Iup basketball

[IUPalum]

Overall I'd say it was a good opening weekend -- aside from the first 20 minutes yesterday.

Holding Winston-Salem to just 50 points was quite impressive.

The negative so far (and in the preseason) has been Tomiwa can't stay on the floor. He's got some form of Daddy Ugbede foul disease going on.

With no Ousmane for another 6 games, IUP gets real small real fast with Tomiwa sitting. K.J. battles but you can't expect a 6'4" converted guard to bang the glass for extended periods. He was tangling with two 6'10" guys today. Tomiwa brings so much on both ends ... killer when he's sitting.

Diop will be a huge addition upon his return -- even in likely limited minutes.

Brooks and Bethea had their moments today -- good and bad. They will both keep improving with each game.

Shawndale went for 21 yesterday and 20 today. I wouldn't say he's completely back to form yet but he's getting there.

David and Ethan had solid games. Dillard played strong defensively all weekend. Polce was a little quiet.

Today was a likely a big SOS win. WSSU is going to win a lot of games. Lot of potential there.

The annual war with Bowie State is up next.

Great opening weekend.

Two solid wins and now there is film to work with.

1) The defense has majors holes but this is normal for early in the year.

2) Tomiwa must stay out of foul trouble. KJ can't be out there playing power forward against 6'10" guys.

3) Start finishing better around the rim.

4) Can't wait for Ethan to get back to full strength. He definitely doesn't have his legs back yet.

5) Shawndale is improving but no way is he the same player as last year yet. He looks like he'll get there unlike Tommy D a year ago.

6) Get ready for Bowie St. They look really good early.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Bowie State is going to be a tussle. They are big and can shoot the ball. As always, very athletic.

The Bulldogs are 1-1. They defeated Frostburg State, 94-79, and lost to PSAC East favorite East Stroudsburg, 110-100.

Granted, they aren't going to put up their 97-point average against IUP's defense. For starters, it will be a much slower-paced game as IUP rarely presses and won't get in to a track meet.

If Tomiwa Sulaiman continues his Daddy Ugbede fouling impression, IUP could be in trouble in this one. He played just 22.5 minutes per game this weekend. They need him at least in the 29-31 mpg range. Once Ousmane Diop returns, he can get a little more aggressive. For now, he needs to be on the floor.

Joe amazingly got blasted on the boards in both games this weekend but still won both with relative ease. That won't last forever. The offset was for as bad as they were rebounding, they were +13 in TO margin. As I said yesterday, with Sulaiman on the bench, they get real small real fast under the basket. Damir Brooks has shown he certainly has big-time rebounding capabilities, but he's still a little deer-in-the-headlights on the offensive end. I assume that is why Joe is easing him in to things.

IUP also held Concord and WSSU to a combined 6-40 (15%) from outside. I do say 'held' because IUP does a great job contesting just about every 3-point shot -- aside from those they choose to 'doink' (such as we saw yesterday with WSSU's big).

Saddle up, cowboys. This is a tough week.

[IUPalum]

Bowie State is going to be a tussle. They are big and can shoot the ball. As always, very athletic.

The Bulldogs are 1-1. They defeated Frostburg State, 94-79, and lost to PSAC East favorite East Stroudsburg, 110-100.

Granted, they aren't going to put up their 97-point average against IUP's defense. For starters, it will be a much slower-paced game as IUP rarely presses and won't get in to a track meet.

If Tomiwa Sulaiman continues his Daddy Ugbede fouling impression, IUP could be in trouble in this one. He played just 22.5 minutes per game this weekend. They need him at least in the 29-31 mpg range. Once Ousmane Diop returns, he can get a little more aggressive. For now, he needs to be on the floor.

Joe amazingly got blasted on the boards in both games this weekend but still won both with relative ease. That won't last forever. The offset was for as bad as they were rebounding, they were +13 in TO margin. As I said yesterday, with Sulaiman on the bench, they get real small real fast under the basket. Damir Brooks has shown he certainly has big-time rebounding capabilities, but he's still a little deer-in-the-headlights on the offensive end. I assume that is why Joe is easing him in to things.

IUP also held Concord and WSSU to a combined 6-40 (15%) from outside. I do say 'held' because IUP does a great job contesting just about every 3-point shot -- aside from those they choose to 'doink' (such as we saw yesterday with WSSU's big).

Saddle up, cowboys. This is a tough week.

You nailed all points for Wednesday! I 100% agree.

[Ship69]

Bowie State is going to be a tussle. They are big and can shoot the ball. As always, very athletic.

The Bulldogs are 1-1. They defeated Frostburg State, 94-79, and lost to PSAC East favorite East Stroudsburg, 110-100.

Granted, they aren't going to put up their 97-point average against IUP's defense. For starters, it will be a much slower-paced game as IUP rarely presses and won't get in to a track meet.

If Tomiwa Sulaiman continues his Daddy Ugbede fouling impression, IUP could be in trouble in this one. He played just 22.5 minutes per game this weekend. They need him at least in the 29-31 mpg range. Once Ousmane Diop returns, he can get a little more aggressive. For now, he needs to be on the floor.

Joe amazingly got blasted on the boards in both games this weekend but still won both with relative ease. That won't last forever. The offset was for as bad as they were rebounding, they were +13 in TO margin. As I said yesterday, with Sulaiman on the bench, they get real small real fast under the basket. Damir Brooks has shown he certainly has big-time rebounding capabilities, but he's still a little deer-in-the-headlights on the offensive end. I assume that is why Joe is easing him in to things.

IUP also held Concord and WSSU to a combined 6-40 (15%) from outside. I do say 'held' because IUP does a great job contesting just about every 3-point shot -- aside from those they choose to 'doink' (such as we saw yesterday with WSSU's big).

Saddle up, cowboys. This is a tough week.

I'll be interested in how IUP does with Bowie since Ship has them coming up soon. We had that strange 47-39 game with them last season — highly doubt that will be repeated. They apparently tried to play press and run with East Stroudsburg, which is usually a mistake. Bowie actually will be Ship's first home game this year on Nov. 28. Cal, Fairmont State, and an Erie trip loom in December.

[IUPalum]

I'll be interested in how IUP does with Bowie since Ship has them coming up soon. We had that strange 47-39 game with them last season — highly doubt that will be repeated. They apparently tried to play press and run with East Stroudsburg, which is usually a mistake. Bowie actually will be Ship's first home game this year on Nov. 28. Cal, Fairmont State, and an Erie trip loom in December.

IUP/Bowie will be a half court game. IUP needs to defend the paint much better. At times it was pretty easy to drive the lane

[Ship69]

IUP/Bowie will be a half court game. IUP needs to defend the paint much better. At times it was pretty easy to drive the lane

Well, holding Winston-Salem to 50 you must have been doing something right. I'm sure Ship will want to play half-court as well as the Raiders were much better suited for run-and-gun with Hardy and Biss in the backcourt last year. Somewhat weirdly, Ship was able to beat East Stroud a bit at its own game last season. Beat them in two uptempo games, including the PSAC quarterfinal, but lost a low-scoring grinder to them at home that was somewhat reminiscent of the Ship-IUP semifinal last year.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Well, holding Winston-Salem to 50 you must have been doing something right. I'm sure Ship will want to play half-court as well as the Raiders were much better suited for run-and-gun with Hardy and Biss in the backcourt last year. Somewhat weirdly, Ship was able to beat East Stroud a bit at its own game last season. Beat them in two uptempo games, including the PSAC quarterfinal, but lost a low-scoring grinder to them at home that was somewhat reminiscent of the Ship-IUP semifinal last year.

Joe's obviously tough to beat in a half-court game. They do so much switching on defense that it seems to really take opposing teams out of their rhythm. On offense, they impose the fear from the guards and then Porterfield can shoot from the bleachers (he led D2 in 3pt percentage last year) -- or Tomiwa can thunder-dunk or hit the very rare (modern game) mid-range jump shots all day. It's certainly a pick your poison approach in defending them.

One big advantage IUP has had is it hasn't gone through all the Portal crap. Armoni left, but that's really been about it the past several years -- at least in the rotation. Winston-Salem was way deeper, bigger and more athletic yesterday. They just aren't nearly as crisp and in-tune with each other. They will be a scary team down the stretch as they start to gel a bit more.

[IUPalum]

Joe's obviously tough to beat in a half-court game. They do so much switching on defense that it seems to really take opposing teams out of their rhythm. On offense, they impose the fear from the guards and then Porterfield can shoot from the bleachers (he led D2 in 3pt percentage last year) -- or Tomiwa can thunder-dunk or hit the very rare (modern game) mid-range jump shots all day. It's certainly a pick your poison approach in defending them.

One big advantage IUP has had is it hasn't gone through all the Portal crap. Armoni left, but that's really been about it the past several years -- at least in the rotation. Winston-Salem was way deeper, bigger and more athletic yesterday. They just aren't nearly as crisp and in-tune with each other. They will be a scary team down the stretch as they start to gel a bit more.

They could be real scary if they could actually shoot.

[Ship69]

Joe's obviously tough to beat in a half-court game. They do so much switching on defense that it seems to really take opposing teams out of their rhythm. On offense, they impose the fear from the guards and then Porterfield can shoot from the bleachers (he led D2 in 3pt percentage last year) -- or Tomiwa can thunder-dunk or hit the very rare (modern game) mid-range jump shots all day. It's certainly a pick your poison approach in defending them.

One big advantage IUP has had is it hasn't gone through all the Portal crap. Armoni left, but that's really been about it the past several years -- at least in the rotation. Winston-Salem was way deeper, bigger and more athletic yesterday. They just aren't nearly as crisp and in-tune with each other. They will be a scary team down the stretch as they start to gel a bit more.

Ship has been fortunate in avoiding transfers as well. I think Coach Fite has built a good culture there. But the pandemic effects are beginning to be felt. Losing Biss would have been bad enough, but losing an experienced guard like Hardy along with him made it doubly tough. They have the four experienced forwards who've been in the system quite a while, but little experienced depth behind them. Carter and Nedrow fouling out Saturday was one of the keys to losing the game to Virginia State. I'm assuming Smith, the transfer from Kutztown, might be injured. I'll see if he's playing or sitting on the bench at our first home game. Fite has played a half-dozen guards the first two games, obviously searching for the right combination. Andrew Recchia got some minutes at point guard, but I think scored only two points in those two games — obviously they'll need more than that after being accustomed to Biss's 16 ppg. Tim Connor and Trey Martin seem like promising freshmen, but they are freshmen. We have Bowie coming up, looks as if Seton Hill might be tougher than expected, and a slew of tough December games. Hope we can get it together at guard before then, or trouble could be on the horizon. And next year's recruiting will be big for the immediate future of the Ship program, as Fite is well aware.

I think you guys will be fine, and getting the Diop kid after the break will add to the depth. Jones already seems to be doing pretty well and should get better as the season advances. We all have to hope we're not hit by crippling injuries. Maybe I'm imagining it, but is seems as if PSAC teams are having more injury troubles than usual the past couple of seasons, and it often seems to be the outstanding players who are getting hurt.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Tough three-game stretch starting tomorrow night -- Bowie State, (at) Walsh and New Haven.

I think tomorrow is going to be a war with Bowie State. Joe's giving out free t-shirts to students tomorrow. He only does that when he wants a big crowd.

One thing I've learned over the years with the better CIAA teams is they don't quit when they get down. We just saw it again with Winston-Salem. You have to beat them all 40 minutes. We see a lot of PSAC teams get down 15-20 points and basically pack it in. WSSU didn't start playing well until it got down in that range. IUP ended up winning by 17 but it was getting a little dicey there when they cut it from 21 to 9 with 7-8 minutes left.

Joe said after the game he thinks Ethan is at about 60 percent but is getting stronger by the day. All the more reason they better get 28 (or more) minutes out of Tomiwa tomorrow.


Ironically, it's almost (to the day) the 7-year anniversary of the oddest game I've ever seen in the KCAC. IUP was up by 24 points in the first half ... and lost to Bowie State. Dante and Cobo were true freshmen. It was the 'island of misfit toys' team the year following the national final appearance. IUP still could (should) have won at the end but couldn't hit a foul shot to save its life. Conversely, Bowie State couldn't hit the side of a barn in the first half and then couldn't miss a shot in the second half. That was some wild game to watch. It was also Bowie State's last win in the series. Never has an IUP team been more sporadic than that group. That team would look phenomenal in stretches -- and 5 minutes later they'd look awful. Life with a young team, I guess.

East Stroudsburg was picked to win the East (and is very good) and Bowie just gave them a hell of a battle before losing, 110-100. As we said, the score won't be anywhere near that tomorrow. IUP will play a much different pace. But, it's going to be a big test.

[IUP24]

Is anyone planning on making the trip to Walsh on Saturday afternoon? I'm considering, but have not decided yet. 2 hour commute to Canton from Columbus for me.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Is anyone planning on making the trip to Walsh on Saturday afternoon? I'm considering, but have not decided yet. 2 hour commute to Canton from Columbus for me.

Too far for me. I did look it up ... was hoping it was more in the two-hour range. But, six hours round trip is a long venture for a 90-minute game.

I think most of the GMAC uses Stretch Internet ... which is typically so bad it even makes Gannon and UPJ look like network television productions.

If Joe offers a seat on the bus I'd consider it. lol

[IUPalum]

Too far for me. I did look it up ... was hoping it was more in the two-hour range. But, six hours round trip is a long venture for a 90-minute game.

I think most of the GMAC uses Stretch Internet ... which is typically so bad it even makes Gannon and UPJ look like network television productions.

If Joe offers a seat on the bus I'd consider it. lol

No seat for you!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Taking a closer look at Bowie State:


* The Bulldogs are deep and balanced. Against East Stroudsburg, (6) Bowie State players scored in double figures (19, 18, 14,14,14, and 11).

* (8) players played double digit minutes but nobody played more than 31 minutes. So, they like to rotate fresh bodies. Granted, some of this could have been from the frantic pace of play against a 40-minute press.

* Their main rotation is similar to IUP's in it is a good mix of experienced upperclassmen

* Lot of size ... similar in height to Winston-Salem under the basket but Bowie's post players have more bulk ... several in that 215-235 lb range.


As IUPAlum and I were discussing, there's really only one absolute main key to tonight:

Tomiwa

If he can't stay in the game, IUP could be in big trouble. If he has two fouls before the first media timeout, IUP is probably going to lose this game. With no Diop and Ethan nowhere near full health, Tomiwa has to give them a solid 28-30 minutes tonight (if not more).


After two games, Bowie State has the following averages:

PPG - 97
Opponents PPG - 94.5

FG% - .538
3PT% - .395 (17-43) ... not afraid to chuck it from deep

FT% - .698

Rebounding margin: -5 (IUP has been out-rebounded in both games)

[EyeoftheHawk]

I think IUP gets it done tonight. Joe’s success against high scoring teams averaging around 100 is pretty good. It’s also the home opener and I think there will be a pretty good crowd. I’m throwing on the hat and gloves and heading down.