AKRON, Ohio — The bracket for the NCAA Tournament has been unveiled and the Akron Zips are preparing for all the madness.
The Zips, who clinched a MAC Championship on Saturday night by outlasting longtime rival Kent State 75-55 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, punched their ticket to the "Big Dance" with an automatic bid on Sunday. Akron, given a 13-seed by the selection committee, will square off with 4-seed UCLA Thursday evening in Portland, Oregon at 9:50 pm ET.
On Sunday, 3News sports anchor Nick Camino had an opportunity to go one-on-one with Akron head coach John Groce to talk about the upcoming NCAA Tournament, a wild MAC Tournament in Cleveland, and the Zips' upcoming matchup against the Bruins. Groce, who has now taken three schools to the NCAA Tournament (Ohio, Illinois, Akron), helped guide the Zips to a 24-9 record on the season.
It's the program's first tourney appearance since 2013 and fifth overall, and they are searching for their first-ever win in the event. You can watch the full interview in the player at the top of this story.