AKRON, Ohio — Northeast Ohio is no stranger to sports rivalries and one of the most heated in the area is owned by the Akron Zips and Kent State Golden Flashes—the winner each year earning the coveted Wagon Wheel trophy. That rivalry may just be stronger than ever this season.
The Zips are coming off an impressive season where they made a March Madness appearance after taking down Kent State in the Mid-American Conference championships. That matchup as chippy as it gets, which is what the Zips expect this time around as well.
"It's always a good game. Us and Kent. Big time rivalry. I think it'll be a very competitive game," said Zips junior point guard Xavier Castaneda.
"Going into rival games, you kind of expect that chippiness," added sophomore forward Enrique Freeman. "We're not going to try to lose our mind to try to get overly emotional and just kind of play to our standards."
Standards certainly set last year when the team made a big run to make the tourney, but as head coach John Groce notes, this season stands alone.
"Obviously last year was special opportunity for our team to be able to compete in March Madness. They earned the right to do that. It'll be something that will never be taken away from those guys, from Team 121 we call them. Those guys will always have that shared experience and such great memories from all that. But this is a completely different year," Groce explained. "It's a different team, different journey, but one that we've really embraced. They're a fun group to work with. They're very coachable. I love their character both on and off the court."
This year, the Zips have racked up a 16-6 record, going 8-1 in conference play to date. Their record has put them second in MAC standings, two games overall shy of first place—but tied in conference record with the top team.
The Zips play that team on Friday for a chance to take the No. 1 spot.
That team is Kent State.
Kent State's 18-4 record has them edging out Akron heading into the game, and they've had some strong opponents in the few losses they've had, including Gonzaga and Houston. Still, Akron feels they've had enough strong matchups this season to get them ready for this moment.
"We played five top 100 NET teams when non-conference was over...so we played a good schedule as well. We were challenged as well. I think playing that really good schedule that we played has helped prepare us for moments like Friday night and for league play," Groce said. "So we're a much better team than we were in non-conference. And I think that losing some of those games, playing that challenging schedule in non-conference, helped prepare us for this moment."
Friday night at 9 p.m., Akron's James A. Rhodes arena, better known as the JAR, will fill with fans of both schools. A short drive for Kent fans will allow them to bring their noise, but the A-K Rowdies will look to drown them out. The white-out game will be high energy, which the Zips are looking forward to.
"We wake up feeling dangerous. We're just ready to go," Freeman said. "Everyone's going to be here. I know it's a white out, so everybody's going to be wearing our colors, there's going to be Kent fans...so just got to stay poised throughout this process."
And while every Akron-Kent rivalry game makes for as exciting competition, the winner of this Wagon Wheel matchup won't just own bragging rights—they'll earn that coveted No. 1 spot in the MAC standings—and that is something Akron is eyeing intently.
"Obviously both teams will be really excited to play. I mean, it's the wagon wheel," Groce said. "It's a big time game, it'll be a great environment in here against a big time opponent, well-coached they've got really good players and our guys are excited about the challenge."
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