PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

This week in the West ...

Current Standings / 11-27-2017

Team - PSAC - Overall - Streak

Edinboro - 2-0 / 4-0 / W4

Mercyhurst - 2-0 / 3-1 / L1

IUP - 2-0 / 5-3 / W4

Gannon - 1-1 / 4-2 / W3

California - 1-1 / 3-2 / L1

Seton Hill - 1-1 / 3-3 / W1

UPJ - 1-1 / 2-3 / L2

SRU - 0-2 / 4-2 / W2

Clarion - 0-2 / 2-4 / L3


In the spotlight: Gannon
The Knights' next four games are brutal. A trip to a students-are-back, hostile Bowie State on Wednesday, followed by three road games at Shippensburg, Kutztown and East Stroudsburg. To make things worse, the fifth game in this stretch is against Notre Dame (OH). This is likely a season-defining five-game set for the Knights.

Back to life: IUP
IUP has won four straight. The Crimson Hawks end the 'first half' with three road games (West Chester, Cheyney and Mansfield) before a Dec. 19 showdown with Fairmont State at the KCAC.


Are they for real? Slippery Rock
At 4-2, SRU is off to a good start. Upon a closer look, a lot is still up in the air. The Rock has one win against teams with a winning record (Daemen / 3-2) and got beat up at home by Kutztown. SRU did play Shippensburg to the final seconds. Three of the wins -- West Virginia Wesleyan, Glenville State and District of Columbia -- came against teams with a combined 1-16 record. The next three games (all away) should shed some more light: Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Millersville. The weakness: free throws. SRU is hitting just 69 percent.

Where'd they come from? Edinboro
Edinboro is 4-0 and rolling -- with strong wins against Millersville, Shippensburg and a solid Lake Erie team. The big difference from last year? Jaymon Mason is the third-leading scorer among the guards. That's scary. Keshawn Liggins (Idaho State transfer) is scoring 25 ppg and grabbing 10 rpg. Anthony Coleman is at 18 ppg and hitting nearly 50 percent on treys. A road trip to Lock Haven is the only big test (LH is much better than its record and has played a torrid schedule) prior to the break. Edinboro likely goes to Christmas at 9-0.


West leaders:

Scoring
Keshawn Liggins - Boro: 24.3 ppg
Isaac Vescovi - UPJ: 22.2
Terry Davis, Jr. - Cal: 21.4
Micah Till - SRU: 20.7
Isaiah Lewis - Cal: 21.4

Rebounding:
Keshawn Liggins - Boro: 10.0
Jahmere Howze - Cal: 9.8
Cobo Diaz - IUP: 9.3
Evan Phoenix - GU: 9.2
Spencer Casson - SH: 8.8

Team scoring
Clarion - 87.7
Cal - 87.2
Boro - 82.3

Team defense
Mercyhurst - 59.0
GU - 62.3
IUP - 72.3

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Most years it is probably irrelevant.

Many at IUP were not thrilled with the non-conference schedule. Great if it works but awful when you're essentially eliminated from hosting a region by mid-November.

In a year like this one ... it could ultimately keep IUP home in March in a tight race. The IUP theory is it makes them better for March. The problem is when you lose three non-conference games ... you may not see March (reference 2015). Admittingly, byt the end of that 2015 regular season they were certainly a tournament team and had a giant 15-game win streak ... but the damage was done in November. You can't get those losses back. They sure can't rely on running the West table again this year like they did last season. Early results show the West is vastly stronger than a year ago.

My opinion to this point is Edinboro is the top West team -- as of today. Three stud guards ... that's the recipe to win in D2.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

I get some of that but Gannon and Mercyhurst don't play the gimme games and they are 15 miles away from Edinboro.

If you want to find D2 games you'll find them. You may need to travel but they are out there.

That's a good question to ask. A couple years ago when I asked about the Penn State branches I got an answer something like that.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

I get some of that but Gannon and Mercyhurst don't play the gimme games and they are 15 miles away from Edinboro.

If you want to find D2 games you'll find them. You may need to travel but they are out there.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

The only thing I don't get is why schedule them if they do nothing for you? The wins, while showing up in your record, don't actually do anything for you. They don't help with the postseason and don't factor in to the selection process. I can see teams in a rebuilding mode scheduling these types of games just to get some wins on the board but that's it. Aside from that, the fans don't want to watch these games.

Gary Edwards used to schedule some of these. There are some real abusers in the PSAC. Slippery Rock keeps playing those Ohio University branches every year -- sometimes twice in the same season. Different viewpoints, I guess. That's why S.O.S. is so important in basketball. Joe scheduling the 'hero' schedules sometimes backfire but those two opening losses against Findlay and Ferris carry more weight than most non-conference wins. There are some teams playing 2-3 of these 'branch' type games this year ... in the same season.

PSU-A can obviously play but the vast majority of these are just blowout city. I don't even think the stats should count for the scoring races.

Because the only thing better than practice is a game and there aren't a whole lot of DII schools willing to travel to a PSAC school for a non-conference game. IUP is the rare exception that they have a department with the resources and prestige to bring in quality DII opponents. Edinboro's options within 75 miles and outside the conference are Lake Erie, Notre Dame, Allegheny, PS Behrend (DIII), Grove City, Westminster, and Thiel. There's also SUNY Fredonia.

As for fans caring, beyond the traditional conference rivalries I don't think the average person cares any more about schools playing Penn State Greater Allegheny versus Waynesburg versus Point Park versus Kutztown as long as IUP wins the game they attend.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

The only thing I don't get is why schedule them if they do nothing for you? The wins, while showing up in your record, don't actually do anything for you. They don't help with the postseason and don't factor in to the selection process. I can see teams in a rebuilding mode scheduling these types of games just to get some wins on the board but that's it. Aside from that, the fans don't want to watch these games.

Gary Edwards used to schedule some of these. There are some real abusers in the PSAC. Slippery Rock keeps playing those Ohio University branches every year -- sometimes twice in the same season. Different viewpoints, I guess. That's why S.O.S. is so important in basketball. Joe scheduling the 'hero' schedules sometimes backfire but those two opening losses against Findlay and Ferris carry more weight than most non-conference wins. There are some teams playing 2-3 of these 'branch' type games this year ... in the same season.

PSU-A can obviously play but the vast majority of these are just blowout city. I don't even think the stats should count for the scoring races.

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

We mock teams scheduling the PSU branches a lot ... usually deservedly so. Penn State-Allegheny is no such cupcake.

PSU-A has now taken Clarion to the final minute and lost to Notre Dame (OH) by 6 points.

Pat Cleary at Edinboro once told me that he considers them something along the lines of 'good games to schedule'. The competition is tough enough and generally more available than DIII schools since most DIII conferences are large enough to allow little room for non-conference play.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

We mock teams scheduling the PSU branches a lot ... usually deservedly so. Penn State-Allegheny is no such cupcake.

PSU-A has now taken Clarion to the final minute and lost to Notre Dame (OH) by 6 points.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Sunday games

Rock over Daemen by 3

Sciences over UPJ by 2

[ctrabs74]

Re: PSAC WEST

The Seton Hill game at Salem International yesterday had an announced gate of 35 people.

I'm surprised there are 35 people left in Salem, WV these days...

[Fightingscot82]

Re: PSAC WEST

Edinboro with another well coached win, this time against Lake Erie. Cleary and Bess are doing some good stuff up north. I'm excited to see how they look in division games.

Also, a quick plug for the PSAC streaming app. I'm finally able to watch basketball at home. The video quality isn't good and the commentary is the student radio broadcast patched in, but I'll take it. At least they finally added the live score and clock.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

The Seton Hill game at Salem International yesterday had an announced gate of 35 people.

[IUPalum]

Re: PSAC WEST

Mercyhurst roughed up by Lake Erie

Ship drops second straight ... at Wilmington (DE). Antonio Kellam three at buzzer went in but waived off ... ref deemed it didn't beat the clock. Lost by two.

Didn't see either of those coming tonight.

YIKES!!! Craziness!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Mercyhurst roughed up by Lake Erie

Ship drops second straight ... at Wilmington (DE). Antonio Kellam three at buzzer went in but waived off ... ref deemed it didn't beat the clock. Lost by two.

Didn't see either of those coming tonight.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Small sample size ... but not a great start for average home attendance

IUP - 823 (4 home games - way down from past years ... this weekend, in particular, drew horribly)

Gannon - 670 (2 home games)

Mercyhurst - 348 (2 home games)

California - 338 (3 home games)

Edinboro - 335 (3 home games)

Slippery Rock - 326 (2 home games)

UPJ - 325 (2 home games)

Seton Hill - 325 (3 home games)

Clarion - 226 (3 home games)