The Zips received the No. 13 seed in the East Region and will battle the fourth-seeded Wildcats Friday in Seattle.
John Groce’s Zips are headed west for their next “Big Dance.”
Akron has an upcoming game against Arizona on Friday in Seattle for the NCAA Tournament. Following their impressive comeback victory in the Mid-American Conference men’s basketball tournament finals on Saturday night, the Zips secured the 13th seed in the East Region. This marks Akron’s third appearance in March Madness within the last four years.
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This season, Akron achieved a program milestone by clinching 28 wins, dominating the MAC regular-season title by a margin of three games. The team continued their success by sweeping through the conference tournament held in Cleveland. In a thrilling championship game, the Zips managed to erase an 18-point deficit and clinch a 76-74 victory against Miami of Ohio with Nate Johnson’s clutch layup in the final moments.
Since transitioning to Division I in 1980, Akron has participated in the NCAA Tournament six times in the past but has never secured a win in the first round. The team’s most recent appearance occurred just last year, resulting in a defeat against 3-seed Creighton in the round of 64.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats sport a 22-12 record after losing in Sunday’s Big 12 title game, and are led by senior guard and former North Carolina transfer Caleb Love (16.6 points per game). Arizona has been one of college basketball’s preeminent programs over the last four decades, making the tournament in all but four years since 1985. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Zips and Wildcats.
A tipoff time for Friday’s game has not been announced. The winner will face either fifth-seeded Oregon or 12-seed Liberty in Sunday’s second round.
