PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Stretch Run has arrived in the West. While the six teams going to the PSAC Tournament are pretty apparent, the seeding is far from settled. A glance at those six teams and what each has remaining:

IUP (13-2, 18-2) - After a winter of wins and bad news, the Hawks finally get some good news. Four challenging games remain -- but three of them will be played inside the KCAC. Slippery Rock, Gannon and UPJ all visit Indiana. The lone remaining difficult game is at California. More important than the schedule, some help is on the way. Chucky Humphries is set to return this week after missing the past 3 weeks. To say he's been missed would be an understatement.

Pitt-Johnstown (11-4, 15-5) - If UPJ is going to make a run, it is largely going to be done on the road. Three of the Mountain Cats' biggest remaining games are all away from home -- in tough venues. UPJ has to travel to Slippery Rock, Mercyhurst and IUP. They also have a huge game tomorrow against California in Johnstown.

California (11-4, 15-6) - The Vulcans start a brutal two-game stretch tomorrow in Johnstown. IUP visits next week. Three easy games follow and then Cal ends its season with the two Erie schools -- Gannon visits the Angelo Dome after a trip to Mercyhurst. A win at UPJ tomorrow should go a long way toward a potential first round bye.

Mercyhurst (10-5, 12-7) - The bad news for the league is it seems the Lakers are waking up and starting to click. The good news for the Region is they can't lose many more games to stay in the NCAA race. Mercyhurst should clobber Seton Hill and Clarion prior to next Wednesday's showdown in the Hammermill. After that, UPJ and California both visit the MAC prior to a (regular) season-ending date at SRU. The Lakers just gained a whole lot of confidence, too.

Gannon (9-6, 10-9) - The Knights go on the road this week for what should be two easy wins at Edinboro and Seton Hill. Once this week is complete, a daunting stretch run awaits -- Mercyhurst, at IUP, Clarion, Slippery Rock, at California. The Golden Knights are a hot team -- winners of three straight (ESU, @SRU, UPJ).

Slippery Rock (6-9, 10-11) - SRU has a three-game lead over the teams behind it in the West standings. So, unless an epic collapse happens, the Rock is making the conference tournament. Don't count them out. They've shown they can be a good team on some nights. Most wouldn't be in a hurry to play Micah Till in a one-and-done scenario, either. After Clarion visits tomorrow, SRU travels to IUP and then hosts UPJ. A trip to Gannon comes on Feb. 22 and Mercyhurst visits Morrow in the finale.


Trap Game: Clarion
- Since Jan. 11, the Golden Eagles -- very stealthy -- have been playing pretty tough basketball. Proof? Clarion lost to UPJ by 3 points. Gannon by 8. They won at Edinboro and beat Bloomsburg in Tippin. They played IUP in to the final 7 minutes and lost at Cal by single digits. The Golden Eagles got healthy over the holiday break and added, well, a real big guy. Don't be shocked to see Clarion pull a big upset down the stretch run. They are big, athletic and occasionally shoot well. If anybody overlooks them, ... they may pay the price.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You may want to tune in on Wednesday night. BRENT PEGRAM has been edging toward possible confrontations in the last several games especially when taking it to the hoop. He doesn't start things but also won't back down. He takes his cues straight from DS who has been known to put it out there. Looking forward to a tough, tight game.

Pegram walks a pretty fine line with it. He got T'd up in the Clarion game for such antics. Being honest, he was part of Cal's second half collapse at the KCAC. He let the crowd really get to him. He was focused more on Rows 1-2 in the last 20 minutes than he was on the game. That was a huge crowd that night and it went after him and Danny pretty hard. In all my years at the KCAC the only opposing player the crowd couldn't rattle was Dustin Sleva. Believe me, they tried. He'd hit a three and turn around and say F U to Row 1. Junior and Senior year Sleva, anyway. Josh Wise gets roasted every time he comes here and completely thrown off his game.

Pegram is a big-time talker -- which is fine. But when the crowd talked back to him he got pretty out of sorts. That and David Morris wasn't taking any of his crap. I could certainly see him and Josh Wise being an issue, although I doubt they guard one another. Pegram will likely get matched up with Mulbah (who has a much calmer demeanor). UPJ coach Rukavina does't take much crap from his players so I'm sure he had a real long talk with Wise on the way home from Erie.

If I was a Cal fan my fear with Pegram would be that the night is coming when he will get T'd up for some abusive language that some ref will deem as taunting. It's coming. You just have to hope it doesn't come at a terrible time.

Danny is a great coach. He is certainly the new Kevin Reynolds of the PSAC sideline. It's been fun watching him and Lombardi go head-to-head ... those poor officials. Danny and Joe are the best in the league at working officials. Manchel isn't far behind.

[CALUPA69]

It's a lot to sort out in that final 17 seconds. Wise fouled Johnson real hard at the end of the game when they were just trying to foul. That seemed to really get Johnson fired up. They get separated. Then the game eventually ends. As they are walking off Johnson throws the ball at Wise and they get separated again. Johnson then gets partially up in Rukavina's face on his way to the locker room. The handshake line seems to be moving along until Olawoye gets to Wise. They get separated. Then GU assistant Stephen Griffin tries to get in Wise's face and he gets pulled back. Then off course Johnson re-appears in line and he gets separated from Wise.

Unless they can prove somebody (Wise) did actually spit on or at Johnson ... there's likely not enough there to suspend him. If the league really wanted to prove a point, it's possible. Lot of people acting up ... Retrospect both sides are lucky they had some cool heads involved or that could have got pretty ugly.

Johnson and Wise are just the perfect storm to clash with each other. Wise has been pulling those antics for years. Johnson seems like a dude you don't want to mess with in an altercation -- and one who certainly wasn't going to take Wise's mouth and actions.

The officials should have walked both to the locker room and not allowed either to go through the line. That would have alleviated the whole issue. It was a bad look for the GU assistant to get caught up in it.

Part 3 would be fun.

You may want to tune in on Wednesday night. BRENT PEGRAM has been edging toward possible confrontations in the last several games especially when taking it to the hoop. He doesn't start things but also won't back down. He takes his cues straight from DS who has been known to put it out there. Looking forward to a tough, tight game.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If anyone hears the game time status of UPJ #23 off of his Saturday altercation at GU, please post it. VULCANS have definitely started to look much more organized with more playing time together, even at times a bit cocky with lob passes for SMITH, but UPJ at home is always tough.
Still feel like second place is a dream but more of a daydream now.

It's a lot to sort out in that final 17 seconds. Wise fouled Johnson real hard at the end of the game when they were just trying to foul. That seemed to really get Johnson fired up. They get separated. Then the game eventually ends. As they are walking off Johnson throws the ball at Wise and they get separated again. Johnson then gets partially up in Rukavina's face on his way to the locker room. The handshake line seems to be moving along until Olawoye gets to Wise. They get separated. Then GU assistant Stephen Griffin tries to get in Wise's face and he gets pulled back. Then off course Johnson re-appears in line and he gets separated from Wise.

Unless they can prove somebody (Wise) did actually spit on or at Johnson ... there's likely not enough there to suspend him. If the league really wanted to prove a point, it's possible. Lot of people acting up ... Retrospect both sides are lucky they had some cool heads involved or that could have got pretty ugly.

Johnson and Wise are just the perfect storm to clash with each other. Wise has been pulling those antics for years. Johnson seems like a dude you don't want to mess with in an altercation -- and one who certainly wasn't going to take Wise's mouth and actions.

The officials should have walked both to the locker room and not allowed either to go through the line. That would have alleviated the whole issue. It was a bad look for the GU assistant to get caught up in it.

Part 3 would be fun.

[CALUPA69]

For the most part, this should be a week with lots of blowouts. However, there are a handful of big games.

This week in the PSAC:

California will take the long ride up to Pitt-Johnstown in 48 hours. Division-wise, this is the biggest game of the week. Both are tied for second in the West with 11-4 conference records. The loser falls three games behind IUP -- and likely loses any hope of a West title. Host UPJ is fresh off a heated, emotional loss inside the Hammermill. The Vulcans have won four straight. The first meeting this year was a blowout in the Angelo Dome. UPJ won by 20 points and held Cal to just 57 points. Times have changed since then.

West Chester travels to Shippensburg. The Rams stopped the bleeding by pummeling a hapless Mansfield. The Red Raiders are coming off a rare home loss at the hands of East Stroudsburg. Could WCU's big win over a bad team be just the spark the talented Rams needed? Or, was it just a big win over a poor opponent? Shippensburg won Round 1, 79-70, at West Chester. The Rams have won just two games since that initial setback -- both against Mansfield. Pending something miraculous West Chester is out of the East's top seed running, but it is still in contention for an NCAA bid -- barely. A win Wednesday night could turn what was becoming a sinking season around.

In an odd twist, could Clarion actually be favored in Morrow Field House on Wednesday night? Sounds strange until you consider SRU has lost its past two games by a combined 48 points. Clarion has lost three straight but has battled hard at IUP and California. The Rock has become very reliant on the deep shot. When it's not there - like the past two games - they are a train wreck. In most years teams use Clarion as a slump buster. We'll see if that's the case. It may not be.

Turning to the weekend, overall, it's a pretty vanilla Saturday.

Millersville heads to East Stroudsburg for a game with certain PSAC Tournament implications. The winner can start to position itself for a potential Round 1 bye. Both teams are starting to play their best basketball of the season.

Slippery Rock visits IUP -- and will attempt to end one heck of a long losing streak in Indiana. The last time the Rock won at IUP was in 1991. They came awfully close several times. Perhaps none closer than the infamous Kevin Reynolds technical foul affair in 2013. Joe Lombardi's squad should be back to as full strength as its going to get. Senior forward Chucky Humphries is expected to rejoin the team after missing the past three weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. IUP won Round 1 at Morrow Field House in a tightly-contested battle. The Rock may be puttering along down the stretch but they'll be up for this one. So will the KCAC crowd. SRU, however, won't have the advantage of that infamous scorers' table in this one.

Gannon and Mercyhurst are both hot. They both also can enjoy easy weeks. Gannon should have simple road trips to Edinboro and Seton Hill. Mercyhurst travels to Seton Hill and hosts Clarion.

If anyone hears the game time status of UPJ #23 off of his Saturday altercation at GU, please post it. VULCANS have definitely started to look much more organized with more playing time together, even at times a bit cocky with lob passes for SMITH, but UPJ at home is always tough.
Still feel like second place is a dream but more of a daydream now.

[PSACwatcher]

Lowest scholarship total in the PSAC West gets the lowest win total in the PSAC West. IMO the university doesn't value men's basketball. Attend an Edinboro game and you'll see.

I get it, but the undergraduate 2019-2020 estimated tuition & fees for Edinboro is $10,815 for Pennsylvania residents and $15,465 for out-of-state students. At those numbers, he ought to be able to put together athletic and non-athletic aid packages to get some decent talent at a state school with decent facilities and undergrad enrollment of 3400.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Lowest scholarship total in the PSAC West gets the lowest win total in the PSAC West. IMO the university doesn't value men's basketball. Attend an Edinboro game and you'll see.

Losing Anthony Coleman (again) to injury was just a disaster, too. With him they'd be drastically more competitive. Still a long way from winning the West but much more competitive.

[Fightingscot82]

2018-19 record was 9-17 (6-15 in conf.) and did not make conference playoffs. 2019-20 record is 5-??, lost to lowly Seton Hill and Clarion at home, may finish with 2 conference wins and its a certainty 'Boro wont make the conference playoffs.

Football coach was just fired for less. Does Cleary survive this? I am not seeing any talent being recruited to Edinboro.

Lowest scholarship total in the PSAC West gets the lowest win total in the PSAC West. IMO the university doesn't value men's basketball. Attend an Edinboro game and you'll see.

[PSACwatcher]

For the best.

2018-19 record was 9-17 (6-15 in conf.) and did not make conference playoffs. 2019-20 record is 5-??, lost to lowly Seton Hill and Clarion at home, may finish with 2 conference wins and its a certainty 'Boro wont make the conference playoffs.

Football coach was just fired for less. Does Cleary survive this? I am not seeing any talent being recruited to Edinboro.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For the most part, this should be a week with lots of blowouts. However, there are a handful of big games.

This week in the PSAC:

California will take the long ride up to Pitt-Johnstown in 48 hours. Division-wise, this is the biggest game of the week. Both are tied for second in the West with 11-4 conference records. The loser falls three games behind IUP -- and likely loses any hope of a West title. Host UPJ is fresh off a heated, emotional loss inside the Hammermill. The Vulcans have won four straight. The first meeting this year was a blowout in the Angelo Dome. UPJ won by 20 points and held Cal to just 57 points. Times have changed since then.

West Chester travels to Shippensburg. The Rams stopped the bleeding by pummeling a hapless Mansfield. The Red Raiders are coming off a rare home loss at the hands of East Stroudsburg. Could WCU's big win over a bad team be just the spark the talented Rams needed? Or, was it just a big win over a poor opponent? Shippensburg won Round 1, 79-70, at West Chester. The Rams have won just two games since that initial setback -- both against Mansfield. Pending something miraculous West Chester is out of the East's top seed running, but it is still in contention for an NCAA bid -- barely. A win Wednesday night could turn what was becoming a sinking season around.

In an odd twist, could Clarion actually be favored in Morrow Field House on Wednesday night? Sounds strange until you consider SRU has lost its past two games by a combined 48 points. Clarion has lost three straight but has battled hard at IUP and California. The Rock has become very reliant on the deep shot. When it's not there - like the past two games - they are a train wreck. In most years teams use Clarion as a slump buster. We'll see if that's the case. It may not be.

Turning to the weekend, overall, it's a pretty vanilla Saturday.

Millersville heads to East Stroudsburg for a game with certain PSAC Tournament implications. The winner can start to position itself for a potential Round 1 bye. Both teams are starting to play their best basketball of the season.

Slippery Rock visits IUP -- and will attempt to end one heck of a long losing streak in Indiana. The last time the Rock won at IUP was in 1991. They came awfully close several times. Perhaps none closer than the infamous Kevin Reynolds technical foul affair in 2013. Joe Lombardi's squad should be back to as full strength as its going to get. Senior forward Chucky Humphries is expected to rejoin the team after missing the past three weeks with a broken bone in his left hand. IUP won Round 1 at Morrow Field House in a tightly-contested battle. The Rock may be puttering along down the stretch but they'll be up for this one. So will the KCAC crowd. SRU, however, won't have the advantage of that infamous scorers' table in this one.

Gannon and Mercyhurst are both hot. They both also can enjoy easy weeks. Gannon should have simple road trips to Edinboro and Seton Hill. Mercyhurst travels to Seton Hill and hosts Clarion.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The ONLY thing I could see them tagging Johnson for would be prolonging the incident. Wise walked away and Johnson kept making his way back to him. However, you can tell when they approach in line Wise does say something that sets Johnson off again.

Wise has a real big mouth. Always has.

Johnson did throw the ball at him as they were walking off. That seemed to give things yet another spark.


UPJ vs Gannon Round 3 would be must-see TV (if it happens).

[bballfan03]

I certainly hope that if the league suspends Wise, they don't feel like they have to suspend a player from each team. Johnson did not do anything suspension-worthy.

The ONLY thing I could see them tagging Johnson for would be prolonging the incident. Wise walked away and Johnson kept making his way back to him. However, you can tell when they approach in line Wise does say something that sets Johnson off again.

[bballfan03]

If the PSAC is going to suspend the #3 scorer on UPJ, can they possibly do it before Wednesday ? You know swift justice and all that.... absolutely no other reason.

It might be a new low for PSAC if they aren't able to make a decision by monday

[Golden89]

If the PSAC is going to suspend the #3 scorer on UPJ, can they possibly do it before Wednesday ? You know swift justice and all that.... absolutely no other reason.

I certainly hope that if the league suspends Wise, they don't feel like they have to suspend a player from each team. Johnson did not do anything suspension-worthy.

[CALUPA69]

I watched it a few times now and,not saying it didnt happen, but I dont see it. Wise is at an angle that if he spit at johnson it looks it would have hit Johnson in the back of his head, not his face. Unless it happened just before that and Wise slyly did it without really moving his body much (like his head didnt move like someone spitting). But itll be interesting to see what happens.

If the PSAC is going to suspend the #3 scorer on UPJ, can they possibly do it before Wednesday ? You know swift justice and all that.... absolutely no other reason.