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March Madness: 5 things from Akron's NCAA Tournament press conference before Creighton game
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- March Madness: 5 things from Akron's NCAA Tournament press conference before Creighton game
PITTSBURGH — The day before March Madness officially starts can always be a mixed bag when it comes to news conferences.
The University of Akron men's basketball team and Creighton engaged its audience in a wide-ranging array of topics.
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Here are five things that came out of what was a wild 90-minute ride inside PPG Paints Arena before the first-round Midwest Region game pitting the third-seeded Bluejays (23-9) and 14th-seeded Zips (24-10).
1. Akron coach John Groce: It's time to leave Kent State's Julius Rollins alone
A lot has been made of Kent State guard Julius Rollins' foul in the final seconds of the Mid-American Conference Tournament that sent Akron guard Greg Tribble to the foul line for the game-winning free throws in a 62-61 championship win over the Golden Flashes .
Groce set the record straight and said it's about time to give Rollins the out he deserves.
Akron's Greg Tribble (2) celebrates after the Zips defeated Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday in Cleveland.
"I'm glad you brought that up because there's been obviously a lot of attention on that," Groce said. "And I don't think anyone would debate like, hey, the foul or whatever, right? They'd like to have that back or whatever. But, I mean, some people give me the impression they're clairvoyant, like they know what would have happened in the next six seconds. That's impressive, because when he (Tribble) caught the ball it was going to be five on four.
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"How do you know that we don't score that way? Maybe. Maybe not. How do you know we don't call timeout when the ball gets in the frontcourt? There's two seconds to go and we have two or three side-out specials and we don't score on one of those? How do you know that? Maybe. Maybe not.
"I think the criticism that he's gotten publicly, whether it's through media, social media, whatever that is, I'm not sure that's real fair. Obviously, you'd like to have it back. There's no dispute, you know, hey, whatever you want to call it, silly foul, whether they would make that. I get that. But to pinpoint that as the story or the reason, I mean, I don't know if that's fair to him, to them and I don't know if it's fair to our guys."
2. Akron coach John Groce pumped for former Zips coach current Duquesne mentor Keith Dambrot
With Duquesne in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977, an obvious question was raised about Keith Dambrot , who coached at Akron from 2004-17 before moving on to the Dukes.
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Groce beamed with pride over what Dambrot has done at Duquesne in his last season with the Dukes.
"I've got great respect for Keith," Groce said. "I tell people all the time one of the reasons I was attracted to the Akron job back in 2017 had a lot to do with the success that he had had over a long period of time, a lot of great battles.
"We had hired a couple support staff positions when I was at Illinois based on his recommendation, people that had been at Akron. Great respect for him as a coach, person. We communicate through texts primarily. We'll talk as well. But, you know, Keith is a huge part of Akron — you know, the city, the university, what he did there. You know, he's one of ours. We're excited for him and his team and what they've done this year, their opportunity in the tournament, and very thankful for what he means to Akron basketball and our program and always will."
Akron coach John Groce watches his players work on free throws during an open practice Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena in preparation for the Zips' first-round NCAA Tournament game against Creighton on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
3. Akron isn't going to sweat the talk of NCAA Tournament expansion
Groce isn't saying stop the March Madness, he's just saying it's not on his mind right now.
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Talk has heated up about bumping the field up from 68 like it did in 2011 to an even bigger field down the road.
The way Groce sees it, if it's not happening in the here and now, there's no reason to give it a second thought.
Akron's Enrique Freeman (25) stretches under the bright lights of PPG Paints Arena during an open practice Wednesday in preparation for the Zips' first-round NCAA Tournament game against Creighton on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
"You mentioned the word hope," Groce said. "I think that's appropriate. Obviously, we hope that for sure, and you know what's interesting? I've gotten to the point when I was younger, I worried more about maybe that stuff. Obviously, my antenna is up. I want to be educated. I want to know what's going on.
"Our athletic director does a good job of filling me in on all that. … But I've almost gotten to the point as I've gotten older that I don't know if I can really control that. Conference realignment, who's going where — like, just coach your team, man. I keep telling myself that, my internal voice. Obviously, we're hopeful that occurs with all the change. I think about all the change that's happened from when I started until now over this 30-year window. … You either improvise, adapt and overcome — the Marines' slogan, mantra — or you're going to get trampled."
Akron players practice at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday in preparation for the Zips' first-round NCAA Tournament game against Creighton on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
4. Is there an advantage to playing at PPG Paints Arena for Akron men's basketball?
Zips guard Greg Tribble seems to think so, and he may be right.
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It's a 913-mile trek from Creighton to Pittsburgh, but only a 110-mile trip from the University of Akron to the Steel City.
Akron certainly hopes that means something when the two hit the court Thursday afternoon.
"I feel like it's a big advantage," Tribble said. "Obviously, we've got a lot of Zips Nation fans coming to the game, man.
"That obviously can fuel a run and intensity. We feed off the crowd so, yeah, I feel like it's a huge advantage for us to have our fans so close in coming to the game."
Akron coach John Groce gathers his players for a huddle at center court after an open practice Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena in preparation for the Zips' first-round NCAA Tournament game against Creighton on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
5. John Groce's NCAA Tournament history means next to nothing according to the Akron coach
Groce holds an NCAA Tournament win at Illinois in 2013 and three wins at Ohio University in 2010 and 2012.
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Three of those four wins came as a double-digit seed and he almost got a fourth with Akron two seasons ago against a UCLA that had everyone back from a Final Four run.
What does it mean?
"Obviously, those experiences, they are helpful from the standpoint that you've been there before and you can learn from those and apply them," Groce said. "But, at the end of the day, it's about competing against a really good Creighton team, and it's about the game tomorrow.
"You know what happened in 2010 or 2012 or 2022. Or, you know, those years, they're relevant from the standpoint of maybe routine and how you approach the week. But, in terms of the game tomorrow, they have nothing to do with the game tomorrow.
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"You have to play the game that's in front of you with a singular focus. I thought our guys did that over the weekend in the MAC Tournament, and it was a big reason why we had some success."
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron basketball 5 things from March Madness press conference
