I watched them crush Ball State on Friday night. The addition of Xeyrius Williams for them is HUGE. The other factor that helps them is the fact that most of the roster recruited by his staff have been JUCO's or transfers - so they're older and more physically mature.

I was withholding judgement on them until we got a little ways into the MAC schedule. Their schedule out of conference wasn't all that impressive (their wins, anyway) and Groce historically struggles to win road games. They're off to a great start, for sure. I read on the Zippy board a while back about their win at Marshall as being "the best road win of the Groce era at Akron." That statement is pretty shocking, considering Marshall this year.

Williams was a kid I liked coming out of high school. The fact that he walked from UD made him a commodity on the transfer market for MAC/Horizon teams. Akron got him and is proving why he will be in the hunt for 1st team all-MAC.

I guess ... it's your choice.

But what he did at Ohio wasn't by accident ... and just because he was ultra-successful at Illinois (than again, who has since Bruce Weber took Bill Self's team to a title game) doesn't mean he forgot how to coach.

He's a good coach and, if he chooses to stay in the MAC - which he didn't do in leaving Ohio - he could run this league for a long time, IMHO

23pt road win at NIU isn't too shabby last night.

It was only a matter of time with Groce. Hopefully, Boals can do something similar in his 3rd year at the helm.

Congrats to coach Groce...his win this week brought his all-time MAC record to an even 52-52. #WinningRecordHereWeCome

I see there are still plenty of skeptics .... and that's their prerogative

And yes ... Groce's success was due in large part to DJ Cooper. But did Groce not bring Cooper and the surrounding cast to Athens?

According to Rivals ... Cooper was only offered by Kent and Loyola. https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2009/d-j-cooper-42627

Offutt, Smith, Hall, Baltic, Kellogg, Taylor, Keely, Rico Johnson ... all those were Groce recruits.

That was one helluva ensemble in 2012.

The '10 team did have a lot of O'Shea holdovers ... but to win a game in the NCAA tourney at the MAC level is nothing to scoff at ... regardless. Ask Keith Dambrot ... oh, wait. He's never won one of those games ... 0-3 in 13 years at UA.

I'm not sure if it's bitterness that he left Athens or what it is ...

And yes, Groce wasn't super successful at Illinois. He took a program that had grown pretty stale under Bruce Weber and immediately took them to the NCAA tourney and won a game in his first year. Granted, they never got back in the four years following ... but what Groce did at Illinois isn't all that unfamiliar for the Illini. They hadn't been nationally or even B1G-relevant since 2005 when they went to the Final Four. Weber only got them out of the first round twice after that '05 run. Brad Underwood is three years and he might squeeze them into the tourney this year for the first time.

So let's now act like he ran Illinois basketball into the ground. He didn't win at a level that warranted a contract extension ... but it wasn't like he Bill Callahan'd the program like Callahan did for Nebraska football.

My point was simply that Akron is having a strong season ... and earned a Top 25 vote (something that is quite rare for MAC basketball teams) ... and with this being Groce's third year, I'm not surprised the Zips are among the best in the league and looked primed to make a serious run at the league title this year and a return to the NCAAs. I'm not sure just any coach could've walked into that place and done what Groce has done thus far. Dambrot was a good coach and did things at Akron that no coach had ever done there since they joined the MAC. Hell, the program only had 3 winning MAC seasons in their first 12 years in the league. Dambrot had 13 straight winning seasons in his 13 years there. Very impressive.

Groce is in year three and appears to have his thumbprint firmly on the program and they're seeing results. I wouldn't be surprised (assuming he's committed) that this is what we can expect for years to come at UA.

And I fully believe that in a year or two we'll be seeing similarities in results here in Athens with Jeff Boals. It's a process and I'm on board for the long haul ... hope Boals is as well. If he and Groce remain in the MAC along with Senderhoff at Kent ... I think the MAC East is in good hands for a while.

I just don't understand the animosity or disdain for a coach that took Ohio to the brink of the Elite 8 against the No.1 ranked team in the country.

That being said, if first impressions are anything, I think Boals has the potential to give Groce, Akron, and the rest of the MAC all they can handle and then some!

I don't have animosity, but I will say that I fully expect that in the next two summers, I expect him to end up elsewhere with a higher paying gig.

I will tell you exactly what it is...It isn't that anyone is bitter, or that anyone dislikes coach Groce...and isn't grateful for the amazing 2010 & 2012 runs. It is that some fans elevate him to God status because of one single 2 week period in March 2012, and at times have done so while shitting on the current coach. So some of us feel some reminders of his resume are needed.

As mentioned, he is 52-52 in the MAC regular season. Yes 11-4 in the MAC Tourney. What if Tommy Freeman doesn't bury that 3 in the 1st round in 2010 to force OT? What if Brian Walsh makes the jumpshot in the 2012 championship? Then you have a 52-52 regular season coach and 6-6 MAC tourney coach with no NCAA appearances. He is literally 2 inches from that resume.

I'm not saying he isn't a force to be reckoned with in the MAC. He very well may have sustained success. But if he does, it will be for the first time in his coaching career.

JG got it done at Ohio by winning the league tournament. He was a 9 seed one year and a three seed another season. He benefited from getting a second chance in the league tournament. Taking nothing away from John, but his teams got hot for a few games in March. Good for him and the Bobcats, but he was four games above .500 in the MAC regular season at Ohio. Not terrible that is for certain, but not great. His team this season is good and should be one of the favorites to win in Cleveland.

He has PJ Fleck sideline presence.