PSAC WEST

[Ship69]

Que the cheesy gambling informercial that gives betting advice by guys hopped up on Red Bull. I gave you gamblers a perfect 6 for 6 winners Monday night -- 5 of which covered the spread. So, that likely means the advice will be terrible today. Bet at your own risk.


Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The first meeting, oddly, was quite the battle. The Griffins, in fact, were in the game with just 30 seconds remaining. Chalk that up as one of those odd occurrences that sometimes happen in Greensburg. With 30 seconds remaining tonight, however, the guys who sit the furthest from Gary Manchel will be in the game. The Lakers have a sour taste after Saturday's loss in Indiana -- and, had an extra day to prepare for Seton Hill. It will be a long night for the Griffins. Lakers -17

Shepherd at West Chester -Tale of two Rams here. One group is red hot. One is ice cold. Shepherd has now, quietly, won 4 of its past 5 games -- including beating West Chester, 70-65, just 48 hours ago. It will be tougher to get another win tonight, however. The venue changes. WCU is historically a tough team to beat in their building. It's also difficult to beat the same, fairly equal, opponent twice in a three-day period. And, Damien's Rams are better than their record would indicate. Consider: West Chester has a whopping (6) losses by 5 points or less. But, there are no asterisks for close losses. Fact is, West Chester is just 2-5 in its past 7 outings. Shepherd is not a good road team (just 3-5). West Chester gets its payback tonight. Barely. WCU -3

Pitt-Johnstown at California - The Mountain Cats haven't looked too hot since their big win over IUP. They were walloped by Mercyhurst and then barely escaped (81-79) what is appearing to be a so-so Gannon team in Johnstown. The Vulcans, by contrast, have ripped off 6 straight wins, and, really haven't been challenged much as of late. Both teams had Monday off for extra prep time. Cal is deeper and more athletic. The Vulcans play well in Angelo's Dome. Will Danny's team play disciplined enough to combat all of UPJ's pick-n-rolls, picket fences, etc.? Likely. Vulcans keep rolling. Cal -6

Bloomsburg at Mansfield - The Battle for the East Basement. While both have just 2 league wins, their stories are much different. The Mounties have shown to be a capable team (on occasion). Bloomsburg has just looked lifeless for long stretches. Mansfield has won two straight, and probably let another 3-4 slip out of its hands this year. They are the better team tonight. Mounties -6

East Stroudsburg at Kutztown - The 2021-22 Kutztown Golden Bears are the poster child of why one should never get involved in sports gambling. If you were betting them all season, you'd likely be broke. When they should lose, they win. When they should win, they lose. This team would be a gamblers' worst nightmare. And, of course, all logic says they should lose tonight. So, they will likely either pull an upset or keep it real close. ESU -7

Edinboro at Gannon - Not sure how many times Gannon has lost by 33 points. I wouldn't guess it has happened many times. IUP isn't 33 points better than Gannon. They are better, but not by that much. Something was really off with the Golden Knights Monday night. That something, whatever it was, better be fixed by tonight -- or, another loss is coming. Yes, Edinboro has lost 7 straight. But, they are playing pretty well. They gave IUP all it could handle and then lost a heartbreaking, 87-84, game to SRU. The Fighting Scots' zone defense is fairly effective (in stretches). Gannon is lacking outside shooters -- and, doesn't appear to have all its players on the same page. UPSET SPECIAL Edinboro gets a rare win inside the Hammermill. It won't be pretty. It won't be by much. But, they get it done in what is typically a pretty testy affair. Scots -3

Slippery Rock at Clarion - Classic trap game for SRU. They know what's coming next (twice). Clarion can be a pesky bunch. The Golden Eagles have been sporadic against the better opponents they've faced. They played UPJ and Cal tough. They got blasted by IUP and Mercyhurst. This game is in Tippin Gymnasium, where Clarion tends to play well. If SRU is looking ahead to its upcoming doubleheader with IUP, it could be in trouble tonight. Clarion will have an edge inside tonight and its guards should be able to matchup well. SRU is just a bit deeper. That's the difference tonight. But, don't be shocked. SRU -3

Millersville at Shippensburg - With the news breaking of Shippensburg forward Luke Nedrow being lost for the season, the dynamic of this game changes dramatically. The Raiders are going to have to find a way to deal with the Marauders' star big man, Caden Najdawi. Millersville also has very good guard play. So, if too much attention gets shifted to Najdawi, the Marauders' guards could have a field day. Chris Fite is a great coach and Shippensburg still has a lot of top players. They're going to have to rally tonight. Being at home should help. Millersville is on fire of late -- winners of 7 straight -- so, this was going to be a tough game even at full strength. The edge goes to the Raiders' least favorite coach, Casey Stitzel, and his team. Raiders keep it close, but run out of steam late. The 'Ville -7

That is literally a big loss for Ship as Nedrow was by far their largest player. They've also lost promising 6-6 guard-forward Geoffrey Helm, and 6-5 leaper Carlos Carter has been subpar since coming back from a shoulder injury sustained against Lock Haven. Rashon Johnson and Jake Biss, with able support from their supporting cast, played out of their minds in a win over East Stroud on Saturday, but that can't be expected to continue every game. Unless Ship gets something like a 100 percent Carter soon, Millersville and ESU have to get the nod as favorites down the stretch, which will make the second ESU-Millersville clash over the weekend a huge game in the division.

[bballfan03]

Clancy is with team so that'd promising

[bballfan03]

I don't understand Pickens starting over Olsen. Or how Joanitas starts when people are out (and does well) then plays 10 mins regularly.

Minus Clancy, I think their ideal lineup is
PG Olsen
SG Paul
G/F Herster
F Mims
F/C Dodds

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Cal up 6 at half on UPJ

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Clarion hammering SRU at halftime.


#trap

[IUPalum]

Clancy is with team so that'd promising

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Clarion got the big W over SRU.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated Men's Standings

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT TWO GAMES
IUP	12-2	18-2	W3	@SRU, SRU
Pitt-Johnstown	12-2	16-4	W2	@Boro, @Gannon
Mercyhurst	12-4	18-4	W1	@Clar, Gannon
California	9-4	14-5	L1	BYE, @SHEP
Slippery Rock	7-5	11-7	L1	IUP, @IUP
Gannon	7-6	10-7	W1	SH, UPJ
Clarion	5-9	9-10	W2	Mercy, Boro
Edinboro	3-9	5-12	L8	UPJ, @Clarion
Seton Hill	3-13	3-18	L2	@Gannon, BYE

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT TWO GAMES
Millersville	12-4	18-4	W9	ESU, @Kutz
Shippensburg	11-4	14-6	L1	Mans, WCU
East Stroudsburg	11-4	13-6	W2	@Mill, Kutz
West Chester	6-8	11-8	W1	PSU-B, @Ship
Shepherd	5-8	9-10	L1	@Bloom, Cal
Kutztown	4-10	7-13	L3	LH, @ESU
Lock Haven	3-11	6-12	L5	@KUTZ, Mansfield
Mansfield	3-12	4-17	W3	@Ship, @LH
Bloomsburg	2-12	3-15	L8	Shep, @ESU

[IUPalum]

Clarion got the big W over SRU.

Looks like IUP now has a good opportunity to bury SRU with back to back games against them. SRU is basically in do or die mode.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Looks like IUP now has a good opportunity to bury SRU with back to back games against them. SRU is basically in do or die mode.

Wounded animals can be dangerous. Saturday isn't going to be easy. Morrow will be rocking and rolling.

I think it's clear SRU was looking way past Clarion last night. Actually, I think they played like they were already gearing up for the weekend.

And, Morrow has been a headache for Joe. He's just 6-4 in his last 10 visits -- and was heavily favored in all of those losses. In fact, the 19-20 team barely escaped up there or he'd be .500.

You're battling the crowd up there ... the scorers' table, etc. It's hostile (for this game), loud, cramped, etc.

They ABSOLUTELY need a fast start. Quiet that crowd and most will head to Ginger Hill at halftime. SRU has some nice players who will cause some matchup problems. Their defense was dreadful last night against Clarion, but, I don't think they were very focused. Gerald Jarmon hung 36 on them.

I've been at all four of Joe's recent losses up there. You CANNOT let that crowd get engaged. It seems half their student body shows up for this game and they all hate IUP (it's a football thing lol). But, when Morrow is rolling, I've seen SRU feed off that and play well above their heads.

[bballfan03]

Yeah but he's not been with the team even for home games

[IUPalum]

Yeah but he's not been with the team even for home games

[Golden89]

I don't understand Pickens starting over Olsen. Or how Joanitas starts when people are out (and does well) then plays 10 mins regularly.

Minus Clancy, I think their ideal lineup is
PG Olsen
SG Paul
G/F Herster
F Mims
F/C Dodds

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Herster took a big elbow to the face in the IUP game from KJ Rhodes. He stayed in. Perhaps he later failed the concussion test.

Olsen is legit. KJ needs to play him 35 mpg. He's way better than the dude from Erie taking his minutes. No comparison from what I saw.

Herster, from what I witnessed, is legit. But, he gets rattled easy. The KCAC crowd targeted him after he mouthed off. From there he spent more time yapping with Row 1 than playing

[IUPbigINDIANS]

On paper, today isn't a great overall lineup. But, there are two big ones on the board. And, thank goodness that thrilling Penn State Brandywine at West Chester game was played last night. The Rams won by 50, 99-49. I was going to set the line at 49.5.


Mercyhurst at Clarion - The first meeting was a massacre. The Lakers did anything they wanted on the way to a 101-66 blowout victory. A month later, Clarion is showing some signs of life. A win today would get the Golden Eagles up to .500 overall -- a place not seen in Clarion in February in, well, a very long time. The Golden Eagles play well in Tippin Gymnasium. When the Birds are Chirpin' (what they call the faithful student section that sits right beside the visiting team) they can be a distraction. Vegas says Mercyhurst gets the win, but, those pesky Eagles may cover the spread. Lake Show -12

Shepherd at Bloomsburg - Shepherd is the lowest scoring team in the league at just 66.6 ppg. But, the Rams only give up 65 ppg. Their host today plays the same type of defense as the Washington Generals. Look for Shepherd to have an offensive explosion today -- perhaps even cracking 80 points. The Huskies will score around 65-68 points. Rams -12

Lock Haven at Kutztown - The Gamblers' Nightmare Bowl Game. Both enter on losing streaks. Both show flashes of being at least solid teams. Both look good one night. Awful the next. Flip a coin. Play Rock, Paper, Scissors. What the heck. It's Saturday. Be bold. Take the road team. Lock Haven -1

Seton Hill at Gannon - The women's game is the main event today. But, this could be an entertaining affair. The Knights won Round 1 in Greensburg, but it was fairly close. Seton Hill has been up and down since then. Gannon has better athletes -- and more of them. But, the Griffins can stay in the game. Question is if they can win the game. Seton Hill will hang around, but ultimately come up short. Gannon -7

East Stroudsburg at Millersville - Each team has 4 conference losses. Both are hot. The Marauders are red hot, in fact -- winners of 9 straight. Millersville won at ESU earlier this year. They have the guard play to deal with the press. But, this should be a spirited Warriors' team looking for revenge. All winning streaks come to an end. ESU -2

IUP at Slippery Rock - Joe Lombardi tweeted out for the 'IUP Nation' to make the trip across Rt. 422. There's some theories it was a cryptic message to the football message board icon. That's probably debatable. What isn't debatable, is Morrow Field House has been a house of horrors for Lombardi. Many top-ranked IUP teams -- just like today's version -- have made the 70-minute bus ride and lost. SRU is a school that for 364 days a year could care less about basketball. Today is the one day it does. Between 1,600 and 2,100 typically attend today -- wild considering a typical home game at Morrow draws between 150 and 200 people. Even the walkways atop each basket have standing fans today. IUP has to start fast. The games they've lost up there they've given SRU hope -- and that massive crowd gets rolling. The Rock has the size to match up well with IUP. The Crimson Hawks' defense makes the difference. Barely. IUP -3

UPJ at Edinboro - Pitt-Johnstown is coming off a thrilling, 71-70, win at California. Last time they came off a thrilling win, they got clobbered. Edinboro doesn't have the talent to clobber them, but they do have the talent to put a scare in to UPJ. The Mountain Cats' offense collapsed against the Mercyhurst zone. The Scots' zone isn't nearly as good, but it just may be good enough. UPJ wins, but this one is closer than most expect. UPJ -12