N. Carolina game notes from gozips.com
* At 3-1, Akron is off to its best start since the 1999-2000 season. That year the Zips also opened the campaign with a 3-1 mark, however, all three of those victories came at home while two of this year's wins have come in road tilts.
* Sunday's contest is the fourth in five games on the road for Akron. Five of UA's first seven games this season are on the road.
* Akron last competed on Dec. 6. The seven-day layover is the second longest of the season for the Zips. This past week was finals week at Akron.
* The Tar Heels are the Zips' second top-25 opponent this season. UA opened the season (Nov. 22) at then No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP Cincinnati. Akron lost that contest, 88-66. (more page 2)
* Derrick Tarver's 24.8 ppg ranks first in the Mid-American Conference and sixth nationally. He is the Mid-American Conference's reigning East Division Player of the Week.
* Freshman forward Jeremiah Wood is the Zips' leading rebounder (8.3 rpg) and ranks third in the MAC. He is averaging just shy of a double-double (12.3 ppg).
* Freshman point guard Dru Joyce III has started in each of the Zips last three games. He and fellow freshman Romeo Travis (forward) are graduates of Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary HS and were teammates of NBA rookie LeBron James.
* Akron ranks 16th in the country in field-goal percentage (50.5 percent). That number is tops in the MAC. Akron's 78.2 points-per-game ranks second in the league. The Zips finished last season ranked 10th nationally in FG% (48.7 percent) and 24th in the country in scoring offense (78.6 ppg).
* Senior point guard Johnny Hollingsworth, a candidate for the MAC Player-of-the-Year Award, was the only player to rank among the top 10 in the MAC in steals (2.2/3rd), assists (4.1/5th), and scoring (17.4/7th) last season. He has played in just two games thus far (at Cincinnati (Nov. 22)/vs. James Madison) due to personal reasons.
James Madison Postgame Notes
* Tarver and Hollingsworth combined to average 38.1 ppg last season. That figure makes them the nation's second-best returning backcourt (Oakland's Helms and Marshall - 45.0) (more page 3) James Madison Postgame Notes...
* UA converted 13-of-16 free throws in the final three minutes of play and the Zips, who led throughout, defeated JMU, 78-70.
* The Zips shot 14 free throws and attempted just one field goal over the final 1:53 of the game.
* UA shot 62 percent in the first half (13-of-21) but saw that number dip to 32 percent (7-of-22) in the second period It shot 47 percent for the night.
* The Blue and Gold went to the line a season-high 45 times, converting 32 (71 percent).
* Derrick Tarver and Jeremiah Wood led the Zips in scoring, with 18 points each.
* UA's Andy Hipsher added 15 points to the final tally, scoring his 1,000th career point in the second half.
* The win evened the all-time series between the schools at 1-1.
* JMU's Dwayne Broyles, a native of Canton, Ohio, led all scorers with 24 points and had eight boards. All of his points came in the second half.
North Carolina Connections...
* Tar Heels junior forward Jawad Williams hails from Cleveland (about a 40 minute drive north from Akron), where he attended St. Edwards High School. Williams made a homecoming of sorts on Nov. 29 when UNC faced Cleveland State. Akron plays at CSU on Dec. 20.
* One of Akron's all-time leading scorers, Fritz Nagy (compiled 1,258 points from 1944-47) was briefly a Tar Heel. Nagy lettered at UNC in 1943. He is one of six UA athletes to have their jersey retired (he wore No. 13).
Akron Vs. The Top 25...
* North Carolina serves as the 16th top-25 ranked opponent for Akron since the school became Division I in the 1980-81 season. The Zips have never defeated a top-25 foe, but gave No. 19 Xavier a 113-111 triple-overtime scare on Dec. 21, 1996 at UA's Rhodes Arena.
* This is the fourth time the Zips have faced a pair of top-25 teams in the same season. UA lost at Cincinnati (88-66) on Nov. 22, in what was the season opener for both schools.
On The Line...
* An Akron win would improve the Zips to 4-1 and make this the school's best start since the 1998-99 season, when it opened the campaign 6-1.
* An Akron victory would be its first over a top-25 ranked program in school history, and first over an ACC foe.
* An Akron victory would be its fourth straight. (Last time that occurred was last season: Ohio [Feb. 23], at Central Michigan [Feb. 25], at Kent St. [Mar. 1], Marshall [Mar. 5]). It would also be UA's fourth-straight over a non-conference foe. The last time that happened was during the 1998-99 season: (Florida Intl. [Nov. 23], at Western Ky. [Nov. 25], at Duquesne [Nov. 28] and at Wooster [Dec. 8]).
* An Akron win would be its third-straight on the road over a non-conference opponent. The Western Ky., Duquesne and Wooster swing is also the last time that happened.
Tale Of The Tape...
Category UA (3-1) UNC (5-0)
Scoring 313 466
PPG 78.2 93.2
Scoring Margin +2.5 +19.2
Field Goal Attempts 96-190 167-320
Field Goal Pct. .505 .522
3PT FG Attempts 20-58 25-71
3PT FG Pct. .345 .352
3PT FG MPG 5.0 5.0
Free Throw Pct. .716 .699
Rebounds/RPG 166/41.5 199/39.8
Rebound Margin +10.3 +4.4
Assists/APG 57/14.3 106/21.2
Turnovers/TPG 87/21.8 71/14.2
TO Margin -9.7 +6.4
Assist/TO ratio 0.7 1.5
Steals/SPG 25/6.3 47/9.4
Blocks/BPG 10/2.5 25/5.0
Zips Notes And Trends...
* Including top-25 ranked Cincinnati, Akron has outrebounded all four of its opponents this season. UA had a 37-33 edge over James Madison last Saturday, beat out Hampton (Dec. 1) 47-30, Radford (Nov. 29) 46-28 and Cincinnati (Nov. 22) 36-34. A sore spot last season, Akron outboarded its opponents just 10 times in 28 games.
* Akron has led at the half in its last two contests. The Zips are 2-0 when leading at the half and 1-1 when trailing at the intermission this season.
* Akron has dominated its foes this season when it comes to trips to the line, taking 141 free throws to its opponents 99. UA has connected on 101 of those attempts (71.6 percent). The Zips shot 73.0 percent from the line last season (fourth best in the MAC).
* Akron's 60.8 percent field-goal shooting performance over Hampton (Dec. 1) was its best since a 62.1 percent clip against Eastern Michigan last season (Feb. 1).
* Dating back to last season, UA has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last 10 games. Akron has hit that mark just twice this season (60.8 at Hampton (Dec. 1)/53.2 at Radford (Nov. 29). Last Saturday against James Madison, the Zips made 46.5 percent of its field goals.
* Measuring in at 5-foot-5, JC transfer guard Mario Collins in the shortest player in the MAC. Collins comes to UA from Kirtland Community College in Michigan where he averaged 3.6 spg (ninth in the nation) in 2001-02. He did not compete in basketball during the 2002-03 season in order to complete his associates degree.
* Measuring in at 7-foot-1, senior center Matt Seibert is the tallest player in the MAC. He has not seen action this season, and sat most of last year due to illness and injury.
* League media members picked the Zips to finish second in the MAC's East Division behind MIami (Ohio). UA received 17 first-place votes and Miami 21.
* Akron has posted a .500 or better record in MAC play in five of the last six seasons, and .500 or better marks overall in four of the last six campaigns.
The Old Stand By...
Senior forward Andy Hipsher is in his sixth season as a member of the Zips' roster (medical redshirt 2000-01), and is important to the squad's success this season.
* He became the 29th member of UA's 1,000-point scorers club last Saturday vs. James Madison. He has 1,010 career points, hitting that mark in 97 career games.
* He leads the squad in career starts (72) and consecutive starts (62).
* One of the MAC's best passing forwards, averaging 4.0 apg (eighth-best in MAC) last season. The only league forward to better that mark was Kent State's Antonio Gates (4.1 apg/sixth in MAC). Hipsher also led UA in rebounds (5.8 rpg) a season ago.
* Currently ranks second in rebounding (6.0) and third in scoring (11.5) on the team.
* Recorded his sixth career double-double (17 pts., 14 rebs.) at Hampton (Dec. 1).
* Underwent back surgery prior to 2001-02 season to fix a a pair of bulging discs, and played through discomfort from that ailment most of last season. Had a second back procedure (microdiscectomy) this fall.
The Tarver Factor...
A member of the All-MAC Preseason Team and recipient of numerous preseason publications honors, senior guard Derrick Tarver accounts for close to a third of UA's points this season. (Tarver 99 pts. - UA 313 pts.)
* At 3-1, Akron is off to its best start since the 1999-2000 season. That year the Zips also opened the campaign with a 3-1 mark, however, all three of those victories came at home while two of this year's wins have come in road tilts.
* Sunday's contest is the fourth in five games on the road for Akron. Five of UA's first seven games this season are on the road.
* Akron last competed on Dec. 6. The seven-day layover is the second longest of the season for the Zips. This past week was finals week at Akron.
* The Tar Heels are the Zips' second top-25 opponent this season. UA opened the season (Nov. 22) at then No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP Cincinnati. Akron lost that contest, 88-66. (more page 2)
* Derrick Tarver's 24.8 ppg ranks first in the Mid-American Conference and sixth nationally. He is the Mid-American Conference's reigning East Division Player of the Week.
* Freshman forward Jeremiah Wood is the Zips' leading rebounder (8.3 rpg) and ranks third in the MAC. He is averaging just shy of a double-double (12.3 ppg).
* Freshman point guard Dru Joyce III has started in each of the Zips last three games. He and fellow freshman Romeo Travis (forward) are graduates of Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary HS and were teammates of NBA rookie LeBron James.
* Akron ranks 16th in the country in field-goal percentage (50.5 percent). That number is tops in the MAC. Akron's 78.2 points-per-game ranks second in the league. The Zips finished last season ranked 10th nationally in FG% (48.7 percent) and 24th in the country in scoring offense (78.6 ppg).
* Senior point guard Johnny Hollingsworth, a candidate for the MAC Player-of-the-Year Award, was the only player to rank among the top 10 in the MAC in steals (2.2/3rd), assists (4.1/5th), and scoring (17.4/7th) last season. He has played in just two games thus far (at Cincinnati (Nov. 22)/vs. James Madison) due to personal reasons.
James Madison Postgame Notes
* Tarver and Hollingsworth combined to average 38.1 ppg last season. That figure makes them the nation's second-best returning backcourt (Oakland's Helms and Marshall - 45.0) (more page 3) James Madison Postgame Notes...
* UA converted 13-of-16 free throws in the final three minutes of play and the Zips, who led throughout, defeated JMU, 78-70.
* The Zips shot 14 free throws and attempted just one field goal over the final 1:53 of the game.
* UA shot 62 percent in the first half (13-of-21) but saw that number dip to 32 percent (7-of-22) in the second period It shot 47 percent for the night.
* The Blue and Gold went to the line a season-high 45 times, converting 32 (71 percent).
* Derrick Tarver and Jeremiah Wood led the Zips in scoring, with 18 points each.
* UA's Andy Hipsher added 15 points to the final tally, scoring his 1,000th career point in the second half.
* The win evened the all-time series between the schools at 1-1.
* JMU's Dwayne Broyles, a native of Canton, Ohio, led all scorers with 24 points and had eight boards. All of his points came in the second half.
North Carolina Connections...
* Tar Heels junior forward Jawad Williams hails from Cleveland (about a 40 minute drive north from Akron), where he attended St. Edwards High School. Williams made a homecoming of sorts on Nov. 29 when UNC faced Cleveland State. Akron plays at CSU on Dec. 20.
* One of Akron's all-time leading scorers, Fritz Nagy (compiled 1,258 points from 1944-47) was briefly a Tar Heel. Nagy lettered at UNC in 1943. He is one of six UA athletes to have their jersey retired (he wore No. 13).
Akron Vs. The Top 25...
* North Carolina serves as the 16th top-25 ranked opponent for Akron since the school became Division I in the 1980-81 season. The Zips have never defeated a top-25 foe, but gave No. 19 Xavier a 113-111 triple-overtime scare on Dec. 21, 1996 at UA's Rhodes Arena.
* This is the fourth time the Zips have faced a pair of top-25 teams in the same season. UA lost at Cincinnati (88-66) on Nov. 22, in what was the season opener for both schools.
On The Line...
* An Akron win would improve the Zips to 4-1 and make this the school's best start since the 1998-99 season, when it opened the campaign 6-1.
* An Akron victory would be its first over a top-25 ranked program in school history, and first over an ACC foe.
* An Akron victory would be its fourth straight. (Last time that occurred was last season: Ohio [Feb. 23], at Central Michigan [Feb. 25], at Kent St. [Mar. 1], Marshall [Mar. 5]). It would also be UA's fourth-straight over a non-conference foe. The last time that happened was during the 1998-99 season: (Florida Intl. [Nov. 23], at Western Ky. [Nov. 25], at Duquesne [Nov. 28] and at Wooster [Dec. 8]).
* An Akron win would be its third-straight on the road over a non-conference opponent. The Western Ky., Duquesne and Wooster swing is also the last time that happened.
Tale Of The Tape...
Category UA (3-1) UNC (5-0)
Scoring 313 466
PPG 78.2 93.2
Scoring Margin +2.5 +19.2
Field Goal Attempts 96-190 167-320
Field Goal Pct. .505 .522
3PT FG Attempts 20-58 25-71
3PT FG Pct. .345 .352
3PT FG MPG 5.0 5.0
Free Throw Pct. .716 .699
Rebounds/RPG 166/41.5 199/39.8
Rebound Margin +10.3 +4.4
Assists/APG 57/14.3 106/21.2
Turnovers/TPG 87/21.8 71/14.2
TO Margin -9.7 +6.4
Assist/TO ratio 0.7 1.5
Steals/SPG 25/6.3 47/9.4
Blocks/BPG 10/2.5 25/5.0
Zips Notes And Trends...
* Including top-25 ranked Cincinnati, Akron has outrebounded all four of its opponents this season. UA had a 37-33 edge over James Madison last Saturday, beat out Hampton (Dec. 1) 47-30, Radford (Nov. 29) 46-28 and Cincinnati (Nov. 22) 36-34. A sore spot last season, Akron outboarded its opponents just 10 times in 28 games.
* Akron has led at the half in its last two contests. The Zips are 2-0 when leading at the half and 1-1 when trailing at the intermission this season.
* Akron has dominated its foes this season when it comes to trips to the line, taking 141 free throws to its opponents 99. UA has connected on 101 of those attempts (71.6 percent). The Zips shot 73.0 percent from the line last season (fourth best in the MAC).
* Akron's 60.8 percent field-goal shooting performance over Hampton (Dec. 1) was its best since a 62.1 percent clip against Eastern Michigan last season (Feb. 1).
* Dating back to last season, UA has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last 10 games. Akron has hit that mark just twice this season (60.8 at Hampton (Dec. 1)/53.2 at Radford (Nov. 29). Last Saturday against James Madison, the Zips made 46.5 percent of its field goals.
* Measuring in at 5-foot-5, JC transfer guard Mario Collins in the shortest player in the MAC. Collins comes to UA from Kirtland Community College in Michigan where he averaged 3.6 spg (ninth in the nation) in 2001-02. He did not compete in basketball during the 2002-03 season in order to complete his associates degree.
* Measuring in at 7-foot-1, senior center Matt Seibert is the tallest player in the MAC. He has not seen action this season, and sat most of last year due to illness and injury.
* League media members picked the Zips to finish second in the MAC's East Division behind MIami (Ohio). UA received 17 first-place votes and Miami 21.
* Akron has posted a .500 or better record in MAC play in five of the last six seasons, and .500 or better marks overall in four of the last six campaigns.
The Old Stand By...
Senior forward Andy Hipsher is in his sixth season as a member of the Zips' roster (medical redshirt 2000-01), and is important to the squad's success this season.
* He became the 29th member of UA's 1,000-point scorers club last Saturday vs. James Madison. He has 1,010 career points, hitting that mark in 97 career games.
* He leads the squad in career starts (72) and consecutive starts (62).
* One of the MAC's best passing forwards, averaging 4.0 apg (eighth-best in MAC) last season. The only league forward to better that mark was Kent State's Antonio Gates (4.1 apg/sixth in MAC). Hipsher also led UA in rebounds (5.8 rpg) a season ago.
* Currently ranks second in rebounding (6.0) and third in scoring (11.5) on the team.
* Recorded his sixth career double-double (17 pts., 14 rebs.) at Hampton (Dec. 1).
* Underwent back surgery prior to 2001-02 season to fix a a pair of bulging discs, and played through discomfort from that ailment most of last season. Had a second back procedure (microdiscectomy) this fall.
The Tarver Factor...
A member of the All-MAC Preseason Team and recipient of numerous preseason publications honors, senior guard Derrick Tarver accounts for close to a third of UA's points this season. (Tarver 99 pts. - UA 313 pts.)
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