PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

OT is rarely close but that is extreme.

Gannon loss is perplexing.

Re: PSAC WEST

And Gannon lost 74-70 to SHU. SHU was 10/19 on threes against the team going into the game with the stingiest three-point defense. Tough place to play, but you gotta get these wins for an NCAA bid.

UPJ tied it at 72 at the buzzer, but Edinboro won the third set 15-love for an unusual 87-72 OT win.

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

IUP beat Slippery Rock

And Gannon lost 74-70 to SHU. SHU was 10/19 on threes against the team going into the game with the stingiest three-point defense. Tough place to play, but you gotta get these wins for an NCAA bid.

UPJ tied it at 72 at the buzzer, but Edinboro won the third set 15-love for an unusual 87-72 OT win.

[IUPalum]

Re: PSAC WEST

Gannon leads Seton Hill 68-67 with 3:18 to go.
Slippery Rock leads IUP 56-54 with 8:00 left.
Edinboro and IUP tied at 66 with 3:59 left.

Tension all over the west.

IUP beat Slippery Rock

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

Gannon leads Seton Hill 68-67 with 3:18 to go.
Slippery Rock leads IUP 56-54 with 8:00 left.
Edinboro and IUP tied at 66 with 3:59 left.

Tension all over the west.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

My 'unbiased' take on tonight's 'biggest game in the history of Slippery Rock':


For IUP to win:

* Most importantly ... dictate the pace. Joe's had a bad habit over the years of going up there and trying to beat them at their own game. That's why he's 6-6 in Morrow. He's not built to play the Wrestlemania style, ground-and-pound. The faster he can push it the better. Slippery Rock tried to run with him in Round 1 and ran out of gas early in the second half. Micah Till isn't nearly as effective in a fast-paced game as the minutes wear on.

* Get a solid first 5 minutes. Get the crowd calmed down.

* Avoid the circus. After the first meeting -- and its ugliness -- I'm not sure what to expect from Slippery Rock. Ignore the non-handshakes, and the tough-guy routine. After Reynolds sent his ballboy out last game for player intros ... I wouldn't even go over there.

* Press early and often. SRU struggled mightily against IUP's press -- not only breaking it but then setting up its offense on a shorter shot clock. It also took a physical toll on SRU's big post players.

* Micah Till is going to get his points. Prevent anybody else from having a big night.

* SRU is big but very foul prone on defense. Force the issue inside.

* The Cobo factor. There aren't many 6'9" forwards in D2 with his guard-like skill set. In this type of game, he's not built to bang under the basket. That said, their bigs aren't built to cover him on the perimeter. SRU had a terrible time in the first game when he'd draw out a post player, fake a shot and then drive on him.

* Keep the hammer down. Several times this year IUP has got a nice lead and went full-blown slow-down. It's backfired each time -- including the last SRU game.

* Keep Dante calm. He doesn't need to be Allen Iverson. He's at his best when he's in control. He's also going to be the target tonight among the crowd. Ignore it.

* Anthony Glover smashed SRU for 32 in the first meeting. He's going to draw a lot of attention tonight. The more others can hit shots the faster it will start to free him up.

* SRU Round 1 was really Willem's breakout game at IUP. I don't think Reynolds was expecting it. They'll have to plan for him tonight which should open the perimeter up a bit more.

* SRU is 'sort of' deep but there's a drastic drop in talent from the first 6 guys to the next 3 or 4. The quicker IUP gets in to that bench the better.

* Reynolds is a huge film guy. They aren't going to pay any attention to Blake tonight based on how he's been playing. I've been saying there'd come a night for Blake .... this is it. He's going to get open shots tonight whenever he's in the game ... gotta knock them down.

* SRU is a great team when things are going its way. They mentally imploded at the KCAC when adversity struck. This is a big stage. The lights are bright. IUP has been here before many times. SRU hasn't for a long time. Put that experience to good use. Let them be their own worst enemy.


Long list, I know.

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

Up Next

Wednesday - 1/31/2018


Gannon at Seton Hill -- Interesting side note most won't realize: Seton Hill has taken 3 of the last 4 in this series -- including the past two in Greensburg. Recent history only means so much, however. Times have changed pretty quickly. The Griffins aren't a bad team. They aren't good, but they aren't as bad as their 7-13 record indicates. This is also the sandwich game in between two big ones for Gannon. The Knights got an impressive home win over UPJ this past Saturday and travel to Indiana for the much-anticipated showdown this Saturday night. Gannon is in the midst of a difficult stretch and this, on paper, is the freebie. Could a trap be set in Greensburg? The Griffins are tough, historically, in the McKenna Center, and were playing better prior to the drubbing in Indiana a week ago. If the shots are falling, Seton Hill can keep this close for a bit. Gannon just has too much in this one. Knights pull away in the second half. GU -12

'

I'm worried about this one for all the reasons you list. Last year, SHU came down from 17 down in the second half to win a game that may have ultimately toppled the Knights from the NCAAs. In 2016, SHU won on a three at the buzzer after Gannon changed the defense on the last possession and the confused Griffins passed the ball around the perimeter until having to force up a 24-footer. It's always a tough place to play.

On the women's side, how hilarious would it be if Mercyhurst lost to Clarion?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Up Next

Wednesday - 1/31/2018


Gannon at Seton Hill -- Interesting side note most won't realize: Seton Hill has taken 3 of the last 4 in this series -- including the past two in Greensburg. Recent history only means so much, however. Times have changed pretty quickly. The Griffins aren't a bad team. They aren't good, but they aren't as bad as their 7-13 record indicates. This is also the sandwich game in between two big ones for Gannon. The Knights got an impressive home win over UPJ this past Saturday and travel to Indiana for the much-anticipated showdown this Saturday night. Gannon is in the midst of a difficult stretch and this, on paper, is the freebie. Could a trap be set in Greensburg? The Griffins are tough, historically, in the McKenna Center, and were playing better prior to the drubbing in Indiana a week ago. If the shots are falling, Seton Hill can keep this close for a bit. Gannon just has too much in this one. Knights pull away in the second half. GU -12

Edinboro at UPJ -- It's probably safe to say both teams are out of the West title race, but this is a big one for conference tournament seeding. Nobody is going to want to play the suddenly-hot Mercyhurst Lakers in Round 1. The Fighting Scots held on for a thrilling, 82-78, win in the first match-up in McComb Field House. That was in early January, however. Things have changed a bit. Edinboro is 1-4 since that win. UPJ is 4-1 in its past 5 outings since making the change to a six-man rotation. The Mountain Cats can make it rain in Johnstown -- and hit shots from all over the floor. Despite the recent skid, Edinboro has lost some really tight games. Tough call. The Mountain Cats have won 2 of the past 3 against Edinboro. UPJ -1.5

Meryhurst at Clarion -- The season can't end fast enough for Clarion. It appears likely the Golden Eagles will go winless in conference play. Clarion enters on a 10-game skid -- having been blown out in 8 of them. The Lakers, meanwhile, continue to hover around the .500 mark despite a recent stretch of playing well. Historically, Gary Manchel's teams peak in February as his new players get stronger running his famed Triangle and Two defense. Mercyhurst is going to be a tough out down the stretch. Offensively, Clarion is going to be overwhelmed in this one. Mercyhurst wins big. Lakers -17

Idle: California


IUP at Slippery Rock -- If Round 1 was any indication, hopefully Morrow Field House has added security on hand tomorrow night. Slippery Rock lost to the KCAC crowd in early January -- and IUP. The Rock let the crowd get to them and mentally collapsed. IUP ran out to a 17-point lead mid-way through the second half. Despite the final score (89-85) the game itself wasn't really that close. In the final 30 seconds, IUP was tagged with two technical fouls, fouled a three-point shot and gave up a three at the buzzer. What was a blowout with 60 seconds left suddenly appeared close. Tomorrow night at Morrow, IUP can't count on the crowd taking out its opponent. It has to watch for the opposite effect. The Crimson Hawks will enter what will likely be a hornets' nest of an athmosphere. IUP is 8-2 in its past 10 in the SRU series -- including three straight wins. However, IUP has lost 2 of its past 3 trips to Morrow. The last hyped up meeting in Morrow (2014), Slippery Rock drew 2,780 fans. However, most were gone long before the final buzzer as IUP pulled away for a convincing win. That game is irrelevant now. For SRU to win this game it must hit free throws. History shows you cannot beat Joe Lombardi teams by missing foul shots. For the season, SRU is making just 63 percent. IUP also hung tough on the boards in the first meeting -- a category SRU traditionally dominates. IUP scored 18 points above SRU's average of 71 points per game allowed. One big 'box score' item in the first meeting was the free throw line. IUP hit 30 of 36 at the line while Rock hit 17 of 27. Overall, the game was called evenly (24 fouls to 22). Slippery Rock had a lot of trouble 'cleanly' defending IUP's drives, cuts and post players. Conversely, the key for IUP to win this game is to survive the ambush. The place will be crazy at the start of the game. A quick start will take the crowd out of the game. Slippery Rock also isn't built to overcome big leads. Attack Micah Till. Easier said than done, of course. When he's in foul trouble they are completely different. Tough game to call. IUP's constant passing, press and drives really wore SRU down physcially in the first meeting. They were huffing and puffing in the second half. IUP has a history of winning tough road games. It won't be easy, but they add to the history tomorrow. IUP -2.5

[IUP24]

Nobody likes the villain


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

The 'goon' phrase actually was born due to the Edinboro student announcers constant referral to him as the 'enforcer' ... In hockey the 'enforcers' are the 'goons'. It made the discussion more lively if anything.

Dante actually isn't a big talker. I haven't missed many games in his career. Ayron Hutton is more the talker (their only talker in reality) but nobody ever messes with him. Dante can do some good ... I'll call it 'acting' on a lot of questionable fouls. He's got some 'flop' in him for sure. But, he's actually a pretty quiet player on the floor. I wasn't at Edinboro so I don't know what happened. I was watching the Atari live feed that looked like 1985 fuzzy antenna television.


I will openly admit they have a lot of tendencies that clearly annoy people. The constant huddles after every foul ... slapping the floor like Duke ... Bravado Joe ... there is no doubt a level of arrogance. I think their number one annoyance factor, though, is they just play full-steam for 40 minutes. That's a credit to Joe. For his faults, Dante makes a lot of big, big plays.

Agree with you on all counts. Reminds me of in middle school how everyone but Duke fans hated Christian Laettner.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

The 'goon' phrase actually was born due to the Edinboro student announcers constant referral to him as the 'enforcer' ... In hockey the 'enforcers' are the 'goons'. It made the discussion more lively if anything.

Dante actually isn't a big talker. I haven't missed many games in his career. Ayron Hutton is more the talker (their only talker in reality) but nobody ever messes with him. Dante can do some good ... I'll call it 'acting' on a lot of questionable fouls. He's got some 'flop' in him for sure. But, he's actually a pretty quiet player on the floor. I wasn't at Edinboro so I don't know what happened. I was watching the Atari live feed that looked like 1985 fuzzy antenna television.


I will openly admit they have a lot of tendencies that clearly annoy people. The constant huddles after every foul ... slapping the floor like Duke ... Bravado Joe ... there is no doubt a level of arrogance. I think their number one annoyance factor, though, is they just play full-steam for 40 minutes. That's a credit to Joe. For his faults, Dante makes a lot of big, big plays.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

You guys act like Lombardi's kid isn't a little trash talking twit. Little guys should know that you don't mouth off at the big boys if you're not willing to deal with it. "Went after" is also a stretch. He got in Lombardi's face after Lombardi said something to him. No penalties called.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Men's PSAC West Standings - 1/29/2018

IUP (12-2, 16-5) W5

Slippery Rock (11-4, 17-4) W3

Gannon (10-4, 14-6) W1

Edinboro (8-6, 11-7) L2

Pitt-Johnstown (8-7, 10-9) L1

Mercyhurst (6-8, 9-9) L1

California (5-10, 9-12) L1

Seton Hill (4-11, 7-13) W1

Clarion (0-15, 3-18) L10

[IUP24]

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

Here's a story on Edinboro's "goon"

http://www.yourerie.com/sports/edinb...lete/943037979