Iup basketball

[tonyc]

Today's IUP-Clarion game story: https://open.substack.com/pub/tonyco...meOnShare=true

[IUPbigINDIANS]

March 15, 2022

IUP defeated California in the Atlantic Region Final inside the KCAC. Ethan Porterfield hit the biggest shot in building history (which then came with the loudest moment in building history). Joe vs. Danny was reaching a fever pitch. Both teams had stars galore.

The rivalry, which reached extreme levels in the 90s, finally appeared to be back.

Fast forward to tonight, less than 3 calendar years later, and, well, times have certainly changed. These two programs are now simply fighting for their PSAC Tournament lives. How both got to this moment, well, those are complicated stories. Neither will be in this predicament much longer. Both should return to power next November. But, this strange 2024-25 story isn't over just yet.

Tonight / Angelo Dome

The interesting thing about 87.5 percent of the West falling under the 'parity' category is every night is a big game.

Teams can go from second to eighth in a week. We haven't seen a division 'race' like this in (from my memory) 35 years.

The division is a jumbled-up mess. Which, of course, if anything, makes for an entertaining season.

Make no mistake, both Joe and Danny need this game tonight.

Part of the 'how they got here' story is both teams are without their two best players. Early in the season, the Vulcans lost both Bryson Lucas and Keith Palek. IUP's Dallis Dillard wasn't quite ready to return from his ACL injury and the decision was made to use this as a redshirt season. IUP's (arguably) best player in the program, Bautista Rodriguez, has been in the Tracksuit Army all season due to an NCAA eligibility issue. Both will return next season. No word if Cal's players will return.

As for those remaining, it's real hard to say what you'll see from game to game. Both teams play well one night, and bad the next.

A couple key items for IUP:

1) Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde

- IUP is a woeful 2-7 in games played outside of the KCAC. The Crimson Hawks are 8-2 at home. The disparity between the 'home' Hawks and the 'away' Hawks has been astonishing. Night and day difference. This team is growing. Playing on the road is the needed next step. Time, by the way, is also running out. So, no time like the present.

2) With both starting forwards and also their top reserve forward lost for the season, Cal's offense has largely lived -- and died -- with the three-point shot. When it's falling, they are a pretty decent team. The Vulcans have fired up a PSAC-high 583 attempts (nearly 30 per game). The attempts have reached near 40 on a few recent occasions. Cal is shooting about 34 percent from deep on the season.

- The bad news, here, obviously, is while Cal is one of the top outside shooting teams in the league, IUP is one of the worst in the league at defending the deep shot (currently 16th out of 17 in 3-point defense). IUP likes to give too much cushion to shooters, preferring instead to clog the lanes. That approach can get a team murdered against these Cal guards. If IUP is going to let the Vulcans launch from all over, uncontested, this will be a long night.

3) Cal can still score a lot of points, but it also gives up a lot of points. IUP should have a big size advantage tonight. This needs to be exploited. Damir Brooks is going to be a match-up nightmare for Cal's remaining post players.

4) Neither team is overly deep. Foul trouble -- which team can stay out of it -- will likely tell the tale.

5) Ian Herring played 30 minutes against Clarion. Alphonso Pickens played 18 minutes. It was far and away IUP's best performance of the season. That wasn't a coincidence. Neither had huge stat lines but both are strong defenders. Herring can shoot from outside, take it inside, and, generally, is a total wild card. He draws attention, which, of course, takes pressure off of Christian Moore and Kymani Merraro. Pickens has shutdown-defender skills and the speed and size to go with it. With those two playing much heavier minutes, Moore exploded for a season-high 23 points. Again, not a coincidence.

- Joe can be a pretty tough out down the stretch. For that to happen, however, his best players need to play the most minutes. And, starting tonight, they need to get a big road win.

[Ship69]

March 15, 2022

IUP defeated California in the Atlantic Region Final inside the KCAC. Ethan Porterfield hit the biggest shot in building history (which then came with the loudest moment in building history). Joe vs. Danny was reaching a fever pitch. Both teams had stars galore.

The rivalry, which reached extreme levels in the 90s, finally appeared to be back.

Fast forward to tonight, less than 3 calendar years later, and, well, times have certainly changed. These two programs are now simply fighting for their PSAC Tournament lives. How both got to this moment, well, those are complicated stories. Neither will be in this predicament much longer. Both should return to power next November. But, this strange 2024-25 story isn't over just yet.

Tonight / Angelo Dome

The interesting thing about 87.5 percent of the West falling under the 'parity' category is every night is a big game.

Teams can go from second to eighth in a week. We haven't seen a division 'race' like this in (from my memory) 35 years.

The division is a jumbled-up mess. Which, of course, if anything, makes for an entertaining season.

Make no mistake, both Joe and Danny need this game tonight.

Part of the 'how they got here' story is both teams are without their two best players. Early in the season, the Vulcans lost both Bryson Lucas and Keith Palek. IUP's Dallis Dillard wasn't quite ready to return from his ACL injury and the decision was made to use this as a redshirt season. IUP's (arguably) best player in the program, Bautista Rodriguez, has been in the Tracksuit Army all season due to an NCAA eligibility issue. Both will return next season. No word if Cal's players will return.

As for those remaining, it's real hard to say what you'll see from game to game. Both teams play well one night, and bad the next.

A couple key items for IUP:

1) Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde

- IUP is a woeful 2-7 in games played outside of the KCAC. The Crimson Hawks are 8-2 at home. The disparity between the 'home' Hawks and the 'away' Hawks has been astonishing. Night and day difference. This team is growing. Playing on the road is the needed next step. Time, by the way, is also running out. So, no time like the present.

2) With both starting forwards and also their top reserve forward lost for the season, Cal's offense has largely lived -- and died -- with the three-point shot. When it's falling, they are a pretty decent team. The Vulcans have fired up a PSAC-high 583 attempts (nearly 30 per game). The attempts have reached near 40 on a few recent occasions. Cal is shooting about 34 percent from deep on the season.

- The bad news, here, obviously, is while Cal is one of the top outside shooting teams in the league, IUP is one of the worst in the league at defending the deep shot (currently 16th out of 17 in 3-point defense). IUP likes to give too much cushion to shooters, preferring instead to clog the lanes. That approach can get a team murdered against these Cal guards. If IUP is going to let the Vulcans launch from all over, uncontested, this will be a long night.

3) Cal can still score a lot of points, but it also gives up a lot of points. IUP should have a big size advantage tonight. This needs to be exploited. Damir Brooks is going to be a match-up nightmare for Cal's remaining post players.

4) Neither team is overly deep. Foul trouble -- which team can stay out of it -- will likely tell the tale.

5) Ian Herring played 30 minutes against Clarion. Alphonso Pickens played 18 minutes. It was far and away IUP's best performance of the season. That wasn't a coincidence. Neither had huge stat lines but both are strong defenders. Herring can shoot from outside, take it inside, and, generally, is a total wild card. He draws attention, which, of course, takes pressure off of Christian Moore and Kymani Merraro. Pickens has shutdown-defender skills and the speed and size to go with it. With those two playing much heavier minutes, Moore exploded for a season-high 23 points. Again, not a coincidence.

- Joe can be a pretty tough out down the stretch. For that to happen, however, his best players need to play the most minutes. And, starting tonight, they need to get a big road win.

I haven't paid close attention to the league for nearly as long as you have, but going back 10 years it's certainly safe to say I've never seen anything like this season. Between the injuries and youthful rosters, it's a mad scramble. I do think it'll be more back to normal next season provided there are not heavy losses to the portal. The young guys will be a year older, some of the wounded will be back, and some of the veteran coaches who aren't used to middling records will undoubtedly be making some roster changes.

[Scrub]

I do think it'll be more back to normal next season provided there are not heavy losses to the portal.

That's a fairly sizeable provision. I hope you're right that both of our leagues--PSAC & MEC--can get back to "normal." The whole region is kinda "off" this year. But I'm deathly afraid that this is the new normal. I'm rapidly becoming convinced that instability, inconsistency, turnover, new players learning new systems, etc. is simply a way of life in the portal era. Those of us fanbases who have been lucky enough to have stable programs in the region--IUP, Ship, ESU, UPJ, WLU, Charleston, Fairmont, etc.--have perhaps been somewhat spoiled by that stability. And I worry it will become a fool's errand trying to recapture the days of that stability given the new cultural context of D2 basketball. I hope I'm wrong; I hope you're right--I hope we'll be getting back to normal next year. But I can't help but fear that this year is the harbinger of a new normal.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

That's a fairly sizeable provision. I hope you're right that both of our leagues--PSAC & MEC--can get back to "normal." The whole region is kinda "off" this year. But I'm deathly afraid that this is the new normal. I'm rapidly becoming convinced that instability, inconsistency, turnover, new players learning new systems, etc. is simply a way of life in the portal era. Those of us fanbases who have been lucky enough to have stable programs in the region--IUP, Ship, ESU, UPJ, WLU, Charleston, Fairmont, etc.--have perhaps been somewhat spoiled by that stability. And I worry it will become a fool's errand trying to recapture the days of that stability given the new cultural context of D2 basketball. I hope I'm wrong; I hope you're right--I hope we'll be getting back to normal next year. But I can't help but fear that this year is the harbinger of a new normal.

Ask yourself this:

What would happen if the best WL teams of the past played this WL team?

What would happen if Joe's 2014-2015 team played this edition? I can answer this one. It would be a massacre. Experience vs youth.

I mentioned after seeing this year's Gannon team in person that last year's Gannon team would slaughter this one. I think they'd hang 30 on them.

I guess this is entertaining (in a way). But, even the good teams aren't that good this year (compared to past years).

[Ship69]

Ask yourself this:

What would happen if the best WL teams of the past played this WL team?

What would happen if Joe's 2014-2015 team played this edition? I can answer this one. It would be a massacre. Experience vs youth.

I mentioned after seeing this year's Gannon team in person that last year's Gannon team would slaughter this one. I think they'd hang 30 on them.

I guess this is entertaining (in a way). But, even the good teams aren't that good this year (compared to past years).

There's no doubt about this. Any of the top IUP teams of recent years, Jeff Wilson's better East Stroud teams, or the best editions of the Dustin Sleva-Jake Biss teams at Ship would run roughshod over this year's league. Scrub is not wrong to have some concerns. But the portal can also work to your advantage. Several teams are one or two players away from being pretty good. Others have been hampered by injury. Sometimes you pick up a guy at needed position in the portal, as Ship did with Michael Dickson at point guard this year, and then he gets hurt and can't play anyway. It has made it more difficult to build a stable dynasty for sure, but that hasn't particularly helped the also-rans because, just as in football, the top teams raid them for parts. One thing that keeps basketball a little more competitive is that 2-3 good players and a decent complementary cast can make a good team. You're not going to build much of a football outfit with only a couple of standouts.

[Scrub]

Ask yourself this:

What would happen if the best WL teams of the past played this WL team?

What would happen if Joe's 2014-2015 team played this edition? I can answer this one. It would be a massacre. Experience vs youth.

I mentioned after seeing this year's Gannon team in person that last year's Gannon team would slaughter this one. I think they'd hang 30 on them.

I guess this is entertaining (in a way). But, even the good teams aren't that good this year (compared to past years).

The only consolation to be found in your example is that last year's Gannon team--the one that would presumably destroy this year's--was a portal-built team. So maybe good ones can be built in this era. But the downside is that it can really only last for one year.

But yes, the Bonifant, Bolon, & Butler WLU teams would run this one out of the gym. As would the Porterfield, Devante Change, and Jacobo IUP teams destroy this one.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Curious to see if the IUP vs PSU-branch game is played tomorrow. There's obviously severe ice warnings for much of Western PA tomorrow.

Being it's a meaningless game for both sides I wouldn't be shocked if they cancel it.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Looks like most of the weather is hitting around 9 PM, so about the time the game ends. I can’t imagine many people would want to watch anyway. This is a glorified practice against a horribly overmatched team. I don’t think I’d walk down to see it on a 70 degree day, let alone go out in that kind of weather.

[IUPalum]

Looks like most of the weather is hitting around 9 PM, so about the time the game ends. I can’t imagine many people would want to watch anyway. This is a glorified practice against a horribly overmatched team. I don’t think I’d walk down to see it on a 70 degree day, let alone go out in that kind of weather.

Fair weather fan!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Looks like most of the weather is hitting around 9 PM, so about the time the game ends. I can’t imagine many people would want to watch anyway. This is a glorified practice against a horribly overmatched team. I don’t think I’d walk down to see it on a 70 degree day, let alone go out in that kind of weather.

These games, while almost never close, have occasionally been somewhat entertaining over the years.

I remember several years back when Westminster came to the KCAC. They hit 6-7 treys in the first half and were in the game at halftime. It was like 55-45 or somewhere in that neighborhood. Joe lost it right before the half ended. I'm sure that was a real pleasant halftime experience. IUP then hammered them in the second half and won by 35 or so. Joe went 30-3 that year, and that Westminster team had two players who (without question) could have been in Joe's rotation.

But, most of these follow suit. Penn State-Altoona played well for about a half a couple years back. They were actually pretty athletic.

There's also been some real snooze-fests .. Pitt-Greensburg a couple years ago was painful to watch. Same with Bethany.

It's rare we see two of the D3 games in the same season. Thank Mercyhurst for that one. The Thiel game earlier this year wasn't terrible. IUP was only up 11 at halftime but ended up winning by 35 or so.

Playing tonight is better than taking a night off. I suspect they'll work on some things for Gannon. Obviously this team is a work in progress. I think getting any game against opponents who don't know your plays/calls is helpful.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Fair weather fan!

LOL. I guess that would be the very definition. But now I’m sitting here contemplating going. Decisions, decisions.

[Topper_Hopper]

Is playing Penn State DuBois in early February just a scheduling quirk?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Is playing Penn State DuBois in early February just a scheduling quirk?

Mercyhurst filler

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The good:

Nobody from IUP got hurt


That about concludes the list.

It wasn't pretty. Lot to learn from this game.