The Records:
This is the season opener for both squads. UC was 17-12 in 2002-03 and UA 14-14.
Akron Coach Dan Hipsher:
Is in his ninth season with the Zips and holds a 99-122 mark at the school. He is 225-167 in his 15th season as a head coach. He is joined on the team by his sons Andy (Sr.) and Bryan (So.-RS). He has coached the Zips to 17 or more wins three times in his eight seasons and five of his last six squads have finished .500 or better in Mid-American Conference play. He is 0-1 versus UC.
Cincinnati Coach Bob Huggins:
Is in his 15th year at the helm of UC, holding a 349-112 mark in that time. In 23 years as a head coach he owns a 517-184 mark. He is the nation's sixth-winningest active coach and is listed 13th in victories. He has led the Bearcats to 12 straight NCAA appearances. He is 1-0 all-time versus Akron.
The Series:
Saturday's contest is the 19th between the two schools on the hardwood. UC leads the series 10-8, which began in 1914-15 and has been played sporadically. The Bearcats won the last meeting 73-57 (Dec. 29, 2001) at the Rock-N-Roll Shootout at Gund Arena in Cleveland. Cincinnati was ranked 17th in the AP poll at that time.
Zips Open Campaign at Top-25 Cincinnati...
The University of Akron men's basketball team, which garnered votes in the ESPN/USA Today Preseason Top 25 poll, opens the 2003-04 regular season Saturday, when it travels to No. 18 Associated Press/No. 19 ESPN/USA Today ranked Cincinnati. The contest is scheduled to tip-off at 7:05 p.m. EST at UC's Fifth-Third Arena (formerly Shoemaker Center), and will be televised in Cincinnati only on WXIX-TV 19.
Saturday's game can be heard on FOX Sports/WTOU 1350 AM in Akron, WHK (1220 AM) in Cleveland and WHKW (1440 AM) in Warren/Youngstown beginning one half hour prior to game time with the GIANT EAGLE countdown to tip-off pregame show.
Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
* Senior guards Derrick Tarver (20.6 ppg) and Johnny Hollingsworth (17.4 ppg) are the Mid-American Conference's top-two returning scorers. Tarver's 20.6 ppg ranks 12th nationally among returning players. Hollingsworth was the only player to rank in the top 10 in the MAC in scoring, assists (4.1) and steals (2.2) last season, and is a candidate for league player of the year.
* 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).
* Tarver and Hollingsworth's 38.1 ppg figure made them the second-best scoring duo in the MAC last season behind Central Michigan's Chris Kaman and Mike Manciel, who combined for 38.3 ppg.
* Tarver and Hollingsworth were both named to the All-MAC East Division Preseason Team after being second team and honorable mention picks, respectively, last season.
* Senior Andy Hipsher (Dan's eldest son) is 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.
* Akron received preseason votes for the first time in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll. The only other time the Zips have earned votes was in the final rankings of the 1985-86 season when the school won the Ohio Valley Conference. That squad was coached by Bob Huggins.
* Akron has received attention in several other preseason polls, being ranked 24th in the CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll and sixth in the ESPN.com Mid-major Top 10.
* League media members picked the Zips to finish second the MAC's East Division behind Miami (Ohio). UA received 17 first-place votes and Miami 21.
* Freshmen Dru Joyce III (guard) and Romeo Travis (forward) come to UA from Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High and were teammates of NBA Cavs' rookie LeBron James. Zips assistant coach Keith Dambrot coached Joyce, Travis and James for two seasons at the high school before joining Dan Hipsher's UA staff three years ago.
* Head coach Dan Hipsher is looking for his 100th win with at the helm of the Zips. He has compiled a 99-122 mark in eight seasons at the school.
* UA returns all five starters and nine of 12 letterwinners from last year's squad that posted a 14-14 overall mark and a 9-9 record in MAC play.
* Akron finished the 2002-03 season ranked 10th in the country in field-goal percentage (48.7 percent) and 24th nationally in scoring offense (78.6 ppg). Those numbers ranked the Zips third in scoring offense and second in field-goal percentage in the MAC.
* 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.
* Akron shot better than 50 percent in four of its last six and eight of its last 12 contests last season, holding a 12-2 record on the year when shooting 50 percent or better. Included in that span were back-to-back 59.6 percent performances at Central Michigan (Feb. 25) and at Kent State (Mar. 1).
Queen City Connections...
This weekend's trip to Cincinnati serves as a homecoming of sorts for a pair of Zips.
* UA junior forward Darryl Peterson played at Western Hills HS. Peterson is currently battling a back injury, and is not expected to see court time Saturday.
* Johnny Hollingsworth is a also a native of Cincinnati, but prepped at George Junior Republic High in Grove City, Pa. He played AAU basketball with Peterson in Cincinnati.
By Way of Akron...
Saturday's game will match UC head coach Bob Huggins with the school he coached prior to his tenure with the Bearcats. Huggins compiled a 97-46 record (1985-89) at Akron and was one of the school's most successful coaches, leading the Zips to an NCAA tournament appearance in 1986 and to the NIT in 1987 and 1989. The 97 wins rank fifth all-time on the school chart.
Akron in Openers...
* Akron has won its season opener in three of the last four seasons, bucking the trend last year at Wright State. The Raiders defeated the Zips, 78-75 on a half-court bank shot as time expired in regulation.
* The Zips are 64-34 all-time in lidlifters and 13-27 when opening on the road. Saturday marks the fourth consecutive season the program has opened the regular season with an away contest.
* Dan Hipsher is 3-5 in openers in eight seasons at UA.
* Saturday marks the second time the Zips have opened the season against a top-25 team. The 1981-82 campaign got underway with a trip to second-ranked Kentucky.
Akron vs. the Top 25...
Cincinnati serves as the 15th top-25 ranked opponent in Akron history. 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.
Noting Akron's Preseason Play...
Akron won both of its preseason exhibition contests this season, disposing of the Northwest Sports All-Stars 83-73 on Nov. 10 and Division III College of Wooster 95-60 on Nov. 17.
* UA dominated two key hustle board statistics, recording a combined 82-50 edge in points-in-the-paint, and a 49-21 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
* The Zips shot 56.0 percent (65-of-116) from the floor and 76.9 percent (40-of-52) from the line in the two contests.
* Three players averaged double figures in points (Derrick Tarver - 22.0, Nick Meyers - 10.0, Romeo Travis - 10.0). Travis sat out the exhibition opener due to a concussion suffered in practice, but started against Wooster.
* One of the key statistics in exhibition play was bench scoring - an area that lacked in 2002-03. The Zips' scoring attack in preseason play was balanced between its starters, who scored a combined 88 points, and the bench's 90 points. Forty-two of UA's 95 points against Wooster and 48 of 83 against Northwest Sports came from the bench.
* Another telling statistic, in terms of depth, came courtesy of Johnny Hollingsworth in the exhibition opener against Northwest Sports. The point guard went 1-for-6 from the field, had four assists and three turnovers - a stat line that would have ment trouble last season. However, UA still shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) and got a decisive victory thanks to a 21 points, 13 assists, one turnover combined stat line from Andy and Bryan Hipsher and Dru Joyce III. Andy had nine of those assists and the turnover, and Joyce 12 of those points.
* Joyce's performance helped him earn a spot as backup point guard as opposed to using his redshirt season.
Series Business...
Cincinnati leads the series 10-8, and has won the last six meetings. The series dates back to the 1914-15 season.
The Series Year-By-Year
1914-15 (Away) 34-16 UC
1920-21 (Away) 24-19 Akron
1921-22 (Home) 29-27 UC
1922-23 (Home) 33-20 Akron
1923-24 (Away) 29-25 Akron
1924-25 (Home) 26-12 Akron
1925-26 (Away) 28-16 UC
1939-40 (Home) 48-31 UC
1940-41 (Away) 28-25 Akron
1941-42 (Home) 42-32 Akron
1942-43 (Away) 43-35 Akron
1943-44 (Home) 66-38 Akron
1945-46 (Away) 58-40 UC
1946-47 (Home) 57-47 UC
1976-77 (Away) 95-59 UC
1977-78 (Away) 91-81 UC
1982-83 (Away) 76-66 UC
2001-02 (Neutral)* 73-57 UC
*-Rock-N-Roll Shootout (Gund Arena, Cleveland)
Tale Of The Tape...
