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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team has a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Saturday, Feb. 15 against Millersville University in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division game at Keystone Arena. Tipoff was pushed back to 5 p.m. due to expected weather conditions on Saturday morning.
 
Saturday also marks Kutztown's annual Play4Kay game to raise awareness of breast cancer research. KU's men's and women's teams will both be wearing Play4Kay shoot-around shirts and additional promotions will be made at Keystone Arena. Kutztown will also honor three breast cancer survivors in between the women's and men's game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game.
 
With three spots in the division already clinched for the PSAC Championship Tournament, there are four teams left alive to clinch three more spots. Kutztown (8-14, 6-6 PSAC East) can earn its spot with a win and a Mansfield loss. The Golden Bears got to this juncture after winning 68-65 Wednesday night at Cheyney. Now, KU will look for its first three-game winning streak while redeeming its 77-73 loss at Millersville one month ago.
 
PSAC PLAYOFF PICTURE: Kutztown currently holds a 6-6 record in the PSAC East, ranking the team tied for fifth in the division with Millersville. The two teams and Lock Haven (7-5) currently hold playoff spots but have yet to clinch a berth in the PSAC Championship Tournament. The Golden Bears can finish as high as second in the division, as East Stroudsburg leads the division at 12-1. KU makes the tourney with a win and a Mansfield loss to Lock Haven.
 
LAST TIME OUT: With a chance to gain a game of ground on Mansfield in the PSAC East playoff picture, the Golden Bears earned a tough-nosed road victory at a loud Cope Hall. In a 68-65 victory, Kutztown scored the final 10 points over 3:38 and overcame a second half in which the team collected only two assists while making 12 turnovers. Tracy Peal carried the load with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Kutztown shot a season-best 56.8 percent from the field.
 
THE PEAL DEAL: Sophomore forward Tracy Peal leads Kutztown with 16.2 points per game. His production increased since the turn of the calendar to 2014, as he scored 20+ points five times in his last 11 games, improving from 14.0 points per game after the first 11 games. Also, he shot 52-of-67 (77.6 percent) from the free-throw line in the last 11 games, as opposed to 34-of-64 (53.1 percent) in his first 11 games. Peal netted his second on four double-doubles by totaling 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting against Millersville.
 
DOUBLE J, DOUBLE DIGITS: Freshman forward Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) reached double figures for the 17th time this season when he scored 11 points at Cheyney. Earlier this season, Johnson's nine-game double-digit scoring streak was the longest by a KU freshman to start his career since Butch Hills, a KU Athletics Hall of Famer, did so in his first 10 games in the 1985-86 season. Johnson averages 12.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
 
NEED THE THREE: The Golden Bears are also looking for a boost shooting from beyond the arc, shooting a PSAC-worst 28.3 percent for the season from three-point range. So far this season, sophomore guard/forward Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) converted 37 of the team's 72 three-point field goals. Redshirt freshman guard Elijah Jackson (Pottstown, PA/Pottstown) ranked second on the team with 11, doing so while 30.6 percent from three.
 
REVERSE FORTUNES:  The Golden Bears now own a 6-5 record on the road, but a 2-9 record at Keystone Arena. Of the nine home losses, six of them came against teams with at least 14 wins. Kutztown's opponents own a combined 57.7 winning percentage. This home-road split makes a striking difference from last year, when the Maroon and Gold finished 2-12 on the road. Two years ago, Kutztown finished the year with a 7-4 road record.
 
Looking in the Other Corner: the Millersville Marauders
 
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Playing at Pucillo Gym truly makes a difference for the Marauders this season. Millersville owns a 9-1 record at home and a 1-10 record on the road. The road losses include those at Wilmington (9-16), Goldey-Beacom (9-13) and Mansfield (6-17). The only road win came at Cheyney on Jan. 18, with a 69-65 outcome.
 
POTENTIAL NEW WEAPON: Junior guard Kelvin Parker, a transfer from Division I Mount St. Mary's, stood out immediately since making his debut with the Marauders. Of note, Parker surpassed the 20-point mark five times in his nine games, including four of the last five. The 112-point spurt in those five games marks a program high since the 2007-08 season.
 
HEY THERE, COACH: Marauders head coach Fred Thompson is in his 16th season with the program. Thompson led Millersville to the NCAA Tournament four times, including three to the Regional Final. The 2006-07 team set a school record with 28 wins, while the 2002-03 team won 26 games (second-best). With a win, Thompson will earn his 250th at Millersville.