Game 7: No. 1 Akron (27-6, 17-1 MAC) vs. No. 2 Miami (25-8, 14-4 MAC), 7:40PM ET
LIVE on ESPN2 – Rich Hollenberg (PxP), Jess Settles (Analyst) | Live Stats
Akron Zips
The Zips battle the Miami RedHawks in the MAC Tournament Championship on Saturday with a chance to win their second consecutive MAC title.The Zips defeated Toledo 100-90 in the semifinals to advance their record to 27-6.
Akron shot 55.6 percent from deep on the way to the victory that saw five Zips score in double figures.
The Zips were led by Nate Johnson, who had a career-high 31 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks. N. Johnson's 31 points ties the Akron record for most points scored in a MAC Tournament game. The last player to score 31 points for the Zips in the MAC Tournament was Xavier Castaneda against Buffalo on Mar. 9, 2023. Isaiah Gray added 15 points and Tavari Johnson helped out with 15 points.
The Akron offense was very productive from downtown, pouring in 10 threes on 18 attempts. Nate Johnson was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, draining three treys in the contest.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.8) and steals (1.8). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.8) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.0) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.3). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in blocks (39).
Akron is currently scoring 84.8 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 10.3 points per game. The Zips are shooting .473 from the field while shooting .365 from beyond the arc and averages
10.9 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .751 ft percentage while averaging 38.9rebounds,
18.2 assists,12.1 turnovers, 7.7 steals and 3.8 blocks per game.
The Zips rank 26th in assist-turnover ratio (+1.51), 4th in assists per game (18.2), 4th in bench points per game (34.61), 28th in effective fg pct. (.558), 28th in fastbreak points (13.73), 49th in pg defense (.427), 67th in ft pct. (.751), 54th in rebound margin (+4.3), 34th in def. rebounds (27.06), 67th in off. rebounds (12.03), 24th in rebounds per game (39.09), 27th in scoring margin (+10.3), 6th in scoring offense (84.8), 80th in steals per game (7.7), 7th in 3pt attempts per game (29.9), 55th in 3pt pct. defense (.307)and 5th in 3pters made per game (10.9). James Okonkwo ranks 92nd in total rebounds
(243) and 93rd in off. rebounds per game (2.73). Nate Johnson ranks 49th in total steals (60) and 69th in steals per game (1.82).
Miami RedHawks
Miami continues its stint in the 2025 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a championship game against No. 1 seed Akron on Saturday, March 15 at 7:40 p.m. Miami is looking for its first MAC Tournament title (and first NCAA Tournament berth) since 2007. Miami coach Travis Steele is also seeking a championship victory over his brother, John Groce, who leads the series between the two 5-1. This season, the RedHawks are 4-0 in neutral-site games. As of March 14, the RedHawks ranked fifth nationally in three-point percentage (.394), eighth in effective field goal percentage (.569), 13th in threes per game (10.5), 27th in field goal percentage (.481), 39th in turnovers forced per game (14.27), 32nd in scoring offense (80.8) and 57th in turnover margin (2.1). Miami also led the MAC in six statistical categories, including steals per game (8.1).
Saturday will mark the 73rd time Miami and Akron have faced off, and the second consecutive year the teams have met in the MAC Tournament. The Zips head into this game leading 39-33 in the series. The last time Miami faced off with the Zips, the RedHawks dropped 102-75 in Akron on Jan. 25, 2025. The series in the MAC Tournament is 4-2 in favor of the Zips. The last win over Akron in the MAC Tournament came in 2007, as Doug Penno hit a bank shot at the buzzer to give Miami a 53-52 win over Akron in the championship game.
In a back-and-forth game that featured 11 ties and 19 lead changes, Peter Suder (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Kam Craft (17 second-half points) made big shot after big shot to help second-seeded Miami outlast third-seeded Kent State. The RedHawks won 72-64 to set a program record for wins in a season and advance to the MAC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2007. Craft's final shot of the game with 1:29 to play not only lifted the RedHawks toward victory, but set a new program record for three pointers made in a season (94).
