KU vs. Clarion:                     Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
 
KU vs. Pitt-Johnstown:       Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
 
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – With finals fresh out of their minds and ready to enjoy more than a month of winter break, the Kutztown University men's basketball travels out to Western Pennsylvania to open the crossover season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
 
The Golden Bears (2-4, 1-2 PSAC East) take on Clarion (2-3, 0-3 PSAC West) on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and Pitt-Johnstown (5-3, 2-2 PSAC West) on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Both tipoffs are set for 7:30 p.m., and will not count in the divisional standings.
 
It will be 10 days in between games for Kutztown once it steps out onto the floor at Clarion on Tuesday. It's coming off a home setback to West Chester on Dec. 7 at Keystone Arena, when Kutztown cut a 23-point second-half deficit to six points, but West Chester pulled away late.
 
DOUBLE J, DOUBLE DIGITS: With freshman forward Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) scoring 13 points in the Dec. 7 game against West Chester, he became the first KU freshman since Kevin Handy to score in double digits in each of his first six games. Handy did so in each of his first seven in the 1999-2000 season. With no worse than 11 points in any game, and at least six rebounds in his first four games, Johnson already stands out as a consistent offensive force.
 
REGRESSION TO THE MEAN: Kutztown's success so far stems very largely on their success both offensively and defensively from three-point range. In KU's two wins, the Golden Bears shot 11-of-28 (39.3 percent) from three, while their opponents shot 6-of-42 (14.3 percent). In KU's four losses, the Golden Bears shot 8-of-41 (19.5 percent) from three, while their opponents shot an outstanding 32-of-65 (49.2 percent). Expect those percentages to converge as the year progresses.
 
THE PEAL DEAL: Sophomore forward Tracy Peal leads the team with 13.2 points per game. Improving his game shape and shooting range from last season, Peal now looks like arguably the top focal point offensively after senior Tyler Brooks (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone). Peal leads the team in both field goal attempts (62) and free throws attempts (39). He also has 5.2 rebounds per game, which ranks second on the team, behind Johnson.
 
GOLDEN ROAD FOR IMPROVEMENT: Despite an 0-4 start to the season at Keystone Arena, the Golden Bears earned victories in both of their road games so far. This equals the road win total from last season, when the Golden Bears finished 2-12. Last year, Kutztown won in its visits at Wilmington and Shippensburg. However, it finished the year with a nine-game losing streak. Kutztown will get two opportunities to surpass that win total before the New Year.
 
CLARION GOLDEN EAGLES (2-3, 0-3): So far, the PSAC hasn't been kind to Clarion. The Golden Eagles lost their three games in the PSAC West so far by an average of 15 points per game. However, Clarion won its two non-conference games by an average of 32 points per game. This includes a 121-64 victory against Penn State-DuBois, marking a team-best point total since November 2009. DeMarius Miller leads the way for Clarion, scoring 21.0 points per game. This includes a 42-point performance against Penn State-Beaver last Sunday.
 
PITT-JOHNSTOWN MOUNTAIN CATS (5-3, 2-2): The Mountain Cats started this season strong so far, outscoring their opponents by an average 9.5 points per game. UPJ makes the most of its opportunities, shooting 45.1 percent from the floor and 81.1 percent from the line. The latter ranked fifth in Division II, as of the Dec. 8 NCAA rankings. Pitt-Johnstown also passes the ball quite well, as the team averages 17.5 assists per game. Five different players average more than two assists per game. Bill Luther leads the team in scoring, with 13.5 points per game, and he does so shooting 24-of-61 from three-point range.