They had played in NCAA Division II into the mid 1970s, where they reached the National Championship Game twice, both of which they lost.

In 2008, the Zips officially announced they had signed a three-year partnership to be outfitted by the LeBron James line by Nike.

[2] The team first played in the NCAA Division I tournament in 1986 when Bob Huggins was its coach.

In 2006, the Zips received an invitation to the NIT and won their first post season game at Temple University before falling in the second round.

In 2007, the team won their second MAC East title and tied the school record for wins in a season in the Division I era with 26.

They also made their first appearance in the MAC Tournament Championship game, which they lost on a last-second shot 53–52 to the Miami RedHawks.

The loss cost them the MAC's automatic berth and they were subsequently not selected for either the 2007 NCAA tournament or NIT, despite finishing with a 26–7 record.

[3] The team played just four games in the 1901–1902 season, winning their final two against the Western Reserve College medical school.

[3] Growing too big for Crouse, the team began playing at the Akron Armory, just a few blocks off-campus, in the 1920s.

During their first season back in the OAC, Akron would unknowingly find themselves on the opposite end on what could be considered the first gambling scandal in college basketball history with five of Brooklyn College's players being arrested in a failed attempt to throw a January 29, 1945 game against Akron.

In 1954 the Zips moved into their own on-campus home, Memorial Hall, located to the east of Crouse Gym.

[3] Coach Laterza's winning percentage at UA of .751 (178–59 from 1960 to 1968) remains best in the history of the program.

Akron attained NCAA Division I status in 1980 and began play in the Ohio Valley Conference that fall.

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 to 1990.

Huggins would lead the Zips to the 1989 NIT before leaving Akron after the season to coach at Cincinnati.

The Zips posted winning MAC records in 1998–1999 and 1999–2000 before struggling for several seasons, ultimately leading to the dismissal of Hipsher and the hiring of Keith Dambrot as head coach in 2004.

Under Dambrot, the Zips had won 21 or more games in each of the last 12 seasons (beginning in 2005–2006) and had made ten postseason appearances: the 2009, 2011, and 2013 NCAA tournament, the 2006, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2017 NIT, the 2010 CBI, and the 2014 CIT.

[3] The 2006–2007 team tied the school record for wins, finishing 26–7, but failed to earn an invitation to any postseason tournament.

In 2007, the Zips advanced to the MAC tournament championship game for the first time in program history, losing on a last-second shot 53–52 to the Miami RedHawks at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

Finally, in 2009, the Zips defeated Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game and advanced to their first NCAA tournament in 23 years, falling to Gonzaga in Round One.

[3] Dambrot left the Zips to take a head coaching position at Duquesne University.

The Zips had a rough start adjusting to their new head coach, finishing 14-18 overall on the season and losing to Eastern Michigan in the Quarterfinals of the MAC tournament 58-67.

However, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the MAC tournament was cancelled and no conference champion was crowned.

The Zips appeared in eight NCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments.

Note: Beginning in 2006, the NIT began using a seeding and region system similar to what is used in the NCAA tournament.