"It goes through your head like, ‘boom.’": Zips’ Nate Johnson Named MVP as Akron Comes Back from 18-Point Deficit to Win 76-74 in MAC Championship
Akron didn’t trail once in the MAC tournament, and yet they still found themselves down 18 to a Miami (OH) team that they blew out by 30—in the championship game. They ended up winning, by the way.
FINAL, Mid-American Conference Championship
Akron 76, Miami (OH) 74
Akron didn’t trail once in 2025’s edition of the MAC men’s basketball tournament, yet they still found themselves down 18 to a Miami (OH) team they had blown out by 30—in the championship game. The Zips came back from that 18-point deficit—and then won it with seconds to spare.
Miami came out swinging, with Kam Craft and Mehki Cooper hitting early threes. But it was Peter Suder who put the Zips on their heels, drilling six three-pointers in the first half. Suder’s scoring barrage helped push the RedHawks to an 18-point lead, making Akron’s comeback seem improbable.
It was then that the Zips saw an 18-point deficit with 8:13 to go in the first half. Every time Akron tried to crawl back, Miami would just keep scoring. That was the main difference between the RedHawks’ 30-point loss to Akron and their championship game.
“We’ve been here before. We’ve been down at halftime and we fought through. We know the guys we got in the locker room. In the first half we had some bad body language, but we had some older guys come up and say something in halftime…We ‘gotta have positive energy if we ‘wanna make a run,” Akron’s Nate Johnson said.
So naturally, the Zips did just that. Tavari Johnson was part of that answer for Akron. Tavari shot 3-4 from beyond the arc. All of those came in the second half. The first three was to build back on what they’d lost, the second and third were to keep it within six.
“Just try to make every shot. I try to shoot it with confidence. Trusting my worth and knowing that my team believes in me—and believes that the shots are going in…[it] brought me confidence to rise up and knock them down,” Tavari said about his three-point shooting.
It also helped that Suder only shot four threes in the second half, making only two of them. Miami scored 46 points in the first half, and had only ever scored 50 points by halftime once this season. They only scored 28 in the second half.
As the game neared its conclusion, Akron found themselves in a situation where they needed to make a play, and it came down to a final, last-second possession.
Miami sophomore Evan Ipsaro's clutch mid-range jumper missed, and with around five seconds remaining, the RedHawks had already used up 27 seconds of game time.
As soon as the shot didn’t fall, Akron junior Amani Lyles grabbed the board—and he had a target. Akron head coach John Groce knew exactly what the situation needed, even with two timeouts left and Miami having none.
"I saw Amani get the rebound, I saw the outlet, and then I looked right at the clock. I knew we had two timeouts, but [the assistant coaches] had also told me that Miami was out of timeouts. I looked at the clock, and immediately it registered to me, ‘He’s got enough time to score.’ I’m thinking, do I call a timeout to set our defense? But I fortunately remembered they didn’t have any. I didn’t want to give them a chance to draw something up, and it goes through your head like, ‘boom,’” Groce said.
Nate Johnson had b-lined straight to the other side of the court almost as soon as Ipsaro’s shot went up, and he was practically unguarded. One euro step later, and he won it for the Zips.
“I was supposed to crash the glass—I hope I don’t get yelled at for that—I saw [Amani Lyles] get the rebound. I saw him down there, he boxed out, and he’s a good passer,” Johnson said about his championship-winning shot.
He’s gathered awards this season like nobody else: MAC Player of the Year, MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and finally, MAC tournament MVP.
Akron has now gone 3-4 with conference championship wins in the last four years. Akron were 2-5 on the season when trailing with five minutes remaining, while the RedHawks were 20-2 when leading at the half. It was clear on paper who should’ve won, and yet Akron pulled it out.
Amani Lyles had 14 total rebounds for the Zips tonight, leading all players. He was ten boards ahead of second place.
Akron’s comeback showcased a whole lot of tenacity.
What’s next for Akron?
It certainly is a time to be alive for Akron. It’s back-to-back tournament appearances for the Zips. Akron goes dancing in the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years. This marks their 17th trip to March. This will only be their sixth time winning a tournament title to represent the Mid-American Conference in the tournament. It’s their seventh trip to the big dance overall. This is also John Groce’s sixth time taking a team to the tournament.
Their 28-win path set a record for most wins in a season in program history.
What’s next for Miami (OH)?
For Miami, an attempt to gain their first tournament berth since 2007—which, funnily enough, came after a buzzer beater against Akron—falls short. This was the first time the program reached 25 wins, ever.
It’s easy to chalk up Miami’s run as a disappointment, sure. However, when you look at the bigger picture, things are looking quite bright for the RedHawks.
“I thought we could win this thing. I knew that back in June when we got our guys on campus. Hopefully, we can use this as fuel for motivation into spring, because you know, we’re ‘gonna be back in this game next year,” Miami (OH) head coach Travis Steele said regarding the team’s fall short this season.
In March, it’s not just about who wins—it’s about fighting on.
That’s the MAC.
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By Aiden Brueck, The Letter Media Network
Contact: brueckaiden@gmail.com
March 16, 2025