2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by sixth-year head coach John Groce, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference.^[1] As the third seed they defeated Buffalo in the first round of the MAC tournament before losing to Kent State to finish 22–11 and 13–5 in MAC play^[2][3]

2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	22–11 (13–5 MAC)
Head coach	John Groce (6th season)
Associate head coach	Dustin Ford (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Rob Fulford (6th season) Robby Pridgen (6th season)
Home arena	James A. Rhodes Arena
Seasons ← 2021–22 2023–24 →

2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Toledo	16	–	2		.889			27	–	8		.771
Kent State †	15	–	3		.833			28	–	7		.800
Akron	13	–	5		.722			22	–	11		.667
Ball State	11	–	7		.611			20	–	12		.625
Ohio	10	–	8		.556			19	–	14		.576
Buffalo	9	–	9		.500			15	–	17		.469
Northern Illinois	9	–	9		.500			13	–	19		.406
Miami (OH)	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
Bowling Green	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
Eastern Michigan	5	–	13		.278			8	–	23		.258
Central Michigan	5	–	13		.278			10	–	21		.323
Western Michigan	4	–	14		.222			8	–	23		.258
† 2023 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

Main article: 2021–22 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The Zips finished the 2022–23 season 24–10 overall, 14–6 in MAC Play to finish in a tie for third place.^[4] As the No. 4 seed, they defeated Buffalo, Toledo, and Kent State to win the MAC tournament.^[5] They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East Region, where they lost in the first round to UCLA.^[6]

Offseason

Departures

Departures

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Ali Ali	F	6'8	205	Sophomore	Kendallville, Indiana	Transferred to Butler
Aziz Bandaogo	C	7'0	215	Freshman	Dakar, Senegal	Transferred to Utah Valley
Sekou Kalle	F	6'10	224	Freshman	Louisville, Kentucky	Transferred to Evansville
Bryan Trimble, Jr.	G	6'3	224	RS-Junior	Kansas City, Missouri	Transferred to Missouri State
Michael Wynn	F	6'6	210	Junior	Albany, New York	Entered Transfer Portal

^[7][8][9]

Incoming transfers

Transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Trendon Hankerson	G	6'2	185	Junior	Novi, Michigan	Transferred from Northern Illinois
Sammy Hunter	F	6'9	228	Sophomore	Nassau, Bahamas	Transferred from Mississippi

^[7][8]

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Amani Lyles F	Columbus, Ohio	Beechcroft	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	226 lb (103 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tavari Johnson G	Chicago, Illinois	Lyons	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	155 lb (70 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Ryan Prather Jr. G	Clarksburg, Maryland	Clarksburg	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Nov 15, 2021
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Prince Mosengo F	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Keystone Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2022–23 Akron Zips men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Amani Lyles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg) Fr Beechcroft Columbus, OH G 1 Garvin Clarke 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 184 lb (83 kg) So Cleveland Heights HS Euclid, OH G 2 Greg Tribble 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Huntington Prep Cincinnati, OH G 3 Kobe Mitchell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Harrison Central HS Cadiz, OH G 4 Trendon Hankerson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) GS Northern Illinois Novi, MI G 5 Tavari Johnson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Fr Lyons Chicago, IL G 10 Ryan Prather Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Clarksburg Clarksburg, MD G 11 Sammy Hunter 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Mississippi Nassau, Bahamas G 12 Pat Mayfield 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Burlington Central HS Elgin, IL G 13 Xavier Castaneda 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr South Florida Chicago, IL G 20 Evan Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Noblesville HS Noblesville, IN G/F 22 Mikal Dawson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr Huntington Prep Huntington, WV F 23 Prince Mosengo 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Keystone Academy DR Congo F 25 Enrique Freeman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Jr St. Martin de Porres HS Cleveland, OH G 34 Nate Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 204 lb (93 kg) So Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH	Head coach John Groce (Taylor) Assistant coach(es) Dustin Ford (Ohio) Rob Fulford (Marshall) Robby Pridgen (Roanoke) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 13, 2022

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		South Dakota State	W 81–80 OT	1–0	31 – Castaneda	14 – Freeman	7 – Castaneda	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,157) Akron, OH
November 11, 2022* 7:00 p.m., Barstool Sports		vs. Mississippi State Barstool Showcase	L 54–73	1–1	20 – Castaneda	4 – Tied	6 – Castaneda	Wells Fargo Center (5,213) Philadelphia, PA
November 15, 2022* 7:00 p.m., TBA		Morgan State	W 65–59	2–1	17 – Freeman	13 – Freeman	4 – Tribble	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,759) Akron, OH
November 21, 2022* 1:30 p.m., FloSports		vs. Western Kentucky Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals	W 72–53	3–1	18 – Freeman	11 – Tied	3 – Tied	John Gray Gymnasium  George Town, Cayman Islands
November 22, 2022* 1:30 p.m., FloSports		vs. LSU Cayman Islands Classic semifinals	L 58–73	3–2	28 – Castaneda	10 – Freeman	4 – Castaneda	John Gray Gymnasium  George Town, Cayman Islands
November 23, 2022* 5:00 p.m., FloSports		vs. Nevada Cayman Islands Classic	L 58–62	3–3	21 – Johnson	9 – Freeman	4 – Johnson	John Gray Gymnasium  George Town, Cayman Islands
November 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Marshall	L 57–68	3–4	16 – Johnson	14 – Freeman	4 – Johnson	Cam Henderson Center (4.012) Huntington, WV
December 4, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Muskingum	W 80–33	4–4	17 – Castaneda	9 – Lyles	6 – Johnson	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,466) Akron, OH
December 11, 2022* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		Jackson State	W 85–72	5–4	23 – Castaneda	9 – Freeman	5 – Tied	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,385) Akron, OH
December 14, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Wright State	W 66–54	6–4	19 – Castaneda	15 – Freeman	4 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena (1398) Akron, OH
December 19, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Maine	W 87–55	7–4	33 – Castaneda	8 – Freeman	3 – Castaneda	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,424) Akron, OH
December 22, 2022* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Bradley	L 55–74	7–5	19 – Castaneda	10 – Freeman	2 – Castaneda	Carver Arena (3,530) Peoria, IL
December 30, 2022* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		Concord	W 84–58	8–5	18 – Freeman	10 – Freeman	6 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,550) Akron, OH
MAC regular season
January 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Northern Illinois	W 76–51	9–5 (1–0)	27 – Freeman	15 – Freeman	4 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena  Akron, OH
January 6, 2023 8:30 p.m., CBSSN		at Ball State	L 63–70	9–6 (1–1)	23 – Freeman	14 – Freeman	1 – Tied	Worthen Arena  Muncie, IN
January 10, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Bowling Green	W 74–70	10–6 (2–1)	21 – Freeman	15 – Freeman	5 – Castaneda	Stroh Center (1,844) Bowling Green, OH
January 13, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		Eastern Michigan	W 104–67	11–6 (3–1)	23 – Castaneda	9 – Freeman	9 – Johnson	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,177) Akron, OH
January 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Central Michigan	W 69–51	12–6 (4–1)	13 – Castaneda	9 – Freeman	5 – Castaneda	McGuirk Arena (1,509) Mount Pleasant, MI
January 21, 2023 2:30 p.m., ESPN3		at Western Michigan	W 66–55	13–6 (5–1)	32 – Castaneda	11 – Freeman	4 – Tribble	University Arena (2,288) Kalamazoo, MI
January 24, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Miami (OH)	W 73–68	14–6 (6–1)	32 – Castaneda	8 – Freeman	4 – Tribble	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,620) Akron, OH
January 28, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN3		Ohio	W 83–77	15–6 (7–1)	32 – Freeman	15 – Freeman	4 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,234) Akron, OH
January 31, 2023 TBA, ESPN+		at Buffalo	W 81–64	16–6 (8–1)	32 – Castaneda	9 – Freeman	8 – Tribble	Alumni Arena (5,001) Buffalo, NY
February 3, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		Kent State	W 67–55	17–6 (9–1)	24 – Castaneda	17 – Freeman	4 – Tribble	James A. Rhodes Arena (5,821) Akron, OH
February 7, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Toledo	L 74–84	17–7 (9–2)	23 – Castaneda	12 – Freeman	4 – Tribble	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,041) Akron, OH
February 10, 2023[10] 7:30 p.m., CBSSN		at Ohio	L 81–90	17–8 (9–3)	34 – Castaneda	12 – Freeman	4 – Hankerson	Convocation Center (5,038) Athens, OH
February 14, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Eastern Michigan	W 78–51	18–8 (10–3)	22 – Freeman	15 – Freeman	4 – Castaneda	George Gervin GameAbove Center (2,122) Ypsilanti, MI
February 18, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		Buffalo	W 86–66	19–8 (11–3)	30 – Castaneda	10 – Freeman	4 – Freeman	James A. Rhodes Arena (2,068) Akron, OH
February 21, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Toledo	L 63–84	19–9 (11–4)	18 – Freeman	9 – Freeman	4 – Castaneda	Savage Arena (5,677) Toledo, OH
February 25, 2023 4:00 p.m., ESPN3		Western Michigan	W 81–64	20–9 (12–4)	23 – Castaneda	10 – Freeman	6 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,739) Akron, OH
February 28, 2023 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Ball State	W 87–83	21–9 (13–4)	29 – Castaneda	12 – Freeman	3 – Hankerson	James A. Rhodes Arena (1,912) Akron, OH
March 3, 2023 6:00 p.m.[11], ESPNU		at Kent State	L 84–89 OT	21–10 (13–5)	26 – Hunter	12 – Freeman	5 – Castaneda	MAC Center (6,327) Kent, OH
MAC tournament
March 9, 2022 6:30 p.m., ESPN+	(3)	vs. (6) Buffalo Quarterfinals	W 101–77	22–10	31 – Castaneda	7 – Freeman	4 – Castaneda	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (3,852) Cleveland, OH
March 10, 2022 7:30 p.m., CBSSN	(3)	vs. (2) Kent State Semifinals	L 73–79	22–11	26 – Freeman	18 – Freeman	3 – Tied	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (9,295) Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[12]

References

1. "John Groce". Akron Athletics. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
2. "Buffalo 77, Akron 101". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
3. "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
4. "MAC Basketball Standings - 2021-22". ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
5. "Akron rocks rival Kent State 75-55 for MAC title, NCAA berth". ESPN. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
6. "UCLA 57, Akron 53". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
7. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
8. "2022 D1 Basketball Transfers". Verbal Commits. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
9. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". Akron Athletics.
10. "Two MAC Men's Basketball Matchups Selected For Television".
11. "Three MAC Men's Basketball Matchups Selected For Television".
12. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Schedule". Akron Athletics.