PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

EAST

West Chester (13-2, 17-5) - Kutztown visits this weekend. Rams are red hot.
East Stroudsburg (11-3, 14-6) - Next 3 are cupcakes prior to showdown at West Chester
Shippensburg (11-4, 17-6) - Bye coming at a good time
Millersville (9-6, 13-9) - Didn't expect a win at WCU. Didn't expect Marauders to be blown out, either.
Kutztown (7-8, 13-10) - Too much talent for double-digit losses on Feb. 7
Lock Haven (6-8, 9-10) - Bald Eagles now just about a lock for PSAC Tournament
Bloomsburg (2-13, 5-15) - Yikes
Mansfield (1-14, 4-18) - Almost over.

WEST

IUP (13-2, 20-2) - Visit to the Hammermill up next. Never know which Gannon team will show up.
Slippery Rock (12-3, 15-7) - Now-daunting trip to Greensburg in 72 hours. Rock's NCAA hopes took a giant nose-dive last night.
Mercyhurst (11-4, 16-4) - More bad news for SRU: Lakers get a bye this Saturday prior to Morrow visit next Wednesday.
UPJ (8-7, 13-9) - Trip to Clarion tends to heal wounds.
Gannon (6-9, 8-14) - Not pleasant times in the 'Mill
California (5-9, 7-13) - Suddenly-hot Edinboro comes to town this weekend. Simpson with the rare Triple-Double last night.
Seton Hill (5-10, 7-14) - Signature win time this Saturday for the rookie head coach. Rock headed to the snake pit.
Edinboro (3-11, 6-13) - Cleary has kept the team playing hard. Not always easy to do.
Clarion (2-13, 4-15) - Walking the Green Mile ...

[IUPTrackMan]

Re: PSAC WEST

People thought I was nuts last week when I thought Seton Hill was a good team. Blondin being back is huge. He's an all-league guy. They are clicking right now and are hard to defend.

They can't but if they could start the season over they'd have a much different record. New coach ... took time. They are a tough out right now.

After the IUP game in Greensburg, Joe held up the line to personally congratulate Blondin and Nathan Davis. That never happens.

Said it last week they will pass Cal in get in the conference tournament.

Put it on alert now ... SRU will go down in Greensburg.


UPJ ... yeah ... WTF

UPJ is just so young. That makes things unpredictable. In their game at IUP, I remember UPJ had 5 freshman on the floor multiple times that night.

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

The Seton Hill/Gannon and Edinboro/UPJ scores are baffling.


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Gannon held a 7-point halftime lead in a game that looked like the Knights would wear SHU down (3 guys played 40 minutes) in the second stanza and would coast to a home win. Then GU shot 5/32 from the firld in the second half, which included a 1/19 stretch (13 misses in a row) that rivaled the 1/21 crapfest that started the game at Mercyhurst. But at least the game at MU was against one of the stingiest defenses in the country in a historic house of offensive horrors. SHU certainly is a better team, but there was no reason to get outscored 37-17 in a half at home against pretty much anybody. Reilly was so disgusted with the effort that he put in the last guy off the bench for the final 3:30.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

The Seton Hill/Gannon and Edinboro/UPJ scores are baffling.


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People thought I was nuts last week when I thought Seton Hill was a good team. Blondin being back is huge. He's an all-league guy. They are clicking right now and are hard to defend.

They can't but if they could start the season over they'd have a much different record. New coach ... took time. They are a tough out right now.

After the IUP game in Greensburg, Joe held up the line to personally congratulate Blondin and Nathan Davis. That never happens.

Said it last week they will pass Cal in get in the conference tournament.

Put it on alert now ... SRU will go down in Greensburg.


UPJ ... yeah ... WTF

[EyeoftheHawk]

The Seton Hill/Gannon and Edinboro/UPJ scores are baffling.


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[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Scores

IUP 77 Slippery Rock 48

West Chester 82 Millersville 64

Seton Hill 68 Gannon 54

Edinboro 96 UPJ 88

Mercyhurst 88 Clarion 42

Kutztown 88 Bloomsburg 77

ESU dropping the hammer on Ship ... 10 mins left

[IUP24]

Re: PSAC WEST

LOL .. when do 'we' ever throw around 'near sellout' when discussing any D2 event?

This will be their biggest crowd since the Sleva game in the PSAC Tournament a couple years ago. I think the students have a done a pretty job creating quite a buzz for it. SRU is usually the biggest draw of the year and now the stakes are pretty high. Add to it you may pick up a couple hundred out-of-towners in green.

Last year's game almost ended in a "Malice in the Palace" ... half expecting the same thing tomorrow.

Remember, SRU hasn't won in Indiana since 1990-91.

Right. And consider I was born in 1993.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Lots of teams would love to be 5-2 in their last 7 games lol...

Is a near sellout expected, or is it just hopeful? We throw around "near sellout" a lot and I always tune in on the stream and see 1,000 empty seats lol...

LOL .. when do 'we' ever throw around 'near sellout' when discussing any D2 event?

This will be their biggest crowd since the Sleva game in the PSAC Tournament a couple years ago. I think the students have a done a pretty job creating quite a buzz for it. SRU is usually the biggest draw of the year and now the stakes are pretty high. Add to it you may pick up a couple hundred out-of-towners in green.

Last year's game almost ended in a "Malice in the Palace" ... half expecting the same thing tomorrow.

Remember, SRU hasn't won in Indiana since 1990-91.

[IUP24]

Re: PSAC WEST

Slippery Rock at IUP - Many are calling this the West Championship. That's way premature. Slippery Rock still has IUP, Mercyhurst, Gannon and road trips to Seton Hill and UPJ (places known for upsets). IUP has its own issues -- having gone just 5-2 in its past 7 games. The good news for IUP in this rematch is they played a horrendous game in Morrow and still almost won the game. The bad news is they've struggled as of late with physical teams and, well, teams don't come much more physical than Slippery Rock. Make no mistake, the lights are going to be very bright. A near sellout is expected inside the KCAC. An upperclassmen dominated team like IUP -- at home -- should be favored in this type of game. That said, whichever team controls the tempo will likely win this game. The sloppy, muck-it-up brawl favors Slippery Rock. IUP needs to start hot -- something they've failed miserably at lately -- and keep the hammer down. No more letting teams just bomb away wide open treys for the first 20 minutes. SRU also did a number on Dante Lombardi in the first meeting. Somebody else needs to be ready to take over if they sell out on him again. A fast-paced game will heavily favor IUP. The Crimson Hawks are due for a big shooting night. Law of averages (or something like that). IUP finds a way, but it will be far from easy. Crimson Hawks win a street fight -2.5

Lots of teams would love to be 5-2 in their last 7 games lol...

Is a near sellout expected, or is it just hopeful? We throw around "near sellout" a lot and I always tune in on the stream and see 1,000 empty seats lol...

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Two massive games headline Wednesday's schedule. Both will go a long way in settling things over these final 7 regular season games. The game in Indiana could determine who hosts not only the PSAC Tournament but possibly IUP hosting the regional.


Clarion at Mercyhurst - Over before it begins. Dress rehearsal for Mercyhurst. Lakers -35

Seton Hill at Gannon - Last week Gannon could beat the muscle but not the finesse. Seton Hill is playing pretty well right now. One never knows who will be healthy, hurt, scratched or in the doghouse for the Golden Knights. Gannon won in Greensburg but the Griffins were without star senior guard Trevor Blondin. He's back and lighting up scoreboards. Seton Hill wins this round of the Catholic School tournament. Griffins -5

Bloomsburg at Kutztown - Two teams with personality disorders. Never sure which version will show up on a given night. In its simplest form, Kutztown just has better players. Golden Bears -12

Lock Haven at Mansfield - Don't look now but Mansfield has won 3 of its past 4. Lock Haven has proved to be a scrappy team despite its modest record. Bald Eagles just have a little more in this one. Lock Haven -6

UPJ at Edinboro - UPJ is 10-0 in Johnstown this year. They are also 3-8 on the road. Quite the difference. Edinboro has lost 9 of 10 - with the majority of those losses being blowouts. The Mountain Cats are a little banged up right now, however, and weren't real deep even when fully healthy. Hard to pick the upset here but the Fighting Scots may be able to keep it close against a depleted lineup. UPJ should have just enough to escape McComb with a win. Mountain Cats -7

Millersville at West Chester - Millersville plays everybody tough. West Chester is just on a roll. The Rams have the current longest winning streak in the PSAC -- winners of their past 11 outings. They are also 9-0 at home. The Marauders gave WCU a fight in Round 1 but came up short. If they couldn't get them at home, they aren't getting them in West Chester. The Rams rarely lose at home. Tomorrow won't be the night, either. WCU -9

Shippensburg at East Stroudsburg -- Shippensburg won a thriller in the team's first meeting. This one should be no different. The Red Raiders held the Warriors to just 70 points in January. That will be much harder to do on the road. ESU's pressure gets all the more difficult playing in front of a boisterous home crowd. This is also a match-up of two of the leagues better coaches. Whichever makes the best adjustments likely wins. Shippensburg plays with a swagger and seems to thrive in hostile environments. Red Raiders pull out a tight one. Shippensburg -5


Slippery Rock at IUP - Many are calling this the West Championship. That's way premature. Slippery Rock still has IUP, Mercyhurst, Gannon and road trips to Seton Hill and UPJ (places known for upsets). IUP has its own issues -- having gone just 5-2 in its past 7 games. The good news for IUP in this rematch is they played a horrendous game in Morrow and still almost won the game. The bad news is they've struggled as of late with physical teams and, well, teams don't come much more physical than Slippery Rock. Make no mistake, the lights are going to be very bright. A near sellout is expected inside the KCAC. An upperclassmen dominated team like IUP -- at home -- should be favored in this type of game. That said, whichever team controls the tempo will likely win this game. The sloppy, muck-it-up brawl favors Slippery Rock. IUP needs to start hot -- something they've failed miserably at lately -- and keep the hammer down. No more letting teams just bomb away wide open treys for the first 20 minutes. SRU also did a number on Dante Lombardi in the first meeting. Somebody else needs to be ready to take over if they sell out on him again. A fast-paced game will heavily favor IUP. The Crimson Hawks are due for a big shooting night. Law of averages (or something like that). IUP finds a way, but it will be far from easy. Crimson Hawks win a street fight -2.5

[Golden89]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

Loop Two through the West starts tomorrow.

Mercyhurst at IUP - It's extremely difficult to win in the KCAC. Saturday night with a juiced up crowd is about impossible. Mercyhurst is a very strong team and an annoying team to play against. The Lakers gave IUP all it handle in Erie before losing by 11 in the final minutes. Two great coaches. Adjustments from Round 1 will be key. Mercyhurst again keeps it close, but this will be the first true road test in a hostile environment for the Lakers this season. The bottom rows across the court can be quite distracting to visitors. Ask Micah Till and Josh Wise. IUP -5

Shippensburg at Kutztown -- Shippensburg got back on track with a blowout of lowly Bloomsburg. Tomorrow's trip to Kutztown starts a burtal three-game stretch for Chris Fite's Red Raiders -- at Kutztown, at East Stroudsburg and Millersville. The Golden Bears enter on a two-game skid but they are a tough bunch at home. Kutztown isn't geared to play teams with a lot of bigs. Luckily, Shippensburg doesn't have many. Kutztown avenges an earlier season loss. Golden Bears -3

Clarion at Seton Hill -- The Griffins can either come up hungover after Wednesday's spirited loss to IUP, or they can come out a born again team. Luckily for Seton Hill, a struggling Clarion is in town, so it may not matter what kind of mood they come out in. Clarion actually won the first meeting in overtime but star Trevor Blondin didn't play in that game for the Griffins. He's back now and on a tear. Seton Hill wins this one big. Griffins -15

Millersville at Mansfield -- Mauraders get a freebie to stay within striking distance of third in the East. Millersville -17

West Chester at Bloomsburg -- The Rams have won 10 straight. Tomorrow makes 11. West Chester wins big. Rams -19

California at Slippery Rock -- The Vulcans put up a tussle in Round 1 before falling by 11 points in the Angelo Dome. Cal's defense was non-existent in that meeting as SRU shot 60 percent from the field and 58 percent from deep. Cal is a terrible match-up against Slippery Rock. The Vulcans don't have the depth or the physical size. It may have been relatively close in California. It won't be in Morrow. SRU wins in a smackdown. Rock -20

Gannon at UPJ -- Gannon travels to Johnstown riding high. The Golden Knights just took down rival Slippery Rock. The bad news is many visiting teams go there to die. UPJ is a perfect 9-0 at home this season (and 3-8 away from home). Must be something in the water up there. Whatever it is, UPJ shoots the ball incredibly well at home -- and they score a ton of points. In the first meeting, a 64-61 GU win in Erie, UPJ was held to just 38 percent from the floor and the Mountain Cats went just 4 of 9 from deep. UPJ is very well-coached and will have a plan to get more outside shots off against the stingy Knights defense. Gannon is a little too physical for UPJ but the finesse should win the day for the home team. UPJ -7

Salem at Lock Haven -- On the surface, Salem has a 13-7 record. Look below the surface. One of those losses is to Mansfield. Lock Haven does just enough to get a win. Bald Eagles -2

[IUP24]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: PSAC WEST

I agree with you on all points. Maybe that explains what "appeared" to be wrong with Till - he appeared to be playing a half-speed sometimes and turned it on when he wanted. That said, SRU had won 12 in a row going to the game, so they must have been doing something right during the last 1 1/2 months. I'll stand by the fact that it was a good and much-needed win for the Knights.

I looked at the play-by-play and the last 1:21 of the game contained 12 fouls and 22 free throw attempts. The Slippery Rock fouls were getting annoying (no need to foul down 12 with 15 seconds left), but what made it worse is that Gannon committed six of those 12 fouls!! The coaching staff (and many of the fans) were about losing their minds at the end.

And to answer your question, I had not watched any SRU basketball prior to this year. I'm lucky to have time to follow Gannon!

IUPAlum and I knew this was coming.

Gannon is tailor-made to play SRU. They excell at everything that is SRU kryptonite.

Gannon has one style. Physical. Hustle. Pressure.

Everybody thinks SRU is some muscle team that just pounds the ball inside. They are actually the complete opposite under Grady. Their offense is to pass the ball around for 20 seconds. Toss it inside. Then pop it back out for a trey. They launch a ton.

Reilly teams are very difficult to shoot from outside against. They are in your face constantly and push the guards way back. They also play very physical. SRU is used to being the perceived physical team. The bully doesn't like to get bullied.

I watched the last 7 minutes last night. Immediately I could hear Gannon's 34 coaches screaming to push the ball up court and push the pace. SRU looked exhausted. It's no coincidence East Stroudsburg blew them out. It's also no coincidence SRU had its worst shooting night of the year last night.

SRU was gassed. They were just chucking treys and agitated. The stupid, temper tantrum technical was the icing on the cake. They also didn't adjust and just kept firing highly contested deep shots.

IUP, for a reason known only to Joe, tried to go up there and beat them at their own game in the first half. They failed miserably and, while the game chaged dramatically in the second half, the damage was mostly done. IUP floored the pace in the second half and just about pulled it out.

Reilly is no dummy. He obviously scouted both the ESU and IUP games. SRU has no transition game. Gannon exploited it and ran them out of gas.

Everybody will see that film. The second loop through SRU is going to see that a lot. Not everybody can bring the D like Gannon but the key is to get SRU sped up.

[Golden89]

Re: PSAC WEST

Have you not watched any SRU basketball? They aren't slow, they are straight up lazy!!! They jog up and down the floor, they take plays off including Till, they bad mouth towards the refs (hence the technical with 6min left). These are all the things I've talked about precious especially on the side with BigIndian. The only game I saw them play a full 40 minutes was against IUP and that's to be expected since that is who everyone is chasing.

I agree with you on all points. Maybe that explains what "appeared" to be wrong with Till - he appeared to be playing a half-speed sometimes and turned it on when he wanted. That said, SRU had won 12 in a row going to the game, so they must have been doing something right during the last 1 1/2 months. I'll stand by the fact that it was a good and much-needed win for the Knights.

I looked at the play-by-play and the last 1:21 of the game contained 12 fouls and 22 free throw attempts. The Slippery Rock fouls were getting annoying (no need to foul down 12 with 15 seconds left), but what made it worse is that Gannon committed six of those 12 fouls!! The coaching staff (and many of the fans) were about losing their minds at the end.

And to answer your question, I had not watched any SRU basketball prior to this year. I'm lucky to have time to follow Gannon!