STRENGTHS: Akron has plenty of offensive options despite the loss of MAC-leading scorer Derrick Tarver. Jeremiah Wood, Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce and Darryl Peterson all have shown the ability to put up points. The Zips have strong depth and inexperience in the post, with C Matt Futch, C Nick Meyers and F Darryl Person joining Wood and Travis. Joyce will key a strong passing attack after averaging nearly three assists per game last year.

WEAKNESSES: Jeremiah Wood is a monster in the paint, but he'll need help from F Rick McFadden and others to improve Akron's rebounding margin, which ranked 12th out of 13 MAC teams last year. The Zips' lack of focus showed with a high turnover rate and poor free-throw shooting. Coach Keith Dambrot needs his sophomore stars to toughen up on the road, where Akron lost 11 of 15 games last season.

LAST YEAR: 13-15 overall, 7-11 in the MAC; lost to Ball State in the first round of the MAC tournament.

HEAD COACH: Keith Dambrot (career 663-234); 1st year at Akron.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We'll never leave the gym again saying we were out-hustled or out-worked and we will never leave the gym again saying we didn't work together. Those are two things I really stress, playing hard and playing together, and I think if we do those things a lot of good things will happen." -- Akron coach Keith Dambrot

SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Akron added a pair of guards and a forward, all of whom could see the floor this season. G Cedrick Middleton averaged 18 points a game for Brewster Academy last year and should see some time at shooting guard. F Quade Milum is an aggressive rebounder and will bolster a front line in need of playmakers. G Adam Walther is an excellent all-around player who led his high school team to an Ohio state title in 2003. The Zips also added G Nick Dials, a transfer from Ohio State who will be eligible next season.

KEY EARLY-SEASON GAME: Dec. 4 at Northern Illinois -- Both teams are in a rebuilding stage after the loss of a superstar (Derrick Tarver for Akron; Marcus Smallwood for NIU). The Huskies' defense provides a stern test for Akron's offense, which likely will need more the "big 3" to nab a road win. Akron can erase last year's woeful road record with an early conference win in a tough environment.

PROGRAM DIRECTION: Derrick Tarver's absence undoubtedly will hurt the Zips, but the sophomore trio of Jeremiah Wood, Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce essentially carried the team at times last year. Akron has a solid young core, several impressive newcomers and a coach determined to instill discipline and fire in his team.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: Point guard Dru Joyce, shooting guard/small forward Romeo Travis, forward Rick McFadden or Darryl Peterson, power forward Jeremiah Wood, center Matt Futch

ROSTER REPORT: Akron's coaches got the second chance they wanted when G Nick Dials, a sought-after recruit, transferred to the school from Ohio State in June. Dials walked on at Ohio State and ended up starting nine games as a freshman last year. "Nick is a perfect fit for our program," Zips coach Keith Dambrot said. "He is the ultimate winner and was a player we really wanted out of high school." ... Akron received an oral commitment from F Terrell Eagle, a 6-4 swingman who averaged 20.4 points per game at Fitch High School in Youngstown, Ohio. ... F Jeremiah Wood should be fully recovered form a stress fracture in his lower leg suffered during the offseason.

First-year coach Keith Dambrot's motto of "think big" dismisses any assumptions that 2004-05 represents a rebuilding year for a young Akron squad. Dambrot, an assistant for the past three seasons, has brought an up-tempo offensive style that needs to fill the 22.7 points-a-game void left by G Derrick Tarver.

The Zips also lost F Andy Hipsher and G Johnny Hollingsworth, but they return a potent young trio of Dru Joyce III, Romeo Travis and Jeremiah Wood. Joyce, Travis and Wood accounted for 33 percent of Akron's scoring output and 43.8 percent of the rebounds last season. Wood ranked sixth in the league with 7.3 rebounds per game last year.

Akron boasts two returning front-line starters in Wood and C Matt Futch, who started 14 games last year. Redshirt junior F Darryl Peterson returns after missing last year with a strained back muscle. Peterson averaged more than 13 points a game in each of his first two seasons.

The MAC's top field-goal shooting team a year ago should have plenty of scoring options in 2004-05. Akron's biggest challenges are free-throw shooting and defense. To no one's surprise, Dambrot is stressing discipline this year.

"We need to move forward," he said at his introductory news conference in March.

"I think that many times you can dwell on the past and make excuses as to why you're not successful, but we have to move forward and make sure that we are successful. We are going to make sure that our players are the most disciplined team in the MAC."

The Zips shot a league-worst 64.5 percent from the line. Akron ranked 10th in the league in scoring defense, allowing 72.1 points per game.