This will not be the analysis post.  That will come later this week, when everyone has had time to digest what happened and breathe.  Some people are questioning Notre Dame's effort in this game, and that seems rather silly.  Florida State made a bunch of contested shots.  Notre Dame missed a bunch of open ones (along with a bunch of very well-contested attempts from an excellent, tall and nasty Florida State defense).  There was some early foul trouble, a furious rally midway through the second half that fell well short and a rim that was continually unkind to the men in white.  Notre Dame drew a capable opponent (that had already beaten Duke earlier in the season) and ran into one of the best shooting nights they had all season.  The Irish probably contributed to that to some degree, but I really think the defense was solid most of the night.

These last five halves of basketball were not the joyous ride we experienced most of the season.  It was like a switch flipped at halftime of the Louisville game, and every possession after that was less enjoyable than all of those prior.  It shouldn't ruin how much fun this season was until that point, from the Old Spice Classic victory up up though the Cincinnati evisceration at Madison Square Garden, but it sort of does.  I'd ask you to remember all of the great times this team gave you, that had you fist pumping and high-fiving.  There were many, although they may feel like a million years ago at the time you read this.

So very sad this evening.  And eventually I will be angry, because all of the people who don't follow Notre Dame basketball but love to chime in on how superior they are because they stayed away from it all year will start to talk.  A lot to think about, and a lot to go over.  No Sweet Sixteen for the Irish.  No banner.  Nothing really to cling to from an otherwise splendid 27-7 season.  There's no reason to think next year's Irish squad - which returns six of the eight rotation players from tonight - won't be competitive again, but it's hard to see them reaching the level of this year's team.

So do whatever you wish to do here.  Vent about tonight, toast an enjoyable season or do anything else in between.  This isn't how we wanted to go out, but there are nearly 32 other teams saying that exact same thing this weekend, and a host more that wish they had the chance to go down in the NCAA's.  A lot of teams have expectations dashed in March, and we are not special in that regard.  This team went down swinging tonight, and at some point, that's all you can ask.

Name: University of Akron

Location: Akron, OH

Nickname: The Zips.  They're named for a type of overshoe and the zipper, which was invented in Akron.  Their actual mascot is a kangaroo named "Zippy."

Conference Affiliation: Mid-American Conference (Tournament champs)

Record: 23-12 (9-7)

Fun University of Akron Facts: Founded in 1870 in affiliation with the Universalist Church (a denomination that thought everyone would find salvation after death, with some believing there was no hell at all, which is a very positive way of looking at things), Akron became a state university in 1967.  They're known for their polymer research (their old football stadium was called the Rubber Bowl).

Last Tournament Appearance: 2009, where they lost to Gonzaga in the first round.  The Zips led that game by six in the second half before falling in a 13-4 matchup.

Notable alumni: Jason Taylor and Jim Tressel both went there, as well as Pete Carroll's favorite son, Charlie Frye.  The Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach and Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley from Community) also attended Akron.  Here is a gratuitous Community clip that I really enjoy:

Bobby Huggins coached hoops there in the 1980's, and John Heisman of the trophy fame was their football coach once upon a time.

What about their basketball team?: Akron is ranked 123^rd on KenPom, playing at a pace that is exactly the national average (66.7).  Some stats that jump out:

Offensive rebounding rate: Akron is really bad at that, ranking 288^th in the country.

Getting to the free throw line: They're even worse at that, ranking 304^th in FTA/FGA (the ratio of free throw attempts a team takes in relation to the number of shots from the field they take).  When you consider that Notre Dame generally doesn't send teams to the line, this does not bode well for the Zips.

Getting shots blocked: Akron is actually really good at this, getting only 6.6% of their shots blocked, good for 14^th in the nation.

Turning the ball over: Again, a big positive for the Zips, as they're 39^th in the country in turning the ball over.  However, when I look at potential Notre Dame opponents, I actually don't mind seeing a low turnover rate.  Why is this?  Because the Irish force so very few turnovers, I prefer teams be low-turnover/bad shooting percentage on offense. Unless the opposition is just kicking the ball out of bounds or making really stupid passes, Notre Dame is not going to disrupt their offensive flow.  If teams are prone to turnovers against pressure, they're not going to face much against the Irish, meaning their overall offensive efficiency will go up just by not being stupid with the ball.  If you look at teams that Notre Dame has trouble with defensively, they're almost always squads that have a high turnover percentage because we help them lower it.   

3 point FG%: The Zips are actually good at both shooting the ball from distance (60^th in the nation) and defending the line (40^th).  Overall, their eFG% defense is 62^nd, which is very solid.

Giving up offensive rebounds: 210^th in the country, giving up an offensive rebound on one out of every three possessions.

Sending teams to the line: 179^th in the country.  When you combine this with the effectiveness of Notre Dame getting to the line, there might be plenty of free points for the Irish available along the way.

Head Coach: Keith Dambrot is in his seventh season as coach of the Zips, taking over the job in 2004 after a few years as an assistant.  In the early 90's, Dambrot was head man at Central Michigan when he was dismissed for making a racially insensitive comment.  Unable to find a job in the college ranks, Dambrot took over at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in 1998, meaning that A) He's got some experience with the Fighting Irish and B) He coached LeBron James, which is pretty cool.  Here's a profile following Akron's 2009 MAC tournament title written by the great Terry Pluto that's a good look at the path Dambrot took to get to where he is now.

Notable personnel:

Nikolai Cvetinovic is the Zips' leading scorer and possession user, scoring just under 12 points per game.  He does his damage inside, having only taken three treys all season, shooting 46% from 2-point range and 73% from the charity stripe, a place he visits at a pretty frequent pace (145^th in the country*).

* Just a note on KenPom's player rankings: 145^th doesn't seem high, but you have to consider that there are over three hundred college basketball teams that factor into this, and a lot of these rate numbers aren't adjusted for quality of competition.  To be 145^th in something when you're talking about well over two thousand players in Division I hoops is pretty impressive.

Zeke Marshall is probably the most interesting player on the Zips, a seven-foot sophomore who tossed up a 9 point/13 rebound/9 block performance in the MAC title game.  Marshall averages 2.5 blocks per game and is 18^th in the country in blocked shot percentage, but he's not a great rebounder (4.8 per game and low percentages) and is woeful from the free throw line (58%).  Methinks he might have some trouble guarding Ty Nash if he faces up.

6' 4" junior Brett McClanahan (some great names on this team, if you're paying attention) is the shooter, going 71-of-184 from three on the year, good enough for 38%.  6' 2" senior Steve McNees has taken nearly as many (179), but hit far fewer (57) for a 31.8% average.  6' senior Darryl Roberts also hits it a nice clip (38.8%) on a good amount of attempts (116).  6' 6" senior Brett McKnight is their second-leading scorer at just over ten per game, shooting it well from both two-point range (52%) and behind the arc (39% on 66 attempts).  As a whole, the Zips are very balanced offensively, with six players scoring between 8.6 and 11.9 points per game.

A potential bonus for the Zips and trouble area for the Irish could be that a lot of guys on this team were very, very close to tasting NCAA success two years ago.  They led Gonzaga at the half with Roberts, McNees and Cvetinovic all starting and McKnight playing twenty minutes off the bench.  Roberts was stellar, leading the team with 19 points and hitting 4-of-6 from three.  McNees was the opposite, going 0-for-9 from the field in 32 minutes of play, notching only one made free throw.  McKnight also struggled, going 1-for-8 with three second half turnovers during the Zags' run to pull away. 

The computers say...: KenPom has Notre Dame winning this game 78-61, with a 94% chance of achieving success.  The Zips have been there before, but at first glance, it doesn't seem like they have the scoring punch to hang with the Irish, especially considering their inability to get to the line or get second chance points means there will be fewer offensive opportunities.  On the other hand, Notre Dame should be able to get to the line and crash the boards, meaning that even if their threes aren't falling, they have a very good chance of advancing.

The Irish will face the champions of the MAC in the first round.  Should they prevail, they will face the winner of Texas A&M and Florida State.  Both games will be in Chicago.  If they make it further than that, the games will be in San Antonio and could take on Purdue, Georgetown, Kansas or Louisville. 

Update: Notre Dame and Akron will be the first game in Chicago, starting at 1:40pm ET on TBS.  Enjoy watching hoops while nursing that St. Patrick's Day hangover, folks.

Put all your comments here, we'll keep it updated as the fun times happen.  Lunardi still has Notre Dame as a one seed, but I just don't think the committee will do it.

Update #1: Lunardi was wrong and Duke is the final number one seed.  Pitt is in New Orleans, Duke Anaheim.

Update #2: Washington, a team I did not want to play, is in the Newark region, along with Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, Xavier, Villanova, George Mason and Marquette.

Update #3: Notre Dame is the 2nd seed in the Southwest Region.  They play Akron, then would face the winner of Texas A&M and Florida State.  Other top seeds in the region are Kansas, Purdue and Louisville.

The gentleman in the photo is Yancy Gates, big man for the Bearcats.  He's scored in double figures the last six games, with a couple double-doubles thrown in just to show off.  Gates has been playing great for a while now, and it will be up to Ty Nash, Carleton Scott and Jack Cooley to keep him from dominating in the paint.

Winner advances to face either Louisville or Marquette.  We must defend this half of the bracket from the Conference USA insurgents.

Go Irish, Beat Bearcats.