Akron Zips men's basketball 'super-connected ... excited' for March Madness, Creighton
The excitement of winning the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Championship kept several University of Akron players awake Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
"Being honest, I didn't even sleep," Akron 6-foot-3 senior guard Greg Tribble Jr. said Sunday night at Rhodes Arena.
"I am kind of sitting here sleepy right now. I was just so excited. I just kept watching the videos over and over. I was like 'Wow, it really happened again.' I am going to get some rest."
Akron 6-7 senior forward Enrique Freeman said he "got a little bit of sleep, but not too much" after he had 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks Saturday in the MAC Tournament title game win over Kent State.
"I am OK with that," Freeman said. "I will get a lot of sleep today."
Tribble, Freeman and their teammates will need to get rest this week to prepare for the NCAA Tournament after it was announced Sunday night that Akron (24-10) received a No. 14 seed and will meet No. 3 seed Creighton (23-9) in Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
"Last time [in 2022], they sent us out west [to Portland to play UCLA], so we are for sure going to have some fans [in Pittsburgh]," Tribble said. "I am excited about that."
Akron won its fifth MAC Tournament title Saturday night with its third win over Kent State this season. The Zips are making their sixth appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament and second under head coach John Groce.
"We gotta do our things offensively and defensively at a high level," said Akron 6-8 senior Ali Ali, who had 18 points, five rebounds and five assists against KSU.
"... We are going to have to stick to our game plan and I know coach Groce and my teammates, we are all going to do whatever it takes to put ourselves in position to be in position."
Ali, Freeman, Tribble and senior Mikal Dawson were starters on the 2022 team that almost knocked off UCLA in the NCAA Tournament first round.
"You saw how Cleveland showed up in Cleveland [for the MAC Tournament], so I am hoping they come down to Pittsburgh and Akron comes down to Pittsburgh," said Freeman, a Cleveland native.
Creighton is the only NCAA Division I men's basketball team with three players averaging 17 or more points: 6-7 senior guard Baylor Scheierman (18.4 points), 6-4 junior Trey Alexander (17.6) and 7-1 senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1).
"I know a lot about Creighton," Tribble said. "I watched them a couple of times when I was scrolling through the channels and watching basketball late at night. I know they have one of the top offenses in their league. They have a lot of good personnel. It is going to be a tough challenge for our defense and we are looking forward to preparing for them."
Creighton's other starters are 6-1 senior Steven Ashworth (10.7 points) and 6-9 sophomore Mason Miller (5.7).
"They have got a really good offense, a high powered offense," Akron 6-3 sophomore Nate Johnson said. "They are one of the top dogs in the Big East and we have got to come ready to play."
Creighton and Marquette tied for second in the Big East regular-season standings behind defending national champion Connecticut.
"Coach [Greg] McDermott does an amazing job," Groce said. "I actually know him and his wife, Theresa, through some of the Nike head coaches trips we used to have pre-COVID. Great people, Great basketball coach. They are really good offensively. I have seen them a few times this year. They run great sets with counters. They have good personnel.
"They are really, really good. They have some big wins throughout the course of the year, and have been one of the countries best teams. This is going to be a challenge, obviously, but we are looking forward to it."
Akron counters with starters Freeman, Tribble, Ali, Johnson and 6-9 senior Sammy Hunter.
"Coach always says 'Adversity brings connectivity,'" Freeman said. "I think we are super connected going into the tournament."
Johnson said Freeman and Ali played like "straight dogs" in Cleveland.
"Enrique showed why he is the unanimous decision [for MAC Player of the Year] and Ali showed why he is a first-team (All-MAC) player," Johnson said.
Freeman also was named the MAC Tournament MVP Saturday night after spectacular performance, including 30 Thursday against Miami and 24 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocks Friday against Ohio.
Dawson said, "the competitiveness of the games was incredible."
That should only help against Creighton.
"We know what to expect and the moment isn't going to be too big for us since we have a lot of guys that are on our team that have been there before," Tribble said. "I am really excited about it. ... I get to kick it with my crew more."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Enrique Freeman, Ali Ali lead Akron basketball into NCAA Tournament
