PSAC WEST

[IUP24]

It's a crock but it is what it is.

Joe said in the paper this week he considers winning the West or East title to be a much bigger accomplishment than winning a 3-game tournament.

The obvious danger for many is if you'd get 3 non-ranked teams to win the PSAC, MEC and CIAA tournaments. Automatic bids.


Imagine Lock Haven, Glenville State and Virginia Union winning -- and thus knocking out three teams who deserved a bid. It would be sickening ... but, it happens.

The CIAA is famous for it. The PSAC is generally won by one of the favorites.

Cinderella isn't a great story for the team being told they are no longer welcome.

I feel like this is a year where the two PSAC favorites won't win it. I could see IUP or Ship losing and then Cal, UPJ, East Stroudsburg, or Mercyhurst winning the PSAC tournament to get an automatic bid. Not that any of those are bad teams. They're all certainly quality teams and if they got hot would be a team you wouldn't want to necessarily play in a one and done in March.


It always feels like the years everybody thinks the CIAA will be crazy, it ends up being chalk. We've spent weeks predicting which middle of the road team in that league will win the tournament. I'm expecting it to be mostly chalk there.

I couldn't tell you about the MEC tournament. It looks like WL and Fairmont should be locks. Charleston maybe. WVSU on the fringe a bit. If a team out of nowhere wins that league, it could cost WVSU or Charleston a bid.

[IUPalum]

I was under the impression you could only play your grad year elswhere

Does he show up at Christian Brothers?

[bballfan03]

That could just mean he's graduating but he still has a grad year left to play.

Are you saying he's not going to play next year?

I was under the impression you could only play your grad year elswhere

[Golden89]

That could just mean he's graduating but he still has a grad year left to play.

Are you saying he's not going to play next year?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Most teams in the league are capable of a hot night or two, which is why I've never thought a tournament should determine a conference championship.

It's a crock but it is what it is.

Joe said in the paper this week he considers winning the West or East title to be a much bigger accomplishment than winning a 3-game tournament.

The obvious danger for many is if you'd get 3 non-ranked teams to win the PSAC, MEC and CIAA tournaments. Automatic bids.


Imagine Lock Haven, Glenville State and Virginia Union winning -- and thus knocking out three teams who deserved a bid. It would be sickening ... but, it happens.

The CIAA is famous for it. The PSAC is generally won by one of the favorites.

Cinderella isn't a great story for the team being told they are no longer welcome.

[Ship69]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

Most teams in the league are capable of a hot night or two, which is why I've never thought a tournament should determine a conference championship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

I really liked No. 33 Drew Green from SH in the game they played up here. He's a 6'5" true freshman who they play at Guard and Forward. He's a legit D2 player and should really evolve over the next couple years. I'd be interested in him when he transfers. Remember West Liberty landed last year's prized SH transfer in guard Malik McKinney.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

So depressing note for Gannon.. Webb is athletically a junior, but is being celebrated for senior night tomorrow night.

That could just mean he's graduating but he still has a grad year left to play.

Are you saying he's not going to play next year?

[Golden89]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

I usually try and stay 'nice' on the basketball side. That said ... Forget Seton Hill. I was there for the 'goon fest' and also the night they let the yellow show box become a college bar.

If the new guy wants to yap about camera's let him. He'll be gone in a year or two anyway. He was a bad hire from the start.

Tark the Shark (look it up) let them trash IUP's season two years ago by playing like street thugs.

Davis can pad his stats. He's not nearly as arrogant as his older brother was (and younger Davis is a much better player).

Here's to wishing Tom and Joe run it up.

No hard feelings, of course. LOL.

[bballfan03]

So depressing note for Gannon.. Webb is athletically a junior, but is being celebrated for senior night tomorrow night.

[gbensbball]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

[PSACwatcher]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We've had some great lineups this year. Tomorrow is not one of them. However, there are a couple intriguing games on tap.


Slippery Rock at Gannon - Win, lose or draw -- and SRU isn't likely moving out of that No. 6 spot. The Golden Knights, however, can likely still move up if they keep winning. The Rock has been a tough team to figure out all season. When motivated, they can play pretty well. There's enough talent on the roster to give opposing teams fits. Micah Till said recently he's finally back to full speed -- and he can take over a game. The first meeting was a smack-down. The Knights dropped the hammer in Morrow, 69-49. However, Gannon isn't 20 points better than SRU on most nights. The Knights have won 5 straight in the series. However, SRU is hot at the moment, winners of two straight and 3 of its past 4 outings. The Rock's unpredictability makes GU a clear favorite in this game -- and, Gannon is pretty good. Keep in mind, too, SRU had a week to prepare for this game. Golden Knights get a tougher battle than Round 1, but pull away in the second half. Gannon -9

Lock Haven at West Chester - One of the bigger games in the East ... where just about anything can still happen. After a tumultuous second semester, West Chester has won two in a row. Lock Haven, however, is a red hot team. The Bald Eagles' current 3-game win streak includes a blowout of Kutztown, a win over Bloomsburg and a big upset win at Shippensburg. Lock Haven has a very good starting five. The issue has been when they have to get in to the bench. It's a very short one. The Bald Eagles won a tight first meeting. Both have a lot to play for tomorrow. West Chester can all but secure a Round 1 home game (at minimum) and is still in play for a bye. The Rams also still have very faint NCAA hopes (amazingly). Lock Haven, in the heart of the East mess, is in the mix to get a Round 1 home game. Tough game to call as both are so sporadic. West Chester is deeper -- and home. That makes the difference. The Rams win. Barely. WCU -3

Shepherd at East Stroudsburg - Two hot teams. Something has to give. The Warriors have won 6 straight. The Rams have reeled off 4 in a row. Shepherd has looked real good at times this year ... real bad, too. Huge game for both teams. ESU is on the verge of an NCAA bid and locking up a first round bye. Shepherd is in a battle for making the conference tournament. As of now, the Rams are in the mix to be anywhere from Seed 3 or Seed 6 in the jumbled East race. Shepherd, which defeated ESU in the first meeting, can be an extremely dangerous team on a given night. If the deep balls are falling, the opposing team is in big trouble. If they aren't ... the Rams lose a lot of luster. For the majority of this season, Shepherd has not shot the ball well on the road. In the first meeting, the Rams torched ESU from outside by hitting 14 of 29 deep shots. They also handled the ball very well against the Warriors' famous press -- committing just 9 turnovers. ESU plays similar to many MEC teams, which is a trait Shepherd is very familiar. This should be a great watch. Shepherd's road woes are a concern. ESU is also 9-2 at home. Add it all up and it points to a Warriors' win. ESU in a tight one. Warriors -6

Kutztown at Mansfield - The Golden Bears have lost their past four games and yet are somehow still alive for the final tournament spot. This trip to Mansfield couldn't come at a better time. The Mounties are the streak busters of the East. Mansfield seems to show up some days and put up a fight. Other days they seem to just lay down and get blown out of the building. With seemingly nothing to play for it's hard to say what they'll do tomorrow. Kutztown shows flashes and is the better team. Golden Bears -13

IUP at Seton Hill - Joe Lombardi's yearly pilgrimage to Greensburg. The stage is always the same. IUP has a fancy record. Seton Hill is playing out the season. And, yet, the McKenna Center has been a house of horror for IUP. The Crimson Hawks have only ever lost there once, but odd things have happened many times. This trip has indirectly cost IUP two NCAA bids in the past five years. Once, due to a loss, and the other due to the infamous 'goon fest' two years ago. Tark the Shark is gone -- along with most of the Griffins' theatrics, but, nonetheless. This is typically the only game all year Seton Hill draws a big crowd -- inside the gym Lombardi once publicly compared to Indiana High School. When the tight McKenna Center is full and wound up, it can be a very annoying place for visitors. Start slow and give the home team confidence in front of that large gathering ... and bad things can happen. There's nothing on paper to suggest this will even be a remotely close game. But ... odd things happen down there in this series. That said, this IUP team is pretty hard to intimidate. Crimson Hawks leave the yellow shoe box with a double digit win. IUP -12

California at Clarion - Big game for the Vulcans. One step closer to the end for the Golden Eagles. Clarion had a spurt a couple weeks ago when it was playing pretty well. In fact, they gave Cal a pretty good game inside the Angelo Dome -- losing by just 9 points. However, Clarion was still in the race at that point. We'll see if the coach can get them up. In reality, up or down, ... it won't make much difference. California is too strong. Vulcans leave Tippin with a resounding win. Cal -19

Mercyhurst at Edinboro - To the dismay of many in the Atlantic Region, the Lakers are red hot. There's no team you want to avoid more in a one-and-done than Gary Machel's Mercyhurst. The Triangle and Two baffles even the best of them. Routinely. The first meeting in this series was a massacre. Tomorrow is the sequel. Lakers -24

Shippensburg at Bloomsburg - The Raiders have had to sit for a week with a loss hanging on them. The Huskies are going to pay the price. Look for a fired-up Shippensburg team to take out some frustration. Raiders in a run-away. Shippensburg -19

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP*	17-2	22-2	W4
Mercyhurst*	14-5	16-7	W6
Pitt-Johnstown*	14-6	20-7	L1
California*	13-6	17-8	W2
Gannon*	12-8	13-11	W1
Slippery Rock*	9-10	13-12	W2
Clarion	4-16	5-21	L2
Seton Hill	3-16	4-19	L5
Edinboro	2-17	5-18	L14
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg*(1)	16-3	20-5	L1
East Stroudsburg*	12-7	16-8	W6
West Chester	11-8	17-8	W2
Millersville	10-10	13-13	L1
Lock Haven	9-10	12-11	W3
Shepherd	9-10	13-12	W4
Kutztown	8-11	10-15	L4
Bloomsburg	6-14	9-17	L2
Mansfield	5-15	6-19	L4