PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Edinboro / Seton Hill finale ought to be a treat.

Toughest game to pick on the board.

SH gave UPJ a tough game tonight.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

6-21 and 13-15 first 2 at IUP. Not sure many would have the continuous drastic improvement that he did.

6 wins, to 13, to 22 (regional semis) to 33 (NCAA finalist). That's simply amazing!

Joe also inherited a program that literally started over after the controversial ending of the Gary Edwards era.

[Golden89]

The Edinboro / Seton Hill finale ought to be a treat.

[bballfan03]

Does he show up at Christian Brothers?

Would not be a surprise at all. Although the pool of players he has access to down there is going to be much wider than what he did trying to bring a kid to Dreary PA.

[bballfan03]

Ian Grady

6-21 and 13-15 first 2 at IUP. Not sure many would have the continuous drastic improvement that he did.

6 wins, to 13, to 22 (regional semis) to 33 (NCAA finalist). That's simply amazing!

[IUPTrackMan]

Ian Grady

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP*(1)	19-2	24-2	W6
Mercyhurst*(2)	16-5	18-7	W8
Pitt-Johnstown*(3)	15-6	21-7	W1
California*	14-7	18-9	L1
Gannon*	12-9	13-12	L1
Slippery Rock*	11-10	15-12	W4
Clarion	4-18	5-23	L4
Seton Hill	3-18	4-21	L7
Edinboro	2-19	5-20	L16
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg*(1)	17-4	21-6	W1
East Stroudsburg*(2)	14-7	18-8	W8
West Chester*(3)	13-8	19-8	W4
Millersville	10-11	13-14	L2
Shepherd	9-12	13-14	L2
Lock Haven	9-12	12-13	L2
Kutztown	9-12	11-16	L1
Bloomsburg	8-14	11-17	W2
Mansfield	5-16	6-20	L5

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mercyhurst wins, 61-56.

[IUPalum]

Our panel of degenerates on the pick 'em all took Mercyhurst tonight to defeat California.

I'm still torn ... but it's so hard to pick against Manchel at home ... especially when they are on a 'heater'

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Men's

Cal 22
Mercyhurst 21

Half

[Scrub]

Our panel of degenerates on the pick 'em all took Mercyhurst tonight to defeat California.

I'm still torn ... but it's so hard to pick against Manchel at home ... especially when they are on a 'heater'

And two people put Mercy's win over Cal into their "mortal locks" category as well. I'm pretty confident in Mercy @ home, but I hesitated to call it a lock.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Our panel of degenerates on the pick 'em all took Mercyhurst tonight to defeat California.

I'm still torn ... but it's so hard to pick against Manchel at home ... especially when they are on a 'heater'

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Two dates left ... There's a huge one in the West tomorrow and several in the East that 'should' clear things up a bit.


California at Mercyhurst - There's a belief that Mercyhurst is the worst possible team to play in a one-and-done. While still a regular season game, this might as well be a postseason game. The loser is likely in trouble (done) -- NCAA-wise. The Lakers can lock up a first-round bye in the PSAC Tournament with a win -- and take a huge step toward an NCAA bid. Cal is pretty much assured a first-round home game in the PSACs either way, but a win gives it a chance to move in to second place as well as receive a huge resume boost. The Vulcans took it to Mercyhurst pretty good in the first meeting. The Lakers shot just 1-24 from outside a putrid 27 percent from the field. That's not likely to happen again -- especially in the MAC. Mercyhurst has owned the series of late -- winners of 9 of the past 11 meetings. Cal's last win in Erie was all the way back on Feb. 18, 2012. The Lakers also haven't lost since that trip to the Angelo Dome in late January. The Vulcans' starting lineup is better, but the Lakers are deeper. Add to it this will be the MAC debut for several Cal players -- a place where good shooters go to die. Expect a tight one -- perhaps a thriller -- but Gary Manchel's teams are too strong at home. Lakers -3

Slippery Rock at Edinboro - Could the Rock be rolling a bit? SRU is coming off an impressive win in the Hammermill -- perhaps its best showing of the season. The Fighting Scots are in countdown mode. This shouldn't be nearly as close as the first meeting. SRU may have finally found itself. Trey Staunch and Micah Till will have their final battle, but the Rock is way too deep. SRU -14

Millersville at West Chester - Just when they were left for dead, the Rams have won three in a row. At 18-8, West Chester is actually still (faintly) alive for an NCAA bid. This won't be an easy week, however. First, a sometimes good, sometimes bad, Millersville team visits. Then, of course, is this Saturday's showdown at East Stroudsburg. The Marauders' visit likely has a payback theme for WCU. Millersville beat the tar out of the Rams in the first meeting ... a blistering 97-71 smack-down. The Rams are -- frankly, unbelievably -- still in contention for a first-round bye in the PSAC Tournament. Millersville needs a win to help secure a first-round home game. Harry Houdini probably couldn't figure either of these teams out. Both are talented. Both vanish for periods of time. Something tells me West Chester has figured something out. Again. Maybe. Perhaps. Rams -5

East Stroudsburg at Lock Haven - If this game was in the Pocono's, logic would point to ESU all day. In that strange Lock Haven gym, however, maybe not. The Bald Eagles were on a nice little run prior to stumbling at West Chester. ESU won the first meeting by 14 points and has won its past 7 games. The Bald Eagles will be more competitive than the first game, but the end result will be the same. Lock Haven isn't deep enough to run around all night toying with that press. Warriors keep their NCAA hopes alive. ESU -8

IUP at Clarion - The last time the Golden Eagles beat IUP was on Jan. 22, 2011. IUP was dead in the water inside Tippin Gym on a snowy night in February of 2016 but somehow survived. The past decade of this series, with one exception, has been a slew of lopsided wins for Joe Lombardi. Clarion played a Chucky Humphries-less IUP fairly tough last month in the KCAC. Add to it Ethan Porterfield missed most of the game in foul trouble. The Golden Eagles have the physical size to cause IUP some issues in this one. Clarion did everything possible to take away IUP's 3-point shooting in the first meeting. That's much easier to do, however, with no Chucky and Ethan on the bench. With two games left, it's also hard to predict what level of effort Clarion will put forth. If they come out to play, IUP should win by 15-18 points. If they are in banquet mode, this could get ugly. IUP -17.5

Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - The Griffins just lost at home by 51 points. Going to Johnstown is going to make a bad hangover even worse. Seton Hill's only hope is that UPJ is already mentally at the KCAC. Pitt-Johnstown likely pads some serious stats. Mountain Cats -26

Kutztown at Bloomsburg - The Huskies' stunning upset of Shippensburg kept them alive for another day. A loss here, however, will end their postseason hopes. Kutztown has lost 4 of its past 5 games. The Huskies live to play another day. Bloomsburg -7

Shepherd at Shippensburg - It's never good to play a 3-point shooting team the game after they shot poorly. Law of averages. Add to it the rivalry factor ... and this could be a good one. The Raiders have lost two straight -- to two very average teams. Shippensburg has to stop the Regional Seeding bleeding. The Raiders went from a two-seed to who knows. Chris Fite will have them ready, but don't expect it to be easy. This is an UPSET ALERT game. Ship -7

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Wild week in the West. Multiple teams are still fighting for conference tournament seeding. Several are fighting for their NCAA livelihood. UPJ, Mercyhurst and California are all still alive, as of now, for a spot at the Dance.

Wednesday:

California at Mercyhurst - MASSIVE stakes for each team. Pending a PSAC Tournament win, the loser of this game likely sees their NCAA hopes dashed. The outcome of this game also has major implications for Saturday's lineup.

Saturday:

UPJ at IUP - The Hawks have already clinched the West, but the goal is to host the regional. A UPJ loss likely spells NCAA doom for the Mountain Cats. If IUP wants to avoid a trip to West Virginia ... this could seal up the home court. This should be a dynamite atmosphere inside the KCAC ... the fans love Josh Wise.

Gannon at California - These two could play twice in 48 hours -- both inside Angelo's dome. After a hot stretch, Gannon has lost 3 of its past 4 outings. Side note: Really big ladies' game, too.

Mercyhurst at Slippery Rock - The Rock is famous for late-season upsets. Morrow could be cookin' for this one. With Till finally playing like his old self, SRU can be dangerous (as Gannon just found out). A fully-healthy Till makes for a whole new Rock.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated Men's Standings ... should be quite the exciting week.

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP*(1)	18-2	23-2	W5
Mercyhurst*	15-5	17-7	W7
Pitt-Johnstown*	14-6	20-7	L1
California*	14-6	18-8	W3
Gannon*	12-9	13-12	L1
Slippery Rock*	10-10	14-12	W3
Clarion	4-17	5-22	L3
Seton Hill	3-17	4-20	L6
Edinboro	2-18	5-19	L15
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg*(1)	16-4	20-6	L2
East Stroudsburg*	13-7	17-8	W7
West Chester*	12-8	18-8	W3
Millersville	10-10	13-13	L1
Lock Haven	9-11	12-12	L1
Shepherd	9-11	13-13	L1
Kutztown	9-11	11-15	W1
Bloomsburg	7-14	10-17	W1
Mansfield	5-16	6-20	L5