PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Quite the evening in the PSAC. Updated (Men's) Standings:

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Pitt-Johnstown	10-1	14-3	W7
IUP	9-2	15-2	L1
Mercyhurst	10-3	16-3	W1
Slippery Rock	6-2	10-4	L1
California	7-3	12-4	W4
Gannon	5-4	8-5	L2
Edinboro	3-6	5-9	L5
Clarion	3-7	7-8	W1
Seton Hill	2-10	2-15	W1

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg	9-3	12-5	L1
East Stroudsburg	8-3	10-5	W4
Millersville	8-4	14-4	W5
West Chester	4-6	9-6	L1
Kutztown	4-7	7-10	W1
Shepherd	3-6	7-8	W2
Lock Haven	3-9	6-10	L3
Bloomsburg	2-8	3-11	L4
Mansfield	0-12	1-17	L12

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As of now, we have a full slate tonight of men's games -- and, we have some big ones.


Mercyhurst at Slippery Rock - Something seems off in Erie. The Lakers' vaunted defense hasn't looked too hot as of late. Slippery Rock hasn't played in a long time. This is a good match-up for Mercyhurst, which has struggled against teams with good, big post players. Slippery Rock plays much like the Lakers -- lots of guards and not much size underneath. This is a must-win game for the Lakers. A loss tonight would put them 3 back in the West race. Morrow Field House is a tough place to play when the students are there and engaged. The Rock, despite the long layoff, has had ample time to prepare for this game. Mercyhurst has not. That's the difference. Slippery Rock, with its big, athletic guards, pulls out a narrow victory. Rock by 3

Gannon at California - The students are back, so the Angelo Dome should have a rocking 149 in there tonight. The Vulcans will be sky-high after pummeling Mercyhurst in Erie. Gannon has some nice small forwards, but somebody is going to have to deal with the monster of the Mon Valley (Philip Alston). Cal's offense seems to be either great or somewhat average on a given night. If the outside shots are falling, Gannon will be in trouble. All signs point toward Cal getting a big win tonight. Alston is going to be a match-up nightmare for the Knights, which should open several other things up. Vulcans -7

Mansfield at Shepherd - The Rams finally got a long-deserved win. They got to 65 points in the Kutztown victory. With their defense, that may be the magic number most nights. Mansfield was showing signs of life but has been blown out its past two outings. This won't be a pretty game to watch ... imagining something like 64-58. Shepherd gets the win. Rams -6

IUP at Pitt-Johnstown - UPJ seemed to be focused on this game prior to Seton Hill's visit, because the Griffins nearly pulled the upset of the year 48 hours ago before falling, 89-85. One of these two will take control of the West by 10 p.m. IUP has dominated the series the past decade, losing just once, but there's been a slew a close games. There are no surprises in this one. These two know each other better than any other teams. UPJ's John Paul Krompa and IUP's Ethan Porterfield going head-to-head should be one of the best big-man match-ups of the year. There are some injury concerns. IUP's Tommy Demogerontas has missed two straight games. It didn't matter much against Seton Hill or Clarion, but if he can't go tonight it will be a problem. Starting guard and defensive specialist Kyle Polce was also dinged up at the end of the Clarion game. If both can't go tonight, IUP is in trouble. With the injury statuses unknown, this is a PICK 'EM.

Edinboro at Seton Hill - Aside from IUP's visit, the Griffins are playing well. Edinboro has been blown out its past two games but did play California tough a couple weeks back. Greensburg can be a tricky place to play. It's claustrophobic, it can be loud and the student section can be really engaged. The most interesting match-up of the night will be the Seton Hill football players in Row 1 versus Edinboro guard Jaryn Simpson. They will go after him hard, and, he likes to talk back. If the Scots can stay focused on the game -- and, that's not always easy if the McKenna Center is hopping, Edinboro should win the game. If Simpson gets too tied up in the shenanigans, we could see a mild upset tonight. Scots -1

Shippensburg at Kutztown - The Golden Bears play hard. They have some big bodies. But, they aren't the same without star forward Moe Williams. This is a much different match-up if he's playing, but that seems doubtful. Shippensburg is too balanced for Kutztown to make a serious run. Red Raiders pull away in the second half. Ship -12

Millersville at Lock Haven - The Marauders are hot again. The holiday break funk seems to have worked itself out. The Bald Eagles aren't a pushover -- especially at home -- but struggle to play a full 40 minutes. If Millersville isn't ready to play tonight, this could be an upset. The Bald Eagles are going to get somebody this year. The Marauders are just deeper. The 'Ville -8

Clarion at Bloomsburg - Clarion is the West's version of Lock Haven. You have to be careful playing them. They are inconsistent and struggle to play full games, but they can get rolling. The Huskies, conversely, seem to stay in most games but can't finish. The Golden Eagles got beat up pretty good by IUP this past weekend. Hard to say how they'll bounce back. They should have just enough to win this one on the road. Golden Eagles -2

West Chester at East Stroudsburg - The Rams are in must-win mode the rest of the way. A loss tonight and they likely fall 4 games off the East pace. Four of WCU's losses are by single digits. The Warriors have won 5 of their past 6 games, and are finding ways to win low-scoring affairs and games in the 80s/90s. The Rams' weakness is they can get turnover happy, and that won't be a good thing tonight against a 40-minute press. Look for West Chester to hang around for 30 or 33 minutes, but ESU eventually wears them down. Warriors -7

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Should be an interesting day to watch the PPD games. Students came back last week at the state schools, which will likely mean lots of failed tests this week. Many schools have some potential weather issues tonight, too.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

UPDATED Men's Standings (games played through 1/23)

WEST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
IUP	9-1	15-1	W6
Pitt-Johnstown	9-1	13-3	W6
Slippery Rock	6-1	10-3	W1
Mercyhurst	9-3	15-3	L1
California	6-3	11-4	W3
Gannon	5-3	8-4	L1
Edinboro	3-5	5-8	L4
Clarion	2-7	6-8	L4
Seton Hill	1-10	1-15	L6

EAST

TEAM	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK
Shippensburg	9-2	12-4	W2
East Stroudsburg	7-3	9-5	W3
Millersville	7-4	13-4	W4
West Chester	4-5	9-5	W1
Kutztown	3-7	6-10	L1
Lock Haven	3-8	6-9	L2
Shepherd	2-6	6-8	W1
Bloomsburg	2-7	3-10	L3
Mansfield	0-11	1-16	L11

[WarriorVoice]

Gannon at East Stroudsburg...East Stroudsburg -5

Well done sir!

[Ship69]

Yeah, you're usually in trouble with East Stroud if they get you into one of those foul fests up there.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Final

UPJ 89
Seton Hill 85


Speechless

[Golden89]

They don't have the bigs they usually do. He brought a bunch in but doesn't play them much. Perhaps some swings and misses. I knew Alston would destroy them. That Ship goes with McIntosh. Control him and they don't have many other scorers.

I've been saying all along Cal is very dangerous. If they start rolling they have a shot to win the league.

Not going to count the Lakers out yet, however.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Notre Dame and Charleston both lost today. Should help a couple PSAC teams.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Wow. Nice win for Cal. Mercyhurst seems to have dropped a notch or two since the break. Their defense has been ripped a couple of times.

They don't have the bigs they usually do. He brought a bunch in but doesn't play them much. Perhaps some swings and misses. I knew Alston would destroy them. That Ship goes with McIntosh. Control him and they don't have many other scorers.

I've been saying all along Cal is very dangerous. If they start rolling they have a shot to win the league.

Not going to count the Lakers out yet, however.

[Ship69]

CAL puts it all together for the first time under Danny Sancomb and run over the Lakers 87-71. Didn't expect it but happy to see it. 'HURST had no answer for PHIL ALSTON with 30 pts, 6 rbds and 2 blks. Hopefully they can come back on Monday with a similar effort when GU shows up at the ANGELO DOME.

Wow. Nice win for Cal. Mercyhurst seems to have dropped a notch or two since the break. Their defense has been ripped a couple of times.

[CALUPA69]

California at Mercyhurst - The marquee game of the weekend. Speed 'em up on one side. Slow 'em down on the other side. The Vulcans have the talent to win this game. The Lakers have nowhere near an inside answer for Philip Alston. But, can the California guards find the bottom of the net today? Good shooters become very average in that tight gym -- not to mention the effects of the rarely seen matchup-zone. The Vulcans had an awful shooting performance at Clarion. Law of averages says today could be the opposite. Upset special. Vulcans -3 Note: May God grant mercy on the officials in this game. They have a long day ahead of them with Gary and Danny.

I don't know if it's the part of the generally edgy atmosphere that's abroad in the country these days, but several of the coaches this season seem more demonstrative than they have been in the past. We have the Stitzel show coming to Ship on Feb. 2.

CAL puts it all together for the first time under Danny Sancomb and run over the Lakers 87-71. Didn't expect it but happy to see it. 'HURST had no answer for PHIL ALSTON with 30 pts, 6 rbds and 2 blks. Hopefully they can come back on Monday with a similar effort when GU shows up at the ANGELO DOME.

[Ship69]

California at Mercyhurst - The marquee game of the weekend. Speed 'em up on one side. Slow 'em down on the other side. The Vulcans have the talent to win this game. The Lakers have nowhere near an inside answer for Philip Alston. But, can the California guards find the bottom of the net today? Good shooters become very average in that tight gym -- not to mention the effects of the rarely seen matchup-zone. The Vulcans had an awful shooting performance at Clarion. Law of averages says today could be the opposite. Upset special. Vulcans -3 Note: May God grant mercy on the officials in this game. They have a long day ahead of them with Gary and Danny.

I don't know if it's the part of the generally edgy atmosphere that's abroad in the country these days, but several of the coaches this season seem more demonstrative than they have been in the past. We have the Stitzel show coming to Ship on Feb. 2.

[Scrub]

Note: May God grant mercy on the officials in this game. They have a long day ahead of them with Gary and Danny.

This cracked me up. But it's the truth. I'm sure officials are well aware of which assignments to circle on the calendar (much like teams know which opponents to circle).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Here's the Saturday Spreads you bunch of gambling degenerates.


Gannon at East Stroudsburg - This is one right there with Cal/Mercy as the Game of the Day. Gannon hasn't played in almost two weeks, so rust could be a factor. It's also been hard to tell who will actually be in uniform for the Knights. I'm not sure any team has dealt with more Covid and injuries than Gannon. If the Knights are full strength, they have the size and athletes to deal with the press -- and a strong point guard. Both teams have very talented and quick forwards. But, the long road trip paired with the long break in play ... leans toward the Warriors getting a win today. But, it won't be easy. East Stroudsburg -5

IUP at Clarion - Now with 3 of the original 8-man rotation on the shelf, depth is becoming scarce for Joe Lombardi. Luckily, his deep bench has started to come along nicely over the past month. Clarion will pose a much bigger challenge than Seton Hill did a couple days ago. They have some legit 'dudes' as Joe says. This won't be a run-away. Clarion has given IUP some fits in Tippin Gymnasium over the years. Even without Tommy Demogerontas today, IUP still has a strong starting lineup. But, foul trouble could be deadly. Crimson Hawks win, but closer than many probably expect. IUP -9 -- and on upset alert.

West Chester at Bloomsburg - The Huskies should be the perfect cure for a Rams teams coming off a heartbreaking, 1-point loss to Millersville. If West Chester wants any hope of staying in the East race ... can't take many -- if any -- more losses. Bloomsburg will put up a fight, but the Rams are too deep. WCU -8

Shepherd at Kutztown - Both teams are better than their records. Both have a star player on the injured list. This should be an old school, rock-em-sock-em affair. First to 61 likely wins the game. Shepherd is due. I think they'll get to 62 points. Rams -1

Lock Haven at Shippensburg - The Bald Eagles have been a thorn of sorts to Shippensburg in recent years. Lock Haven has a nice starting group. But, as the game goes along and the Bald Eagles' bench becomes a factor, the Raiders will pull away. Should be an entertaining one. Lock Haven is a scrappy bunch. But, they have trouble putting two 20-minute sessions together. Ship -7

California at Mercyhurst - The marquee game of the weekend. Speed 'em up on one side. Slow 'em down on the other side. The Vulcans have the talent to win this game. The Lakers have nowhere near an inside answer for Philip Alston. But, can the California guards find the bottom of the net today? Good shooters become very average in that tight gym -- not to mention the effects of the rarely seen matchup-zone. The Vulcans had an awful shooting performance at Clarion. Law of averages says today could be the opposite. Upset special. Vulcans -3 Note: May God grant mercy on the officials in this game. They have a long day ahead of them with Gary and Danny.

Mansfield at Millersville - The 'Ville this year has been good, then bad and then good again. Mansfield has just been bad. Very bad, in fact. But, the Mounties have shown some life lately. Millersville can score but doesn't play the greatest defense. Mansfield can score and plays next to zero defense. Marauders win a tussle. 'Ville -9

Seton Hill at Pitt-Johnstown - Well, the resurging Griffins are coming off a butt-whipping. How will that young team respond? A trip to Johnstown isn't likely to cure the hangover. Seton Hill's only hope is UPJ is looking ahead to Monday night's IUP visit. This has U.G.L.Y. written all over it. UPJ -23

Slippery Rock at Edinboro - Will The Rock ever play a game again this year? Good Lord. This is now 6 of their past 7 games PPD. Ian Grady needs to lock these guys in Morrow Field House.