PSAC WEST

[Fightingscot82]

Boro destroys Clarion 93-78. Wow.

[Fightingscot82]

Boro taking it to Clarion. Lots of time remaining, though.

This conference is wild.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We have an interesting lineup tomorrow. The battle is in full swing to make the conference tournament. Two teams from the West will get left behind.

As always, happy gambling, you degenerates.


Edinboro at Clarion - The saying goes you are what your record says you are ... and in this case both teams are around the .500 mark. Now, you could argue Clarion should be better than an average team. And, you can argue Edinboro is perhaps overachieving a bit given its roster limitations. Regardless, the Fighting Scots enter tomorrow winners of two straight, while Clarion has lost its past two games. In fairness, Clarion lost a tight one to IUP and got lit up by Gannon (which just about every team does). Going by the starting units, this matchup is pretty even. However, Clarion is the much deeper team. Add the Tippin Gymnasium factor, and Clarion 'should' win this game. Golden Eagles -3.5

Pitt-Johnstown at California - Prior to Wednesday night, UPJ had lost 6 of its past 7 games -- and lost arguably its top scorer to the transfer portal. So, naturally, the Mountain Cats lit up Seton Hill for 97 points in a big home win. Those Cats are a pesky bunch in the Dirty J. The road, however, is a much different experience. Tomorrow, Bob Rukavina's bunch will travel to Angelo's Dome to face one of the hottest teams in the league. On paper, this game shouldn't be very close. But, the Vulcans could have a little hangover after their thrilling win at the KCAC. UPJ's back-door passes, picket fences, etc., can put teams in a defensive lull. Expect this one to be close for a bit, but Cal just has too much size and speed. Vulcans -11.5

IUP at Seton Hill - The McKenna Center has been the scene of some drama in this series over the years. Joe Lombardi once compared it to playing inside Indiana High School. If you're the visitor, it's better to hit Greensburg on a Saturday than a Wednesday night. The weekend crowd is typically much smaller and drastically less enthusiastic. Regardless, a lot of powerful IUP teams have found themselves in dog fights inside the small, cramped gym. Tomorrow will be no different. After a hot start, the Griffins are just 1-5 in their past 6 outings. IUP is coming off one of the worst second half collapses of the Lombardi era. Seton Hill's post players will cause IUP some major fits. IUP has an edge at Guard. Gambler Beware on this one. Tricky game. The Griffins always get up for this guest. IUP is on UPSET ALERT. Crimson Hawks -2.5

Gannon at Slippery Rock - About the only way to make this one interesting is to put a big number on it. Being that SRU's lineup changes by the day, projecting how they'll perform is nearly impossible. In reality, it really won't matter who plays for The Rock. Gannon is too good. So, look for the Knights to drop a beating in Morrow. Gannon -22.5

[Fightingscot82]

Grady's had a difficult last few years. He's recruited one hell of a roster but unfortunately only has 80% at his disposal on a given night. The talent is there and Givner seems like a future star if he sticks around. He and Boro's Carmichael have to be the front runners for PSAC West Freshman of the Year.

[bballfan03]

I feel like Grady cant wait for this season to end so he no longer has Herster or Austin and will have 2 viable scholarship slots open for players that may play more than half their career.

I obviously dont know the actual count, but it feels like they sat way more than they played for Rock. It's sad though - what could have been with them healthy and some of the players they've had around them.

With the way Clarion and Boro have been playing, Rock may be watching come playoffs. (I also fully expect Rock to now beat Gannon this weekend lol)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think you diagnosed his flaw in one of your prior posts:



Perhaps any D1 and other PSAC coaching staffs that scouted him came to the conclusion that his conditioning would never develop to the point of being able to play heavy minutes, either based on his physical build/bodily changes or some sort of personality assessment/character references.

Well, that level of recruitment sure isn't happening on this level. Maybe at a couple places.

By and large, many coaches in this league are signing kids sight unseen. They don't even visit campus in many cases. Highlight tape and a phone call.

The actual game in question (at IUP), Sandhu played 34 minutes. He had a great stat line (23 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks), and was very disruptive on the defensive end.

Many guards struggle playing 34 out of 40 minutes, let alone a 7'1" guy who probably weighs in the 260-pound range. Edinboro basically played 5.5 guys against IUP. Their whole team was gassed the final 7-8 minutes.

If Sandhu was on a team with depth, I think you'd ideally want him playing 23 mpg or so to get the most out of him. I can't say that's really his 'flaw' because there aren't many players his size logging that many minutes effectively.

The vast, vast majority of 7'+ players we see in the PSAC, frankly, are pretty bad basketball players. Their skill level is horrible, etc. They are just simply big.

As I mentioned, I'd die to have Sandhu on this particular IUP team. He's the exact player they are missing under the basket. He would play 20-22 mpg (or less) and would thrive. He's a very strong player in a slower, half-court game (which is what essentially the whole PSAC plays outside of Gannon and ESU).

[TheBigCat2192]

Almost without fail when a player with his size lands in the PSAC ... they have a major flaw.

I didn't see one. He could easily be on a roster of a low D1 team. He'd play way less, of course.

But, he could definitely play at Mercyhurst, for example.

I wish Joe had him.

I think you diagnosed his flaw in one of your prior posts:

However, he just cannot effectively play the amount of minutes he's being forced to play. He was physically exhausted the last 10 minutes of the IUP game. Joe knew it and they pounced.

Perhaps any D1 and other PSAC coaching staffs that scouted him came to the conclusion that his conditioning would never develop to the point of being able to play heavy minutes, either based on his physical build/bodily changes or some sort of personality assessment/character references.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Interesting night in the West.

Some items to ponder for you gambling degenerates:


Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - The blank has hit the fan in the Dirty J. The Mountain Cats, now without arguably their top scorer in Jay Rose, have lost two straight and fell to 4-7 in PSAC play. After a hot start, Seton Hill has also hit the skids. The Griffins are 1-4 in their past 5 outings. However, they've had injury issues rather than mid-season Portal issues. Another thing to consider is Seton Hill -- for whatever reason - really struggles on the road (this year, last year and the 7 years prior). UPJ, conversely, has been notorious for playing really well in Johnstown. Getting to tonight, Seton Hill is now largely healthy. UPJ is still missing about 18 points per game. That combination doesn't add up for the home team. Griffins win, but perhaps by a smaller margin than most think. UPJ is known for shooting incredibly well at home. That will keep them in this one. Seton Hill -5.5

California at IUP - In the 90s, this game was the hottest ticket in either town. To get a seat for the Men's game in the old Memorial Field House, you needed to be there for the start of the women's game. The same was true down at Hamer Hall. The rivalry went to cold when Cal's program fell off a cliff for a decade. IUP had a lengthy winning streak (guessing near 30 straight). It took Danny Sancomb a bit but he eventually brought Cal back to life -- and he certainly added back the missing spice to the rivalry. In fact, things had swung toward the Vulcans as Cal won 3 straight prior to IUP snapping the streak late last season. Tonight, betting-wise, is a total crapshoot. Both teams have strong records. Both have some big wins. Both, however, have some flaws. IUP has an advantage at the Guard position. Cal has an advantage underneath. Both coaches know (and dislike) one another. Danny and Joe form a Zebra Crew's worst nightmare. Toughest game on the board to bet. Keep in mind this is a Cal team that beat Gannon, so IUP's 1-2-2 press probably isn't going to do much. In fact, Cal may completely shred it. IUP will have its hands full with the Vulcan post players. The Vulcans will have issues with IUP's guard trio. The KCAC will be alive, and that should make the difference. Barely. IUP -1.5

Slippery Rock at Edinboro - If you bet on SRU, you need rehab. The lineup changes by the game. The dress list changes by the game. Their level of play changes by the media timeout. The Rock is far too sporadic. Buyer beware. Scots -4.5

Clarion at Gannon - The Golden Eagles are a pretty good team. However, this should be the same old story. Look for Clarion to hang around for 20-25 minutes -- then get lit up down the stretch. Gannon is playing far too well and is far too strong. Knights -18.5

[IUPbigINDIANS]

UPDATED MEN'S STANDINGS

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
GANNON	10-1	17-2	W4
CALIFORNIA	10-1	13-5	W2
IUP	9-2	13-3	W2
SETON HILL	7-3	13-6	L1
SLIPPERY ROCK	6-5	13-6	L3
CLARION	5-6	10-9	L1
EDINBORO	4-6	9-9	W1
PITT-JOHNSTOWN	4-7	10-9	L2

-

JAN. 28 SCHEDULE

SETON HILL at PITT-JOHNSTOWN

CALIFORNIA at IUP

SLIPPERY ROCK at EDINBORO

CLARION at GANNON

[Fightingscot82]

Almost without fail when a player with his size lands in the PSAC ... they have a major flaw.

I didn't see one. He could easily be on a roster of a low D1 team. He'd play way less, of course.

But, he could definitely play at Mercyhurst, for example.

I wish Joe had him.

Well, he's already played low D1 ball. Played in 40 games for Monmouth and one game for Manhattan before injury.

[Ship69]

It's been quite the evolution when you look back.

I can speak for the West ... in the 90s and early 00s this division was built for street brawls. The 55-49 scores were common. Every team had a slew of the 6'8", 250 lb monsters under the basket.

Joe went away from those guys probably around 2012. He knew they couldn't keep up with the run-n-gun teams so he started going more with the Euro-type bigs (the 6'7", 200 lb types).

The problem was he still had to get through the West grind against the behemoths with his now much more slender roster. For the most part it obviously worked. He could typically just tire those teams out but occasionally he'd still get roped in to playing those 51-50 games -- typically against Gannon and Mercyhurst. Manchal and JR were masters of coaching the slow-down game.

Of course, Joe was winning so much the other teams in the West then started to mirror the post players he was recruiting. Slippery Rock was really the last holdout. They stayed with the big muscle guys probably until about 2018 or so (basically around when Ian Grady took over).

The current West is almost entirely comprised of the 'Stretch Four' post players. That's why seeing the Edinboro guy the other night was fairly odd.

Ship saw Edinboro, and East Stroud, even was the absence of Coleman, put 6-6, 265 freshman Adrian Brito, 6-9 Carson Howard, 6-8 Nasir Griffin, and 6-7 Jalen Pichardo on the floor. None of those guys are built like Twiggy. Fortunately, they weren't hitting free throws and decided to throw up 27 three-pointers, the vast majority of which missed the mark. Damien sometimes gets some big loads at West Chester. Millersville usually doesn't have giants, but almost always has nice overall team height. They did have that 6-9 kid from overseas who was rough on the boards. Kutztown is not strong at guard, but has a couple of jumping jacks on the front line.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I do seem to be seeing some more agile bigs in the PSAC these days. I attribute that to the fact that there probably just are more talented big men than there used to be, especially with more international players on rosters these days. As you say, there usually are still some flaws that keep them out of high D1. Maybe they're a step slow, don't shoot well, are too raw at this stage, etc. But a lot of these guys display some athletic ability and don't seem to be tripping all over themselves like some of the PSAC 7-footers of yore. I do know that when you have a slender roster, as Ship does this year, contending with these behemoths near the bucket can be a problem

It's been quite the evolution when you look back.

I can speak for the West ... in the 90s and early 00s this division was built for street brawls. The 55-49 scores were common. Every team had a slew of the 6'8", 250 lb monsters under the basket.

Joe went away from those guys probably around 2012. He knew they couldn't keep up with the run-n-gun teams so he started going more with the Euro-type bigs (the 6'7", 200 lb types).

The problem was he still had to get through the West grind against the behemoths with his now much more slender roster. For the most part it obviously worked. He could typically just tire those teams out but occasionally he'd still get roped in to playing those 51-50 games -- typically against Gannon and Mercyhurst. Manchal and JR were masters of coaching the slow-down game.

Of course, Joe was winning so much the other teams in the West then started to mirror the post players he was recruiting. Slippery Rock was really the last holdout. They stayed with the big muscle guys probably until about 2018 or so (basically around when Ian Grady took over).

The current West is almost entirely comprised of the 'Stretch Four' post players. That's why seeing the Edinboro guy the other night was fairly odd.

[Ship69]

Almost without fail when a player with his size lands in the PSAC ... they have a major flaw.

I didn't see one. He could easily be on a roster of a low D1 team. He'd play way less, of course.

But, he could definitely play at Mercyhurst, for example.

I wish Joe had him.

I do seem to be seeing some more agile bigs in the PSAC these days. I attribute that to the fact that there probably just are more talented big men than there used to be, especially with more international players on rosters these days. As you say, there usually are still some flaws that keep them out of high D1. Maybe they're a step slow, don't shoot well, are too raw at this stage, etc. But a lot of these guys display some athletic ability and don't seem to be tripping all over themselves like some of the PSAC 7-footers of yore. I do know that when you have a slender roster, as Ship does this year, contending with these behemoths near the bucket can be a problem

[IUPalum]

As much as I like what Jennings is doing, that's not any different of a situation that got Pat Cleary not renewed.

It'll never be different with no resorces.

[Fightingscot82]

I was really surprised by Edinboro's big guy.

He has a nice shot. He can run. He plays with a mean streak.

However, he just cannot effectively play the amount of minutes he's being forced to play. He was physically exhausted the last 10 minutes of the IUP game. Joe knew it and they pounced.

Perfect world he'd play 22-24 mpg.

He's a legit 7'1" and I'd guess 260 lbs. He's a big dude.

Edinboro has a really nice starting group. They just have no bench and it's killing them in all these somewhat close losses. They just run out of steam or hit foul trouble.

As much as I like what Jennings is doing, that's not any different of a situation that got Pat Cleary not renewed.