The University of Akron men's basketball team is taking a "shock the world" mantra to West Lafayette, Indiana, on Nov. 16 when it meets Purdue at 7:30 p.m. at Mackey Arena.
Purdue is ranked No. 1 in the country in the Division I coaches poll and No. 2 in the Associated Press poll. Houston is No. 1 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the coaches poll.
"We are excited for Sunday," Akron senior guard Tavari Johnson said Nov. 12 after a 109-51 win over Penn State Shenango. "Obviously, we are the underdog, but we are going to prepare a lot to get ready for that game and will be ready to give them our best shot."
Akron (3-0) has wins over James Madison (85-71) , Princeton (104-69) and Penn State Shenango (109-51) .
Purdue (3-0) has beaten Evansville (82-51), Oakland in Michigan (87-77) and Alabama (87-80).
"It is a great opportunity to go in there and play at Purdue," Akron senior wing Evan Mahaffey said . "It is going to be a great atmosphere, but I think it is also a great opportunity for our team to put the world on notice about where we are coming from this year.
"It is loud. It is loud for sure. They are going to have a lot of fans there. It is going to be a really good crowd and they are going to play really hard, too. They are a really good team. That is why they are No. 1/No. 2 in the country. They are going to be really disciplined, but I think if we go in there and play hard, we definitely can shock the world."
Mahaffey played seven scoreless minutes and blocked a shot in a reserve role earlier this calendar year for Ohio State when the Buckeyes went into West Lafayette and defeated Purdue 73-70 on Jan. 21.
"It is definitely a very tough place to win at," Mahaffey said. "Purdue is always a really good team. They are coached really well. It is definitely going to take a full team effort. We have to definitely put our best foot forward to go into their place and win. Like I said, their crowd is always insane and their team is also really good. With winning there last year, it really was a full team effort. Everyone was really locked into the game plan, and I think that is what this team can do."
Mahaffey is a first-year starter at Akron along with his brother, redshirt freshman guard Eric Mahaffey. Johnson is a returning starter for the Zips, and senior guard Shammah Scott and senior forward Amani Lyles have stepped into starting roles.
Lyles leads Akron with 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Scott is averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 assists, Johnson is averaging 13.3 points and 5.0 assists and Evan Mahaffey is averaging 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Akron's other key scorers are sophomore guard Sharron Young (9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds), senior guard Bowen Hardman (8.7 points), Eric Mahaffey (7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds) and redshirt sophomore Marvin Musiime-Kamali (5.7 points, 5.0 rebounds).
Akron coach John Groce said his players will "be ready to compete when that ball tips at 7:30."
"It is a great opportunity," Groce said. "They have been ranked No. 1 in the country for a lot of the preseason and the beginning of the season here. I follow them and watch them. There is a relationship with [Purdue coach] Matt [Painter]. He does a great job. He is a terrific coach. They have got really good players. They have got a great scheme. They are really good. They have got size, shooting, they are skilled, smart and tough. They kind of take on his disposition. It will be a great challenge. We are looking forward to it."
Purdue is led by senior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (19.0 points, 15.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists), senior guard Braden Smith (18.3 points, 8.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds) and senior guard Fletcher Loyer (17.3 points).
Purdue's other top scorers are senior center Oscar Cluff (10.7 points, 10.0 rebounds), freshman guard Jack Benter (7.3 points), sophomore center Daniel Jacobsen (7.3 points), senior forward Liam Murphy (7.0 points) and sophomore guard C.J. Cox (5.7 points).
"We got to go out and execute and do what we do," Groce said. "... They run a lot of things with a lot of counters. They run them with great pace, great timing, great screening, great cutting and with a lot of purpose, which usually equals great offense, especially if you have really good players. They do a great job. I think certainly they are one of the better execution teams I have seen over the last several years. They are very precise with their offense. It will be a challenge to defend them."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips men's basketball to play No 1 ranked Purdue Boilermakers
