The No. 13 seed Akron Zips travel to Seattle to face the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats at 7:35 p.m. ET Friday on TruTV. The Wildcats are heavy favorites to move onto the round of 32, but they’re up against one of the hottest teams in college basketball.Â
The Zips, led by their eight-year head coach John Groce, hope the third time’s the charm in the Groce era as they seek an upset win. They’ve won 21 of their last 22 games, dominating their conference. Their offense ranks eighth nationally, averaging 84.6 points per game. If Akron wants to pull off the upset, a lot must go right.
Here are three keys to the game to help the Zips’ chances at an upset.
Crowd the paint
The Zips are one of the smallest teams in the tournament, with no player taller than 6-foot-9. Their lack of size puts them at a natural disadvantage in the paint, and because of this, it is super important for the Zips to play excellent interior defense. Wildcat forwards Trey Townsend and Henri Veesaar will have a significant size advantage over the Zips’ interior defenders. The Zips need to reduce the number of easy buckets taken in the paint, force the ball outside and cause toughershots.
Arizona is not a great 3-point shooting team, averaging 32.4% from beyond the arc. Arizona’s star player, Caleb Love, has shot 20.8% from beyond the arc in his last six NCAA Tournament games. To pull off the upset, the Zips must get the ball out of the paint defensively and force tough 3-pointers, especially against Love.
Stay out of foul trouble
Akron cannot afford to have any players in foul trouble against the Wildcats. The lack of size for the Zips is already a strong hindrance, and one of their bigs getting into foul trouble would really amplify this issue. James Okonkwo and Amani Lyles tend to draw fouls due to their smaller size compared to their opponents, even in MAC play. Staying disciplined on the defensive end will help keep Lyles and Okonkwo out of foul trouble.
It’s also critical to avoid unforced fouls on the offensive end, such as moving screens or push-offs. Nate Johnson is another key player who must avoid foul trouble for the Zips. The MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year is Akron’s best all-around player. Arizona may attack him to try to get him into foul trouble and take the Zips’ best defender off the floor. If Groce’s team can stay out of foul trouble, their chance at an upset win is very real.
Keep shooting 3s
Groce loves to have his team take a high volume of 3s, almost as much as anyone in the nation. To beat the Wildcats, they must get hot from beyond the arc. The Zips have six players who average over 3.2 3-point attempts per game. They also have multiple players who can get hot from beyond the arc, with three different Zips making six 3-point attempts in a game: Tavari Johnson, Seth Wilson and Bowen Hardman.
Final Thoughts
The Zips are one of the most underrated mid-major teams in the tournament. Groce and his team are ready to win one in March. They have made it three of the past four seasons, and it is starting to feel like a win is overdue. If the Zips can lock down in the paint, stay out of foul trouble, and keep shooting 3s, they can beat the Wildcats.
