Akron drains last-second layup to beat Miami (OH) and secure March Madness berth

The Zips erased an 18-point deficit and won on Nate Johnson’s layup with 2.3 seconds remaining.

March Madness and MACtion are terms often associated with excitement and pure chaos.

Combine the two, and the result was the 2025 MAC Tournament championship game at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH.

Akron and Miami (OH) were deadlocked at 74 apiece with 56 seconds remaining in the contest. The Zips and RedHawks traded missed shots, and with roughly six seconds left, Akron’s Amani Lyles, with a positioning advantage, secured a strong rebound off Miami’s miss. He immediately delivered an outlet to Nate Johnson, who saw a 2-on-2 opportunity on the fast break.

Johnson’s options involved passing to Isaiah Gray or taking Miami’s Peter Suder 1-on-1 at the basket. The junior shooting guard chose the later. He attacked with a textbook eurostep to evade Suder, generating an easy layup from point blank range. He released the ball and it sunk straight through the nylon, providing Akron a 76-74 advantage with 2.3 seconds on the clock. With such limited time, all Miami could do to claim a March Madness bid was attempt a halfcourt heave. The attempt fell well short, securing Akron a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

While Akron was the prohibitive MAC favorite with a 17-1 conference record, Saturday’s victory was anything but seamless for the Zips. They overcame an 18-point deficit, including crawling out of a 12-point hole at halftime, to upend Miami. Akron never led from the 16:30 mark of the first half until 1:05 was left in the do-or-die contest. By triumphantly completing the comeback, Akron clinched its second-straight March Madness berth, becoming the first MAC team to do so since 2018 and 2019 Buffalo. Simultaneously, the Zips denied Miami its first tournament bid since 2007.

As the first No. 1 seed to win in the MAC Tournament since 2019 Buffalo, Akron is securely in the 68-team March Madness field. The Zips await their seeding, opponent, and destination which will be determined on Selection Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.