# 2021–22 Akron Zips men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by fifth-year head coach John Groce, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio as members of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 24–10, 14–6 in MAC play to finish a tie for third place. As the No. 4 seed, they defeated Buffalo, Toledo, and Kent State to win the MAC tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 13 seed in the East Region, where they lost in the first round to UCLA.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Zips finished the 2020–21 season 15–8, 12–6 in MAC play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Bowling Green in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament before losing to Buffalo in the semifinals.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at West Virginia Charity Exhibition | L 59–74 | – | 13 – Ali | 4 – Castaneda | 11 – Freeman | WVU Coliseum (9,434) Morgantown, WV |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 17 Ohio State | L 66–67 | 0–1 | 17 – Ali | 9 – Freeman | 2 – Tied | Value City Arena (11,947) Columbus, OH |
| November 13, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Point Park | W 102–46 | 1–1 | 18 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 6 – Walton | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,022) Akron, OH |
| November 18, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Wheeling | W 99–38 | 2–1 | 15 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 3 – Tied | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,620) Akron, OH |
| November 22, 2021* 5:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Fordham Gulf Coast Showcase quarterfinals | L 43–63 | 2–2 | 9 – Freeman | 11 – Freeman | 2 – Dawson | Hertz Arena (370) Estero, FL |
| November 23, 2021* 1:30 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Appalachian State Gulf Coast Showcase Consolation 2nd Round | L 45–57 | 2–3 | 15 – Freeman | 10 – Freeman | 3 – Clarke | Hertz Arena (401) Estero, FL |
| November 24, 2021* 11:00 am, FloHoops | | vs. Evansville Gulf Coast Showcase 7th place game | W 69–60 | 3–2 | 20 – Ali | 10 – Freeman | 3 – 2 tied | Hertz Arena (150) Estero, FL |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Marshall | W 88–86 | 4–3 | 24 – Freeman | 14 – Freeman | 5 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,752) Akron, OH |
| December 4, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Southern | W 79–62 | 5–3 | 19 – Tribble | 13 – Freeman | 7 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,690) Akron, OH |
| December 12, 2021* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 73–66 | 6–3 | 17 – Castaneda | 11 – Freeman | 5 – Castaneda | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,529) Akron, OH |
| December 15, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Wright State | W 66–48 | 7–3 | 12 – Holden | 7 – Basile | 2 – Holden | Nutter Center (3,503) Dayton, OH |
| December 20, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Radford | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Akron | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Akron | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Akron | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Akron | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at Akron | James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH |
| MAC regular season |||||||||
| January 1, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Buffalo | W 88–76 | 8–3 (1–0) | 32 – Ali | 10 – Freeman | 4 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,510) Akron, OH |
| January 4, 2022 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | Ohio | L 63–69 | 8–4 (1–1) | 22 – Ali | 10 – Freeman | 4 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,750) Akron, OH |
| January 11, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Ball State | W 84–74 | 9–4 (2–1) | 29 – Castaneda | 12 – Freeman | 6 – Castaneda | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,815) Akron, OH |
| January 14, 2022 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Kent State | L 55–67 | 9–5 (2–2) | 21 – Castaneda | 7 – Freeman | 3 – Tribble | MAC Center (1,791) Kent, OH |
| January 18, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Western Michigan | W 74–73 | 10–5 (3–2) | 18 – Ali | 8 – Freeman | 6 – Castaneda | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,611) Akron, OH |
| January 20, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Bowling Green Rescheduled from December 29 | W 91–66 | 11–5 (4–2) | 33 – Trimble Jr. | 10 – Freeman | 6 – Castaneda | Stroh Center (1,867) Bowling Green, OH |
| January 22, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Eastern Michigan | W 46–44 | 12–5 (5–2) | 15 – Ali | 14 – Freeman | 3 – Castaneda | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,090) Akron, OH |
| January 25, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Central Michigan | W 60–56 | 13–5 (6–2) | 16 – Freeman | 11 – Freeman | 4 – Tribble | McGuirk Arena (1,156) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| January 28, 2022 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Toledo | L 76–84 | 13–6 (6–3) | 18 – Trimble Jr. | 10 – Freeman | 4 – 2 tied | Savage Arena (5,489) Toledo, OH |
| February 4, 2022 7:30 pm, CBSSN | | Miami (OH) | W 66–55 | 14–6 (7–3) | 21 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 4 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,794) Akron, OH |
| February 6, 2022 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Miami (OH) Rescheduled from January 8 | W 71–59 | 15–6 (8–3) | 21 – Ali | 10 – Freeman | 3 – Freeman | Millett Hall (1,597) Oxford, OH |
| February 8, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Northern Illinois | W 70–64 | 16–6 (9–3) | 21 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 5 – Ali | Convocation Center DeKalb, IL |
| February 11, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Kent State | L 64–66 | 16–7 (9–4) | 21 – Freeman | 13 – Freeman | 4 – Tribble | James A. Rhodes Arena (3,699) Akron, OH |
| February 15, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Western Michigan | L 57–61 $^{OT}$ | 16–8 (9–5) | 16 – Freeman | 18 – Freeman | 3 – Freeman | University Arena (1,269) Kalamazoo, MI |
| February 17, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Northern Illinois Rescheduled from January 1 | L 63–66 | 16–9 (9–6) | 20 – Ali | 11 – Freeman | 3 – Castaneda | Rhodes Arena (2,076) Akron, OH |
| February 19, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Eastern Michigan | W 67–48 | 17–9 (10–6) | 17 – Ali | 8 – Freeman | 3 – Freeman | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,584) Ypsilanti, MI |
| February 22, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Bowling Green | W 82–68 | 18–9 (11–6) | 17 – 2 tied | 11 – Freeman | 6 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (1,830) Akron, OH |
| February 25, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Ohio | W 91–83 | 19–9 (12–6) | 22 – Ali | 9 – Freeman | 3 – 2 tied | Convocation Center Athens, OH |
| March 1, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Ball State | W 79–60 | 20–9 (13–6) | 22 – Castaneda | 16 – Freeman | 4 – Freeman | Worthen Arena (3,003) Muncie, IN |
| March 4, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Central Michigan | W 57–56 | 21–9 (14–6) | 17 – Castaneda | 8 – Dawson | 3 – Ali | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,128) Akron, OH |
| MAC tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 1:30 pm, ESPN+ | (4) | vs. (5) Buffalo Quarterfinals | W 70–68 | 22–9 | 19 – Ali | 9 – Freeman | 4 – Castaneda | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Cleveland, OH |
| March 11, 2022 5:00 pm, CBSSN | (4) | vs. (1) Toledo Semifinals | W 70–62 | 23–9 | 26 – Castaneda | 10 – Freeman | 4 – Tribble | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Cleveland, OH |
| March 12, 2022 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | (4) | vs. (2) Kent State Championship | W 75–55 | 24–9 | 23 – Freeman | 8 – Freeman | 5 – Tribble | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (8,361) Cleveland, OH |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 6:50 pm, TBS | (13 E) | vs. (4 E) No. 11 UCLA First Round | L 53–57 | 24–10 | 18 – Castaneda | 10 – Freeman | 1 – Castaneda | Moda Center (14,217) Portland, OR |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||