PSAC WEST

[Ship69]

I'd guess we'll see several Lock Haven 'upsets' this year. On a given night they can be pretty tough. Nice roster.

They weren't all that bad last year. At this point, they certainly would be favored over Ship when we play them. The LH coach is a Ship alum and usually gives his alma mater a tough game. Lock Haven and West Chester prevented East Stroud from winning the East last season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated Men's Standings

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TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
California	6-1	12-1	W1
IUP	5-1	8-4	W1
Gannon	5-2	11-2	L1
Seton Hill	4-3	9-4	W1
Mercyhurst	4-3	8-7	W2
Clarion	3-4	5-8	L3
Pitt-Johnstown	3-4	5-8	L1
Slippery Rock	3-4	4-8	L1
Edinboro	2-5	3-10	W1

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Wednesday's West Action:

Mercyhurst at IUP

Clarion at Pitt-Johnstown

Gannon at Edinboro

Seton Hill at California

Slippery Rock - IDLE

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Women's race is going to be crazy this year. Teams 1-7 are all strong.

Updated Standings:

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TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Gannon	7-0	15-1	W12
Mercyhurst	7-0	11-2	W11
Edinboro	6-1	8-4	W6
IUP	5-1	9-2	W5
California	4-3	9-4	L1
Pitt-Johnstown	4-3	9-4	L1
Seton Hill	4-3	7-6	W1
Slippery Rock	1-6	1-9	L3
Clarion	0-7	0-13	L13

[WarriorVoice]

Props to Cal for their win over Gannon. The Knights looked like the ones missing players...

[Ship69]

Props to Cal for their win over Gannon. The Knights looked like the ones missing players...

Cal's small lineup was very quick, beating Gannon down the court on numerous occasions. When you're a pressing team that's slower than the team you're trying to press, you're going to be in hot water if they break you. And the Vulcans have some excellent shooters such as McClurg who'll punish you if you give them open looks. Despite their platooning, it was actually Gannon who looked like the more sluggish team at teams.

As others have said, watch out if California ever gets up to full strength.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Rock down, 37,-33, to D&E at half.

Odd to play the same team twice in non-conference but nonetheless.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Rock 78
D&E 76

Final

[Fightingscot82]

Rock down, 37,-33, to D&E at half.

Odd to play the same team twice in non-conference but nonetheless.

I was told somewhere it was a replacement game. I think AB was scheduled?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Big Wednesday on tap tomorrow. Not a fantastic lineup, but there are some intriguing games.


Goldey-Beacon at East Stroudsburg - This 'could' be an interesting game. I say 'could' because Goldey-Beacon seems to show up some nights (nearly upsetting St. Thomas Aquinas and Daemen) but other nights looks pretty bad (getting blown out by Lock Haven). The Warriors are rolling and rarely lose at home. They won't lose tomorrow, either. ESU -14.5

Shepherd at West Chester - Both teams need a session with Dr. Phil prior to tip-off. West Chester obviously followed up its impressive win at California by losing to Lock Haven. Shepherd, despite some early strong showings, has been blown out of the gym its past two games. Somebody in the East is going to catch the Shepherd revival night -- when they hit treys all night and look incredible. Will it be on the road tomorrow night? Not likely. West Chester looked hungover against Lock Haven -- or, perhaps, got caught feeling a bit too good about itself. Look for a re-focused WCU to drop yet another pounding on Shepherd. (WCU) Rams -12.5

Mercyhurst at IUP - For the better part of the last decade, this was the game of the year in the West -- always heated and always close. It doesn't seem like it on the surface, but IUP has largely owned the rivalry. The Lakers, however, won on some real big stages. This next chapter will be the first rematch of the '22-'23 PSAC Championship. However, neither team remotely looks (or plays) the same. The headliner could have been Pipeloluwa Ajayi vs Tomiwa Sulaiman. They are both long gone. What's left is much different. This version likely doesn't have West title implications on the line but it should be entertaining as always. IUP is decimated with injuries and 'other' things. Mercyhurst is exceptionally young but still has a tough starting unit. Can IUP's mid-year import Bryce Radford light it up again tomorrow? If he can't, IUP could be in trouble. The Lakers are playing well of late, and their 8-7 record is fairly deceiving. What's left of IUP isn't great, but isn't all that bad, either. Almost a coin-toss game. Almost. Mercyhurst -1.5. EDIT: With Garvin, IUP -3.5

Clarion at Pitt-Johnstown - Every time it looks like the Golden Eagles are about to break out, well, they don't. Fresh off a mild upset loss at Edinboro, Clarion now travels to Johnstown. As Shippensburg recently found out, that is never an easy gym to play inside. The Mountain Cats almost always play exceptionally well at home. Granted, this isn't a typical UPJ team. They are an extremely young bunch. Clarion will have a massive size advantage, but the Golden Eagles' offense is extremely sporadic. Nobody asked me, but it seems if Clarion would pound the ball instead of playing Steph Curry all night, it may win some more games. On paper, Clarion is the better, bigger and deeper team. In Johnstown, however, take the home team. UPJ will picket fence and backdoor them to a slow death. UPJ -6.5

Lock Haven at Kutztown - The Golden Bears have lost 12 straight -- most by lopsided scores. The Bald Eagles have won three in a row -- including a big win against West Chester. Look for Lock Haven to win this one by halftime. Bald Eagles -18.5

Bloomsburg at Mansfield - These Huskies are a funny bunch. When interested, they can play. When disinterested, they get blown out of the building. The same can be said for Mansfield. This is going to be a busy night for the zebra crew. Both teams have some hot heads. It may not seem like it now, but this is a HUGE game for both teams in their attempt to make the PSAC Tournament. Bloomsburg looked incredible against Shippensburg -- right up until it didn't. The Huskies were completetly lost once the Raiders turned on the press. Will Mansfield follow suit? Mounties -2.5

Gannon at Edinboro - The Golden Knights looked all out of sorts this past Saturday. California, short-handed or not, sliced and diced that full-court press. The Vulcans shot 70% against Gannon's defense and put on a dunk show for the ages. Unfortunately for the McComb faithful, the Scots are going to pay the price. Edinboro is playing better by the week and it's very clear they are well-coached. But, that's only going to go so far tomorrow. The Scots don't have near the firepower California has, and this one should get fairly ugly. GU has far too much depth. Gannon -18.5

Seton Hill at California - By definition, this has the makings of a huge trap game down in Angelo's Dome. The Griffins aren't a pushover. Seton Hill has a fairly deep roster with nice size and good shooters. They've also been a bit of a thorn to Cal the past several years with many hard-fought, tight games. The Vulcans are heavily favored in this one, but, it could be closer than many think. California -9.5

Millersville at Shippensburg - In Ship's last game, the Raiders looked horrendous for the first 31 minutes -- and like world-beaters in the last 9 minutes. Perhaps Chris Fite discovered something with that full-court press. The bad news is Millersville isn't Bloomsburg. The Marauders are red hot of late, highlighted by a blowout of then-undefeated Gannon. The Raiders are pretty tough at home, but the 'Ville has a little too much. Millersville -8.5


With the news of Garvin Clarke's return, the spread flipped to IUP -3.5

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The grind continues. Tough year so far picking spreads -- missed just the UPJ game on Wednesday. Clarion got a big road win in Johnstown. Some of these games tomorrow could get PPD due to weather, but, as of now, they are all on. Happy gambling, you degenerates.


Bloomsburg at Millersville - A no-brainer on paper, right? Straight up, perhaps. Millersville is a heavy favorite. However, Bloomsburg is quietly playing fairly well of late. The Huskies are fresh off an OT loss to a decent Mansfield team. The question with this 3-11 Bloomsburg team is which version of it shows up? The Huskies could easily have 2-3 more wins right now. The Marauders are tough at home and have won three straight. No question Millersville is the better team, but the 'junk' defenses Bloom runs - along with some 'feisty' play - can cause issues. This shoud also be a good match-up for Jake Nelson. Take the Marauders to win, but those pesky Huskies could make betting the spread interesting. I keep saying, when engaged, the Huskies aren't bad. 'Ville -9.5

East Stroudsburg at West Chester - It's a shame this game is played over the endless winter break. The faster the game, the better West Chester plays. The Rams get flustered in a slower pace. ESU loves to push the tempo but can also play a half-court game (if needed). Betting on West Chester would drive most gamblers insane. At times, the Rams can be very, very good. West Chester is also coming off a total dud against Lock Haven. Look for a big bounce back, but the Warriors will have just enough. Expect a thriller. ESU -1.5

Shippensburg at Kutztown - This young Raiders team is getting better -- but struggling to put a full 40 minutes together. In stretches, they can play very well (offensively, at least). Kutztown is (amazingly) on a 13-game skid. However, the Golden Bears have shown some life of late. All those true freshmen are aging a bit. Trial by fire. Ship is as sporadic as a team can be, but should have enough to win here fairly comfortably. Raiders -8.5

Mansfield at Shepherd - The Mounties should be much better than 5-8. Shepherd, ironically, should also be much better than 5-8. Something is going to give here. The Rams are in the midst of a 3-game skid. Mansfield has won its past two games. Both teams have some star players -- and a bunch of other role players. This is as close to a 'Pick 'Em' as you can get. Shepherd is due. Rams win. Barely. Shepherd -2.5

Seton Hill at Clarion - The Golden Eagles are fresh off a nice win in Johnstown. Seton Hill gave California a decent tussle. Both are better than people think. Clarion is literally a couple buckets from 6-8 being 9-5. Another tough one to pick. The Griffins are deeper, but are dealing with some injury issues. Mild upset of the weekend. Take the Golden Eagles inside Tippin. Clarion -2.5

Pitt-Johnstown at Edinboro - This is one of those games that doesn't seem like much, but it will go a LONG way in determining the final conference tournament spots. Both are coming off a loss. UPJ, despite its youth, plays pretty well at times. However, it also plays pretty shaky at other times. The Scots aren't racking up wins but it's clear they are getting better by the week. Flip a coin. UPJ -1.5

IUP at Gannon - IUP has went from 1-3 to red hot to dead to red hot again -- and it's only game 14. It's been quite the dramatic season for Redshirt Joe and Company. Gannon looked unbeatable right up until it didn't. This isn't a good match-up for IUP for obvious (depth) reasons. However, Garvin Clarke's return certainly helps. Joe's bench is non-existant. That will be a problem tomorrow. Gannon is going to cause IUP a lot of problems. That said, IUP's size is going to cause the Knights issues. End of the day, it's going to be hard to beat the Knights on the road playing 6 guys. Gannon -8.5

California at Slippery Rock - At 5-8, SRU is by far the most dissapointing team in the league. There's far too much talent on the roster to have that record. The biggest question entering the season was if Ian Grady could get all his imports to mesh with his returning players. Stats are facts. To this point, he hasn't done a good job. The Vulcans are a wounded animal. They keep winning (including pounding Gannon), but played just (6) guys on Wednesday night (total). SRU can be very tricky inside Morrow -- and I don't just mean the scoreboard malfunctions, etc. Grady has had success against Danny. Cal will win tomororw -- but, don't be shocked if this is a war. Vulcans -9.5

Mercyhurst - IDLE (that had to be one fun bus ride home from Indiana ... Gary was one step away from going full-on Jack in The Shining).

[Bart]

[
Bloomsburg at Mansfield - These Huskies are a funny bunch. When interested, they can play. When disinterested, they get blown out of the building. The same can be said for Mansfield. This is going to be a busy night for the zebra crew. Both teams have some hot heads. It may not seem like it now, but this is a HUGE game for both teams in their attempt to make the PSAC Tournament. Bloomsburg looked incredible against Shippensburg -- right up until it didn't. The Huskies were completetly lost once the Raiders turned on the press. Will Mansfield follow suit? Mounties -2.5

Bloom also looked good against the Mounties. Huskies pulled ahead 55-37 with just under 14 minutes to play. The Mounties overcame an 18-point deficit to tie the contest with 6:44 to play and won it in OT.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

SRU hammered Cal

Vulcans need some dudes back ASAP

[IUPbigINDIANS]

On paper, this should be a fairly easy night to pick straight winners. There are a couple tough ones. As always, the spreads seperate the men from the boys. Happy gambling, you degenerates.



Gannon at Slippery Rock - The Rock is fresh off the biggest upset of the season thus far -- blasting California this past Saturday inside Morrow Field House. Was that finally the moment a very talented SRU roster came together? Perhaps. Or, was it purely a matter of the Vulcans having so few players healthy? My guess would be a little bit of both. Regardless, SRU is going to face a whole lot more than a half dozen tonight. Gannon has been feast or famine the past several weeks. When the Knights are on, they are really on. However, as Millersville and California showed us, they are far from unbeatable. The Rock has the size and athletes to hang around tonight, but does it have the discipline? This will also be the first extensive full-court pressure SRU has seen this year. Gannon creates lots of adversity. Can SRU handle it? There's also the Ike Herster factor. Some strange stuff happens in Morrow (some of it by design). But, look for Gannon to drop the hammer tonight. GU -17.5

IUP at Pitt-Johnstown - Typically one of the bigger West games of the year, well, this edition isn't. In fact, the women's game is actually the main event tonight. IUP is fresh off its worst beating in years. The Hawks went to Erie totally unprepared, lethargic and looked terrible in all facets of the game. UPJ is fresh off a loss at Edinboro in which the Mountain Cats gave up a whopping 100 points. This game tonight is a scorebook keepers' dream. It's likely to be 6 on 6 for most of the night. IUP has to exploit the true freshmen duo UPJ has under the basket. The Mountain Cats' guards can get really hot from outside -- espeically in Johnstown. IUP went from playing a team going 110 mph to a team tonight that plays even slower than Joe Lombardi's signature pace. As with all young teams, UPJ has been very sporadic -- good some nights and not so good others. Bob Rukavina has a magical way of roping Lombardi in to a picket fence party -- rather than IUP pushing the pace. This may be the toughest game on the board to pick. IUP can look great in stretches -- and horrible in others. Crimson Hawks escape. Barely. IUP -3.5

California at Clarion - Could a trap be waiting inside famous Tippin Gymnasium tonight? Clarion has been tremendously inconsistent this season. That said, the Golden Eagles have the size and athletes to hang around against the hobbled Vulcans. Clarion must control the tempo tonight to have a shot. Expect this to be closer than what the standings would imply. California is a hard team to read right now because its injury list grows by the week. Vulcans -7.5

West Chester at Kutztown - The Golden Bears snapped a long losing streak with a big win against rival Shippensburg this past weekend. Tonight, however, a very talented (yet inconsistent) West Chester visits. You never want the Rams coming off a loss, and tonight KU likely pays the price. WCU -15.5

Edinboro at Mercyhurst - For years, this would have been considered an easy bet -- just being a matter of how big the spread was going to be. Not so much this year. The Lakers are a very odd 8-8, and looked bad in their last outing (at IUP). Edinboro is trending up despite its 4-11 record. The Scots just beat a decent UPJ team, 100-95, and have lost some close games the past several weeks against quality opponents. One key factor tonight, however, is Mercyhurst has had a week to prepare. Gary Manchel is probably the best X's and O's coach in the league. This will also be the first game in the tight confines of the MAC for many of Edinboro's players. Lakers win -- but it will be a tight one. Mercyhurst -7.5

Lock Haven at East Stroudsburg - The Bald Eagles are hot - winners of four straight. However, those four wins came by a combined 17 points. Wins are wins. No style points. But, tonight is a much different animal across the court. The Warriors are very tough at home, and will have too much quality depth for the Bald Eagles. Expect a close game for a half or so, but ESU pulls away in the second half. Warriors -12.5

Shepherd at Millersville - The Marauders are an impressive 11-3 to this point. Shepherd is a dissapoinnting 6-8. Naturally, this is the type of game the Rams are famous for winning. Shepherd isn't deep, but when it can control the tempo, can be a nasty bunch. Don't be shocked by an upset, but look for the 'Ville to get it done. Millersville -9.5

Mansfield at Shippensburg - This is one of those big ones for teams on the conference tournament bubble. Shippensburg has some health issues - in particular to its top players. With their status unknown, the Mounties are the road favorite tonight. Mansfield is a scrappy bunch -- physical underneath and can (at times) shoot well. They also turn up the D on occasion. It would be nice to know who is active tonight, but assuming Ship could be short-handed, take Mansfield. Mounties -6.5

[Ship69]

On paper, this should be a fairly easy night to pick straight winners. There are a couple tough ones. As always, the spreads seperate the men from the boys. Happy gambling, you degenerates.



Gannon at Slippery Rock - The Rock is fresh off the biggest upset of the season thus far -- blasting California this past Saturday inside Morrow Field House. Was that finally the moment a very talented SRU roster came together? Perhaps. Or, was it purely a matter of the Vulcans having so few players healthy? My guess would be a little bit of both. Regardless, SRU is going to face a whole lot more than a half dozen tonight. Gannon has been feast or famine the past several weeks. When the Knights are on, they are really on. However, as Millersville and California showed us, they are far from unbeatable. The Rock has the size and athletes to hang around tonight, but does it have the discipline? This will also be the first extensive full-court pressure SRU has seen this year. Gannon creates lots of adversity. Can SRU handle it? There's also the Ike Herster factor. Some strange stuff happens in Morrow (some of it by design). But, look for Gannon to drop the hammer tonight. GU -17.5

IUP at Pitt-Johnstown - Typically one of the bigger West games of the year, well, this edition isn't. In fact, the women's game is actually the main event tonight. IUP is fresh off its worst beating in years. The Hawks went to Erie totally unprepared, lethargic and looked terrible in all facets of the game. UPJ is fresh off a loss at Edinboro in which the Mountain Cats gave up a whopping 100 points. This game tonight is a scorebook keepers' dream. It's likely to be 6 on 6 for most of the night. IUP has to exploit the true freshmen duo UPJ has under the basket. The Mountain Cats' guards can get really hot from outside -- espeically in Johnstown. IUP went from playing a team going 110 mph to a team tonight that plays even slower than Joe Lombardi's signature pace. As with all young teams, UPJ has been very sporadic -- good some nights and not so good others. Bob Rukavina has a magical way of roping Lombardi in to a picket fence party -- rather than IUP pushing the pace. This may be the toughest game on the board to pick. IUP can look great in stretches -- and horrible in others. Crimson Hawks escape. Barely. IUP -3.5

California at Clarion - Could a trap be waiting inside famous Tippin Gymnasium tonight? Clarion has been tremendously inconsistent this season. That said, the Golden Eagles have the size and athletes to hang around against the hobbled Vulcans. Clarion must control the tempo tonight to have a shot. Expect this to be closer than what the standings would imply. California is a hard team to read right now because its injury list grows by the week. Vulcans -7.5

West Chester at Kutztown - The Golden Bears snapped a long losing streak with a big win against rival Shippensburg this past weekend. Tonight, however, a very talented (yet inconsistent) West Chester visits. You never want the Rams coming off a loss, and tonight KU likely pays the price. WCU -15.5

Edinboro at Mercyhurst - For years, this would have been considered an easy bet -- just being a matter of how big the spread was going to be. Not so much this year. The Lakers are a very odd 8-8, and looked bad in their last outing (at IUP). Edinboro is trending up despite its 4-11 record. The Scots just beat a decent UPJ team, 100-95, and have lost some close games the past several weeks against quality opponents. One key factor tonight, however, is Mercyhurst has had a week to prepare. Gary Manchel is probably the best X's and O's coach in the league. This will also be the first game in the tight confines of the MAC for many of Edinboro's players. Lakers win -- but it will be a tight one. Mercyhurst -7.5

Lock Haven at East Stroudsburg - The Bald Eagles are hot - winners of four straight. However, those four wins came by a combined 17 points. Wins are wins. No style points. But, tonight is a much different animal across the court. The Warriors are very tough at home, and will have too much quality depth for the Bald Eagles. Expect a close game for a half or so, but ESU pulls away in the second half. Warriors -12.5

Shepherd at Millersville - The Marauders are an impressive 11-3 to this point. Shepherd is a dissapoinnting 6-8. Naturally, this is the type of game the Rams are famous for winning. Shepherd isn't deep, but when it can control the tempo, can be a nasty bunch. Don't be shocked by an upset, but look for the 'Ville to get it done. Millersville -9.5

Mansfield at Shippensburg - This is one of those big ones for teams on the conference tournament bubble. Shippensburg has some health issues - in particular to its top players. With their status unknown, the Mounties are the road favorite tonight. Mansfield is a scrappy bunch -- physical underneath and can (at times) shoot well. They also turn up the D on occasion. It would be nice to know who is active tonight, but assuming Ship could be short-handed, take Mansfield. Mounties -6.5

Not sure that Ship's problems aren't more related to the fact that the team hasn't been gelling than to physical issues. Will be interesting to see who plays tonight and for how long.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Rock and Gannon going to OT

Rock has serious foul issues.