PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The Women's races are pretty good this year. There's a huge crossover tomorrow. East Stroudsburg visits the Hammermill in a game with certain NCAA ramifications. The East has some really good match-ups tomorrow. The buzz is quickly wearing off Seton Hill.


Women's Standings

WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NOTES
IUP	12-0	17-1	W15	Hopefully the flu has run its course
Gannon	10-2	14-4	W3	East-leading ESU coming to the 'Mill
California	7-5	13-5	L2	Still processing 40 points. Total.
Seton Hill	7-5	12-5	L3	Griffs' hot start fading fast
Edinboro	7-5	9-7	W2	Back to life
UPJ	5-7	10-8	L1	Should be better
Mercyhurst	4-8	4-14	L4	Record is baffling
Slippery Rock	3-9	5-13	W1	West title claim not looking very good
Clarion	1-11	3-15	L6	KCAC won't be a fun trip
EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NOTES
East Stroudsburg	9-3	13-5	W3	Trip to Erie has NCAA ramifications
Shippensburg	9-3	12-6	W4	Tough trip to Lock Haven up next
Kutztown	8-4	11-7	L1	Huge trip to Sheperd this weekend
Shepherd	7-5	13-5	W2	Solid team. Time to prove it.
Lock Haven	7-5	10-7	W2	Upset Ship and right in it.
Bloomsburg	5-7	8-8	W1	Clinging on to last tournament spot
West Chester	4-8	6-11	L2	One spot out of the Little Dance
Millersville	2-10	5-12	L7	Ugly season
Mansfield	1-11	3-15	L7	Ugly season

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Saturday certainly isn't the flashy lineup we saw mid-week. But, with just 10 games left in the regular season (wow) ... they all matter now. For some, the NCAA Tournament is in play. For most, the PSAC Tournament is in the mix. It's sure a big advantage to get a home game in Round 1 or Round 2.

Mercyhurst at California - The Vulcans need this game. Cal is 0-4 against the top tier teams of the PSAC -- three of those losses were by double digits. Both teams enter the game with 8-4 records in the league. The Lakers have won 4 of 5 in the series. Several of Cal's players will be facing the awkward Triangle and Two for the first time. Going back to his Wheeling Jesuit teams, Danny Sancomb has struggled against it in the past (and got completely shut down by it twice a year ago). Cal is much better this year, but they are struggling to put a full 40 minutes together against the better teams. Look for a close game, but when it's over, the Lake Show leaves the Mon Valley with a win -- likely in the 68-63 range. Mercyhurst -5

Clarion at IUP - All signs point in one direction for IUP entering this game: hangover. Coming off a thrilling win in Johnstown, the now (even more) short-handed Crimson Hawks have to turn it back on. However, unlike the UPJ game, this one has no hype or buzz. The adrenaline won't be flowing. Most don't realize it, either, but Clarion has been playing pretty well lately. In this most-recent stretch, Clarion took UPJ to the wire (lost 67-64), lost to Gannon by single digits and beat Edinboro and Bloomsburg. Ideally, IUP needs to come out and crush their spirits quickly. However, the Hawks have oddly struggled in the first half all season inside the KCAC. Clarion has a lot of size -- old school PSAC size. IUP needs to play fast and run them out of the building. Clarion hung real tough with UPJ by slowing the game to a turtles' pace. Expect another sluggish home start for IUP before the Hawks pull away in the second half. IUP -18

Kutztown at Shepherd - The Rams must win this game. No exceptions. They might as well treat it as a playoff game. A loss tomorrow could spell doom for Shepherd. The Golden Bears are still in the mix of things to host a Round 1 game in the conference tournament. Big game for both teams. Shepherd is better than its record -- some nights, anyway. The Rams get a big home win ... and even further clutter up the East standings. Shepherd -3

East Stroudsburg at Gannon - The Golden Knights have officially hit a funk. Gannon has lost 3 of its past 4 outings -- the last two coming by 7 points total. ESU ended its 4-game skid with back-to-back wins over Mansfield and West Chester. These two have been very similar this year. Both look good at times ... and not so good at times. Both have struggled to close out some games they should have won. The Knights easily could have won their past two games but dropped both. This is a pretty good match-up. Different styles, but some of Gannon's strengths should actually play out well against ESU's 40-minute pressure. Call it a hunch ... GU gets a messy, mucked-up, hard-fought win. Barely. Knights -3

Shippensburg at Lock Haven - The Red Raiders lost their last trip to Lock Haven. That in itself is about the only ray of hope the Bald Eagles have in this game. Lock Haven, next to Mercyhurst's MAC, is probably the next most awkward gym in the league. It's a weird set-up. There's a wall behind the benches, etc. It's an ideal set-up for wrestling. Not so much basketball. Many visiting teams have issues there for at least a little bit with sight lines, etc. Add to it there's typically about 13 people in the stands. The Bald Eagles play pretty well there, too. West Chester didn't survive this trip a week ago. Lock Haven's starting group can keep this game close for a while. Matt Cerruti and Christian Kelly are top-notch guards. The bench, however, will tell the tale. The Bald Eagles don't have one. Ship pulls away in the second half. Red Raiders -11

UPJ at Seton Hill - It's not going to be a good day to be a Griffin. UPJ is going to take out its frustrations in the McKenna Center. Mountain Cats roll. Real Big. UPJ -27

Edinboro at Slippery Rock - Until (if) Anthony Coleman returns, Edinboro may not win another game. The Rock has some fun -- and wins BIG. SRU -23

Millersville at Mansfield - The Mauraders should win this game. Which, of course, means they probably will not. For the majority of the season, Mansfield has been pretty bad. However, they have shown the occasional flash of being decent. All logic points to Millersville. But, don't be shocked. Marauders -7

West Chester at Bloomsburg - What in the world is going on with these two? The Huskies have lost 4 in a row. West Chester has fallen off a national stage cliff by losing 4 of its past 5 games. The good news, at least for somebody, is one of them is going to get a win. That somebody will the Rams. I think. Probably. Maybe. West Chester -9

[IUPalum]

Yeah. Late night. Trip to the ER around 10 p.m. and got back around 1:30 a.m. At that point I was too awake.

Hope all is well...

[ironmaniup]

Yeah. Late night. Trip to the ER around 10 p.m. and got back around 1:30 a.m. At that point I was too awake.

Yikes, that's never fun, hope everything is OK

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Late night bigIndians??? Great work!!!

Yeah. Late night. Trip to the ER around 10 p.m. and got back around 1:30 a.m. At that point I was too awake.

[IUPalum]

Late night bigIndians??? Great work!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S Standings

EAST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NOTES
Shippensburg	11-1	15-3	W8	Three-game lead in first loop
West Chester	8-4	14-4	L3	Lost 4 of 5 ... reeling
East Stroudsburg	6-6	10-7	W2	Trip to the Hammermill up next
Millersville	6-6	9-9	W1	Up and down. Up and down.
Kutztown	6-6	8-10	L1	Needs to win at Shepherdstown
Lock Haven	5-7	8-8	L1	Big chance with Ship coming to town
Shepherd	4-8	8-10	L1	Spots 7-9 get no party invite
Bloomsburg	4-8	7-11	L4	Deep funk ... ugly loss at Clarion
Mansfield	4-8	5-12	W1	Nice win over Shepherd
WEST	PSAC	OVERALL	STREAK	NOTES
IUP	11-1	16-1	W7	Clarion and SH visit KCAC next
Pitt-Johnstown	9-3	15-4	L1	Home loss to short-handed IUP
California	8-4	12-6	W1	The Lake Show comes to the Mon
Mercyhurst	8-4	10-6	L1	Tough week continues
Gannon	6-6	7-9	L2	ESU and SRU up next. Not good.
Slippery Rock	5-7	9-9	W1	Huge win at Mercyhurst
Clarion	3-9	4-14	W2	Golden Eagles out of the cellar
Edinboro	2-10	5-11	L7	Morrow will equal L8 straight
Seton Hill	2-10	3-12	W1	Angry UPJ headed to Greensburg

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Great lineup tomorrow night in the PSAC. It's a real big night for the divisional races.

IUP at Pitt-Johnstown - An IUP win would give the Crimson Hawks a 2-game lead in the West race. An IUP loss would make things real interesting. UPJ has been waiting for this game (so I've heard). The Mountain Lions have lost 14 of the past 15 in the series, including the past 6 meetings in Johnstown. These two know one another incredibly well. As of late, these games have been pretty close. This one will be no different. The IUP defense should make the difference. The Hawks get a boost from a nice visiting crowd -- and escape. IUP -4

Kutztown at Shippensburg - Just when the Golden Bears appeared to be entering hibernation, they got a big win at West Chester. Kutztown's offense exploded for 92 points and shot nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc, while also hammering the Rams on the glass. The wild card factor in this game is the status of Carlos Carter's ankle for Shippensburg. He left the game at Seton Hill early. Carter does a lot of things aside from scoring. If he can't go, it should somewhat even things up. Kutztown has pretty strong guard play. The big fellas may decide this one. Advantage: Shippensburg. Hate to predict without injury statuses known, but Ship should get a home win with or without Carter. Red Raiders -7

California at Gannon - God Bless the poor officials assigned to work this game. Kelvin Jefferson will start screaming around noon tomorrow. Danny Sancomb will be in a full tirade everywhere except inside the coaches' box. Both teams are coming off emotional, hard-fought losses. Which team comes out hungry and which comes out hungover? The Vulcans will score a lot of points in this game. The question will be if the Knights can keep up. They'll likely need some Hammermill Magic to pull this one out. Gannon is deeper overall, but Cal's more talented 1-7. The key for Gannon is getting in to the Cal bench - the earlier the better. Cal projects to score about 83-86 points in this game. Gannon won't score that many. Vulcans leave Peach Street with a win. Cal -8

Slippery Rock at Mercyhurst - California, IUP and UPJ ... Common denominator for SRU? It could (should) have beat all three. Instead, the Rock lost to all three -- by 8 total points ... a blown call, a controversial buzzer-beater and two costly turnovers. Add to it a loss at Shepherd via a beyond half-court shot. As it stands, SRU is 8-9. Mercyhurst is up to 10-5 -- winners of four straight. Talent-wise, one could certainly make the case SRU is the better team. Performance-wise, the Lakers just do the little things better. Ian Grady is doing a fantastic job changing the culture at SRU, but Gary Manchel is the master of doing the little things. Those little things are the difference between one being 10-5 and the other being 8-9. That said, SRU is due. Overdue. The Rock goes up to the MAC Bar and Grille and leaves town with a win. SRU -2

East Stroudsburg at West Chester - The Warriors snapped their 4-game skid by knocking Mansfield in to a coma. The Rams have lost 3 of 4, including getting beat up a bit by Kutztown. Here's to assuming WCU was just in a funk. Rams get it done at home and stop the bleeding -- and should shoot about 80 FTs against ESU's press.

Seton Hill at Edinboro - Rock. Paper. Scissors. Griffins. SH wins in McComb. Griffins -1.5 (Assuming no Anthony Coleman, of course).

Millersvile at Lock Haven - The Marauders win and lose in bunches. Lock Haven has ripped off 4 straight wins and Millersville has lost its past two. So, ... no idea. Millersville is impossible to figure out. Ride the hot hand. Lock Haven -5

Bloomsburg at Clarion - After failing to break 64 points in 5 straight games (and being held in the 40s twice), Clarion exploded for 93 points at Edinboro this past Friday night. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, Bloomsburg does play a little bit of defense. The Golden Eagles keep this game close for a bit, but the Huskies pull away in the second half. Bloomsburg -13

[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