(11-29-2015 10:06 AM)Old School Flash Wrote: I was at the Kent State-Pitt game Saturday afternoon. KSU gave Pitt all they could handle crushing them on the boards but losing by 9. Pitt shot lights out from 3 going 10 of 16 and that really was the difference in the game. Had a chance to cut the lead to 4 with 1:44 to play but missed an open 3.
I've seen Akron play 3 times so far and I like their team a lot. If KSU keeps playing like they did yesterday, I dont think the Zips will be "tier one" in the MAC all by themselves.
Akron is probably the best of the bunch, especially since, like CMU, the Zips have been without arguably their best player all year. Though Robotham doesnt mean as much to Akron as Fowler does to CMU.
With that said, Akron isn't in a tier by themselves.
I agree that Kent has the talent to be up there. CMU, obviously, will be much better once Fowler returns. At the same time, Akron should also be much better once Robotham gets back (which may be Wednesday). And Akron has been hit by injuries, but looks to have avoided long-term ones. Jimond Ivey came back a couple games early than expected, and Jake Kretzer (rapid heart) and Pat Forsythe (broken ribs.... Must have been just a bruise) didn't miss any time, so the Zips dodged two big bullets there.
After a tough start, it also looks like the MAC teams are starting to win more of the game's they should against decent competition. Hopefully, that continues.
On the downside, per KenPom, only Akron is in the top 100, at 55. That's down even for MAC standards.
On the bright side, 11 of the 12 teams are in the top 200 (9 teams between 123 and 198). That's still better than usual. Plus, CMU and Kent (among others) look like they can make a run into the top 100.
Maybe this isn't an up year, but it doesn't seem like it will be a down year, either. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like even marginal depth improvements will mean a second bid to the tourney, especially since Akron had the bad loss to Green Bay.
