Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

For next week's pick'em over/under, how about the combined margin of victory of IUP's teams over WCU's?

That's a suckers bet. If IUP escapes Fairmont tonight (big IF) ... that has classic hangover game written all over it. WCU has also had 10 days to prepare for the IUP game. Not that I used to gamble on sports or anything. LOL. But, those are key factors in gambling on games. Not to mention WCU has won three straight in the series. Further, the last game before a long break is always interesting. One team usually seems to already be on break mentally. Real money involved ... I wouldn't touch that game.

WCU has a lot of talent. What's up with the start they've had?

[Horror Child]

Re: Iup basketball

For next week's pick'em over/under, how about the combined margin of victory of IUP's teams over WCU's?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP at Fairmont State

Inside the FSU numbers:


Record: 6-0 MEC / 8-2 overall
Streak: W8

FSU Opponents' Winning Percentage: 42.28%

Best win: West Liberty
Losses: Ferris State (7-5) & Missouri Western (5-6)



Notes:

* FSU hasn't lost a home game in FOREVER

* Deep team with (9) players averaging double digit minutes

* Top three players average 30+ minutes: Jason Jolly, Vonte Montgomery and Cole VonHandorf (all guards)

* Scoring 85.3 ppg while giving up 78.2 ppg

* Four players averaging double digit points: Jolly (20.4), Montgomery (14.7), Andrew Emrick (11.1) and VonHandorf (10.3)

* Shooting 28 treys a game -- making 40% on season
* Out-rebounding opponents by 5 a game on the season
* 48% FG
* 68% FT
* They play smart -- just 12 TOs per game

* They have some size on the roster but several of their bigger guys don't play much. Emrick (6'9") is a very athletic post player.

* Common theme in both losses was the three-point shot. FSU shot a poor percentage in both games.

* Both teams coming off highly-energized, emotional wins.


Keys to win:

* Push that three-point stripe back. If they want to shoot all night push them out an extra 5' in the process
* IUP doesn't do track meet games. Control the pace. This may be an MEC team but Joe isn't playing an MEC game. Slippery Rock took them to the final 20 seconds.
* Survive the spurts. Call timeouts.
* Jolly will make treys from Row 19 of the bleachers. IUP smothered him last year. The year before he smothered IUP.
* Press all night. When this IUP team hasn't pressed this year they've let teams launch away (reference Ship game 1st half vs 2nd half)
* Two elite guards to handle. Jolly is a nightmare and Montgomery is very good. Add to it VonHandorf is a sniper. Who gets who in man is very important.
* Armoni needs to join the 30-minute club in this game. He's one of IUP's top defenders. And, they'll need top defenders in this one.
* Deep treys equal deep rebounds. No second chances.
* Use all that size. Cobo and Willem (and Marko) are going to be big match-up problems for FSU. Willem has to stay clean. He's been picking up too many quick fouls lately. He can't become the second-coming of Daddy Ugbede on defense.
* Depth: IUP has fantastic depth. Don't be afraid to use it.

[IUP24]

I watched their feed for the WL game on Sunday. It's watchable. It doesn't skip and the announcer is good. The actual video quality is poor. Kind of like watching an Atari. It is fuzzy enough you can't read jersey numbers or anything. Crows' Nest camera.

It's about 2.5 hours from Indiana. Not sure if Fairmont students will still be there or not. A ton of schools are in finals week. I think I saw FSU had commencement last weekend.

They had a nice crowd for the WL game but it was far from full. It is a neat facility.

The WV Metro News productions are very good.

I went down there with my dad when IUP played Kutztown in the tournament. We sat up in the upper level during the Fairmont-Bowie State game and then moved behind the IUP bench for the IUP game. Neat place.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[boatcapt]

Re: Iup basketball

I've always been partial to PI as the sole selection criteria. It takes into account a teams W/L (you get more points for wins than you do losses), and SOS is accounted for (You get a higher # of points for beating and losing to tougher teams). Don't know why the NCAA muddies up the waters by listing all these other criteria unless their intent is to muddy the waters so they can select teams that run counter to what the PI says.

I don't recall what the end of conference tourney PI numbers were last season for SR1 but it would be interesting to compare them to were the teams were actually seeded.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Interesting stuff.

When you put all the columns together (overall body of work) in the matrix, this is what is spits out (overall rank):

(2) IUP
(17) Mercyhurst
(25) West Liberty (tie)
(25) Chowan (tie)
(33) Concord
(58) Shaw
(59) Fairmont State
(63) Shippensburg
(77) UPJ
(90) Notre Dame
(97) Shepherd
(99) Charleston
(108) Kutztown
(117) East Stroudsburg
(121) Virginia State


Note Kutztown is grading out higher than ESU despite having two more losses but a tremendously better SOS.

These are the current Top 15 in the Atlantic.

[boatcapt]

Re: Iup basketball

For comparison sorted by two other selection criteria:

Top 10 based on SOS:
Eliz City .6039
SRU .5953
Seton Hill .5838
Bluefield State .5645
St Augustine .5587
Claflin .5554
Bowie State .5482
IUP .5473
Edinboro .5400
Mercyhurst .5350

Top 10 based on Winning %:
Chowan 100%
IUP 100%
Mercyhurst 83.33%
Concord 80%
Fairmont 80%
West Liberty 77.78%
Shippensburg 77.78%
Shaw 71.43%
ESU 71.43
Livingstone 71.43%

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Some numbers from the updated Performance Indicators that Schnautza compiles (only D2 games count):


IUP is currently No. 2 in the overall rankings with an 8-0 D2 record. IUP's opponents winning percentage is 56.25 percent. IUP's opponents' opponents winning percentage is 51.7 percent. Regional record is 8-0. P.I. is 18.50.


For comparison sake within the Atlantic:

Opponents winning percentage (in order of rankings per his report):

Note: This is also the order in which his metric currently ranks Atlantic Region teams (formula is based on NCAA metrics):


IUP: 56.25%
Mercyhurst: 57.94%
West Liberty: 52.87%
Concord: 46.46%
Shaw: 54.01%
Fairmont State: 42.28%
Shippensburg: 43.33%
UPJ: 52.42%
Notre Dame: 43.34
Shepherd: 44.35%
Charleston: 43.88%
Kutztown: 55.06%
East Stroudsburg: 36.59%

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I watched their feed for the WL game on Sunday. It's watchable. It doesn't skip and the announcer is good. The actual video quality is poor. Kind of like watching an Atari. It is fuzzy enough you can't read jersey numbers or anything. Crows' Nest camera.

It's about 2.5 hours from Indiana. Not sure if Fairmont students will still be there or not. A ton of schools are in finals week. I think I saw FSU had commencement last weekend.

They had a nice crowd for the WL game but it was far from full. It is a neat facility.

The WV Metro News productions are very good.

[IUP24]

Anybody making the trip Friday?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Anybody making the trip Friday?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Saturday night was just a perfect storm for that game. I think there is a general excitement for the fans to cross the parking lot and go back in time so to speak at the Field House. Add to it the Saturday night atmosphere and the fact a flashy team was in town. Joe used the word 'swagger' to describe Shippensburg. Being honest I didn't expect anything like that crowd. It was legitimately lively and loud. I agree with Tony's article ... the announced gate of 1,045 was way off. They weren't even scanning tickets past 7 p.m. on the side opposite the benches.

Nobody could invigorate the IUP crowd like Kevin Reynolds but Shippensburg gives it a go. There wasn't a Dustin Sleva jawing at the crowd moment but they did enough to make things interesting. Give them credit ... it's not easy to get an IUP crowd fired up. It's very difficult, actually. Shippensburg also traveled well which also further evokes the home crowd in tight settings like MFH. Willem's monster jam at the end was the perfect exclamation on the night and sent the place in to a frenzy.

Chris Fite said he felt the crowd was a major factor in the game. I'd agree. The critical technical on Ship's Manny Span was a massive turning point in the game. He was getting rode hard all night. He finally lost his cool just for a second.

Now, would I want to play all the games over there? No way. But, that was the best atmosphere for a game in at least four years. The last one that comes to mind was when Mathis hit the game-winner against SRU. There was about 3,500 in the KCAC that night.

As Chuck said even if you get 2,000 in the KCAC that still means half the seats are empty and people are spread out. You get that 2,000 at MFH and it's rocking.

I've said for years on here I wish they'd make the change to only the benches' side at the KCAC being reserved. The other side would become all general admission. It would bring everybody lower to the floor. I don't like the student section, either. As many of you recall the student section at the Field House was behind the visitors' bench up through the Gary Edwards era. At the KCAC they are too far removed. It lessens the home-court advantage. If anything, I'd flip the end of the court the students sit at so they are across from the visiting teams' bench. It's the little things. I guarantee if you had a couple games like this past one the students one would be flocking to get in there. That turned in to an event -- not just another game. Huge difference.

IUP could do so much more at the basketball games. Turn off the lights for player introductions. Show more replays. Get a more lively announcer. Find one D1 arena that doesn't have the 'threeeeeeeeeeeeeee' P.A. announcer after each trey. They are struggling this year with the team entrance. Instead of the intro music they are letting the announcer talk about apartments for rent, etc. The 'atmosphere' items have been a train wreck thus far. The other week they played the same Mo Bamba song about 19 times.

If I had to pick the venue for a big, must-win game? Cross the parking lot every time and head back to the 1980s and 90s. That was a good taste of what games at IUP should all be like. They just need some minor tweaks. The target audience at the KCAC isn't the students. That's the biggest part of the problem.

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

Just reading through these comments and those of the coaches-----it sounds like everyone really LOVED being over at the Field House. Let's face it---IUP has won A LOT of big games over there through the years. The place has some character to it and seems to be quite menacing to opponents. Too bad they have to go back to the KCAC. Beautiful facility but just not the Field House.

What were they charging to get into the Field House?

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[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: Iup basketball

$9 general admission. I mean my bill at Steel City later Saturday night was $13, so for a great game with the atmosphere, I'd say that's a bargain to see the No. 3 team in the country play.

$9 is still rather pricey to see a D-II game, though I suppose it is better than paying KCAC prices. Lord knows what a general admission ticket is there now. But it sounds like it was a great game at least on Saturday night.

Did anyone catch the recent article in the local edition that Indiana County is right near the bottom of states in the Northeast in household income? I hear it all the time from people who stay away from IUP athletics because of ticket pricing. And these are not exactly folks living in the poor house either. It is just beyond me how IUP and our local government does business.

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[hawks16]

Re: Iup basketball

Just reading through these comments and those of the coaches-----it sounds like everyone really LOVED being over at the Field House. Let's face it---IUP has won A LOT of big games over there through the years. The place has some character to it and seems to be quite menacing to opponents. Too bad they have to go back to the KCAC. Beautiful facility but just not the Field House.

What were they charging to get into the Field House?

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$9 general admission. I mean my bill at Steel City later Saturday night was $13, so for a great game with the atmosphere, I'd say that's a bargain to see the No. 3 team in the country play.