Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Some classic John Reilly quotes in the Gazette today:

"We've been a terrible rebounding team all year," he said. "It looks like we're good, but we stink. For whatever reason, we don't want to play with any physicality ... I've always had great rebounding teams, but we don't want to hit anybody. That's what happens if you don't want to hit anybody, you get smashed on the glass. It's huge."


"They out-toughed us for 40 minutes," Reilly said. "That was the story of the game. They out-toughed us every play."


Reilly is always good for some great interviews ... far from typical coach speak babbling that is so common.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

If Evan Phoenix is 6'9" then I'm Shaq. Joe had a good scouting report on him. Just go right at him. He plays defense like Daddy Ugbede. Instant fouls.

I really, really liked No. 3 from Gannon (Zay). He's a stud. Both ends. My guess is he's why Dante only played 23 minutes. That wasn't a good matchup for Dante.

Dogans is a nice offensive post. Cottrell really took it to him on the other end, however. He also probably should of got T'd up at least once. He was pretty whiney last night and walked that line pretty close.

Overall, I was fairly impressed with Gannon. Big leap since last year. They'll be in the race. Phoenix has to get under control. That word is going to spread fast.

Gannon's foul shooting just killed them last night (10-18). IUP also strangely shot bad FTs. IUP also won on the boards 38-27.

IUP needs to clean a lot of stuff up. That game really shouldn't have been that close last night.

Danielak .... not sure what to do there. I also suspect Miller may crack the starting lineup soon and Hutton sits.

If you noticed the 'starting' lineup again opened the game awful yesterday ... getting in an immediate 12-3 hole. Spain comes in and goes nuts. The whole game changed.

There is a good team on that roster. Will Joe get the right combinations is the biggest question.

I'm not sure Glover is the one who shouldn't start. He's the calming presence and plays pretty mistake-free.

I personally think the starting lineup should be Cottrell, Cobo, Glover, Spain and Miller. Dante sixth man. Hutton and Danielak sub as needed.

I make Glover full-time PG. Spain plays best out of the corner. He gets wreckless at PG.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

Tough game to watch is right. Those three guys are brutal!!! Other than that it played out how I thought it would for an IUP win. Phoenix got in foul trouble and from there it made things easier for IUP. I think Spain should start at the point and Lombardi the shooting guard. Spain gets every thing going with his speed and athletic ability. Glover I think should come off the bench. Hutton is very good defensively but my god he is no where on the offensive end. Danielak proved why he doesn't play much. Malik Miller gets better every game. Driz... his value to this team has no words to describe it. He was awesome on both ends tonight! This IUP team is good but has a ton of work to do. Don't count Gannon out, they might still be neck and neck with IUP in the PSAC West. IUP is very beatable.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP men win 64-57 over Gannon.

Cottrell huge night with 22 points. Spain big night. Huge spark.

It was 'interesting' .... that's one word to call it.

Officiating essentially made game hard to watch. Terrible for both teams.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

I believe Joe knows what he's doing. I understand your thinking with Spain. Maybe Joe knows something we don't. I know I have a kid I coach that is far better off the bench then when he starts. If you recall, when they went to the National championship with Webb and crew, Julian Sanders came off the bench. He was probably the best shooter in the league but he fit that 6th man role better than as a start with that group.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Excellent point which poses a question ... why does it seem like depth is always an issue with this program?

I haven't seen a team come to the KCAC yet this year that has dressed less than 12 players. IUP dresses 10 but only 8 play. I know CJ quitting in camp was a big loss for the bench. I believe Rouse was added to the roster once the CJ news broke. Bearer was off the team then back on (redshirting).

Cross your fingers. One injury could be devastating for this team. Hell, foul trouble is devastating.

I like the roster. I'm just not sure the correct rotations and lineups are being used. I won't come off my Spain belief. He plays ----> good stuff happens. He doesn't ----> bad stuff happens. Check the logs. Watch the tapes. The proof is there. He sparked the Shippensburg comeback and was huge in the second half of the Kutztown win. What combination with him on the floor is best ... great question.

He's a loose cannon ... we all know that. The the good outweighs the bad. I don't know if I'll ever understand him getting just 20 minutes a game.

[IUPalum]

Re: Iup basketball

I've watched Gannon play twice this year, they make me nervous against IUP. Reilly is letting that team get out and run this year and they are athletic enough to do it. They are also capable of slowing the game down if needed (Reilly style). I just feel that IUP isn't big enough nor deep enough at this point. It shocks me to say that because that isn't what I thought coming into the season. IUP also turns the ball over way to much. 10 turnovers or below then they win but over 10 and they are screwed.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

That's interesting. Has that been apparent all year or more so in the ESU game? ESU traditionally plays very un-PSAC up-tempo and can tend to speed teams up. IUP is certainly geared to play the faster game and I don't think this team would fair very well in a slow-down traditional 'West' type game.

Gannon seemed to play more 'Gannon' style against Wheeling but perhaps that was just Reilly knowing he had to slow them down to have a shot.

Like I said ... it's going to be a good one. Hopefully there are some people there to see it. Indiana High School isn't playing tomorrow night so that should help some. I still hate to see these rivalry games scheduled over break. Gannon's visit two years ago drew almost 3,800 people. I'd be happy with 1,200 tomorrow.

Re: Iup basketball

Tomorrow night's game versus Gannon at the KCAC doesn't have the buzz of a big game but it's a real important one. Tossing out last season for the Golden Knights as an anomaly, Gannon seems to be on its way back to the PSAC contention ranks. The 5-4 record is fairly deceptive once you crunch the numbers a bit. This is by no means going to be an easy game. At best, IUP would probably be considered a mild, 2 to 5 point favorite. Despite being the first West game of the year ... the West isn't very good this year. The PSAC Tournament hosting rights will likely come down to these two teams. Add to it that winning in the Hammermill is never easy so this really becomes a must-win game for IUP.

A closer look at the Knights:

Top scorers:

Forward (6-foot-9)	Evan Phoenix	16.1 ppg
Guard (6-foot)	Zay Jackson	14.4 ppg
Forward (6-foot-7)	Matthew Dogan	14.2 ppg

Key Stats

CATEGORY	GANNON	OPPONENTS
FG %	.452	.412
3PT %	.388	.383
Points per game	74.2	68.9
Rebounds per game	40.0	29.8
FT %	.672

Against opponents with talent levels in the IUP neighborhood, the Knights are 1-4 -- with a lopsided win against Bowie and losses to (at) West Chester (73-63), Ohio Dominican (66-56), East Stroudsburg (88-81) and (at) Wheeling Jesuit (65-63). Note: The losses there are in order. They are getting closer with each which shows this team is getting better with each game. The Wheeling game is a story in itself and ESU made a big comeback in the second half to win.

IUP is going to be dramatically out-sized in this game underneath. Gannon's post rotation is big and deep (must be nice). You also start to assume that every team that comes to town somehow shoots the lights out from the outside in the KCAC.

The key for IUP to win this game, my opinion, is to speed it up. Fairmont ... they had to try and slow down. Gannon ... they have to speed up. They can't make this the John Reilly dream game of 55-53. If they get in to a bang 'em style slow-down IUP will struggle. IUP's advantage in this game will be speed and guard play. Gannon is out-rebounding its opponents by double digits per game. Speed the pace and avoid the Gannon zone. I think whoever can dictate the pace wins this game.

It's going to be a good one. This has actually been one dramatic season so far ... lots of thrilling finishes so far.

You might be surprised by the style of GU on Friday night. can iup run with gu is my question. I know that sounds strange but I could not believe what I saw against ESU. Run and gun. GU has big trouble when they have foul trouble and need to go to the bench. Phoenix and miruad both shooting over 50 percent and Jackson and Dogan combined 45 percent from three. New point guard with great assist to turnover ratio. Long layoff may hurt a hot shooting starting five though. Can't wait to see how it plays out.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

Tomorrow night's game versus Gannon at the KCAC doesn't have the buzz of a big game but it's a real important one. Tossing out last season for the Golden Knights as an anomaly, Gannon seems to be on its way back to the PSAC contention ranks. The 5-4 record is fairly deceptive once you crunch the numbers a bit. This is by no means going to be an easy game. At best, IUP would probably be considered a mild, 2 to 5 point favorite. Despite being the first West game of the year ... the West isn't very good this year. The PSAC Tournament hosting rights will likely come down to these two teams. Add to it that winning in the Hammermill is never easy so this really becomes a must-win game for IUP.

A closer look at the Knights:

Top scorers:

Forward (6-foot-9)	Evan Phoenix	16.1 ppg
Guard (6-foot)	Zay Jackson	14.4 ppg
Forward (6-foot-7)	Matthew Dogan	14.2 ppg

Key Stats

CATEGORY	GANNON	OPPONENTS
FG %	.452	.412
3PT %	.388	.383
Points per game	74.2	68.9
Rebounds per game	40.0	29.8
FT %	.672

Against opponents with talent levels in the IUP neighborhood, the Knights are 1-4 -- with a lopsided win against Bowie and losses to (at) West Chester (73-63), Ohio Dominican (66-56), East Stroudsburg (88-81) and (at) Wheeling Jesuit (65-63). Note: The losses there are in order. They are getting closer with each which shows this team is getting better with each game. The Wheeling game is a story in itself and ESU made a big comeback in the second half to win.

IUP is going to be dramatically out-sized in this game underneath. Gannon's post rotation is big and deep (must be nice). You also start to assume that every team that comes to town somehow shoots the lights out from the outside in the KCAC.

The key for IUP to win this game, my opinion, is to speed it up. Fairmont ... they had to try and slow down. Gannon ... they have to speed up. They can't make this the John Reilly dream game of 55-53. If they get in to a bang 'em style slow-down IUP will struggle. IUP's advantage in this game will be speed and guard play. Gannon is out-rebounding its opponents by double digits per game. Speed the pace and avoid the Gannon zone. I think whoever can dictate the pace wins this game.

It's going to be a good one. This has actually been one dramatic season so far ... lots of thrilling finishes so far.

[pennbraz]

Re: Iup basketball

That's too bad as it is always fun to watch other region teams play when you can and not have to travel to see.

It unfortunately appears to have been a financial cut this year.

And, yes, it was a wild one.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

It unfortunately appears to have been a financial cut this year.

And, yes, it was a wild one.

[pennbraz]

Re: Iup basketball

It would have been great to see the Fairmont State-IUP game last night online. Does IUP not webstream any of its games? Sounded like a great one to watch of 2 top 20 clubs.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

https://www.indianagazette.com/news/...cons,25557328/


Game story. Good quotes.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: Iup basketball

IUP is 9-2 at semesters end. I thought there were some good discussion points brought up after the game last night. It made me curious to take a closer look -- in particular at how IUP has played in its three biggest games. IUP could have won all three. IUP could have lost all three. The following are statistics ... not opinions. As you will see, there are some very common factors ... as IUPAlum pointed out last night.

Stat Category	vs. Ship (L)	vs. Kutztown (W)	vs. Fairmont (L, OT)	Overall Season
Points scored	80	77	81	79.9
Points against	87	76	91	71.5
FG %	.478	.429	.414	.464
3PT %	.343	.318	.250	.353
FT %	.500	.941	.848	.780
Rebounds	31	40	37	35.5 per
Opponents Rebounds	29	34	33	34.5 per
Assists	19	14	13	17.7 per
Turnovers	13	19	21	13.8
Steals	6	3	9	7.6 per
Blocks	3	3	2	2.7 per
Opponents FG%	.438	.433	.483	.418
Opponent 3pt %	.409	.333	.400	.333
Opponent FT	36-40	11-20	23-36	173-246
IUP FT	4-8	16-17	28-33	167-214

Opponents to date W/L record:

Lincoln (Win, 101-82)	2-9
Urbana (Win, 91-74)	5-5
Bowie (Win, 80-67)	5-7
Lock Haven (Win, 73-59)	5-4
Bloomsburg (Win, 63-61)	4-5
Alderson Broaddus (Win, 75-70)	2-7
The Sciences (Win, 76-50)	3-10
Shippensburg (Loss, 87-80)	9-0
Kutztown (Win, 77-76)	8-1
Mansfield (Win, 82-69)	4-4
Fairmont State (Loss, 91-81 OT)	10-0