Iup basketball

[Inkblot]

Still early but what does IUP do if it finishes in the top seed for both men and women? Can they host both? Again still early but certainly a possibility.

When that happens (as it did in the South Central region last year), the team splits hosting duties for both. They host the 1-8-4-5 half of both regionals, while the #2 seeds host the other halves. The first two rounds are moved up a day to allow a travel day for the regional finals, which are both hosted by the highest seed remaining even if that team didn't host the first two rounds.

Here's how that looked last year:

Friday, March 15

at West Texas A&M
(W) 4 Angelo State vs. 5 Westminster (UT), 12:00 CT
(W) 1 West Texas A&M vs. 8 Eastern New Mexico, 2:30 CT
(M) 1 West Texas A&M vs. 8 New Mexico Highlands, 5:00 CT
(M) 4 Texas A&M Commerce vs. 5 Dallas Baptist, 7:30 CT

at St. Edward's
(M) 2 St. Edward's vs. 7 Angelo State, 5:00 CT
(M) 3 Colorado Mines vs. 6 Lubbock Christian, 7:30 CT

at Colorado Mesa
(W) 2 Colorado Mesa vs. 7 Texas A&M Commerce, 6:00 MT
(W) 3 Lubbock Christian vs. 6 Tarleton State, 8:30 MT

Saturday, March 16

at West Texas A&M
(W) 1 West Texas A&M vs. 4 Angelo State, 5:00 CT
(M) 1 West Texas A&M vs. 4 Texas A&M Commerce, 7:30 CT

at St. Edward's
(M) 2 St. Edward's vs. 6 Lubbock Christian, 6:00 CT

at Colorado Mesa
(W) 2 Colorado Mesa vs. 3 Lubbock Christian, 7:00 MT



Tuesday, March 19

at West Texas A&M
(M) 1 West Texas A&M vs. 2 St. Edward's, 7:00 CT

at Lubbock Christian
(W) 3 Lubbock Christian vs. 4 Angelo State, 8:00 CT

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The pest from Greensburg visits the KCAC tonight. Oddly, this series has had some heated moments over the past 5-6 years.

Recall Seton Hill's first and only every win against IUP back on Feb. 24, 2016. What's laughable looking back at that game is the official box score says there were only 275 people in the McKenna Center that night. I was there. That number is missing a zero. There wasn't a seat in the building or anywhere to stand. Seton Hill had fans dancing under the basket during foul shots. Joe walked in to a full-blown hornets' nest that night -- and eventually received a dagger of a technical foul with about 90 seconds remaining. Seton Hill went on to win, 91-83 - essentially knocking IUP out of the NCAA Tournament. I still believe to this day the technical cost IUP the game. The Hawks won their Round 1 game against UPJ in the PSAC Tournament before falling 90-89 in OT at West Chester via a miracle last second shot.

Fast forward two years and the late season trip to Greensburg cost IUP yet another NCAA bid. The Hawks won this time, 65-64, but the damage was done. This was the game Seton Hill 'gooned it up' and Anthony Glover ended up getting two technicals and ejected (and suspended for IUP's first game of the PSAC Tournament). Dante Lombardi also went down via a cheap shot and broke his wrist. For Glover's career to end that way was a travesty. His second technical was a reaction -- which was called by a stooge ref from at least 50' away.

Much has changed since those two games. Tony "Tark the Shark" Morocco has retired. Kendrick Saunders' teams play with much more class. Saunders seems to being doing a total rebuild from the ground up. Morocco's teams often played dirty (also reference the brawl at West Chester) but he did have a lot of talent during the latter years of his tenure. His teams routinely underachieved.

One year Joe called Seton Hill's gym worse than Indiana High Schools in the Indiana Gazette. The Seton Hill announcers still mention that every year. He's not wrong. It's a yellow shoebox. But, on the rare occasion it's packed a juiced up, it's very difficult for visitors. The somewhat budding rivalry seems to have ended with the Shark's retirement. But, it sure had its moments.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Still early but what does IUP do if it finishes in the top seed for both men and women? Can they host both? Again still early but certainly a possibility.

It just about happened last year.

Either the men or women would play in the Field House on Saturday. I'd guess they'd move the ladies as the men draw much better.

They could play all four games in the KCAC on Sunday. Tueday night would then be a doubleheader.


But, yeah ... while possible it's way premature.

One more even minor injury and Joe's going to have a Help Wanted sign on Wayne Ave.

[Golden89]

I think in the last few days it's been mentioned, but this team should be locked in on hosting a regional. It's right there.

Still early but what does IUP do if it finishes in the top seed for both men and women? Can they host both? Again still early but certainly a possibility.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think in the last few days it's been mentioned, but this team should be locked in on hosting a regional. It's right there.

If you would have been there last night ... trust me this is 'one day at a time' mode right now.

Two more games and they should get Chucky back.

We were lucky we had Clarion last night. They won't beat good teams with Chucky out and Ethan sitting all night.

Seton Hill at home on Wednesday and a tough trip to Mercyhurst on Saturday ... luckily the Lakers are reeling a bit right now.

Hate the phrase but ... 'one game at a time' ...

[Scrub]

I think in the last few days it's been mentioned, but this team should be locked in on hosting a regional. It's right there.

IUPbigINDIANS doubted me (or maybe just didn't want to jinx it), but I said weeks ago that West Chester was a mirage and that the Region runs through Indiana. Watch out for a pesky Ship team (who will likely host the conference championship game), but otherwise, Regional hosting is IUP's to lose at this point.

[IUP24]

I think in the last few days it's been mentioned, but this team should be locked in on hosting a regional. It's right there.

[IUP24]

The biggest change I see in this team is David Morris. I know many of you don't get to see the games in person. So, you miss a lot of things that perhaps don't show up on the feed. He has a demeanor and toughness that hasn't been here since DeVante Chance. He's also very in control at the point guard position. He is averaging just 2 turnovers per game. He's also capable of taking a game over and scoring 30 points. Athletically, he's just on a different level compared to what we had at PG the past four years. Dante's biggest knock was he could get rattled. I haven't seen that with Morris. He's pretty 'ice'.

Some of our past teams did a lot of talking. This one just plays. Hard.

And, of course, keep in mind Malik Miller and Armoni Foster may be the best overall guard combination around at this level. Shawndale is also a type of player Joe hasn't had in a long time. He does a lot of different things on the floor. He's big and very strong/fast ... very hard to guard. And, of course, Porterfield is emerging as a superstar. Anthony White continues to hit big treys off the bench and is a pest on defense. Chucky is excellent in his role.

My issue with the Joe-constant depth issue is I question how the legs hold up by March. Six-man rotations just aren't sustainable. All we can hope is Chucky heals up -- quickly. As IUPAlum said yesterday ... we've seen this movie before. We know how it ends. It's playing with fire. Hopefully they don't get burned.

What I bolded sums up my thoughts on the makeup of these teams the last 5 years. Just didn't have enough "hard" guys. Not enough guys that were no nonsense. Not enough guys that were, as they like to say, "hard to play against." Seems like that's there with this team. More of a killer instinct. I'm glad you brought that up about Morris, because like you said, you can't pick that up on a feed that's freezing every night.

I'm not an intangibles guy, but the "something to prove" angle may be there. I don't know. Dante and Cobo were great players. For as good as Dante was, he always had that "coaches son" asterisk next to his name. Cobo was one of the best players to ever play at IUP, but I never sensed the killer instinct in him. Make of that what you want. Maybe this is just a team kind of "on a mission." I've thrown in enough cliches. This team just has a different feel. My expectations were not extremely high coming into the year. Early on I thought they were doing it with mirrors, but I agree that there's just something with these guys.

They just have a bunch of tough guys on this team. Great athletes, physical and strong, and just tough to play against. They remind me a ton of the 2013 team that won the PSAC championship. This team is better and made up much differently, but that group had a similar feel in my opinion. Sum was greater than the parts... Lots of cohesion on the court... A bunch of tough guys... Team that kind of just kept getting better as the year went on... 2015 was the same way. That team just peaked at the right time.

[EyeoftheHawk]

IUP wins by 11.

Fortunate could be the key word of the night.


Swear I've seen this movie before ....

I have no idea what was up with Shawn Ulrich tonight ... but 'man o day' was he horrible. Hate to say that but there's no other way to describe it. Catch the damn ball. Jesus. He should have had 18 points instead of a lousy 2.


There was no reason to play Ulrich after halftime. Should have went all guards when Ethan was on the bench in foul trouble.

IUP's depth was really tested in this one and although it wasn't pretty I thought it was a gutsy win against a determined Clarion team. It was also a pretty good lesson on what Porterfield means to this team. If he doesn't get in foul trouble (it almost felt like the refs targeted him) I think IUP cruises. As it was, they got almost nothing out of Ulrich. I don't know if it's rust or what but he was clumsy and seemed lost at times.

Benton was great off the bench and it shows that, for the most part, IUP has talent the entire length of the bench. Clarion just didn't have the resources. Getting Chucky back will be pretty important though, particularly on the defensive end. The rebounding was pretty poor last night and that's being kind. Something else that may have gone unnoticed was how Porterfield didn't back down with the four fouls. I was yelling "don't foul" every time he battled with Rodriguez under the hoop late but he didn't change the way he plays one ounce. Frankly he ate him up and the chatty Rodriguez didn't have much to say at that point. This kid continues to impress and if you're really paying attention he does the little things extremely well.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Stats review ...

Malik - 27 points, 12-13 FT
Morris - 12 points, 5 assists
Armoni - 9 points
Porterfield - 9 points, 6 boards (just 15 mins)
Shawndale - 6 points, 4 boards
Benton - 9 points (6-8 FT), 6 boards
Anthony - 8 points
Ulrich - 2 points, 6 boards


TEAM

FG: 40%
FT: 29-36 (80.6%)
3-PT: 9-26 (34.6%)
Glass: Lost 44-33
TO: 17
Steals: 13
Blocks: 7

Second Chance Pts: 7

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Almost forgot ... a special shout-out to Clarion's Stevan Rodriguez. He played a heck of a game ... 20-some points ... but also may have cost his team a legit shot at a win.

Draining the three and giving the defender the finger rarely works. That technical was a key moment in the second half.

Clear-cut winner of this week's JACKASS AWARD.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP wins by 11.

Fortunate could be the key word of the night.


Swear I've seen this movie before ....

I have no idea what was up with Shawn Ulrich tonight ... but 'man o day' was he horrible. Hate to say that but there's no other way to describe it. Catch the damn ball. Jesus. He should have had 18 points instead of a lousy 2.


There was no reason to play Ulrich after halftime. Should have went all guards when Ethan was on the bench in foul trouble.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

They will be lucky to win the game.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

This is what you get with foul trouble. Welcome to the Dylan Benton Era.

[IUPTrackMan]

Based on the circumstances, oddly, I think Clarion's visit tonight could be an entertaining game.

Side note: For those tuning in at home, ... a couple XANAX should help with watching the live feed.

UPJ was a good match-up for IUP's make-shift lineup. The Mountain Cats' post players are tall but are more like big guards. Shawndale could play well down low against them as he was the more physical player.

Tonight is the complete opposite. Recall how IUP couldn't get a rebound against Slippery Rock to save its life. They will struggle grabbing boards tonight, too. If they shoot like they did Wednesday, it won't much matter.

Unlike the 6'7", 205 lb forwards UPJ has, Clarion is more PSAC old school. They have the 6'6", 245 lb types ... headlined by mid-year transfer Godspower Ogide (6'11", 280 lbs).

Clarion also saw 2018 PSAC all-Freshman guard Mason Mraz return mid-year after missing 9-10 games with injury.

The Golden Eagles have also played well as of late. Clarion has won two straight and prior to that, lost very close games to both Gannon and UPJ (both single digits).

Traditionally, IUP has also played poorly in the first game with students back. Look it up.

That's the Lou Holtz spin.

All seriousness, I do think IUP comes out hungover tonight. I think this game will even be close at the half. Psychically, IUP will stand no chance under the basket tonight. They aren't moving those guys. That said, once they get running ... they can run them out of the building.

Final analysis: IUP ends up winning by a fat number ... but it will be closer than many think along the way.