PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

WOMEN'S standings

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	4-0	9-0	W9
Slippery Rock	3-1	8-2	W2
Edinboro	3-1	6-3	W3
Pitt-Johnstown	3-1	6-4	W2
Gannon	2-2	10-2	W4
Seton Hill	2-2	9-4	L1
Mercyhurst	2-2	7-4	W1
California	2-2	6-4	W2
Clarion	2-2	2-7	W2

Comments:

This side is a little harder to grasp at this point. Some have played much more difficult schedules than others.

Gannon was picked as the (perhaps heavy) favorite entering the season. The Golden Knights, however, lost to both Kutztown and West Chester -- two teams IUP swept. Of course, Gannon then turned around quickly and hammered a very strong Shippensburg team.

Based on history, I still have to think California is going to turn things around. They aren't as deep as usual but still have a lot of talent. Nonetheless, they rarely have four losses prior to January.

IUP had a big start but many questioned the (soft) schedule. However, beating both Kutztown and West Chester last week started to make some believers of the fan base. Two mid-year transfers debut tomorrow, which will instantly provide much-needed quality depth (perhaps more than just depth). Or, of course, it can muddy up the teams chemistry. This will take several games to play out, but Millersville will be a test tomorrow.

There's only one team with a losing record. Usual suspects Edinboro and Seton Hill are dangerous and capable of going on big runs. UPJ and Slippery Rock also have nice teams this year. Mercyhurst also has a couple nice wins.

It's a deep West this year on the ladies' side. This is going to be a gauntlet.

Vegas would likely still have Gannon as the front-runner. But, IUP bulked up a 9-0 team. I don't follow this side too, too closely. But, I know all West titles eventually have to go through Edinboro and California. This is going to be an entertaining race.

[Fightingscot82]

Your basketball writeups are much appreciated and enjoyed. I get far more from them then 30 minutes of cruising for online news stories. Its really helpful when I can't watch a weeknight games - the second half always starts at the kids bedtime.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Quick look at the West (Men's):

IUP (4-0, 10-0) - Hawks kick off a big three-game stretch Friday at Millersville. The Marauders are tough -- especially in their building. Millersville started slow, losing 3 of its first 4 games. However, the Marauders have gone 5-1 since (including a win over Mercyhurst). Millersville is 5-0 at home this season. IUP is home twice next week, with Seton Hill and Mercyhurst visiting the KCAC. The Hawks seem to have finally reached (close to) full strength, roster-wise. Their first 10 guys all played for the first time together in last weeks victory over West Chester. Prediction: Millersville has enough to hang around in this game (they put up a very rare 84 on Mercyhurst). IUP should pull away down the stretch, but, it better be careful.

Slippery Rock (3-1, 9-1) - The Rock has a 'we're for real' moment in 48 hours at East Stroudsburg. SRU's only loss came to a good-at-times Shippensburg, 75-59. Of note, the Rock didn't look too hot in its past two games -- single-digit wins overs Mansfield and Bloomsburg. Aside from the KCAC, ESU is probably the toughest venue in the league. Prediction: SRU would have to play close to a perfect game to win this one. Long road trip paired with a lay-off ... perhaps close for a half but ESU wins comfortably.

Mercyhurst (3-1, 7-1) - The Lakers decided to basically take November off so not much was said about them. After 8 games, well, they are still here, same as always. Mercyhurst crushed both Shippensburg (29) and Lock Haven (22) last week. A trip this weekend to Mansfield should ring in Gary's new year quite well. Prediction: Ugly. Lakers. Big.

Pitt-Johnstown (3-1, 7-3) - On one hand, you could say UPJ has played three big teams and lost to all three -- by 17, 19 and 32 points. However, those were all deep, 40-minute pressing teams. They aren't built for that this year, depth-wise. On the flip-side, they are 7-0 against half-court teams -- which is all they'll see in West play. Friday night's visit to Shepherd should be a tough one. The Rams (3-1, 6-4) aren't pushovers. Both play very similar styles. Prediction: UPJ leaves town with a win -- but, it will be close. This game may play in the 60-55 range.

Seton Hill (1-3, 6-4) - The Griffins have been the surprise team of the PSAC thus far, but they'll no longer be sneaking up on anybody. Seton Hill pulled a shocker against East Stroudsburg, but that was the highlight of a pretty rough December. The Griffins travel to West Chester as losers of 4 of their past 5 outings. This team is unpredictable -- with wins against ESU and Shippensburg - and losses to Mansfield and Kutztown. Similarly, West Chester is also a very streaky team. The Rams are capable of incredible stretches. Prediction: Tough game to call. Both are sporadic. Seton Hill's zone should cause WCU a lot of issues. However, the Rams will launch from essentially the half-court line without hesitation. Expect WCU to come out with a little fire after its showing in the KCAC. West Chester wins a close one.

California (1-3, 4-6) - The injuries are well-documented. Nonetheless, the Vulcans are in hot water. Cal has been beat up in two of its past three outings. A trip to Kutztown isn't going to be easy. The Golden Bears are better than their record. Both have players out -- and, both desperately need to win this game. Prediction: There won't be many subs at the scorers' table. Danny Sancomb is tough to beat with a week to prepare. Vulcans slip out of town with a narrow win.

Edinboro (1-3, 3-6) - The good news is, for the most part, Edinboro hasn't been getting blown out. The real good news is the Scots travel to Bloomsburg for their next game. This is a must-win. Prediction: Bloomsburg is capable of playing a decent 20-25 minutes or so. But, the Huskies have a drastic lack of depth. Bloom's head man used to be the first assistant for Edinboro. Scots win by 3-4 points.

Clarion (0-4, 2-7) - The Golden Eagles have lost 5 straight. However, the past 4 losses have been respectable scores against good teams. Gerald Jarmon is capable of catching fire, but he needs help. Shippensburg is up next. Prediction: If this was in Clarion ... maybe the Golden Eagles could hang around. Ship is inconsistent on the road. But, at Shippensburg, the Raiders are pretty tough. Clarion may linger around a bit but will take a loss.

Gannon (0-4, 0-8) - The Golden Knights have lost 6 straight games by single digits. So, while (amazingly) winless, they aren't getting bulldozed. They are drastically banged up -- playing much of December sans 4 rotation players. So, things should get better. However, a 9th consecutive loss may be looming as this trip to Lock Haven won't be easy. The Bald Eagles were cruising prior to visiting Mercyhurst -- a place where many winning streaks go to die. Prediction: Gannon is still fighting, but unless they have close to a full lineup, they are in trouble. Bald Eagles win.

[Fightingscot82]

After being at the KCAC yesterday, I went to SRU this afternoon. For me, less than a gallon of gas to SRU round trip and about 4 gallons to IUP.

Saw the end of the womens game and I thought their new coach had them playing well. Her girls were making good adjustments on the court to the different defenses, they played hard, seem to have a good BB IQ and are good communicators. My early take is she has coached them well but she will see some stronger teams that will give everyone problems. Nice start though. I knew Bobby McGraw so it was tough to drive there knowing he wouldn’t be on the bench.

The mens game was sort of tough to watch. SRU led by as many as 18 but were only up 4 with less than a minute in regulation. SRU won by 6.

Bloom had 12 pts in first 17 minutes of the first half then SRU gave up 10 in last 3 minutes of half after Britt sat due to fouls

Bloom started the second half the same way as the first half scoring just 9 pts in the first 1145. Then they made it a game.

Britt averages 18ppg and had 0 points on 0-7 shooting. As a team SRU shot 6-27 from three. They are pretty deep but don’t seem to have a go to guy like Micah Till. Bloomberg’s zone gave them fits.

She's doing a good job - and she's just an interim. If she keeps it up I can't see why she doesn't get the job.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

UPDATED MEN'S STANDINGS

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	4-0	10-0	W10
Slippery Rock	3-1	9-1	W3
Mercyhurst	3-1	7-1	W5
Pitt-Johnstown	3-1	7-3	W2
Seton Hill	1-3	6-4	L1
California	1-3	4-6	L1
Edinboro	1-3	3-6	W1
Clarion	0-4	2-7	L5
Gannon	0-4	0-8	L8

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
East Stroudsburg	3-1	9-1	W1
Lock Haven	3-1	7-2	L1
Millersville	3-1	6-4	L1
Shepherd	3-1	6-4	W2
Shippensburg	3-1	5-5	W1
Kutztown	3-1	3-6	W1
West Chester	1-3	6-4	L2
Mansfield	1-3	2-6	L3
Bloomsburg	0-4	0-8	L8

[IUPalum]

After being at the KCAC yesterday, I went to SRU this afternoon. For me, less than a gallon of gas to SRU round trip and about 4 gallons to IUP.

Saw the end of the womens game and I thought their new coach had them playing well. Her girls were making good adjustments on the court to the different defenses, they played hard, seem to have a good BB IQ and are good communicators. My early take is she has coached them well but she will see some stronger teams that will give everyone problems. Nice start though. I knew Bobby McGraw so it was tough to drive there knowing he wouldn’t be on the bench.

The mens game was sort of tough to watch. SRU led by as many as 18 but were only up 4 with less than a minute in regulation. SRU won by 6.

Bloom had 12 pts in first 17 minutes of the first half then SRU gave up 10 in last 3 minutes of half after Britt sat due to fouls

Bloom started the second half the same way as the first half scoring just 9 pts in the first 1145. Then they made it a game.

Britt averages 18ppg and had 0 points on 0-7 shooting. As a team SRU shot 6-27 from three. They are pretty deep but don’t seem to have a go to guy like Micah Till. Bloomberg’s zone gave them fits.

What the heck do you drive? A moped?

[IUPTrackMan]

After being at the KCAC yesterday, I went to SRU this afternoon. For me, less than a gallon of gas to SRU round trip and about 4 gallons to IUP.

Saw the end of the womens game and I thought their new coach had them playing well. Her girls were making good adjustments on the court to the different defenses, they played hard, seem to have a good BB IQ and are good communicators. My early take is she has coached them well but she will see some stronger teams that will give everyone problems. Nice start though. I knew Bobby McGraw so it was tough to drive there knowing he wouldn’t be on the bench.

The mens game was sort of tough to watch. SRU led by as many as 18 but were only up 4 with less than a minute in regulation. SRU won by 6.

Bloom had 12 pts in first 17 minutes of the first half then SRU gave up 10 in last 3 minutes of half after Britt sat due to fouls

Bloom started the second half the same way as the first half scoring just 9 pts in the first 1145. Then they made it a game.

Britt averages 18ppg and had 0 points on 0-7 shooting. As a team SRU shot 6-27 from three. They are pretty deep but don’t seem to have a go to guy like Micah Till. Bloomberg’s zone gave them fits.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mercyhurst just hammered a good Lock Haven team.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Unless there's quickly more magic in Greensburg, Kutztown is going to beat Seton Hill.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Clarion guard Lee Newton is in the portal mid-season.

Saw that. Kid from Ship also went to Chatham.

[Fightingscot82]

Clarion guard Lee Newton is in the portal mid-season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Around the West:

IUP - Some questions are looming entering the pre-holiday doubleheader. Will Ethan Porterfield play? Will Shawndale Jones play? Will Ousmane Diop finally make his season debut? Two tough games on tap. Kutztown has a very deceiving 2-5 record -- having dropped several single-digit games -- all without star Moe Williams. There's a very good chance they'd be undefeated right now with him, but they've still been competitive without him. His status for this weekend is unknown. Williams is a major problem to deal with on both ends. His return will instantly elevate the Golden Bears. West Chester visits Monday evening. With the exception of last year's IUP blowout win, this is typically always a great game -- not to mention the sideshow that goes on between to the two head coaches. They may fake it during warm-ups, but I don't think I'd call them close friends. IUP very rarely loses at home, but they will be tested this weekend -- especially if short-handed. Crossover prediction: 2-0

Slippery Rock - The Rock struggled with a 1-9 Wheeling this week, but came away with a tight road win. SRU should cruise this weekend against Mansfield and Bloomsburg. It's still relatively early and the Rock is still blending a lot of new pieces. This should be a fairly scary team in Jan-Feb. Crossover prediction: 2-0

Mercyhurst: The Lakers feasted on two overmatched opponents this week. Things get real tomorrow when a tough Shippensburg comes to town. This should be a salty Red Raiders bunch coming off an overtime loss to Fairmont State -- a game they likely should have won. The tough back-to-back will continue Monday when Lock Haven arrives. This is a tough Bald Eagles team that blew out California. Not an easy pair of games for Mercyhurst. Of course, playing against their vaunted defense and inside that gym isn't easy, either. Crossover prediction: 1-1

UPJ - Sure, the Mountain Cats have three early losses. But, they've lost to Nova Southeastern, West Liberty and East Stroudsburg -- three of the top teams in the country. UPJ got hammered at East Stroudsburg last time out. As said before, their depth this year isn't geared to playing teams that press all 40 minutes -- hence, they are 0-3 in such contests. As West play begins -- with essentially all half-court games -- they should fare much better. That said, a tough two games are looming. West Chester and Millersville are both playing really well. UPJ is famous for shooting the lights out in its building. That should be enough to get them at least one win. Crossover prediction: 1-1

Seton Hill - The Griffins were the talk of the league in November -- cruising to a 5-0 start while blowing teams out of the gym. December, however, hasn't been so kind. Seton Hill has lost three straight - including being blown out at Lock Haven. A massive test awaits tomorrow as East Stroudsburg visits, followed by Kutztown. The Griffins are a big home underdog tomorrow. They should have a shot against Kutztown -- providing they still have their legs. Strange stuff happens in that building. Crossover prediction: 1-1

California - The Vulcans are off to disappointing start at 3-5. Obviously, they've played without two starters all season. They've played tough even without them, but the losses are mounting quickly. Bloomsburg will be an easy win tomorrow, but East Stroudsburg visits Monday -- the worst possible team to play with a short bench. Crossover prediction: 1-1

Clarion - The Golden Eagles will be home underdogs against both Millersville and Shepherd. Things were looking pretty bleak for a bit there but Clarion put up a pretty good fight against a decent Lake Erie team this week before falling late. The Marauders and Rams just have too much fire power. Crossover prediction: 0-2

Edinboro - Lock Haven and Mansfield visit McComb, with the latter being a must-win game. The Bald Eagles have far too much. Crossover prediction: 1-1 (with the Mansfield game being a big IF).

Gannon - Could the Golden Knights really be 0-8 heading in to the holiday? Yes, they could. Shepherd and Shippensburg are on deck. The Rams are much better than most realize, and the Red Raiders are, too. Gannon is a home underdog in both games. Things are rough in the 'Mill. Crossover prediction: 0-2

[Ship69]

Updated MEN'S standings as we head in to the crossover Sunday/Monday:

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	2-0	8-0	W8
Slippery Rock	1-1	7-1	W1
Mercyhurst	1-1	5-1	W3
Pitt-Johnstown	1-1	5-3	L1
Seton Hill	0-2	5-3	L3
California	0-2	3-5	L2
Clarion	0-2	2-5	L3
Edinboro	0-2	2-5	L3
Gannon	0-2	0-6	L6

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
East Stroudsburg	2-0	8-0	W8
Lock Haven	2-0	6-1	W4
Millersville	2-0	5-3	W4
Shippensburg	2-0	4-4	L1
Kutztown	2-0	2-5	W2
West Chester	1-1	6-2	W2
Shepherd	1-1	4-4	L1
Mansfield	1-1	2-4	L1
Bloomsburg	0-2	0-6	L6

Ship overall has probably benefitted from playing tough early schedules during Fite's successful run, but it's probably been a detriment for a team trying to establish a consistent identity this season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S standings as we head in to the crossover Sunday/Monday:

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	2-0	8-0	W8
Slippery Rock	1-1	7-1	W1
Mercyhurst	1-1	5-1	W3
Pitt-Johnstown	1-1	5-3	L1
Seton Hill	0-2	5-3	L3
California	0-2	3-5	L2
Clarion	0-2	2-5	L3
Edinboro	0-2	2-5	L3
Gannon	0-2	0-6	L6

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
East Stroudsburg	2-0	8-0	W8
Lock Haven	2-0	6-1	W4
Millersville	2-0	5-3	W4
Shippensburg	2-0	4-4	L1
Kutztown	2-0	2-5	W2
West Chester	1-1	6-2	W2
Shepherd	1-1	4-4	L1
Mansfield	1-1	2-4	L1
Bloomsburg	0-2	0-6	L6

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mercyhurst gave its yearly beating to Roberts Wesleyan last night, winning 88-50. D'Youville took its annual Erie beating last week.

The Lakers host Alliance today at 3 p.m.

Gary isn't exactly playing a murders' row of non-conference games. Regardless, Mercyhurst is up to 4-1 (highly likely to be 5-1 by dinner).