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Akron men's basketball vs Central Michigan, what to know about Zips, Chipps
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- Akron men's basketball vs Central Michigan, what to know about Zips, Chipps
The University of Akron men's basketball team returns to Rhodes Arena on Jan. 6 in an unfamiliar position of looking up at four teams in the Mid-American Conference standings.
Miami and Buffalo are each 3-0 in the early portion of MAC play and Kent State and Toledo are both 2-0.
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Miami (15-0) also remained undefeated overall with a 76-73 win over Akron on Jan. 3 at Millett Hall in a matchup of head coaching brothers, with Travis Steele leading the RedHawks and John Groce piloting the Zips .
Here are five things to know before the 7 p.m. Jan. 6 tipoff between Akron (10-4, 1-1) and Central Michigan (4-11, 0-3).
Miami makes more 3-pointers, free throws to top Akron men's basketball
Akron held an edge over Miami in rebounds (37-36), assists (14-12), steals (11-6), points in the paint (38-18) and points from reserves (27-0), but lost. The teams each committed 15 turnovers.
Miami won with fewer fouls than Akron (22-13), and had an advantage in points from its starters (76-46), scoring from 3-point range (33-24) and scoring from the free-throw line (25-9).
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Miami forward Brant Byers, a RedHawks reserve last season, gave Akron fits with 26 points. He made 6 of 12 shots from the field, including 3 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 11 of 12 free throws.
Miami's other scorers were returning starters Eian Elmer (19 points, eight rebounds), Antwone Woolfolk (11 points) and Peter Suder (nine points, nine assists), and first-year starter Luke Skaljac (11 points).
Additionally, Miami won without starting guard Evan Ipsaro, who suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate knee ligament tear in a Dec. 22 win over Milligan.
"It's next man up," Steele said to the Cincinnati Enquirer after the game. "I thought our guys really responded well. ... I love winning this way for us. It was an ugly game at times offensively for us, but the teams that have the ability to win the conference tournament have to win a game like this."
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Akron defeated Miami last year 102-75 in the regular season and 76-74 in the MAC Tournament championship .
Miami is one of six undefeated teams in NCAA Division I men's basketball
Miami is one of six NCAA Division I men's basketball teams without a loss, joining Arizona, Iowa State, Michigan , Nebraska and Vanderbilt.
The RedHawks also extended their home winning streak to 23 games, tying a program record.
University of Akron coach John Groce encourages the Zips during a game against Central Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Akron.
Positives for Akron men's basketball from game vs. Miami
Akron guard Tavari Johnson continued to play like a MAC Player of the Year candidate and finished with 22 points, four assists and three steals against Miami. Johnson did struggle from 3-point range (2-of-8 shooting), but was 6 of 8 on 2-point shots and 4 of 4 on free throws.
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Akron also received solid performances from Amani Lyles (16 points, nine rebounds), Shammah Scott (15 points) and Eric Mahaffey (10 points, 13 rebounds, three assists).
Negatives for Akron men's basketball from game vs. Miami
Akron will seek to cut down its turnovers and shoot better from 3-point range against CMU.
Lyles made a critical turnover with 21 seconds remaining and the Zips trailing 72-70 when he tried to inbound the ball and accidentally stepped over the baseline.
Elmer and Byers each made two free throws in the final 19 seconds before Scott made a 3-pointer as time expired.
Akron's Tavari Johnson shoots a 3-pointer over Central Michigan's Cayden Vasko on Jan. 7, 2025, in Akron.
What to know about Central Michigan men's basketball
CMU has lost four games in a row and is 0-7 in away games. The Chippewas lost 74-73 to Northern Illinois, 80-64 to Ohio and 78-75 to Toledo in MAC play and have also lost to Marquette (85-71) and Wisconsin (88-61).
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CMU is led by coach Andy Bronkema, who was the Ferris State University coach from 2013-25 and led it to a 38-1 record and the NCAA Division II national title in 2018. He compiled a record of 278-105 in 12 seasons with nine NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.
The Chippewas' leading scorers are 7-foot center Nathan Claerbaut (12.8 points), Tamario Adley (10.6) and Durral "Phat Phat" Brooks (9.7).
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron vs Central Michigan men's basketball, 5 things to know
