PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

PSAC Tournament - Round 2

Wednesday



California at IUP - The Crimson Hawks swept the season series, taking control of both games in the second half. The Vulcans jumped out to double digit leads in both contests. Unlike the first game in Indiana, fans will be in attendance tomorrow night. The KCAC crowd and Danny Sancomb should be a good mix. Should be another good one. The teams match-up well.

West Chester at Millersville - Both regular season games were tight. The Marauders won on the road by a single point, and last week won at home by 12. West Chester has to win the tournament to make the NCAA field.

UPJ at Mercyhurst - If Superman's Kryptonite exists for the usually-potent UPJ offense, it's in the form of Mercyhurst. The Lakers have clobbered the high-scoring Mountain Cats in both meetings -- holding UPJ to just 60 and 58 points. Mercyhurst won both meetings -- the first by 29 (in Erie) and the latter by 12. Like UPJ, Mercyhurst also plays 4 guards and 1 small forward, so it takes away the guard-on-big match-up UPJ likes to exploit.

Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg - This could be (likely) a loser-goes-home game. ESU has just 7 losses but hasn't appeared in either of the first two official Regional Rankings releases. Shippensburg fell out of the second RR rankings and a loss tomorrow would be No. 9 -- a death sentence in a very crowded field. The season series was split, with each team winning on the road.

[Scrub]

PSAC Tournament - Round 2

Wednesday



California at IUP - The Crimson Hawks swept the season series, taking control of both games in the second half. The Vulcans jumped out to double digit leads in both contests. Unlike the first game in Indiana, fans will be in attendance tomorrow night. The KCAC crowd and Danny Sancomb should be a good mix. Should be another good one. The teams match-up well.

West Chester at Millersville - Both regular season games were tight. The Marauders won on the road by a single point, and last week won at home by 12. West Chester has to win the tournament to make the NCAA field.

UPJ at Mercyhurst - If Superman's Kryptonite exists for the usually-potent UPJ offense, it's in the form of Mercyhurst. The Lakers have clobbered the high-scoring Mountain Cats in both meetings -- holding UPJ to just 60 and 58 points. Mercyhurst won both meetings -- the first by 29 (in Erie) and the latter by 12. Like UPJ, Mercyhurst also plays 4 guards and 1 small forward, so it takes away the guard-on-big match-up UPJ likes to exploit.

Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg - This could be (likely) a loser-goes-home game. ESU has just 7 losses but hasn't appeared in either of the first two official Regional Rankings releases. Shippensburg fell out of the second RR rankings and a loss tomorrow would be No. 9 -- a death sentence in a very crowded field. The season series was split, with each team winning on the road.

These are all really juicy matchups. This slate of games is good for the PSAC to showcase the kind of depth of talent present in the league. Should be an exciting Wednesday!

[CALUPA69]

These are all really juicy matchups. This slate of games is good for the PSAC to showcase the kind of depth of talent present in the league. Should be an exciting Wednesday!

It's really what the idea of a conference tournament is all about. The top 8 teams and no last place surprises. If any experts care to step out, I'd be interested in a 1-8 ranking of most to least likely to take home the trophy.

[IUPalum]

It's really what the idea of a conference tournament is all about. The top 8 teams and no last place surprises. If any experts care to step out, I'd be interested in a 1-8 ranking of most to least likely to take home the trophy.

Yikes, rank them... ugh! Cal scares me tomorrow. That team is talented and Alston is a match up nightmare! He was a D1 recruit for a reason. I'm assuming Tomiwa will have the duties of guarding him.

I'll throw this out there:

1) IUP
2) Hurst
3) Cal
4) Ship
5) ESU
6) UPJ
7) Millersville
8) WCU

* UPJ ranked lower b/c I just don't see them beating Hurst. It's a match up nightmare for UPJ.
* Winner of IUP/Cal can win it all.
* Hurst got a nice quarter final match up.
* I'm not sold on Millersville.
* ESU/Ship are hot and cold.
* WCU could beat M-ville tomorrow.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's really what the idea of a conference tournament is all about. The top 8 teams and no last place surprises. If any experts care to step out, I'd be interested in a 1-8 ranking of most to least likely to take home the trophy.

In my opinion, tomorrow night (Cal at IUP) has a title game vibe to it. And, I really have no feeling who will win the game. IUP is rested -- and, at home, but Cal is a tough assignment for them. IUP is healthier now than in the first two games they played. It is my thought the winner of the Cal at IUP game will cut down the nets on Sunday.

To play along with your question:

1. IUP - The Crimson Hawks are very tough to beat at the KCAC -- where they'll stay the rest of the week until they lose. The return of a healthy Tommy Demogerontas is certainly a big boost. But, Cal is probably the worst match-up they could have got in Round 2. A three-peat will not be easy. But, until knocked off, IUP is the favorite. The KCAC crowd can really take a toll on visitors -- and, unlike the regional, students are on campus. That said, IUP MUST figure out a way to survive the first 10 minutes and the Vulcans' burst. Sooner or later, there won't be a big comeback after getting stomped for the opening 10 minutes -- which, has happened to IUP against Cal in 3 of the past 4 meetings.

2. California - The Vulcans aren't overly deep, but have an incredibly tough starting lineup. The league also hasn't seen a big man like Philip Alston in a very long time. Add to it an elite point guard along with a strong supporting cast. The fear is they've played a ton of games in the past 3 weeks. They'll also be on the road from here out where the crowd won't give them any extra juice. Cal played an emotional game last night and lost an emotional game Saturday. It's tough to get up every night. But, the Vulcans have the talent to win the whole thing. Brent Pegram has had issues with the KCAC crowd in the past. He'll need to stay focused for Cal to win.

3. East Stroudsburg - The Warriors are deep and pose many problems to opponents. The West teams don't press much -- or, see the press very often. They also have numerous scoring options.

4. Mercyhurst - This isn't quite the Lakers team we've seen the past couple years -- largely because this version doesn't have the elite big men inside. But, they are 23-5 for a reason. They were swept by both Cal and IUP this year, although they were in most of those games.

5. Millersville - Marauders get the 5 spot but it's close. Millersville got pounded by three of the top West teams this year. Granted, that was in December. They've also been a bit sporadic. But, when they're on, they are dangerous. Nice mix of speed and size. Big, skilled guards. Nice big man inside.

6. UPJ - The Mountain Cats got beat up by Shippensburg earlier this year, but that was with Luke Nedrow. UPJ has struggled down the stretch, but has an elite PG and a dominant small forward. The supporting cast is strong -- albeit a short bench. Well-coached. Very fundamentally strong.

7. Shippensburg - With Nedrow, a case could be made Ship could be the favorite. Without him, however, the bench is very short. Any foul trouble will cause a major issue against the better teams. And, now, all these teams are good. The Red Raiders will still be a very tough out, but the depth makes it hard to place them ahead of any of the others. If they can stay clean, Ship could likely play with any team remaining.

8. West Chester - The Rams are young but getting more experienced by the game. This is a well-coached team with nice size and athletes. But, how will a young team perform, on the road, under the bright lights?

[Ship69]

2. California - The Vulcans aren't overly deep, but have an incredibly tough starting lineup. The league also hasn't seen a big man like Philip Alston in a very long time. Add to it an elite point guard along with a strong supporting cast. The fear is they've played a ton of games in the past 3 weeks. They'll also be on the road from here out where the crowd won't give them any extra juice. Cal played an emotional game last night and lost an emotional game Saturday. It's tough to get up every night. But, the Vulcans have the talent to win the whole thing. Brent Pegram has had issues with the KCAC crowd in the past. He'll need to stay focused for Cal to win.

Alston is very good, but what I took away from that game when Ship played them is that Ship shot horribly (35 percent from the game and 17 percent from three-point range), didn't have Biss, and still damn near won. It's sometimes amazing how differently things work out after the semester break. Ship is playing well over the past week, but certainly can't argue with the fact that the short bench is a big problem, especially against what might be the PSAC's deepest team in East Stroud. Mike Dunn did give them some nice minutes on Monday.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The fun's over in the gambling world. There's no more easy ones. March is a dangerous time to bet college basketball -- lots of weird things happen. But, the show goes on. Best of luck to you degenerates.

Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - The theory of it being hard to beat a good team three times in one season will be put to the test in Erie tonight. The Mountain Cats' last visit to the MAC was ugly ... UPJ left town with a 29-point beatdown. The second meeting was closer, but the Lakers got a 12-point win in Johnstown. The question looming large is can UPJ's usually high-scoring attack actually score on Mercyhurst? The Lakers have held the Mountains Cats to just 61 and 58 points this year -- quite the feat considering UPJ averages nearly 80 points per game. In fact, UPJ has lost 6 of is past 7 meetings with Mercyhurst -- including the past 5. The item UPJ has used to its advantage all year is playing a four-guard lineup -- forcing an opposing post player to cover one of their quick guards. This doesn't work against the Lakers. For starters, they never come out of the match-up zone. Secondly, they also play four guards. Mercyhurst's lack of post players isn't nearly as exposed against the smaller UPJ lineup. Tonight is also the third time the Lakers get UPJ at a good time. The first two meetings the Mountain Cats were coming off hangover-type games. This time -- while UPJ won Monday after losing Saturday -- the Lakers had a bye for rest and prep. On the road ... a rested opponent ... likely shaky confidence in the MAC ... it all adds up to a Mercyhurst win. Lakers -6

West Chester at Millersville - The Marauders swept the season series -- barely. The untold stat tonight may be how each team plays depending on the venue. Millersville is 14-2 at home this year. West Chester is just 6-7 on the road. This is also a roster the Marauders built up for ... senior-laden, experienced. West Chester is largely in a youth movement. That said, these aren't the Rams we saw in November or December. They've been through some battles now. March is different, however. While West Chester does match-up well with Millersville, how will the young Rams handle the pressure of a one-and-done -- on the road? It will be tight. But, the experience -- and home-court advantage -- will make the difference for Millersville. The Marauders have won 3 of the past 4 meetings. They'll win again tonight. The 'Ville -7

California at IUP - Joe Lombardi's team has had absolutely no answer for the Vulcans in the first 10 minutes in three of the past four meetings. California has stormed out to leads of 22, 18 and 16 -- and, somehow, blown all of them. Conversely, California has had no answer for IUP in the second half of each game. For IUP to win tonight -- in what would be its 17th straight in the series -- it has to start better. Huge comebacks don't last forever. They have to avoid the need to make a huge comeback. For the Vulcans to win, they have to play a complete 40 minutes. The Crimson Hawks are very persistent -- and keep coming and coming on both ends. The KCAC crowd is also a factor in big games. It will be loud in there tonight. The starting units match up very well. Neither will have a very deep bench tonight. While the Vulcans have the elite Philip Alston underneath, IUP is deeper overall under the basket. Guard play is fairly even. This will be Cal's 9th game in 19 days. The Vulcans are 2-2 in their past four games -- winning every other. IUP had Monday off. That extra day of rest should make the difference -- but not by much. IUP is favored until it loses -- especially at home. Crimson Hawks -3

Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg - When Shippensburg had a full roster, it lost to East Stroudsburg in a low-scoring, grind-it-out battle, 59-54. However, without starting big man Luke Nedrow, the Red Raiders won the second game, 72-58 -- playing with a smaller, faster lineup. The telling stat in the series is the Raiders held the Warriors under 60 points in both games. Each team won on the road. The venue tonight shouldn't play much of a factor. Shippensburg seems to enjoy playing in hostile environments. The huge concern for the Raiders is obviously depth. They don't have much -- and ESU has a ton. Playing (basically) iron man against a 40-minute press is a daunting task. Any foul trouble will likely spell doom for Shippensburg. There's also more than a trip out West on the line tonight. The losers' season may be over. Tough game to pick (the last 10 meetings ... the series is 5-5), but the home team -- especially in a loud, crowded gym -- typically gets more whistles go its way. Warriors squeak out a close one. ESU -1

[IUPalum]

Attack the paint tonight every way they can! Get Alston, Pegrem, etc. in foul trouble!

[CALUPA69]

The fun's over in the gambling world. There's no more easy ones. March is a dangerous time to bet college basketball -- lots of weird things happen. But, the show goes on. Best of luck to you degenerates.

Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - The theory of it being hard to beat a good team three times in one season will be put to the test in Erie tonight. The Mountain Cats' last visit to the MAC was ugly ... UPJ left town with a 29-point beatdown. The second meeting was closer, but the Lakers got a 12-point win in Johnstown. The question looming large is can UPJ's usually high-scoring attack actually score on Mercyhurst? The Lakers have held the Mountains Cats to just 61 and 58 points this year -- quite the feat considering UPJ averages nearly 80 points per game. In fact, UPJ has lost 6 of is past 7 meetings with Mercyhurst -- including the past 5. The item UPJ has used to its advantage all year is playing a four-guard lineup -- forcing an opposing post player to cover one of their quick guards. This doesn't work against the Lakers. For starters, they never come out of the match-up zone. Secondly, they also play four guards. Mercyhurst's lack of post players isn't nearly as exposed against the smaller UPJ lineup. Tonight is also the third time the Lakers get UPJ at a good time. The first two meetings the Mountain Cats were coming off hangover-type games. This time -- while UPJ won Monday after losing Saturday -- the Lakers had a bye for rest and prep. On the road ... a rested opponent ... likely shaky confidence in the MAC ... it all adds up to a Mercyhurst win. Lakers -6

West Chester at Millersville - The Marauders swept the season series -- barely. The untold stat tonight may be how each team plays depending on the venue. Millersville is 14-2 at home this year. West Chester is just 6-7 on the road. This is also a roster the Marauders built up for ... senior-laden, experienced. West Chester is largely in a youth movement. That said, these aren't the Rams we saw in November or December. They've been through some battles now. March is different, however. While West Chester does match-up well with Millersville, how will the young Rams handle the pressure of a one-and-done -- on the road? It will be tight. But, the experience -- and home-court advantage -- will make the difference for Millersville. The Marauders have won 3 of the past 4 meetings. They'll win again tonight. The 'Ville -7

California at IUP - Joe Lombardi's team has had absolutely no answer for the Vulcans in the first 10 minutes in three of the past four meetings. California has stormed out to leads of 22, 18 and 16 -- and, somehow, blown all of them. Conversely, California has had no answer for IUP in the second half of each game. For IUP to win tonight -- in what would be its 17th straight in the series -- it has to start better. Huge comebacks don't last forever. They have to avoid the need to make a huge comeback. For the Vulcans to win, they have to play a complete 40 minutes. The Crimson Hawks are very persistent -- and keep coming and coming on both ends. The KCAC crowd is also a factor in big games. It will be loud in there tonight. The starting units match up very well. Neither will have a very deep bench tonight. While the Vulcans have the elite Philip Alston underneath, IUP is deeper overall under the basket. Guard play is fairly even. This will be Cal's 9th game in 19 days. The Vulcans are 2-2 in their past four games -- winning every other. IUP had Monday off. That extra day of rest should make the difference -- but not by much. IUP is favored until it loses -- especially at home. Crimson Hawks -3

Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg - When Shippensburg had a full roster, it lost to East Stroudsburg in a low-scoring, grind-it-out battle, 59-54. However, without starting big man Luke Nedrow, the Red Raiders won the second game, 72-58 -- playing with a smaller, faster lineup. The telling stat in the series is the Raiders held the Warriors under 60 points in both games. Each team won on the road. The venue tonight shouldn't play much of a factor. Shippensburg seems to enjoy playing in hostile environments. The huge concern for the Raiders is obviously depth. They don't have much -- and ESU has a ton. Playing (basically) iron man against a 40-minute press is a daunting task. Any foul trouble will likely spell doom for Shippensburg. There's also more than a trip out West on the line tonight. The losers' season may be over. Tough game to pick (the last 10 meetings ... the series is 5-5), but the home team -- especially in a loud, crowded gym -- typically gets more whistles go its way. Warriors squeak out a close one. ESU -1

As much as I'll be rooting for my VULCANS I can't see this talented but undisciplined team pulling off the upset. The 2-2 record you mention, all critical games, were played basically with one guard. PB scored SRU-6, HURST-2, GAN-5 and 2SRU-7. The two loses were by 10 pts total. Anything close to his 11.4 average and Monday might have been an off night. He did score 16 and 11 versus the C'HAWKS this year but lack of offense wasn't the issue in either of those games. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm satisfied with this season's progress but the TP will tell the real story not the post season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As much as I'll be rooting for my VULCANS I can't see this talented but undisciplined team pulling off the upset. The 2-2 record you mention, all critical games, were played basically with one guard. PB scored SRU-6, HURST-2, GAN-5 and 2SRU-7. The two loses were by 10 pts total. Anything close to his 11.4 average and Monday might have been an off night. He did score 16 and 11 versus the C'HAWKS this year but lack of offense wasn't the issue in either of those games. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm satisfied with this season's progress but the TP will tell the real story not the post season.

Scary thing is both of these teams have played without one of their superstars. Could you imagine this game if both had full rosters?

Throw in Jermaine Hall for Cal and Shawndale Jones for IUP. Good Lord.


This is Round 3. There could be a Round 4, too.

[CALUPA69]

Scary thing is both of these teams have played without one of their superstars. Could you imagine this game if both had full rosters?

Throw in Jermaine Hall for Cal and Shawndale Jones for IUP. Good Lord.


This is Round 3. There could be a Round 4, too.

Hope so...at the very least VULCANS MBB is back in the discussion after a decade in the wilderness !!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mercyhurst over UPJ.

Millersville pounded West Chester


Ship in control.

[Golden89]

Gannon ladies use big second half to knock off UPJ by 26. Was a lot closer most of the way. Likely needed that game and may need one more of a surprise or two happens in conference tournaments.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The major awards were announced.


IUP's Armoni Foster was named PSAC West Athlete of the Year.

IUP's Joe Lombardi named PSAC West Coach of the Year.

IUP's Tomiwa Sulaiman named PSAC West Freshman of the Year.

UPJ's John Paul Kromka named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year

[IUPalum]

The major awards were announced.


IUP's Armoni Foster was named PSAC West Athlete of the Year.

IUP's Joe Lombardi named PSAC West Coach of the Year.

IUP's Tomiwa Sulaiman named PSAC West Freshman of the Year.

UPJ's John Paul Kromka named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year

Guess they didn't want the IUP clean sweep!