2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team

2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record28–7 (17–1 MAC)
Head coach
Associate head coachDustin Ford (8th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Robby Pridgen (8th season)
  • Mike Allen (1st season)
  • Jon Ekey (1st season)
  • Devan Morrow (1st season)
Home arenaJames A. Rhodes Arena
2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
† 17 – 1   .944 28 – 7   .800
Miami (OH) 14 – 4   .778 25 – 9   .735
Kent State 11 – 7   .611 24 – 12   .667
Toledo 10 – 8   .556 18 – 15   .545
Ohio 10 – 8   .556 16 – 16   .500
Western Michigan 9 – 9   .500 12 – 20   .375
Eastern Michigan 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Bowling Green 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
Ball State 7 – 11   .389 14 – 17   .452
Central Michigan 7 – 11   .389 14 – 17   .452
Buffalo 4 – 14   .222 9 – 22   .290
Northern Illinois 2 – 16   .111 6 – 25   .194
† 2025 MAC tournament winner

The 2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by eighth-year head coach John Groce, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.

They won the MAC with a 17–1 record and the MAC tournament[1][2] As a 13 seed, they lost their first round matchup in the NCAA tournament to Arizona.[3]

Previous season

The Zips finished the 2023–24 season 24–11, 13–5 in MAC play to finish in a tie for second place.[4] They defeated Miami (OH),[5] Ohio,[6] and Kent State to win the MAC tournament championship for the second time in three years and earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[7] In the NCAA tournament, they received the #14 seed in the Midwest Region,[8] where they would fall to #3 region seed Creighton in the First Round.[9]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Greg Tribble 2 G 6'3" 195 Senior Cincinnati, Ohio Graduated
Kaleb Thornton 3 G 6'0" 175 Senior Bolingbrook, Illinois Graduated
Darrion Baker 4 F 6'8" 225 Freshman Chicago, Illinois Transferred to SIU Edwardsville
Ryan Prather Jr. 10 G 6'5" 205 RS Freshman Clarksburg, Maryland Transferred to Robert Morris
Sammy Hunter 11 W 6'9" 225 Senior Nassau, Bahamas Graduated
Mikal Dawson 22 W 6'5" 222 Senior Huntington, West Virginia Transferred to Marshall
Ali Ali 24 G 6'8" 205 Senior Kendallville, Indiana Graduated
Enrique Freeman 25 F 6'7" 206 Senior Cleveland, Ohio Graduated; Drafted 50th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA draft

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Isaiah Gray 13 G 6'3" 220 Senior Brooklyn, New York Cornell
Seth Wilson 14 G 6'2" 220 Senior Lorain, Ohio West Virginia
Bowen Hardman 15 G 6'3" 220 Junior Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio State
Josiah Harris 22 W 6'7" 210 Junior Canton, Ohio West Virginia
James Okonkwo 32 F 6'8" 240 Senior Maidenhead, England North Carolina

Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Rich Brisco
F 		Brooklyn, New York Hillcrest Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Sharron Young
G 		Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Eric Mahaffey
G 		Cincinnati, Ohio Archbishop Moeller High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Conner Groce
G 		Richfield, Ohio Revere High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg)  
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (N/A)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Akron was picked to finish second in the MAC regular season and received 1 of the 12 first place votes.[10]

Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Ohio 121 (11)
2 Akron 106 (1)
3 Kent State 99
4 Toledo 95
5 Bowling Green 73
6 Miami (OH) 72
7 Ball State 67
8 Central Michigan 55
9 Eastern Michigan 36
10 Western Michigan 33
11 Northern Illinois 24
12 Buffalo 11

MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)

Source[10]

Preseason All-MAC

Preseason All-MAC teams
Team Player Position Year
Second Isaiah Gray Guard Senior

Source[10]

Roster

2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Amani Lyles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Beechcroft High School Columbus, Ohio
G 1 Shammah Scott 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Wichita State Cleveland, Ohio
F 2 Rich Brisco 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Brooklyn, New York
G 3 Sharron Young 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Morgantown High School Morgantown, West Virginia
G 4 Eric Mahaffey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Archbishop Moeller High School Cincinnati, Ohio
G 5 Tavari Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr Lyons High School Chicago, Illinois
G 11 Conner Groce 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Revere High School Richfield, Ohio
G 13 Isaiah Gray 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Cornell Brooklyn, New York
G 14 Seth Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr West Virginia Lorain, Ohio
G 15 Bowen Hardman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Ohio State Cincinnati, Ohio
G 20 Evan Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Noblesville High School Noblesville, Indiana
G/F 21 Zach Halligan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg) So Walsh Jesuit High School Uniontown, Ohio
G/F 22 Josiah Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr West Virginia Canton, Ohio
G/F 23 Marvin Musiime-Kamali 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Cushing Academy Brockton, Massachusetts
F 32 James Okonkwo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr North Carolina Maidenhead, England
G 34 Nate Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Lakota East High School Liberty Township, Ohio
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 17, 2024

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Arkansas State
MAC-SBC Challenge 		L 75–80 OT 0–1
  15 – Young   12 – Okonkwo   7 – Gray  First National Bank Arena (4,610)
Jonesboro, AR
November 8, 2024*
7:00 pm 		Ohio Wesleyan W 88–57  1–1
  15 – Hardman   8 – Lyles   7 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,154)
Akron, OH
November 12, 2024*
10:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Saint Mary's L 68–87  1–2
  16 – Harris   9 – Okonkwo   4 – Tied  University Credit Union Pavilion (3,316)
Moraga, CA
November 22, 2024*
6:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Lamar
Akron Basketball Classic 		W 79–72  2–2
  17 – T. Johnson   11 – Lyles   4 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,775)
Akron, OH
November 23, 2024*
4:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Omaha
Akron Basketball Classic 		W 92–84  3–2
  18 – Johnson   6 – Lyles   9 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena 
Akron, OH
November 24, 2024*
3:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Alabama State
Akron Basketball Classic 		W 97–78  4–2
  25 – N. Johnson   10 – Tied   4 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,589)
Akron, OH
December 3, 2024*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Northern Kentucky W 86–73  5–2
  27 – T. Johnson   7 – Harris   5 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,578)
Akron, OH
December 7, 2024*
3:00 pm 		SUNY Brockport W 101–48  6–2
  20 – Hardman   16 – Okonkwo   5 – Young  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,560)
Akron, OH
December 15, 2024*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		vs. Milwaukee
MKE Tip-Off 		L 81–100  6–3
  22 – T. Johnson   6 – N. Johnson   4 – N. Johnson  Fiserv Forum 
Milwaukee, WI
December 20, 2024*
7:00 pm, YouTube 		vs. Yale
Sun Bowl Invitational semifinals 		L 58–74  6–4
  23 – T. Johnson   6 – Lyles   4 – N. Johnson  Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, TX
December 21, 2024*
7:00 pm, YouTube 		vs. Jackson State
Sun Bowl Invitational 3rd place game 		W 68–50  7–4
  12 – Scott   16 – Okonkwo   6 – N. Johnson  Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, TX
December 30, 2024*
1:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Princeton L 75–76  7–5
  17 – N. Johnson   10 – Okonkwo   2 – Tied  Jadwin Gymnasium (2,677)
Princeton, NJ
MAC regular season
January 3, 2025
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Bowling Green W 71–68  8–5
(1–0) 		 17 – Young   9 – Okonkwo   5 – T. Johnson  Stroh Center (2,892)
Bowling Green, OH
January 7, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Central Michigan W 87–71  9–5
(2–0) 		 18 – Wilson   8 – Okonkwo   4 – Tied  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,597)
Akron, OH
January 11, 2025
3:30 pm, ESPN+ 		at Eastern Michigan W 105–81  10–5
(3–0) 		 17 – Okonkwo   7 – Musiime-Kamali   10 – T. Johnson  George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,540)
Ypsilanti, MI
January 14, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Toledo W 85–78  11–5
(4–0) 		 28 – N. Johnson   9 – N. Johnson   9 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,011)
Akron, OH
January 17, 2025
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		Ohio W 92–80  12–5
(5–0) 		 22 – Gray   8 – N. Johnson   6 – Lyles  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,830)
Akron, OH
January 21, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Buffalo W 90–58  13–5
(6–0) 		 20 – T. Johnson   9 – N. Johnson   5 – T. Johnson  Alumni Arena (1,021)
Amherst, NY
January 25, 2025
2:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Miami (OH) W 102–75  14–5
(7–0) 		 15 – T. Johnson   9 – S. Scott   15 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,834)
Akron, OH
January 28, 2025
8:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Northern Illinois W 80–70  15–5
(8–0) 		 21 – T. Johnson   11 – Gray   4 – T. Johnson  Convocation Center (1,059)
DeKalb, IL
January 31, 2025
7:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Kent State W 85–71  16–5
(9–0) 		 20 – N. Johnson   13 – J. Okonkwo   5 – T. Johnson  MAC Center (6,327)
Kent, OH
February 4, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Ball State W 81–73  17–5
(10–0) 		 18 – S. Young   6 – J. Okonkwo   6 – S. Scott  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,883)
Akron, OH
February 8, 2025*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		South Alabama
MAC-SBC Challenge 		W 80–65  18–5
  20 – T. Johnson   10 – J. Okonkwo   10 – N. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,505)
Akron, OH
February 11, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Western Michigan W 105–92  19–5
(11–0) 		 22 – N. Johnson   9 – J. Okonkwo   3 – N. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (1,380)
Akron, OH
February 15, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan W 85–82  20–5
(12–0) 		 18 – N. Johnson   7 – N. Johnson   6 – I. Gray  McGuirk Arena (2,057)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 18, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Northern Illinois W 73–63  21–5
(13–0) 		 15 – T. Johnson   8 – N. Johnson   4 – S. Scott  James A. Rhodes Arena (3,472)
Akron, OH
February 22, 2025
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Ohio L 67–84  21–6
(13–1) 		 17 – A. Lyles   6 – I. Gray   7 – S. Scott  Convocation Center (6,740)
Athens, OH
February 25, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Ball State W 87–82  22–6
(14–1) 		 21 – T. Johnson   9 – N. Johnson   5 – S. Scott  Worthen Arena (3,210)
Muncie, IN
February 28, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Kent State W 77–72  23–6
(15–1) 		 16 – T. Johnson   10 – N. Johnson   4 – N. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (4,967)
Akron, OH
March 4, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		at Toledo W 96–87  24–6
(16–1) 		 16 – S. Scott   9 – A. Lyles   5 – S. Scott  Savage Arena (4,145)
Toledo, OH
March 7, 2025
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Buffalo W 88–70  25–6
(17–1) 		 14 – Tied   11 – J. Okonkwo   5 – T. Johnson  James A. Rhodes Arena (2,391)
Akron, OH
MAC Tournament
March 13, 2025
11:00 am, ESPN+ 		(1) vs. (8) Bowling Green
Quarterfinals 		W 96–67  26–6
  17 – B. Hardman   8 – J. Okonkwo   7 – T. Johnson  Rocket Arena (8,737)
Cleveland, OH
March 14, 2025
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		(1) vs. (4) Toledo
Semifinals 		W 100–90  27–6
  31 – N. Johnson   9 – A. Lyles   6 – N. Johnson  Rocket Arena (15,476)
Cleveland, OH
March 15, 2025
7:40 pm, ESPN2 		(1) vs. (2) Miami (OH)
Championship 		W 76–74  28–6
  22 – N. Johnson   14 – Lyles   5 – N. Johnson  Rocket Arena (7,099)
Cleveland, OH
NCAA Tournament
March 21, 2025
7:35 pm, TruTV 		(13 E) vs. (4 E) No. 21 Arizona
First round 		L 65–93  28–7
  13 – Tied   4 – Tied   4 – A. Lyles  Climate Pledge Arena (16,978)
Seattle,WA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[11][12]

References

  1. ^ Clark, Dave (February 28, 2025). "Zips Claim Regular Season Title After 77-72 victory Against Kent State". Akron Athletics. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  2. ^ Beaven, Michael (March 15, 2025). "LeBron James, Donovan Mitchell congratulate Akron Zips on MAC basketball title, NCAA bid". Akron Beacon Jornal. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  3. ^ Ulrich, Nate (March 22, 2025). "-Akron Zips basketball hurt by historic season ending with bruising loss in NCAA Tournament". Akron Beacon Jornal. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami". AOL. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "Akron snaps out of slump to beat Ohio, advances to MAC tourney championship vs. Kent State". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  7. ^ "Late mistake by Kent State allows Akron to pull out 62-61 win for MAC title, NCAA Tournament bid". AP News. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2024 NCAA men's tournament". NCAA.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Creighton outmuscles Akron for 77-60 win in NCAA Tournament opener". Spectrum News Columbus. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "MAC Announces 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of Akron Athletics. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  12. ^ "Akron Zips 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
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