Courtesy: Ernie Aranyosi Junior forward Brett McKnight is Akron's only double-figure scorer, averaging 10.3 points per game.

GAME 33

(3) Akron (23-9) vs. (7) Western Michigan (18-14)

Fri., March 12, 2010
7 p.m. ET
Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland
MAC Tournament Semifinal Round

Television: FS Ohio (alternate channel information)

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) (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 138-60 (.697) mark in that time (11-4 in the MAC Tournament). Both his win total and win percentage rank third all-time in program history (178 wins is second). Dambrot is 246-130 (.654) in his 12th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 7-7 all-time versus Western Michigan (7-3 as coach at Akron, 2-1 in the MAC Tournament)

The Series: Akron leads the all-time series 18-17, following a 79-70 win in the lone regular-season meeting between the two in Kalamazoo (Jan. 27). The Zips have claimed seven of the last eight matchups. UA is 3-1 versus WMU in the MAC tourney (Zips won 73-62 in 2008 semifinal, March 14).

Akron's MAC Tournament History: The defending MAC Tournament champion Zips, competing as the No. 3 seed for the fourth time ever, are 12-11 all-time in MAC postseason play (4-3 as third seed) (11 of those wins have come under coach Keith Dambrot). Akron has positioned itself in the event's semifinal round for the fifth-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).
    • Dating to last season, Akron has won five-straight MAC Tournament contests and is 7-1 in the event since 2008 (lone loss came to Kent State in the 2008 title game). In 2009, the Zips (playing as a five seed) won four games in five days in Cleveland to advance themselves to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986 (topped third-seeded Buffalo 65-53 for the title).
    • Steve McNees scored a season-high 18 points (4-for-4 3FGs) to lead UA to a 97-89 2OT win over sixth-seeded Eastern Michigan in Thursday's quarterfinal round. McNees nailed a 3-pointer with less than one second to play to force a second extra period. The Zips shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from 3-point range (tied a season high for 3-pointers made) and made a season-best eight blocked shots (school-record-tying six by Zeke Marshall).
    • Akron has won at least 23 games in each of the last five seasons (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 UA has posted five-consecutive 20-win campaigns (first in Division I era, dating to 1980-81) and first since the 1962-63 through 1966-67 squads did so under coach Tony Laterza. UA went 19-10 in 2004-05 (coach Keith Dambrot's first season).
    • The Zips are a combined 10-5 in away/neutral games this season, tying Kent State for most by a league team in that category. UA went 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, 10.4 ppg, rank 25th in MAC), while six average between 9.9 and 7.1 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 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 13 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). Twelve Zips' opponents have scored 70 points or more (UA is 6-6 in those games). Eastern Michigan's 89 points in Thursday's 2OT quarterfinal game was the most by an Akron opponent this season.
    • 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. Conyers is the second Zips player in as many years to win the league's top defender award (Nate Linhart in 2009) and UA has had a player on the all-frosh team in three-straight seasons.