Akron-UIC.... the rundown

Last night I streamed the Illinois-Chicago versus Akron basketball game right here to my location in Minneapolis. Given the weather that I would have had to contend with on the way back, I'm rather glad I wasn't able to make it down there. Next time I head out east, though, I will stop in Akron.
Anyways, the web stream was odd, in that it was a live video feed with the only audio the stadium announcer and the Akron band. It was very odd. Anyways, the game was a closer than expected battle. That sounds cliche, but I don't mean that based on the pregame scouting report. I mean the score ended up being closer than I would have though having watched the game.
The Zips were the clearly bigger and more athletic team, and played relatively mistake free ball, all the while dominating the turnover battle. Somehow, the Flames only lost by two and kept the game close until there were about 5 minutes to go.
Still, while watching the game, even when the game was close, me and my friend knew that eventually the Zips would wear the Flames down. It didn't happen as quickly as we thought, but when it did, it made you realize who the best athletes were on the court, as there was a lot of good inside passing, fastbreaks and just quality inside scoring.
Brett McKnight of the Zips looked to be the best player on the court, cleaning up a lot of rebounds and leading all scorers with 16 points. He was also recognizable because he looked like he was 38 years old and/or Dmitri Young. Humpty Hitchens and Steve Mcnees were the point guards for the Zips and did a good job distributing to the 4 players who ended up with double digits in points for the Zips. Jimmy Conyers had a whopping 19 rebounds.
The Flames saw 5 players score in double figures, however their bench wasn't as deep. Only 6 players really had much time on the floor, with the other 4 coming in when the game was all but over. For what it's worth, Zavion Neely led the Flames in scoring, but only played 24 minutes.
You can read more about the game at ESPN.

A few other notes
- During every free throw, they would post a commercial for either the Barley House or Donjoy, whatever they are.
- The arena actually had a few people in it. Pretty good attendence for a non conference game 3 days before Christmas.
- The half time show was a troupe of jump ropers. Like, kids and their parents with jump ropes. Only in Akron.
- There was a blimp give away in the second half.
- Akron's student body is nt much for dancing.

Well, only one more month until my next trip, to Capre Girardeau, Missouri. Hopefully I can actually go!

Illinois-Chicago - Akron.... TOMORROW

So, as I said, I wasn't able to get to the beautiful city of Akron to watch the Flames take on the Zips tomorrow. With buying a new house and all the unpacking and what not that comes along with that, it seemed unlikely. With a massive winter sleetfest on its way north as I'm trying to return home, and a dog who recently developed a case of the runs (gross), it became impossible. Anyways, I ordered a streaming telecast of the game from the Akron athletic department, and will still be WATCHING the game, which is always the back up plan if I am unable to attend the game I want.
That said, how about a preview! First, let's take a look at the team that was drawn for this adventure, the Illinois-Chicago Flames.
The Flames got off to a tough start, losing to 6 straight opponents after winning their season opener at home against Illinois-Springfield. Five of those 6 games were on the road, however, save for one game against Illinois State. The past two games have taken place in Chicago, however, and the Flames won both, including a win against Pac 10 foe Oregon State and a trouncing of Northern Illinois. The awesomely named Robo Krebs has been the star, scoring in double digits in 6 games, and getting shut down in some of the losses. No doubt, his three point shooting is key for UIC. Zavion Neeley is the other big scorer for UIC, while Jeremy Buttrell leads the team in rebounds and Spencer Stewart, the point guard, is skilled at dishing the rock. That said, the Flames are terribly undersized and probably rely too much on outside shooting. Fun fact: Indian American Dipanjot Singh plays guard as a junior for the team. Not many south Asians playing in the league. Dipanjot isn't fighting all stereotypes. He is a pre-med.

The Zips have a 7-3 record, recent history in the NCAA Tournament and a female kangaroo as a mascot. The Zips have won the games they were supposed to and perhaps lost the games they weren't, save for one, a tough home lost to Austin Peay who is not as good as they usually are. The other two losses came to North Carolina State on a neutral court and in College Station against 19th ranked Texas A&M. Of the teams involved in a Victoria Times Game of the Year, they are probably the second best, following Temple in 2007. They do a better job of playing a team game, with Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens (again, awesome), Brett McKnight, Darryll Roberts and Steve McNees leading the way. They also excel on the defensive side, something that may be less of an advantage with an outside shooting team staring them down. McNees may be a secret weapon, as he has scored his points mostly off the bench, though after recently being put in a starting role, he has averaged 13 a game. If you were wondering, the player photos for Akron make the team seem positively delightful. I have never seen a photo set where everyone seems to be smiling. Charming. Anyways, they are a bigger, more athletic, more experienced team, and I expect them to come away with the home victory against Illinois Chicago.

Perhaps Wednesday, I will come through with a game review. In the mean time, I'll leave you with this. A friend has stated that he "guarantees" that one of the players from this game will one day play in the NBA. So there's that. I will keep you posted!

Some schedule's were released yesterday

So the Twins released their schedule yesterday. That's exciting. Some things we learned:
- They will be opening their season in Los Angeles, against the Angels.
- The home opener will be against the Boston Red Sox on April 12th.
- The always exciting interleague games will be at home against Milwaukee, Atlanta and Colorado, while the Twins will travel to Milwaukee, Philadelphia and New York to play the Mets.
On a personal note I go to the game on my birthday, which will be that opening day game in Anaheim. So, yeah, for my birthday, I'm going to California. Not that you care.

Speaking of things you don't care about as they pertain to my travel plans. I mentioned several times about the games I go to every year. Remember how I'm going to Jonesboro to see Arkansas State play North Texas in football in November? Of course you do. Well, the second team I picked for 2009, the Illinois-Chicago basketball team, released their schedule too. As the Victoria Times tribunal already decreed, I would be going to the team's 10th game of the year. It turns out that this game will be played in Akron, Ohio versus the Akron Zips. Yes, that's their real name. And they have a kangaroo as their mascot. A female kangaroo, as it happens. Really.
So anyways, that's what I'm doing for the next few months. Going to Arkansas in November, going to Los Angeles next April. Hitting on an anthropomorphic kangaroo in Ohio in December. Your average stuff.