Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

LOL. I'm certainly had plenty of the "intrigue of the inconsistency" as a Ship fan this season.

You guys have been through so many close losses. That's crazy.

As for Joe's team, they've really only been 'blown out' once, and that was up at Edinboro. The Scots are good -- especially as of late -- and they were just shooting the lights out that night. I suspect the rematch will be much closer. Common theme against IUP this year, of course, is giving up the deep shot. Now, there were some games they were clearly getting blown out but they managed to mount some comebacks and get the score within 10 or less.

Somebody with more X's and O's knowledge can explain why IUP gives up more uncontested treys than any team I've ever watched. All I know is they do. I also know shooting treys with nobody within 6' of you is also much easier. I can tell watching them their switches are often late. To me, you play California and Ian Herring / Alphonso Pickens never leaves Cam Polak. I don't care if he goes to the locker room to take a pi$$ ... Herring is following him. Glued to him. Yet, he smoked IUP and routinely had clean looks.

Regardless, I think the 'intrigue' has been watching this team full of freshmen hang -- often times to the very end -- with teams stocked with experienced upperclassmen. I don't care how old Kymani Merraro is (18) ... he's already one of the best players in the entire PSAC. I don't how in the world Joe found him up in Toronto but he has a star at PG. My point was once the realization became clear this was a total rebuilding year ... you kind of watch the season differently. This team isn't a 'game to game' good or bad. It's a timeout to timeout good or bad. If nothing else they keep it interesting. By February, however, I would like to see a bit more consistency. But, they are slowly getting there.

[Ship69]

You guys have been through so many close losses. That's crazy.

As for Joe's team, they've really only been 'blown out' once, and that was up at Edinboro. The Scots are good -- especially as of late -- and they were just shooting the lights out that night. I suspect the rematch will be much closer. Common theme against IUP this year, of course, is giving up the deep shot. Now, there were some games they were clearly getting blown out but they managed to mount some comebacks and get the score within 10 or less.

Somebody with more X's and O's knowledge can explain why IUP gives up more uncontested treys than any team I've ever watched. All I know is they do. I also know shooting treys with nobody within 6' of you is also much easier. I can tell watching them their switches are often late. To me, you play California and Ian Herring / Alphonso Pickens never leaves Cam Polak. I don't care if he goes to the locker room to take a pi$$ ... Herring is following him. Glued to him. Yet, he smoked IUP and routinely had clean looks.

Regardless, I think the 'intrigue' has been watching this team full of freshmen hang -- often times to the very end -- with teams stocked with experienced upperclassmen. I don't care how old Kymani Merraro is (18) ... he's already one of the best players in the entire PSAC. I don't how in the world Joe found him up in Toronto but he has a star at PG. My point was once the realization became clear this was a total rebuilding year ... you kind of watch the season differently. This team isn't a 'game to game' good or bad. It's a timeout to timeout good or bad. If nothing else they keep it interesting. By February, however, I would like to see a bit more consistency. But, they are slowly getting there.

Interesting. Ship has a young team as well — no seniors — but the three-point defense has also been lacking at times, which has hurt in several of the close losses — that and turnovers at crucial times that haven't been helped by the absence for most of the year of the starting point guard. They've got a couple of nice freshmen, but some of them will get limited experience this year due to injury. But they're definitely going to need to add a couple more good players in the offseason to get back in the upper tier of the league. They're closer than their record might make it appear, but there is a way to go. Biggest need is to get tougher inside, After watching several years of fundamentally sound defense from Chris Fite teams, these past couple of years of surrendering 85-90 points a game on a regular basis have been disconcerting, to say the least.

[tonyc]

Saturday's IUP game at Gannon: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/...g-day?r=411ko9

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Joe is 9-2 at home this year ... and a disappointing 2-8 outside of the KCAC.

They'll have more road fans than normal in Erie today. Hopefully that helps a bit.

This starts a brutal 3-game stretch:

@ Gannon
@ UPJ
Edinboro

Much like IUP this year, UPJ is much different in the Dirty J.

Joe needs to get 2 of 3. Tall order.

Gannon (like most) crushed IUP from outside in the first meeting. IUP also couldn't make a foul shot. Despite that, Joe only lost by 7 points (and that was before GU's funk).


There's no predicting this team. They'll be good. They'll be bad. Hard to say.



For you gambling degenerates, the line is Gannon -7.5

IUP is overdue to win a game it probably shouldn't.

[Fightingscot82]

Joe is 9-2 at home this year ... and a disappointing 2-8 outside of the KCAC.

They'll have more road fans than normal in Erie today. Hopefully that helps a bit.

This starts a brutal 3-game stretch:

@ Gannon
@ UPJ
Edinboro

Much like IUP this year, UPJ is much different in the Dirty J.

Joe needs to get 2 of 3. Tall order.

Gannon (like most) crushed IUP from outside in the first meeting. IUP also couldn't make a foul shot. Despite that, Joe only lost by 7 points (and that was before GU's funk).


There's no predicting this team. They'll be good. They'll be bad. Hard to say.



For you gambling degenerates, the line is Gannon -7.5

IUP is overdue to win a game it probably shouldn't.

Oof.

[tonyc]

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

[IUPalum]

All the problems with this team stem from Joe's arrogance!

[IUPalum]

If Joe's postgame interview he says, "we have no post players. We don't have guys like Webb or Daddy. Damir has done the best he can but he isn't a post player."

So Joe, who's fault is it you have ZERO post players? Why won't you come out and tell everyone? Oh yeah, you're arrogance won't allow you to do that. Got it! You decided to recruit two post players and that was it. Tomiwa is coming back, NOPE!!! Towson gave him more money to stay. I've Bautista coming in. He'll be cleared by the NCAA because they do it at the D1 level. NOPE!!!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, now here we are!

There were numerous post guys/inside out guys that wanted to go to IUP but nope, Joe didn't give guys like Jayson Harris the time of day.

Let's get into the guards... how many other guards could Joe have got that would be far better than Pickens and Sarp??? My god, those two have been atrocious especially yesterday. Pickens looked like he had never played before and Sarp just sucks. Oh ya, Sarp is Dante's boy because Dante trains him, hence the ****ty floater he tosses up often.

All Joe wants to talk about is the youth, inexperience and lack of maturity this team has but who's fault is it... JOE's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Looking at what remains, IUP is likely going to be in quite the tussle to make the PSAC Tournament.

You can make a case they won't be favored in any remaining games.


@ Pitt-Johnstown - You might as well call this one tomorrow night a 'playoff' game. It's not be-all, end-all ... but, it's a really big one for both.

Edinboro - The Scots are clearly favored in the KCAC this Saturday. Edinboro dogged IUP pretty good in Round 1. Will this team want some retribution?

@ Seton Hill - Strange things happen in the Yellow Shoebox. IUP also can't play away from home.

Slippery Rock - If nothing else this season, don't be the team to end the streak. SRU (similar to IUP) doesn't play nearly as well away from home.

California - The Vulcans are suddenly hot. Danny's been out-coaching Joe in close games of late.

@ Clarion - They both may be eliminated by then. They both may be fighting for the final spot. Who knows.

[tonyc]

IUP-UPJ preview: https://tonycoccagna.substack.com/p/back-at-it?r=411ko9

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's White-Out Night in the Dirty J.


I haven't talked to a single person today who thinks IUP stays within 10 points. I guess I made the line too low.

We'll see. UPJ can get real hot in that gym.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Tradition.

UPJ broadcast freezing during warmups.

Must be about 8 or 9 people watching. Crashed it.

Every. Single. Year.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Ugliest start to a game I've ever seen.

Joe naturally let it get to 17-4 before calling a timeout.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Joe getting hammered

[EyeoftheHawk]

Joe getting hammered

Nice run by IUP to cut it to a one possession game after being down 17, only to give most of it back before going to the locker room down 12.