Last night in MACsketball:
Minnesota 66, Akron 58 — A nice effort by the Zips to pull off another big-time upset, this time against a ranked enterprise, but the depth just rank out. Many of the AP write-ups were discussing the 20th-ranked Gophers pouring it on in the second half, or shooting a sufficient 62.5% in the second half. But they seemed to miss the fact that Akron center Zeke Marshall played only 20 minutes in the game due to foul trouble. When he was in he had four blocks. That thinned out their ranks inside, which allowed for some pivotal lay-ups and high-percentage shots to solidify the lead that became too much to overcome. But they did hold that 32-27 halftime lead, which was refreshing. Nikola Cvetinovic finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, although two UM players also double-doubled, so what's so special about that? Akron's next game: Saturday, 12/18 vs. Bethune-Cookman
OHIO 87, St. Francis PA 58 — Here's the beatdown we were waiting for. It's this kind of impatience which had SB Nation's bracketologist christen Kent State as the current conference fave, but for now, enjoy the type of rout a MAC favorite oughta do against an overmatched team: go up by 30 in the first half and never look back. The Bobcats sank a blustery 15 3-point shots (out of 29 taken), they rebounded well, they passed the ball around ... honestly, everyone who checked in had a solid game. Six men scored in double figures, including D.J. Cooper (16) and Tommy Freeman (15). Move on, young men. Next game: Saturday, 12/18 at St. Bonaventure
No MAC basketball games until Saturday, but there are eight of them. It's worth the wait.