Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Basketball comes into the PSAC Tournament as the two seed in the West, giving them a first-round bye while getting the luxury of playing on their home court in game number one of the postseason. After a very successful regular season campaign, the team hopes to keep things moving against UPJ on Wednesday, March 1st, when they match up on Owen McCormick Court at 7:00 p.m.
1. Looking Back
The 2022-23 regular season was one that the Lakers should not soon forget as they put up some historic numbers. The team finished 22-4 overall which was good enough for a win percentage of .846 for one of the best regular seasons in program history. They had four different winning streaks of four games or more including seven straight in the early portion of the year. They proved to be one of the better teams on both sides of the ball all season long with their average scoring margin of 15 points coming in tied for fifth in the entire country.
2. Lang Makes History
Nicholas Lang has been one of the top performers for Mercyhurst throughout his career and has solidified himself as one of the top players in program history. On Saturday against cross-town rivals Gannon, he scored the 1,000th point of his career to become the 17th player in history to do so. He has been much more than just a scorer over his time at Mercyhurst as well as he is the only player with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, 150 steals and one of two to reach 100 wins.
3. Home Sweet Home
The Lakers get to host their opening game on the PSAC Tournament with the Mountain Cats coming to town Wednesday night. Mercyhurst has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, going 13-1 inside their friendly confines. Many of their wins have been convincing ones as 12 of their home victories came by double-digits. Four of those wins were by 30 or more points while eight of them were by 20 or more as the team has held an average margin of victory of 23.5 points at home.
4. Good Starts
Coach Manchel's crew has been able to get off on the right foot during the PSAC Tournament more times than not in their recent history. The team has had a bye in the opening round for three consecutive seasons now, helping them get to the later stages. They've also been able to grab wins in their first tournament contests in the past three years. They'll hope to repeat that success this time around as they continue to battle for one of the top regional seeds.
5. Scouting UPJ
The Mountain Cats come off a win in their last contest against Slippery Rock, winning 77-73 in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament. So far this season, UPJ is 20-9 overall and finished the regular season with a 15-7 mark in conference play. The Lakers finished the season 1-1 against the Mountain Cats so this match proves to be one where both teams are fighting for bragging rights. John Paul Kromka has been the go-to for UPJ in many respects as he leads the team in points (17.3), rebounds, (7.1) blocks (2.6), steals (1.3), and field goal percentage (68.4).
