University of Akron men’s basketball player Shammah Scott did not get his usual amount of sleep as Saturday, March 14, gave way to Sunday, March 15.
Neither did Akron coach John Groce.
The excitement of beating Toledo 79-76 and winning the Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament for the third year in a row Saturday was clearly visible Sunday during an NCAA Tournament Selection Show watch party at UA’s Rhodes Arena.
“This feels so surreal,” said Scott, who beat Toledo with a game-winning 3-pointer with 6.0 seconds left. “It feels like a dream, honestly. I am just blessed.”
Scott added, “it’s just an incredible feeling” after he saw Akron on an NCAA Tournament bracket for third year in a row.
No. 12 seed Akron (29-5) will meet No. 5 seed Texas Tech (22-10) in a Midwest Region first-round game at 12:40 p.m. Friday, March 20, in Tampa, Fla. The game will be televised on truTV.
“Doing this for the past three years, it just shows how much work we put into this and how good of teams coach has recruited and how hard we have worked,” said Scott, a 6-foot-2 graduate student. “I am just grateful. … Texas Tech is a great team in a great conference.”
Akron is 0-7 in the NCAA Division I Tournament with appearances In 1986, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2024 and 2025. The Zips were the NCAA Division II national runner-up in 1964 and 1972, a Final Four team in 1966 and an Elite Eight team in 1965, 1973 and 1975.
“I am excited, and I know the whole team is really excited just to have the opportunity to go down to Tampa and play a really good team and have a really good opportunity to set history here and advance in the [NCAA] Tournament,” Akron senior Evan Mahaffey said.
“I have watched a few [Texas Tech] games. They play in a really good conference, they are a really good team and have really good players.”
Texas Tech will be without JT Toppin, the only player in NCAA Division I who ranks in the top 10 in points (21.8) and rebounds per game (10.8). Toppin suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during a game at Arizona State on Feb. 17.
Texas Tech’s Chrisitan Anderson (18.9 points, 7.6 assists) is expected to be available after slipping on an LED glass court in Kansas City and suffering a groin injury against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament on March 12.
With that in mind, CBS analysts Seth Davis and Clark Kellogg both picked Akron to beat Texas Tech and spoke highly of Groce, Scott and senior Tavari Johnson. Davis also proclaimed that Akron is going to the Sweet 16.
“It’s special,” Johnson said. “It’s exciting. It’s a great opportunity for us. … They play in a really good league, they have got a lot of really good guards and a lot of really good players, and I can’t wait to learn more about them this week.”
ESPN analyst Sean Farnham also spoke highly of Groce, Johnson and Akron’s 3-point shooting, and said “if Christian Anderson isn’t 100%, this is your potential 12-5 upset.”
“They are a good team and they play in one of the best conferences in the country,” Akron senior Amani Lyles said. “I am excited to learn more about them here going on these few days. Tampa has good weather, so I am excited to be there as well. I am just excited to compete at another high level and in another tournament game. Hopefully, we get our first tournament win.”
Groce said it’s “surreal and awesome” to be an NCAA Tournament participant.
“It’s obviously a privilege to be in the tournament and to compete in it,” Groce said. “To be a part of March Madness, there’s nothing like it. We’re looking forward to the challenge but, yeah, it was really cool when you see your name flash up there on that line. It is special.
“… Coach [Grant] McCasland does a great job. I’ve gotten to know him a little bit. We’re acquaintances, but I have seen his team play. Sometimes at night, I’ll turn on the television when I am watching film, and there are different games on television. They play in a great league. His teams are always very, very physical. They compete and I can tell obviously from watching them play, not only this year, but previously during his tenure, that they’re connected. He gets them to play with fire and toughness.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: MAC champ Akron to play Texas Tech in NCAA men’s basketball tournament