PSAC WEST

[CALUPA69]

Big, rare Monday night slate of games on tap -- with a handful of appealing West match-ups.


Mercyhurst at IUP - No program has caused IUP more headaches in the past decade than Mercyhurst. Joe Lombardi is 19-10 career versus the Lakers, including 13-4 inside the KCAC. IUP has won 26 of its past 28 home games. Both losses? Mercyhurst. Hawks pull out a tight one, 65-62. IUP -3

California at Slippery Rock - Massive game for the Vucans. Cal's lost 3 of its past 4 outings against D2 opponents -- and was blown out in two of them. Slippery Rock stopped its bleeding with a TKO of Clarion. The loser of this game is starting to dig a pretty deep hole in the division race. SRU has dominated this series of late -- winning 16 of the past 17 meetings. Make it 17 of 18. SRU -5

Gannon at UPJ - Both teams have won three straight. However, UPJ poses a major step up in competition for Gannon. It's very difficult to win in Johnstown. UPJ won 2 of 3 meetings a year ago. Gannon keeps this close for awhile but won't be able to score enough to win. However, a GU upset would really change the West race up. UPJ can set the nets on fire up there. UPJ -10

West Chester at Edinboro - The Scots have lost 5 of their past 6 outings. Undefeated West Chester visiting won't be a good cure. Rams in a run-away. WCU -21

Shepherd at Bloomsburg - The Huskies have been up and down all season. Currently, they are down again -- losers of four straight. Bloomsburg plays hard and stays in most games, but Shepherd, 'deceivingly strong', should pose too many issues. Rams -12

East Stroudsburg at Millersville - The officials should get a good workout running up and down the floor all night. ESU has won 6 straight. The Maurauders have four losses by a combined 11 points. This should be a pretty entertaining game. ESU pulls it out in the second half. Warriors -8

Mansfield at Shippensburg - Mansfield is a pretty scrappy bunch. They play hard and have some talent on the roster. Shippensburg will get a fight but the Mounties' depth is their biggest problem. Red Raiders pull away in the second half. Ship -12.5

Lock Haven at Kutztown - The Bald Eagles were losing but playing pretty well prior to Friday nights smackdown at the KCAC. We'll see how the bounce back against a pretty decent Kutztown team. Golden Bears -7

Clarion at Seton Hill - Somebody has to win. I think. Combined, this duo has lost 10 straight. Nathan Davis likely makes the difference in a tight Griffins win. Seton Hill -3

The last shot finally went in for the VULCANS PEGRAM with a 2PT at the buzzer CAL U 94. SRU 93

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Big, rare Monday night slate of games on tap -- with a handful of appealing West match-ups.


Mercyhurst at IUP - No program has caused IUP more headaches in the past decade than Mercyhurst. Joe Lombardi is 19-10 career versus the Lakers, including 13-4 inside the KCAC. IUP has won 26 of its past 28 home games. Both losses? Mercyhurst. Hawks pull out a tight one, 65-62. IUP -3

California at Slippery Rock - Massive game for the Vucans. Cal's lost 3 of its past 4 outings against D2 opponents -- and was blown out in two of them. Slippery Rock stopped its bleeding with a TKO of Clarion. The loser of this game is starting to dig a pretty deep hole in the division race. SRU has dominated this series of late -- winning 16 of the past 17 meetings. Make it 17 of 18. SRU -5

Gannon at UPJ - Both teams have won three straight. However, UPJ poses a major step up in competition for Gannon. It's very difficult to win in Johnstown. UPJ won 2 of 3 meetings a year ago. Gannon keeps this close for awhile but won't be able to score enough to win. However, a GU upset would really change the West race up. UPJ can set the nets on fire up there. UPJ -10

West Chester at Edinboro - The Scots have lost 5 of their past 6 outings. Undefeated West Chester visiting won't be a good cure. Rams in a run-away. WCU -21

Shepherd at Bloomsburg - The Huskies have been up and down all season. Currently, they are down again -- losers of four straight. Bloomsburg plays hard and stays in most games, but Shepherd, 'deceivingly strong', should pose too many issues. Rams -12

East Stroudsburg at Millersville - The officials should get a good workout running up and down the floor all night. ESU has won 6 straight. The Maurauders have four losses by a combined 11 points. This should be a pretty entertaining game. ESU pulls it out in the second half. Warriors -8

Mansfield at Shippensburg - Mansfield is a pretty scrappy bunch. They play hard and have some talent on the roster. Shippensburg will get a fight but the Mounties' depth is their biggest problem. Red Raiders pull away in the second half. Ship -12.5

Lock Haven at Kutztown - The Bald Eagles were losing but playing pretty well prior to Friday nights smackdown at the KCAC. We'll see how the bounce back against a pretty decent Kutztown team. Golden Bears -7

Clarion at Seton Hill - Somebody has to win. I think. Combined, this duo has lost 10 straight. Nathan Davis likely makes the difference in a tight Griffins win. Seton Hill -3

[Ship69]

Ship needs to beat Mansfield at home Monday with road games following at West Chester and East Stroudsburg. Another tough week after that grinder in December.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

UPDATED MEN'S STANDINGS

EAST	PSAC	Overall	Streak
West Chester	6-0	12-0	W12
Shippensburg	5-1	9-3	W2
East Stroudsburg	5-2	9-3	W6
Mansfield	3-3	4-7	W2
Kutztown	3-4	5-8	L3
Shepherd	2-4	6-6	L1
Bloomsburg	2-4	5-7	L4
Millersville	2-4	5-7	L2
Lock Haven	1-5	4-6	L3
WEST
IUP	5-1	10-1	W1
UPJ	5-1	11-2	W3
Mercyhurst	4-2	6-4	W1
Gannon	4-2	5-5	W3
California	3-3	7-5	L1
Edinboro	2-4	5-5	L1
Slippery Rock	2-4	6-6	W1
Clarion	1-5	2-10	L3
Seton Hill	0-6	1-8	L7

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Men's Final Scores:

Slippery Rock 73
Clarion 46

Mercyhurst 73
Seton Hill 58

Gannon 79
Edinboro 59

UPJ 77
Caliornia 57

IUP 93
Lock Haven 68

Mansfield 81
Bloomsburg 75

West Chester 84
Shepherd 77

Others are still in progress.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Slippery Rock's return of Micah Till has been a mixed bag so far. The team is 1-2 with him in the lineup ... and real close to being 0-3. This run includes a narrow, 3-point home win over a very average Salem team, and road losses at Kutztown and West Chester. The 18-point loss at WCU wasn't even as close as the lopsided score would indicate.

SRU's defense has taken a hit. The Rock was giving up just 75.5 points without Till. They are giving up 88 points per game with him. Their offense has slightly improved since his return -- going from scoring 74.7 ppg up to 79.3 ppg.

Fun stat: The team had zero technical fouls in the 8 games it played without Till. The Rock's been T'd up four times in the three games since his return. Another odd stat: SRU has been out-rebounded in every game since Till returned.

This is a big 4-games-in-8-days stretch starting tomorrow for SRU -- at Clarion, California, IUP and at Seton Hill.

At 1-4 in the PSAC and 5-6 overall, SRU pretty much has to win 3 of the 4 games. Even a split would get them to 6 conference losses by Jan. 12.

Make no mistake, SRU has a lot of talent. Till's return injected a new attitude in to the team -- for better or worse. Ian Grady doesn't have an easy job here. It's not easy inserting a player such as Till, who demands the ball at a very high volume, back in to the lineup after missing all of camp, two exhibitions and 8 games. These next four games are going to make or break this team. Fair to Till or not, SRU just doesn't have time to have growing pains. If they want to play in March, the losses need to end. Quickly.

I could see them going 3-1 or 4-0. I could also see them going 1-3 or 2-2. They'll have to go down to Cal and to IUP in February. These are two really big games for this team. If they can come out of these games 3-1 ... they'll be a force the rest of the way. But, if it goes the other way, ... I could see things falling apart. Quickly. Monday night against California is the key game. They'll be sky-high and ready to fight on Wednesday when IUP visits regardless. Luckily for Cal, they'll likely already be looking ahead.

[CALUPA69]

Not going to get in to details. But your ex-IUP player didn't leave on her own accord. I'll leave it at that. Very talented ... no doubt. Something is going on with her down there.

Have absolutely no evidence to support this, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her leave the team before the season ends. She seems to be an aggressive personality who may have joined this team for all the wrong reasons. As friendly and approachable as JESS STROM seems personally, I don't think she believes that ANY PLAYER, let alone a 1 year rental, comes before her team. I can't believe that MB in any way thinks that her father's position as a mid level administrator at CAL U, in any way gives her status in a dispute with a coach I would say is the most secure on campus.
My guess is this gets sorted out by mid January.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The trickiest part of playing the VULCANS WBB this season will be figuring out which team you'll see. Are you getting the team that came back from 14 down in the 4th qtr against VUU or the team that fell behind by 20 after the 1st qtr versus MILL. It's true they do have some talented players but they are not close to melding yet. Don't know if they will. One stat to be aware of is that 36 of the 47 losses they've suffered in the last 8 seasons have been on the road so in that regard things haven't changed. Time will tell.

Not going to get in to details. But your ex-IUP player didn't leave on her own accord. I'll leave it at that. Very talented ... no doubt. Something is going on with her down there.

[CALUPA69]

A quick look on the ladies' side prior to the second half getting ready to tip off ...

* Under the radar this Friday night is a battle of division leaders when East-leading Lock Haven visits West-leading IUP. After a shaky start, the Bald Eagles enter with a 7-3 record and a 5-game winning streak. IUP is 10-1 and has won 8 straight. Tom McConnell's bunch played with a lot of different lineups early in the season but has since narrowed the rotation down to about 7 players. The Hawks are rolling once again.

* The best team nobody is talking about is Seton Hill. The Griffins are loaded and deep. Seton Hill is off to a 9-1 start with its lone loss coming at Lock Haven. Junior guard Cheyenne Trest is a serious candidate for West Player of the Year. Seton Hill has size, speed and shooters galore.

* Gannon has made a quick turnaround under old but new coach Cleve Wright. The Knights are quietly off to an 8-3 start.

* California is 9-2 but has oddly been blown out twice (Shippensburg and Millersville). Something seems a little off right now inside the Angelo Dome. Lot of talent ... assuming they'll get it straightened out.

* The East is more of a hodge-podge of parity so far with numerous teams ranging in that 3-5 loss range. Shepherd was off to a hot start prior to hosting IUP and Seton Hill a week ago. The Rams dropped both games in Shepherdstown -- falling to 8-3. Shippensburg has shown it can knock off a big team, but it also has 5 losses already. East Stroudsburg played very tough at IUP in a somewhat close loss and is 7-4 on the season. Not sure how Millersville can blow the doors off California yet be just 4-5 on the season.

* Edinboro, a long-time West power, seems to be continuing to slide under second-year coach Wheeler. The Scots are off to a dismal 4-5 start. They have been competitive in most of the losses, however. Things could change.

* Slippery Rock is certainly the front-runner for BUST of the year so far. The Rock is 1-4 in PSAC play and 3-8 overall. This is a team many thought would do well this year as they returned a ton of players from last season. Something is way off inside Morrow Field House. The proclamation of a West title now seems like a long, long time ago. This is a talented roster. They will put it all together one night this season and get a big win. But, why it's taking so long is a serious question. They've not only been losing, but getting blown out of gyms.

The trickiest part of playing the VULCANS WBB this season will be figuring out which team you'll see. Are you getting the team that came back from 14 down in the 4th qtr against VUU or the team that fell behind by 20 after the 1st qtr versus MILL. It's true they do have some talented players but they are not close to melding yet. Don't know if they will. One stat to be aware of is that 36 of the 47 losses they've suffered in the last 8 seasons have been on the road so in that regard things haven't changed. Time will tell.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

A quick look on the ladies' side prior to the second half getting ready to tip off ...

* Under the radar this Friday night is a battle of division leaders when East-leading Lock Haven visits West-leading IUP. After a shaky start, the Bald Eagles enter with a 7-3 record and a 5-game winning streak. IUP is 10-1 and has won 8 straight. Tom McConnell's bunch played with a lot of different lineups early in the season but has since narrowed the rotation down to about 7 players. The Hawks are rolling once again.

* The best team nobody is talking about is Seton Hill. The Griffins are loaded and deep. Seton Hill is off to a 9-1 start with its lone loss coming at Lock Haven. Junior guard Cheyenne Trest is a serious candidate for West Player of the Year. Seton Hill has size, speed and shooters galore.

* Gannon has made a quick turnaround under old but new coach Cleve Wright. The Knights are quietly off to an 8-3 start.

* California is 9-2 but has oddly been blown out twice (Shippensburg and Millersville). Something seems a little off right now inside the Angelo Dome. Lot of talent ... assuming they'll get it straightened out.

* The East is more of a hodge-podge of parity so far with numerous teams ranging in that 3-5 loss range. Shepherd was off to a hot start prior to hosting IUP and Seton Hill a week ago. The Rams dropped both games in Shepherdstown -- falling to 8-3. Shippensburg has shown it can knock off a big team, but it also has 5 losses already. East Stroudsburg played very tough at IUP in a somewhat close loss and is 7-4 on the season. Not sure how Millersville can blow the doors off California yet be just 4-5 on the season.

* Edinboro, a long-time West power, seems to be continuing to slide under second-year coach Wheeler. The Scots are off to a dismal 4-5 start. They have been competitive in most of the losses, however. Things could change.

* Slippery Rock is certainly the front-runner for BUST of the year so far. The Rock is 1-4 in PSAC play and 3-8 overall. This is a team many thought would do well this year as they returned a ton of players from last season. Something is way off inside Morrow Field House. The proclamation of a West title now seems like a long, long time ago. This is a talented roster. They will put it all together one night this season and get a big win. But, why it's taking so long is a serious question. They've not only been losing, but getting blown out of gyms.

[Ship69]

Almost time to get back at it -- and there are some big Men's games Friday night. Not a typo. Yes, Friday night.


Primetime Games

Shepherd at West Chester - Shepherd is a deceiving 6-5 team and can put up a fight. This has upset potential, but WCU may be just a bit too strong right now.

UPJ at California - The Vulcans are better than 7-4. That said, the record is the record. Cal absolutely cannot pick up its third conference loss in this game. UPJ will cause every team a lot of problems this year. This is a tough one to pick. Of note, UPJ star guard Josh Wise has missed the past two games with a wrist injury. His status for Friday is unknown.


The Rest

Lock Haven at IUP - The Crimson Hawks finally lost and it should serve them well. As Joe said, they best be ready for this one. Lock Haven has played very well against good teams (nearly beating SRU, Cal and UPJ). Oddly, they play poorly against bad teams (lost to Clarion and barely beat Seton Hill). In its last outing, Lock Haven had UPJ down by 25 points before shockingly blowing the lead (and the game). This won't be an easy one for IUP.

Millersville at Shippensburg - At 5-6, the Marauders are the disappointment of the PSAC to this point. Shippensburg has lost two of its last three but won a major confidence booster in its last outing against then-undefeated IUP. This won't be easy, however. Dig a little deeper into Millersville's record and three losses jump out: at Fairmont (87-86), at Mercyhurst (87-85) and at California (106-102). Three painfully close losses -- all on the road -- to very strong teams. This should be a good one. Millersville has taken it's tough-loss bumps. It could be due to reverse the luck.

Edinboro at Gannon - Both have been up and down this season. The Knights are certainly the deeper of the two teams. Rivalry game. Gannon should have an edge but Edinboro can bite you if you get them on the wrong night. Of note, Edinboro star junior guard Jaryn Simpson has missed the past two games. If he's back, the Scots can win this game. Maybe. Recall the local boy Simpson has some animosity toward Gannon for not recruiting him.

Bloomsburg at Mansfield - This should be just a knock-down, brutal fight. Mansfield isn't an easy out. Nor is Bloomsburg. Both have been inconsistent. Mansfield is a good team. Its roster management and rotation has been its biggest issue. With Baby Shaq in the game they can play a real slow pace. Without him in the game they can really run as Gannon found out in nearly blowing a huge lead. Once they find that right combination ... they will pull a major upset this year.

Slippery Rock at Clarion - After a dismal start while dealing with injuries, Clarion has turned the corner a bit in its past 4-5 games. Since guard Mason Mraz's return, the Golden Eagles have become a much more formidable team -- playing tough at East Stroudsburg in a 70-59 loss and beating Lock Haven, 69-65. Most recently, the Golden Eagles dropped a tough, 79-73, game at Mansfield. Slippery Rock has lost 3 of its past 4 outings. They are also 1-2 since Micah Till's return. SRU is definitely the more talented and deeper team in this game, but don't be shocked if Clarion makes a game of this one. The Rock has California and IUP waiting in the wings next week. Clarion could catch them looking ahead here a bit. SRU can't take many more losses.

Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The Lakers enter with a disappointing 5-4 record. They will be 6-4 after this one. Lakers. Big.

Yup, there aren't going to be a lot of breathers in the East this year. I still think Ship hasn't played up to its potential yet. Guess the rest of the season will show if I'm right or not.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Almost time to get back at it -- and there are some big Men's games Friday night. Not a typo. Yes, Friday night.


Primetime Games

Shepherd at West Chester - Shepherd is a deceiving 6-5 team and can put up a fight. This has upset potential, but WCU may be just a bit too strong right now.

UPJ at California - The Vulcans are better than 7-4. That said, the record is the record. Cal absolutely cannot pick up its third conference loss in this game. UPJ will cause every team a lot of problems this year. This is a tough one to pick. Of note, UPJ star guard Josh Wise has missed the past two games with a wrist injury. His status for Friday is unknown.


The Rest

Lock Haven at IUP - The Crimson Hawks finally lost and it should serve them well. As Joe said, they best be ready for this one. Lock Haven has played very well against good teams (nearly beating SRU, Cal and UPJ). Oddly, they play poorly against bad teams (lost to Clarion and barely beat Seton Hill). In its last outing, Lock Haven had UPJ down by 25 points before shockingly blowing the lead (and the game). This won't be an easy one for IUP.

Millersville at Shippensburg - At 5-6, the Marauders are the disappointment of the PSAC to this point. Shippensburg has lost two of its last three but won a major confidence booster in its last outing against then-undefeated IUP. This won't be easy, however. Dig a little deeper into Millersville's record and three losses jump out: at Fairmont (87-86), at Mercyhurst (87-85) and at California (106-102). Three painfully close losses -- all on the road -- to very strong teams. This should be a good one. Millersville has taken it's tough-loss bumps. It could be due to reverse the luck.

Edinboro at Gannon - Both have been up and down this season. The Knights are certainly the deeper of the two teams. Rivalry game. Gannon should have an edge but Edinboro can bite you if you get them on the wrong night. Of note, Edinboro star junior guard Jaryn Simpson has missed the past two games. If he's back, the Scots can win this game. Maybe. Recall the local boy Simpson has some animosity toward Gannon for not recruiting him.

Bloomsburg at Mansfield - This should be just a knock-down, brutal fight. Mansfield isn't an easy out. Nor is Bloomsburg. Both have been inconsistent. Mansfield is a good team. Its roster management and rotation has been its biggest issue. With Baby Shaq in the game they can play a real slow pace. Without him in the game they can really run as Gannon found out in nearly blowing a huge lead. Once they find that right combination ... they will pull a major upset this year.

Slippery Rock at Clarion - After a dismal start while dealing with injuries, Clarion has turned the corner a bit in its past 4-5 games. Since guard Mason Mraz's return, the Golden Eagles have become a much more formidable team -- playing tough at East Stroudsburg in a 70-59 loss and beating Lock Haven, 69-65. Most recently, the Golden Eagles dropped a tough, 79-73, game at Mansfield. Slippery Rock has lost 3 of its past 4 outings. They are also 1-2 since Micah Till's return. SRU is definitely the more talented and deeper team in this game, but don't be shocked if Clarion makes a game of this one. The Rock has California and IUP waiting in the wings next week. Clarion could catch them looking ahead here a bit. SRU can't take many more losses.

Seton Hill at Mercyhurst - The Lakers enter with a disappointing 5-4 record. They will be 6-4 after this one. Lakers. Big.

[Ship69]

That's what happens when a team shoots 64% from three. Good win but that shooting isn't gonna happen every night. The potential for that will make them a team nobody wants to face in the postseason.

The three-point shot has added an extra level of unpredictability to all levels of college basketball, especially D2 and lower where the top teams aren't necessarily as clearly superior as they are in D1.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated WOMEN'S standings

EAST
Lock Haven	4-1	7-3	W5
East Stroudsburg	3-2	7-4	W2
Kutztown	3-2	6-5	L1
Shippensburg	3-2	6-5	L1
Shepherd	2-3	8-3	L2
Bloomsburg	2-3	5-4	L1
Millersville	2-3	4-5	W1
West Chester	1-4	3-7	L3
Mansfield	1-4	3-8	W1
WEST
IUP	5-0	10-1	W8
Seton Hill	4-1	9-1	W3
Gannon	4-1	8-3	W3
California	3-2	9-2	L1
Mercyhurst	3-2	3-8	L3
Pitt-Johnstown	2-3	7-4	L3
Edinboro	2-3	4-5	W1
Slippery Rock	1-4	3-8	W1
Clarion	0-5	2-9	L3

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Updated MEN'S standings

EAST
West Chester	5-0	11-0	W11
Shippensburg	4-1	8-3	W1
East Stroudsburg	3-2	7-3	W4
Kutztown	3-2	5-6	L1
Shepherd	2-3	6-5	W1
Bloomsburg	2-3	5-6	L3
Millersville	2-3	5-6	L1
Mansfield	2-3	3-7	W1
Lock Haven	1-4	4-5	L2
WEST
IUP	4-1	9-1	L1
Pitt-Johnstown	4-1	10-2	W2
California	3-2	7-4	W1
Mercyhurst	3-2	5-4	L1
Gannon	3-2	4-5	W2
Edinboro	2-3	5-4	W1
Slippery Rock	1-4	5-6	L2
Clarion	1-4	2-8	L1
Seton Hill	0-5	1-7	L6