without Alex Abreu, Quincy Diggs and Nick Harney? That’s the magnitude of Miami’s loss this season.

The RedHawks allow the highest opposing field goal percentage of any MAC team. As you might expect without the point guard, Miami’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 0.8, among the conference’s worst.

Without a point guard creating open shots, Miami’s offense is mostly Julian Mavunga and 3-point shots. Freshman Brian Sullivan is the guy who Akron needs to worry about behind the arc. He has made the second-most 3s of any MAC player this season.

Through Miami’s struggles this season, it has become common knowledge that, unfortunately, Coles is pondering retirement. The MAC will truly be worse off without this exceptional man on the sidelines. Coles turned 70 a week ago today, but he has also battled heart problems.

Akron should win its 11th MAC game on Wednesday at Rhodes Arena. Perhaps the more interesting game is Kent State at Buffalo tomorrow evening.

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BracketBusters to resolve some mid-major questions this week: National College Basketball Insider

BracketBusters is this week, and it looms large for teams that once looked invincible but are now vulnerable as the season winds down to its final games.

Universities monitor, control distribution of painkillers

Team doctors, head trainers and coaches at some area universities say the distribution of prescription painkillers is controlled and monitored -- a process not much different than when an athlete visits his family physician.

Injuries, expectations can fuel problems with pain pills

The problem with pain pills often compounds, sports psychologists and some former players say, when an injury forces an athlete to the sidelines for an extended time or out of the sport for good.

Akron keeps rolling, dominates Northern Illinois, 75-51

This was the seventh straight victory for the Zips, who lead the MAC's East division.

More Local News

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• Live updates – Akron vs. Northern Illinois
• Kent State earns sixth straight win, rolling over Ball State, 76-54
• Preview capsules for today’s men’s and women’s college basketball games
• Preview capsules for today’s men’s and women’s college basketball games
• Akron vs. Northern Illinois – Preview
• Illinois upsets Ohio State women’s team with 2 seconds remaining: College Basketball Roundup
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• Blackburn Blvd.
• Kent State holds off Eastern Michigan for fifth straight win