PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated WOMEN'S Standings:

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TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Gannon *	17-1	25-2	W1
IUP	13-4	17-5	W2
California	12-6	17-7	W3
Edinboro	12-6	14-9	W2
Mercyhurst	11-6	15-8	L1
Seton Hill	10-7	13-10	W1
Pitt-Johnstown	9-9	14-10	L2
Slippery Rock	2-15	2-18	L6
Clarion	0-18	0-24	L24

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings:

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TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Gannon *	16-2	22-2	W11
California *	15-3	21-3	W3
IUP *	12-5	15-8	W1
Slippery Rock	9-8	11-12	L2
Seton Hill	8-9	13-10	W1
Mercyhurst	8-9	12-13	L1
Edinboro	6-12	7-17	W1
Clarion	5-13	7-17	L2
Pitt-Johnstown	4-14	6-18	L1

-

Saturday:

Pitt-Johnstown at Slippery Rock

Clarion at Gannon

IUP at Edinboro

Seton Hill at Mercyhurst

Idle: California

[IUPalum]

Edinboro didn't do IUP any favors.

As of now, Mercyhurst would play at IUP in Round 1.

I can already see Planutis taking 25 open treys and Reichert turning in to his usual Charles Barkley.

Plenty of time left.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

In a meaningless game...

Edinboro didn't do IUP any favors.

As of now, Mercyhurst would play at IUP in Round 1.

I can already see Planutis taking 25 open treys and Reichert turning in to his usual Charles Barkley.

[IUPalum]

Boro with the nice win over Mercyhurst. James Connor watching the game courtside.

In a meaningless game...

[Fightingscot82]

Boro with the nice win over Mercyhurst. James Connor watching the game courtside.

[CALUPA69]

Not sure but that's a huge item. Potential home court in the Final Four on the line.

Close but no cigar as the ROCK scares GU, again, but still can't get over the hump. Barring weird game in the final 4, everyone's trekking to Erie in March. Hoping a late winter storm doesn't show up.

[Scrub]

Glad to see there's a good slate tonight in the PSAC. The slate in the MEC is absolute dog breath tonight. Unless you're a die-hard for an MEC team, spend your time tuning in to the PSAC tonight. I'm hoping WLU can make quick work of Frostburg, so I can catch some late action flipping over to the PSAC games (loved the IUP-Hurst OT the last time out because it extended the game and gave me a chance to tune in after finishing my local game).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Valentine's Day has brought with it a pretty strong lineup tonight. There are some very important games and some very interesting rematches from a month ago. As always, you degenerates, happy gambling.


Shippensburg at Mansfield - The race for the final PSAC Tournament spot in the East is a mess. Directly in the center of said mess sits these two teams. The Top 6 teams make it. Four have already clinched, and Shepherd enters tonight snug in the 5-hole - up 3 games on both Shippensburg and Mansfield. So, the odds are looking pretty good that one of these two teams is not getting invited to the mini-dance. The first meeting, while lacking fanfare, may have been one of the most entertaining games of the season thus far. The Raiders hammered the Mounties in the first half -- then got hammered in the second half. Mansfield eventually won the OT session, 16-5, and secured a wild 98-87 victory. Interesting stat of the game: Mansfield went 0-9 from deep in the first half, and then hit a whopping 10-14 in the second. Of note, Mansfield star sophomore forward Saraj Ali didn't play in the first meeting. He's back now. However, a once-somewhat promising season has gone off the rails for the Mounties, who have lost 7 straight. Both teams can play fairly well in stretches -- and not so well in other stretches. Very tough game to pick. The home team gets a slight edge, bolstered by the return of Ali. Mounties -3.5

Millersville at Shepherd - Round 1 ended in a knockout. The Rams were down just 6 points at halftime but then got blitzed in the second half, ultimately losing 69-44. Whatever adjustments Millersville made at the break worked, as the Rams scored just 16 points in the final 20 minutes. Shepherd tends to live and die with the trey, and, well, it wasn't falling on that night. Perhaps things will be different tonight in Shepherdstown. But, probably not. Millersville is a legit NCAA team. This shouldn't be another 25-point laugher, but the end result will be another win for the 'Ville. Millersville -12.5

East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - Aside from being a huge game in the East race, this meeting will play a huge role in the upcoming NCAA discussions. ESU is still in the mix to host the Regional. Lock Haven is currently on the NCAA bubble, packed with several similar-record teams. The Bald Eagles pulled an upset last month on the road, beating the Warriors, 75-70. This should have a playoff atmosphere inside Thomas Fieldhouse -- a pretty rare occurence. Logic says in a big game to take the more experienced team. ESU has played in a lot of high-pressure games over the years. Lock Haven has not. Add in the revenge factor, and the smart money goes on the road team. But, buyer beware. The Bald Eagles are built to play against the pressure and have a slew of strong guards. Warriors -5.5

Kutztown at West Chester - Well, if you had Kutztown +41.5 at Shippensburg this past Saturday, you had a good day. Chances are you didn't -- considering the Golden Bears beat the Raiders by 12 in January. Kutztown is now 3-20, and the total egg it laid in Shippensburg is perhaps a sign this young team is throwing in the towel. The Rams remain an enigma. They'll be a scary bunch in the tournament. They have their moments, and, at times, look like an elite team. Other times, however, they look like a 9-loss team. One sure bet is they'll look good tonight. This should be a run-away. West Chester was sloppy in the first meeting, winning by just 9 points. At home tonight it shouldnt be close. WCU -15.5

Pitt-Johnstown at IUP - The Mountain Cats ended their 10-game losing streak by defeating Edinboro. IUP is on a two-game skid, albeit having lost in 2 OT at Mercyhurst and losing to powerful Gannon by just 2 points. Gannon, in fact, will play more players tonight than these two teams combined. Scorekeepers' Delight. One thing for certain when these two neighbors play is the final score will likely be in single digits. Joe Lombardi is 21-4 against Bob Rukavina, but this series has produced nail-biter after nail-biter. Tonight will be no different. Some think Rukavina knows Lombardi's offense and defense better than the long-time IUP head coach does. UPJ used an interesting tactic in the first meeting (a narrow 73-72 IUP win). The Mountain Cats totally ignored IUP's small forward ... as in they didn't cover him at all. Instead, they hammered Ethan Porterfield all night with double teams. IUP was caught off guard and really struggled to get any offensive flow. It will be interesting to see if UPJ does the same tonight - and how IUP will attack it. UPJ is also now without star PG Andrew Shull, who ironically played his last game against IUP. Don't expect fireworks. It won't be pretty. Look for IUP to win in the range of 70-62. Crimson Hawks -7.5

Clarion at California - Golden Eagles' star power forward Jayson Harris recently returned after missing several weeks. Clarion is struggling with a 7-16 record and is on the brink of being eliminated from the conference tournament. However, this isn't a team to take lightly. The Golden Eagles have lost a ton of close games against good teams -- common for a team full of talented freshmen and sophomores. This year Clarion has taken ESU, IUP and Calfiornia to the wire. Eventually, they are going to get somebody. Will it be tonight in Angelo's Dome? Unlikely. Cal hasn't been playing its best basketball of late, but continues winning. The Vulcans have been in some real street fights the past couple weeks with teams they should in reality be blowing out. Clarion has the size and playmakers to hang around with the Vulcans. Cal just has more experience and more depth. Vulcans -9.5

Mercyhurst at Edinboro - It's time for Round 2. The Fighting Scots won last month in Erie for the first time in forever. New head coach Justin Jennings found a crack in Mercyhurst's famous match-up zone, and left the MAC with a very rare, 75-69 victory. The first meeting was an extremely chippy game between these two local rivals. Expect more of the same tonight. That said, don't expect the same result. The Lakers are playing well and should be a force in the PSAC Tournament. Mercyhurst gets revenge. Lakers -7.5

Slippery Rock at Gannon - There are two versions of Slippery Rock. The home edition is very good. The Rock is 9-1 in Morrow Fieldhouse. The lone loss came against Gannon (in OT). The other version, however, isn't very good. Slippery Rock is 2-10 on the road. Figure that out for yourself. Gannon returns (kind of) home fresh off a narrow win in Indiana. The first meeting had a lot of fireworks. SRU has the athletes and size to hang around in this game. But, the stats are the facts -- 9-1 at home and 2-10 on the road. This is on the road. Gannon -9.5

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Should GU and CALU both finish with identical records (2 loses in West, 1 XO) what's the next tie breaker ? Assuming The Rock does the Vulcans a solid on Wednesday.

Not sure but that's a huge item. Potential home court in the Final Four on the line.

[CALUPA69]

The PSAC Tournamet is fast approaching. It's pretty clear at this point which teams from the West will be participating. The top three below have already clinched a spot.


Updated West Men's Standings:

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Gannon *	15-2	21-2	W10
California *	14-3	20-3	W2
IUP *	11-5	14-8	L1
Slippery Rock	9-7	11-11	L1
Mercyhurst	8-8	12-12	W2
Seton Hill	8-9	13-10	W1
Clarion	5-12	7-16	L1
Edinboro	5-12	6-17	L2
Pitt-Johnstown	4-13	6-17	W1

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Biggest games this week:

Slippery Rock at Gannon - SRU is one of those 'don't catch them on the wrong night' teams. GU won the first meeting in OT.

Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The Lakers won on a (shocker) Jeff Planutis walk-off trey in Greensburg last month. The loser of this game may be on a path to the KCAC in Round 1.

Should GU and CALU both finish with identical records (2 loses in West, 1 XO) what's the next tie breaker ? Assuming The Rock does the Vulcans a solid on Wednesday.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The PSAC Tournamet is fast approaching. It's pretty clear at this point which teams from the West will be participating. The top three below have already clinched a spot.


Updated West Men's Standings:

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Gannon *	15-2	21-2	W10
California *	14-3	20-3	W2
IUP *	11-5	14-8	L1
Slippery Rock	9-7	11-11	L1
Mercyhurst	8-8	12-12	W2
Seton Hill	8-9	13-10	W1
Clarion	5-12	7-16	L1
Edinboro	5-12	6-17	L2
Pitt-Johnstown	4-13	6-17	W1

-

Biggest games this week:

Slippery Rock at Gannon - SRU is one of those 'don't catch them on the wrong night' teams. GU won the first meeting in OT.

Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The Lakers won on a (shocker) Jeff Planutis walk-off trey in Greensburg last month. The loser of this game may be on a path to the KCAC in Round 1.

[bballfan03]

If you took all the favorites Wednesday night, you lost money (4 to 4 means you still pay the juice). The season is in the stretch run. Happy gambling, you degenerates.


Clarion at Seton Hill - Golden Eagles' star power forward Jayson Harris finally returned, and, naturally, Clarion snapped its long losing streak by hammering Pitt-Johnstown. Before they pop the champagne in Tippin, one has to consider that was UPJ's 10th straight loss and the Mountain Cats are now playing just 6-7 guys. This trip to Greensburg will likely make or break Clarion's season. The Golden Eagles are two games behind the Griffins for the final spot in the PSAC Tournament. If Clarion loses tomorrow, it could be lights out. Seton Hill is fresh off a near upset of California. The Griffins played incredibly on offense, scoring 93 points and nearly gave Vulcans' coach Danny Sancomb a heart attack. Seton Hill's usually-tough defense, however, was shredded. The Vulcans did whatever they wanted and put up 100 points in the McKenna Center. This is a tremendous matchup. Both teams, when healthy, are much better than people think. The Griffins won the first meeting by 7 points. Clarion's main weakness is it can't play a full 40 minutes. For 30 minutes, the Golden Eagles can hang with any team in the league. It's those extra 10 minutes that have ruined their season. Gambler beware. Seton Hill -2.5

Edinboro at Pitt-Johnstown - All heck has broken loose in Johnstown. The Mountain Cats have dropped a whopping 10 straight games. A star player bailed. Much has changed since this program made the NCAA Tournament a year ago. UPJ had at least been playing pretty competitively before Wednesday's blowout loss at Clarion. This funk likely will end after this season. UPJ is incredibly young -- and Bob Rukavina is trying his best to play less players than Joe Lombardi. Edinboro, on the other hand, is making strides this season. While the wins aren't there, the Fighting Scots are proving to be a tough out. The Dirty J has been a place where winning streaks have went to die for years, but this UPJ team doesn't have the magic of the past. They usually find a way to keep games close in Johnstown. Tomorrow could be similar. Scots -6.5

Slippery Rock at California - A rematch of perhaps the most shocking upset of the season thus far will take place in Angelo's Dome. The Vulcans will look to avenge the beating they received in Morrow Fieldhouse. California bounced back from its loss in Erie by barely escaping Greensburg. The Vulcans' offense was superb. Its defense was not good. The Rock is a strange bird. It can look great one night and very average the next. One thing to keep in mind is Ian Grady has been a thorn to Danny Sancomb the past couple years. He has a formula that works against the Vulcans. Cal has been a bit shaky the past two weeks -- and SRU has had a week to prepare. Can the Rock get a sweep? Doubtful ... but possible. Vulcans -6.5

Gannon at IUP - This one is real simple. IUP can't break the press. IUP has trouble inbounding the ball against the press. IUP has no depth. The depth IUP does have wears warm-up jackets all game. Damir Brooks could be one of the better forwards in the league but Joe won't play him. IUP has just three players who can score points. The end. Gannon -21.5

West Chester at East Stroudsburg - Damien Blair could throw a big wrench in to the East race with an upset tomorrow. His team is capable. The Rams, however, are a wild card. Which version will show up? The Warriors are 19-2, home and fresh off a bye. Logic says ESU wins. Logic isn't always right. This should be a good one. Warriors -6.5

Kutztown at Shippensburg - The Golden Bears are in the midst of a brutal 3-19 season. However, one of those wins came against Shippensburg. The Raiders are fresh off a pounding at Millersville. Tough year for both programs. Can Chris Fite get some payback tomorrow? Flip a coin. Home team gets a slight edge. Ship -1.5

Millersville at Bloomsburg - What's left of the Bloomsburg roster naturally pulled an upset and beat Mansfield the other night. This team is so up and down that it's nearly impossible to predict what will happen next. Bad news for the Huskies, however, is they aren't playing Mansfield tomorrow. Millersville is one of the hottest teams in the Region, and, as of now, the Marauders seem to be a lock for the NCAAs. The 'Ville is clearly favored, but watch the spread. These Huskies are tricky. Marauders -14.5

Shepherd at Mansfield - The Mounties are so close. One night they nearly knock off a heavyweight. The next they lose to Bloomsburg. Shepherd is beyond unpredictable. As of now, Mansfield is on pace for the final spot in the East. But, the margin for error is next to nothing. They better win this one at home. Mounties -2.5

my only critique of this.. is that I don't think you put enough consideration into IUP having lost to Hurst 3 days prior to playing Gannon.. they were coming out swinging (as they normally would), but with even more intensity coming off a loss. I would've still predicted a Gannon win, but a spread more around -7.5. So I, too, would have been wrong lol but I definitely did not anticipate a 20+ margin for Gannon.. even when they were up by 18 - IUP was still really in it.

[bballfan03]

I agree with your format... less regions, larger regions.. at least then the chances of playing a team 4x is diminished a little.

And for the reasons you listed as to why Atlantic Region is one of the stronger regions (which I agree) is why I hate this format. West Liberty, IUP, Hurst (the years they were up there).. should have all had a chance to be get to the Elite 8 without having to kick the crap out of one another to do so.

also, with the way it currently is, maybe instead of naming a region champ, take the top 2 teams from each region (when it's down to 2) and put those 16 teams together and then reseed (i hate the reseeding at the Elite 8, so I'd prefer a straight 64 bracket, but with the current format the reseeding could help to get the region foes away from each other). Could have the Sweet 16 all at one place - 4 games one day, 4 games the next.. off a few 2 games one day, 2 games the next... off... 2 final 4 games.. off.. championship. Could also try to do it in one "location", but use 2 different venues - then all games can be played in one day still.

[bballfan03]

I think about the only sensible thing they could do at this level is to merge regions. Go from 8 to 4, but do it geographically. You can then, in theory, open things up where you are seeding 1-16 within a region rather than 1-8 in a smaller pool. This could still allow fans to reasonably travel to the games if they chose to do so and it would open up the NCAA tournament some to avoid teams playing each other a 3rd and 4th time in the Round of 64 and Round of 32.

I would love to see them do an open seeded tournament 1-64. But that just will never happen at this level for a variety of reasons.

Regional strength around the country is cyclical. They all have ebbs and flows. Depth of good teams. Years where they are weaker. Etc. Despite none of the top teams winning a National Championship, I tend to generally think that the Atlantic is one of the tougher, deeper regions. Over the stretch of the last 5-7 years, IUP, WL, and Mercyhurst have all been "elite" during stretches. Some years they have been elite all in the same season. You generally have formidable challengers (East Stroudsburg, Fairmont State, etc.) in each of the PSAC and MEC as well who are normally really good and have the material to make a run. The CIAA champion is never a quiet "out" in the tournament either. And not to mention that they have put some really good teams into the dance. All that said, there is such diversity in styles that the top teams play in the Atlantic Region as well. At their best, IUP, Mercyhurst, and West Liberty all play different styles of basketball.

Given the setup, the challenge of the D2 Regional format generally results in a lot of good, sometimes great, teams getting knocked out of the tournament very early. The year IUP lost to Mercyhurst in the second round of the tournament, the Atlantic Regional's top 4 seeds were all ranked in the top 10. The 5 seed was in the top 15. Those teams shouldn't be playing in the 1st and 2nd round. But that's the nature of the beast I suppose.

I tell friends of mine who don't understand the D2 landscape that it's probably more challenging as a top seed to reach the Elite 8 in D2 than it is to reach the Final 4 in D1. The nature of playing rivals, teams you are familiar with regionally (and who are also familiar with you), and teams in your conference generally for a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time in the season (often in a road environment) makes it a very, very tall order. People see a 29-2 record and assume they'll just win the Region. Losing in the 2nd round may not necessarily be an "upset."

I hate the format in that respect, but I guess it is what is.

I agree with your format... less regions, larger regions.. at least then the chances of playing a team 4x is diminished a little.

And for the reasons you listed as to why Atlantic Region is one of the stronger regions (which I agree) is why I hate this format. West Liberty, IUP, Hurst (the years they were up there).. should have all had a chance to be get to the Elite 8 without having to kick the crap out of one another to do so.