It might not look like it on the surface, but the University of Akron men’s basketball team has a golden opportunity.
When the Zips (26-8) tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday, they will be facing the Ohio State Buckeyes in Value City Arena in the opening round of the men’s NIT.
The game represents the kind of moment that Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher spoke of this past weekend when meeting with reporters who cover the conference. A Zips win over the Buckeyes would bring a little more shine to the MAC.
More importantly, it will bring a lot more luster to a UA program that really shouldn’t need it. Some reacted with surprise when the Zips didn’t receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.
UA coach Keith Dambrot knew the reality and politics of the situation. So did his players.
“I already knew it was going to happen,” center Isaiah Johnson said of the NCAA snub. “It’s been happening for a few years to a lot of good teams out there. It’s kind of why I expected it to happen. I was upset about it, but I knew it was coming.”
That resignation evolved into something else. Forward Jake Kretzer said that playing Ohio State was probably the second best thing that could happen to the Zips — even with the Buckeyes having what’s considered a down season with a 20-13 record. It should be noted that the Buckeyes have one of the youngest teams in Division I basketball this season.
“If we were going to go play in Washington or something like that in the NIT, we might not have had the right willpower in our mind-set to go get that win,” he said. “But playing at Ohio State for the most part, a lot of guys will be up and ready to go. It would be a huge win for our program.”
For the UA program, a win provides them a benefit-of-the-doubt card, meaning that if they are on the bubble for an NCAA bid in the near future, a definitive win over a Power 5 conference team would stand out on their resume.
“I view it as it could be a pretty big game for the program, really,” Johnson said prior to the team packing up for Columbus, “an opportunity to play against some good competition and prove that we belong there.”
Neither Johnson nor Kretzer, both Ohio natives, were on the Buckeyes’ recruiting radar, and they are split on whether playing them provides any incentive.
“Every game is important. It’s the NIT. It’s a pretty big tournament in its own right,” Johnson, a junior, said. “We shouldn’t need any extra incentive to go out there and play our best.”
Kretzer, a departing senior, could be looking at playing in his last game in a Zips uniform. He said he feels an obligation to get a win.
“It’s every kid’s dream from Ohio to go to Ohio State, play at the Schottenstein [Center] and beat them on their home court,” Kretzer said. “You ask anyone growing up, most of the time they’re Ohio State fans for the most part. They don’t get recruited by Ohio State. Guys take that as a chip on their shoulder and if they get to go there and get an opportunity to play, it’s definitely an added incentive to your mind-set.”
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at www.ohio.com/zips. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.