Tricky night for you gambling degenerates. All (12) PSAC Tournament spots are clinched, which means (6) teams have to play out the week with no hope of getting to next week. Those are the trickiest teams to bet on or against. Some mail it in and go through the motions. Others keep fighting. Regardless, there is a decent lineup tonight. Gambling problem: call 1-800-Gambler.
Edinboro at Slippery Rock - For those not paying attention, SRU is red hot. The Rock is 6-2 in its past 8 games -- the only losses coming at California and at Gannon (both close games). Edinboro's season is essentially over. The Scots will be left out of the conference tournament. However, it's not likely they'll pack it in under a first-year, energetic head coach. Slippery Rock's Morrow Magic continued over the weekend. The Rock is now 11-1 at home -- and 3-11 on the road. There's no question SRU is the clear favorite tonight. Question is, however, by how many points? The first game was pretty close. Edinboro was unable to close the gap in the final minutes, and, eventually lost, 81-74. For the Scots to hang around in Round 2, they need somebody to score along with Bernie Blunt. All off-season Slippery Rock was viewed as a wild card - a team with a ton of potential. It took a while, but this team has arrived. SRU has a big one at Mercyhurst looming Saturday. But, they better not be looking ahead. Edinboro is a feisty bunch. Rock -9.5
IUP at California - For a brief stretch back on Jan. 29, it appeared IUP was going to pull a fairly big upset against the Vulcans. IUP was rolling. Cal was stumbling. The KCAC was going bonkers. And, then, the worst technical foul of the season came. Jaylen Stewart retaliated against a Cal player, and then allegedly swore at an official. A growing IUP lead quickly vanished -- and, pretty much, so did IUP's season. IUP played exceptionally well that night for about 35 minutes -- or, as well as this particular version of IUP is capable of playing. The Crimson Hawks flustered the Vulcans by playing at a very slow pace. The other killer, of course, was it was the first game all year IUP had to deal with foul trouble. Joe Lomabardi had no choice but to insert his seldom-used bench lawn ornaments. The rest is history. Most think that was IUP's shot. The Vulcans, no surprise, are vastly better, deeper, faster and stronger. IUP is on a two-game skid, fresh off an embarrassing beatdown at Slippery Rock. So, the question is what kind of effort will we see from Redshirt Joe and company tonight inside Angelo's Dome? Will it matter? There's not one thing that points in IUP's favor tonight. A two-man team can't beat a 9-man team. Somebody not named Porterfield or Clarke has to help IUP tonight. Vulcans run it up. Cal -19.5
Mercyhurst at Clarion - The Golden Eagles were so close this year. When you look back at their results, Clarion lost so many single digit games. Youth played a big part. The Golden Eagles' rotation is almost exclusively freshmen and sophomores. If they can hold this group together, better days are coming. That's a promise. The guests in Tippin tonight are -- by their standards - having an incredibly bad season. Mercyhurst makes the short trip with a 13-15 overall record. The Lakers, in fact, looked totally disinterested this past Saturday while getting hammered at California. Mercyhurst did clinch a spot in the tournament -- either the 5 or 6 seed. The Lakers are an odd bunch. They have the talent to get hot (as we've seen this year). Something, however, tells me the congregation isn't listening to the preacher. Here's your upset special of the night. Clarion gets a big win. Golden Eagles -1.5
Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - Much like Slippery Rock, Seton Hill is catching fire at the perfect time. Both will be very dangerous teams next week. UPJ, on the other hand, has suffered through its most painful season in decades. Most knew it was coming. The Mountain Cats are incredibly young, lack depth and have little size. Next year should be better. Tonight, however, will not be. One team is gearing up. The other can't wait for about 5 p.m. Saturday. Griffins drop the hammer. Seton Hill -10.5
West Chester at Millersville - This is the game of the night in the PSAC. The Marauders currently sit atop the East, but, make no mistake, a very dangerous team is on the way to town. Millersville is fresh off a highly-emotional win against East Stroudsburg. Could we see a bit of a hangover tonight? The visiting Rams are playing at a high level of late. WCU is a team certainly capable of making a run next week. In fact, these two could play again next Wednesday. Millersville is NCAA-bound, but West Chester is a problematic match-up. The Rams can match the Marauders' size at both the forward and guard positions. West Chester can play up-tempo, slow or its preferred playground style. The problem is the Rams don't seem to show up every night. Millersville won the first meeting, 89-86. Expect a similar outcome tonight. The Marauders likely get the win, but, don't be shocked if WCU pulls it out. The 'Ville -3.5
Lock Haven at Bloomsburg - The Bald Eagles can afford no slip-ups if they want an invite to the big dance. Lock Haven currently sits on the deep NCAA bubble. Bloomsburg had its moments this year (not many) but injuries have sent an already shaky team in to a total tailspin. That said, the Huskies have a way of keeping most games close. Their 'junk' defenses cause some confusion, and, on certain nights, they can get pretty hot from outside. So long at Lock Haven isn't looking ahead to Millersville on Saturday, this should be a run-away. Bald Eagles -14.5
East Stroudsburg at Kutztown - This won't be a pretty game to watch. The Warriors are surely a fired up team fresh off a loss at Millersville. Kutztown's biggest concern in the coming days will be if its freshmen enter the transfer portal next week. This has UGLY written all over it. ESU won the first game by 29 points. Sounds about right here. Warriors -25.5
Shepherd at Shippensburg - The Raiders have had a tough stretch. Perhaps a rival visiting will break their funk. The Rams hammered Shippensburg in the first meeting -- winning by 20 points. Shepherd is also playing pretty well, and is certainly capable of pulling an upset next week. All of that said, this is a very tricky game to bet. The host Raiders do play well in stretches -- usually about a half. One never knows what to expect from the Rams. Take the team with something to look forward to ... Rams -5.5
Edinboro at Slippery Rock - For those not paying attention, SRU is red hot. The Rock is 6-2 in its past 8 games -- the only losses coming at California and at Gannon (both close games). Edinboro's season is essentially over. The Scots will be left out of the conference tournament. However, it's not likely they'll pack it in under a first-year, energetic head coach. Slippery Rock's Morrow Magic continued over the weekend. The Rock is now 11-1 at home -- and 3-11 on the road. There's no question SRU is the clear favorite tonight. Question is, however, by how many points? The first game was pretty close. Edinboro was unable to close the gap in the final minutes, and, eventually lost, 81-74. For the Scots to hang around in Round 2, they need somebody to score along with Bernie Blunt. All off-season Slippery Rock was viewed as a wild card - a team with a ton of potential. It took a while, but this team has arrived. SRU has a big one at Mercyhurst looming Saturday. But, they better not be looking ahead. Edinboro is a feisty bunch. Rock -9.5
IUP at California - For a brief stretch back on Jan. 29, it appeared IUP was going to pull a fairly big upset against the Vulcans. IUP was rolling. Cal was stumbling. The KCAC was going bonkers. And, then, the worst technical foul of the season came. Jaylen Stewart retaliated against a Cal player, and then allegedly swore at an official. A growing IUP lead quickly vanished -- and, pretty much, so did IUP's season. IUP played exceptionally well that night for about 35 minutes -- or, as well as this particular version of IUP is capable of playing. The Crimson Hawks flustered the Vulcans by playing at a very slow pace. The other killer, of course, was it was the first game all year IUP had to deal with foul trouble. Joe Lomabardi had no choice but to insert his seldom-used bench lawn ornaments. The rest is history. Most think that was IUP's shot. The Vulcans, no surprise, are vastly better, deeper, faster and stronger. IUP is on a two-game skid, fresh off an embarrassing beatdown at Slippery Rock. So, the question is what kind of effort will we see from Redshirt Joe and company tonight inside Angelo's Dome? Will it matter? There's not one thing that points in IUP's favor tonight. A two-man team can't beat a 9-man team. Somebody not named Porterfield or Clarke has to help IUP tonight. Vulcans run it up. Cal -19.5
Mercyhurst at Clarion - The Golden Eagles were so close this year. When you look back at their results, Clarion lost so many single digit games. Youth played a big part. The Golden Eagles' rotation is almost exclusively freshmen and sophomores. If they can hold this group together, better days are coming. That's a promise. The guests in Tippin tonight are -- by their standards - having an incredibly bad season. Mercyhurst makes the short trip with a 13-15 overall record. The Lakers, in fact, looked totally disinterested this past Saturday while getting hammered at California. Mercyhurst did clinch a spot in the tournament -- either the 5 or 6 seed. The Lakers are an odd bunch. They have the talent to get hot (as we've seen this year). Something, however, tells me the congregation isn't listening to the preacher. Here's your upset special of the night. Clarion gets a big win. Golden Eagles -1.5
Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - Much like Slippery Rock, Seton Hill is catching fire at the perfect time. Both will be very dangerous teams next week. UPJ, on the other hand, has suffered through its most painful season in decades. Most knew it was coming. The Mountain Cats are incredibly young, lack depth and have little size. Next year should be better. Tonight, however, will not be. One team is gearing up. The other can't wait for about 5 p.m. Saturday. Griffins drop the hammer. Seton Hill -10.5
West Chester at Millersville - This is the game of the night in the PSAC. The Marauders currently sit atop the East, but, make no mistake, a very dangerous team is on the way to town. Millersville is fresh off a highly-emotional win against East Stroudsburg. Could we see a bit of a hangover tonight? The visiting Rams are playing at a high level of late. WCU is a team certainly capable of making a run next week. In fact, these two could play again next Wednesday. Millersville is NCAA-bound, but West Chester is a problematic match-up. The Rams can match the Marauders' size at both the forward and guard positions. West Chester can play up-tempo, slow or its preferred playground style. The problem is the Rams don't seem to show up every night. Millersville won the first meeting, 89-86. Expect a similar outcome tonight. The Marauders likely get the win, but, don't be shocked if WCU pulls it out. The 'Ville -3.5
Lock Haven at Bloomsburg - The Bald Eagles can afford no slip-ups if they want an invite to the big dance. Lock Haven currently sits on the deep NCAA bubble. Bloomsburg had its moments this year (not many) but injuries have sent an already shaky team in to a total tailspin. That said, the Huskies have a way of keeping most games close. Their 'junk' defenses cause some confusion, and, on certain nights, they can get pretty hot from outside. So long at Lock Haven isn't looking ahead to Millersville on Saturday, this should be a run-away. Bald Eagles -14.5
East Stroudsburg at Kutztown - This won't be a pretty game to watch. The Warriors are surely a fired up team fresh off a loss at Millersville. Kutztown's biggest concern in the coming days will be if its freshmen enter the transfer portal next week. This has UGLY written all over it. ESU won the first game by 29 points. Sounds about right here. Warriors -25.5
Shepherd at Shippensburg - The Raiders have had a tough stretch. Perhaps a rival visiting will break their funk. The Rams hammered Shippensburg in the first meeting -- winning by 20 points. Shepherd is also playing pretty well, and is certainly capable of pulling an upset next week. All of that said, this is a very tricky game to bet. The host Raiders do play well in stretches -- usually about a half. One never knows what to expect from the Rams. Take the team with something to look forward to ... Rams -5.5
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