Nate UlrichAkron Beacon Journal
CLEVELAND — The Mid-American Conference Tournament will make or break what has sporadically had the look and feel of a special season for the University of Akron men's basketball team.
Led by senior forward and MAC Player of the Year Enrique Freeman, the Zips bounced back from shocking back-to-back losses to end the regular season and flipped the proverbial switch for the start of the conference tournament.
Second-seeded Akron defeated No. 7 Miami 75-63 on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The showdown between Akron (22-10) and Miami (15-17) was the third of four MAC quarterfinal games on Thursday. Upsets were the theme of the first two games. No. 8 Kent State beat No. 1 Toledo 67-59, and No. 5 Bowling Green defeated No. 4 Central Michigan 66-56.
But Akron would not be denied.
MAC Tournament column: Akron men's basketball coach John Groce wisely doubles down on trusting players
Who do the Akron Zips play next in the MAC Tournament?
Akron will play No. 3 Ohio (20-12) in a semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Ohio defeated No. 6 Western Michigan 82-55 in Thursday's MAC tourney nightcap.
In the regular season, Akron beat Ohio 67-58 on Jan. 23 at Rhodes Arena and lost 74-67 on Feb. 27 in Athens.
The title game between the winners of Akron versus Ohio and Kent State versus Bowling Green is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The champion will receive the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Enrique Freeman's stat line from MAC quarterfinals
Freeman finished with game highs in points (30) and rebounds (12) and shot 13-of-16 from the field. It was his 29th double-double this season. His play, on both ends, helped Akron to a 52-30 edge in points in the paint and a 44-28 rebounding advantage. Senior guard Ali Ali added 14 points for the Zips.
Senior center Anderson Mirambeaux led Miami with 17 points. Graduate-student wing Darweshi Hunter added 16 points for the RedHawks.
Akron shot 31-of-66 from the field (3-of-23 on 3-pointers). Miami shot 25-of-59 from the field (6-of-24 3 pointers).
Akron vs. Miami postgame reaction
- "Enrique is a stud": Freeman leads Zips past Miami in quarterfinals
- Method to madness: 'Lunatic' John Groce and Zips bounce back | Ulrich
Read on to see how the game unfolded:
Akron maintains control with less than five minutes remaining
A layup by Freeman gave Akron a 63-53 advantage with 6:23 left, and senior guard Greg Tribble's 3-pointer boosted the UA lead to 66-53 with 5:13 remaining.
When Miami called timeout with 4:26 left, Akron led 66-53.
MAC Player of the Year Enrique Freeman is carrying the Akron Zips vs. the Miami RedHawks
With 10:24 left, Freeman produced a three-point play with a layup and successful foul shot. The sequence bolstered Akron's lead to 59-49 and increased Freeman's scoring total to 26 points.
Akron led by the same score during a media timeout with 7:46 left.
Akron's Shammah Scott makes Zips' second 3-pointer of the game.
After Miami cut its deficit to eight points, Akron junior guard Shammah Scott boosted the Zips' lead back to 11 by making a 3-pointer with 12:26 remaining.
During a media timeout with 11:43 left, Akron led 56-45 and Freeman had a double-double in the books (23 points and 10 rebounds).
Akron leads Miami 53-39 with less than 16 minutes remaining
Freeman made a jump shot give Akron a 50-39 cushion with 16:09 left. After a timeout, Freeman extended the Zips' largest lead of the game to 53-39 with a three-point play with 15:44 remaining.
Freeman made 11 of his first 12 shots from the field.
More Akron Zips men's basketball: Enrique Freeman leads UA to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami
Akron begins second half with 9-2 run
Akron senior guard Greg Tribble made the Zips' first 3-pointer of the game with 18:32 left in the second half. UA had missed its first 11 3-point attempts.
Tribble's 3-pointer helped the Zips begin the second half with a 9-2 run. With 17:48 remaining, the Zips led the RedHawks 44-37 during the first timeout after halftime. UA extended its lead to 46-37 when Freeman made a dunk with 17:49 left.
Akron's run to begin the second half eventually extended to 16-4.
Below is some information about the first half.
Akron leads Miami 37-35 at halftime
Freeman made a dunk just before time expired in the first half to give Akron a 37-35 advantage at halftime.
In the first half, Freeman led the Zips with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. He also had eight rebounds. Ali added seven points in the first half.
Mirambeaux led the RedHawks with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field (2 of 4 on 3-pointers) before halftime. Hunter added nine points for Miami.
As a team, Akron went 17-of-37 shooting from the field in the first half. The Zips missed all 11 of their 3-point shots before halftime.
Miami shot 14 of 27 from the field in the first half. The RedHawks went 4 of 11 from 3-point range after making their first four 3s of the game.
Akron regains lead vs. Miami after trailing by as many nine points
Ali made a shot with 3:19 left in the first half to give Akron a 31-29 edge.
It was Akron's first lead since UA went ahead 7-6 with 17:03 left in the first half on an Ali layup. Miami led Akron by as many as nine points in the first half.
Akron's Shammah Scott ties score 29-29
Scott's layup tied the score 29-29 with 3:49 left in the first half. He was fouled during the play by freshman wing Eian Elmer.
Scott then missed a foul shot instead of completing a three-point play.
Akron's Greg Tribble involved in another physical play
Tribble was called for a foul as he blocked the shot of Miami freshman guard Evan Ipsaro with 6:25 left in the first half. Ipsaro made one of two foul shots to give Miami a 27-21 edge.
Tribble also picked up a foul while going for a loose ball early in the game, sending an opponent into a table on the sideline.
Akron rallies to cut Miami's lead to three points with eight minutes left in the first half
The Zips used a 10-4 run to cut the RedHawks' lead to 24-21 with eight minutes left in the first half.
Freeman scored four points during the UA run. He led the Zips with eight points when Miami called a timeout after his dunk had trimmed the RedHawks' advantage to three points.
Akron trails Miami 20-15 roughly midway through the first half
During the game's second media timeout with 11:15 left in the first half, Akron trailed Miami 20-15.
Akron started the game 0 of 8 on 3-pointers. On the other hand, Miami went 4 of 6 from beyond the arc to begin the game.
Miami uses barrage of 3-pointers to capture early lead vs. Akron
Miami made a 3-pointer on four consecutive possessions and led Akron 18-11 during the game's first media timeout with 13:48 remaining in the first half.
The RedHawks started the game 4 of 4 from 3-point range. Mirambeaux had two of those 3-pointers. Elmer and Hunter added one apiece.
Hustle and physicality evident early in Akron vs. Miami
Miami graduate-student forward Bryce Bultman barreled into a table on the sideline while pursuing a loose ball with 18:27 left in the first half.
During the play, Tribble committed the first foul of the game.
Below is some pregame information.
What is the history between the Akron Zips men's basketball team and the Miami RedHawks?
Akron now leads its all-time series with Miami 38-33, including 4-2 in the MAC Tournament. UA has won its last four tournament encounters with Miami (2009, '11, '19 and '24).
Akron lost its only regular-season meeting with Miami this season. The Zips fell 70-68 on Jan. 27 at the RedHawks. It was UA's first conference loss this season.
If you don't think bragging rights matter between these two teams, consider this: Miami's coach is Travis Steele, the half brother of Akron coach John Groce.
Oh, brother!: Akron's John Groce coaching again versus a familiar counterpart, Miami of Ohio's Travis Steele
What is the history of the University of Akron men's basketball team in the MAC Tournament?
Akron has won the MAC Tournament four times (2009, '11, '13 and '22).
UA's all-time record in the MAC tourney is now 36-21. The Zips have captured at least one conference tournament victory in every season since 2004-05.
Miami is 41-38 in the MAC Tournament and has seized the tourney title four times (1984, '92, '97 and '07).
MAC Men's Basketball Tournament: 'Super hungry and energized' Akron Zips turn focus to tournament time
How did Akron and the Miami RedHawks men's basketball team end the 2023-24 regular season?
Akron controlled its own destiny down the stretch in the race for the MAC regular-season title, but the Zips slipped to second place with upset losses at home to Eastern Michigan and on the road against Western Michigan.
Meanwhile, Miami also lost its final two regular-season games. It was defeated at home by MAC regular-season champion Toledo and Ohio.
Akron Zips men's basketball news: Senior forward Enrique Freeman adds MAC Player of the Year to his legacy
How can I watch, stream or listen to the Akron vs. Miami men's basketball game in MAC Tournament?
The game was televised on ESPN+. It was broadcast locally on the Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO (640-AM).
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
