The University of Akron will play No. 2 seed Houston in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on the campus of Texas Southern.
The Zips (26-7), the No. 7 seed in the NIT’s Region 2, earned that spot by virtue of winning the regular season Mid-American Conference title.
As expected, after a 70-65 loss on Saturday to rival Kent State in the MAC Tournament championship game, the Zips didn’t make the cut when the selection committee made its choices for the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, Wednesday’s NIT opener will be a homecoming for three members of the Zips roster. Guard Antino Jackson and forwards Daniel Utomi and Emmanuel Olojakpoke all played their high school ball in the Houston area.
The Cougars (21-10), members of the American Athletic Conference, lost in the quarterfinals of the AAC Tournament and finished third overall in the conference.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at www.ohio.com/zips. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.