Akron amped for chance to upset Creighton in NCAAs at Pittsburgh

The Akron Zips took the short trip to Pittsburgh this week as the Mid-American Conference’s lone representative in the NCAA Tournament, but Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot, their former longtime coach, won’t be there Thursday to watch his old team take on No. 3 seed Creighton in a Midwest Region first-round game at PPG Paints Arena.

Dambrot, instead, is in Omaha, Neb., with the Dukes for a first-round game of their own Thursday against BYU.

His successor at Akron, former Illinois coach John Groce, is carrying on a tradition Dambrot established in 12 seasons in the Rubber City while becoming the Zips’ all-time winningest coach.

Groce, in his seventh season at Akron after running out of steam at Illinois, where he was dismissed after five seasons, has climbed to second behind Dambrot in career victories at the school.

“I’ve got great respect for Keith,” Groce said Wednesday. “I tell people all the time one of the reasons I was attracted to the Akron job back in 2017 had a lot to do with the success that he had had over a long period of time.”

Dambrot, before announcing his retirement Monday, accomplished at Duquesne what he originally set out to do: return the long-suffering Dukes program to the NCAAs.

“I’ve known Keith for years,” said longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe, whose Golden Grizzlies, like Groce’s Zips, are a 14th seed. They will play Moon native John Calipari and his No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats in another of the four first-round games Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.

“The moment (Duquesne) won (the Atlantic 10), because he had texted me when we won (the Horizon), I texted him, ‘attaboy.’ Keith’s a good friend, and he’s a hell of a coach.”

For Groce and Akron, it might be a bit of a surprise appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Groce’s second with the school.

Though the Zips (24-10) were a No. 2 seed, they sweated out things to earn the MAC’s automatic bid Saturday with a last-second 62-61 victory over Kent State in the championship game to avoid an upset by the eighth-seeded Golden Flashes.

Kent State’s Jalen Sullinger missed a short jumper at the buzzer that would’ve sent Akron home without the crown after Greg Tribble’s two free throws gave the Zips a one-point lead with 5 seconds to go.

It is Groce’s second go-round in the MAC. His head coaching career began at Ohio in 2008, when Dambrot was at Akron.

“There were a lot of great battles,” Groce said.

“Great respect for him as a coach, person. Keith is a huge part of Akron, the city, the university, what he did there. He’s one of ours. So we’re excited for him and his team and what they’ve done this year, their opportunity in the tournament, and very thankful for what he means to Akron basketball and our program, and always will.”

Akron’s season has been driven by the play of Enrique Freeman, aka “The Unicorn.”

Freeman, who averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds as a senior at Cleveland’s St. Martin De Porres High School, went to Akron on an academic scholarship with no intention of playing basketball.

Once there, he changed his mind, attended an open tryout and made the team.

“Unreal,” Freeman said. “Amazing.”

The 6-foot-7 Freeman, who leads Akron in scoring (18.6 ppg) and the nation in rebounding (12.9 rpg), capped off his final regular season by earning MAC Player of the Year and an Associated Press honorable mention as an All-American.

“To go from a walk-on tryout to (MAC) Defensive Player of the Year two years ago to All-League to MAC Tournament MVP twice to MAC regular conference MVP this year to an All-American is nothing short of amazing,” Groce said. “I mean it really is.”

Creighton (23-9), the third-place team in the Big East’s regular season but a first-round conference tournament casualty to Providence, will look to redeem itself with a possible run in the NCAAs.

“Same approach, just a lot more at stake,” said junior guard Trey Alexander, the Bluejays’ second-leading scorer (17.6 ppg).

Creighton boasts four double-figure scorers, including 7-foot-1 senior Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1). Baylor Scheierman, a 6-7 senior and a South Dakota State transfer two years ago, leads the Jays in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (9.0).

Akron, a No. 13 seed in 2022, nearly upset No. 4 seed UCLA, in a 57-53 first-round loss. The hope Thursday is for another similar opportunity against Creighton and its high-powered group, led by the towering Kalkbrenner.

It appears as a tall task for the Zips.