Conference in 1923 where they would compete from 1923–1965 except for 1936–1944 when the University left the OAC and competed as an independent. In the OAC, Akron would win 8 conference titles and five tournament titles, three of them under legendary coach, Tony Laterza. In 1954 the Zips moved into their own on-campus home, Memorial Hall, located to the east of Crouse Gym. After the 1965–1966 season Akron left the OAC for good and competed as an independent in the NCAA's College Division, which would later be renamed Division II. When the NCAA divided into three divisions in 1973, the Zips would play one season in Division III before moving to Division II, where they would play from 1975–1980. During the final three years as a Division II member, the Zips were part of an earlier Mid-Continent Conference for two years before joining the Ohio Valley Conference for the 1979–1980 season (though they did not play conference games until the 1980–1981 season), their last in Division II. The Zips participated in the NCAA Division II tournament on seven different occasions, making the Division II Final Four three times (1964, 1966, and 1972) and reaching the championship game in 1964 and 1972, falling to Evansville and Roanoke, respectively. Coach Laterza’s winning percentage at UA of .751 (178–59 from 1960–68) remains best in the history of the program. OAC regular-season titles: 1919, 1920, 1934, 1946, 1953, 1958, 1965, 1966 OAC tournament titles: 1949, 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966 NAIA tournament appearance: 1943 NCAA Division II tournament appearances: 1958, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1975 NCAA Division II Final Four: 1964, 1966, 1972 NCAA Division II runner-up: 1964, 1972 Division I era Akron attained NCAA Division I status in 1980 and began play in the Ohio Valley Conference that fall. In 1983, the Zips moved into their current arena, the James A. Rhodes Arena, just to the east of old Memorial Hall. In 1984 Bob Huggins began coaching the team, leading the Zips to the 1986 OVC title and tournament title to gain their first berth in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as a No. 15 seed, where they fell to the 5th-ranked and No. 2-seeded Michigan Wolverines 70–64 in the first round. Akron would play one more season in the OVC and earn a berth in the 1987 National Invitation Tournament before another stint as an independent from 1987–1990. Huggins