Courtesy: Ernie Aranyosi Senior forward Chris McKnight was one of four Zips to earn all-league accolades this season.

GAME 32

(3) Akron (22-9) vs. (6) Eastern Michigan (17-14)

Thursday, March 11, 2010
2 p.m. ET (approximately)
Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland
MAC Tournament Quarterfinal Round

Television: FS Ohio

Webcast/Audio Stream/Live Statistics: Webcast (by subscription) and live statistics (free of charge) available at MAC-Sports.com. Audio stream through ZipsZone subscription.

Radio: Akron-ISP Sports Network – SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron and through ZipsZone subscription on GoZips.com. Steve French (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (analyst) (approximately 1:30 p.m. ET airtime).

Akron Coach Keith Dambrot (Akron '82):
Is in his sixth season at the helm for the Zips, maintaining a 137-60 (.695) mark in that time (10-4 in the MAC Tournament). Both his win total and win percentage rank third all-time in program history (178 wins is second). Dambrot is 245-130 (.653) in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 10-2 all-time versus Eastern Michigan (7-1 as coach at Akron, 1-0 in the MAC Tournament).

The Series: EMU leads the all-time series, 18-17, after claiming a 62-59 win in its lone regular-season matchup with Akron (Feb. 1 at UA's Rhodes Arena). The Zips have won seven of the last eight meetings, including a 78-66 win in the first round of the 2005 MAC Tournament in Akron (March 7, 2005).

Akron's MAC Tournament History: The defending MAC Tournament champion Zips, competing as the No. 3 seed for the fourth time ever, are 11-11 all-time in MAC postseason play (3-3 as third seed) (10 of those wins have come under coach Keith Dambrot). Akron has positioned itself in the event's quarterfinal round for the sixth-straight year.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • Third seed and defending MAC Tournament champion Akron is attempting to advance itself to the event's title contest for the fourth-straight year. Two other schools have done so (Eastern Michigan in 1995-98; Kent State in 2001-04). The last program to win consecutive tournament championships was Kent State (2001 and 2002). Ball State also did so (1989 and 1990).
    • When UA takes to the court on Thursday, it will be competing for just the second time in 13 days (74-68 road win at Bowling Green on Feb. 27; 74-61 home loss to Kent State on March 5).
    • Akron has won two of its last three and seven of its last nine games. The Zips closed out last season by losing four of their last seven regular-season outings, but won four games in five days in Cleveland to advance themselves to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986. Fifth-seeded UA defeated third-seeded Buffalo 65-53 in the 2009 championship matchup.
    • Akron is enjoying its fifth-straight 20-win season (23-10 in 2005-06, 26-7 in '06-07 (tied school record for wins), 24-11 in '07-08, 23-13 in '08-09). It is just the second time in program history that has occurred (first in Division I era, dating to 1980-81) and first since the 1962-63 through 1966-67 squads did so under head coach Tony Laterza. The Zips have won at least 19 games in each of head coach Keith Dambrot's six seasons (19-10 in '04-05).
    • The Zips are a combined 9-5 in away/neutral games this season, tying Buffalo for second most wins in that category (Kent State leads, with 10). UA is 7-4 in road games (6-2 MAC) this season and won five of its final six away contests (70-53 loss at VCU in BracketBusters on Feb. 20). UA closed the regular-season by winning five-consecutive league road games (dating to a 79-70 win at Western Michigan on Jan. 27).
    • The Zips are ranked No. 20 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and have been ranked all 16 weeks of the season (preseason No. 8).
    • The Zips use a 10-man rotation (eight players average over 16 minutes, but none ranked among the MAC's top 30 in minutes played) and have just one player averaging double-figure points (Brett McKnight, 10.3 ppg, rank 25th in MAC), while six average between 9.9 and 7.0 ppg.
    • Akron is the only school in the nation this season to have posted 20-plus wins and have only one player averaging double-figure points.
    • Akron ranks first in the MAC in 3-point FG percentage defense (allowing 30.8 percent) and second in FG percentage defense (allowing 41.3 percent); while also ranking second in scoring margin (+5.8), FG percentage (43.7 percent), rebounding margin (+2.6) and offensive rebounding (13.2 orpg), and is third in assists (13.5 apg).
    • Akron has allowed only five opponents to shoot 50 percent or better from the floor this season (twice in MAC play, both versus Kent State and 51.7 percent/30-of-58 both times). Conversely, the Zips have shot 45 percent or better from the floor 12 times and 50 percent or higher on six occasions.
    • UA has held 11 opponents to 59 or fewer points this season (going 11-0 in those games) and has kept five league foes to 56 or fewer points (5-0 in those games). Eleven Zips' opponents have scored 70 points or more (UA is 5-6 in those games, and has lost two straight in that situation).
    • Earlier this week, senior forward Jimmy Conyers was named the MAC's Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-MAC First Team, while brothers Chris McKnight (senior forward) and Brett McKnight (junior forward) earned all-league honorable mention and 7-foot center Zeke Marshall was named to the all-freshman team. Conyers is the second Zip in as many years to win the league's top defender award (Nate Linhart in 2009).