After losing five seniors at the end of last season, there was some uncertainty of how successful the Akron Zips men’s basketball team could be entering this year. Success, however, certainly wasn’t fleeing for Akron,

Nate Johnson uses a 'Luka Dončić move' to lead Akron to a men's basketball win over Miami in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship.

The MAC basketball tournament begins Thursday, and the automatic bid to the Big Dance is Akron's to lose. The Zips (25-6) rolled through conference play this season, dropping just one MAC game while capturing the program's first regular-season championship since 2020.