PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Here's the Saturday Spreads you bunch of gambling degenerates.


Gannon at East Stroudsburg - This is one right there with Cal/Mercy as the Game of the Day. Gannon hasn't played in almost two weeks, so rust could be a factor. It's also been hard to tell who will actually be in uniform for the Knights. I'm not sure any team has dealt with more Covid and injuries than Gannon. If the Knights are full strength, they have the size and athletes to deal with the press -- and a strong point guard. Both teams have very talented and quick forwards. But, the long road trip paired with the long break in play ... leans toward the Warriors getting a win today. But, it won't be easy. East Stroudsburg -5

IUP at Clarion - Now with 3 of the original 8-man rotation on the shelf, depth is becoming scarce for Joe Lombardi. Luckily, his deep bench has started to come along nicely over the past month. Clarion will pose a much bigger challenge than Seton Hill did a couple days ago. They have some legit 'dudes' as Joe says. This won't be a run-away. Clarion has given IUP some fits in Tippin Gymnasium over the years. Even without Tommy Demogerontas today, IUP still has a strong starting lineup. But, foul trouble could be deadly. Crimson Hawks win, but closer than many probably expect. IUP -9 -- and on upset alert.

West Chester at Bloomsburg - The Huskies should be the perfect cure for a Rams teams coming off a heartbreaking, 1-point loss to Millersville. If West Chester wants any hope of staying in the East race ... can't take many -- if any -- more losses. Bloomsburg will put up a fight, but the Rams are too deep. WCU -8

Shepherd at Kutztown - Both teams are better than their records. Both have a star player on the injured list. This should be an old school, rock-em-sock-em affair. First to 61 likely wins the game. Shepherd is due. I think they'll get to 62 points. Rams -1

Lock Haven at Shippensburg - The Bald Eagles have been a thorn of sorts to Shippensburg in recent years. Lock Haven has a nice starting group. But, as the game goes along and the Bald Eagles' bench becomes a factor, the Raiders will pull away. Should be an entertaining one. Lock Haven is a scrappy bunch. But, they have trouble putting two 20-minute sessions together. Ship -7

California at Mercyhurst - The marquee game of the weekend. Speed 'em up on one side. Slow 'em down on the other side. The Vulcans have the talent to win this game. The Lakers have nowhere near an inside answer for Philip Alston. But, can the California guards find the bottom of the net today? Good shooters become very average in that tight gym -- not to mention the effects of the rarely seen matchup-zone. The Vulcans had an awful shooting performance at Clarion. Law of averages says today could be the opposite. Upset special. Vulcans -3 Note: May God grant mercy on the officials in this game. They have a long day ahead of them with Gary and Danny.

Mansfield at Millersville - The 'Ville this year has been good, then bad and then good again. Mansfield has just been bad. Very bad, in fact. But, the Mounties have shown some life lately. Millersville can score but doesn't play the greatest defense. Mansfield can score and plays next to zero defense. Marauders win a tussle. 'Ville -9

Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - Well, the resurging Griffins are coming off a butt-whipping. How will that young team respond? A trip to Johnstown isn't likely to cure the hangover. Seton Hill's only hope is UPJ is looking ahead to Monday night's IUP visit. This has U.G.L.Y. written all over it. UPJ -23

Slippery Rock at Edinboro - Will The Rock ever play a game again this year? Good Lord. This is now 6 of their past 7 games PPD. Ian Grady needs to lock these guys in Morrow Field House.

[CALUPA69]

CAL U WBB versus HURST is postponed, while, as of now MBB is still on for today.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Looks like SRU at Boro is the only PPD.

[IUPalum]

As of now only (1) men's game PPD for tomorrow (SRU at Boro).

The Rock's had 5 of its past 6 games PPD.

Maybe they can get a couple more canceled then see IUP back to back as their first games back. LOL

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As of now only (1) men's game PPD for tomorrow (SRU at Boro).

The Rock's had 5 of its past 6 games PPD.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Final 75-67 CAL. Lousy shooting FG-38.5%, 3PT-13.6, and FT-66.7% didn't really matter. Boswell's absence contributed. On the plus side PA with what is becoming his usual night 29 PTS, 17 RBDS, and 4 BLKS. You need to go back a few years to find such a force wearing the Black and Red. Collins 20 and Pegram 17 rounded it out. Palek's return, 13 rbds and 4 assts, gave the VULCANS control of the scoring in the paint, 44-16.
A repeat of this level in at HURST on Saturday will be disaster.

Cal vs Mercyhurst is going to be a great game. The Lakers won't have an answer for Alston in a one-on-one sense. This isn't a big Mercyhurst team like we've seen in years past. Knowing Manchel, they'll have a good plan to try and suffocate him under the basket. If Cal's guards can keep their composure with that zone and all the defensive switching, I think the Vulcans have a good shot in this one if they can knock down the outside shots.

But, like you said, this isn't Clarion. If the shooting doesn't improve drastically on Saturday they could get crushed up there.

[CALUPA69]

VULCANS lead the GE 42-35 at halftime. Keith Palek is playing but Preston Boswell isn't. Alston with 15 pts and 12 rbds leads with Collins 13 and Pegram 9 pitching in. Horrible 3pt shooting, 1-12, hopefully will pick up in the final 20 minutes.

Final 75-67 CAL. Lousy shooting FG-38.5%, 3PT-13.6, and FT-66.7% didn't really matter. Boswell's absence contributed. On the plus side PA with what is becoming his usual night 29 PTS, 17 RBDS, and 4 BLKS. You need to go back a few years to find such a force wearing the Black and Red. Collins 20 and Pegram 17 rounded it out. Palek's return, 13 rbds and 4 assts, gave the VULCANS control of the scoring in the paint, 44-16.
A repeat of this level in at HURST on Saturday will be disaster.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Only trouble for folks who had IUP -31.5 in the first half.

Who knows. SH was 40 seconds from beating Mercyhurst a week ago.

[Golden89]

Could be trouble in Greensburg.

Only trouble for folks who had IUP -31.5 in the first half.

[CALUPA69]

VULCANS lead the GE 42-35 at halftime. Keith Palek is playing but Preston Boswell isn't. Alston with 15 pts and 12 rbds leads with Collins 13 and Pegram 9 pitching in. Horrible 3pt shooting, 1-12, hopefully will pick up in the final 20 minutes.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

No Tommy Demo for IUP. Could be trouble in Greensburg.

[Golden89]

The Big One in the west just postponed. Looks like SRU positive tests since SRU men also postponed for Saturday. Bummer for GU fans.

So looks like 16 of 18 games being played tonight. Only SRU at Gannon men and women are off.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Kutztown at Bloomsburg - The host Huskies have been blown out of the gym in 3 of their past 4 outings. Kutztown just ended a 5-game skid with an upset of West Chester. Even with the long absence of star Moe Williams, the Golden Bears have lost 5 games by single digits and are the favorite tonight on the road. Kutztown wins what will likely be an ugly affair. Golden Bears -6

Slippery Rock at Gannon - This is the big one in the West tonight. Huge game for both teams. Gannon has won 5 of the past 6 meetings. SRU is hot, winning 7 of its past 8 games. Unlike the wars of yester-year, these teams can both score the ball. This should be a dandy. Home team gets the very slight edge. Knights -3

California at Clarion - The Vulcans are just 3-3 in their past 6 outings, but this trip to Clarion should get things back on track. The Golden Eagles aren't a pushover. They have a legit starting unit. Depth has been the killer. Clarion is coming off a tight, 78-72, loss in Johnstown. Suspect this one to stay close for 20 or 25 minutes, but Cal's pace will wear the Golden Eagles down as the game goes along. Vulcans pull away over the last 15 minutes. California -18

Pitt-Johnstown at Mansfield - What once looked like a walk in the park is all the sudden -- potentially -- a tough night for UPJ. Mansfield is a dreadful 0-9 in the PSAC and 1-14 overall. But, something appears to be changing up North. The Mounties' last two games were a 85-81 loss to Shippensburg and a 99-97 loss at West Chester. Mansfield can score the ball, but they don't defend it very well. This game will likely be played in the high 80s or low 90s. UPJ's discipline will make the difference, but this could be a tight one -- tighter than the records indicate, anyway. UPJ -9

IUP at Seton Hill - Similar to Mansfield, Seton Hill is playing well of late. The Griffins aren't winning, but they are putting some scares in to top teams. Their last four games -- Shippensburg, Mercyhurst, Gannon and Slippery Rock -- they've been in each loss well in to the second half, highlighted by a narrow 82-76 loss to Mercyhurst. The turnaround is largely attributed to the return of forward Marrek Paola, who missed a large chunk of the season with an injury. They are a much different team with him than without him. IUP enters on a 4-game winning streak, highlighted by road wins at California and Mercyhurst. The Hawks' past two games have been PPD, so they should be eager to hit the floor tonight. IUP's had some bad experiences in Greensburg. A large crowd is expected tonight and the Griffins will be up for this one. Joe's last trip to Greensburg he hung a 50-burger on the host. That won't happen tonight. IUP will leave Greensburg with a win, but it may be closer than many expect. Seton Hill's weakness is it turns the ball over a lot. Joe's strong defense should eat that up. IUP -10

Millersville at West Chester - Massive game for both teams. West Chester has to win this game to stay in the outskirts of the East race. A loss would be devastating. After a December funk, the Marauders have won 4 of 5, including a big win at East Stroudsburg a week ago. Both have been sporadic. Millersville, overall, appears to be the better team. But, it's hard to win in West Chester. Take Millersville in a tight one, and say a prayer for the assigned officials. Marauders -5

Mercyhurst at Edinboro - Edinboro has looked very good some nights -- and, very bad other nights. The Scots are coming off a very tight loss to California, but followed that up by taking a pounding in Johnstown. They have played well at home. The Lakers, however, present a whole different challenge. Can Edinboro's offense stay patient enough to overcome the vaunted matchup-zone? If not, this could get ugly. Scots hang around for a bit, but Mercyhurst has too much. Lakers -15

Shepherd at Shippensburg - The Rams are on a 5-game skid, but they've been in every one of them in to the final 5 minutes. Shepherd is a tough defensive team -- fast and physical. The struggle is on the other end. They just don't score enough to close games out. Shippensburg had a near disaster against Mansfield and then lost a low-scoring game to East Stroudsburg. The Rams are only giving up 65 points per game and a have ton of close losses this year. If the Red Raiders get to 70 points they'll win the game. Ship -7

Lock Haven at East Stroudsburg - The Bald Eagles are hot -- winners of two straight. Prior to the two wins, they gave IUP all it could handle in a tight loss to the Crimson Hawks. Lock Haven has a very talented starting five. The bench, however, isn't very deep. Look for ESU's pressure to get Lock Haven in foul trouble, which will help the Warriors pull away. If the Bald Eagles can stay clean, this could be a good game. But, ESU just has too much. Warriors -10

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As of 8:30 a.m., we have a full slate of men's games tonight.

However, Wednesday morning is testing day. Keep your fingers crossed.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

CAL still has @CLARION on the schedule for Wednesday. Semi-expecting a postponed notice to pop up, but nothing so far.

Not fun getting buses in and out of Clarion in this kind of mess. But, they have a lot of practice up there. It may go by tomorrow.

I went up a couple years ago for an IUP game on a Wednesday night. Nothing in the forecast. Nothing walking inside. Came out to a blizzard. It wasn't a fun ride home. We had a little convoy, luckily, the whole way back.