MAC Wednesday

[hellah10]

Ok I usually have strong comebacks when I have a bad MAC day...which was my 0fer on Monday....lets get em!

Akron +11 at Toledo

Ball St -14.5 hosting Buffalo

Central Michigan +7.5 at Ohio

North Illinois +8.5 hosting Kent St

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Was looking at Bowling Green -22...but they have screwed me over and over and over this season. So I think I`ll stay away from that game, however, If I had to choose it would be Bowling Green laying the points.

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I also think that Northern Illinois is my best bet. I realize that Kent St is good, but Northern getting 8.5 at home is something I`ll take anyday. Rememeber now...Northern doesnt suck, and people maybe looking at Kent St now realizing that they are good and are jumping that bandwagon. Little do they know about the rebound power of Northern and Leon Rodgers is doing awesome avergaing 21 points per game AND 9 boards per game! Northern also has one of the most highest FG percentages in the MAC with 49%....up their with Ohio and BG. The only downfall of Northern is their shitttyyyyyy...and I meannn shitttyyy free throws. They are shooting a dead last in the MAC 66%. Horrible.

Kent really doesnt have any stats that stand out. They seem like an average basketball team on paper...but they can run up and down the court, which makes them so good. Trever Huffman is lighting up the MAC, in fact, he is really surprising me this season. I thought Kent St wouldnt finish no better then 5th...proved me wrong.

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I like Akron because Iam still a fan of Rashon Brown and his skills. HE could be one of the best guards in the MAC and deserves 1st team recoginition.

Now Toledo and Akron match-up VERY well. Both cant rebound for crap....both cant score for crap...AND both have underachieving players. Toledo is shooting 42% form the field while Akron is shooting 44%. Akron is shooting 75% from the line where as Toledo is shooting an uglyyy 67%. Thats almost worst then Northern. SICK!! And Toledo is one of the worst 3 point shooting teams in the MAC. I think 10 points is wayyyyyyyyyy too much to be laying for 2 teams that are almost identical. If anything, Akron is a tad bit better regardless of the record.

I mean Toledo isnt doing anything special. They are a young team that cant score. Keith Triplett (who I played against in high school) is finalllyyy proving himself worthy and is 2nd in the MAC in steals. Terry Reynolds seems to be the only Rocket scoring. Everytime I turn on "Rocket Replay" all the coaches do is talk about Terry Reynolds scoring. If Toledo wants to win, let alone cover, they are gonna have to involve Terry Reynolds, Keith Triplett, and Nick Moore in double figures.

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Ok....Again Iam going with Central Michigan. I dont know why I take them everytime, but I just do. I just think that David Webbers time will come where he will just light up the scoreboard. Now despite Hunter and Esterkamp playing very very well for Ohio, I dont think they will stop David Webber. If you cant tell, Iam high on Webber.

Big gaps between the 2 schools, Ohio shooting a MAC best 50% from the field while Central is shooting 46% <~~ not bad I guess. The charity stripe hasnt been friendly to Ohio, they are shooting only 67% from the line while Central is shooting 70%. could be the factor towards the end of the game. One thing that hurts for Central is Ohio's 3 point shooting. They are shooting 40 from downtown while Central is shooting a MAC worse, 30%!! BLAH!

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Iam going wiht Ball St tomorrow because every single tim eI go against them I lose....well not this time!! Iam taking them laying the points!

 

[spang]

:nono: Ok Hellah 10, I can't let you get away with using the term "half ass" in describing Rashon Brown. This kid busts his ass night in and night out for the Zips and does everything but the laundry for this team. Without Brown the Zips couldn't get the ball past mid court nor would they win a game vs. anybody in the MAC. He deserves first team all MAC status but probably won't get it due to the wealth of guards in the MAC. I certainly favor him over Webber, and also challenge anybody who watches a lot of MAC hoops and actually sees all the teams to tell me a player who is more valuable to their team than Brown is to the Zips.

Please read the this article from the Akron Beacon Journal from yesterday written by Terry Pluto.

Zips' Brown just exceptional to a fault
Senior guard worries about couple of mistakes, but co-captain plays a great game, as usual
By Terry Pluto

How often do you hear this, a guy says, ``It's my fault.''

Just like that.

``I take the blame for this,'' he says.

And means every word.

The impressive young man doing the talking is Akron's Rashon Brown, still aching from making a couple of painful turnovers in the Zips' loss to Western Michigan last night at Rhodes Arena.

Brown had 32 points last night. He was on the court for 43 of a possible 45 minutes. He shot 13-of-16 from the field.

He played a great game.

But the only numbers that he cared about were those on the scoreboard: Western Michigan 94, Akron 89.

Overtime loss.

Brown talked about a bad pass, about having a ball stolen in the final minute of regulation, when Akron was trying to hang on to a two-point lead.

``I just didn't take care of the ball,'' Brown said. ``I was trying to do too much. I just made some bad decisions.''

He stared helplessly at his hands, wishing he could replay that last minute.

Listening to Brown, Zips teammate Andy Hipsher just kept shaking his head.

``There were a lot of mistakes in that game,'' Hipsher said. ``Those turnovers came at the end of regulation; we lost this game in overtime.''

A co-captain along with Brown, Hipsher just said, ``Rashon Brown played his butt off.''

It has been like that all season for Brown, the senior guard who is averaging 19 points in 12 Mid-American Conference games. He is quiet, sincere, hard-working, the kind of player who inspires Coach Dan Hipsher to gush.

Anyone who has been around the gruff Hipsher knows that compliments don't come easy or often from his lips. But even after a heart-wrenching overtime loss last night, Hipsher couldn't stop raving about Brown.

``Rashon has played as well for me as anyone has since I've been at Akron,'' said Hipsher, in his eighth season with the Zips.

``And Rashon has had to do it through a lot of garbage,'' Hipsher added.

He means Brown finding himself as the only experienced guard on the roster, after the Zips lost Andre Sims and Emmanuel Smith to academics.

And Hipsher means that Brown has to face defenses geared to stop him because the Zips' talent level is so thin.

He means that Brown not only has been able to handle Hipsher's demanding coaching style, but he has also bloomed under it.

``This is just an exceptional kid,'' he said. ``I never worry about Rashon. He takes care of business. The summer, he was in the gym every day. I mean it, every day. He worked to make himself a good player.''

Akron's 8-15 record (4-8 in the MAC) doesn't look like much, but it would be far worse without Brown. In a span of the past six games (four victories), Brown is scoring 25 per game.

Amazing for a wiry, 6-foot-1 guard whose game is speed, slicing through defenses and somehow dropping in layups off the backboard from strange angles.

Brown's nature is to be a team player, to pass first, to be the coach on the floor. But this year, he's had to score, and he's doing it.

He's a product of Cleveland Benedictine who spent the first two years of his career at Western Kentucky, then transferred to Akron. With the Zips last season, he averaged 12 points, but shot only 25 percent on 3-pointers. This season, he's a 45 percent shooter from long range.

``Rashon made himself a shooter,'' Hipsher said. ``It doesn't come natural to him. But he stayed in the gym and made it happen.''

Brown is almost having his senior season in secrecy. The Zips had only 2,050 fans in the stands last night, and they're averaging about 2,300 for the season.

The team has been ravaged by academic problems and injuries, the kind of things that can depress a senior as the losses pile up.

``It's sometimes been tough, but I love to play,'' he said. ``I'd lost my love for the game right before I transferred here. I got it back, and I really appreciate how Coach Hipsher has made me a better player.''

And he says those things not because they sound good, but because he means it.

There is nothing phony about Brown, who says he will graduate at the end of the summer with a business degree.

``And he should be proud of everything he's accomplished,'' Hipsher said. ``He's just a super kid.''


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On most nights I would jump on the Zips catching the 11 at Toledo. However, after going 45 minutes vs. WMU on monday and the bus trip to Toledo with just one day of rest the Zips will be a tired and probably uninspired group tonight. The Zips play hard and hustle, but that can not overcome fatigue and a lack of true talent beyond Brown. I'll pass on this one tonight.

Good luck

 

[hellah10]

Ohhh trust me...Iam a fan of Rashon Brown....I dont know what he does back home, you get more info being that you live in Akron. But both you and I know that he could be ALOT better!! HE has a nice stroke, get elevation, and is a leader. and IMO he DOES deserve 1st....but he just isnt putting up the numbers. I think he should have a good game tonight against a undersized Toledo team.

GL!

 

[hellah10]

I`ll edit out "half-ass" for ya

 

[Uncle Les]

I liked the Northern play before reading your thread but now i really like it since you are behind them. Keep up the good work in the MAC Hellah.

 

[hellah10]

excellent....we got some backers

Lets get em tonight!

:toast:

 

[hellah10]

Adding....

Adding....

Northern ML +350

 

[Valuist]

Hellah--

I see your on my Huskies again. Kent is very good, but 10 is alot to lay on the road in conference.

Be careful w/Ball State. The money move has gone on Buffalo. When there's been a line move of 1 pt or greater in Ball St games, the line move was right 9 times out of 12.

 

[hellah10]

Thank you for sharing your cappin knowledge and passing that along....its well appreciated. And it seems that everytime someone tries to tell me something I STILL go the other way....so I went ahead and hedged my bet with Ball St. It just seems that EVERY single time I bet against Ball St...I lose...its sick!

Thanks Valuist

 

[Valuist]

Hellah--

Good work w/Ball State. You outsmarted the line movers w/them.

 

[superbook]

Hellah -- 2-2 on a night where a lot of good cappers took the collar is all right.

Some good calls. Keep 'em coming.

 

[hellah10]

:nooo: Disappointed....I hate Kent St soooo much! Well 2-2 aint bad I guess....lets get em tomorrow...

 

[hellah10]

HAHAH Like I said...BG will always seem to screw me...I didnt play them but If I was to lay the points tonight I would of lost by 1 freaking point!

Unreal....my MAC home team theory is making more and more sense every time there is a MAC game. MAC teams on the road just SUCK!!!!!!!

 

[Valuist]

Hellah--

I had ATS numbers for MAC home teams in football and they covered around 56% of the time over a 6 year period. I know most of the teams bus, so it could make for rougher, more unpleasant road trips.

 

[hellah10]

speaking of NIU.....As I was driving to class this morning I saw a NIU bus at Savage Hall....I kinda wanted to blow it up, since they let one slip on their homefloor yesterday. But thats ok....I just kinda chuckled....lol

 

[Ndfan]

What do you think about Marshall -3. Like them a lot

 

[hellah10]

ohh hell yea...Marshall -3 is a real good bet. Marshall coming off that blow out loss at BG. My theory wil work...MAC teams on the road SUCK!