Buffalo Bulls Can They Win Again

Ii months ago may as well have been two years ago for the University of Akron men'due south basketball game team.

Simply the Zips opened the Mid-American Conference flavour with a New year's day's Twenty-four hour period game against Buffalo (nineteen-10), their opponent in their opening game of the briefing tournament Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Information technology was a game in which the Bulls led by equally many as fourteen points and so trailed by as many as 18 earlier the Zips (21-9) claimed an 88-76 victory. UA coach John Groce said the teams are calorie-free years away from that game.

Akron is the No. 4 seed and Buffalo the No. v seed in the MAC tournament.

The Bulls struggled before finding their moorings in the latter stages of the conference schedule, winning ix of their last 11 games. The Zips, on their third iteration, have had to recalibrate belatedly in the flavor to compensate for baby-sit Bryan Trimble Jr.'s go out of absence, just accept won their last five games, including last Fri'south near toe-stubbing against Key Michigan.

John Groce sees change in attitude of Zips

Locked down to start the week, Groce said his team is prepare to go every bit he's seen a modify in the Zips with the coming of postseason play.

"I remember there is a heightened sense of urgency," he said during a Tuesday Zoom call. "For the almost part, this group has been really skillful with that stuff and yous can tell that they have an energy most them. It'southward a fun fourth dimension of the year. It doesn't get whatsoever better and I tell them all the fourth dimension … it's a big deal."

UA frontwards Enrique Freeman, the newly minted MAC Defensive Player of the Year, agreed.

"Nosotros have to have togetherness and toughness," he said.

That may not exist easy as the Zips return to the scene of last year's tournament semifinal against the Bulls in which they were a Loren Cristian Jackson game-winning shot away from playing in the concluding, merely for the game to cease upwards in overtime and a trip dorsum to Akron after a loss.

Groce said he didn't look at recordings of that game until preparing for the Bulls, a veteran-laden team, this season.

"Nosotros were correct at that place," he said. "The margin for error in conference play and certainly in conference tournaments is small. Information technology can be a shot or two, a possession or 2, especially when everyone knows player tendencies, offensive and defensive tendencies."

Enrique Freeman: Team needs to give more

Freeman said that'southward what the Zips learned from last year's game.

"When yous think y'all're giving 100 percent, I think you've got to give 110 percent. Yous need to give 120 percentage because when you wait back at it yous'll be like, 'Dang, I wish I would have blocked out on that possession,'" he said. "It's just knowing every possession matters and giving some extra try."

The extra endeavor will be needed, Groce said, equally the Bulls feature 3 players — forrard Jeenathan Williams, a commencement-team All-MAC pick, and Josh Mballa and guard Ronaldo Segu — who combine to score 48 points per game.

The Zips will also need to clean their ain business firm afterward Friday's too-close 57-56 win over Primal Michigan.

Although Groce said his team plays with "competitive toughness," he knows that wasn't on brandish in that game.

"I don't recollect we were tough enough Friday night," he said. "When you play with that type of toughness, you're going habitation."

Buffalo Bulls lead MAC in rebounding

And for Groce, toughness ways defense, peculiarly with respect to rebounding. The Zips excelled there, leading the MAC both overall and in offensive rebounds.

Freeman, the league's leading rebounder, understands that along with other factors.

"Nosotros definitely have to show our impact on the backboard," he said. "No. 2 is they haven't seen u.s.a. in 19 games either. Information technology's going to exist a very scouted game. Nosotros're going to know their actions. They're going to know our actions. What are we going to do to overcome that?"

Nonetheless, what may be most impactful from Freeman is playing within himself and avoiding foul trouble. At various points during games this season, Groce has had to pull him from games when he's been in jeopardy of fouling out.

Freeman'due south perpetual motor powers the Zips much of the time. He understands what he must do, even if at times he's at the mercy of officials.

"A lot of it is what I can do to forbid fouling," he said. "Maybe shell a guy to a spot. It's like separate-2nd decisions I can improve on that tin get me out of foul trouble.  Honestly, that's what I've been working on the past few days."

Reach George K. Thomas at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter @ByGeorgeThomas.

MAC Tournament

Akron vs. Buffalo

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Time: Approximately 1:30 p.m. Thursday

TV/Radio: ESPN+/WHLO (640-AM)

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Source: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/zips/2022/03/10/mens-college-basketball-mac-tournament-akron-buffalo-enrique-freeman-john-groce-jeenathan-williams/9429411002/

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