Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Saturday was a lot to digest. Here are my 'clearer mind' comments:

* IUP could lose to Kutztown or win the Regional. Neither would totally surprise me at this point.
* This pattern of digging themselves in to these giant holes in big games is hard to figure out -- Ship's blown two 20-point, second half leads to IUP.
* The comebacks they keep routinely making are also hard to figure out ... what is changing? They did it to Ship twice and Fairmont (not exactly easy teams to mount giant comebacks against)
* Ship (both games) had a field day with wide-open three point shots ... why? You could argue it was due to Sleva underneath but he did whatever he wanted anyway.
* Ship shot the lights out percentage-wise but getting that many open looks surely makes it a little easier to shoot at those percentages
* Ship's guards have had field days in both games
* Despite all this both Ship games were there to win at the end (somehow)
* IUP's press was largely ineffective for much of the game yet they stayed in it for so long. They've struggled both games playing a run-n-gun with Ship.
* Cottrell getting that second foul so, so early was just a total killer
* Not sure how many tuned in yesterday but Kutztown played Ship much differently defensively than how Joe did
* Hutton has to start bringing more production to the table. His stat line was non-existent Saturday.
* Ship was just the hungrier team for the first 33 minutes. They played with a chip and had an unreal high level of intensity.
* Fite has pulled some big WPIAL talent from the West's backyard
* Obviously Dante can't bust out another 2-18 from the field. He seemed pretty rattled.
* Ship did a tremendous job altering IUP's offense and limiting the ability to pass the ball around as they like to do
* That game was Malik Miller's true coming out party. He brought the spark and toughness/attitude the team was desperately lacking most of the game. He'd been reserved most of the season. It was nice to see but at the same time why is a freshman the one lighting the spark?
* Dramatic comebacks have been exciting and all but IUP is 1-3 (all at home) against regional level teams -- and a converted Hutton air-ball away from 0-4.

This group is very close but just seems to be missing something when the lights get bright. Maybe it's that DeVante Chance-type leader and grit/swagger. There's something to this team. The region's best teams can't put them away. Something is just a little off.

Nobody remembers conference tournaments. The games that count start this weekend.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP Women should feel very thankful they got Cal at the end of the season, when 28 ppg. were missing from their lineup...

AND the just shut award was given!!! You can say that about a lot of teams when injuries happen. No validity here, injuries happen in sports!!!

[WarriorVoice]

Re: Iup basketball

Oddity from the weekend:

The two schools that hosted the men's & women's PSAC final fours both won PSAC titles. But neither school won the final four that they hosted. Ship men won at IUP; IUP women won at Ship.

IUP Women should feel very thankful they got Cal at the end of the season, when 28 ppg. were missing from their lineup...

[Golden89]

Re: Iup basketball

Oddity from the weekend:

The two schools that hosted the men's & women's PSAC final fours both won PSAC titles. But neither school won the final four that they hosted. Ship men won at IUP; IUP women won at Ship.

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

If you checked out the MEC final you saw just why you don't bet against West Lib or trust any other MEC team when it really counts. So I think we can pencil in IUP vs Kutztown in the 4/5 matchup. Top 3 is the big question. Fairmont won the MEC regular season has just 2 losses, won at IUP. West Lib beat Fairmont twice, won MEC tournament. Ship beat IUP twice KU twice, only losses came when Antonio Kellem was hurt. Very interesting.

[IUP24]

Re: Iup basketball

It's tough. Look at the MEC games in Charleston drawing terrible. This year it just worked out poorly with two west teams playing in the east and two east teams playing in the West.

It cost the conference a lot of revenue today.

The Bryce Jordan Center at PSU would be the neutral site but why play with a 5% capacity crowd.

The reality is that this could easily be solved. The conference (and maybe the schools) don't want to add one more trip into the week. That's the issue. If you had the top 6 make it in each division, it's simple. Your first round is on a Saturday where you play the 3-6/4-5 games. Come back on Tuesday with the 1s playing the lowest remaining seed and then the 2s play the other winner. Thursday or Friday would be your semifinals. Saturday or Sunday would be your championship. The top seed hosts every game. Alternate hosting rights between the east and the west every year. That's a simple solution. If you aren't a 1 or 2 seed you have to play that same number of games, but you only have one less road trip if you make it to Sunday under the current format. What I just proposed gives you the same number of games, the same length for a Championship Week, but just spreads it out to allow one more road trip.

That's what most of the very small mid-major D1 conferences do.

Re: Iup basketball

The neutral site will never happen. I would still like to see 5 and 6 seeds eliminated.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

It's tough. Look at the MEC games in Charleston drawing terrible. This year it just worked out poorly with two west teams playing in the east and two east teams playing in the West.

It cost the conference a lot of revenue today.

The Bryce Jordan Center at PSU would be the neutral site but why play with a 5% capacity crowd.

[CALUPA69]

Re: Iup basketball

I would eliminate seeds 5 and 6. Take the top 4 east and top 4 west to play in a 8 team tournament. Both men and women playing at the same neutral location.

Why neutral ? At least at a team site you have a chance of 1 or 2 schools fans showing up

Re: Iup basketball

All of which argues for the finals venue being chosen on a basis of merit and not alternating EAST to WEST and back. I'd suggest that the best team in the division which won the crossover play should gets the rights, but if someone else has a better idea, I'm open. IUP/CALU at the ANGELO DOME (or better HAMER) would be a much better draw. Likely won't come to pass.

I would eliminate seeds 5 and 6. Take the top 4 east and top 4 west to play in a 8 team tournament. Both men and women playing at the same neutral location.

[CALUPA69]

Re: Iup basketball

Yeah an all east final in a West venue and an all West final in an east venue can't be what the PSAC was hoping for. If I still lived in Indiana I'd probably go over to the KCAC and check it out. Should be a heck of a game.

All of which argues for the finals venue being chosen on a basis of merit and not alternating EAST to WEST and back. I'd suggest that the best team in the division which won the crossover play should gets the rights, but if someone else has a better idea, I'm open. IUP/CALU at the ANGELO DOME (or better HAMER) would be a much better draw. Likely won't come to pass.

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

That loss yesterday also cost IUP a lot of money. Unfortunately, there will only be about 80 people at that game today.

The IUP vs Cal final will also be in an empty venue.

Yeah an all east final in a West venue and an all West final in an east venue can't be what the PSAC was hoping for. If I still lived in Indiana I'd probably go over to the KCAC and check it out. Should be a heck of a game.

Re: Iup basketball

If West Lib wins today, IUP is in the 4/5 matchup behind Fairmont, WLU and the PSAC champ. If fairmont and ship win then IUP's win over KU SHOULD keep them ahead of Kutztown and it will come down to IUP and West Lib for the 3 spot. The fact that West Lib has one shaky loss (Concord) and IUP has none could be a factor here. If Fairmont and KU win I think an IUP-WLU first round matchup is very likely.

It's championship Sunday and still a lot of potential shuffling at the top, including a one loss, #1 ranked team in the country who needs to win today or they may not host the regional. What an incredible top 5 the Atlantic region has this year.

I agree with that analysis. West Liberty loss to concord probably gives fairmont the one seed regardless of what happens today but you never know. Iup shippensburg 3.0 is a possible 4/5 so it's best to let yesterday go and look ahead.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

That loss yesterday also cost IUP a lot of money. Unfortunately, there will only be about 80 people at that game today.

The IUP vs Cal final will also be in an empty venue.

[Chuck Norris]

Re: Iup basketball

Sleva made a mockery of us today

IUP needed yesterday's game. It sucks they ended up losing but for the most part things came pretty easy over the last 2 and a half months. This regional is gonna be brutal regardless so I'm glad they faced at least one real dogfight heading into it.