Morning after thoughts:
* IUP won an ugly game. That's very hard to do in mid-March. Many teams who play ugly start banquet prep. Mercyhurst had all the momentum in the world the final 7-9 minutes and IUP withstood it. Amazingly.
* Alarming sign is IUP wasn't putting teams away this weekend. Big double digit leads in both games in the second half and they allowed both opponents to make big comebacks. That's been an M.O. as of late. They could have dropped the hammer on both of these teams and instead of stretching the leads out to 20+ ... found themselves in way too hot water.
-- A trend I've noticed when they get up 15-16 points is instead of going for the kill, IUP likes to make mass substitutions. I get it. Rest some starters. But, what keeps happening is as soon as those guys go out that 16 point lead becomes 8 points. And, you are giving the other team of a big shot of momentum rather than knocking them to the mat.
* IUP's press break is a train wreck. They are too slow to react getting the ball back out -- letting the opposing team get set. They need to bring another body up Something. The trap is killing them. That changed the whole game last night.
* The shooting slump is bound to end. They are fortunate to have the stellar defense they have because you can't keep winning games shooting in the 30s.
* Joe made a good point about scoring in a game like last night -- it's very difficult. They know everything you're doing. There's no surprises when you play a rival on Regional Sunday night.
-- That said, IUP missed a ton of open looks. That game never should have got as close as it was.
* At least -- at least -- 5 times Armoni was blasted driving the hoop with not a single call. Regular season he's shooting each time. That's a huge swing.
* The Lakers were in serious trouble had that game gone to OT. They had two post players already fouled out.
* But, let's not get too picky. They beat the 'boogeyman' in mid-March. No style points in win or go home games. They also got out healthy. Tomorrow is a new day. That was a really big win last night. Gary Manchel knows everything IUP does ... he's basically calling out the plays. Credit to him ... they are incredibly prepared.
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You know darn well who. Just pointing out that you don't necessarily need to score 60-plus points to beat IUP, but you do need to score more than the 44 Ship got, or the 55 Mercyhurst got last night. Good D by IUP, but they'd better start scoring more if they get into the Elite Eight.Originally posted by EyeoftheHawk View PostLeave a comment:
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Actually Ship could have beat IUP with 54 points last week, but couldn't get the job done. :-)Leave a comment:
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IUP is solid defensive team 1 thru 5 . The offense is spread out amongst 3 maybe 4 guys . They typically protect ball , lions share of 50-50 balls & good offensive rebounding group . IUP crushes Mercyhurst .Leave a comment:
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Sulaiman also only got 2 points yesterday. Need more from him on the offensive end tonight.Originally posted by IUPalum View PostLeave a comment:
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IUP is playing about as good a matchup as I've seen anyone play at D2 level in quite a while. I doubt Fayetteville State had seen anything like it this season. Outside of one short spurt where they had a kid get hot and toss in three three-pointers in quick succession, they couldn't do much. I would worry as you do that if they have the offensive firepower to compete with top teams nationally if they get out of the region. That's where the loss of Jones might show. I've actually thought this is one of Lombardi's better coaching jobs. Although he still has superior talent compared to the rest of the PSAC, it's not as overwhelming (without Jones) as it has been at times in the past. It's scary to think of playing them next year if Jones comes back healthy, as they lose less than most of the other PSAC teams.
That said, they'll have a grind with Mercyhurst and its similar style of defense, and West Virginia State and Cal both have the athletes to win if IUP has an off night. Morris's excellent three-point shooting really keyed them against Fayetteville. They probably need Porterfield to hit as well. Few big guys at this level have the inside-outside game he does.Leave a comment:
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The gate for IUP's game was 2,287. Good number for Spring Break.
Kind of a calm crowd, however. Hopefully they get a bigger, louder bunch tonight.
Not going to find a better doubleheader for $20.Leave a comment:
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'18-'19 team ... says payback time.
Let's not pretend IUP doesn't remember that night 3 years ago.Leave a comment:
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Fayetteville State head coach Luke D'Alessio's comments after the game:
"It's a different level that we're not used to yet," he said. "Three years ago, we lost the CIAA championship by one point That experience helped us win the next time. But you can't get an experience like this until you play it."
"IUP is a tremendous program," he said. "They have a chance to win a national championship."
"The thing that makes them tough is they play both ends," D'Alessio said. "They're a tough defensive team, but then they have some great offensive sets and some great offensive players and they're well coached."
"We gave it everything we had. We made some mistakes and they'll make you pay for every mistake you make."
"It's been a great experience."
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"Our hats go off to Fayetteville," IUP coach Joe Lombardi said. "Tough team, competitive team: They wouldn't go away. Well-coached, they play with great purpose on both sides of the ball."Leave a comment:
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