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Ohio Basketball Topic
Topic: Chalk Up Another March Tournament Win For John Groce
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FJC31
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Posted: 3/18/2025 6:23 PM
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SBH wrote:expand_more
The Akron brand. Uh-huh. 11 years of declining enrollment, decimation of once good engineering program. Rampant violence around the campus perimeter. A football program that attracts hundreds to its home games. A Bball program that rarely fills more than 3,500 seats at home. What conference would want them?
We’re in an era of college sports where kids are getting paid and able to leave whenever to the highest bidder. Do you think a conference cares about anything other than winning programs? That’s what Akron does in basketball.
You're implying that just because Akron wins basketball games that means they're slated for a bigger conference. If that were the case Boise State would have been a Power 5 football team a long time ago. The Akron "brand" is so strong they just changed their logo a few years ago. Nobody gives a shit about Akron outside of the MAC.
Be angrier, please. How do you think Xavier went from A10 to Big East and VCU went from Colonial to A10? Wichita from MVC to American? Belmont and Murray from OVC to MVC? These conferences aren’t plucking losing programs.
You forgot Creighton and Loyola Chicago moving up too. However, those two and the ones u mentioned have a thing in common ... no football (not counting Murray's forever crappy FCS program). Akron, for some reason, want FBS football. Stumbling block to move up to C-USA, American or Sun Belt. They move up to those leagues, gotta waste more money on football.

And, of course, the City of Akron itself is its own stumbling block.
Northern Illinois just moved its football program to the Mountain West with basketball and other sports going to the Horizon. There aren’t really any limitations to conference realignment anymore.



NIU football has decades of winning, knocked off Power 5's during the regular season, sent its HC's to greener schools, made a small name for itself nationally and UA mbb has done well, Zip. Arizona will mollywhop them like every other team has in the tourney. Stringing together a few MAC tourney titles isn't impressive in the slightest anymore.

Joining the now 1-bid A-10 (not that that they would stoop to UA's level) while placing football in an FCS league, scholarship or the Pioneer, sounds like a brilliant move. I'm sure being in the bottom of the standings in all sports while not having FBS paydays will help UA's outstanding bottom line.
It amazes me how triggered this board has gotten over the suggestion that Groce staying at Akron to continue to build the brand of his basketball program, could lead to a new conference opportunity.
Because you have no idea how f'd up that school is. They can't afford to hire a replacement for their departed AD. They are struggling to make bond payments on their football stadium...and have floated the idea of selling it. Their faculty has been decimated. And their attendance sucks. No one follows them in the media...the Akron paper rarely covers their games. Where's the upside for a rival conference?
I love how you all keep bringing up football and non-basketball related issues, when I’ve strictly called out just the basketball program. If it continues to make March Madness appearances and eventually wins some games/goes on a run — the BASKETBALL brand itself, will be appealing to a conference.
Last Edited: 3/18/2025 6:26:47 PM by FJC31
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 3/21/2025 10:01 PM
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No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 3/21/2025 10:09 PM
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Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.

I've never seen a box score where a team was out rebounded by 30. There's a reason the MAC is the 23rd rated conference in the country. By comparison, the Ivy League is 13th and both Yale and Princeton beat Akron this year.
SBH
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Posted: 3/21/2025 10:24 PM
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Was it my imagination or was Lou Horvath sitting behind the Akron bench?
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/21/2025 10:28 PM
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Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.
And yet, we all would have loved for Ohio to be in that position tonight and have the opportunity.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/21/2025 10:40 PM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.

I've never seen a box score where a team was out rebounded by 30. There's a reason the MAC is the 23rd rated conference in the country. By comparison, the Ivy League is 13th and both Yale and Princeton beat Akron this year.
Agree....a fitting ending to a crap year for the MAC. Akron looked tiny out there tonight.
Joe McKinley
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Posted: 3/22/2025 12:34 PM
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Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.

I've never seen a box score where a team was out rebounded by 30. There's a reason the MAC is the 23rd rated conference in the country. By comparison, the Ivy League is 13th and both Yale and Princeton beat Akron this year.
I've seen at least one box score like that previously. North Carolina outrebounded Ohio 56-26 in our Sweet 16 overtime loss in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. It's rare, but depending on matchups it can happen.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/22/2025 12:55 PM
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Joe McKinley wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.

I've never seen a box score where a team was out rebounded by 30. There's a reason the MAC is the 23rd rated conference in the country. By comparison, the Ivy League is 13th and both Yale and Princeton beat Akron this year.
I've seen at least one box score like that previously. North Carolina outrebounded Ohio 56-26 in our Sweet 16 overtime loss in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. It's rare, but depending on matchups it can happen.
I was there and incredibly, even with that statistic, we should have an Elite 8 banner hanging in the Convo. #OneFreeThrow
Last Edited: 3/22/2025 12:57:15 PM by FearLeon
Alan Swank
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Posted: 3/22/2025 1:11 PM
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FearLeon wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.

I've never seen a box score where a team was out rebounded by 30. There's a reason the MAC is the 23rd rated conference in the country. By comparison, the Ivy League is 13th and both Yale and Princeton beat Akron this year.
I've seen at least one box score like that previously. North Carolina outrebounded Ohio 56-26 in our Sweet 16 overtime loss in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. It's rare, but depending on matchups it can happen.
I was there and incredibly, even with that statistic, we should have an Elite 8 banner hanging in the Convo. #OneFreeThrow
I was there too and but for that free throw that almost missed the front of the rim, we might very well have been in St. Louis for a couple more days. That game, the preseason NIT championship game and the Depaul game in the Convo were three of the loudest Bobcat games I've attended.
JSF
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Posted: 3/22/2025 2:53 PM
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FearLeon wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.
And yet, we all would have loved for Ohio to be in that position tonight and have the opportunity.
You'd be furious if we lost in the first round by 28.
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Posted: 3/22/2025 3:54 PM
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JSF wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.
And yet, we all would have loved for Ohio to be in that position tonight and have the opportunity.
You'd be furious if we lost in the first round by 28.
Hundo P.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/22/2025 4:14 PM
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JSF wrote:expand_more
No Groce magic tonight. Completely dominated.
And yet, we all would have loved for Ohio to be in that position tonight and have the opportunity.
You'd be furious if we lost in the first round by 28.
Huh?

With a hobbled Clayton.
A 50% Captain Chaos.
And no AJ Brown.

Wrong.

I would not be furious.

I would be happy to be there and get the returnees NCAA Tourney experience.
Last Edited: 3/22/2025 4:14:39 PM by FearLeon
FearLeon
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Posted: 1/23/2026 10:54 PM
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FearLeon wrote:expand_more
March 5, 2018: With the worst team in the MAC, John Groce gets a road MAC Tourney win at WMU and the Zips started the game trailing 18-0. Now I know he has haters on this board (which I don't get) and he probably won't win a game in Cleveland this week, but this is fact: John Groce knows how to win March tournament basketball games and this should worry every Bobcat fan. And it's going to get tougher to beat him in the coming years with the talent he has coming in. #HeCanRecruit
*Bump

Interesting thread to look back on eight years later.

So many freezing ice cold Groce takes in this thread from eight years ago.

#WhenFearLeonWasRight
Last Edited: 1/23/2026 11:16:15 PM by FearLeon
mid70sbobcat
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Posted: 1/24/2026 12:07 AM
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FearLeon wrote:expand_more
March 5, 2018: With the worst team in the MAC, John Groce gets a road MAC Tourney win at WMU and the Zips started the game trailing 18-0. Now I know he has haters on this board (which I don't get) and he probably won't win a game in Cleveland this week, but this is fact: John Groce knows how to win March tournament basketball games and this should worry every Bobcat fan. And it's going to get tougher to beat him in the coming years with the talent he has coming in. #HeCanRecruit
*Bump

Interesting thread to look back on eight years later.

So many freezing ice cold Groce takes in this thread from eight years ago.

#WhenFearLeonWasRight
Good job!!

A broken clock is right twice a day.

Carry on.
bobcat 2000
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Posted: 1/27/2026 5:07 PM
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the fact the mac is a one bid league is why Ou should join a diffrent conference basketball only atlantic,10 big east, or conference usa are good. i think akron will be in the ncaa with a first round elimination.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 1/27/2026 7:11 PM
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bobcat 2000 wrote:expand_more
the fact the mac is a one bid league is why Ou should join a diffrent conference basketball only atlantic,10 big east, or conference usa are good. i think akron will be in the ncaa with a first round elimination.
I’d hold out for a Big12 invite. Great Regional rivalries already built in.
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 1/28/2026 10:51 AM
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I blame that damn 1998 team.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/14/2026 10:05 PM
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FearLeon wrote:expand_more
With the worst team in the MAC, John Groce gets a road MAC Tourney win at WMU and the Zips started the game trailing 18-0. Now I know he has haters on this board (which I don't get) and he probably won't win a game in Cleveland this week, but this is fact: John Groce knows how to win March tournament basketball games and this should worry every Bobcat fan. And it's going to get tougher to beat him in the coming years with the talent he has coming in. #HeCanRecruit
Fun to look back on this post eight years later.

Some of the posts from the Groce haters are truly amazing to revisit.

Many on here owe John Groce an apology.

#WhenFearLeonWasRight
OU_Country
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Posted: 3/14/2026 11:17 PM
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This is nonsensical, pie in the sky stuff....

Ohio can't afford it, but if we could, what's the cost of paying both buyouts to bring Groce back to Ohio?

Assuming nothing changes,we're currently, at best, the fourth best program in the league and it's unlikely to change assuming the current staffs remain the same.
Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 3/14/2026 11:20 PM
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OU_Country wrote:expand_more
This is nonsensical, pie in the sky stuff....

Ohio can't afford it, but if we could, what's the cost of paying both buyouts to bring Groce back to Ohio?

Assuming nothing changes,we're currently, at best, the fourth best program in the league and it's unlikely to change assuming the current staffs remain the same.
Sadly, I doubt he'd come back. The Akron job is better at this point. Which is crazy given there's a non-zero chance Akron isn't a university in 15 years.
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/15/2026 7:26 AM
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OU_Country wrote:expand_more
This is nonsensical, pie in the sky stuff....

Ohio can't afford it, but if we could, what's the cost of paying both buyouts to bring Groce back to Ohio?

Assuming nothing changes,we're currently, at best, the fourth best program in the league and it's unlikely to change assuming the current staffs remain the same.
Not sure, at best, how Ohio is even the fourth best program in the MAC as of March 15, 2026? As of today, my 2026-2027 pre-season rankings look like this. Of course, all subject to change with portal departures/additions starting April 7, 2026.

1.) Akron
2.) Toledo
3.) Miami
4.) Kent State
5.) UMASS
6.) Bowling Green
7.) Ohio
8.) Buffalo

We would have lost both games to UMASS if Walking Bucket didn’t have the only 4 minute Luka Doncic stretch of his career in the first half against Frank Martin. There is no doubt in my mind UMASS was a better team than Ohio this year and should have won both games.
Last Edited: 3/15/2026 9:39:14 AM by FearLeon
FearLeon
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Posted: 3/15/2026 8:13 AM
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The John Groce apology tour from some folks in this thread should be commencing in 3…2….1….

John Groce is perfect in MAC title games.

He’s now 6-0 with 5 coming right down to the end.

2026: Akron 79-76 over Toledo
2025: Akron 76-74 over Miami
2024: Akron 62-61 over Kent
2022: Akron 75-55 over Kent
2012: Ohio 64-63 over Akron
2010: Ohio 81-75 OT over Akron

But hey…it’s John Groce…which means according to so many of the Groce haters in this thread from eight years ago he’s just lucky right?

#WhenFearLeonWasRight
Last Edited: 3/15/2026 9:36:04 AM by FearLeon
SBH
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Posted: 3/15/2026 8:17 AM
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Can't properly assess Groce without factoring in Bud Wentz's apparently bottomless financial support. No other MAC program has that.
Last Edited: 3/15/2026 8:25:17 AM by SBH
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 3/15/2026 9:39 AM
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SBH wrote:expand_more
Can't properly assess Groce without factoring in Bud Wentz's apparently bottomless financial support. No other MAC program has that.
Are your forgetting Steele's brother-in-law?
FJC31
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Posted: 3/15/2026 9:47 AM
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Gotta give Groce credit, regardless of what resources he may have. He has six MAC tournament titles between two schools.

His Akron teams are predominantly homegrown and developed players. He gets poached just like other schools and still finds the right guys in the portal to plug holes. Winning also helps attract more resources and better talent.
Last Edited: 3/15/2026 9:47:39 AM by FJC31
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