PSAC WEST

[Ship69]

I was turned off by D1 years ago and gave up my Pitt season tickets when Jamie was run off.

I did enjoy watching them hang 99 on Jimmy B. I never could stand that guy.

This is largely a mercenary team so I don't know how sustainable winning will be. Capel did slowly get them to gel and they can be a dangerous group.

But, give me D2 any day of the week.

Boeheim has a tremendous record, but for a long time has tended to run off his mouth. He's always had it in for the Big 10 and ran them down at the beginning of this season, so I enjoyed it when a couple of weeks later the Illini whacked Sorry-excuse by 30.

[ctrabs74]

You can if it’s the Super Bowl and the team being ****ed over is from Philadelphia.
>:-(

Gee, it's not like the Iggles couldn't overcome that by, I don't know, making sure their quarterback doesn't turn a fumble into a scoop-and-score ... or, the Iggles could;ve really have really tried something radical and, I don't know, tried harder to stop Patrick Mahomes in the second half?

Getting back on topic (sort of), I'm seeing that quite a bit across college hoops and not just in the PSAC. It seems like in every Big 12 game (or at least the ones I've seen involving TCU, which is in my neck of the woods), refs tend to call games tighter in the second half than in the first. It doesn't exactly make for an enthralling product at the end of the day, though; it just becomes too much of a beating.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I share the feeling. As I have gotten older, I Have 2 Pee more often, too.

I was turned off by D1 years ago and gave up my Pitt season tickets when Jamie was run off.

I did enjoy watching them hang 99 on Jimmy B. I never could stand that guy.

This is largely a mercenary team so I don't know how sustainable winning will be. Capel did slowly get them to gel and they can be a dangerous group.

But, give me D2 any day of the week.

[Columbuseer]

H2P

I share the feeling. As I have gotten older, I Have 2 Pee more often, too.

[IUPalum]

H2P

You can hail all you want if you enjoy watching a guy that recruits and plays crooks and criminals. No thanks!

[Chuck Norris]

No thanks to Pitt/ND. I can't watch that junk!

H2P

[IUPalum]

Pitt-Notre Dame and the PSAC quarterfinals. Quite a night.

It’s March.

No thanks to Pitt/ND. I can't watch that junk!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Pitt-Notre Dame and the PSAC quarterfinals. Quite a night.

It’s March.

No doubt. Totally different vibe and environment tonight in PSAC venues.

Aside from IUP and Mercyhurst, the other 6 teams are likely all in win or go home mode tonight.

A loss would really complicate things for UPJ, ESU and WCU. The others obviously know a loss ends their season.

[Chuck Norris]

Coming off a successful 3-1 night (straight winners) we'll look to keep things rolling tonight. Lock Haven caused problems in the gambling world (or, should I say Millersville did). If you gave the points in all four games, the result was 2-2. Add the juice and that's a losing night.

Round 1 is typically pretty easy. Round 2 is a much different animal.


Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - Each home team won in the regular season -- comfortably. UPJ won by 12 in Johnstown and the Lakers won by 16 in Erie. The Mountain Cats got to Tournament Wednesday by winning the more important second game of their SRU back-to-back. But, it was a struggle. UPJ has lost some steam coming down the stretch, going just 3-4 in its past 7 games. Pitt-Johnstown's flaw all year is it isn't a deep team and fatigue could be finally setting in after 4 months. Mercyhurst, on the other hand, is very deep -- and also had Monday off. Vegas says expect a close game for 23 to 27 minutes. Gary Manchel's teams are very difficult to play coming off a bye. This will be UPJ's fourth tough game in the past 8 days. That takes a toll -- especially on a team with little bench support. Lakers pull away in the final 10 minutes. Mercyhurst -7.5

East Stroudsburg at West Chester - This is one of three games tonight that saw a regular season sweep. Of course, Millersville beat Lock Haven twice this regular season -- easily -- and we all saw what happened 48 hours ago. Both games this year between the Warriors and Rams were very close -- and high scoring. WCU won on the road by 5 points (86-81) and then won at home by 8 points (106-98). The Rams are one of the few teams that seem to actually enjoy playing against the ESU style -- and seem to thrive in the more up-tempo game. Both enter tonight on hot streaks. West Chester has won 5 straight and East Stroudsburg has won its past 3 outings. Vegas says expect another tight, high-scoring affair. ESU was aided Monday night by an incredible home crowd. That won't be there tonight. It will be the opposite. But, logic would say beating this quality Warriors teams three in a row is quite difficult. ESU is due and their current group has a bit more experience in high-pressure games. Warriors -2.5

Lock Haven at Shippensburg - Fool me once ... The Bald Eagles entered the conference tournament perhaps as cold as any team ever has in league history. They had lost 5 straight including some blowout defeats. In fact, a couple weeks ago they lost at (you guessed it) Millersville by 26 points. So, naturally, they shocked the (PSAC) world Monday night by going back to that same gym and winning by 7 points. Oh wait, it was 9 points. I forgot about the 'dunk' at the end. Now, two days later, a similar plot has presented itself. Lock Haven was also swept by Shippensburg this season, losing by 11 points at home and 9 points in Heiges Fieldhouse. Can the team once written off pull back-to-back upsets? It's possible. The Bald Eagles played with a lot of defensive intensity against Millersville -- shutting off the deep shot and clobbering the Marauders on the glass (42-28). They also forced 20 turnovers. Eli Washington also finally looked healthy, playing 30 minutes - scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. They are much different when he is at full strength. The big question coming out of Shippensburg, of course, is the status of Dom Sleva. The Raiders, who will host the weekend with a win, are just 2-2 in their past four games. Vegas says it's probably going to be hard for Lock Haven to be as 'up' as it was two days ago. But, momentum in March can be a dangerous thing. With Sleva's status unknown, the only safe bet tonight is no bet. PICK 'EM

California at IUP - Will the Vulcans finally get a win against IUP? Or, will the Crimson Hawks win their 21st straight in the series? Make no mistake, some luck - and massive comebacks - went in to that streak. These two programs haven't been too far apart the last couple years. Everybody knows the Vulcans' record this season. But, this is a team that not only got healthier but also got much better as the season went along -- as late road wins at UPJ and Mercyhurst can attest. The current edition of California can also do something against IUP that few others have done all season -- score. The Vulcans have put up 73.5 points on average this year against IUP -- that's a big number considering IUP gives up just 59.5 points per game. That said, IUP played them pretty stout in 3 of the 4 halves of basketball this season. It was just the last half -- when Cal put up 50 points -- that they finally broke free and controlled the tempo. That came after IUP held a commanding,15-point halftime lead and held the Vulcans to just 27 first half points. Did IUP take its foot off the gas or did California finally find a crack? My guess is a little bit of both. Vegas says Dorothy isn't in Kansas anymore. The rowdy crowd inside Angelo's Dome four days ago won't be a factor tonight. Instead, it will be an extremely pro-IUP crowd inside the KCAC -- likely in the 3,500 range. IUP is 14-0 at home this season and has won 29 straight in the KCAC dating back to last season. Vegas says to expect a very tightly-called game tonight after the chippy show in California. That likely favors the deeper Crimson Hawks. The Vulcans are also playing their 4th tough game in 8 days, while IUP had Monday off. Just a guess, but Joe Lombardi didn't spend much time in Seton Hill prep since Saturday. Expect another tight one tonight -- likely with some heated tempers. While Cal made the Regional Final a year ago, most of its players this year didn't play in that game. There's a lot more pressure tonight -- especially inside the KCAC. IUP wins late, but it will be a war. Crimson Hawks -3.5

Pitt-Notre Dame and the PSAC quarterfinals. Quite a night.

It’s March.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Coming off a successful 3-1 night (straight winners) we'll look to keep things rolling tonight. Lock Haven caused problems in the gambling world (or, should I say Millersville did). If you gave the points in all four games, the result was 2-2. Add the juice and that's a losing night.

Round 1 is typically pretty easy. Round 2 is a much different animal.


Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - Each home team won in the regular season -- comfortably. UPJ won by 12 in Johnstown and the Lakers won by 16 in Erie. The Mountain Cats got to Tournament Wednesday by winning the more important second game of their SRU back-to-back. But, it was a struggle. UPJ has lost some steam coming down the stretch, going just 3-4 in its past 7 games. Pitt-Johnstown's flaw all year is it isn't a deep team and fatigue could be finally setting in after 4 months. Mercyhurst, on the other hand, is very deep -- and also had Monday off. Vegas says expect a close game for 23 to 27 minutes. Gary Manchel's teams are very difficult to play coming off a bye. This will be UPJ's fourth tough game in the past 8 days. That takes a toll -- especially on a team with little bench support. Lakers pull away in the final 10 minutes. Mercyhurst -7.5

East Stroudsburg at West Chester - This is one of three games tonight that saw a regular season sweep. Of course, Millersville beat Lock Haven twice this regular season -- easily -- and we all saw what happened 48 hours ago. Both games this year between the Warriors and Rams were very close -- and high scoring. WCU won on the road by 5 points (86-81) and then won at home by 8 points (106-98). The Rams are one of the few teams that seem to actually enjoy playing against the ESU style -- and seem to thrive in the more up-tempo game. Both enter tonight on hot streaks. West Chester has won 5 straight and East Stroudsburg has won its past 3 outings. Vegas says expect another tight, high-scoring affair. ESU was aided Monday night by an incredible home crowd. That won't be there tonight. It will be the opposite. But, logic would say beating this quality Warriors teams three in a row is quite difficult. ESU is due and their current group has a bit more experience in high-pressure games. Warriors -2.5

Lock Haven at Shippensburg - Fool me once ... The Bald Eagles entered the conference tournament perhaps as cold as any team ever has in league history. They had lost 5 straight including some blowout defeats. In fact, a couple weeks ago they lost at (you guessed it) Millersville by 26 points. So, naturally, they shocked the (PSAC) world Monday night by going back to that same gym and winning by 7 points. Oh wait, it was 9 points. I forgot about the 'dunk' at the end. Now, two days later, a similar plot has presented itself. Lock Haven was also swept by Shippensburg this season, losing by 11 points at home and 9 points in Heiges Fieldhouse. Can the team once written off pull back-to-back upsets? It's possible. The Bald Eagles played with a lot of defensive intensity against Millersville -- shutting off the deep shot and clobbering the Marauders on the glass (42-28). They also forced 20 turnovers. Eli Washington also finally looked healthy, playing 30 minutes - scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. They are much different when he is at full strength. The big question coming out of Shippensburg, of course, is the status of Dom Sleva. The Raiders, who will host the weekend with a win, are just 2-2 in their past four games. Vegas says it's probably going to be hard for Lock Haven to be as 'up' as it was two days ago. But, momentum in March can be a dangerous thing. With Sleva's status unknown, the only safe bet tonight is no bet. PICK 'EM

California at IUP - Will the Vulcans finally get a win against IUP? Or, will the Crimson Hawks win their 21st straight in the series? Make no mistake, some luck - and massive comebacks - went in to that streak. These two programs haven't been too far apart the last couple years. Everybody knows the Vulcans' record this season. But, this is a team that not only got healthier but also got much better as the season went along -- as late road wins at UPJ and Mercyhurst can attest. The current edition of California can also do something against IUP that few others have done all season -- score. The Vulcans have put up 73.5 points on average this year against IUP -- that's a big number considering IUP gives up just 59.5 points per game. That said, IUP played them pretty stout in 3 of the 4 halves of basketball this season. It was just the last half -- when Cal put up 50 points -- that they finally broke free and controlled the tempo. That came after IUP held a commanding,15-point halftime lead and held the Vulcans to just 27 first half points. Did IUP take its foot off the gas or did California finally find a crack? My guess is a little bit of both. Vegas says Dorothy isn't in Kansas anymore. The rowdy crowd inside Angelo's Dome four days ago won't be a factor tonight. Instead, it will be an extremely pro-IUP crowd inside the KCAC -- likely in the 3,500 range. IUP is 14-0 at home this season and has won 29 straight in the KCAC dating back to last season. Vegas says to expect a very tightly-called game tonight after the chippy show in California. That likely favors the deeper Crimson Hawks. The Vulcans are also playing their 4th tough game in 8 days, while IUP had Monday off. Just a guess, but Joe Lombardi didn't spend much time in Seton Hill prep since Saturday. Expect another tight one tonight -- likely with some heated tempers. While Cal made the Regional Final a year ago, most of its players this year didn't play in that game. There's a lot more pressure tonight -- especially inside the KCAC. IUP wins late, but it will be a war. Crimson Hawks -3.5

[IUPNation]

Yes I've been seeing that too. I guess you can't have it the other way around and have a judgment call on a foul decide a game.

You can if it’s the Super Bowl and the team being ****ed over is from Philadelphia.
>:-(

[IUPbigINDIANS]

You know, this is totally anecdotal and could be false, but I feel like this year there were more games that went to Bonus & Double Bonus than I remember in all my years at Edinboro.

It's all which crew you get. I'd love to see the stats they keep on officials (perhaps I'm assuming they actually do keep stats at this level). I'd guarantee some of these crews, on average, call 20-25 more fouls per game than other crews.

I've said many times on here I can tell you how a game will go the moment the zerbra crew walks in to the arena. If it's the GQ Group (as we call them) you can expect about 50 fouls to be called and the game will be terrible to watch as it will be so slow and have no flow. The old man group (all three are in their late 50s or 60s) can't keep up and make crazy calls from 40' away. There are several more. There are a couple good crews if you're lucky enough to draw them.

But, you guys nailed it. The new trend is to let them crush each other for the first 20 minutes and then call fouls for sneezing the next 20 minutes.

[Fightingscot82]

Seemed to happen in the LH-Millersville game last night as well. I don't think Lock Haven ever got into a one-and-one the first half, but both teams were in the double bonus by the end of the second half.

You know, this is totally anecdotal and could be false, but I feel like this year there were more games that went to Bonus & Double Bonus than I remember in all my years at Edinboro.

[Ship69]

This past Saturday's IUP at Cal game:

First half - 11 combined fouls called

Second half - 25 combined fouls called


It's two different games within the same game. So, yes, in the first half have fun and beat the pi$$ out of each other. In the second half call everything. It drives the players, coaches and fans insane.

Seemed to happen in the LH-Millersville game last night as well. I don't think Lock Haven ever got into a one-and-one the first half, but both teams were in the double bonus by the end of the second half.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

A recurring PSAC pattern seems to be let 'em play football in the first half and then call 20-25 fouls the second half. That's what Ship has had the last two games. With Sleva off an already thin team, it's been a scary scenario.

This past Saturday's IUP at Cal game:

First half - 11 combined fouls called

Second half - 25 combined fouls called


It's two different games within the same game. So, yes, in the first half have fun and beat the pi$$ out of each other. In the second half call everything. It drives the players, coaches and fans insane.