PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN's Standings


WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT
IUP* (1)	19-2	25-2	W10	Pitt-Johnstown
Mercyhurst*	16-5	22-5	L1	SRU
Pitt-Johnstown*	16-5	20-7	W1	at IUP
California*	15-6	20-7	W1	at Gannon
Slippery Rock * (5)	13-8	17-10	W6	at Mercyhurst
Gannon* (6)	10-11	13-12	W1	California
Edinboro	6-14	8-17	L3	Seton Hill
Clarion	5-17	9-18	L8	DONE
Seton Hill	3-18	3-23	L7	at Edinboro

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT
Millersville*	16-5	22-5	W1	Lock Haven
East Stroudsburg*	16-5	18-7	W5	at WCU
Shippensburg*	15-6	18-8	W3	Kutztown
West Chester* (4)	10-10	16-10	L1	ESU
Shepherd*	8-13	12-15	L1	at Mansfield
Lock Haven*	8-13	11-14	L2	at Millersville
Kutztown	6-15	9-18	W2	at Shippensburg
Bloomsburg	4-18	5-21	L4	DONE
Mansfield	3-18	4-23	L6	Shepherd

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Slippery Rock's upset of California down in Angelo's Dome cost the house a perfect Monday. But, 4 out of 5 in the betting world keeps the cash flowing. Three tough ones to pick tonight on the board. You degenerates be careful.


Mercyhurst at California - Showdown in the Mon Valley. This game has far larger ramifications than just seeding in the conference tournament. A Mercyhurst win will lock them in to the No. 2 seed and get a first round bye. It will also give the Lakers a big quality win for their NCAA resume. But, at 22-4, Mercyhurst is probably in pretty good NCAA shape regardless of what happens tonight. The Vulcans, however, suddenly find themselves in a bit of hot water after their home loss to Slippery Rock just 48 hours ago. California now has 7 losses -- the same amount as UPJ and East Stroudsburg. Shippensburg is right on their tail with 8 losses. California is still mathematically in the hunt for the second seed in the West, but that path has become pretty murky. A month ago, the Vulcans dropped the hammer on the Lakers in Erie, 87-71. Mercyhurst, however, is hot -- as most Lakers' teams tend to be this time of the year. Gary Manchel also was off Monday. Check out his record when he has extra time to prepare. It's scary good. One has to wonder how the grueling 8 games in 18 days to end the season is effecting California. The Vulcans are 4-2 thus far in this crazy stretch. California also likely has a bad hangover after Monday. As they say, there's no worse hangover cure than having to play Mercyhurst -- especially rested Mercyhurst. This sounds familiar. Mercyhurst got UPJ both times coming in hungover and with extra rest. Lakers -3

Mansfield at East Stroudsburg - What happens when one team has everything to play for, is at home and the other team can't wait for the season to end (and is winless on the road all season)? Tonight is what happens. Warriors win. Big. ESU -17

Edinboro at Slippery Rock - These two put on one of the more entertaining games of the season just 24 days ago. The Rock left McComb with a tough, 87-84 win. Things are much different now. Edinboro's season ends on Saturday afternoon. The Rock is one of the hottest teams in the league -- winners of 5 straight. It's been known all year SRU had an abundance of talent, size and athleticism. The only thing they were lacking was the confidence to close out big games. They may have found that down at California. And, that could be very bad news for the rest of the West. It's hard to say how interested the Scots will be tonight. Morrow Field House is a tough place to play. SRU -9

Shippensburg at Shepherd - This is a BIG one for the Red Raiders. Shippensburg is clearly on the NCAA bubble with 8 losses. But, they are also still right in the mix of things atop the East standings. A trip to Shepherdstown, where the host Rams are very tough, is a brutal assignment. The Rams have won three in a row at home (including a blowout win over Millersville), and narrowly took down California when the Vulcans visited two weeks ago. There's no question Shepherd is a tough out in their building. The Red Raiders have more to lose, and that extra edge should (barely) give them the advantage. Ship -3

Pitt-Johnstown at Seton Hill - UPJ somehow almost lost to Seton Hill a month ago. The Mountain Cats held on late to escape with an 89-85 win. That's been Seton Hill's story in a nutshell. They play good (and lose) one night. Then they get blown out of the building the next night. It's been a pretty steady rotation of inconsistency. Tonight will be of the 'blown out of the building' variety. UPJ's had a week off. They are well-rested and eager to snap their two-game skid. The Griffins pay the price in the Yellow Shoebox. UPJ -23

West Chester at Millersville - The Marauders' winning streak, which reached 12, was due to end. And, end it did. In fact, it came crashing down in Shepherdstown via an 89-71 knockout. West Chester is one of the league's hottest teams -- winners of 6 of its past 7 games. Five weeks ago, Millersville took a narrow 73-72 win in the Rams' house. West Chester is growing up fast -- and the Rams' physical play and size can cause many problems for opponents. The Marauders' guards are just a bit better. The 'Ville gets a home win. Barely. And, say a prayer for the officiating crew. Millersville -2

Clarion at IUP - The Crimson Hawks have won 21 straight in the series. IUP surely knows what game is next. But, this is a focused group. Make it 22 in a row. Hawks -17

Bloomsburg at Kutztown - Both are eliminated from the conference tournament. Kutztown won the first meeting by a point. Sounds about right tonight, too. Bears -1

[Fightingscot82]

They make it on the tuition. Many of their players pay the bulk of their own way to play there.

They probably don't even make enough on tickets to cover the game-day staff expenses.

LH is a perfect example of the big issue. Kids will continue to go there for a year or two, build their resume ... and get the freak out of there as soon as they are marketable. Can't blame them ... the program stinks and they can get much more money elsewhere. It's basically becoming a farm system.

The revenue for every student is nearly the same at PASSHE. No matter where the money comes from - scholarship, federal, loans, parents, etc. - the total paid is the same because its all real dollars. They're not forgiving or discounting like the privates.

[CALUPA69]

They make it on the tuition. Many of their players pay the bulk of their own way to play there.

They probably don't even make enough on tickets to cover the game-day staff expenses.

LH is a perfect example of the big issue. Kids will continue to go there for a year or two, build their resume ... and get the freak out of there as soon as they are marketable. Can't blame them ... the program stinks and they can get much more money elsewhere. It's basically becoming a farm system.

It's too late now with the creation of PWU and PEU but the only way out of the interminable pit in which LHU and CLARION find themselves is the ARMENTI METHOD. With a creative and cooperative administration, hire and overpay a successful but aging coach and look the other way. There are certainly a lot of talented, undisciplined and intellectually lazy players available to jump start a program if things can be controlled or covered up until you reach that point. CAL U like LHU and CLARION had been down for a long time. In '84 they beat BLOOM in the state game and for the next 20 years averaged 4-7. AA arrived in '92 but until JOHN LUCKHARDT came on board in '02, the losing contiued. Since '02 the program under 3 HC has flipped to an average of 9-3. This won't happen for the 4 schools that aren't CAL U or BLOOM because the days of broadly independent administrators are gone forever. Much more likely that by '30 those 4 football traditions will go the way of CHEYNEY or MANSFIELD. Time will tell.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If Lock Haven is making money off football with what they're drawing up there, gotta give 'em credit for really knowing how to squeeze a nickel.

They make it on the tuition. Many of their players pay the bulk of their own way to play there.

They probably don't even make enough on tickets to cover the game-day staff expenses.

LH is a perfect example of the big issue. Kids will continue to go there for a year or two, build their resume ... and get the freak out of there as soon as they are marketable. Can't blame them ... the program stinks and they can get much more money elsewhere. It's basically becoming a farm system.

[Ship69]

Think of it like the small town shot & beer bar. It ain't pretty but if it weren't profitable it wouldn't be there.

If Lock Haven is making money off football with what they're drawing up there, gotta give 'em credit for really knowing how to squeeze a nickel.

[Fightingscot82]

Think of it like the small town shot & beer bar. It ain't pretty but if it weren't profitable it wouldn't be there.

[Ship69]

Well, some of our schools are probably on their way to 1,500 students. LOL. Sad but not that far-fetched.

If we were to need a member ... all I'm saying ... they could be a candidate to target. My guess is the PSAC would go after Frostburg State pretty hard.

With the way things are going ... we many actually need a member in the coming years.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT
IUP* (1)	18-2	24-2	W9	Clarion
Mercyhurst*	16-4	22-2	W5	at California
Pitt-Johnstown*	15-5	19-7	L2	at Seton Hill
California*	14-6	19-7	L1	Mercyhurst
Slippery Rock*	12-8	16-10	W5	Edinboro
Gannon*	10-11	13-12	W1	OFF
Edinboro	6-13	8-16	L2	at SRU
Clarion	5-16	9-17	L7	at IUP
Seton Hill	3-17	3-22	L6	Pitt-Johnstown

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NEXT
Millersville*	15-5	21-5	L1	West Chester
East Stroudsburg*	15-5	17-7	W4	Mansfield
Shippensburg*	14-6	17-8	W2	at Shepherd
West Chester*	10-9	16-9	W4	at Millersville
Shepherd*	8-12	12-14	W1	Shippensburg
Lock Haven*	8-13	11-14	L2	OFF
Kutztown	5-15	8-18	W1	Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg	4-17	5-20	L3	at Kutztown
Mansfield	3-17	4-22	L5	at ESU

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I disagree. SVC is small (1,500 undergrads) and tuition-driven (modest endowment ~$100M). We have enough of those schools. I think adding them to the PSAC will only make recruitment tougher since they'll be offering coupon codes for big discounts versus our much smaller real dollars.

Well, some of our schools are probably on their way to 1,500 students. LOL. Sad but not that far-fetched.

If we were to need a member ... all I'm saying ... they could be a candidate to target. My guess is the PSAC would go after Frostburg State pretty hard.

With the way things are going ... we many actually need a member in the coming years.

[Fightingscot82]

I'm not aware they are looking to jump. But, they'd fit the profile and have good proximity.

But, they are in a good D3 league full of somewhat close schools. Seton Hill would be ideal in the PAC.

I disagree. SVC is small (1,500 undergrads) and tuition-driven (modest endowment ~$100M). We have enough of those schools. I think adding them to the PSAC will only make recruitment tougher since they'll be offering coupon codes for big discounts versus our much smaller real dollars.

[Scrub]

Well, Cal is now also joined with East Stroudsburg and UPJ (PSAC teams with 7 losses). Shippensburg is right behind them with 8 losses. Everybody aside from one PSAC team is taking another loss next week at some point. For at large bids (if they don't get the auto) I'd say it's imperative these four cannot lost again prior to the tournament -- especially Ship. Obviously all but one CIAA and MEC will add losses next week, too.

Well, the YellowJackets have a tough road to staying at 6 losses themselves. The MEC always ends the season with their version of "rivalry week." Every team plays its closest geographical competitor for the final game of the season. But that means WVSU closes with Charleston, which is no gimme. If WVSU loses to Charleston and doesn't run the table in the MEC tourney, they'll be sitting right with Ship at 8 losses.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

A collective sigh of relief was heard emanating from Institute, WV, as the YellowJackets of WVSU see a glimmer of hope that they can sneak into the regional if Cal continues to falter.

Well, Cal is now also joined with East Stroudsburg and UPJ (PSAC teams with 7 losses). Shippensburg is right behind them with 8 losses. Everybody aside from one PSAC team is taking another loss next week at some point. For at large bids (if they don't get the auto) I'd say it's imperative these four cannot lost again prior to the tournament -- especially Ship. Obviously all but one CIAA and MEC will add losses next week, too.

The Vulcans will actually come up in tomorrow's RR release (as last night's loss won't calculate until next week).

No time for a hangover in the Angelo Dome. Mercyhurst visits tomorrow.

[Scrub]

Rock gets the big win at California ... in what may have been one of the ugliest combined last 20 minutes I've ever watched.

A collective sigh of relief was heard emanating from Institute, WV, as the YellowJackets of WVSU see a glimmer of hope that they can sneak into the regional if Cal continues to falter.

[Golden89]

Gannon rallies from 39-21 down to win by 14. LAP with 34, most by a GU player since Adam Blazek scored 37 in 2012 as a freshman at the same Tippin Gymnasium.