INDIANA, Pa. -- The Crimson Hawks are ranked for the first time this season, as IUP enters 2026 at No. 25 nationally after opening the year 8-1. IUP will look to remain undefeated in PSAC play while hosting West Chester and Millersville to begin the new year at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

Millersville and West Chester enter the week as the top two teams in the PSAC East. Millersville owns a 2-1 conference record and will play Pitt-Johnstown before traveling to Indiana on Saturday. West Chester is 1-2 in PSAC play, with Millersville the only PSAC East team carrying a winning conference record heading into the new year.

TIPOFF NOTES
>> The Crimson Hawks return four players who averaged double-digit points last season, including leading scorer Christian Moore.
>> This season will mark IUP Head Coach Joe Lombardi's 20th year at the helm for the Crimson Hawks. He ranks in the top five in active Division II coaches in wins with 439 wins, 271 of which, came in PSAC play.
>> Redshirt senior Dallis Dillard opened the season having never recorded more than five assists in a game during his career. In nine games this season, Dillard has already logged six games with at least five assists, including a career-best seven in three different games. Dillard has totaled 44 assists this season.
>> The Crimson Hawks have protected the ball through four games, committing fewer turnovers than they have forced in each contest this season.
>> The top three scorers for the Crimson Hawks include Dillard (18.8), followed by Christian Moore (14.7), and Kymani Merraro (14.3)
>> Lombardi has been utilizing his deep bench, six Crimson Hawks average a minimum of 20.0 MPG.
>> Emphasizing efficiency first, six Crimson Hawks are shooting above .500, Brooks leads the way with a sharp .709 FG%, ranking in the top five in Division II in that category.
>> Dillard ranks in the PSAC in the top five in steals per game and also ranks among the top three in the conference in scoring and assists. Fellow redshirt senior Damir Brooks ranks second in the PSAC in blocks, averaging 1.7 per game.

WEST CHESTER AT A GLANCE
The Golden Rams enter Friday's matchup with a 7-3 record, including a 1-2 mark in PSAC play. West Chester ranks second in the PSAC East, behind Saturday's opponent, Millersville. The Golden Rams opened conference play with a win over Pitt-Johnstown but have dropped their last two games, falling to No. 15 Gannon and Clarion. West Chester
also defeated Lincoln in nonconference play, the only mutual opponent between the teams to date.

West Chester is led by head coach Damien Blair, who is in his 17th season. Blair has recorded 310 wins at West Chester, ranking second in program history and closing in
on Dick DeLaney, who spent 21 seasons as head coach and won 367 games.

SERIES HISTORY
Four games separate the Crimson Hawks and Golden Rams in the all-time series, with IUP leading 18-14. West Chester won the 2024 matchup, but IUP had won the previous five meetings. The Crimson Hawks are 12-5 at home against West Chester.

IUP's longest losing streak against the Golden Rams was three games from 2015 to 2017, and the team's last home loss to West Chester came in 2015.

MILLERSVILLE AT A GLANCE
Millersville is first in the PSAC East, the only team in the eastern division with a winning PSAC record heading into the first weekend of play in 2026. The Marauders will play Pitt-Johnstown on Friday, as the Mountain Cats enter 2026 with a 3-1 PSAC record. Millersville defeated Clarion and Edinboro to start PSAC play and dropped its last matchup before the Holiday break to
Gannon by just four points.

The Marauders are led by Casey Stitzel, in his 17th year as a head coach, previously at Delaware Valley before coming to Millersville. Stitzel is in his ninth season at Millersville,
winning 143 of 105 games. Overall, the head coach has won 259 games, over 56% of the games he has coached.

SERIES HISTORY
IUP is seeking its 20th all-time win against Millersville, having lost just seven of the 26 meetings heading into Saturday. The Crimson Hawks dropped the last matchup in 2024, falling 76-68.

Prior to that loss, IUP held its longest win streak in the series, winning 11 straight from 2009 to 2022. The Crimson Hawks' last home loss to Millersville came in 2008, and IUP has won 12 of 15 games against the Marauders in Indiana.