2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team represents the University of Akron during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The Zips, led by eighth-year head coach John Groce , play their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference .
Previous season
The Zips finished the 2023–24 season 21–10, 13–5 in MAC play to finish in a tie for second place.[ 1] Miami (OH) ,[ 2] Ohio ,[ 3] Kent State to win the MAC tournament championship for the second time in three years and earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament .[ 4] NCAA tournament , they received the #14 seed in the Midwest Region,[ 5] Creighton in the First Round.[ 6]
Offseason
Departures
Incoming transfers
Recruiting class
Preseason
On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Akron was picked to finish second in the MAC regular season and received 1 of the 12 first place votes.[ 7]
Preseason rankings
MAC Tournament Champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source[ 7]
Preseason All-MAC
Preseason All-MAC teams
Team
Player
Position
Year
Second
Isaiah Gray
Guard
Senior
Source[ 7]
Roster
2024–25 Akron Zips men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F 0
Amani Lyles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg)
Jr Beechcroft High School
Columbus, Ohio
G 1
Shammah Scott 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
Sr Wichita State
Cleveland, Ohio
F 2
Rich Brisco 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
Fr Hillcrest Prep
Brooklyn, New York
G 3
Sharron Young 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg)
Fr Morgantown High School
Morgantown, West Virginia
G 4
Eric Mahaffey 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
Fr Archbishop Moeller High School
Cincinnati, Ohio
G 5
Tavari Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg)
Jr Lyons High School
Chicago, Illinois
G 11
Conner Groce 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg)
Fr Revere High School
Richfield, Ohio
G 13
Isaiah Gray 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Sr Cornell
Brooklyn, New York
G 14
Seth Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Sr West Virginia
Lorain, Ohio
G 15
Bowen Hardman 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
Jr Ohio State
Cincinnati, Ohio
G 20
Evan Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
Sr Noblesville High School
Noblesville, Indiana
G/F 21
Zach Halligan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 203 lb (92 kg)
So Walsh Jesuit High School
Uniontown, Ohio
G/F 22
Josiah Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
Jr West Virginia
Canton, Ohio
G/F 23
Marvin Musiime-Kamali 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
RS Fr Cushing Academy
Brockton, Massachusetts
F 32
James Okonkwo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg)
Sr North Carolina
Maidenhead , England
G 34
Nate Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg)
RS Jr Lakota East High School
Liberty Township, Ohio
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Schedule and results
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024 *8:00 pm, ESPN+
at Arkansas State MAC-SBC Challenge L 75–80 OT
0–1
15 – Young
12 – Okonkwo
7 – Gray
First National Bank Arena Jonesboro, AR
November 8, 2024 *7:00 pm
Ohio Wesleyan W 88–57 1–1
15 – Hardman
8 – Lyles
7 –
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
November 12, 2024 *10:00 pm, ESPN+
at Saint Mary's
L 68–87 1–2
16 – Harris
9 – Okonkwo
4 –
University Credit Union Pavilion Moraga, CA
November 22, 2024 *6:00 pm, ESPN+
Lamar Akron Basketball Classic W 79–72 2–2
17 – T. Johnson
11 – Lyles
4 – T. Johnson
James A. Rhodes Arena (1,775)Akron, OH
November 23, 2024 *4:00 pm, ESPN+
Omaha Akron Basketball Classic W 92–84 3–2
18 – Johnson
6 – Lyles
9 – T. Johnson
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
November 24, 2024 *3:00 pm, ESPN+
Alabama State Akron Basketball Classic W 97–78 4–2
25 – N. Johnson
10 –
4 –
James A. Rhodes Arena (1,589)Akron, OH
December 3, 2024 *7:00 pm, ESPN+
Northern Kentucky W 86–73 5–2
27 – T. Johnson
7 – Harris
5 – T. Johnson
James A. Rhodes Arena (1,578)Akron, OH
December 7, 2024 *3:00 pm
SUNY Brockport W 101–48 6–2
20 – Hardman
16 – Okonkwo
5 – Young
James A. Rhodes Arena (1,560)Akron, OH
December 15, 2024 *1:00 pm, ESPN+
vs. Milwaukee MKE Tip-Off L 81–100 6–3
22 – T. Johnson
6 – N. Johnson
4 – N. Johnson
Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI
December 20, 2024 *7:00 pm, YouTube
vs. Yale Sun Bowl Invitational semifinalsL 58–74 6–4
23 – T. Johnson
6 – Lyles
4 – N. Johnson
Don Haskins Center El Paso, TX
December 21, 2024 *7:00 pm, YouTube
vs. Jackson State Sun Bowl Invitational 3rd place game W 68–50 7–4
12 – Scott
16 – Okonkwo
6 – N. Johnson
Don Haskins Center El Paso, TX
December 30, 2024 *1:00 pm, ESPN+
at Princeton
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, NJ
MAC regular season
January 3, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN
at Bowling Green
Stroh Center Bowling Green, OH
January 7, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Central Michigan
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
January 11, 2025 ESPN+
at Eastern Michigan
George Gervin GameAbove Center Ypsilanti, MI
January 14, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Toledo
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
January 17, 2025 6:00 pm, CBSSN
Ohio
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
January 21, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Buffalo
Alumni Arena Amherst, NY
January 25, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+
Miami (OH)
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
January 28, 2025 8:00 pm, ESPN+
at Northern Illinois
Convocation Center DeKalb, IL
January 31, 2025 7:00 pm, CBSSN
at Kent State
MAC Center Kent, OH
February 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Ball State
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
February 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Western Michigan
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
February 15, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Central Michigan
McGuirk Arena Mount Pleasant, MI
February 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
Northern Illinois
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
February 22, 2025 2:00 pm, ESPN+
at Ohio
Convocation Center Athens, OH
February 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Ball State
Worthen Arena Muncie, IN
March 1, 2025 ESPN+
Kent State
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
March 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Toledo
Savage Arena Toledo, OH
March 7, 2025 ESPN+
Buffalo
James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH
MAC tournament
March 13–15, 2025 ESPN+/CBSSN/ESPN2
vs.
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Eastern .
Sources:[ 8] [ 9]
References
^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings" . Mid-American Conference . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami" . AOL . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Akron snaps out of slump to beat Ohio, advances to MAC tourney championship vs. Kent State" . Akron Beacon Journal . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Late mistake by Kent State allows Akron to pull out 62-61 win for MAC title, NCAA Tournament bid" . AP News . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Latest bracket, schedule and scores for 2024 NCAA men's tournament" . NCAA.com . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Creighton outmuscles Akron for 77-60 win in NCAA Tournament opener" . Spectrum News Columbus . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ a b c "MAC Announces 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams" . Mid-American Conference . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule" . University of Akron Athletics . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .^ "Akron Zips 2024-25 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule" . ESPN . Retrieved November 17, 2024 .
