Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

A couple thoughts on last night:

* You could tell UPJ played a game this past weekend and IUP did not. They were very off and rusty to start that game ... not all that uncommon with the first game back from a two-week layover. IUP was down by as many as 14 in the first half.

* UPJ is a nice team. They are far from a pushover as evidence they lost by just 4 points to Virginia State. They are very well-coached and shoot well. Depth is always the problem there. They always have a solid six guys but struggle after that point. Dale Clancy may be the best PG in the PSAC. Josh Wise is a very nice young player and freshman Drew Magestro is going to be a special one up there. Isaac Vescovi is tough.

* IUP was its own biggest enemy last night. I lost count of careless turnovers. You'll always have turnovers but they (some much more than others) just cannot 'slow down' and eliminate these mistakes. It's the same stuff, game after game, year after year. There's so much talent on the floor that the point guard just needs to stay in control and remain calm. IUP doesn't need an Allen Iverson impression that results in 7-8 TOs a game from the PG position. I get that's a touchy subject and I think Dante is a very good player. If he'd 'slow down' and cut his TOs from 7-8 down to 2-3 he could be a great player. Almost every one of those TOs last night turned into a quick bucket for UPJ. Very few of them were forced by UPJ, either, but were rather given by out-of-control, careless play. UPJ easily got 16-20 points directly off TOs last night. This isn't an attack. The PG is going to determine what this team can accomplish this year. Junior year ... time to take (and stay in) control.

* That was as hot as I've seen Joe in a long time during the first 20 minutes -- probably since the infamous trip to Seton Hill three years ago. He looked like he was about to explode.

* IUP got battered on the boards last night which is very odd. UPJ is a small team. In the first half UPJ out-rebounded IUP 17 to 8. Willem isn't new to the program anymore. At his size and athletic ability it's time to get a little nasty out there on the glass. He did have four huge blocks last night. But, Willem and Cobo combined for a kind of weak 9 boards last night. With who is coming up ... not going to cut it.

* Blake oddly only played about 15 minutes last night (with no fouls). Jalen Vaughns played his lone minute in the first half. I'll be shocked if Vaughns is here next year. He has to be beyond irritated with this 1-2 minutes per game.

* Anthony Glover is on the very short list of best guards in the PSAC ... Ice in the veins.

* Defensively that was two different teams last night. In the first half IUP just let UPJ launch away -- hitting 7 of 14 treys before intermission. The second half you saw more of the approach they used against Fairmont and made them work for every three and UPJ went 0-8 after the break. That was simply a change in effort and intensity.

* That's 11 straight over neighbor UPJ.

[IUsuallyPonder]

Re: Iup basketball

I tell you what, I have no idea what to make of the men's team this year. One game they seem to be doing very well, the next they come out flat. Glad to see a change at the half, but it would be interesting to find out the dynamic of that locker room...

As for the ladies, this looks to be a very solid team. I am looking forward to seeing how they do against Edinboro and CalU.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Ladies moved to 11-0 with a 19-point win at UPJ. Megan Smith went for 34 points on 12 of 18 shooting (6 of 9 from deep).

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

A win is a win... they are all huge!!! I wish I could've watched it. I had a brain fart and just forgot to tune in. UGH!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP escapes Johnstown, 81-76.

What a difference in the second half ... IUP shot the lights out from deep (15-27).

Glover with 31 points.

Something happened in that locker room at halftime.

Odd to see UPJ win the boards but they did, 32-24.

First half UPJ couldn't miss. Second half 0 treys on 0-8 shooting. Joe really woke them up at the half.

[IUP24]

UPJ 43
IUP 34

Half

I thought West Chester was the worst defensive first half ever by an IUP team. It wasn't. This crap show was.

IUP got KILLED on the boards. UPJ 58% from field ... numerous wide open shots.

IUP 7 TOs ... 5 of which you see on playgrounds.


Joe may go insane in that locker room. Long way to go. They are actually dang lucky to only be down 9 right now.

[IUP24]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

UPJ 43
IUP 34

Half

I thought West Chester was the worst defensive first half ever by an IUP team. It wasn't. This crap show was.

IUP got KILLED on the boards. UPJ 58% from field ... numerous wide open shots.

IUP 7 TOs ... 5 of which you see on playgrounds.


Joe may go insane in that locker room. Long way to go. They are actually dang lucky to only be down 9 right now.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP getting walloped

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Anybody heading to Johnstown .... a few slick spots in the higher elevations.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

It appears there will be no addition made to the roster. Chemistry-wise it would be pretty tough to import a player at this point. The Fairmont State victory was the best they've looked all year -- by far.

Next four games:

Wed: at UPJ -- rarely a pushover ... UPJ always puts up a good fight.

Saturday: Mercyhurst -- typically a battle ... one of the more entertaining nights of the year to watch the coaches banter and pretend to like each other

Monday: Slippery Rock -- Nobody ignites the KCAC quite like Kevin Reynolds -- even if there's only 600 there on a Monday night over break. SRU is big, deep and talented.

Wed: East Stroudsburg -- Going from the Mercyhurst and SRU muscle style to East Stroudsburg's 100 mph pace couldn't be more polar opposite.


Tough stretch ... not an easy one in there. Luckily three of the four are at home.

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Spent most of my afternoon digging out of the white stuff here. Snowblower, snow plow, and good ole shoveling. I think we had something like five inches or so. A real pain to deal with!

Has it snowed yet in Erie this winter?

Five inches? That's a wee dusting here on the Erie lakeshore.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Iup basketball

I'm not sure how Pitt picked land for its branches but all but one Pitt "in name only" campuses are rather disjointed from their namesake locations. Pitt Titusville is still within the main town but hardly an impactful location for the town partially because it's so small.

Pitt Bradford is several miles out of town and Pitt Greensburg is tucked out of the way as well. None of the four are impressive campuses. Maybe Bradford if I had to choose one.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I used to go up once a year for a hockey game ... relive SlapShot for a night.

We go up there about once a year for dinner just for something different. There are a couple good restaurants downtown.

But, yes, the UPJ campus is kind of secluded from Johnstown itself.

You'd think IUP and UPJ would have a good rivalry being so close but not so much.

I remember they had some real good teams in the late 90s and early 00s. They beat a big IUP team at the Field House one night.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: Iup basketball

Exactly where in Johnstown is the UPJ campus? Is it on the side near the Incline Plane and Point Stadium? I was just there last fall with visions of 6-2 Stack Monster and Alexander stuffed at the goal line.

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It's out in the suburbs across the street from Richland high school.