Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Not a stellar performance last night but nonetheless it was a nice win. That game was pretty even, overall, for the the first 30 minutes.

IUP had a chance to really hammer SH in the first half but didn't capitalize. I thought IUP lost a lot of steam from the 10-minute mark of the first half through the 10-minute mark of the second half. The Griffins got some really fluke buckets in the first half which got them going.

While different, seeing at least a version of a 40-minute zone last night will help on Saturday.

IUP's outside shooting was off again last night. This is a problem area that has been a largely covered up by strong transition basketball. When you look at the stats they've only had two strong games from deep. They've had a couple average showings and a few awful ones. IUP shot an abysmal 6-27 last night -- which is the only reason that game stayed close much longer than it ever should have.

I can guarantee one thing ... the return game in Greensburg isn't going to be easy. Seton Hill, despite the final margin, left here with some confidence. They'll have the McKenna Center jam-packed for that game.

Switching gears, I'm still not clear on the Jaylen Stewart activation. The timing is odd. Nobody is injured. At most he's probably going to play 12-13 minutes. Don't get me wrong. It's a big help ... this is just very unlike anything we've ever seen from Joe in the past. Even stranger, Jaheim Bethea didn't play at all. Ousmane Diop also returned last night but didn't play. KJ logged 10 minutes and Brooks got just 8.

The minutes have been a strange bird this year. I suppose on one hand you could say Joe isn't used to having (now) 11 guys he can play. It makes the Stewart thing all the more perplexing -- especially since Bethea seemed to be coming on strong.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wouldn't call it pretty, but, nonetheless IUP hammered SH by 20+ and completely smothered its offense.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Seton Hill is a good team. Respect given.

[ironmaniup]

IUP 31
SH 25

Half

1) IUP out hustled
2) 8 of SH points were trash. 3 blocks accidentally went in and then the air ball rebound score at the half.

SHU’s screwy zone has iup confused too,

[IUPalum]

IUP 31
SH 25

Half

1) IUP out hustled
2) 8 of SH points were trash. 3 blocks accidentally went in and then the air ball rebound score at the half.

[IUPalum]

For what it's worth, IUP's game preview has Dallis Dillard back in the starting lineup.

Guess we’ll see in a few hours.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For what it's worth, IUP's game preview has Dallis Dillard back in the starting lineup.

[IUPalum]

If IUP figures out that zone SH plays then IUP will win handedly. If not it will be a dag fight.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Seton Hill visits the KCAC tonight. This series has been a laugher the last several years, but tonight could be different.

This is the first Griffins' team since Tony Morocco retired that can punch back. Perhaps that isn't the right word to use, as we know Morocco's teams did like to punch and play dirty.

Interestingly, the stars of this '22-'23 team were largely their top players a year ago -- a team that finished 3-24.

Their new coach, Ben Wilkins, has completely -- and quickly -- elevated the program.

So, what will we see tonight? First and foremost, the Griffins feature three upperclassmen guards -- Drew Green, Samuel Tabe and Sean Dillon. Green and Tabe are both big (6'5" range) and Dillon is one of the top point guards in the PSAC. Ryan Meis is another guard who can get really hot from outside.

Under the basket, they have a strong combination with senior Jimmy Moon (6'9", 240 lbs) and freshman Gabe Gillespie (6'6", 215 lbs). Despite his size, Moon loves to play on the perimeter and is a strong shooter. Gillespie is a very aggressive small forward and is strong on the glass for his age.

Defensively, Seton Hill has switched this season to nearly a full-time zone. It seemed to catch teams off guard early in the season but as opponents are better-prepared, the Griffins have been giving up drastically more points of late (nearly 10 ppg more allowed in DEC compared to NOV).

Seton Hill enters the game a much-improved 6-5, but is just 1-4 in PSAC play. The Griffins, after a 5-0 start, have lost 5 of their past 6 games. The lone win, oddly, came against previously undefeated East Stroudsburg -- on a walk-off three-pointer by Dillon. Since the McKenna Center magic moment, however, Seton Hill has lost back to back games (both on the road at Kutztown and West Chester). They lost both by 14 points.

Here's an odd, but telling stat about their season so far:

In November, SH went 5-1 and scored 90.1 points per game.
In December, SH went 1-4 and scored 69.2 points per game.

You can't say it was all the level of competition because when they were rolling they had convincing wins against Notre Dame and Shippensburg. Nonetheless -- and whatever the reason -- their scoring took a nosedive the second month of the season -- 21 ppg less is a dramatic dip. In taking a deeper look in to the scoring decline, the glaring item is their deep shooting collapsed. They were on fire from deep in November but in December show 4-22, 5-24, 10-29, 11-27 and 2-24 from deep. Again, this could simply be their three-point shooting barrage caught teams off guard early in the season. As film came out, opponents were defending the trey much better.

Since the hot opening month -- and sprinkled around the ESU upset -- Seton Hill has lost all four games by double digits. My synopsis is the element of surprise vanished by December.

Regardless, this won't be a pushover. Joe hung some real big numbers on the Griffins the past several meetings. Add in the Jaylen Stewart transfer to IUP and this should be a highly motivated bunch tonight. Obviously winning inside the KCAC is a different matter -- likely the first actual crowd they've played in front of all year. If they can handle the heckling, etc., they should be able to hang around. Can their slumping offense hold up against IUP's relentless pressure? That will tell the tale.

Despite IUP owning a 16-1 series advantage, there's no love lost in this series. There's a history.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Why can’t they do this for foosball? I
nean if you sell 500 tickets for a Buck that you wouldn’t sell at all you are 500 bucks ahead….

Exactly. Not to mention people will spend once inside the building. You aren't taking kids in the KCAC without spending $50 on concessions, etc.

Miller Stadium prices are beyond ridiculous for D2.

[IUPNation]

The KCAC is running $1 general admission tickets on Wednesday in honor of the teams No. 1 ranking.

Reserved seats are the the normal price.

Why can’t they do this for foosball? I
nean if you sell 500 tickets for a Buck that you wouldn’t sell at all you are 500 bucks ahead….

[Fightingscot82]

The KCAC is running $1 general admission tickets on Wednesday in honor of the teams No. 1 ranking.

Reserved seats are the the normal price.

Honestly, everyone should run $1 tickets during the dead zone. Drop tickets from a helicopter.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The KCAC is running $1 general admission tickets on Wednesday in honor of the teams No. 1 ranking.

Reserved seats are the the normal price.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP looked like the #1 team in the country tonight. They took away all hope from Ville 10 minutes into the game. That’s a pretty good whipping they put on a quality team in their own building. Hopefully Dallis isn’t injured and the reason Stewart is playing now. Could not having Stewart play before tonight be related to eligibility? Could they be saving him a semester for some reason? Regardless, I liked what I saw when he was in there. He looks more comfortable than Bethea.

Well, they didn't activate Stewart for the hell of it. Something is up -- regardless of whatever Joe spews out to Jack or Tony.

My guess would be it's bad news. They wouldn't burn a redshirt if Dallis was only going to miss a couple games.

I got a few messages asking if it was grades. I doubt it. Diop and Dallis played against Kutztown and WCU -- both games were at least 10 days after the semester ended.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP looked like the #1 team in the country tonight. They took away all hope from Ville 10 minutes into the game. That’s a pretty good whipping they put on a quality team in their own building. Hopefully Dallis isn’t injured and the reason Stewart is playing now. Could not having Stewart play before tonight be related to eligibility? Could they be saving him a semester for some reason? Regardless, I liked what I saw when he was in there. He looks more comfortable than Bethea.

No doubt. Stewart would start at most PSAC schools (so would Polce). They only redshirted him due to a lack of minutes. He's experienced (for a sophomore) and extremely athletic. He'll look better with each game.

Diop and Dallis were both on the bench. That's at least a good sign. Neither 'looked' injured.

But, yeah, that team Joe just held to 45 hung 84 and a loss on Mercyhurst. True story.