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KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team gets a second shot at the playoffs on Wednesday night and can clinch a place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Tournament with a win against Lock Haven University on Feb. 19. Tipoff at Keystone Arena is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
Kutztown (8-15, 6-7 PSAC East) first had the opportunity to clinch on Saturday, but the Golden Bears lost to Millersville, 94-89. The loss marked the first time Kutztown allowed 90+ points. Both teams shot 50 percent or better in the game.
 
Now, KU can clinch a playoff berth with a win or a Mansfield loss over the final three games. Lock Haven (14-9, 7-6) won the first meeting between the two teams, taking the 62-58 decision at Thomas Fieldhouse.
 
LAST TIME OUT: With a chance to earn a spot in the PSAC Championship Tournament, the Golden Bears couldn't win despite putting together a season-best performance on offense. In a 94-89 loss to Millersville, Kutztown shot better than 50 percent for the second consecutive game, but the team allowed the visitors to shoot 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from the field in the second half. KU fell to 2-10 at Keystone Arena with the defeat and was swept by the Marauders this season.
 
THE PEAL DEAL: Sophomore forward Tracy Peal leads Kutztown with 16.5 points per game. His production increased since the first weekend of 2014, as he scored 20+ points six times and posted four double-doubles in his last 12 games, improving from 14.1 points per game after the first 11 games. Also, he shot 65-of-81 (80.3 percent) from the free-throw line in the last 12 games, as opposed to 34-of-64 (53.1 percent) in his first 11 games. Peal scored 11 points in the first meeting against Lock Haven, shooting 3-of-4 from the line.
 
DOUBLE J, DOUBLE DIGITS: Freshman forward Josh Johnson (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) reached double figures for the 18th time this season when he scored a career-high 23 points against Millersville, earning his third honor as PSAC East Freshman of the Week. 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 12.5 points per game and shoots 60.4 percent from the field.
 
NEED THE THREE: The Golden Bears are looking for a boost shooting from deep, owning a PSAC-worst 28.5 percent for the season from three-point range. Sophomore guard/forward Ryan Connolly (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) converted 39 of the team's 76 three-point field goals. Connolly also gets the job done at the free-throw line, shooting 88.9 percent from the stripe. Ty Brickus owns the single-season record with his 89.7 free throw percentage in the 2004-05 season.
 
REVERSE FORTUNES: The Golden Bears own a 6-5 record on the road, but a 2-10 record at Keystone Arena. Much of this seems to do with the strength of schedule. Of the 10 home losses, six of them came against teams with at least 14 wins and single-digit losses. Meanwhile, five of the six road victories came against teams with single-digit victories and at least 14 losses.
 
PSAC PLAYOFF PICTURE: Kutztown currently holds a 6-7 record in the PSAC East, ranking the team in sixth place in the division. The Golden Bears trail Millersville and Lock Haven by one game. Unfortunately, KU lost both games to the Marauders, so they will need to improve by two games in the final three to move into the top four in the division and earn a home game in the PSAC Championship Tournament. Kutztown will be in the playoffs with one more win.

Looking in the Other Corner: the Lock Haven Bald Eagles
 
GOOD VIBRATIONS: The Bald Eagles are enjoying the program's best season in at least two decades. Lock Haven last had a winning season in the 1992-93 season, when the team went 14-12. Therefore a win will give the Bald Eagles their most wins a single season since 1989-90, when the team went 23-7. Earlier this season, Haven ended an 11-game losing streak to KU.
 
BIG THREE: Junior guard Wali Hepburn leads the PSAC in scoring average, with 22.0 points per game. He leads a trio for the Bald Eagles that can compete with any in the PSAC East. Beyond Hepburn, senior forward Kasheef Festus averages 13.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Bootsie Walker averages 11.1 points per game.
 
HEY THERE, COACH: Bald Eagles head coach Mike Nestor is in his third season with the program. Overseeing a major rebuilding program, Nestor went 0-25 during year one at the helm. However, after earning six wins last season and going 14-9 so far this season, the coach has the program headed firmly in an upward direction. Nestor is a Shippensburg alum.