Zips season over, but look ahead

Men's basketball

I strongly believe that if this game were played in Akron, the Zips would win. Heck, if you gave the Zips another day or two off, they would win.

Tonight, they couldn't rebound. They couldn't play man-to-man defense. They couldn't shoot. All of those are symptoms of fatigue. Flying across the country and playing two games in two nights will cause plenty of it. Anyone who says Keith Dambrot is a bad coach deserves a Matt Futch elbow to the face.

This may be a let-down for some of you. Don't let it be one. Akron will come back much stronger next season. Jeremiah Wood and Jimmy Conyers will bolster the starting lineup. Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis will four-year starters. Nate Linhart and Cedrick Middleton had great seasons, considering their age. And who knows about these recruits?

The men's basketball and football seasons ended in similar fashion. Both teams lost games they probably should have lost to end the season. Both teams were coming off big wins. Both teams accomplished feats not seed in decades at Akron. And both teams should completely eclipse their predecessors.

Despite the loss to Creighton, the state of the Zips is strong.