PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Not a great Wednesday in the gambling world. The house went a solid 6-2 in straight winners but just 4-4 giving the points.

One day remains in the regular season. While the West is decided, the East is in chaos. Several teams also needs wins tomorrow for NCAA purposes.

Note: Gambling problem call 1-800-Gambler


Mansfield at Millersville - The Marauders are at home. They have a ton on the line. They also blew out the Mounties a month ago. Mansfield is 40 minutes away from the off-season. On paper, this appears to be an easy one. The interesting item -- and this could be a reach -- is the Mounties have played several good teams fairly tough in the past several weeks. Vegas says the Lou Holtz spin ends there. Mansfield has underachieved with the best of them this year. This shouldn't be close and it likely won't be. These teams are just in different places. Marauders win. Big. 'Ville -17.5

Shepherd at Kutztown - What could have been the main event tomorrow is now an afterthought. Shepherd is locked in to the No. 6 seed. Kutztown, despite being on a 5-game winning streak, is done after this game. Hard to say what version of the Golden Bears we'll see tomorrow. Shepherd star Jon Preston missed the Shippensburg game due to an injury. With nothing on the line, he may sit out again tomorrow. Vegas says despite the records, right now, Kutztown is the better team. Bears win their finale. Kutztown -3.5

Mercyhurst at Gannon - Will this be the swan song for Gannon coach Kelvin Jefferson? Most tend to think so. The Golden Knights enter the game with a 3-23 record. Mercyhurst is 21-4. The only possible build-up is the crosstown rivalry factor. Gannon put up a pretty good opening half in the first meeting, but the Lakers slowly pulled away in the second half -- ultimately winning, 72-58. Vegas says expect another similar game tomorrow. The Knights just don't have the horses to hang with the Lakers for 40 minutes. Mercyhurst -12.5

West Chester at Bloomsburg - On a day the Rams have to get a win, well, they have the perfect opponent lined up. Bloomsburg enters the game with a 1-24 record. Forty more painful minutes and it's all over. Vegas says this won't be close. WCU, winners of four straight, has too much on the line. Rams -15.5

Lock Haven at Shippensburg - The Bald Eagles are locked in to the No. 5 spot regardless of what happens in this game. However, they really need a win. Lock Haven has lost its past four outings -- three of them by double digits. Both teams have some injury issues -- Eli Washington for LHU and Dom Sleva for Shippensburg. Washington played in Wednesday's loss to East Stroudsburg, but was a shell of himself in 18 unproductive minutes. Sleva will again not play tomorrow. Vegas says take the Raiders at home. LHU's offense -- or its defense -- isn't nearly the same without a healthy Washington. Shippensburg isn't nearly the same without Sleva, but should have just enough. Raiders -3.5

IUP at California - Amazingly, IUP has won 19 straight in this series. Amazingly, not only because of the storied history of the rivalry, but because the Vulcans have had IUP dead in the water on several occasions during that span. Over the past 2-3 years, Cal has blown several double digit leads. The first meeting this season was a back-and-forth battle for about 25 minutes before IUP slowly pulled away down the stretch. The Crimson Hawks got the win, 87-70. That was in mid-January, however. The Vulcans are now perhaps the hottest team in the PSAC, winners of 6 straight (including wins at Mercyhurst and at UPJ). IUP, conversely, now has a much-healthier Ethan Porterfield. These two play very different styles. The Vulcans play exclusively with 4 guards on the floor. That approach can help or hurt against the very large IUP lineup. California will want to turn this game in to a track meet. IUP will want to play slow and pound the ball inside. Vegas says expect a very heated, tight game. Cal is famous for fast starts. IUP is famous for slow starts. IUP has had a week to prepare, and that should make the difference. IUP -3.5

Clarion at Edinboro - To the credit of both teams (and coaches), each squad got better as the season progressed. Their records don't show it, but both were a tough out down the stretch. Vegas likes the Golden Eagles in this game. In the past two weeks, Clarion has had IUP and Mercyhurst both on the ropes late in each game. They are also deeper. Golden Eagles win what should be a highly entertaining affair. Clarion -5.5

Pitt-Johnstown at Slippery Rock - This is an odd one. Odd, of course, because the teams will play again -- on a much larger stage -- 48 hours later (in Johnstown). The pressure tomorrow is all on the Mountain Cats. This game is close to irrelevant for Slippery Rock. UPJ was (mildly) upset at home Wednesday night by California -- finding itself now nearing (or, perhaps, on) the NCAA bubble. The first meeting was a thriller. UPJ won, 72-68. Slippery Rock has been a major thorn to UPJ over the years. UPJ holds an 11-7 lead in the series over the past 18 meetings. The Mountains Cats have won four straight against SRU -- by 4, 3, 4 and 7 points. That's four wins by a combined 18 points. Vegas likes a split in this doubleheader. Question is who wins the first meeting? It's hard to not take UPJ. SRU has hit a funk -- and is just 2-4 in its past 6 games. They are also sporadic -- something you cannot be against the ultra-disciplined Mountain Cats. Bet the safe money. UPJ -3.5

[Chuck Norris]

The only thing that’s really ever bugged me about the current format is when you have the top seed in the hosting division get upset in the quarterfinals and the 2 or 3 seed ends up as the host of the weekend. Then, because the top seed of the other division is bracketed to play that team in the semis they now have to do so on that team’s home floor. I always thought they should re-seed the semifinals in those situations so that the highest remaining in each division played the lowest remaining seed in the other.

Is that still the way things go or have I been in a coma and they’ve changed it?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I sort of like it as it is. Hosting a game or two gives teams that haven't clinched first place an extra incentive (although who knows what happens in the East this year). I understand the argument against rotating the sites, but if you get a top two spot you do get a bye and a home quarterfinal game in any case, which is not an inconsiderable advantage. Also, if you go to a neutral site you're never going to host a conference final four. Going to a neutral site for a week would mean sites such as IUP, East Stroudsburg, and certainly not the Erie schools would likely get a final four in their vicinity as they're far from centrally located.

Also attendance at IUP, with the excellent facility they have there, is not typical in the PSAC. I don't know what kind of attendance you'd get at a neutral site. What I'd actually like to do is play a game or two off-campus during the regular season, perhaps when students are on break to work up some interest in surrounding communities.

I've always thought scrapping the East/West thing in the PSAC Tournament would be really cool -- i.e. the PSAC gets seeded for the tournament regardless of East/West association. We've seen numerous years where one side is far superior to the other (both ways). But, obviously with that comes the travel headache as our teams are so spaced out geographically.

The other pro (my opinion) is you avoid some 'Round 3' games. For instance, I'd find it much more interesting as a fan to watch IUP play Millersville next Wednesday night instead of playing Seton Hill for the third time.

I guess these are just some of the headaches with having 670 teams in the PSAC. LOL.

I don't dislike the current format ... just talking out loud.

I've often heard people question why the final -- since we love this East / West format -- isn't actually East vs. West. So many years we see a West vs West or East vs East final. But, in theory, that puts the two hottest teams up against each other. I remember 6-7 years ago when Ship beat IUP in OT at the KCAC on Final Four Saturday. Everybody in the league knew that was the actual final -- it just got played a day early.

[Scrub]

Within the Atlantic, the PSAC is the only league that plays its conference tournament on campus. Our first two rounds are on the campus of the home team. The Final Four weekend is hosted by the highest seed of the East or West -- rotating by year (and not by the true top seed).

The CIAA Tournament is a week-long event in Baltimore -- which includes many events outside of basketball. The MEC Tournament is held in Wheeling.

Would anybody prefer to see the PSAC run an actual event at a neutral facility or do you prefer the current format?

I'll be biased this year and say I'm not a fan of a 26-1 team going on the road in the conference tournament. If you earn hosting, you earn it. But, I understand the politics of rotating it back and forth every other year.

I think the issue with a neutral site 'event' tournament for the PSAC is the location. I'd guess it would have to be like a PIAA-themed 'middle ground' ... which would likely be in Harrisburg or Hershey.

The main question is obviously would it actually become an event or would it just be teams playing in a large, empty arena (reference the early rounds of the MEC Tournament)? I'd tend to bet the latter.

The CIAA Tournament has some true magic to it. That is really an event. I'm not sure basketball is even the main selling point.

There is a charm to the PSAC format. The Monday and Wednesday games (Rounds 1 & 2) typically get very large gates (at most schools).

The only reason the MEC's neutral site format works is that they've always chosen a "neutral" site within reach of multiple schools. Wheeling is in the backyard of WU & WLU. Charleston (former home of the MEC tourney) has UC and WVSU right there. That's the only thing that saves it from being an empty arena. If it were played in, say, Morgantown with no actual MEC school in reach, it would be pretty empty most of the weekend. The problem for the PSAC is that the state is so dang big that anywhere other than Hershey would end up being unfair to the other corners of the state. If it were held in, say, Pittsburgh, teams like IUP, Rock, etc. would have stronger showings. If it were played in Philly, same for WCU et. al. State is too big for a middle-ground neutral site event I would guess. MEC pulls it off because no one is coming more than 3 hours anywhere you put it. And as you say, CIAA pulls it off because it's been a significant cultural event for generations, so it draws for reasons both relating to and unrelated to basketball.

[Ship69]

Within the Atlantic, the PSAC is the only league that plays its conference tournament on campus. Our first two rounds are on the campus of the home team. The Final Four weekend is hosted by the highest seed of the East or West -- rotating by year (and not by the true top seed).

The CIAA Tournament is a week-long event in Baltimore -- which includes many events outside of basketball. The MEC Tournament is held in Wheeling.

Would anybody prefer to see the PSAC run an actual event at a neutral facility or do you prefer the current format?

I'll be biased this year and say I'm not a fan of a 26-1 team going on the road in the conference tournament. If you earn hosting, you earn it. But, I understand the politics of rotating it back and forth every other year.

I think the issue with a neutral site 'event' tournament for the PSAC is the location. I'd guess it would have to be like a PIAA-themed 'middle ground' ... which would likely be in Harrisburg or Hershey.

The main question is obviously would it actually become an event or would it just be teams playing in a large, empty arena (reference the early rounds of the MEC Tournament)? I'd tend to bet the latter.

The CIAA Tournament has some true magic to it. That is really an event. I'm not sure basketball is even the main selling point.

There is a charm to the PSAC format. The Monday and Wednesday games (Rounds 1 & 2) typically get very large gates (at most schools).

I sort of like it as it is. Hosting a game or two gives teams that haven't clinched first place an extra incentive (although who knows what happens in the East this year). I understand the argument against rotating the sites, but if you get a top two spot you do get a bye and a home quarterfinal game in any case, which is not an inconsiderable advantage. Also, if you go to a neutral site you're never going to host a conference final four. Going to a neutral site for a week would mean sites such as IUP, East Stroudsburg, and certainly not the Erie schools would likely get a final four in their vicinity as they're far from centrally located.

Also attendance at IUP, with the excellent facility they have there, is not typical in the PSAC. I don't know what kind of attendance you'd get at a neutral site. What I'd actually like to do is play a game or two off-campus during the regular season, perhaps when students are on break to work up some interest in surrounding communities.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Within the Atlantic, the PSAC is the only league that plays its conference tournament on campus. Our first two rounds are on the campus of the home team. The Final Four weekend is hosted by the highest seed of the East or West -- rotating by year (and not by the true top seed).

The CIAA Tournament is a week-long event in Baltimore -- which includes many events outside of basketball. The MEC Tournament is held in Wheeling.

Would anybody prefer to see the PSAC run an actual event at a neutral facility or do you prefer the current format?

I'll be biased this year and say I'm not a fan of a 26-1 team going on the road in the conference tournament. If you earn hosting, you earn it. But, I understand the politics of rotating it back and forth every other year.

I think the issue with a neutral site 'event' tournament for the PSAC is the location. I'd guess it would have to be like a PIAA-themed 'middle ground' ... which would likely be in Harrisburg or Hershey.

The main question is obviously would it actually become an event or would it just be teams playing in a large, empty arena (reference the early rounds of the MEC Tournament)? I'd tend to bet the latter.

The CIAA Tournament has some true magic to it. That is really an event. I'm not sure basketball is even the main selling point.

There is a charm to the PSAC format. The Monday and Wednesday games (Rounds 1 & 2) typically get very large gates (at most schools).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We'll get an answer on Gannon & Jefferson once KR's season is done. I'll put a Levity or Noble Stein draft on it.

KR to Gannon would sure spice things up. It would be ironic because that fan base despised him for so long.

[Fightingscot82]

Portal Season starts Monday. Teams that don't make the conference tournament typically get blasted on Portal Monday.

Specifically to the West, the two biggest questions looming are will the head coaches in Clarion and Gannon still be employed by Tuesday. If not, I could see mass departures from both programs.

Personally, I think Jefferson losing at Edinboro wasn't the 'final nail' but, well, it slammed the coffin shut.

I can tell you this, teams would be lining up to get a shot at a couple of Clarion's freshmen.

We'll get an answer on Gannon & Jefferson once KR's season is done. I'll put a Levity or Noble Stein draft on it.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Portal Season starts Monday. Teams that don't make the conference tournament typically get blasted on Portal Monday.

Specifically to the West, the two biggest questions looming are will the head coaches in Clarion and Gannon still be employed by Tuesday. If not, I could see mass departures from both programs.

Personally, I think Jefferson losing at Edinboro wasn't the 'final nail' but, well, it slammed the coffin shut.

I can tell you this, teams would be lining up to get a shot at a couple of Clarion's freshmen.

[IUPalum]

UPJ pretty much needs to beat The Rock back to back to boost themselves back into the mix. They lose either and it could be curtains for them unless they in the PSAC Tourney.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S West Standings:

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP *(1)	20-1	26-1	W4
Mercyhurst *(2)	17-4	21-4	W3
Pitt-Johnstown *(3)	15-6	19-8	L1
California *(4)	12-9	15-12	W6
Seton Hill *(5)	11-11	16-12	L1
Slippery Rock *(6)	10-11	16-11	W1
Edinboro	4-17	6-20	W1
Gannon	3-18	3-22	L2
Clarion	1-20	3-23	L6

-

Unlike in the East, there will be no drama this Saturday regarding seeds. The West is locked.

First Round:

Slippery Rock at Pitt-Johnstown
Seton Hill at California


A couple interesting items heading in to Monday night:

* UPJ visits Slippery Rock this Saturday. They will play again 48 hours later in Johnstown. Due to UPJ's loss last night, its NCAA status gets much more complicated. So, despite the seeds being locked, this Saturday's regular season finale is far from a meaningless game.

* Seton Hill has lost two (relatively) close games to California this year. The Griffins are off Saturday while Cal hosts IUP. That said, if the Vulcans win (as most suspect) they will visit the KCAC on Wednesday night (these two play this Saturday).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Vulcan fans are slowly starting to show up again... interesting.

Winning streaks tend to do that.

[IUPalum]

Vulcan fans are slowly starting to show up again... interesting.

[Feedoggie]

It was a good night for Vulcan basketball in Johnstown.

[IUPNation]

The hardest part tonight is picking which game to watch. There are some good ones.

I'm leaning toward UPJ/Cal but I'm scorned for life by the UPJ broadcast.

...or you could just drive to Johnstown and see it live. :-)