Arizona Basketball

Akron’s Groce on Arizona: “Fascinated with how fast they play”

By Javier Morales

Posted on March 17, 2025

*Akron coach John Groce will attempt to lead the Zips to the first NCAA tournament win in program history when they play Arizona on Friday at Seattle (Akron photo)*

Akron coach John Groce mentioned Monday to the Akron, Ohio, media that he made a point to watch Arizona play at night during the season and study how Tommy Lloyd engineers the Wildcats’ transition game.

“We know they’re good, obviously, and I know Tommy Lloyd does a great job of coaching them,” said Groce. “I’ve actually studied them a little bit in the past because I was fascinated with how fast they play and their pace. I know he does a good job.

“So I’ll know more obviously, once we get a chance to watch some film and prepare. But, obviously, you don’t have the type of season they’ve had unless you’re really good, and I know he’s a terrific coach.”

Groce’s Zips (28-6) will face No. 4 Arizona (22-12) on Friday in an NCAA tournament East Region first-round game at Seattle at 4:35 p.m. (TruTV).

Akron will attempt to win its first NCAA tournament game in program history after first-round losses in 1986, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2022 and 2024.

Groce, a former head coach at Ohio and Illinois, has coached the Zips to the NCAA tournament three out of the last four years.

He coached under Herb Sendek at N.C. State and Thad Matta at Butler, Xavier and Ohio State before becoming the head coach at Ohio in 2008-09.

Groce went 85-56 at Ohio and took the Bobcats to the Sweet 16 in 2012.

The performance earned him a hire at Illinois, but his time with the Fighting Illini was not all that successful. He went 95-75 there in five years and made the NCAA tournament only once, his first season. Illinois did not finish better than seventh place in the Big Ten during his tenure.

Groce got another chance coaching in the MAC at Akron right after his dismissal at Illinois in 2017. He is 168-87 in his eighth season with the Zips. He has led the program to two regular-season MAC titles and three MAC tournament championships.

He has never coached against Arizona. Friday’s game is the first between Akron and Arizona.

“I’ve seen them play a little bit at night; I love to watch games,” Groce said of the Wildcats. “And then, like I said, I love their pace. I know they play really fast. I know he does a great job, and they’re really good.”

Groce apparently has applied to his team what he has learned from Arizona’s operation.

Arizona averages 82 points a game, which is rated No. 22 in the nation. The Wildcats’ 16.4 assists per game is 24th in the nation.

Akron, which starts four guards, is also impressive on the offensive end.

The Zips are No. 10 in the nation at 84 points a game. They rank eighth in the nation averaging 10.8 made 3-pointers a game. They average 18.6 assists per game, which is the third-best mark in the country.

Starting guards Tavari Johnson, Nate Johnson and Isaiah Gray combined to average 36.6 points and 9.9 assists per game.

“We’ve been in the top three (of the MAC) for six straight years,” Groce said. “That’s including the 2020 championship, the 2022 tournament championship, the ’24 tournament championahip, the ’25 regular season championship and the ’25 tournament.

‘It’s hard to be that consistent. The way you get that type of consistency is first and foremost, you gotta have the right people on the bus or the right people in the locker room. We got a lot of guys that care about winning and a lot of guys that care about each other.”