PSAC WEST

[IUPNation]

Re: PSAC WEST

Here are the updated (men's) West standings heading in to the holiday break:


Edinboro (4-1, 7-2)

IUP (4-1, 8-4)

SRU (3-2, 9-2)

UPJ (3-2, 5-4)

Mercyhurst (2-3, 5-4)

California (2-3, 6-5)

Gannon (2-3, 6-5)

Seton Hill (1-4, 4-6)

Clarion (0-5, 3-8)

8-4 is pretty bad for IUP isn't it?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Checked in on former Cal player Ramon Creighton ...

He's listed on the CCBC roster but has zero stats for the season through 13 games. Injured, perhaps?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Thanks. Hopefully the weather cooperates.

I get sea sick watching the Gannon live feeds ... Blair Witch flashbacks.

It stinks for both schools to play this rivalry over break. I guess that's somewhat of an advantage for IUP as it won't be as loud in there.

My last trip to the Mill was the PSAC Final in 2014. Incredible game. Awful ending for Indiana.

That was GU's last win against IUP.

Re: PSAC WEST

There should be plenty of good seats available but if you want to sit courtside halfcourt let me know.

[IUPalum]

Re: PSAC WEST

Golden89:


Question: What's the closest (walking-distance) hotel to the Hammermill (that is safe to walk back to after the game around 10 p.m.) ?


I recall back in 2014 staying at what I believe was The Avalon (wasn't very nice).

I'm thinking of making the trip up next Saturday pending Erie isn't under 4' of snow.

You make the trip, let me know. I'll be in the house that night!

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

Golden89:


Question: What's the closest (walking-distance) hotel to the Hammermill (that is safe to walk back to after the game around 10 p.m.) ?


I recall back in 2014 staying at what I believe was The Avalon (wasn't very nice).

I'm thinking of making the trip up next Saturday pending Erie isn't under 4' of snow.

There are two nice newer hotels just under a mile from the Hammermill Center, but they are not a great walk. The Sheraton Erie Bayfront and the Courtyard by Marriott are on waterfront. You have to walk all the way down State Street and cross the Bayfront Highway to get there ... not super-dangerous, but not a great walk. But they are such a short drive; I would do it. And you can get right on the Bayfront highway, which leads directly to I-79. Let me know if you make the trip!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Golden89:


Question: What's the closest (walking-distance) hotel to the Hammermill (that is safe to walk back to after the game around 10 p.m.) ?


I recall back in 2014 staying at what I believe was The Avalon (wasn't very nice).

I'm thinking of making the trip up next Saturday pending Erie isn't under 4' of snow.

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

Gannon 88
Notre Dame 63


Reilly putting 88 up? Wow.


Slippery Rock put up 145 on Ohio U-Eastern. Maybe play Indiana High School next week?

NDC gives up 93 points per game (295 out of 301 in nation), so they actually improved their points-allowed-average by holding Gannon to just 88. ND plays a soft zone and Gannon had wide open looks all night. Zay Jackson has moved to the two-guard. Without any pressure on the point guard, Zay was able to get open consistently and had 20 points by halftime. GU can make threes when open; it's just been a problem getting open all season.

The three-point barrage by Gannon moved them up from last in the country in threes per game to second to last. It's progress. :-)

And let's give OU-Eastern's defense a little credit. They gave up a mere 143 points to Slippery Rock. SRU scored 77 in the first half, including a 16 of 22 mark in three-pointers! It's not a given to shoot 16 of 22 from behind the arc in an empty gym! Four of SRU's starters played 13 minutes apiece. That 143 could have been a whole lot more.

Re: PSAC WEST

Pretty good analysis. Preseason I had IUP, the rock, cal then Gannon for the top four. Edinboro is definitely the surprise this year. I agreed IUP still needs an additional scorer to compliment the team. A good scorer of the bench with some versatility. Not likely though at this point.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

A year ago, my West 'pre-conference play' rankings came in almost perfect. I'll see if I can do it again this year. And, this is not an easy year to predict.


1. IUP - Despite a sometimes-rocky 8-4 start, the quality of the losses has to be taken in to account. Two of them were winnable in the final 30 seconds. Joe's teams always seem to click around the Christmas break and I think that finally happened in the Fairmont win. It also appears several of the injury issues are improving. IUP likely won't go 16-0 in the West again this season, but until they are knocked off, they'll remain the favorite. Roster-wise, players 1-8 are the most talented in the West overall. Battle-tested, good (athletic) size, multiple shooters, strong coaching and an experienced roster combine to make the Crimson Hawks the favorite. A possible roster addition could make this team all the more dangerous (and deeper).

2. Edinboro - Guards win games in D2. Boro has three studs (and No. 4 - Mike Beck - is also very good). The lack of a post game will hurt them -- especially the nights when the guards are off. IUP will be a very difficult match-up for them with having to deal with the Crimson Hawks' size under the basket. Slippery Rock's muscle will cause some issues.

3. Gannon - Not the attractive pick. The Knights are boring to watch. But, while Cal and Slippery Rock may be more talented, GU is better coached and exceptionally well-disciplined. Gannon is very annoying for teams to play against and will lull many West teams to sleep. It takes a very disciplined team to beat Gannon.

4. California - Cal is scoring in bunches (88.3 ppg). Cal is also letting opponents score in bunches (90.1 ppg). It's an MEC coach in the PSAC West playing an MEC style. Cal is much better but very thin on the bench. In the call-every-foul PSAC West, that's going to be its biggest issue. The Vulcans have played a tough schedule but are entering West play having lost 3 of the last 4 outings. Defense wins the West. That's the glaring weakness in the Mon Valley right now.

5. Slippery Rock - This is the tough team to grade at this point. Sure, The Rock is 9-2. But, the schedule has been anything but impressive (awful, actually). The best win so far is against Bloomsburg (5-4). There are many statistical improvements for SRU. The Rock is shooting 48 percent from the field, 38 percent from deep and, as usual, is crushing opponents on the glass (+12.6 margin). One traditional stat also looms: 64 percent from the free throw line. SRU is scoring 85.0 ppg -- although that figure is highly 'run up' by games against D3 opponents Carlow (96 points) and Ohio University-Eastern (143 points). Kevin Reynolds' teams are always very difficult the second time through the West schedule. This could be a team in the thick of things in February. Tough call. The schedule is about to get a whole lot more difficult.

6. Pitt-Johnstown - UPJ has certainly had some upper-echelon West teams' numbers the past few years. They make few mistakes, shoot well and play strong defensively. They always tend to be just a player or two short of making some serious noise. That's likely the case again this season. They will win some big games in January and February -- but will lose some head-scratchers. The lack of size will be a problem. The West has some gigantic teams this year.

7. Mercyhurst - Coming off last year's 14-14 finish ... most thought it was just an anomaly. Maybe. Maybe not. The signature defense is still there (giving up a PSAC-low 62 ppg). But the strong offense of years past hasn't shown up yet (just 68 ppg) -- in three of its losses, Mercyhurst scored 62, 55 and 50 points. The Lakers have lost 3 of 4 entering West play. Unfortunately, while the others open with division opponents, Mercyhurst gets a visit from Dustin Sleva and Shippensburg. A grueling three-game stretch opens the second-half -- Ship, and then trips to Slippery Rock and IUP.

8. Seton Hill - Something's off in Greensburg. There's some talent on this roster. Not enough. But enough to not be 4-6 at this point. The starting five is pretty solid. The bench, however, is pretty thin. The Griffins showed some glimpes -- playing West Chester in to the final minutes. My hunch is they slowly keep improving and will get a big win or two -- but not much else.

9. Clarion - The good news: Clarion is 2-0 versus Penn State branch campuses. The bad news: The Golden Eagles are 1-8 against everybody else. This is a total rebuild year for Clarion. The upside is it brought in a pretty solid freshmen class. The question will be if they can keep them around for a couple years.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Here are the updated (men's) West standings heading in to the holiday break:


Edinboro (4-1, 7-2)

IUP (4-1, 8-4)

SRU (3-2, 9-2)

UPJ (3-2, 5-4)

Mercyhurst (2-3, 5-4)

California (2-3, 6-5)

Gannon (2-3, 6-5)

Seton Hill (1-4, 4-6)

Clarion (0-5, 3-8)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Gannon 88
Notre Dame 63


Reilly putting 88 up? Wow.


Slippery Rock put up 145 on Ohio U-Eastern. Maybe play Indiana High School next week?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Liggins is a total monster. If you catch Boro on a night when all three of those guards are on .... lights out. That's what happened to Shippensburg.

The West is going to be a war this year. There's not a clear-cut favorite. My guess is they beat the heck out of each other.

Re: PSAC WEST

Looks like liggins from edinboro is one hell of a player. 38 points and third 30 point game of the year. Edinboro is definitely the biggest surprise so far in the psac.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Thought I'd catch a few minutes of the Edinboro vs. Charleston game on the computer ... Edinboro is the clear winner of worst live feed in D2 basketball history.