PSAC Basketball Changes on Horizon

[ctrabs74]

This new 3 p.m. tip-off -- on a freaking Friday -- for the first home game of the season is literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen this league do -- and, I've seen a lot of dumb stuff.

That's Joe's opener. The women will tip-off at 1 p.m. on a school and work day. That isn't a holiday or Black Friday or anything. It's a normal Friday.

It's so stupid it's baffling.

Opening night at IUP used to be a big event. This is a joke.

In fairness, the IUP site is showing the game starts at 3 p.m. The Shippensburg site is showing it starts at 5 p.m. Either way, it sucks.

Anybody care to guess where Ship has to travel the following day? They have to go the whole freaking way from Indiana to Greensburg -- a whopping 40 minutes.

When a league doesn't care about making money or appealing to its (few) fans ... well, this is what happens.

Then you take a look at the second round of weekend crossovers hosted by the Eastern schools:

Gannon plays at Mansfield on Friday, Dec. 6, then travels to Shippensburg on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Clarion is at Lock Haven Friday, Dec. 6, then travels to Shepherd the next day.
IUP travels to Shepherd (12/6) and West Chester (12/7) on back to back days.

I get that some of the scheduling had to be adjusted due to Mercyhurst ghosting the PSAC on short notice, but this is ridiculous planning by the Lock Haven Braintrust.

[Ship69]

I remember watching that Elite 8 game (ESU). From memory that was (essentially) a home game for Northern State. The crowd was about sold out and 99.8% from Northern State.

That would have been the perfect atmosphere for Sleva. He thrived in that environment.

I always have thought that was a golden opportunity missed. That Ship team was one of the finest shooting teams at any level of basketball that I've witnessed. I think they led the nation in FT percentage that year shooting something like 80 percent as a team. When Sleva had it going and Justin Macarthur and some of the other guys got hot from outside they were hard to beat as the two wins in the regionals demonstrated. I think on a given night they could have competed with any team in the country. But they just didn't get it done in the regional title game, and that was that.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Is it just us IUP people who would prefer Saturday night tipoffs? I get it -- early tipoffs mean you're on the road quicker in the cold and snow. But it stinks.

I got used to the 3 p.m. I don't like it, but, whatever.

Last year was the first season IUP went exclusively to the 3 p.m. Saturday tip. Attendance went down dramatically -- nearly 40% for the season. Granted, the team wasn't very good and had a slow start. Joe also turned off many by some (one) of his personnel decisions.

This new 3 p.m. tip-off -- on a freaking Friday -- for the first home game of the season is literally the dumbest thing I've ever seen this league do -- and, I've seen a lot of dumb stuff.

That's Joe's opener. The women will tip-off at 1 p.m. on a school and work day. That isn't a holiday or Black Friday or anything. It's a normal Friday.

It's so stupid it's baffling.

Opening night at IUP used to be a big event. This is a joke.

In fairness, the IUP site is showing the game starts at 3 p.m. The Shippensburg site is showing it starts at 5 p.m. Either way, it sucks.

Anybody care to guess where Ship has to travel the following day? They have to go the whole freaking way from Indiana to Greensburg -- a whopping 40 minutes.


When a league doesn't care about making money or appealing to its (few) fans ... well, this is what happens.

[hawks16]

Is it just us IUP people who would prefer Saturday night tipoffs? I get it -- early tipoffs mean you're on the road quicker in the cold and snow. But it stinks.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I guess the biggest downer recently in that vein for Ship was when one of the Dustin Sleva teams destroyed favored West Liberty and Virginia State teams in the regional a few years back, then lost in the regional final to an East Stroud team they'd split with during the regular season. I was actually planning to go to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D., that year if Ship had won. Remarkably, my wife and I both have cousins in Sioux Falls.

I remember watching that Elite 8 game (ESU). From memory that was (essentially) a home game for Northern State. The crowd was about sold out and 99.8% from Northern State.

That would have been the perfect atmosphere for Sleva. He thrived in that environment.

[Ship69]

In a lot of ways that SRU/Gannon NCAA game was the end of an era. Those teams were both gigantic, and looked like NBA teams warming up. That was 10 years ago already. The teams have all shifted more toward the tall/slender post players, etc. -- not the 6'8", 245 lb guys.

IUP blasted Glenville State in the first game. Gannon/SRU played next. Understandably, Gannon just totally looked past SRU. That was probably the worst loss of JR's tenure.

It was the same year IUP went to the national championship. IUP/GU spit the regular season (both road teams won), and GU won the PSAC title game on the the (deep) walk-off trey. Everybody thought Round 4 was coming in Round 2. IUP then handled SRU fairly easily the next day.

I guess the biggest downer recently in that vein for Ship was when one of the Dustin Sleva teams destroyed favored West Liberty and Virginia State teams in the regional a few years back, then lost in the regional final to an East Stroud team they'd split with during the regular season. I was actually planning to go to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D., that year if Ship had won. Remarkably, my wife and I both have cousins in Sioux Falls.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Ugh, that still hurts... lol

In a lot of ways that SRU/Gannon NCAA game was the end of an era. Those teams were both gigantic, and looked like NBA teams warming up. That was 10 years ago already. The teams have all shifted more toward the tall/slender post players, etc. -- not the 6'8", 245 lb guys.

IUP blasted Glenville State in the first game. Gannon/SRU played next. Understandably, Gannon just totally looked past SRU. That was probably the worst loss of JR's tenure.

It was the same year IUP went to the national championship. IUP/GU spit the regular season (both road teams won), and GU won the PSAC title game on the the (deep) walk-off trey. Everybody thought Round 4 was coming in Round 2. IUP then handled SRU fairly easily the next day.

[bballfan03]

Agreed. I swear IUP hosted UPJ in that game like 8 years in a row during one stretch. Nice as a fan to see some new teams.


I remember back 'around' 2000 Cal hammered IUP twice in the regular season. IUP then won at Hamer Hall in the quarterfinals.

The interesting element what that third meeting ... never know what can happen.


The craziest was when Gannon clobbered SRU twice in the regular season and then again in the quarterfinals ... and then SRU knocked them out in Rd 1 of NCAAs.

Ugh, that still hurts... lol

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The initial crossover sounds like a good idea. It was always a little irritating to have to meet a team you'd already beaten twice in the quarterfinals, and it was a lot more irritating if you lost to them.

Agreed. I swear IUP hosted UPJ in that game like 8 years in a row during one stretch. Nice as a fan to see some new teams.


I remember back 'around' 2000 Cal hammered IUP twice in the regular season. IUP then won at Hamer Hall in the quarterfinals.

The interesting element what that third meeting ... never know what can happen.


The craziest was when Gannon clobbered SRU twice in the regular season and then again in the quarterfinals ... and then SRU knocked them out in Rd 1 of NCAAs.

[Ship69]

The initial crossover sounds like a good idea. It was always a little irritating to have to meet a team you'd already beaten twice in the quarterfinals, and it was a lot more irritating if you lost to them.

[Inkblot]

The more crossover the better. I know I've posted this before, but as a bracketologist for most of those sports it's mildly infuriating that two teams can be in the same conference and, let alone not playing each other, barely have any common opponents.

[ctrabs74]

The PSAC Board of Directors approved three major changes affecting basketball:

[B]"eginning in the 2025-26 academic year, team sports with single elimination tournament bracketing in the PSAC Championships (Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball) would crossover with the opposite division in the quarterfinal round of the tournament."

That pretty much reduced the "third-time" showdown in the quarterfinal rounds that we've become accustomed to over the years.

On of the other major changes involves "[establishing] set starting times for crossover doubleheaders under the following circumstances:
a) Back-to-back games on a Saturday-Sunday: 1:00 p.m.
b) Back-to-back games on a Friday-Saturday: 3:00 p.m. Friday and 1:00 p.m. Saturday
c) Back-to-back games on weekdays: 3 p.m.
d) Single game on a weekend: 1:00 p.m.
e) Single game on a weekday: 3:00 p.m.
Institutions in mutual agreement can adjust doubleheader contests in items d and e above"

Finally, the PSAC Board approved "[creating a] policy that would permit the use of live transmission of statistical data and video to the bench area for the 2023-24 season" in men's and women's basketball.