PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Most teams in the league are capable of a hot night or two, which is why I've never thought a tournament should determine a conference championship.

It's a crock but it is what it is.

Joe said in the paper this week he considers winning the West or East title to be a much bigger accomplishment than winning a 3-game tournament.

The obvious danger for many is if you'd get 3 non-ranked teams to win the PSAC, MEC and CIAA tournaments. Automatic bids.


Imagine Lock Haven, Glenville State and Virginia Union winning -- and thus knocking out three teams who deserved a bid. It would be sickening ... but, it happens.

The CIAA is famous for it. The PSAC is generally won by one of the favorites.

Cinderella isn't a great story for the team being told they are no longer welcome.

[Ship69]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

Most teams in the league are capable of a hot night or two, which is why I've never thought a tournament should determine a conference championship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

I really liked No. 33 Drew Green from SH in the game they played up here. He's a 6'5" true freshman who they play at Guard and Forward. He's a legit D2 player and should really evolve over the next couple years. I'd be interested in him when he transfers. Remember West Liberty landed last year's prized SH transfer in guard Malik McKinney.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

So depressing note for Gannon.. Webb is athletically a junior, but is being celebrated for senior night tomorrow night.

That could just mean he's graduating but he still has a grad year left to play.

Are you saying he's not going to play next year?

[Golden89]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

I usually try and stay 'nice' on the basketball side. That said ... Forget Seton Hill. I was there for the 'goon fest' and also the night they let the yellow show box become a college bar.

If the new guy wants to yap about camera's let him. He'll be gone in a year or two anyway. He was a bad hire from the start.

Tark the Shark (look it up) let them trash IUP's season two years ago by playing like street thugs.

Davis can pad his stats. He's not nearly as arrogant as his older brother was (and younger Davis is a much better player).

Here's to wishing Tom and Joe run it up.

No hard feelings, of course. LOL.

[bballfan03]

So depressing note for Gannon.. Webb is athletically a junior, but is being celebrated for senior night tomorrow night.

[gbensbball]

I like Lock Havens guard play also. Lot of growth from their freshmen guard Washington. Fun to watch. They got the point guard from Seton Hill, Luquana. Washington and Luquana play both sides of the ball. Both are quick. Saw the game against Shippensbur. My buddies son, Sleva plays for the Raiders. Great game!

As long as we don't have another game like we did against Gannon we should beat the Grifins hands down. It always makes me nervous to go to that little yellow shoe box. They seem to get the calls at home.

Their point guard play will be the problem. All D-3 type players. No explosiveness or ability to create. Last game i saw they had the kid from Montour running the point. The Australian kid is probably their best bet. Who knows who's on deck for the game tomorrow. Heard the coach is a little off his rocker. Davis will jack for sure. And he will play the whole game hunting for points, padding stats and playing no defense. Can someone make the call when he's in the lane too early on a free throw. He doesn't box out because he wants the stat. He'll end with one foul and that will be when their down by 15 in the final minutes and he's still hunting points. And those referees will give him those off the wrong foot, floppy trashy move calls. If we can exploit the side he's on and get into their bigs they'll foul out and we win this in their gym by 40.

An insider told my daughter that their coach called our athletic department asking to keep the camera guys away from his huddles next season. I guess he was unhappy about the professional coverage at the KCAC. He should be worried about his record. Nobody needs to spy on their plays to beat them.

Considering the lopsided calls that I think will happen we win by 14. If they don't give Davis all the rag doll calls we win by 22.

[PSACwatcher]

Lock Haven has the potential to cause havoc in the PSAC tournament. I like Lock Haven's experience especially at the guard spots.

Slippery Rock lost its "culture" with the player revolt against KR. No surprise at all that SRU underachieves and is inconsistent. Having said that, Gannon is always just one "3-25 from 3 point range" game away from getting beat at home.

I don't see any issue with IUP thumping SHU. Past SHU teams had talent - this SHU team not so much. Davis will jack it an build his career personal stats, but there is little fight left in almost any 4-19 team.

Manchel has perfected a match up zone defense, not a triangle and two. However, as long as IUP holds home court, this is IUP's 'ship.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We've had some great lineups this year. Tomorrow is not one of them. However, there are a couple intriguing games on tap.


Slippery Rock at Gannon - Win, lose or draw -- and SRU isn't likely moving out of that No. 6 spot. The Golden Knights, however, can likely still move up if they keep winning. The Rock has been a tough team to figure out all season. When motivated, they can play pretty well. There's enough talent on the roster to give opposing teams fits. Micah Till said recently he's finally back to full speed -- and he can take over a game. The first meeting was a smack-down. The Knights dropped the hammer in Morrow, 69-49. However, Gannon isn't 20 points better than SRU on most nights. The Knights have won 5 straight in the series. However, SRU is hot at the moment, winners of two straight and 3 of its past 4 outings. The Rock's unpredictability makes GU a clear favorite in this game -- and, Gannon is pretty good. Keep in mind, too, SRU had a week to prepare for this game. Golden Knights get a tougher battle than Round 1, but pull away in the second half. Gannon -9

Lock Haven at West Chester - One of the bigger games in the East ... where just about anything can still happen. After a tumultuous second semester, West Chester has won two in a row. Lock Haven, however, is a red hot team. The Bald Eagles' current 3-game win streak includes a blowout of Kutztown, a win over Bloomsburg and a big upset win at Shippensburg. Lock Haven has a very good starting five. The issue has been when they have to get in to the bench. It's a very short one. The Bald Eagles won a tight first meeting. Both have a lot to play for tomorrow. West Chester can all but secure a Round 1 home game (at minimum) and is still in play for a bye. The Rams also still have very faint NCAA hopes (amazingly). Lock Haven, in the heart of the East mess, is in the mix to get a Round 1 home game. Tough game to call as both are so sporadic. West Chester is deeper -- and home. That makes the difference. The Rams win. Barely. WCU -3

Shepherd at East Stroudsburg - Two hot teams. Something has to give. The Warriors have won 6 straight. The Rams have reeled off 4 in a row. Shepherd has looked real good at times this year ... real bad, too. Huge game for both teams. ESU is on the verge of an NCAA bid and locking up a first round bye. Shepherd is in a battle for making the conference tournament. As of now, the Rams are in the mix to be anywhere from Seed 3 or Seed 6 in the jumbled East race. Shepherd, which defeated ESU in the first meeting, can be an extremely dangerous team on a given night. If the deep balls are falling, the opposing team is in big trouble. If they aren't ... the Rams lose a lot of luster. For the majority of this season, Shepherd has not shot the ball well on the road. In the first meeting, the Rams torched ESU from outside by hitting 14 of 29 deep shots. They also handled the ball very well against the Warriors' famous press -- committing just 9 turnovers. ESU plays similar to many MEC teams, which is a trait Shepherd is very familiar. This should be a great watch. Shepherd's road woes are a concern. ESU is also 9-2 at home. Add it all up and it points to a Warriors' win. ESU in a tight one. Warriors -6

Kutztown at Mansfield - The Golden Bears have lost their past four games and yet are somehow still alive for the final tournament spot. This trip to Mansfield couldn't come at a better time. The Mounties are the streak busters of the East. Mansfield seems to show up some days and put up a fight. Other days they seem to just lay down and get blown out of the building. With seemingly nothing to play for it's hard to say what they'll do tomorrow. Kutztown shows flashes and is the better team. Golden Bears -13

IUP at Seton Hill - Joe Lombardi's yearly pilgrimage to Greensburg. The stage is always the same. IUP has a fancy record. Seton Hill is playing out the season. And, yet, the McKenna Center has been a house of horror for IUP. The Crimson Hawks have only ever lost there once, but odd things have happened many times. This trip has indirectly cost IUP two NCAA bids in the past five years. Once, due to a loss, and the other due to the infamous 'goon fest' two years ago. Tark the Shark is gone -- along with most of the Griffins' theatrics, but, nonetheless. This is typically the only game all year Seton Hill draws a big crowd -- inside the gym Lombardi once publicly compared to Indiana High School. When the tight McKenna Center is full and wound up, it can be a very annoying place for visitors. Start slow and give the home team confidence in front of that large gathering ... and bad things can happen. There's nothing on paper to suggest this will even be a remotely close game. But ... odd things happen down there in this series. That said, this IUP team is pretty hard to intimidate. Crimson Hawks leave the yellow shoe box with a double digit win. IUP -12

California at Clarion - Big game for the Vulcans. One step closer to the end for the Golden Eagles. Clarion had a spurt a couple weeks ago when it was playing pretty well. In fact, they gave Cal a pretty good game inside the Angelo Dome -- losing by just 9 points. However, Clarion was still in the race at that point. We'll see if the coach can get them up. In reality, up or down, ... it won't make much difference. California is too strong. Vulcans leave Tippin with a resounding win. Cal -19

Mercyhurst at Edinboro - To the dismay of many in the Atlantic Region, the Lakers are red hot. There's no team you want to avoid more in a one-and-done than Gary Machel's Mercyhurst. The Triangle and Two baffles even the best of them. Routinely. The first meeting in this series was a massacre. Tomorrow is the sequel. Lakers -24

Shippensburg at Bloomsburg - The Raiders have had to sit for a week with a loss hanging on them. The Huskies are going to pay the price. Look for a fired-up Shippensburg team to take out some frustration. Raiders in a run-away. Shippensburg -19

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP*	17-2	22-2	W4
Mercyhurst*	14-5	16-7	W6
Pitt-Johnstown*	14-6	20-7	L1
California*	13-6	17-8	W2
Gannon*	12-8	13-11	W1
Slippery Rock*	9-10	13-12	W2
Clarion	4-16	5-21	L2
Seton Hill	3-16	4-19	L5
Edinboro	2-17	5-18	L14
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg*(1)	16-3	20-5	L1
East Stroudsburg*	12-7	16-8	W6
West Chester	11-8	17-8	W2
Millersville	10-10	13-13	L1
Lock Haven	9-10	12-11	W3
Shepherd	9-10	13-12	W4
Kutztown	8-11	10-15	L4
Bloomsburg	6-14	9-17	L2
Mansfield	5-15	6-19	L4

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Four dates left.


UPJ at Mercyhurst - This is the big one on the slate. This game not only has major West ramifications, but it's also crucial for both teams' NCAA hopes. The loser is going to be in very muddy waters in the chase for a regional bid. The winner will take control of second place in the West. The first meeting in Johnstown was close. The Lakers escaped with an 8-point win. Both teams took turns making big runs. This is a match-up of two X's and O's masters. Gary Manchel and Bob Rukavina know each other well. However, UPJ hasn't been a good team on the road. And, well, no visitor plays well inside the MAC. UPJ keeps this game close, but, in Erie, Mercyhurst is just a bit too tough. Great-shooting teams go there to die -- and shoot about 30% from the field. Lakers get it done. Mercyhurst -6

Edinboro at IUP - In theory, anyway, the Crimson Hawks' run of tough games is about to take a hiatus. The Fighting Scots, losers of 13 straight, visit the KCAC prior to IUP taking trips to Seton Hill and Clarion. Edinboro's last win this season was on Dec. 21. IUP won the first meeting, 88-53. Anthony Coleman is back, so the Scots should at least put up a better fight. It will also be the KCAC swan song for one of its favorite villains, Trey Staunch. The big fella isn't likely to get a warm send-off. Historically, Joe Lombardi's team have been known to come off tough stretches with a bit of a hangover. That will probably be the case in this affair. Expect Edinboro to hang around for the first half -- and Joe to wake up the troops at halftime. Crimson Hawks pull away, big, in the second half. IUP -21

East Stroudsburg at Mansfield - The first meeting was a total smack-down. The Warriors dropped a 91-54 beating on the Mounties. The location may be different in Round 2, but the result won't be. ESU gets a step closer to a first round bye. Mansfield gets a step closer to ending its misery. Warriors -19

Bloomsburg at Lock Haven - The Huskies aren't dead -- yet. But, things aren't looking good. At 6-13 in conference, Bloomsburg has three teams ahead of it -- all sitting at 8-10. One of those teams is Lock Haven. A win would be a huge step toward that last East spot. A loss ... and they can basically turn in their uniforms. The Bald Eagles are playing well of late -- winners of 3 of their past 4 games. Lock Haven is coming off its best performance of the season in a double OT upset win at Shippensburg. The Bald Eagles won the first meeting by 15 points. The result should be pretty similar in the second meeting, too. Lock Haven -11

Seton Hill at California - The two teams ahead of the Vulcans play each other ... so, one of them is going to lose. California just needs to take care of business in the Angelo Dome -- and it should be pretty easy business to handle. The Vulcans smacked the Griffins a couple weeks ago. The beatings shall continue. Cal wins. Big. Vulcans -19

West Chester at Kutztown - The Golden Bears went from hot to ice cold -- losers of 3 in a row. West Chester has had the second semester from Hell. One of these teams will get a much-needed victory. Picking the winner, though, is no easy task. They both are in train-wreck status. Kutztown won the first meeting pretty easily. Logic would say if you win on the road you should win at home. Of course, there's nothing logical about this West Chester team. Both desperately need a win. Kutztown is in the 8-10 log-jam. West Chester's very faint NCAA hopes are on life support. Flip a coin. Kutztown -2

Millersville at Shepherd - The Rams -- once deemed a deceivingly good team -- have won three straight. The Marauders have lost 3 of their past 4 games. Shepherd won the first one, 73-72. And, Shepherd can't play on the road. With this one in Shepherdstown, the Rams should be the clear favorite. But, who knows with these two squads. Up and down. All year. The Rams shoot the ball much better at home. That's the difference. Shepherd -3

Clarion at Gannon - The Golden Knights have lost two straight games -- both in the final 40 seconds. Clarion is typically a good hangover remedy. But, the Golden Eagles are capable of putting up a fight. Gannon got all it could handle in Tippin Gym a few weeks back before eventually winning, 61-53. Clarion can get a little scrappy and physical right back at you, which offsets some of Gannon's strength. Look for GU to win this game, but for Clarion to hang around for 25-30 minutes. Golden Knights -14

[IUPalum]

Haven't seen 18-19 or 19-20 numbers, but in 17-18 Clarion was at 4.91 and Edinboro was at 4.33.

Tell the volleyball coach to quit stealing the basketball programs money!!!

[Fightingscot82]

Haven't seen 18-19 or 19-20 numbers, but in 17-18 Clarion was at 4.91 and Edinboro was at 4.33.

[IUPTrackMan]

Well this is weird. What is going on at the Rock?

https://careers.sru.edu/postings/6396

Is it customary to only have a 3 week window for resume submission, while the season is still in progress? Job posted on Feb17 and resumes for full consideration must be received by Mar 6.