D.J. Johnson

In the Mid-American Conference, it doesn’t get any bigger than next Wednesday night.

In a matchup of the MAC’s top two teams, with one conference loss between the two, the Akron Zips ante up their 18-game winning streak against the Ohio Bobcats at the Convocation Center in Athens.

The Zips (22-4, 12-0 MAC) will look for a repeat of Feb. 2, when they handed the Bobcats (20-7, 11-1 MAC) their lone league defeat with a score of 86-72. Ohio will get their shot at redemption Wednesday in the highly-anticipated rematch, though Akron head coach Keith Dambrot sees it simply as another step in the process.

“It’s a big game, but it’s no bigger than any other game,” said Dambrot after his team’s 68-53 victory over North Dakota State in ESPN’s BracketBusters Tournament. Bobcats point guard D.J. Cooper has had this game circled.

“I’ve been looking forward to it. I know some of the guys and the coaches have been looking forward to it,” said Cooper following last week’s 73-50 victory over Eastern Michigan.