Field Set for PSAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments
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Lock Haven, Pa. - The fields have been set for the 2012 PSAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. Both events will get underway next Tuesday, February 28 with quarterfinal games on campus. The semifinals are schedule for next Friday, March 2 while both championship games will be next Saturday, March 3. The women's final four will be held at the highest remaining seed out of the PSAC West while the men's final four will be held at the highest remaining East seed.
For the second straight season, both Edinboro and Bloomsburg earned the top seeds in the women's tournament. The Fighting Scots, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest USA Today/WBCA Coaches' Top 25 poll and are the defending tournament champions, will host the No. 4 seed California in one West quarterfinal in what will be a rematch of last year's championship game. The Vulcans have appeared in the PSAC Tournament championship game for 11 straight years. No. 2 Gannon, the 2010 tournament champions, will host No. 3 IUP in the other quarterfinal. The Lady Knights will be appearing in the tournament for the third time in their four years in the PSAC while IUP will be making its seventh straight postseason appearance.
In the East, Bloomsburg will host No. 4 Shippensburg in the first game of a doubleheader in Columbia County, as the Husky men will also host a quarterfinal game. The Husky women won the East title outright for the second straight year while Shippensburg will be playing in the tournament for the first time since 2008. No. 2 West Chester and No. 3 Millersville will be playing in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. Two years ago, the Marauders were seeded first but were knocked off by the Golden Rams in double overtime. Last season, Millersville knocked off West Chester by five. Either the Marauders or the Golden Rams, or both, have advanced to the semifinals in each of the last 15 consecutive seasons.
On the men's side, Kutztown and IUP both earned the top seeds. The Golden Bears are the top seed out of the PSAC East for the first time since 2009, while the Crimson Hawks are the West's top seed for the third straight season. Kutztown, which has played in the tournament championship game in two of the last three seasons, gained a PSAC Tournament berth for the 10th straight season. The Bears will host the No. 4 seed East Stroudsburg, which has advanced to the semifinals of the tournament in each of the last two seasons and will play in the tournament for the third straight year. In the other East quarterfinal, No. 2 seed Bloomsburg will host No. 3 West Chester. The Huskies tied with Kutztown for the East title but lost out on the first tiebreaker as Kutztown swept Bloomsburg in the teams' two meetings this year. Bloomsburg earns its first tournament berth since 2002 while West Chester is back in the tournament for the first time since 2009.
In the West, IUP, the two-time defending tournament champion, will host the No. 4 seed California in what will be a rematch of last year's quarterfinal game, won by the Crimson Hawks by five. The No. 2 seed Mercyhurst will host No. 3 Slippery Rock in the other quarterfinal game, in what is also a rematch of a first round game from last year, won by The Rock by six. Rock was the tournament runner-up last year and is in the tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Mercyhurst is making its third straight tournament appearance in this, its fourth year in the league.
PSAC Men's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday, February 28
(W4) California at (W1) IUP, 7:00 p.m.
(W3) Slippery Rock at (W2) Mercyhurst, 7:00 p.m.
(E4) East Stroudsburg at (E1) Kutztown, 7:00 p.m.
(E3) West Chester at (E2) Bloomsburg, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 2 (at highest remaining East seed - 5:00/7:30 p.m.)
California/IUP vs. West Chester/Bloomsburg, TBA
Slippery Rock/Mercyhurst vs. East Stroudsburg/Kutztown, TBA
Saturday, March 3 (Championship game - 7:00 p.m.)
PSAC Women's Basketball Tournament
Tuesday, February 28
(E4) Shippensburg at (E1) Bloomsburg, 5:30 p.m.
(E3) Millersville at (E2) West Chester, 7:00 p.m.
(W4) California at (W1) Edinboro, 7:00 p.m.
(W3) IUP at (W2) Gannon, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 2 (at highest remaining West seed - 5:00/7:30 p.m.)
Shippensburg/Bloomsburg vs. IUP/Gannon, TBA
Millersville/West Chester vs. California/Edinboro, TBA
Saturday, March 3 (Championship game - 7:00 p.m.)