Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

Daily Headlines

Akron blitzes Kent State 85-71 to stay undefeated in MAC play at 9-0

Undefeated since the start of 2025, Akron has now won nine games in a row, qualifying for one of the nation’s ten longest active winning streaks. The Zips have won the games in style, picking off other top half MAC teams by solid margins. Hosting Toledo and Ohio in back-to-back games in mid-January, Akron took down the Rockets 85-78 and followed it up with a 92-80 win over Ohio. Last Saturday, Akron met Miami (OH) with both teams undefeated in MAC play at 6-0. Akron finished that one off before the half, taking down the RedHawks 102-75 as six players reached double figures.

Last night, Akron faced off against its fiercest rival, Kent State. Even coming in at 8-0 in MAC play and ranked 101st nationally at KenPom, the Zips were underdogs in a tough road environment. They didn’t act much at all like underdogs though, jumping out to a 27-9 lead halfway through the first half on the home court of their biggest rivals. Kent State was only able to trim the deficit once after that run, and Akron led 48-31 at the halftime break. Akron would lead by as many as 23 points in the second half, coming away with an 85-71 victory that cements its place atop the MAC standings.

Akron’s elite balance was on display once again, with six players scoring in double figures. Akron’s leading scorer on the season, Nate Johnson (13.7 ppg), led the way for the Zips with 20 points, hitting seven of his 15 shots. I came away extremely impressed with former North Carolina and West Virginia big man James Okonkwo (7.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg), who finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks on the night. Never a focal point offensively, Okonkwo did the dirty work to help Akron succeed, crashing the glass and playing stifling post defense. Tavari Johnson (12.7 ppg) has been Nate Johnson’s right-hand man all season long for Akron, and once again excelled as the primary creator and the secondary scorer for this high-powered Zips offense with 15 points and five assists on the night.

Now 95th nationally at KenPom, Akron has excelled this season at speeding their opponents up, getting out in transition, and going downhill to create open looks from three. Akron plays at the 14th fastest pace in the country and takes over 46% of its shots from three-point range. Hitting from behind the arc at a 36.7% clip, the Zips score over 40.5% of their points from long range, ranking sixth in the nation. While it may seem like a high dependency on three-pointers, the way Akron plays and speeds things up allows its shooters to get so many open looks night-in and night-out. Against Kent State the Zips hit 11 of their 27 three-pointers, marking its fifth-straight game with 10+ made three-pointers.

With an extremely fast pace, elite shooters, and a coach who has been to the Big Dance before in John Groce, Akron has all the makings to be the next double-digit seed that makes a run. Nate Johnson and Tavari Johnson got a taste of the tournament last season for Akron, and big man James Okonkwo adds post presence with high-major pedigree. When the Zips are still standing come the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, just know who told you they’d be there first.

Other Things to Note:

• Braden Smith goes for 24-7-6 as #10 Purdue holds off Indiana 81-76 in Mackey Arena
• #8 Tennessee looks for revenge when it hosts #5 Florida (12:00 ET, ESPN)
• Desperate North Carolina visits #2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium (6:30 ET, ESPN)
• Big East heavyweights meet in Milwaukee as #9 Marquette hosts #25 UConn (8:00 ET, FOX)
• John Calipari returns to Lexington for first time as Arkansas visits #12 Kentucky at Rupp Arena (9:00 ET, ESPN)