COLUMBUS: Thad Matta’s first job as a college basketball assistant came 21 seasons ago at Miami University.
He spent two of the next three years at the Mid-American Conference school, so the Ohio State coach knows the challenges of playing in what has historically been a one-bid league.
That said, Matta believes the University of Akron should have made the 68-team NCAA Tournament field despite its three-point loss to Buffalo in Saturday night’s MAC Tournament title game.
“We have tremendous respect for Akron and know how good they are,” Matta said during a post-practice press conference Monday.