Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Per the Gazette, Malik will miss the next two games this week.

[IUP CRIMSON HAWKS]

Re: Iup basketball

I'll be happy if they beat Clarion. For starters, it's the next game on the schedule. Secondly, I think this team is physically tapped out. They've played four games now with 6 guys. It's taking a major toll. It's not a lack of effort. You just can't do this for long stretches. No team can.


Being honest, I thought it was a poorly coached game last night. Gannon suffocated the perimeter last night in the first half -- yet instead of working the ball to your two big guys they just kept chucking ill-advised, low-percentage treys. Joe still calls the game from the bench. Deep treys have deep rebounds -- and IUP was demolished on the boards. Why did Willem only play 23 minutes despite just having 1 foul (to go along with 6 of 8 shooting and 3 blocks)? Willem alters offenses. Blake brings nothing to the table defensively. Near the end of the half, Dante finally zipped one in to Willem for an easy dunk. Of course, it went right through his hands. Bad example but that play was open. Gannon was bringing Phoenix way outside at the start of nearly every possession. Cobo destroyed Gannon in the first meeting. He vanished last night.

Many commented last night the team just looked really flat the first 20 minutes. Coming off the bye I don't think many expected to see that to start the game.

Injuries happen. Fluke things like what happened to Malik unfortunately happen, too. But, why is every IUP team the past several years one injury away from a catastrophe? Brandon Norfleet's senior season went through the same thing when Devon Cottrell had to be replaced by walk-on C.J. Rudisill. There's nobody to replace Malik Miller. When this team really started firing this season was when Malik's minutes started to really go up and others started to come down. I think Armoni Foster is being used as the scapegoat. Odds are he would have redshirted, too. Jalen Vaughns got the nod over Dom Keyes. Both make great looking, big guys at the end of the bench. It was said Keyes wouldn't get enough minutes and Vaughns gave position flexibility. Neither of those two theories worked.

Norfleet's senior season was a team good enough to make the tournament -- but didn't. One man short and one game short (Seton Hill). This team at full strength is good enough to make it, too, but likely will not. One man short and one game short. Foul shots were deadly to IUP in the past two games. That's fatigue.

My guess is this off-season Joe brings in a huge class. It will be Dante, Cobo and Willem's senior seasons. They'll have Malik and Keyes as juniors. That's a solid core. We'll see if Foster and Vaughns stick around but I have my doubts. They'll need a big scorer likely in the form of a transfer guard. I think they need to add a Day 1 point guard via transfer and move Dante to more of a shooting guard role. I'd also like to see them add a 'big boy' under the basket. Micah Till has two years left. They need a little muscle down there. Cobo and Willem are more finesse players. They just have to get deeper. This is two tournament misses all due to depth (and playing too rough of a schedule in November). There are a lot of people close to the program pretty irritated over this happening again this season.

Four games left ... IUP should get by Clarion and California. Edinboro next Wednesday night is a huge one. Then they end the regular season at Seton Hill. We know not to assume anything down there.

This Saturday I expect a battle with Cal. Cal has played Joe very tough the past two meetings. With the shape this team is in right now you can't assume anything.

One would certainly be inclined to think that way. What positions and type of players does our roundtable think that Bravado should target? I'd like to see a dominant power forward type who whips azz down in the low post. I want freakin' Daryl Webb! I want freakin' Jerome Lane!

Obviously they are going to need some more sleek guards as well. How about a bona fide small forward who is a major scoring threat?

I think the recruiting bar needs to be raised a bit if IUP wants to get back competing nationally!

-

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

I'll be happy if they beat Clarion. For starters, it's the next game on the schedule. Secondly, I think this team is physically tapped out. They've played four games now with 6 guys. It's taking a major toll. It's not a lack of effort. You just can't do this for long stretches. No team can.


Being honest, I thought it was a poorly coached game last night. Gannon suffocated the perimeter last night in the first half -- yet instead of working the ball to your two big guys they just kept chucking ill-advised, low-percentage treys. Joe still calls the game from the bench. Deep treys have deep rebounds -- and IUP was demolished on the boards. Why did Willem only play 23 minutes despite just having 1 foul (to go along with 6 of 8 shooting and 3 blocks)? Willem alters offenses. Blake brings nothing to the table defensively. Near the end of the half, Dante finally zipped one in to Willem for an easy dunk. Of course, it went right through his hands. Bad example but that play was open. Gannon was bringing Phoenix way outside at the start of nearly every possession. Cobo destroyed Gannon in the first meeting. He vanished last night.

Many commented last night the team just looked really flat the first 20 minutes. Coming off the bye I don't think many expected to see that to start the game.

Injuries happen. Fluke things like what happened to Malik unfortunately happen, too. But, why is every IUP team the past several years one injury away from a catastrophe? Brandon Norfleet's senior season went through the same thing when Devon Cottrell had to be replaced by walk-on C.J. Rudisill. There's nobody to replace Malik Miller. When this team really started firing this season was when Malik's minutes started to really go up and others started to come down. I think Armoni Foster is being used as the scapegoat. Odds are he would have redshirted, too. Jalen Vaughns got the nod over Dom Keyes. Both make great looking, big guys at the end of the bench. It was said Keyes wouldn't get enough minutes and Vaughns gave position flexibility. Neither of those two theories worked.

Norfleet's senior season was a team good enough to make the tournament -- but didn't. One man short and one game short (Seton Hill). This team at full strength is good enough to make it, too, but likely will not. One man short and one game short. Foul shots were deadly to IUP in the past two games. That's fatigue.

My guess is this off-season Joe brings in a huge class. It will be Dante, Cobo and Willem's senior seasons. They'll have Malik and Keyes as juniors. That's a solid core. We'll see if Foster and Vaughns stick around but I have my doubts. They'll need a big scorer likely in the form of a transfer guard. I think they need to add a Day 1 point guard via transfer and move Dante to more of a shooting guard role. I'd also like to see them add a 'big boy' under the basket. Micah Till has two years left. They need a little muscle down there. Cobo and Willem are more finesse players. They just have to get deeper. This is two tournament misses all due to depth (and playing too rough of a schedule in November). There are a lot of people close to the program pretty irritated over this happening again this season.

Four games left ... IUP should get by Clarion and California. Edinboro next Wednesday night is a huge one. Then they end the regular season at Seton Hill. We know not to assume anything down there.

This Saturday I expect a battle with Cal. Cal has played Joe very tough the past two meetings. With the shape this team is in right now you can't assume anything.

Re: Iup basketball

Huh? And if Gannon lost, then it would have been a letdown after an emotional w
in two days earlier. And Gannon would have been the tired team after playing two games in three days because IUP had a bye on Saturday and they would
have been focused coming off the Wednesday's UPJ loss.

IUP missed a couple of open looks, but Gannon's perimeter defense was much improved over the two-game train wreck of IUP & Seton Hill.

[IUPTrackMan]

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Tom cleaned things up at the half. IUP up 30 with two minutes left (was up 5 at half).

Glad you mentioned the women's game. IUP finished on a 40-10 run after GU cut the lead to three. Megan Smith is crazy good ... what a performance.

So was the first-half IUP team the one that lost to Mercyhurst, except they played that way the entire game? We're still trying to process how they lost to Mercy.

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Gannon was still playing off of an emotional win against edinboro. Winning a game like that usually carries over to the next game. IUP missed too many free throws and missed a lot of open threes. I think IUP wins out and makes the psac title game if Malik returns.

Huh? And if Gannon lost, then it would have been a letdown after an emotional win two days earlier. And Gannon would have been the tired team after playing two games in three days because IUP had a bye on Saturday and they would have been focused coming off the Wednesday's UPJ loss.

IUP missed a couple of open looks, but Gannon's perimeter defense was much improved over the two-game train wreck of IUP & Seton Hill.

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Heck of a win for Gannon. Intense on both sides. Respect to IUP ... everyone in the building knew that they'd make a game of it even when GU took the 20-point lead.

Gannon shot 50% from the field and was in IUP's face from behind the arc the whole game, unlike the second half run where the Hawks put the game away earlier this month. IUP missed a couple of open looks, but the 9/27 performance from behind the arc was a testament to Gannon's defensive effort.

IUP looked worn down after they cut way into the second half lead ... the missed FT's (5/12) were a result of how tired they were.

It's not like Gannon was hitting everything ... they were 50% from the field and 6/15 on threes. But they made their first seven shots of the second half (including 3/3 on threes) to take control of the game. Most of those shots were wide open. No way Gannon will catch the Hawks. This win helps the fight for second place -- the all-important bye and home game.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Make the loss even worse .... Kutztown beat Ship in OT.

On to Clarion.

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Indeed. It's impressive because Gannon's play-by-play is right next to the visitor's bench. Believe it or not, the coaching staff has quieted down over the years. They were deafening the first few years of Reilly's tenure.

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

I sit near where Reilly is ... I think that Stay Down refers to defensive posture. Riles hates allowing dribble penetration.

Re: Iup basketball

Gannon was still playing off of an emotional win against edinboro. Winning a game like that usually carries over to the next game. IUP missed too many free throws and missed a lot of open threes. I think IUP wins out and makes the psac title game if Malik returns.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

No. 8 in your list is a common theme against IUP teams in the past 2-3 years in big games.

It's not a coincidence.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

My live perspective...

1) The officials SUCKED!!!
2) IUP's free throw shooting was as bad as I've ever seen it. They could've taken the lead in the second half but made 1-5 at one point in the second half.
3) The IUP looked very tentative probably because they knew they couldn't afford to foul.
4) Hutton stunk in all aspects of the game tonight.
5) Daunte was getting hammered driving the lane and continuous no calls.
6) I feel bad for Glover... he drains a three and gets speared into their bench but... NO CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7) Lack of depth was a big issue.
8) Gannon hasn't shot that good all year and won't do that again.

The window is closing on the PSAC West!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Nice win for Gannon. They earned it.

Unfortunately I think that's the end of the show. The East has too many teams with many less losses. And, frankly, I doubt IUP runs the rest of the regular season. Some of the things they continue to do over and over are just getting hard to watch.


IUP has a lot of needs heading in to this off-season. A lot.