PSAC WEST

[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.

[jrshooter]

With the advent of the three-point shot, I take nothing for granted. Bloomsburg and Mansfield have give Ship four good games this season. This isn't a vintage Chris Fite team, but they've played well at times (one-point loss to Fairmont State that easily could have been a win comes to mind along with two wins over a West Chester team getting a lot of regional love). Obviously, the loss of Dom Sleva is a huge blow for Ship, but a Bloom team that only took nine players to Ship played a nice game on Saturday, seemingly tossing in three-pointers from everywhere the second half. I had some guests at the game, and they were amazed that a team that had only won a single game could shoot so well. I think we sometimes underestimate the quality of our players in the PSAC. Even the guys on the bad teams have their nights.

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.

[EyeoftheHawk]

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.

I’m guessing they’ll lose 2-3 good players to the portal. As for the HC keeping his job, a three win season is a tough pill to swallow in year four. If it was his second or even third year it might be different. I don’t think it’s enough to “almost” beat IUP and Mercyhurst but only have one win against a DII opponent. How they ever beat Cal is beyond me but that’s their lone win.

If I was betting on it I’d bet the HC is gone and a bunch of players follow putting the Golden Eagles right back at square one.

[Ship69]

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.

With the advent of the three-point shot, I take nothing for granted. Bloomsburg and Mansfield have give Ship four good games this season. This isn't a vintage Chris Fite team, but they've played well at times (one-point loss to Fairmont State that easily could have been a win comes to mind along with two wins over a West Chester team getting a lot of regional love). Obviously, the loss of Dom Sleva is a huge blow for Ship, but a Bloom team that only took nine players to Ship played a nice game on Saturday, seemingly tossing in three-pointers from everywhere the second half. I had some guests at the game, and they were amazed that a team that had only won a single game could shoot so well. I think we sometimes underestimate the quality of our players in the PSAC. Even the guys on the bad teams have their nights.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

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.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Big week in the West. Only IUP has locked in a seed for the conference tournament.

This week's headliners:

Wednesday

California at Pitt-Johnstown (Vulcans are hot. Huge game for both teams)

Mercyhurst at Seton Hill (Griffins almost won in Erie ... could be a trap waiting in a hostile environment)

Saturday

IUP at California (IUP gets a week to rest and prep while Cal has a tough game in Johnstown mid-week)

Pitt-Johnstown at Slippery Rock (these two will likely play again 48 hours later in the first round -- in Johnstown)

Mercyhurst at Gannon (mismatch on paper but some strange things can happen in rivalries)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated Men's Standings

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP *(1)	20-1	26-1	W4
Mercyhurst *	16-4	20-4	W2
Pitt-Johnstown *	15-5	19-7	W1
California *	11-9	14-12	W5
Seton Hill *	11-10	16-11	W1
Slippery Rock *	9-11	15-11	L1
Edinboro	3-17	5-20	L9
Gannon	3-17	3-21	L1
Clarion	1-19	3-22	L5

[Chuck Norris]

Just saw that former Cal coach Bill Brown passed away on Wednesday.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If any of you degenerates took the gambling advise and gave the points in all of Wednesday's games, well, my apologies. The house favorites went 2-6 (with the spreads). Seton Hill, East Stroudsburg, Shepherd, Clarion and Shippensburg lost as outright favorites. Mansfield didn't cover. IUP and Mercyhurst both won and covered.

Much like Joe Lombardi's team is trying to shoot itself out of a funk, tomorrow we can gamble our way out of a gambling funk.

Slippery Rock at IUP - The Crimson Hawks have lost just once this year. If you recall, Mercyhurst had a bye prior to the game. Slippery Rock had a bye this past Wednesday. Will the extra study time allotted again come back to bite IUP? It's possible. The Rock has a talented and athletic lineup -- one capable of matching up with IUP. The Crimson Hawks won the first meeting, in Morrow, by 15 points. IUP controlled the game from start to finish. Was that a different IUP team back then? Perhaps. That was pre-shooting funk. One thing to keep in mind is while IUP seems to play down against lesser opponents, Lombardi's teams are famous for getting really up when the lights get bright. Those lights will be bright tomorrow as an expected 3,600 will likely fill the KCAC. IUP has won the past 6 meetings in the series and is 23-4 against SRU in the last 27 matchups. We all know the history of Slippery Rock in Indiana. The Rock hasn't won a game here since 1991 -- but they've lost a lot of really close ones during that remarkable stretch. Vegas says despite SRU being in a funk of its own, expect a closer game in Round 2. IUP pulls away in the last 8-10 minutes. Hawks -7.5

Clarion at Mercyhurst - The Lakers followed up their loss to California with a 16-point home win against UPJ. Clarion followed up its near upset of IUP by getting whacked at Gannon. Odd thing is Clarion's two starters who missed the IUP game returned -- and the team played much worse. If the Golden Eagles looked disinterested in a game that could have got them out of the West basement, odds are they won't be too engaged in the MAC. Vegas says it won't matter if Clarion is engaged or not. The Lakers won the first meeting by 23 points. Sounds about right tomorrow. Lakers -23.5

Edinboro at Pitt-Johnstown - The Fighting Scots have enough to hang around most nights for 25-30 minutes. They gave UPJ a tussle in the first meeting before falling apart late. If Edinboro was going to catch the Mountain Cats off guard, it was going to happen in McComb. UPJ is much more difficult to play in Johnstown. This the second long bus ride for Edinboro in four days. UPJ is coming off a nightmare trip to Erie and will likely be angry. Vegas says this has blowout written all over it. UPJ -17.5

Bloomsburg at Shippensburg - Known Raider killer Jake Nelson is coming to town. With Shippensburg's Dom Sleva questionable, Nelson could be in line for a huge afternoon. Vegas says be very skeptical touching this game without knowing Sleva's status. The Huskies lost by just 9 points in the first meeting. If Sleva is out, there could be an upset in the works -- or, at least a pretty interesting game. With or without Sleva, the Raiders should beat Bloomsburg (1-22). But, by how much is always the question. Ship -3.5

Lock Haven at West Chester - The Bald Eagles' buzz has come to a screeching halt. Lock Haven has not only lost two straight, but it has been blown out of the building its past two outings. They lost by 26 at Millersville and followed that up with a 37-point home smackdown at the hands of red-hot Kutztown. Now comes a trip to West Chester -- never an easy place to play. The Rams won the first meeting by 5 points, but Lock Haven was a different team back then. West Chester has improved over the course of the season and is playing its best basketball -- even without a couple key players in the lineup. Vegas says ride the hot hand. WCU -9.5

Gannon at Seton Hill - The record doesn't show it, but Gannon hasn't been playing too bad the past month. Seton Hill has lost two straight -- both on the road at UPJ and California. The Griffins have made a living this year beating the teams it should -- and losing (typically) fairly close to the teams above them. The Knights' Zach Kent went crazy in the first meeting, scoring 26 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. He should be in line for another big game tomorrow as this is a great matchup for him. Gannon also now has a mostly healthy Chris Clancy. The X-Factor in this game is Kent's head. The McKenna Center is an annoying venue for visitors. Kent is a hot head and can be rattled. Vegas says this is going to be a tight one. Forget the records. The Knights can cause Seton Hill some match-up issues. The Griffins, however, are deeper -- and that will ultimately tell the tale. Seton Hill -5.5

Mansfield at Kutztown - The Golden Bears aren't officially dead yet -- but, they are on life support. Winners of three straight, Kutztown is three games behind Shepherd for the final conference tournament spot. Three games back with three games to go? Impossible, right? Not so fast, my friends. Kutztown's last three games: Mansfield, at Bloomsburg, and, yes, Shepherd. Shepherd's last three games: at ESU, Shippensburg and at Kutztown. The Bears have a much easier final week of the season. So, there's still hope, and, I'm not sure anybody would be in a hurry to play Kutztown right now. Kutztown has to now get past a sporadic Mansfield team. The Mounties won the first meeting by a point. Vegas says take the home team. KU has something to play for tomorrow. Mansfield gets one step closer to the banquet. Kutztown -8.5

Shepherd at East Stroudsburg - When you look back in time, the Warriors' second-half funk started with their 96-88 loss in Shepherdstown. Since that night, ESU is just 5-6. Shepherd has had a lot of good nights this year. They've also had a lot of bad nights. The Rams also have a red-hot Kutztown on their tail. Shepherd can clinch the final tournament spot with a win tomorrow, It won't be easy. East Stroudsburg is coming off a disappointing loss to Kutztown. The Warriors blew a 16-point (home) halftime lead. ESU also now finds itself in the slew of teams on the NCAA bubble, so the Warriors really need this one. Vegas says this will be tight -- and both teams have been a gamblers' headache. Warriors -3.5

[IUPbigINDIANS]

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP *(1)	19-1	25-1	W3
Mercyhurst *	15-4	19-4	W1
Pitt-Johnstown *	14-5	18-7	L1
California *	11-9	14-12	W5
Seton Hill *	10-10	15-11	L2
Slippery Rock *	9-10	15-10	W1
Edinboro	3-16	5-19	L8
Gannon	3-16	3-20	W1
Clarion	1-18	3-21	L4

[IUPbigINDIANS]

To some, these are just regular season games tonight. To others, they may as well be playoff games. The all-important conference tournament seeding is on the line for many this evening. A couple others can keep their NCAA hopes alive (or see them destroyed).

This is not a good night for the amateur gambler ... very tough lineup.


West Chester at Shepherd - If you were betting these two all year, you'd likely be broke and in rehab. Both can be very tough on a given night. Both can be very average on a given night. Both have lost numerous times when they shouldn't have. Regardless, Shepherd hasn't clinched the last remaining conference tournament spot, but has a 4-game lead on Kutztown. So, odds are good. In the whacky East race, West Chester is still right in the mix. Amazingly, on Feb. 15, 'right in the mix' means WCU could still get the East No. 1 seed or the East No. 6 seed. It's that wide open entering tonight. West Chester won a home thriller in the first meeting, 70-69. After Shepherd stunned East Stroudsburg, many thought the Rams had finally broken out and would go on a run. In typical Shepherd fashion, however, they went 4-4 in their past 8 games -- all four losses came to teams above them in the standings. WCU has won 4 of its past 5 outings. So, what does all that mean tonight? Who knows. Flip a coin. That's the best advice available when it comes to these two. But, the Rams are tough in Shepherdstown. Vegas says Shepherd -2.5

Seton Hill at California - By the end of tonight, one of these two will at least temporarily be in position to host a Round 1 game in the conference tournament. The loser will be on pace to travel. Both teams are hot. Seton Hill has won 3 of its past 4, with the lone loss coming by just three points in Johnstown. The Vulcans have won 4 straight, highlighted by a huge win at Mercyhurst. California won the first meeting by 11 points on a night neither team could hit the side of a barn. Combined, the teams shot 10 for 53 from outside. The Vulcans have a better starting unit, but the Griffins are deeper. Cal is at its best in a free-flowing tempo. Seton Hill's zone should slow them down. Vegas says take the visiting Catholic school in a tight one. Griffins -1.5

Kutztown at East Stroudsburg - At two games behind Shippensburg, there's obviously no room for error in East Stroudsburg. The Warriors got quite the tussle from these pesky Golden Bears last month. ESU trailed almost the entire game before mounting a furious late comeback and winning by 4 points. Kutztown played (and won) a non-conference game last night, so we'll see how their legs hold up tonight. This isn't a deep KU roster. The Warriors seem mostly back on track. They've won 4 of their past 5 games and are tough at home. Vegas says this won't be like the first meeting. ESU pulls away in the second half. Warriors -12.5

Edinboro at IUP - The Crimson Hawks, somehow, avoided total disaster a few days ago, and escaped Clarion with a win (and should have lost). Joe Lombardi's teams are somewhat famous for going through the motions against teams near the bottom of the standings. So, to play another team tonight in such a position, well, it could very well be a disaster. IUP won the first meeting in McComb by 18 points, but it was far closer than the final spread. Much like this past Saturday, IUP looked disinterested against Edinboro for the first 25-30 minutes. If that happens again tonight, it's certainly conceivable IUP could lose this game. The Fighting Scots have dropped their past 7, but most recently gave Cal all it could handle in a 106-97 loss and then lost by just 2 points at Slippery Rock. So, the Scots are still fighting. Vegas says take the home team tonight, but neither an IUP blowout win or an IUP narrow win would really surprise. The Hawks are either bored, or, perhaps have some deeper issues. IUP -9.5

Clarion at Gannon - Nobody wants to finish last in the division. This is Clarion's chance to get out of the basement. The Golden Eagles should fly in to this one with some confidence. Gannon has lost 4 straight but continues to hang around in games. The Golden Knights took the first meeting but Clarion has been playing pretty well of late -- giving UPJ, Seton Hill and IUP all they could handle. Vegas says take the visitors tonight. Clarion -3.5

Bloomsburg at Mansfield - The Mounties are one team that will look back on this season and want to kick themselves. Mansfield should have a much better record than 5-18. For starters, they've underachieved. Furthermore, they've lost a ton of close games. At worst, that should be a .500 team entering tonight. As for the Huskies, Year 1 of the rebuild went worse than expected. At just 1-21, they are in close-it-out-mode. Vegas says take the hosts tonight. Mansfield -7.5

Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - The Lakers losing in the MAC to Cal this past Saturday changed the whole complexion of this game. The winner now takes sole possession of the Round 1 bye in the upcoming conference tournament. Both teams are firmly in the NCAA race, too, and battling for a better seed. The Mountain Cats won the first meeting, but, winning in Erie is a whole different animal. Much like California, UPJ is a tough matchup for Mercyhurst. The Lakers like to create mismatches by playing 4 guards and 1 post player. Cal and UPJ do the same thing so it hampers the awkward mismatches. UPJ won the first game by 12 points and was in control nearly the entire way. The Mountain Cats aren't the same team away from Johnstown. Another hostile crowd in the congested MAC could make things difficult. One major key tonight: UPJ's John Paul Kromka is an elite post player -- famous for getting every call and drawing fouls on opposing bigs at a Shaq-like pace. The Lakers' star post player, Pipeloluwa Ajayi, can take over a game but also has the tendency to get in foul trouble. This is the key matchup of the night. Mercyhurst is a much different team when 'Pip' is on the bench with foul issues. If Kromka can get him in early foul trouble, this should be UPJ's game to lose. Vegas says expect a close one, but Mercyhurst won't lose two in a row in the MAC. Lakers -1.5

Millersville at Shippensburg - The Raiders missed a tip-in at the buzzer and lost the first encounter, 56-55. It was only one game, but it's a game that could haunt Shippensburg's NCAA hopes. That's down the road, however. There's not a dominant team in the East, so trying to lock up the Round 1 bye is huge. Millersville is currently tied for second with East Stroudsburg -- both with two more division losses than Shippensburg. The Marauders can get a big step closer if they win on the road tonight. The Raiders have won their past 3 games, but the past two haven't been overly pretty. Millersville's long winning streak finally came to an end in Saturday's 10-point loss at East Stroudsburg. Vegas says expect a game similar to the first meeting. These two are well-coached and built somewhat similarly. But, Shippensburg is tough in Heiges. The 'Ville has won two straight in the series, but that streak ends tonight. The officials better take some extra pain killers before this one tips. Raiders -3.5

[Fightingscot82]

I thought Boro was going to finally get another W on Saturday. Within reach.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

-

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP*	18-1	24-1	W2
Mercyhurst*	14-4	18-4	L1
Pitt-Johnstown*	14-4	18-6	W1
Seton Hill*	10-9	15-10	L1
California*	10-9	13-12	W4
Slippery Rock*	9-10	15-10	W1
Edinboro	3-15	5-18	L7
Gannon	2-16	2-2	L4
Clarion	1-17	3-20	L3

--

The West field is set for the PSAC Tournament but the seeding is far from settled. The big games this week:

WEDNESDAY

Seton Hill at California - Winner takes a big step toward a Round 1 home game.

Pitt-Johnstown at Mercyhurst - Odds are good the winner will get a first-round bye. Key game for each teams' NCAA future, also.

SATURDAY

Slippery Rock at IUP