Iup basketball

[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.

[IUPalum]

Dave Morris is a cool cat, no rattling him! Then he gets to play with some studs of his caliber or better... great mix!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

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.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don't know, basketball is streaky enough that it might not make much difference for the season. the full roster team could easily have one loss at this point, and 3 or 4 losses by the end of the season. And these guys look like they could get to the PSAC tournament before they lose again, even without chucky.

Sure, when they lose again, you can go back and point to advantages a bigger roster would give. But without seeing the redshirts play, we really don't know how much difference it makes.

The really exciting thing, who would have predicted that this team without Demo, would have only one loss ? There's something about these guys, luckier maybe ? More to prove maybe ?

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.

[ironmaniup]

This view is still null and void. Yes, beating UPJ short handed is a huge win but the lack of bench will come to haunt them. Whether it be foul troubles or lack of legs from playing to many minutes. It will effect them some how. IT ALWAYS DOES!!!
.

I don't know, basketball is streaky enough that it might not make much difference for the season. the full roster team could easily have one loss at this point, and 3 or 4 losses by the end of the season. And these guys look like they could get to the PSAC tournament before they lose again, even without chucky.

Sure, when they lose again, you can go back and point to advantages a bigger roster would give. But without seeing the redshirts play, we really don't know how much difference it makes.

The really exciting thing, who would have predicted that this team without Demo, would have only one loss ? There's something about these guys, luckier maybe ? More to prove maybe ?

[IUPalum]

Different point of view ... think of the UPJ standpoint.

That loss had to be demoralizing last night. IUP was down two starters from opening night. They had a packed, loud house (by UPJ standards). Fully healthy. IUP is playing a guard at power forward and 6 guys total.

And ... you give up a hundo in your building.

UPJ had to win that game. I really think that was one of Joe's biggest wins in years based on the circumstances.

IUP won by 7 but was up 15 with about 90 seconds left.

UPJ had everything lined up for it and couldn't get it done.

This view is still null and void. Yes, beating UPJ short handed is a huge win but the lack of bench will come to haunt them. Whether it be foul troubles or lack of legs from playing to many minutes. It will effect them some how. IT ALWAYS DOES!!!
.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Different point of view ... think of the UPJ standpoint.

That loss had to be demoralizing last night. IUP was down two starters from opening night. They had a packed, loud house (by UPJ standards). Fully healthy. IUP is playing a guard at power forward and 6 guys total.

And ... you give up a hundo in your building.

UPJ had to win that game. I really think that was one of Joe's biggest wins in years based on the circumstances.

IUP won by 7 but was up 15 with about 90 seconds left.

UPJ had everything lined up for it and couldn't get it done.

[Chuck Norris]

You can say that but I've seen this story play out before and miss two regionals because of it!