PSAC WEST

[IUPalum]

Vulcan fans are slowly starting to show up again... interesting.

[Feedoggie]

It was a good night for Vulcan basketball in Johnstown.

[IUPNation]

The hardest part tonight is picking which game to watch. There are some good ones.

I'm leaning toward UPJ/Cal but I'm scorned for life by the UPJ broadcast.

...or you could just drive to Johnstown and see it live. :-)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I’m very much looking forward to a nice relaxing evening just sitting back and following all the action, especially in the wild, wild East.

The hardest part tonight is picking which game to watch. There are some good ones.

I'm leaning toward UPJ/Cal but I'm scorned for life by the UPJ broadcast.

[Chuck Norris]

Hopefully you gambling addicts had a good Saturday. The house went 8-0 with straight winners and 6-2 giving the points. The party ends quickly, however. Tonight is a tough lineup -- checkered with some desperate teams, and, likely, some ready to throw in the towel.


Kutztown at Bloomsburg - The Golden Bears, winners of four straight, need help from Shippensburg tonight. Kutztown sits two games behind Shepherd for the final conference tournament spot. The Raiders visit the Rams tonight. The Golden Bears have been one of the hottest teams in the PSAC over the past couple weeks -- highlighted by a 37-point throttling of Lock Haven and a win at East Stroudsburg. Kutztown plays Shepherd in the finale this Saturday. However, a Rams win tonight would make that game irrelevant as Shepherd would clinch the final spot. Bloomsburg, on the other hand, sits at 1-23 and has lost 7 straight. The Huskies' lone win, you ask? You guessed it. Kutztown. That, however, was a long time ago. Tonight, one team is fighting for its life. The other takes one step closer to the banquet. Vegas says look for an inspired Kutztown to make short work of Bloomsburg. KU -15.5

East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - The Bald Eagles were once the buzz of the East -- storming out to a surprising 10-2 start, but, as of late, they've stumbled down the stretch. Lock Haven has lost three straight, including blowout losses to Millersville and Kutztown. They did look better last time out against West Chester, losing by just three on the road. The good news for the Bald Eagles tonight is they play their best against faster, up-and-down teams. They struggle against the slow-down, more methodical approaches. East Stroudsburg certainly doesn't play slow. Lock Haven won at ESU earlier this year by double digits. The Warriors have also struggled of late, going 2-2 in their past four games. This is a huge game for both teams. Lock Haven needs to stop the bleeding. East Stroudsburg can still get a first round bye next week -- and, perhaps a division title. The Warriors also find themselves mixed with a slew of teams on the NCAA bubble. Vegas says this may be the toughest game on the board. Both are hard to predict and both have been somewhat sporadic. ESU has more to play for tonight. That should make the difference. Warriors -2.5

Mercyhurst at Seton Hill - With two games to go, the Lakers have yet to clinch the No. 2 spot in the West. They enter tonight with a one-game lead on Pitt-Johnstown. The Griffins are tied with California. It's highly likely Seton Hill will play California on Monday night. But, it's a matter of 'where' at this point. This is a tough match-up for Mercyhurst. The first meeting was extremely tight. The Lakers pulled away in the final minutes and won, 82-71. Mercyhurst's offense is largely based around the three-point shot, and Seton Hill's zone makes getting clean deep shots very challenging. This game is also in the claustrophobic McKenna Center. It should be humming in there tonight, as Seton Hill is hyping this as a playoff game. Vegas says defense travels. But, don't be shocked. Some strange stuff happens in McKenna. Lakers win the zone vs zone showdown, but it won't be easy. Mercyhurst -7.5

Shippensburg at Shepherd - Arguably the Raiders' best player, Dom Sleva, isn't playing tonight. This is a do or possibly die game for the Rams. Shepherd is just 13-13 on the season, but it shows flashes of being much better. They are also historically a tough out in Shepherdstown. Shippensburg has a one-game lead in the East and also still has faint NCAA hopes. Vegas says take the home team tonight in what should be a hostile environment for the visitors. Shippensburg won by just two points in the first game with Sleva. Logic would say they won't win without him -- especially away from home. Without Sleva's defense, this is going to be a tough match-up for the Raiders. Rams -5.5

Millersville at West Chester - The winner puts itself in a great spot to have Monday night off. The loser is likely playing Monday night. Both teams are hot. Millersville has won 10 of its past 11 games. West Chester has won 6 of its past 7. This game also has much larger ramifications than just the conference tournament. Both are in the NCAA mix and this is a big resume-building game for the winner. The Marauders won the first meeting by 7 points. Playing in West Chester, however, is a different animal. Vegas says this is a tempo game. He who controls it will win. Take the Rams -- only because they are home. WCU -3.5

California at Pitt-Johnstown - These two teams are near mirror images of one another. Both start four guards and one athletic post player. Both have short benches. Both can light it up from outside. The main difference is the speed at which they prefer to play. The Vulcans want to win every game 100 to 97. UPJ prefers to run its offense at a much slower pace, passing the ball around until the perfect shot presents itself. The Mountain Cats won the first meeting by 4 points in the Angelo Dome. The Vulcans, however, are a lot better now than they were then. California has won its past 5 games -- most of which haven't been close -- including a massive win in Erie against Mercyhurst. While UPJ isn't as flashy as the Vulcans, they are extremely methodical and make very few mistakes. They are also nearly unbeatable in Johnstown this year (12-1 home record). The red hot Vulcans are becoming a sleeper pick to make a big run next week. They need to keep the momentum going. UPJ is still in the mix for the all-important bye -- and also needs to avoid a loss here, NCAA-wise. Vegas says the home team will find a way. John Paul Kromka rules the roost in Johnstown -- and the Mountain Cats typically shoot the ball at insane percentages in the Sports Center. UPJ survives. Barely. Mountain Cats -1.5

Gannon at Edinboro - A meaningless game, perhaps, but, only meaningless on paper. Aside from the local rivalry aspect, this match-up has some hostility to it. Recall last month when a Gannon bench player grabbed the back of an Edinboro player -- while the game was live. Edinboro coach Pat Cleary went ballistic but to no avail. Amazingly, all three officials, later suspended for two games each, somehow didn't see the incident and no foul (or ejection) was called. The PSAC home office stepped in after the game and the situation was handled -- privately, of course, with no public reprimand for the guilty. As for the actual game tonight, both teams are 3-17 in West play. The winner takes control of 7th place -- which, one would say, is better than 8th or 9th. The Golden Knights won the first meeting by 10 points. Gannon has continued to at least hang around against most opponents. The Fighting Scots have lost 9 straight but have given some good teams a fight over the past month. Vegas says the records are irrelevant tonight -- literally and figuratively. Edinboro got disrespected a month ago. If a large student crowd doesn't show up to cheer for the home team tonight they may never. Gannon likes to dirty things up and may actually thrive in this environment. Golden Knights win. Gannon -5.5

Clarion at Slippery Rock - In about a month, Clarion coach Damian Pitts is going to look back at this season and wonder what could have been. He may be unemployed at that point, but, nonetheless. The Golden Eagles are an extremely disappointing 5-20. There's no hiding the fact they should probably be -- at least -- in the .500 neighborhood. To their credit, they didn't quit and actually became a pretty good team in February. Consider in the past month Clarion beat California, and gave IUP, UPJ and Mercyhurst all they could handle in tight losses. How did this team that was getting hammered in the first two months all the sudden start hanging with heavyweights? Pitts went young -- and started playing his ultra-talented freshmen. The decision looming in Tippin regarding Pitts' fate is interesting. He's obviously 5-20 in Year 4 of his regime. That's terrible and gets most coaches fired. But, this whole team is set to return next year -- with confidence. If he's fired, many of these potential star freshmen likely enter the transfer portal. On the other hand, Slippery Rock is reeling. The Rock has lost 4 of its past 5 games, and is just 4-9 in its past 13 outings. Vegas says to look past the records tonight. Clarion can win this game. The Golden Eagles have been the better team the past month. But, Morrow is a tough venue. SRU gets the win tonight - by the skin of its teeth. Rock -1.5

I’m very much looking forward to a nice relaxing evening just sitting back and following all the action, especially in the wild, wild East.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Hopefully you gambling addicts had a good Saturday. The house went 8-0 with straight winners and 6-2 giving the points. The party ends quickly, however. Tonight is a tough lineup -- checkered with some desperate teams, and, likely, some ready to throw in the towel.


Kutztown at Bloomsburg - The Golden Bears, winners of four straight, need help from Shippensburg tonight. Kutztown sits two games behind Shepherd for the final conference tournament spot. The Raiders visit the Rams tonight. The Golden Bears have been one of the hottest teams in the PSAC over the past couple weeks -- highlighted by a 37-point throttling of Lock Haven and a win at East Stroudsburg. Kutztown plays Shepherd in the finale this Saturday. However, a Rams win tonight would make that game irrelevant as Shepherd would clinch the final spot. Bloomsburg, on the other hand, sits at 1-23 and has lost 7 straight. The Huskies' lone win, you ask? You guessed it. Kutztown. That, however, was a long time ago. Tonight, one team is fighting for its life. The other takes one step closer to the banquet. Vegas says look for an inspired Kutztown to make short work of Bloomsburg. KU -15.5

East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - The Bald Eagles were once the buzz of the East -- storming out to a surprising 10-2 start, but, as of late, they've stumbled down the stretch. Lock Haven has lost three straight, including blowout losses to Millersville and Kutztown. They did look better last time out against West Chester, losing by just three on the road. The good news for the Bald Eagles tonight is they play their best against faster, up-and-down teams. They struggle against the slow-down, more methodical approaches. East Stroudsburg certainly doesn't play slow. Lock Haven won at ESU earlier this year by double digits. The Warriors have also struggled of late, going 2-2 in their past four games. This is a huge game for both teams. Lock Haven needs to stop the bleeding. East Stroudsburg can still get a first round bye next week -- and, perhaps a division title. The Warriors also find themselves mixed with a slew of teams on the NCAA bubble. Vegas says this may be the toughest game on the board. Both are hard to predict and both have been somewhat sporadic. ESU has more to play for tonight. That should make the difference. Warriors -2.5

Mercyhurst at Seton Hill - With two games to go, the Lakers have yet to clinch the No. 2 spot in the West. They enter tonight with a one-game lead on Pitt-Johnstown. The Griffins are tied with California. It's highly likely Seton Hill will play California on Monday night. But, it's a matter of 'where' at this point. This is a tough match-up for Mercyhurst. The first meeting was extremely tight. The Lakers pulled away in the final minutes and won, 82-71. Mercyhurst's offense is largely based around the three-point shot, and Seton Hill's zone makes getting clean deep shots very challenging. This game is also in the claustrophobic McKenna Center. It should be humming in there tonight, as Seton Hill is hyping this as a playoff game. Vegas says defense travels. But, don't be shocked. Some strange stuff happens in McKenna. Lakers win the zone vs zone showdown, but it won't be easy. Mercyhurst -7.5

Shippensburg at Shepherd - Arguably the Raiders' best player, Dom Sleva, isn't playing tonight. This is a do or possibly die game for the Rams. Shepherd is just 13-13 on the season, but it shows flashes of being much better. They are also historically a tough out in Shepherdstown. Shippensburg has a one-game lead in the East and also still has faint NCAA hopes. Vegas says take the home team tonight in what should be a hostile environment for the visitors. Shippensburg won by just two points in the first game with Sleva. Logic would say they won't win without him -- especially away from home. Without Sleva's defense, this is going to be a tough match-up for the Raiders. Rams -5.5

Millersville at West Chester - The winner puts itself in a great spot to have Monday night off. The loser is likely playing Monday night. Both teams are hot. Millersville has won 10 of its past 11 games. West Chester has won 6 of its past 7. This game also has much larger ramifications than just the conference tournament. Both are in the NCAA mix and this is a big resume-building game for the winner. The Marauders won the first meeting by 7 points. Playing in West Chester, however, is a different animal. Vegas says this is a tempo game. He who controls it will win. Take the Rams -- only because they are home. WCU -3.5

California at Pitt-Johnstown - These two teams are near mirror images of one another. Both start four guards and one athletic post player. Both have short benches. Both can light it up from outside. The main difference is the speed at which they prefer to play. The Vulcans want to win every game 100 to 97. UPJ prefers to run its offense at a much slower pace, passing the ball around until the perfect shot presents itself. The Mountain Cats won the first meeting by 4 points in the Angelo Dome. The Vulcans, however, are a lot better now than they were then. California has won its past 5 games -- most of which haven't been close -- including a massive win in Erie against Mercyhurst. While UPJ isn't as flashy as the Vulcans, they are extremely methodical and make very few mistakes. They are also nearly unbeatable in Johnstown this year (12-1 home record). The red hot Vulcans are becoming a sleeper pick to make a big run next week. They need to keep the momentum going. UPJ is still in the mix for the all-important bye -- and also needs to avoid a loss here, NCAA-wise. Vegas says the home team will find a way. John Paul Kromka rules the roost in Johnstown -- and the Mountain Cats typically shoot the ball at insane percentages in the Sports Center. UPJ survives. Barely. Mountain Cats -1.5

Gannon at Edinboro - A meaningless game, perhaps, but, only meaningless on paper. Aside from the local rivalry aspect, this match-up has some hostility to it. Recall last month when a Gannon bench player grabbed the back of an Edinboro player -- while the game was live. Edinboro coach Pat Cleary went ballistic but to no avail. Amazingly, all three officials, later suspended for two games each, somehow didn't see the incident and no foul (or ejection) was called. The PSAC home office stepped in after the game and the situation was handled -- privately, of course, with no public reprimand for the guilty. As for the actual game tonight, both teams are 3-17 in West play. The winner takes control of 7th place -- which, one would say, is better than 8th or 9th. The Golden Knights won the first meeting by 10 points. Gannon has continued to at least hang around against most opponents. The Fighting Scots have lost 9 straight but have given some good teams a fight over the past month. Vegas says the records are irrelevant tonight -- literally and figuratively. Edinboro got disrespected a month ago. If a large student crowd doesn't show up to cheer for the home team tonight they may never. Gannon likes to dirty things up and may actually thrive in this environment. Golden Knights win. Gannon -5.5

Clarion at Slippery Rock - In about a month, Clarion coach Damian Pitts is going to look back at this season and wonder what could have been. He may be unemployed at that point, but, nonetheless. The Golden Eagles are an extremely disappointing 5-20. There's no hiding the fact they should probably be -- at least -- in the .500 neighborhood. To their credit, they didn't quit and actually became a pretty good team in February. Consider in the past month Clarion beat California, and gave IUP, UPJ and Mercyhurst all they could handle in tight losses. How did this team that was getting hammered in the first two months all the sudden start hanging with heavyweights? Pitts went young -- and started playing his ultra-talented freshmen. The decision looming in Tippin regarding Pitts' fate is interesting. He's obviously 5-20 in Year 4 of his regime. That's terrible and gets most coaches fired. But, this whole team is set to return next year -- with confidence. If he's fired, many of these potential star freshmen likely enter the transfer portal. On the other hand, Slippery Rock is reeling. The Rock has lost 4 of its past 5 games, and is just 4-9 in its past 13 outings. Vegas says to look past the records tonight. Clarion can win this game. The Golden Eagles have been the better team the past month. But, Morrow is a tough venue. SRU gets the win tonight - by the skin of its teeth. Rock -1.5

[Fightingscot82]

Gannon at Edinboro tomorrow night.

Round 1 had some fireworks (bench incident). This should be interesting.

There will actually be a half decent crowd in McComb tonight, too. Big student push and their annual Make a Wish game.

[IUPalum]

Gannon at Edinboro tomorrow night.

Round 1 had some fireworks (bench incident). This should be interesting.

If Gannon was smart, the track suits stay home but this is Jefferson... they'll be there.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Gannon at Edinboro tomorrow night.

Round 1 had some fireworks (bench incident). This should be interesting.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If KJ doesn't get fired then there's absolutely no reason for the clarion coach to be fired. Clarion couldn't have expected too much - better than 3-23, but they've been in that place a few times before.

KJ is on the Green Mile.

[bballfan03]

In case you missed it, Clarion just about beat Mercyhurst in Erie yesterday. The Lakers won, 62-55.

I don't know where this Clarion team was all year, but it made some incredible strides down the stretch.

The question looming is if the head coach keeps his job after a 3-23 season -- in Year 4 of his regime.

Essentially their whole team returns (in theory) next season. That should be a pretty good team next winter so long as the Portal doesn't crush them.

If Pitts can convince his young stars to stay, I'd probably give him another season -- a one-year deal with fairly high expectations for next season.

If KJ doesn't get fired then there's absolutely no reason for the clarion coach to be fired. Clarion couldn't have expected too much - better than 3-23, but they've been in that place a few times before.

[IUPalum]

Some games to play, but, unlike the craziness in the East, the West men's side seems already pretty set for next week.

The Round 1 Monday schedule should be:

Slippery Rock at Pitt-Johnstown (interesting because they play each other Saturday).

Cal will play Seton Hill (just a matter of 'where' as of now).



The SRU/UPJ winner will play at Mercyhurst on Wednesday. The Cal/SH winner will play at the KCAC. Just a hunch but I'd guess IUP will be playing Cal this Saturday and again next Wednesday. Cal swept SH this year and neither game was all that close. Of course, there's always the old 'tough to beat a team three times' theory.

I can smell the playoff basketball in the air!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Some games to play, but, unlike the craziness in the East, the West men's side seems already pretty set for next week.

The Round 1 Monday schedule should be:

Slippery Rock at Pitt-Johnstown (interesting because they play each other Saturday).

Cal will play Seton Hill (just a matter of 'where' as of now).



The SRU/UPJ winner will play at Mercyhurst on Wednesday. The Cal/SH winner will play at the KCAC. Just a hunch but I'd guess IUP will be playing Cal this Saturday and again next Wednesday. Cal swept SH this year and neither game was all that close. Of course, there's always the old 'tough to beat a team three times' theory.

[Ship69]

To an extent -- but, it depends how much stock you put into a one week tournament as opposed to a full season of work.

The top teams in the West (IUP and Mercyhurst) had blowout wins against the top teams in the East.

IUP has comfortable wins against West Chester (14), Millersville (31) and East Stroudsburg (14).

Mercyhurst beat West Chester by 15, Shippensburg by 29 and Lock Haven by 22 points. They did oddly lose to Millersville.

But, as we so often see, a team can get hot and win the tournament. A West team would have to do it on the road this year, but IUP plays better on the road (and travels well) and it doesn't really matter where Mercyhurst plays. That defense travels. It wouldn't shock me to see UPJ or Cal make it to Final Four weekend. In the East, it seems about any of the six teams have a shot -- and, the hottest team, Kutztown, may end up the 7th team and not invited.

I thought all along East Stroudsburg was the best team in the East -- they may still be -- but they've had some issues in the second half. West Chester seems to have their number. Oddly, Ship swept West Chester and West Chester swept East Stroudsburg.

It seems the seeding (match-ups) is going to play a much bigger role in the East than in the West.

East Stroud was able to get Ship to play its game, but Ship was able to do the same to West Chester. ESU has trouble with West Chester because the West Chester guards love to run and are probably quicker than the ESU guys. They also have enough bigs to keep Pepin and McAliley from running wild. I can understand Millersville giving Mercyhurst trouble as they have a couple of decent bigs and are no slouches on defense themselves. Ship is very similar and I think would give Mercyhurst a lot more trouble if they played them again (provided Sleva was playing). I think IUP beating Millersville by 31 might have been one of their more impressive wins. They're a hard club to beat by that much of a margin.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I second this. I said before, Mansfield has the talent to be in the upper division of the PSAC East, and just hasn't gotten it done. And just from what I saw Saturday afternoon, Bloomsburg's A game could take most opponents to an end game.

Now, maybe that's more an indication of a weak lead pack in the East. I can't say I'm absolutely sure. The tournament will have to give us some answers on that.

To an extent -- but, it depends how much stock you put into a one week tournament as opposed to a full season of work.

The top teams in the West (IUP and Mercyhurst) had blowout wins against the top teams in the East.

IUP has comfortable wins against West Chester (14), Millersville (31) and East Stroudsburg (14).

Mercyhurst beat West Chester by 15, Shippensburg by 29 and Lock Haven by 22 points. They did oddly lose to Millersville.

But, as we so often see, a team can get hot and win the tournament. A West team would have to do it on the road this year, but IUP plays better on the road (and travels well) and it doesn't really matter where Mercyhurst plays. That defense travels. It wouldn't shock me to see UPJ or Cal make it to Final Four weekend. In the East, it seems about any of the six teams have a shot -- and, the hottest team, Kutztown, may end up the 7th team and not invited.

I thought all along East Stroudsburg was the best team in the East -- they may still be -- but they've had some issues in the second half. West Chester seems to have their number. Oddly, Ship swept West Chester and West Chester swept East Stroudsburg.

It seems the seeding (match-ups) is going to play a much bigger role in the East than in the West.