(03-19-2017 10:24 PM)bopol Wrote: You know, what I am really wondering as a Kent fan is how do the Akron fans feel about the game? Because really, I couldn't give a rat's ass about what an Ohio fan has to say or a UCLA fan - it's really the Zips' fans that I need to know what theys are thinking...
Seemed to me that Rob & the players represented themselves just fine. A rough start, to put it mildly, shouldn't overshadow the effort and effectiveness for the middle 20 minutes of the game.
The big kid for UCLA was a tough matchup, and for my money was the best player on the floor. His ability to stick with Jimmy one on one caused problems.
Watching it live, it seemed to me that the Flashes did have a matchup that could have been exploited better than it was. My observation is that #2 on UCLA couldn't (or had no interest in trying to) guard a stop sign. He was ole'ing everything that went right at him. I think that dribble drive is a strength of the current Flashes, and they could have gone directly at him more in the second half in the hopes of drawing fouls, or help from Jimmy's guy for some open looks at the rim.
Similar to the period of effectiveness Robotham had in the MAC Final .. I think that was an opportunity to push UCLA more. Rather than hoisting outside shots (NOT a strength of the Flashes) which converted to transition buckets .. maybe attacking the rim keeps them in it later.
This is all arm-chair quarterbacking, anyway. As a rival fan, the game played very similar to Akron's games vs. Creighton and Gonzaga .. in the game for about 30 .. and then a much bigger margin at the end than the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half. Walker was clutch for all of March, and Jimmy Hall was probably the best player in the conference over the past 3 years. Hard not to call this season a big success for Rob and the team.
Go Zips!
P.S. Kflasher needs the hilljacks from WVU to cover their next game .. let's all band together to root against him.