The date was March 12, 2011. The sixth seeded Akron Zips headed into the MAC Championship game facing top seed and rival Kent State. In a thrilling affair, the Zips eked out a 66-65 overtime victory, sending them to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.
The script was flipped for tonight’s battle between the rivals located just 15 miles from each other along Interstate 76. This time, Akron came in as the favorite - an immovable force with so many scoring options. Kent State wasn’t necessarily supposed to be here coming off a ho-hum regular season, but earned their spot in the finals by knocking out the second and third seed in the tournament’s earlier rounds.