Cleveland, OH -- (Sports Network) - The Akron Zips will take part in their third straight Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game when they take on the Buffalo Bulls this evening at the Quicken Loans Arena.

The past two years, Akron has played in the final matchup of MAC play, but both times the team found itself on the wrong end of the final score. This season the Zips took the long way to the title game, opening the event with a thrilling, 93-92 overtime victory over Toledo. After a 73-63 decision over Miami-Ohio in the quarterfinals, the fifth-seeded Zips bounced the top-seeded Bowling Green Falcons out of the tournament with a 63-55 victory in semifinal play.

As for the Bulls, they are taking part in their first championship game since losing to Ohio in overtime back in 2005. Buffalo led the conference for the majority of the season, but a minor collapse down the stretch left the team with the third seed in the tournament. Buffalo still earned a bye however, and did not partake in the festivities until the quarterfinal round. The Bulls slipped past Kent State, 65-62 in their first matchup of the event, and then took care of the second-seeded Ball State Cardinals in the semifinals, 64-52. If the Bulls are victorious this evening they would become the first school in MAC history to win both the Football title and Basketball championship in the same year.

The Zips and Bulls split the season series this year, but Akron has won five of the last six meetings with Buffalo and now holds a solid 22-17 edge in the all-time series.

Bowling Green had no answer for the Zips' stingy defensive play, as Akron limited the Falcons to just 55 points on a meager 33.9 percent shooting effort. Akron only forced six turnovers in the win, but held BGSU to a pathetic 7-of-23 clip from long range. This defensive performance is no surprise, as Akron has leaned on its play at that end of the floor throughout the campaign. The Zips enter the MAC title contest holding opponents to just 60.0 ppg, and a lackluster 40.1 percent shooting effort. The Zips are also forcing 17.9 turnovers per contest on the year, and have collected an impressive 263 steals. What Akron lacks is a reliable scoring threat, as Brett McKnight has been the team's go-top player. However, McKnight has only started two of the team's 34 games and is producing just 11.3 points per matchup. Nate Linhart is the only other player netting double figures, as the big man is posting 10.3 ppg, to go along with a team-high 6.1 rpg. In the win over BGSU, it was once again McKnight that led the way, netting 14 points in 23 minutes on the floor. Darryl Roberts added 12 points in the win, while Linhart contributed a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulls used the same approach in their victory over Ball State, as Buffalo shut down the Cardinals, limiting them to just 52 points on a 40.8 percent shooting effort. Buffalo also forced 15 turnovers in the win and dominated the glass, outrebounding Ball State, 36-23. Buffalo has played extremely well at that end of the floor for most of the year, and is currently holding opponents to just 62.2 ppg. The Bulls have also used the glass to their advantage, as the team is outrebounding the competition by 5.4 rebounds per outing. Unfortunately the team does not have much to rely on at the other end of the floor, as Buffalo is producing only 65.5 ppg. Rodney Pierce is the only true scoring threat on the roster, as the guard is averaging 14.6 ppg. Calvin Betts is only netting 9.1 ppg, but the guard is pulling down a team-best 6.4 rpg, while Greg Gamble has dished out a team-high 119 assists. In the win over Ball State, the team was surprisingly paced by Max Boudreau, who came off the bench to score 21 points. Pierce added 18 points for Buffalo, while Mitchell Watt tallied 10.