Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Akron takes control of the MAC with thrilling, OT win over Ohio

Akron Zeke Marshall

In what may end up going down as the best game that no one saw this season -- it did happen to coincide with the thrilling, 79-78 Georgetown win over UConn, which is a clear example of why college basketball is so irrevocably broken -- Akron somehow managed to outlast Ohio in overtime, 88-81, to take a two-game lead in the MAC standings and keep their slim bubble hopes alive.

The Zips scored the first nine points of the game and then watched as Ohio used a 34-7 run to open up a 34-16 lead late in the first half. After trimming the lead to 11 points at the half, Akron used a 19-4 run to open up the second half, and that’s when the fun started.

The Zips and the Bobcats are two very good basketball teams, and throughout the final 12 minutes of the game, everyone tuned in got a chance to see two mid-major heavyweights trade punches. Every time Akron pushed their lead to six or eight points, Ohio had an answer, whether it was a DJ Cooper three or a three-point play from Travis Wilkins. On the final possession of regulation, Walter Offutt missed a three that would have won the game, but Jon Smith was there for the tip-in as time expired, and we headed to overtime.

Akron pulled away in the extra period, which may actually have been the best case scenario for MAC fans.

The Zips still have an outside chance at earning an at-large bid. It’s a long shot, but it’s there. If they can make a run to the league’s tournament title game where they end up losing to Ohio, they’ll have a puncher’s chance at getting a bid. I’d love to see them in. With the size of their front line -- namely Zeke Marshall -- and the play of Alex Abreu at the point, Akron can pull off an upset on the nights that their threes go down.

Ohio isn’t getting an at-large bid. If the MAC wants two teams in the dance, this is what had to happen.

We’ll see how things play out, but the one thing that we can all agree on is that a rematch of Akron and Ohio with an NCAA tournament bid on the line would be a lot of fun.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.