Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The most important thing that came out of that 'game' tonight was Ian Herring looking like Ian Herring again.

I get the opponent and don't care. He needed to see that ball go in the basket and have a big night.

IUP is a different animal with him engaged and doing what he does best. Hopefully this is the spark he's needed.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The shooting percentage against Seton Hill wasn’t going to stay at the 70%+ it was for a bit, but the falloff shouldn’t have been so dramatic. That one possession they got seven straight opportunities and missed them all. A middle school team would have hit one of those. It was quite odd to observe.

I think most of the possibilities have been covered. The lack of a true inside threat hurts them in this case too because typically when your outside shots aren’t falling and you’re in a scoring drought, you dump it into your big and let him go to work. IUP doesn’t have anything to resemble that. The second half collapses are likely a combination of two things, lack of focus and lack of adjustments. It’s hard to turn the intensity back up after halftime, but IUP seems to be turning it off completely. There are ways to improve that, but maybe it’s not seen as a priority. They might watch the women’s team for some pointers in that area. There’s also been some undisciplined play and maybe even a bit of selfishness by some. The extra pass isn’t being made often and instead we’re seeing low percentage shots being thrown up when ill-advised drives are shut down.

Finally, and this might be the most difficult one to accept, IUP collectively just isn’t as good as some of these teams. The teams that have beaten them are just better. It’s not all bad. They’re 14-4 and significantly better than they were last year. They’re also pretty young still so there’s room for growth. They have a pretty good nucleus so if they could find a quality big and keep the other guys around, this team might look more like IUP teams of the past in 2026-27.

I unfortunately think there are just some problems you can't fix until the off-season.

I do think the way to counter-balance the weakness underneath is to change the combinations. I just don't get Damir and Bautista playing together. Add to it, this isn't a good defensive team. So, I say pretty much punt defense. Drop the hammer on offense. That means Grove and Triggs see drastically more court time.

But, I'll still give this team a chance against any team in the Region in a half-court game. They may not win, but they'll be in it.

The doomsday scenario is they draw an up-tempo team in Round 1. The way Joe coaches those games they have no chance. He walks right into the trap (literally). IF IUP does get in, it will likely be as a 7 or 8 seed. And, we know what that means.

To avoid that, they need to win out (aside from the next inevitable Gannon debacle). It's possible but the West is a grind. To be honest, I'm not sure IUP is more than a couple point favorite at Edinboro this Saturday. The Scots are playing well and should have some confidence.

If you plan to watch online, just get ready for the Lord of Red Bull to be screaming for 2 hours.

[IUPalum]

Either you're a killer or you aren't! It's that simple. You can't coach that. This team doesn't have a killer. They are very offensively talented but no killer instincts when the going gets tough. They also have very small attention spans. Get up big and they turn the switch off.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For better or worse, IUP hosts Penn State Du Bois tonight.

These two teams played last season. It was surprisingly a feisty, competitive game. IUP ended up winning, 88-70, but there was more to the story. Two PSU-D starters were lost early in the game, which obviously really shook things up on their side.

Their coach last year was a former IUP assistant, and had them well-prepared. IUP was largely a core of true freshmen last season, and seemed caught off guard by the intensity the visitors brought. PSU-D had several players last year who could have easily played in the PSAC.

The trouble in that league, however, is the better your team is ... the less of them you'll have the following season.

These games have had a common theme under Joe: Start slow and sloppy (while looking disinterested). He freaks out. IUP hammers them in the second half. Pray nobody gets hurt.

The only other D3 game that was remotely memorable was back in 2018. A very engaged Westminster came to the KCAC and the typical script evolved. Funny thing was with a minute to go in the first half IUP was only up by a couple points, and Westminster was making it rain from beyond the arc. The Titans hit 7-8 treys on IUP in the first half. Joe called a timeout shortly before the half and freaked out.

Westminster had two players that night who easily would have started for most PSAC teams. Eventually, though, their lack of a supporting cast was too much to overcome. IUP ended up winning, 106-77.

Those are the only two D3 games I remotely remember much about. They are usually a try-not-to-fall-asleep snooze fest.

But, this is like playing in Madison Square Garden for these teams. Every once in a while one comes in and puts up a fight.

I don't think we'll see much of a fight tonight, however.

[EyeoftheHawk]

The shooting percentage against Seton Hill wasn’t going to stay at the 70%+ it was for a bit, but the falloff shouldn’t have been so dramatic. That one possession they got seven straight opportunities and missed them all. A middle school team would have hit one of those. It was quite odd to observe.

I think most of the possibilities have been covered. The lack of a true inside threat hurts them in this case too because typically when your outside shots aren’t falling and you’re in a scoring drought, you dump it into your big and let him go to work. IUP doesn’t have anything to resemble that. The second half collapses are likely a combination of two things, lack of focus and lack of adjustments. It’s hard to turn the intensity back up after halftime, but IUP seems to be turning it off completely. There are ways to improve that, but maybe it’s not seen as a priority. They might watch the women’s team for some pointers in that area. There’s also been some undisciplined play and maybe even a bit of selfishness by some. The extra pass isn’t being made often and instead we’re seeing low percentage shots being thrown up when ill-advised drives are shut down.

Finally, and this might be the most difficult one to accept, IUP collectively just isn’t as good as some of these teams. The teams that have beaten them are just better. It’s not all bad. They’re 14-4 and significantly better than they were last year. They’re also pretty young still so there’s room for growth. They have a pretty good nucleus so if they could find a quality big and keep the other guys around, this team might look more like IUP teams of the past in 2026-27.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's usually not effort at Ship, but I think it is a concentration thing at times — often by players who should know better.

What we are unfortunately seeing is good 'team' play the first 20 minutes and then more 'me' play once adversity strikes.

[Ship69]

Joe's not a big fan of calling timeouts, either. So, these prolonged lapses can result in some serious damage.

I fully get no team is strong for all 40 minutes. IUP's second half 'issues' however seem to last 8-9 minutes (or longer).

It's not an effort thing.

It's usually not effort at Ship, but I think it is a concentration thing at times — often by players who should know better.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Your description of IUP is almost a perfect description of Ship's team this year, albeit IUP has deeper overall personnel and is certainly a better team. I've watched in amazement several times this year as the Raiders go from a well-oiled offensive machine to a trainwreck in the space of a few minutes. How does a team that can beat East Stroud at home, go to the last seconds with Millersville, blow the doors off Lock Haven and compete strongly in several other games manage to lose to Bloomsburg, barely beat Kutztown, and get destroyed by a good, but certainly not great, Shepherd team last night? It's just hard to comprehend. I do see across multiple teams both at our level and in D1 that sometimes the worst thing college basketball teams can have ia a big lead at halftime. They seem to say, "well we gof this," and forget to play the first five minutes of the second half. With the three-point shot, you just can't go to sleep.

Joe's not a big fan of calling timeouts, either. So, these prolonged lapses can result in some serious damage.

I fully get no team is strong for all 40 minutes. IUP's second half 'issues' however seem to last 8-9 minutes (or longer).

It's not an effort thing.

[Ship69]

This team has an oddity in that it just cannot play a full game.

They seem to love the first half, but almost without fail, hit some sort of wall in the second half. I'm not talking gradual decline. I'm talking driving into a wall 95 mph. Jack brought it up on the post-game several times and Joe didn't really have an answer.

Most of Joe's teams historically were all actually better in the second half of games so this is a new one.

And, by 'wall' I mean they go from shooting the lights out to not being able to hit the side of a barn.

Their defense goes from somewhat good to WAY below-average during said stretch, too.

I thought the second half against Cal was the worst I'd ever seen under Joe ... until a few days later when I saw the second half at Seton Hill.

And, if anybody is just a box score reader, don't get fooled. That wasn't 'really' Seton Hill who put up 84 on them. That was a Griffins' lineup sans its two best players, a third starter and a rotation reserve player.

I'm a realist (most of the time). Cal has a very good team and is going to go on runs and can score a lot of points in a hurry. But if you actually re-watch the second half of the Cal game, it honestly looks like IUP had no idea what it was doing on defense. I mean none. Zilch. I can still see Bryson Lucas bringing the ball up, stopping at the top of the key (his well-known best shot) and bam. Seriously, how many times was that going to happen until they realized 'gee, we better stop letting him have a free stop-n-pop' ?

I'll say this for the 'back in my day' crowd:

Joe's strong teams would have never, ever blown that lead against Cal.

Joe's strong teams would have never, ever given up 84 points to Seton Hill's junior varsity lineup.

This team is capable. It's talented. It's deeper than usual. But, something isn't there. I don't know what it is. It doesn't seem like Joe does, either. But, he best get it figured out soon. The train is coming into the station, as they say. It's February 3 and you can't stop time.

The one thing -- totally not related to X's and O's -- that I see missing on this team compared to all of Joe's teams from say, 2009 to 2023, is a killer instinct. I think this team is a bit too nice. They don't have the aggression of past teams -- and certainly not the defensive aggression.

I'll give you an example. Years ago IUP lost a borderline corrupt game up at Morrow Field House. About 3-4 weeks later when they met again, Armoni brought out the team with his hood up and they looked like they were ready to kill somebody. IUP won the rematch by nearly 40 points.

THAT, boys and girls, is what's missing.

Can that be fixed this late? Maybe. Maybe not. That's why Joe makes the big bucks.

Your description of IUP is almost a perfect description of Ship's team this year, albeit IUP has deeper overall personnel and is certainly a better team. I've watched in amazement several times this year as the Raiders go from a well-oiled offensive machine to a trainwreck in the space of a few minutes. How does a team that can beat East Stroud at home, go to the last seconds with Millersville, blow the doors off Lock Haven and compete strongly in several other games manage to lose to Bloomsburg, barely beat Kutztown, and get destroyed by a good, but certainly not great, Shepherd team last night? It's just hard to comprehend. I do see across multiple teams both at our level and in D1 that sometimes the worst thing college basketball teams can have ia a big lead at halftime. They seem to say, "well we gof this," and forget to play the first five minutes of the second half. With the three-point shot, you just can't go to sleep.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I see it the same way you guys do. I don’t see a plan when I look at the construction of the roster, or how the players that are here are being used. I think it was Dennis Eckersley that said the Pirates roster was a hodgepodge of nothingness. That’s a little harsh and I don’t equate that to the IUP roster, but it’s what I thought of. It’s just hard to see what the plan is, and even harder when the pieces are set in motion. No doubt Rodriguez has been a big disappointment and Herring seems to have regressed. With that being the case, why aren’t Grove and Triggs getting more of those minutes. I’ll also say something that might not be popular. Dallis has been a bit of a turnover machine and while he can have big games, he also tries to do too much and it hurts the team. Maybe he feels like he has to, who knows.

I’m the first to admit, I’m no basketball expert but anyone with two eyes can see how lazy this team is on defense. One thing you used to be able to count on with Joe’s great teams was outstanding defense. This team is the worst defensively I’ve maybe ever seen under Joe. How many times are you going to let a guy dribble to the top of the circle uncontested to drain a 3? It wasn’t that IUP lost that was maddening, it was the way it happened. Out coached, out hustled, and out classed from a talent perspective would be my summary.

This team has an oddity in that it just cannot play a full game.

They seem to love the first half, but almost without fail, hit some sort of wall in the second half. I'm not talking gradual decline. I'm talking driving into a wall 95 mph. Jack brought it up on the post-game several times and Joe didn't really have an answer.

Most of Joe's teams historically were all actually better in the second half of games so this is a new one.

And, by 'wall' I mean they go from shooting the lights out to not being able to hit the side of a barn.

Their defense goes from somewhat good to WAY below-average during said stretch, too.

I thought the second half against Cal was the worst I'd ever seen under Joe ... until a few days later when I saw the second half at Seton Hill.

And, if anybody is just a box score reader, don't get fooled. That wasn't 'really' Seton Hill who put up 84 on them. That was a Griffins' lineup sans its two best players, a third starter and a rotation reserve player.

I'm a realist (most of the time). Cal has a very good team and is going to go on runs and can score a lot of points in a hurry. But if you actually re-watch the second half of the Cal game, it honestly looks like IUP had no idea what it was doing on defense. I mean none. Zilch. I can still see Bryson Lucas bringing the ball up, stopping at the top of the key (his well-known best shot) and bam. Seriously, how many times was that going to happen until they realized 'gee, we better stop letting him have a free stop-n-pop' ?

I'll say this for the 'back in my day' crowd:

Joe's strong teams would have never, ever blown that lead against Cal.

Joe's strong teams would have never, ever given up 84 points to Seton Hill's junior varsity lineup.

This team is capable. It's talented. It's deeper than usual. But, something isn't there. I don't know what it is. It doesn't seem like Joe does, either. But, he best get it figured out soon. The train is coming into the station, as they say. It's February 3 and you can't stop time.

The one thing -- totally not related to X's and O's -- that I see missing on this team compared to all of Joe's teams from say, 2009 to 2023, is a killer instinct. I think this team is a bit too nice. They don't have the aggression of past teams -- and certainly not the defensive aggression.

I'll give you an example. Years ago IUP lost a borderline corrupt game up at Morrow Field House. About 3-4 weeks later when they met again, Armoni brought out the team with his hood up and they looked like they were ready to kill somebody. IUP won the rematch by nearly 40 points.

THAT, boys and girls, is what's missing.

Can that be fixed this late? Maybe. Maybe not. That's why Joe makes the big bucks.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Joe's team played a great first half (as expected against a Seton Hill lineup sans its two best players).

The second half? Yikes. It sure wasn't pretty.

Regardless, IUP won by 11 as the Griffins hit several late treys to tighten up the final.

But, giving up 84 points today was ugly.

Joe said on the radio it may be his worst defensive team since his first season. His words not mine.

IUP was up 25 or so at the half and it sure appeared they put the cruise control on.

Other items:

Ian Herring dressed but didn't play a second. They need him (the right version of him). Hopefully today gets his mind right.

Tyler Grove went for 18 and is shooting the ball well the past month.

PSU-Dubois visits Wednesday. IUP plays at Edinboro next Saturday.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I see it the same way you guys do. I don’t see a plan when I look at the construction of the roster, or how the players that are here are being used. I think it was Dennis Eckersley that said the Pirates roster was a hodgepodge of nothingness. That’s a little harsh and I don’t equate that to the IUP roster, but it’s what I thought of. It’s just hard to see what the plan is, and even harder when the pieces are set in motion. No doubt Rodriguez has been a big disappointment and Herring seems to have regressed. With that being the case, why aren’t Grove and Triggs getting more of those minutes. I’ll also say something that might not be popular. Dallis has been a bit of a turnover machine and while he can have big games, he also tries to do too much and it hurts the team. Maybe he feels like he has to, who knows.

I’m the first to admit, I’m no basketball expert but anyone with two eyes can see how lazy this team is on defense. One thing you used to be able to count on with Joe’s great teams was outstanding defense. This team is the worst defensively I’ve maybe ever seen under Joe. How many times are you going to let a guy dribble to the top of the circle uncontested to drain a 3? It wasn’t that IUP lost that was maddening, it was the way it happened. Out coached, out hustled, and out classed from a talent perspective would be my summary.

Roster composition-wise, this team comes the closest (in my eyes) to the infamous 2016 "island of misfit toys" group.

I say that because 75 percent of Joe's listed Forwards are probably more like guards - Grove is basically a shooting guard, Triggs is best at the hybrid 3 and Rodriguez rarely is actually anywhere near the paint. Damir essentially is tasked with playing some combo of Center and PF (and he's maybe 6'6").

Ian Herring is a Guard who plays more like a Forward.

So, if you count Herring as another hybrid Forward ... that's 4 out of 5 post players who are really G/F combos.

They are drastically missing a major inside presence (on both ends).

It's far and away the biggest weakness on the team.

Add to it that two of the above are really struggling as of late.

Add to it further, two of them playing the best (Triggs and Grove) don't play that much.

As you said, this hasn't been a prototype Joe defensive team. It's not going to be, either. Too many issues underneath.

So, change it up. Go with the "the best defense is more offense" theory. That means Grove and Triggs play way more.

Hell, play them together and have 5 scorers on the floor together. All five can shoot outside. Create pressure on the defense. That really spreads the floor.

Fact is the team is 0-4 against the four best teams it has played. I'd say it should be 2-2 or 3-1 but that's a different topic.

Point is ... play to the strengths of the hand you have. Quit trying to mold it into something that isn't working.

And, for freaks sake, guard the trey line !!!

[EyeoftheHawk]

I see it the same way you guys do. I don’t see a plan when I look at the construction of the roster, or how the players that are here are being used. I think it was Dennis Eckersley that said the Pirates roster was a hodgepodge of nothingness. That’s a little harsh and I don’t equate that to the IUP roster, but it’s what I thought of. It’s just hard to see what the plan is, and even harder when the pieces are set in motion. No doubt Rodriguez has been a big disappointment and Herring seems to have regressed. With that being the case, why aren’t Grove and Triggs getting more of those minutes. I’ll also say something that might not be popular. Dallis has been a bit of a turnover machine and while he can have big games, he also tries to do too much and it hurts the team. Maybe he feels like he has to, who knows.

I’m the first to admit, I’m no basketball expert but anyone with two eyes can see how lazy this team is on defense. One thing you used to be able to count on with Joe’s great teams was outstanding defense. This team is the worst defensively I’ve maybe ever seen under Joe. How many times are you going to let a guy dribble to the top of the circle uncontested to drain a 3? It wasn’t that IUP lost that was maddening, it was the way it happened. Out coached, out hustled, and out classed from a talent perspective would be my summary.

[IUPalum]

Boro also blew a 10 point lead in the second half. It didn't help that with campuses closed, official practices weren't supposed to happen.

IUP was up 16. There is no excuse for blowing that large of a lead especially when you're supposed to be one of the top dawgs!

[Fightingscot82]

What a trash loss last night! How does Joe lose a double digit lead with 10 minutes left in the game?

Simple, you don't guard Bryson Lucas and you supposed two best guards turn into a turnover fest because they want to get cute!

What has Rodriguez done to help?

Can Herring do anything fundamentally right?

If it wasn't for Moore, this team would be dead.

Boro also blew a 10 point lead in the second half. It didn't help that with campuses closed, official practices weren't supposed to happen.