PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

There's a fantastic lineup on Wednesday. Saturday looks like mostly a snooze-fest. Games of note this week in the PSAC:

West

(WED) IUP at UPJ - For the first time in a decade the Johnstown forecast isn't calling for about 8" of snow on game night. This is a big one. Both get recovery games Saturday.

(WED) California at Gannon - Knights are home twice this week. Both games pose a major challenge -- especially the Vulcans. Side note: Huge ladies' game.

(WED) Slippery Rock at Mercyhurst - Saddle up and get the ice packs ready. No love lost here.

(SAT) Mercyhurst at California - Huge battle of positioning in the West race.


East

(WED) East Stroudsburg at West Chester - No idea what to expect. ESU is hot and cold. WCU is in a funk.

(WED) Kutztown at Shippensburg - Golden Bears are playing with a little confidence as of late. Ship's favored but should get a workout.

(SAT) Shippensburg at Lock Haven - The Bald Eagles are playing well and have a history of being a thorn to the Red Raiders. Odd gym for visitors.

(SAT) Kutztown at Shepherd - If the Rams want to make the conference tournament ... they need to win home games just like this one. Challenging week for Kutztown.


Crossover

(SAT) East Stroudsburg at Gannon - Both may enter this Saturday matinee with a hangover -- raising the stakes all the more for both teams.


Streak Buster

(WED) Seton Hill at Edinboro - Somebody has to win. I think. Absolute must-win for the Fighting Scots in order to keep any postseason hope alive.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated WOMEN'S Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	11-0	16-1	W14
Gannon	9-2	13-4	W2
Seton Hill	7-4	12-4	L1
California	7-4	13-4	L1
Edinboro	6-5	8-7	W1
UPJ	5-6	10-7	W3
Mercyhurst	4-7	4-13	L3
Slippery Rock	2-9	4-13	L1
Clarion	1-10	3-14	L5
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
East Stroudsburg	8-3	12-5	W2
Kutztown	8-3	11-6	W5
Shippensburg	8-3	11-6	W2
Shepherd	6-5	12-5	W1
Lock Haven	6-5	9-7	W1
Bloomsburg	4-7	7-8	L2
West Chester	4-7	6-10	L1
Millersville	2-9	5-11	L6
Mansfield	1-10	3-14	L6

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg	10-1	14-3	W6
West Chester	8-3	14-3	L2
Kutztown	6-5	8-9	W2
East Stroudsburg	5-6	9-7	W1
Lock Haven	5-6	8-7	W4
Millersville	5-6	8-9	L2
Shepherd	4-7	8-9	W2
Bloomsburg	4-7	7-10	L3
Mansfield	3-8	4-12	L5
WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	10-1	15-1	W6
Pitt-Johnstown	9-2	15-3	W1
Mercyhurst	8-3	10-5	W4
California	7-4	11-6	L1
Gannon	6-5	7-8	L1
Slippery Rock	4-7	8-9	L1
Edinboro	2-9	5-10	L6
Clarion	2-9	3-14	W1
Seton Hill	1-10	2-12	L3

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mother Nature has our weekend of games kicking off a bit early. Two games will be played today and rest, for now, will be played tomorrow. Three West games headline the slate.



Gannon at Mercyhurst - A year ago, the Golden Knights visited the infamous MAC and left having scored 35 points. Total. The Lakers went on to sweep the series. However, Gannon has won 6 of the past 10 meetings. In the past four affairs neither team has scored more than 63 points. It's a series famous for defense. This year's meeting could (very loosely say 'could') have a slightly different vibe. The winner could crack 70 points. As we've seen many times, the Lakers struggled a bit through November and December. And, then, ... boom. It all clicks and they go on a big tear. Their run could be starting. Mercyhurst has won three straight - highlighted by a road win in Johnstown. Gannon, coming off an awful but victorious performance at Clarion, has been a hard group to predict. Good one night. Bad the next. Hence, the 7-7 record. The Lakers have new confidence. They are home in the now booze-fueled MAC. Gary Manchel has watched more GU games this season than many Knights fans. The Lakers get a big win tomorrow -- perhaps by double digits. Mercyhurst -9

California at IUP - There was a time when if you wanted a seat for this game, at either campus, you had to be in the stands prior to the tip of the women's game. That slowly ended over the past 15 years as the Cal program fell off the map. It became just another game ... even played on Wednesday occasionally. However, all signs are pointing to a revival. The Vulcans are back. Just about, anyway. Danny Sancomb quickly has Cal looking like the Cal of old. This next step, however, won't be easy. IUP is 47-3 in January the past three years -- and very rarely loses inside the KCAC. Expect a close one. IUP's experience in big games should make the difference. Crimson Hawks -4

Slippery Rock at UPJ - Very odd occurrence a year ago. Slippery Rock beat up UPJ twice in the regular season. The Mountain Cats got the last laugh, however, knocking the Rock out of the conference tournament. Fast forward a year and Micah Till is back -- and healthy this time. Recall he came back for that last game a year ago after having missed the final 3+ weeks of the season. He was rusty. Till and his NBA-sized front-court could cause UPJ a lot of problems tomorrow if - big if - SRU can slow the game down. UPJ will need to play this game at as fast a pace as possible. The Rock travels to Johnstown high off an emotional, walk-off win over a solid Millersville. UPJ got a little beat up by Mercyhurst. SRU isn't the type of team UPJ is meant to play. The Rock will be the way more physical team. Slippery Rock rides the momentum and escapes with a win. SRU -3

Lock Haven at Bloomsburg - Ride the hot hand. The Bald Eagles leave town with a win tonight. Bloomsburg is too sporadic on the defensive end. Lock Haven -5

Clarion at Edinboro - The Fighting Scots are in a bad place without star guard Anthony Coleman. If he plays tonight, Edinboro should get a win. If not, believe it or not, Clarion is probably a road favorite. With Coleman's status uncertain, Vegas says PICK 'EM

Kutztown at West Chester - Lock Haven woke the lion. Kutztown has to deal with the ramifications. This has U.G.L.Y. written all over it. Look for a refocused -- and fired up -- WCU to drop the hammer on Kutztown. Rams -12

Shepherd at Millersville - Betting on either of these two teams would have most gamblers in the poor house. Every time they show life, they have a set-back. Both are very unpredictable, yet talented. The Rams have not been a good road team. Millersville is coming off a long road trip and a heartbreaking loss. Tough call. The deceivingly strong Shepherd Rams do just enough to get a win. SU -5

Mansfield at East Stroudsburg - What is going on in the Poconos? The Warriors have lost four straight. Mansfield is coming to town at the perfect time. The Mounties seem to be good at ending losing streaks for teams. Mansfield has shown, however, not to be an easy out. They have some weapons. Baby Shaq will be interesting to watch in the 40 minutes of pressing. However, if he can stay on his feet, he could have a field day on the ESU interior. Look for Mansfield to hang around in this game -- perhaps late. But, ESU will be too deep. Warriors -9

[boatcapt]

That is the beauty of points per possession. It is independent of the style of play. It measures how efficient you are with each possession.
You could have a points per possession of 1.20 and only score 60 points, because you have fewer possessions.
On the other hand, hypothetically Fairmont might score 112 and only have .95 points per possession, which is not really good. If the opponent averages 1.20 per possession, Fairmont loses.
if a team was averaging 1.2 points per possession and you hold them to ,90, then your defense probably had something to do with it.
That is what I like about the stat.

Only two teams in the top 10 in the nation for margin of victory not ranked...WLU at #1 and Walsh at #6.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

When did PSAC stop doing freshman of the week awards? And do we know why?

I knew the defensive player one was new(er), but just realized no freshman

Probably after Dante Lombardi won it about 17 times 5 years ago. Lol.

[bballfan03]

When did PSAC stop doing freshman of the week awards? And do we know why?

I knew the defensive player one was new(er), but just realized no freshman

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Clarion vs Edinboro game scheduled for Saturday has been moved to tomorrow night.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated WOMEN'S Standings (thru games played 1/16):

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	10-0	15-1	W13
Gannon	8-2	12-4	W1
California	7-3	13-3	W1
Seton Hill	7-3	12-3	L1
Edinboro	5-5	7-7	L1
UPJ	4-6	9-7	L1
Mercyhurst	4-6	4-12	L2
Slippery Rock	2-8	4-12	W1
Clarion	1-9	3-13	L4
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
East Stroudsburg	7-3	11-5	W1
Kutztown	7-3	10-6	W4
Shippensburg	7-3	10-6	W2
Shepherd	5-5	11-5	L1
Lock Haven	5-5	8-7	L2
Bloomsburg	4-6	7-7	L1
West Chester	4-6	6-9	W3
Millersville	2-8	5-10	L5
Mansfield	1-9	3-13	L5

[Ship69]

Game Day. Not an overall stellar lineup tonight, but there are a couple nice games.


Mercyhurst at UPJ - Big one in Johnstown tonight. A UPJ win keeps them in the mix for the West top spot -- and deals the Lakers a huge blow. A Mercyhurst win gets the Lakers right back in the race. Both teams have a tough week. UPJ hosts Slippery Rock in a couple days. Mercyhurst hosts rival Gannon. UPJ, to the surprise of some, has actually dominated this series as of late -- winning 6 of the past 7 meetings. The Mountain Cats have won their past 6 outings, although four of them haven't been real pretty. Last week, UPJ defeated Edinboro and Clarion by a combined 6 points. Mercyhurst is coming off an 86-64 beat-down of Kutztown. Tough game to call. UPJ usually finds a way at home, and its odd offense seems to be a good match-up against Mercyhurt's odd defense. Mountain Cats -3

Gannon at Clarion - This trip down 79 comes at a perfect time for Gannon. Coming off a rough ending against IUP, and with a trip across town looming, tonight should be a good opportunity to get back on track. The Golden Eagles have lost 6 straight. The positive is they just about pulled a shocker in their last outing, losing a tight, 67-64, contest to UPJ. That's the positive. The negative is prior to the UPJ game, Clarion played Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst -- two teams built like GU -- and got run out of the gym in both games. Expect a GU romp tonight. Golden Knights -15

East Stroudsburg at Shepherd - The battle of allegedly deceivingly strong teams. The Warriors travel to Shepherdstown as losers of 3 straight. The Rams have lost 4 in a row. One losing streak will end tonight. Despite a 6-9 record, Shepherd has been competitive in nearly every game. ESU also plays a more MEC style compared to the rest of the PSAC. The Rams should be used to being pressed all night and may thrive in a fast-paced affair. ESU is 2-3 away from home this season. Shepherd is 5-3 in their building. This should be a really fun game to watch. Very tough call. Shepherd's inability to close out games once again will be the issue. ESU leaves town with a tight, hard-fought win. Warriors -3

West Chester at Lock Haven - On paper, this is a total mismatch. However, in Lock Haven, it may be closer than some think. West Chester is coming off a shaky road-trip, albeit a 79-71 win at Mansfield. With the exception of IUP, Lock Haven has played everybody tough -- including narrow losses against SRU, California and UPJ. WCU has won the past four meetings by an average of about 13 points. That sounds about right for tonight. Rams -13

IUP at Edinboro - The PIAA D-10 Tour continues for the D-10 heavy Crimson Hawks. McComb Field House should feel a bit like the KCAC tonight for the visitors. IUP walloped the Fighting Scots in both meetings a year ago. Expect Edinboro guards Anthony Coleman and Jaryn Simpson to get their points, but the Boro lacks the depth to take this one a full 40 minutes. Perhaps it's close for a half, but IUP pulls away in the final 20 minutes. Trey Staunch and Dante Lombardi should take a picture together. IUP -19

Millersville at Slippery Rock - This is a sneaky good game between two sneaky good teams. Don't let the records fool you. Both teams dealt with some issues in November and December. Millersville makes the long trip as winners of three straight. SRU is 2-2 in its past four but was very close to being 4-0 (including near misses in Morrow against Cal and IUP). These teams play very different styles. The Mauraders will try and speed up the pace. Slippery Rock is deadly in a slow-down game. He who sets the pace tonight ... wins tonight. SRU is historically tough in Morrow (for a variety of reasons). Rock wins a tight one. SRU -2

California at Seton Hill - Unless the Vulcans are already mentally in Indiana, this is a curb-stomp. Seton Hill will be out-manned at every position. The ladies' game is the main attraction tonight in Greensburg. The men's game will be ugly. California -21

Bloomsburg at Shippensburg - If the Huskies are anything ... they are a sporadic bunch. They'll put up a fight tonight but will lack the horses to pull off an upset. Shippensburg is due for a down game but it won't be in this one. Red Raiders -11

Mansfield at Kutztown - The Golden Bears return home after two brutal road games a week ago. Kutztown got blasted at both Millersville and Mercyhurst. The good news is they have a winning record at home. The Mounties have lost 3 straight, although have shown glimpses of being a decent team (at times). Flip a coin. Kutztown -2

I don't know about being due for a down game, but Ship wasn't exactly hitting on all cylinders against East Stroud, especially in the first half, and managed to pull it out.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The six teams in the west to qualify for the playoffs are pretty much set.

Tonight was pretty interesting. Our old pal, Gary M., went up to Johnstown and got a huge win. That's the type of road win that could really get them going. It also sets up a big one this Saturday night in the booze-fueled MAC.

Slippery Rock ... same thing. That comeback win tonight over a pretty solid Millersville paired with close losses to Cal and IUP ... this could really spark them.

Out East, if you were watching Lock Haven ... you could tell they were on the verge of a big upset. Minus their flop at the KCAC, they had played everybody tough despite 5-6 very close loses. Great win for the Bald Eagles tonight.

[Golden89]

The six teams in the west to qualify for the playoffs are pretty much set.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	9-1	14-1	W5
Pitt-Johnstown	8-2	14-3	L1
California	7-3	11-5	W4
Mercyhurst	7-3	9-5	W3
Gannon	6-4	7-7	W1
Slippery Rock	4-6	8-8	W2
Edinboro	2-8	5-9	L5
Seton Hill	1-9	2-11	L3
Clarion	1-9	2-14	L7
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg	9-1	13-3	W6
West Chester	8-2	14-2	L1
Millersville	5-5	8-8	L1
Kutztown	5-5	7-9	W1
East Stroudsburg	4-6	8-7	L4
Lock Haven	4-6	7-7	W3
Bloomsburg	4-6	7-9	L2
Shepherd	3-7	7-9	W1
Mansfield	3-7	4-11	L4

[IUPbigINDIANS]

MEN'S

Lock Haven shocks West Chester.

Mercyhurst wins in Johnstown.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Game Day. Not an overall stellar lineup tonight, but there are a couple nice games.


Mercyhurst at UPJ - Big one in Johnstown tonight. A UPJ win keeps them in the mix for the West top spot -- and deals the Lakers a huge blow. A Mercyhurst win gets the Lakers right back in the race. Both teams have a tough week. UPJ hosts Slippery Rock in a couple days. Mercyhurst hosts rival Gannon. UPJ, to the surprise of some, has actually dominated this series as of late -- winning 6 of the past 7 meetings. The Mountain Cats have won their past 6 outings, although four of them haven't been real pretty. Last week, UPJ defeated Edinboro and Clarion by a combined 6 points. Mercyhurst is coming off an 86-64 beat-down of Kutztown. Tough game to call. UPJ usually finds a way at home, and its odd offense seems to be a good match-up against Mercyhurt's odd defense. Mountain Cats -3

Gannon at Clarion - This trip down 79 comes at a perfect time for Gannon. Coming off a rough ending against IUP, and with a trip across town looming, tonight should be a good opportunity to get back on track. The Golden Eagles have lost 6 straight. The positive is they just about pulled a shocker in their last outing, losing a tight, 67-64, contest to UPJ. That's the positive. The negative is prior to the UPJ game, Clarion played Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst -- two teams built like GU -- and got run out of the gym in both games. Expect a GU romp tonight. Golden Knights -15

East Stroudsburg at Shepherd - The battle of allegedly deceivingly strong teams. The Warriors travel to Shepherdstown as losers of 3 straight. The Rams have lost 4 in a row. One losing streak will end tonight. Despite a 6-9 record, Shepherd has been competitive in nearly every game. ESU also plays a more MEC style compared to the rest of the PSAC. The Rams should be used to being pressed all night and may thrive in a fast-paced affair. ESU is 2-3 away from home this season. Shepherd is 5-3 in their building. This should be a really fun game to watch. Very tough call. Shepherd's inability to close out games once again will be the issue. ESU leaves town with a tight, hard-fought win. Warriors -3

West Chester at Lock Haven - On paper, this is a total mismatch. However, in Lock Haven, it may be closer than some think. West Chester is coming off a shaky road-trip, albeit a 79-71 win at Mansfield. With the exception of IUP, Lock Haven has played everybody tough -- including narrow losses against SRU, California and UPJ. WCU has won the past four meetings by an average of about 13 points. That sounds about right for tonight. Rams -13

IUP at Edinboro - The PIAA D-10 Tour continues for the D-10 heavy Crimson Hawks. McComb Field House should feel a bit like the KCAC tonight for the visitors. IUP walloped the Fighting Scots in both meetings a year ago. Expect Edinboro guards Anthony Coleman and Jaryn Simpson to get their points, but the Boro lacks the depth to take this one a full 40 minutes. Perhaps it's close for a half, but IUP pulls away in the final 20 minutes. Trey Staunch and Dante Lombardi should take a picture together. IUP -19

Millersville at Slippery Rock - This is a sneaky good game between two sneaky good teams. Don't let the records fool you. Both teams dealt with some issues in November and December. Millersville makes the long trip as winners of three straight. SRU is 2-2 in its past four but was very close to being 4-0 (including near misses in Morrow against Cal and IUP). These teams play very different styles. The Mauraders will try and speed up the pace. Slippery Rock is deadly in a slow-down game. He who sets the pace tonight ... wins tonight. SRU is historically tough in Morrow (for a variety of reasons). Rock wins a tight one. SRU -2

California at Seton Hill - Unless the Vulcans are already mentally in Indiana, this is a curb-stomp. Seton Hill will be out-manned at every position. The ladies' game is the main attraction tonight in Greensburg. The men's game will be ugly. California -21

Bloomsburg at Shippensburg - If the Huskies are anything ... they are a sporadic bunch. They'll put up a fight tonight but will lack the horses to pull off an upset. Shippensburg is due for a down game but it won't be in this one. Red Raiders -11

Mansfield at Kutztown - The Golden Bears return home after two brutal road games a week ago. Kutztown got blasted at both Millersville and Mercyhurst. The good news is they have a winning record at home. The Mounties have lost 3 straight, although have shown glimpses of being a decent team (at times). Flip a coin. Kutztown -2