NCAA Tournament Bracket Buster Watch: Akron Zips
With an explosive offense and deep bench, the Akron Zips are primed to shake up the NCAA Tournament. Can they pull off a March Madness upset?
We are less than a month out from March Madness tipping off, which seems like an appropriate time to start talking about…Bracket Busters. There are several teams that are looking like they could be that team. We’ve talked about why we think UC Irvine and UC San Diego should both make the tournament (you can check out that article here: Will the Big West Get Two Bids? UC San Diego & UC Irvine's Case). We’ve discussed the always dangerous Missouri Valley, American Athletic, and A-10 conferences. However, there’s a school that is dominating their conference right now and completely blowing out their competition.
The Akron Zips.
Use the code “BracketBusters” when checking out at Crow’s Nest Coffee Roasters to receive 20% of your order! Want two bags of coffee shipped to your door every month? Sign up for a monthly subscription here and receive 25% off your monthly subscription!
Sign up for Bracket Busters’ Discord to discuss all things Mid-Major Basketball!
Offensively, the Akron Zips are one of the best teams in the country this season. Here are where they rank:
Nation’s Longest Winning Streak: 14
Scored 80+ points in 18/26 games
Scored 100+ 4 times
43rd Effective FG%
52nd 3pt%
51st 2pt%
84th Offensive Efficiency
This is an offensive juggernaut of a team that seems to be unstoppable. The offense isn’t ran solely by one or two players. Nate and Tavari Johnson are the top two scorers on the team at 14 and 12.6 points per game on average. They are the only two players that average double-digits, while six more players who contribute into the rotation regularly average 6.5 or more.
If you are familiar with Bucky McMillan’s style of coaching, he’s known for constant movement in his rotations. Many players will average 15+ minutes per game, rather than relying on 7-8 guys averaging 25+. Last year, McMillan had Samford at 5th in the country in bench points. This season, John Groce has taken a page out of McMillan’s book. Ten players are averaging 15.3 minutes or more per game, which puts the Zips at 26th in the country in bench minutes.
The constant movement in and out of the game, allows the Zips to always have fresh legs ready to go in and pound their opponents on offense. In total, eight different players have finished a game leading the Zips in most points scored.
On the defensive end, James Okonkwo locks down the paint. He averaged 7.8 rebounds and one block per game, with 7.5 points as well. He has racked up four double-doubles this year, and another couple of games where he was at a near double-double. His block percentage is the 5th best in the MAC and 156th in the country, while averaging just 19 minutes per game. Amani Lyles is right there with him, where Lyles ranks 73rd in the country in block percentage while averaging 17.1 minutes per game.
Nate Johnson, Isaiah Gray, and Sharron Young lock down the lanes. Johnson averages two steals per game, Gray with 1.1, and Young with one per game. Johnson ranks 155th in steal percentage while Young ranks 167th.
The Zips are 21-5 on the season, where their five losses came from:
Arkansas State: 80-75
90th KenPom
Saint Mary’s: 87-68
20th KenPom
Milwaukee: 100-81
134th KenPom
Yale: 74-58
65th KenPom
Princeton: 76-75
158th KenPom
Out of these loses, the Saint Mary’s Gaels are a lock for the tournament, Yale is dominating the Ivy League, Princeton has multiple NBA caliber players, and both Milwaukee and Arkansas State are a part of the top competition in the Horizon League and Sun Belt. The Zips have yet to suffer a “bad” loss, while blowing out their competition.
Projected Seeding
Looking at the Akron Zips, they have the makeup to be a potential bracket buster. There’s no one particular star, rather a team of many above average players that when combined give them one of the best offenses in the entire country.
Looking at some of the projected seedings for Akron, here’s where the Zips sit:
Across the board, the Zips are sitting at a 13 seed just a step away from moving into a 12 seed conversation. History loves 12 seeds, so I’d love to see Akron finish out the season strong and move up into that seeding. Looking at the five seeds they could go up against, a matchup like Marquette, UCLA, or even Missouri could be a gift to the Zips.
To finish out the year, Akron plays and is favored to win against:
Ohio (Away)
Ball State (Away)
Kent State (Home)
Toledo (Away)
Buffalo (Home)
Finishing 18-0 would surely put them into a 12 seed in which if I were a Zips fan…I’d be drooling for.
What are your thoughts? Could the Akron Zips be a bracket buster this year?