GAME 25

Akron (17-7, 7-3 MAC) at Central Michigan (11-10, 6-3 MAC)

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010
7 p.m. ET
Rose Arena (5,200)
Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Television: None

Webcast/Audio Stream/Live Statistics: Webcast/Audio Stream/Live Statistics: Webcast and live statistics available at CMUChippewas.com. Audio stream available 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) (6:30 p.m. ET airtime).

Akron Coach Keith Dambrot (Akron '82):
Is in his sixth season at the helm for the Zips, maintaining a 132-58 (.695) mark in that time. Both his win total and win percentage rank third all-time in program history (178 wins is second). Dambrot is 240-128 (.652) in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 6-1 all-time versus Central Michigan.

The Series: Akron leads the all-time series 24-13 and has won back-to-back and nine of the last 10 match ups. Included in that stretch are victories in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament in 2008 and 2007. The Zips claimed last year's regular-season meeting 64-43 in Akron (Jan. 31, 2009), while the Chippewas won the previous meeting in Mt. Pleasant 65-64 (Jan. 26, 2008). UA's last win at Rose Arena came on Jan. 18, 2006 (76-69 in overtime) and has won three of the last four at the venue.
 
Up Next: Akron returns home on Sunday (Feb. 14) to face off against Ohio at 2 p.m. ET.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
    • Akron concludes the cross-divisional portion of its league schedule on Tuesday and plays the second of four road contests in a five-game stretch. The Zips sit in a second-place tie with Miami (Ohio) in the MAC East Division standings.
    • At Ball State on Saturday, Brett McKnight hit a 3-pointer to give Akron a 68-66 lead with 1:14 left in overtime, and the Zips went 7-for-8 from the line in the final 43 seconds to end the Cardinals' four-game win streak.
    • The Zips have won a MAC-best-tying 17 games (MAC East leader Kent State is also 17-7 overall) and are the only team in the league to have ended its non-conference schedule with 10 wins (10-4).
    • Akron is 4-1 this season versus opponents from the league's West Division. The Zips went 5-1 against the West in each of the last two seasons (loss came at Northern Illinois both years).
    • The Zips have won four of their last five and five of their last seven games.  The squad posted a season-long six-game win streak from Dec. 12-Dec. 30, which tied Northern Illinois as the second-longest by a MAC team this season.
    • Akron is 4-3 in road games (3-2 MAC) this season and has won consecutive away contests (won 79-70 at Western Michigan on Jan. 27, 75-70 in OT at Ball State on Saturday). The Zips are a combined 6-4 in away/neutral games. Last season, Akron posted a MAC-best 12-10 record in away/neutral games (8-8 road, 4-2 in neutral) (4-4 MAC).
    • Sixth-year UA coach Keith Dambrot was head coach at Central Michigan for two seasons (1991-92 and 1992-93), building a 20-34 record in that time.
    • UA has one player averaging double-figure points (Brett McKnight - 10.2 ppg, 22nd in MAC) and six that are averaging 7.5 points per game or more.
    • The Zips are ranked No. 14 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 (comes out each Monday throughout the season). The squad was ranked No. 8 in the poll's preseason edition and was listing No. 20 last week.
    • Akron leads the league in field goal percentage (44.1 percent) and scoring margin (+7.5); while also ranking second in scoring defense (allowing 63.1 ppg) and third in field goal percentage defense (allowing 40.9 percent).
    • UA has held nine opponents to 59 or fewer points this season (going 9-0 in those games) and has kept three league foes to under 50 points (topped Miami 69-49 on Jan. 20, Bowling Green 71-45 on Jan. 9 and Toledo 59-45 on Jan. 30). Eight Zips' opponents have scored 70 points or more (UA is 4-4 in those games). Each of UA's last two opponents have scored 70 or more.    • In three straight and six of the last seven games, Akron has shot over 73 percent from the line, after doing so only twice in the first 17 games of the campaign (went 18-of-23/78.3 percent in each of the last two games).
    • Akron has held the advantage on the boards 18 times this season and in three-straight games (43-37 edge at Ball State on Saturday). The Zips are 13-5 this season when they outrebound an opponent and 6-0 when doing so by double digits. UA's +3.5 rebounding margin ranks second in the league.
    • The Zips will play at VCU on Feb. 20 as part of ESPNU BracketBusters. That contest will be on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET, making the Zips one of two MAC programs to earn nationally-televised games in the event (Kent State).
    • Akron, the defending MAC Tournament champion, was picked to finish first in the MAC's East Division and was also selected as the league's overall preseason favorite (19 first-place votes) and conference tournament winner (19 votes) in a poll of league media.