PSAC WEST

[Ship69]

While I didn't expect Gannon to get polished off like that, I did feel it was kind of a pedestrian year for the PSAC. Gannon and Cal were pretty good, although it never seemed Cal became the machine some thought they would. As IUP fans have pointed out, departures, injuries and mysterious substitution patterns knocked them off the top of the PSAC this year, and they were basically just a somewhat above-average team. Mercyhurst, another traditional power, simply was down as was UPJ. In the East, Millersville had some studs, but proved to lack the depth to keep up with the run-and-gun teams. East Stroud had an inflated record, but a dismal record against actual good teams. Wilson has certainly had better clubs. Lock Haven had a nice year, but could look very ordinary on some nights. The rest of the East was nothing to write home about as Ship had its worst season in eight years, West Chester and Shepherd continued their erratic ways, and Bloom and Kutztown were just bad.

As some have said, D2 is very oriented by region, and it's really hard in any given year to know how your region stacks up against the rest. The portal and constant roster upheaval makes it even harder to figure. I have no idea how Ship will match up with other teams in our division next season, let alone with teams out of the area. Just have to wait and see.

[Chuck Norris]

The semifinals are in the afternoon again this year. What did division 2 sports fans do to make the NCAA hate us so much?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The semifinals are in the afternoon again this year. What did division 2 sports fans do to make the NCAA hate us so much?

It's unfortunately as attractive as 5am MLB games in Korea.

It would be hilarious to see the reaction if the D1 Dance was on PPV.

[Chuck Norris]

I don’t know. The difference between the teams who win it and everybody else typically seems wider in D2 than it is in the D1 tournament.

There are teams that go on historic runs and seem to always finish the job at this level. “The story” never wins the last game hardly in March Madness in D1. Nova Southeastern was 36-0 last year. I think that Florida Southern team that beat IUP was like 33-1 and lost to only a conference rival on the road in OT. I don’t think there was ever much doubt about NWMS, despite maybe two of their titles being close games. I’m not saying teams necessarily run roughshod over every opponent, but I think there’s generally little doubt who the best team is at the end of the D2 season.

I tend to think there’s much less randomness in the D2 tournament when you get to the Elite 8. I think you can have some upsets in the regionals generally because teams are familiar with each other. Once you get to the final 8 standing, I just tend to think that it’s pretty clear who is the best of that bunch. Where as, I don’t necessarily think the best team always wins the D1 tournament.

Maybe not one word I’m saying makes sense.

The consensus favorite does win the D2 title quite often, but I wouldn’t say that necessarily means there’s always a wide gap between them and the rest of the field. IUP wasn’t as good as Florida Southern but Bellarmine was. That was the last year the Elite 8 wasn’t reseeded and IUP got the ideal draw.

Northwest Missouri’s dynasty skews the perception to some degree. They were truly dominant and even in games they didn’t win by a big margin they never felt truly threatened. But Nova didn’t have any easy games in last year’s E8 and a lot of us thought West Lib would beat them, or at least had a really good chance to, heading into that final game. Ferris State was really good in 2018 and they won their 3 Elite 8 games by a combined total of 10 or 11 points.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The consensus favorite does win the D2 title quite often, but I wouldn’t say that necessarily means there’s always a wide gap between them and the rest of the field. IUP wasn’t as good as Florida Southern but Bellarmine was. That was the last year the Elite 8 wasn’t reseeded and IUP got the ideal draw.

Northwest Missouri’s dynasty skews the perception to some degree. They were truly dominant and even in games they didn’t win by a big margin they never felt truly threatened. But Nova didn’t have any easy games in last year’s E8 and a lot of us thought West Lib would beat them, or at least had a really good chance to, heading into that final game. Ferris State was really good in 2018 and they won their 3 Elite 8 games by a combined total of 10 or 11 points.

Florida Southern also had a magical first 7 minutes in that game against IUP. Capers misses a shot or two that's a very different game.

[Fightingscot82]

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball...etball-history

[IUPalum]

The semifinals are in the afternoon again this year. What did division 2 sports fans do to make the NCAA hate us so much?

They are in the afternoon bc it is competing with the D1 games.

Notice how the women are playing this evening in the semi’s.

[Chuck Norris]

They are in the afternoon bc it is competing with the D1 games.

Notice how the women are playing this evening in the semi’s.

I figured. Doesn’t make any sense though. They played them at night opposite the D1 games for years. The D2 audience was already tiny regardless. Now you’re not allowing a portion of that small audience to see the games because they’ll be at work. The D1 viewership wouldn’t be impacted in any significant way.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

They are in the afternoon bc it is competing with the D1 games.

Notice how the women are playing this evening in the semi’s.

'Competing' may not be the word lol.

[Chuck Norris]

CSUSB not faring as well against the master (and his better players).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Sounds like the Mercyhurst to D1 is legit. News conference is today.

Many in the Twitter world are already reporting Frostburg State will join the PSAC.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Obviously those inside the Mercyhurst program knew this was coming. I wonder what role this played in just about the whole basketball team (those set to come back anyway) entering the portal?

Gary likely knew he had to upgrade across the board so he may have cleaned house to open the spots.

We won't even notice they are gone in most sports but I will miss the Gary vs Joe rivalry. It evolved a lot over the years. I think they hated each other early but eventually became pretty good friends.

Gary had some really good teams in the West in the past decade.

I suspect we'll hear news on Frostburg by tomorrow. Logical move for them and the PSAC. I would assume it will be either Frostburg or Shippensburg that joins the West. For the younger crowd Ship and Lock Haven were in the West for a very long time.

[IUPHawks24]

Obviously those inside the Mercyhurst program knew this was coming. I wonder what role this played in just about the whole basketball team (those set to come back anyway) entering the portal?

Gary likely knew he had to upgrade across the board so he may have cleaned house to open the spots.

We won't even notice they are gone in most sports but I will miss the Gary vs Joe rivalry. It evolved a lot over the years. I think they hated each other early but eventually became pretty good friends.

Gary had some really good teams in the West in the past decade.

I suspect we'll hear news on Frostburg by tomorrow. Logical move for them and the PSAC. I would assume it will be either Frostburg or Shippensburg that joins the West. For the younger crowd Ship and Lock Haven were in the West for a very long time.

If this news is real, it’ll be weird not seeing them on the schedule. IUP and them have had some great games, especially the last 5-6 years when both teams were an an elite level (excluding this past year). Prior to this season, both programs were two of only like 5 or 6 in the country that had been in and won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the last 5 years.

It’s too bad they weren’t able to make the move 2-3 years ago, they probably legitimately compete for a NEC league championship or are right at the top of the league in 2022 and 2023. They have a ton of recruiting on their hands- they only have a couple players still on the roster right now, as far as I’m aware.

I’ll be curious how it works out, but it’s much better to be proactive than reactive in today’s landscape. D2 is not a long term solution.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If this news is real, it’ll be weird not seeing them on the schedule. IUP and them have had some great games, especially the last 5-6 years when both teams were an an elite level (excluding this past year). Prior to this season, both programs were two of only like 5 or 6 in the country that had been in and won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the last 5 years.

It’s too bad they weren’t able to make the move 2-3 years ago, they probably legitimately compete for a NEC league championship or are right at the top of the league in 2022 and 2023. They have a ton of recruiting on their hands- they only have a couple players still on the roster right now, as far as I’m aware.

I’ll be curious how it works out, but it’s much better to be proactive than reactive in today’s landscape. D2 is not a long term solution.

I suspect Gary can adapt pretty quickly. The 'D1' label opens up a lot of new doors for him, recruiting-wise.

Their football program, however, has been a mess -- and will get stomped on.

[gman16506]

I suspect Gary can adapt pretty quickly. The 'D1' label opens up a lot of new doors for him, recruiting-wise.

Their football program, however, has been a mess -- and will get stomped on.

Wonder where they are going to play their home games as playing in that on-campus bandbox at the D-1 level would be embarrassing. The Erie Civic Center is an option but not a cheap date; and speaking from past experiences, the Authority can be difficult to deal with.