Let's #govalpo! Alumni pre-game dinner for Valpo vs. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville! Register at http://ow.ly/mOcb30eEARl (I put the FAQ on the event at the end of this post)
Originally opened December 5, 1984, the Sam M. Vadalabene Center lends itself to the students, faculty, staff and alumni of SIUE for the purposes of education, health, recreation and wellness. The facility is the home to SIUE men's and women's basketball, volleyball and wrestling, and has a capacity of slightly above 4,000. It also serves as the indoor practice facility for baseball and track.
Following spring commencement exercises in 2008, the facility underwent a $6 million renovation, nearly tripling the number of chair back seats as well as adding new locker room, class room and office space. A new playing floor was also installed. The facility was officially "rededicated" February 7, 2009.
The largest crowd at the Vadalabene Center post-renovation was 4,157 on Jan. 21, 2012, against Murray State University, a game televised nationally on ESPNU.
In 2010 new locker rooms opened for men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball.
================
Three SIUE players scored in double figures and SIUE won the rebounding battle, but No. 20 Purdue proved too much for the Cougars. The Boilermakers earned a 105-74 win in the season opener for both teams Friday at Mackey Arena.
"Our guys fought tonight," Third-year SIUE Head Coach Jon Harris said. "We talk about the '50-50 balls.' We won a lot of those. That part was good to see. There are definitely some positive takeaways from the game."
Redshirt-sophomore Julian Torres led the Cougars in his SIUE debut. Torres, who sat out last season after transferring from UIC, scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting. He was 4 for 4 from three-point range.
"Julian is a capable guy," Harris said. He did some really nice things and it's good to see him have some success."
Daniel Kinchen and Justin Benton also turned in double-digit scoring performances for the Cougars. Kinchen, also making his SIUE debut, scored 17 points. He was 7 for 17 from the field and added four three-pointers of his own. Benton scored 15 points. He was 7 for 13 from the floor.
Overall the Cougars were 31-81 (38.3) combined from the field, including knocking down 10 of 31 three-point attempts. The 10 three-pointers made were the most for a Cougar team since the 2015 season.
"Overall, I was disappointed in our offense," Harris said. "I don't think we moved at the level that we're capable of. We got a little stagnant. (Purdue) is a good defensive team but we have to be better than we were."
The Cougars outrebounded Purdue 40-39, which included a 25-17 advantage in the first half.
"Rebounding is a mindset," Harris said. "If that's one thing we can bottle up and take with us the rest of the way then we'll have a chance to do some things this year."
Purdue connected on 59 percent (36-61) of its shots. The Boilermakers were nine for 19 from three-point range.
"That team is hard to guard," Harris said. "They don't make a lot of mistakes."
Purdue was led by Dakota Mathias, who scored 18 points. He was 5 for 8 from the field. He was 6 for 6 at the free throw line. The Boilermakers were 24-32 as a team from the free throw line.
Here's the box score link:
http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/m-baskbl/2017-18/boxscores/20171110_vb07.xml?view=boxscore
Their starters are:
6'9"-255 So
6'6"-210 Sr, Keenen Simmons from Michigan City, IN
6'3"-155-Jr
6'2"-190-So
6'4"-180-Jr
and first guy off the bench is 6'4"-195-So
About Jon Harris, the head coach: He came to SIUE having been an assistant coach at the University of California-Berkeley under Cuonzo Martin. He spent seven seasons on Martin's staff, first at Missouri State for three seasons and then three seasons at Tennessee. Harris joined Martin at Cal, where he spent one season before getting the SIUE head coaching position. The Bears finished the 2014-15 season with an 18-15 record. Cal defeated Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament before falling to No. 5 Arizona.
In three seasons at Tennessee, Harris oversaw an extremely successful frontcourt. Under Harris' tutelage, Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon earned All-SEC honors for the Vols. Tennessee ranked near the top of the SEC in defensive rebounding and rebounding margin during three seasons under Harris.
In three seasons on staff at Missouri State, the Bears averaged more than 20 victories and captured the program's first-ever Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship. MSU improved from 11 wins in 2008-09 to a 24-12 record and the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament title in 2009-10.
Harris, who played four seasons at Marquette, including three for Head Coach Tom Crean, served on the staff at his alma mater for the 2002-03 season
Valpo Alumni Event Details: (There are already 40 people signed up to attend !)
For ease of getting to the game, we are holding the event on SIUE's campus at the Morris University Center. Adult tickets will include a the game ticket, a delightful buffet, wine, and beer for $30. Children's tickets can be purchased for $20. Game tickets alone will be $5.00 per ticket.
DATE: Wednesday, November 15, 2017
EVENT TIME: 4:00 to 6:00 PM (CST)
GAME TIME: 7:00 PM (CST)
Go Crusaders!
Contact Information
Primary Contact
Alumni Engagement
1100 S. Campus Drive
Valparaiso , IN 46383
219-464-5142
alumni@valpo.edu
Talk about worthless stats... how about RPI after 4 dates in the new season? the teams that have not played a D1 game are listed alphabetically so Drake is #258 ahead of us...
9 Indiana St. 0-0 1-0 0.7500 42 0.6667
29 Evansville 0-0 2-0 0.6250 92 0.5000
91 Illinois St. 0-0 0-1 0.5000 56 0.6667
181 Northern Iowa 0-0 1-1 0.2917 181 0.2222
229 Southern Ill. 0-0 1-0 0.2500 298 0.0000
204 Loyola Chicago 0-0 1-0 0.2500 251 0.0000
247 Missouri St. 0-0 1-0 0.2500 332 0.0000
234 Bradley 0-0 1-0 0.2500 304 0.0000
321 Valparaiso 0-0 0-0 0.0000 309 0.0000
278 Drake 0-0 0-0 0.0000 228 0.0000
Sagarin obviously uses a different formula...interesting to see our future opponents in the same block ...
141 Valparaiso = 73.24 0 0 0.00( 0) 0 0 | 0 0 | 73.15 140 | 73.12 143 | 73.00 147
142 Northeastern = 73.22 1 0 71.89( 162) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.79 145 | 73.46 138 | 77.74 98
143 Elon = 73.08 0 1 97.40( 1) 0 1 | 0 1 | 72.93 143 | 73.25 140 | 72.84 153
144 San Diego = 73.05 1 0 69.40( 191) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.79 144 | 72.44 154 | 77.89 96
145 NC Asheville = 72.98 0 1 86.82( 34) 0 0 | 0 1 | 72.78 146 | 73.55 137 | 71.83 165
146 Utah State = 72.97 1 1 70.03( 181) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.67 149 | 73.12 145 | 75.19 130
147 Long Beach State = 72.90 1 0 77.69( 112) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.31 153 | 72.95 148 | 82.58 48
148 Ball State = 72.81 0 1 82.35( 69) 0 0 | 0 0 | 73.03 142 | 71.70 163 | 71.25 177
149 NC Wilmington = 72.79 0 0 0.00( 0) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.70 147 | 72.66 150 | 72.60 156
150 Santa Clara = 72.78 0 0 0.00( 0) 0 0 | 0 0 | 72.68 148 | 72.65 151 | 72.59 157
As Paul wrote in his last article, "Now the real games begin."
Valpo did what they had to do against the Non-D1s and thoroughly dominated them and now we get our first real test with this team on the road. SIUE isn't suppose to be a great team but they're a team with some size and D1 caliber athletes.
Size? Tallest starter is 6'9.....Second tallest is 6'6. We have guys that can bring the ball up the court taller than that....
relative size to the teams we've played so far.
At least SIUE will be athletic. Smits will have to jump....
A full complement of players, two with something to prove. The real games begin. We don't want to look past SIUE, nor take them lightly.
Valpo 77
SIUE 62
Anyone get Fox Sports Midwest? I flipped through my Comcast and didn't notice it.
I assume that it means there's no video stream?
Quote from: agibson on November 14, 2017, 10:26:36 AM
Anyone get Fox Sports Midwest? I flipped through my Comcast and didn't notice it.
I assume that it means there's no video stream?
Is Fox Sports Midwest the same thing as FS1? Just looked it up and it won't be streamed on ESPN3. It's a bummer if there is no stream.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 14, 2017, 10:53:35 AM
Quote from: agibson on November 14, 2017, 10:26:36 AM
Anyone get Fox Sports Midwest? I flipped through my Comcast and didn't notice it.
I assume that it means there's no video stream?
Is Fox Sports Midwest the same thing as FS1? Just looked it up and it won't be streamed on ESPN3. It's a bummer if there is no stream.
Did my own digging using my Xfinity TV app. Searched for the Valparaiso Men's Basketball Team. The result was they Comcast Xfinity does have the game tomorrow listed but not on Fox Sports Midwest, but on Fox College Sports Atlantic. Which apparently I get on the app so I will be able to watch, yay me! But as far as anyone else, take a look for that channel which could be listed as FCSA.
Quote from: valpo4life on November 14, 2017, 10:56:58 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 14, 2017, 10:53:35 AM
Is Fox Sports Midwest the same thing as FS1? Just looked it up and it won't be streamed on ESPN3. It's a bummer if there is no stream.
Did my own digging using my Xfinity TV app. Searched for the Valparaiso Men's Basketball Team. The result was they Comcast Xfinity does have the game tomorrow listed but not on Fox Sports Midwest, but on Fox College Sports Atlantic. Which apparently I get on the app so I will be able to watch, yay me! But as far as anyone else, take a look for that channel which could be listed as FCSA.
Re FS1. In general, no, FS1 should be different from FS Midwest or FS Atlantic. FS1 is more of a national thing, with more households (though not exactly ESPN) and I suspect they'd tell us if it was going to be on FS1.
Good catch re the Xfinity search. It seems like I'm in a similar situation. Maybe I don't get it on TV, but it may be available streaming.
At the office, I can get it on my phone (through the xfinity app), but not through my laptop (it doesn't tell me no, it just sort of endlessly tries to load the stream).
I'll have to try it at home. Phone-only doesn't exactly make for good viewing with the family! We do HDMI from a laptop to the TV, but I'm not sure we can easily do phone to TV.
http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/?Live=5934&type=Live
Is this subscription based? Anyone know?
The SIUE coach mention that they are going to try and keep Valpo in our half court. Pretty much one of inconsistency from the last 2 games is our half court offense. It seems like Valpo this year excel in the transition but has looked shaky at time when we're force into our sets, but the last two games we've been playing without 2 starters so maybe thats the difference. He also mentions the keeping us off the free throw line which is an obvious but we haven't been that great from the free throw line early on even though we were a little better last night making .733 (22-30).
https://twitter.com/SIUECougars/status/930556029229850624
Quote from: valpo4life on November 14, 2017, 10:56:58 AMThe result was they Comcast Xfinity does have the game tomorrow listed but not on Fox Sports Midwest, but on Fox College Sports Atlantic. Which apparently I get on the app so I will be able to watch, yay me! But as far as anyone else, take a look for that channel which could be listed as FCSA.
Yeah, I think this will work for me too. My trouble turned out to be a browser issue (maybe my Firefox setup). Works now for me laptop and phone, office (campus) and home.
The channel is part of Xfinity Go, or some such. Streaming only. Not available through my cable box like "regular" TV.
you could go for the LiveStats and listen to Todd and Dave on the call... if you close your eyes its better than TV!
Valpo out of the gate as a 7 point favorite, I doubt it will move much but I do expect Valpo to cover. Should win by 10-14 if we just play an average game!
Predicting a win by about 20. Hopefully my early season optimism isn't wrong
Valpo 74
SIUE 65
SIUE has played one exhibition vs. Brescia University (who??) a Catholic, NAIA school out of western KY, beating them by 20, 95-75. Their only regular season game so far has been their 31 point blowout loss to Purdue @ Purdue (105-74). Our game will be their home opener.
OTOH, Valpo has, so far, a secret scrimmage with NIU, exhibitions vs. Robert Morris (w) and Chicago State (w), and regular season wins against non-D-Is North Park and Trinity Christian. We have 3 more game situations under our belt, with 2 of them vs. D-I opponents if you count the UNI scrimmage. What's the Vegas spread?
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 15, 2017, 08:36:47 AMSIUE has played one exhibition vs. Brescia University (who??) a Catholic, NAIA school out of western KY, beating them by 20, 95-75.
I actually posted Brescia's emblem last season. Come on! Somebody has got to remember this.
(http://d21gd0ap5v1ndt.cloudfront.net/web01/brescia/images_web/eduLogo.png)
The blue Brescia Bearcats!
Forcing our team to run half court sets is a good strategy based off of the first couple of games. The half court sets seem pretty elementary to me, and I'm pretty sure that was done purposefully to not put a lot on video real early for our opponents. Hoping to see the play book open up a bit the next few games if the situation calls for it.
I am confident Valpo will win this game tonight but I am interested to see how they do on the boards. This SIUE team out-rebounded Purdue in despite Purdue's monster height advantage in the paint.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 15, 2017, 08:36:47 AMWhat's the Vegas spread?
Quote from: VUSWIM08-12 on November 14, 2017, 08:30:29 PMValpo out of the gate as a 7 point favorite, I doubt it will move much but I do expect Valpo to cover. Should win by 10-14 if we just play an average game!
I'm now seeing Valpo by 9.
Given that Valpo is a new team coming together and that this will be one of the biggest home games of the year for SIU-E, I expect this to be close with Valpo winning.
That said, with all due respect to people in University Advancement and others at Valparaiso, this game should never happen. As discussed in previous posts, University Advancement/Alumni Engagement wanted a game in St. Louis to create an alumni event. They apparently couldn't get Saint Louis (which would have been fine) and settled for SIU-E (one of the historically weakest D1 programs). SIU-E should be thrilled to get Valpo to come there. OK, so Valpo agrees to a home and home so that they can get the alumni event - a huge give on Valpo's part. And what happens? They schedule the game on a Wednesday night at 7:00 PM with an alumni dinner from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Edwardsville. Valpo alumni would likely live in the western suburbs (38 miles) or the Saint Charles area (36 miles) - not an easy drive on a weeknight and many would think twice about driving it for such a weak opponent. Taking the game at SIU-E was questionable, but if Valpo was focusing on an alumni event they should have demanded the game be on a Saturday or Sunday.
If you have Comcast cable you can stream the game on your computer. This was stated above but if you don't know how, I'll try to explain how you can connect to the game. I'm assuming most of you know how but there may be a few who don't. Go to your xfinity main page and click on the little TV icon at the top right or go to xfinity stream. From there click on Live TV and select TV go channels in the drop down box. Then just scroll down the listings until you get to College Basketball Crusaders. Hope this was helpful to at least one fan.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 15, 2017, 01:02:34 PMThey schedule the game on a Wednesday night at 7:00 PM with an alumni dinner from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Edwardsville. Valpo alumni would likely live in the western suburbs (38 miles) or the Saint Charles area (36 miles) - not an easy drive on a weeknight and many would think twice about driving it for such a weak opponent.
I know it's not optimal for the majority of Valpo alumni in the St Louis area but I have always enjoyed myself at the smaller more intimate dinners where I'm forced to meet people where I normally might not have talked to certain people. I've always enjoyed every alumni gathering no matter where and when they took place. Granted the ones at the Mid-Con tourneys have been my favorite along with last year's Detroit tourney even though most of you hated it despite not being there.
Quote from: bbtds on November 15, 2017, 01:43:34 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 15, 2017, 01:02:34 PMThey schedule the game on a Wednesday night at 7:00 PM with an alumni dinner from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Edwardsville. Valpo alumni would likely live in the western suburbs (38 miles) or the Saint Charles area (36 miles) - not an easy drive on a weeknight and many would think twice about driving it for such a weak opponent.
I know it's not optimal for the majority of Valpo alumni in the St Louis area but I have always enjoyed myself at the smaller more intimate dinners where I'm forced to meet people where I normally might not have talked to certain people. I've always enjoyed every alumni gathering no matter where and when they took place. Granted the ones at the Mid-Con tourneys have been my favorite along with last year's Detroit tourney even though most of you hated it despite not being there.
Many Valpo fans were never going to embrace MCM because of the way the Horizon League took away the Home Court advantage from us by winning the Conf regular season and then calling it a Neutral Site while 2 team had a quasi home court advantage. They never would have done that too Butler while they were in the Conf. That's all in the past now but to say the least I'm glad we're not going to be in that Conference Tournament anymore.
I'm pumped to make the trip to Arch Madness this season. The St. Louis based alumni are getting spoiled this year with this game and Arch Madness.
I wouldn't want to play at a upset minded team's court on a weekend when they will have all their students/fans there.
Prediction:
Valpo 75
SIUE 66
Let's limit their second chance attempts and control the boards.
https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/930856656493301761
If you download the Fox Sports GO app on your smartphone or tablet (it might be available on the computer too but I am not sure) and log in with your TV Provider username and password you will be able to watch it on that device. If you have an apple TV you will then be able to air play that from your phone to your apple tv and watch it on the tv. Otherwise you will have to watch it on another device. What I did was I downloaded the FOX Sports Go app on my Xbox One and am able to watch it right there on the TV screen. Hope I helped somebody!
If you're looking for a spot to watch the game BWW in Valparaiso will have the game on.
https://twitter.com/brickies1988/status/930936096472682497
Quote from: AranJacobs on November 15, 2017, 05:17:01 PM
If you download the Fox Sports GO app on your smartphone or tablet (it might be available on the computer too but I am not sure) and log in with your TV Provider username and password you will be able to watch it on that device. If you have an apple TV you will then be able to air play that from your phone to your apple tv and watch it on the tv. Otherwise you will have to watch it on another device. What I did was I downloaded the FOX Sports Go app on my Xbox One and am able to watch it right there on the TV screen. Hope I helped somebody!
Thanks, I also just downloaded the app on my phone and Xbox One. Can see the game on the screen now, once logged in of course.
I predict a dog fight, hope it is so we can develope "go-to" scorers early. As much as Tevonn is our #1 guy, his game seems destined to excel where he picks his battles. We shouldn't expect him to force offense because he might shoot low % since he's not a pure scorer.
Hoping that our pure scorers begin their unveiling tonight!!!
[tweet]930953708933918720[/tweet]
Apparently free.
No idea of the relative quality.
If anyone in the world besides me has Mediacom, the game is on Fox College Sports Atlantic, Channel 172. You have to buy their sports package to get it, but it's inexpensive and one simple phone call away.
Anyone having luck with the OVC link? Fox Sports Atlantic streaming looks like it may have black bars on screen (narrow screen), while the OVC looks like wide screen, but maybe not the right game? Showing something archived instead?
Fox Sports Go seems to work - sort of. It seems to have a hard time staying connected.
Quote from: a3uge on November 15, 2017, 07:03:02 PM
Fox Sports Go seems to work - sort of. It seems to have a hard time staying connected.
Are you getting a full, wide screen?
OVC has that... But no sound?! And very odd camera angle.
My Fox stream is steady, but kind of low res, audio quality's also not great. Black bars on the sides. It'll do.
The OVC channel is student produced.
We're getting dominated on the boards.
https://twitter.com/fatherharry1/status/930971181963988993
OVC channel now has Fox Sports feed.
Really lousy ending to the half, but overall can't be too upset about the effort so far. Burton has been really bad, not sure what his issue is tonight. Kiser came in and provided some solid minutes. Smits is still standing around watching the ball instead of boxing out. That sequence at 1:30 was not a good look for him.
Quote from: a3uge on November 15, 2017, 07:57:39 PM
Really lousy ending to the half, but overall can't be too upset about the effort so far. Burton has been really bad, not sure what his issue is tonight. Kiser came in and provided some solid minutes. Smits is still standing around watching the ball instead of boxing out. That sequence at 1:30 was not a good look for him.
Our 7' centers = combined 2 rebounds at halftime. Joking?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 15, 2017, 08:04:57 PM
Quote from: a3uge on November 15, 2017, 07:57:39 PM
Really lousy ending to the half, but overall can't be too upset about the effort so far. Burton has been really bad, not sure what his issue is tonight. Kiser came in and provided some solid minutes. Smits is still standing around watching the ball instead of boxing out. That sequence at 1:30 was not a good look for him.
Our 7' centers = combined 2 rebounds at halftime. Joking?
Height doesn't matter if you don't box out.
Some thoughts after watching:
First, great win by a lot more than I think we were all anticipating, but then again SIU-e is picked to finish at the bottom of the OVC.
Our bigs still need some work. I think they'll struggle against better teams. They had several travels that shouldn't happen. Overall we had a lot more turnovers than we should have and will need to clean that up.
This team is really deep. We played 12 different people throughout the game. So many different weapons. Bakari and Markus are fun to watch. I recall bakari taking it to the hoop against three players at one point for a nice drive.
Its a 25 point win. Very good FG, 3FG, and FT %age figures. But we got outrebounded for the game. Fewer TOs than SIUE though.
Not a good game to get a better read on the team, the entire 2nd half was stop and go with the constant fouling so neither team could really sustain any flow offensively. What I could decipher is that our on ball defending has improved and we can score without having to rely on transition offense. I was surprised however with Joe's lack of involvement on the offense, with the exception of that stretch in the middle of the second half he didn't really touch the ball at all. I'm just hoping this is because he his trying to get back into the flow after not playing for over a year.
So I'm in Knoxville tonight and visited a local sports bar last night assure me that they would have the game. After an hour it was determined they that didn't have the game and that it was only a regional game. Off to my hotel room. So I look at the Valpo athletic site to see a link to video and then I have the game. Why in the world did it take so long to link the game to a video site?
In any event, I would rather play Chicago State at home then a Sub-set of a sub-set on the road. Great volleyball crowd as well. :(
Our guys continue to play great. It would be interesting to hear their coach describe the difference between playing us and playing Purdue.
No surprising results thus far (which is good). Would also like to voice my desire for less unforced turnovers. Overall, hard to complain too much over a 25 point road win for a team that's still a bit raw.
I only saw the second half, tough night for Hazen? Box indicates so but he also looked rather dejected on the bench towards the end after McMillan's 3 and the the alley oop, he was the only one who didn't react. Maybe he's just intense, I don't know.
I love when Linssen is in the game, dude just goes full tilt all the time!
Keep doing work, team!
I know that Cory Johnson used to be called the same thing, but Linssen is the epitome of 'a bull in a china shop.' That dude will be fun to watch in a few years, a la KVW.
Thought I'd give out some awards:
My 3 Stars
- Kiser - 7P, 1/2 3pt
- Bakari - 14P/3R/7A in 22 min
- Tevonn - 22P/4R/3A, 3/4 3pt, 7/10 FT, 0TO
Tevonn was rocking tonight and had some impressive Peters-like three pointers. Defensively he was stellar. Bakari really commanded the offense tonight and also did a good job on D. Kiser (Jake Diebler Jr) came in and helped Valpo to that 17-0 run. His stat line wasn't ground-breaking, but I thought he impacted the game.
3 Turds:
[?] Burton - 7P/3R/0A
[?][?] Hazen - 0P/1R/0A, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0 in 12 min
[?][?][?] McMillan - 3P/0R/1A, 5 fouls in 11 min
Burton was invisible until the game was already over in the 2nd half. What an athletic dunk though. Hazen, I'm not sure how much more starter can continue to put up 0-0 games. The one time he did drive, he fell straight on his butt for a turnover. McMillan was bad on both ends. 5 fouls in 11 min.
Turds? C'mon man, these are kids you are evaluating as if they were NBA millionares.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 15, 2017, 10:28:15 PM
Turds? C'mon man, these are kids you are evaluating as if they were NBA millionares.
Okay, next time they'll be frowny faces.
Well done :thumbsup:
Quote from: a3uge on November 15, 2017, 10:32:01 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 15, 2017, 10:28:15 PM
Turds? C'mon man, these are kids you are evaluating as if they were NBA millionares.
Okay, next time they'll be frowny faces.
In defense of our freshmen, they all looked like raw rookies playing their first true D-1 road opponent. A few mistakes shouldn't surprise or discourage either us or them. All of them will get plenty of opportunities to show their stuff and I am looking forward to watching their development. :popcorn:
Quote from: a3uge on November 15, 2017, 10:22:42 PM
Hazen, I'm not sure how much more starter can continue to put up 0-0 games. The one time he did drive, he fell straight on his butt for a turnover. McMillan was bad on both ends. 5 fouls in 11 min.
Hazen sort of looked the most ready early at the 4 among the freshman. Maybe he's just the best option right now. All I want out the freshman this early on is to be reliable. Limit the fouls and don't be a liability on defense and position themselves to grab boards. There is enough offense on this team to make up for the lack of production coming out of the 4 right now. Linssen only played 5 minutes but had 3 rebounds. Maybe Coach doesn't fully trust linssen yet. I love watch Marty (lets get that nickname going) hustle out there but he looks a little lumber out there at times.
My second thought is how evenly distributed the minutes are. Tevonn was the only player who played over 25 minutes the whole game. Maybe that won't be the case during tougher games but it really speaks to the depth of this team.
A big game for Coach Lottich whose family was at the game.
https://twitter.com/CoachLottich/status/931015969434202113
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/931007966295281664
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/931008237939380225
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/931008457725104134
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/931008717562183681
https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/931018284329328641
If being invisible on the offensive end in a game where we shot 53%, scored 94 points and led by double figures for the last 25 minutes is a bad thing, consider me a fan of bad things. It tells me that Burton wasn't forcing anything on that end of the floor. Not everybody needs to score double figures every time out, especially when things were clicking like they were tonight.
MEN'S BASKETBALL: SIUE falls to Valpo in home opener
Cougars now 0-2 to start 17-18 season
By MATTHEW KAMP, mkamp.edwi@gmail.com Published 10:03 pm, Wednesday, November 15, 2017
http://www.theintelligencer.com/sports/article/MEN-S-BASKETBALL-SIUE-falls-to-Valpo-in-home-12361413.php
https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/931012378443091968
Road warriors: Tevonn Walker and Valpraiso roll past SIU Edwardsville
By: Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
Valparaiso had little trouble in its first road game of the season, playing against its first Division I opponent.
Senior guard Tevonn Walker had 22 points and four steals and sophomore point guard Bakari Evelyn had 14 points and seven assists Wednesday night as the Crusaders topped Southern Illinois Edwardsville 94-69.
Valparaiso (3-0) routed North Park and Trinity Christian at the Athletics-Recreation Center in its first two games and continued to roll against Edwardsville (0-2).
........ http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-siu-edwardsville-st-1116-20171115-story.html
Valparaiso has 16 steals, leading to blowout over SIU-Edwardsville
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Nov 15, 2017
The Valparaiso men's basketball team passed its first road test with flying colors on Wednesday night.
The Crusaders opened the Division I portion of their schedule with a dominating 94-69 victory over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville as Tevonn Walker used back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the first half to break open the game.
Walker finished with a game-high 22 points, marking just the second time in his career that the senior has delivered consecutive games of at least 18 points.
.......... http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/valparaiso-has-steals-leading-to-blowout-over-siu-edwardsville/article_145854ec-853c-5cca-9523-8818b64888dc.html
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/931023429477814272
Crusaders Handle SIUE On Road Wednesday Night
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
The Valparaiso University men's basketball team was playing on the road for the first time in the regular season Wednesday night, but other than the venue, the game played out quite similar to the Crusaders' first two outings of the season, as Valpo used a big first-half run to take control in a 94-69 victory at SIUE.
How It Happened
........ http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2017-18/17794/crusaders-handle-siue-on-road-wednesday-night/#.Wg0e5mJSxQI
A few observations. Our three freshman 4's. Not much contribution now. Lots of potential. Wish the German kid could redshirt. With a year of diet and weights turning 15 to 20 pounds of baby fat to muscle he could maybe finish some of his moves to the basket. He certainly shows lots of want to. Unfortunately I can't see all of them staying in the program til all three can contribute. I think one or two will transfer for more playing time, particularly with The transfer kid waiting in the wings for next year. If coach Lottich can keep everyone happy and contributing, he should get a raise.
Quote from: VUCPB alum on November 15, 2017, 09:26:45 PM
Not a good game to get a better read on the team, the entire 2nd half was stop and go with the constant fouling so neither team could really sustain any flow offensively. What I could decipher is that our on ball defending has improved and we can score without having to rely on transition offense. I was surprised however with Joe's lack of involvement on the offense, with the exception of that stretch in the middle of the second half he didn't really touch the ball at all. I'm just hoping this is because he his trying to get back into the flow after not playing for over a year.
No game will give you a perfect read, but each starts to add up. It will be an interesting game to compare against Purdue's (in greater detail than I have so far). What immediately jumps out is that Purdue beat them by 31 at home and we, by 25 on the road; a mere 6-point margin differential.
Quote from: Valpower on November 16, 2017, 12:49:20 AM
Quote from: VUCPB alum on November 15, 2017, 09:26:45 PM
Not a good game to get a better read on the team, the entire 2nd half was stop and go with the constant fouling so neither team could really sustain any flow offensively. What I could decipher is that our on ball defending has improved and we can score without having to rely on transition offense. I was surprised however with Joe's lack of involvement on the offense, with the exception of that stretch in the middle of the second half he didn't really touch the ball at all. I'm just hoping this is because he his trying to get back into the flow after not playing for over a year.
No game will give you a perfect read, but each starts to add up. It will be an interesting game to compare against Purdue's (in greater detail than I have so far). What immediately jumps out is that Purdue beat them by 31 at home and we, by 25 on the road; a mere 6-point margin differential.
That's a "fools errand" comparing margin of victory. Though I also immediately looked at the same thing. Purdue is going to shoot a lot of FT due to our bigs lack of athleticism. I cringe thinking of how quickly Smits will foul out....
Like the Kentucky game last year, just going to be tough to watch.
Quote from: Valpower on November 16, 2017, 12:49:20 AM
Quote from: VUCPB alum on November 15, 2017, 09:26:45 PM
Not a good game to get a better read on the team, the entire 2nd half was stop and go with the constant fouling so neither team could really sustain any flow offensively. What I could decipher is that our on ball defending has improved and we can score without having to rely on transition offense. I was surprised however with Joe's lack of involvement on the offense, with the exception of that stretch in the middle of the second half he didn't really touch the ball at all. I'm just hoping this is because he his trying to get back into the flow after not playing for over a year.
No game will give you a perfect read, but each starts to add up. It will be an interesting game to compare against Purdue's (in greater detail than I have so far). What immediately jumps out is that Purdue beat them by 31 at home and we, by 25 on the road; a mere 6-point margin differential.
One thing I will add. I saw rebounding being mentioned a couple times earlier in this thread, SIUE also out rebounded Purdue. We gave up 13 offensive rebounds to them and Purdue gave up a whopping 24. Clearly they have a focus on crashing the offensive glass, which can be a great theory, but probably is also contributing to them giving up 105 and 94 in their first two games.
Quote from: valpo4life on November 16, 2017, 08:09:27 AM
Quote from: Valpower on November 16, 2017, 12:49:20 AM
Quote from: VUCPB alum on November 15, 2017, 09:26:45 PM
Not a good game to get a better read on the team, the entire 2nd half was stop and go with the constant fouling so neither team could really sustain any flow offensively. What I could decipher is that our on ball defending has improved and we can score without having to rely on transition offense. I was surprised however with Joe's lack of involvement on the offense, with the exception of that stretch in the middle of the second half he didn't really touch the ball at all. I'm just hoping this is because he his trying to get back into the flow after not playing for over a year.
No game will give you a perfect read, but each starts to add up. It will be an interesting game to compare against Purdue's (in greater detail than I have so far). What immediately jumps out is that Purdue beat them by 31 at home and we, by 25 on the road; a mere 6-point margin differential.
One thing I will add. I saw rebounding being mentioned a couple times earlier in this thread, SIUE also out rebounded Purdue. We gave up 13 offensive rebounds to them and Purdue gave up a whopping 24. Clearly they have a focus on crashing the offensive glass, which can be a great theory, but probably is also contributing to them giving up 105 and 94 in their first two games.
I know that there are +/- stats for points when each player is on the floor - is there the same thing for rebounds? Linssen may become a rebound machine in a year or so
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When you add up the stats for our three centers, they played a combined 40 minutes, shot 5-11 from the field, made 8 of 10 Free throws, had 8 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 18 points. I'll take that all day and all season long. :clap:
Quote from: vu72 on November 16, 2017, 09:12:42 AM
When you add up the stats for our three centers, they played a combined 40 minutes, shot 5-11 from the field, made 8 of 10 Free throws, had 8 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 18 points. I'll take that all day and all season long. :clap:
Indeed. Additionally, you have 15 fouls to give before you run out of centers. ;D
Quote from: vu72 on November 16, 2017, 09:12:42 AM
When you add up the stats for our three centers, they played a combined 40 minutes, shot 5-11 from the field, made 8 of 10 Free throws, had 8 rebounds, 4 turnovers and 18 points. I'll take that all day and all season long. :clap:
Strong numbers for sure. Unfortunately, they should have been even better. All 4 TO's (or at least 3) resulted from Derrik and J shuffling their feet on shot attempts right under the basket. All 4 (3?) nullified what were sure baskets. That's 6-8 sure points we just threw in the toilet. Unlike Vashil, for example, 7' players that aren't real active on the defensive end have to be able to score bunnies on the offensive end to make up for it.
SIUE was pretty short. No surprise that our 7 footers had an ok game. However, I think we can all agree that the #4 and #5 positions will be a work in progress the entire season. This year our strength is in the #1,#2,#3 spots. Lots of potential at the #4/#5, but they are all freshman and sophomores. We show some patience and 3/4 the way through the season we might just be able to put it all together.
Related to play in the paint, the other stat that stands out is Blocks (or the absence of same). We had a grand total of TWO. SIUE had 4. A shorter less athletic SIUE got 20 Points-in-the-Paint and we only had 2 whole blocks the entire game -- and they were by 1st year players Maleek and Marcus. I know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess. Can't that skill be coached?
OTOH, the steals stat tells you how quick and athletic this team is:
[tweet]931041613379403776[/tweet]
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 10:49:22 AMI know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess.
I love it! (Vashil averaged an... NCAA best?... 3.3 BPG his last season).
Things tend to get fuzzy over time ::) -- still 1.3 more blocks than the whole team vs. SUIE. And he does hold the single game record of 8. But you know what I was getting at. :)
Any links to re-listen to Todd's call on the radio from last nights game?
Also, tried to find the replay of SIUe vs VU, but Fox app had no replays...
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 16, 2017, 01:22:37 PM
Any links to re-listen to Todd's call on the radio from last nights game?
Also, tried to find the replay of SIUe vs VU, but Fox app had no replays...
I don't think the radio calls are normally available on archive (probably WVUR keeps copies, some place?).
There does seem to be an archive of the OVC on-demand feed
http://ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/?Archive=5037&type=Archive
The first 10 or 13 minutes of game time might be pretty weird; one camera only, under the basket, no audio. I think they eventually switched to the Fox feed.
And it does seem to be wide-screen, which I never got with the Xfinity Go stream.
Quote from: agibson on November 16, 2017, 12:01:08 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 10:49:22 AMI know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess.
I love it! (Vashil averaged an... NCAA best?... 3.3 BPG his last season).
If you include the post-season (NCAA, NIT, etc.), Vashil lead the nation in blocks per game in the 2015-2016 season.
One thing that I noticed in the game last night...Smits and J both seem better at moving off a screen and catching the pass. This sounds simple, but it requires good hands, footwork and agility. This probably took Vashil three years to learn (the ultimate project with tremendous payoff). I was encouraged by my first glimpse at how Smits and J are progressing.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 16, 2017, 04:20:40 PMOne thing that I noticed in the game last night...Smits and J both seem better at moving off a screen and catching the pass. This sounds simple, but it requires good hands, footwork and agility. This probably took Vashil three years to learn (the ultimate project with tremendous payoff). I was encouraged by my first glimpse at how Smits and J are progressing.
I do think that both, Smits especially, seem to have improved considerably over the off season. However, I think some credit needs to go to BK and Tevonn. In 3 years BK could be top 3 all-time in assists if he continues at his current pace and the pass that Tevonn made to Smits was a perfect pass.
That was a heck of a alley-oop and breakaway dunk
https://twitter.com/jbuckets25/status/931295219303280640
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 10:49:22 AM
Related to play in the paint, the other stat that stands out is Blocks (or the absence of same). We had a grand total of TWO. SIUE had 4. A shorter less athletic SIUE got 20 Points-in-the-Paint and we only had 2 whole blocks the entire game -- and they were by 1st year players Maleek and Marcus. I know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess. Can't that skill be coached?
This is partially a product of bad stat keeping. Smits had a nice block off the backboard, and Linsen had a block in the last minute that weren't counted.
Quote from: FWalum on November 16, 2017, 05:07:37 PM3 years BK could be top 3 all-time in assists if he continues at his current pace
How did Nebraska let this guy leave? I can't believe we have him for 2 more years after this. Imagine him as a SR. I think he is great.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 16, 2017, 05:12:14 PM
That was a heck of alley-oop and breakaway dunk
https://twitter.com/jbuckets25/status/931295219303280640
Joe's just getting warmed up. Can't wait to see the full package.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 16, 2017, 04:20:40 PMI was encouraged by my first glimpse at how Smits and J are progressing.
So was I. Even when they did travel their moves now almost look legitimate. :thumbsup: By March these two could be BIG assets playing some polished basketball.
Quote from: a3uge on November 16, 2017, 05:18:29 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 10:49:22 AM
Related to play in the paint, the other stat that stands out is Blocks (or the absence of same). We had a grand total of TWO. SIUE had 4. A shorter less athletic SIUE got 20 Points-in-the-Paint and we only had 2 whole blocks the entire game -- and they were by 1st year players Maleek and Marcus. I know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess. Can't that skill be coached?
This is partially a product of bad stat keep*ing. Smits had a nice block off the backboard, and Linsen had a block in the last minute that weren't counted.
I'll accept that. So now we are even with a much smaller OVC bottom feeder. The minutae is not my point. We have two seven footers and a 6-8 physical German rebounder but none of them have demonstrared the ability to protect the rim like we had with Mousse and Vashil. In that period, teams needed to literally game plan around the 10' arc cuz they knew it would be forcefully protected. With the height we have we should be doing everything we can to optimize that advantage on defense. If i recall correctly, wasn't GBs Brown destroyed by us on this board and by Bryce because he was not a rim protector? His height actually became a liability because we could game plan around him because of his inability to use his height on defense. My point : We have to rapidly develop Jays and Derriks blocking skills.
Btw, like others, I have also noticed that both big kids are much improved around the basket (despite their traveling :) ). And they don't seem as lost on defense as they were last season.
But we need a rejector. If only Marcus was 6-10! Sorry, but I can't help loving that kid cuz he embodies pure enthusiasm. And we have him for 3 years.
Seriously, I love the way we scheduled this year. Easy foes up front to develop chemistry and cohesiveness and then we play some P5 schools mixed with some decent minds to see where we are made and then onto the MVC schedule. This team will surprise a LOT at the end. Plus, so well coached. Man, Bryce leaving blew but Matt was and is the man to take this program to further heights. His recruiting, assistant hires and in game coaching are just proving that.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 07:28:46 PM
Quote from: a3uge on November 16, 2017, 05:18:29 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 16, 2017, 10:49:22 AM
Related to play in the paint, the other stat that stands out is Blocks (or the absence of same). We had a grand total of TWO. SIUE had 4. A shorter less athletic SIUE got 20 Points-in-the-Paint and we only had 2 whole blocks the entire game -- and they were by 1st year players Maleek and Marcus. I know it is water under the bridge from two years ago but when you are used to Vashil averaging close to 10 bpg by himself, you get spoiled I guess. Can't that skill be coached?
This is partially a product of bad stat keep*ing. Smits had a nice block off the backboard, and Linsen had a block in the last minute that weren't counted.
I'll accept that. So now we are even with a much smaller OVC bottom feeder. The minutae is not my point. We have two seven footers and a 6-8 physical German rebounder but none of them have demonstrared the ability to protect the rim like we had with Mousse and Vashil. In that period, teams needed to literally game plan around the 10' arc cuz they knew it would be forcefully protected. With the height we have we should be doing everything we can to optimize that advantage on defense. If i recall correctly, wasn't GBs Brown destroyed by us on this board and by Bryce because he was not a rim protector? His height actually became a liability because we could game plan around him because of his inability to use his height on defense. My point : We have to rapidly develop Jays and Derriks blocking skills.
Btw, like others, I have also noticed that both big kids are much improved around the basket (despite their traveling :) ). And they don't seem as lost on defense as they were last season.
But we need a rejector. If only Marcus was 6-10! Sorry, but I can't help loving that kid cuz he embodies pure enthusiasm. And we have him for 3 years.
So, if Valpo forces the opposition to shoot poorly and relatively infrequently from the paint by altering their shots, no credit is given because there wasn't a block? Talk about cherry-picking stats.
Quote from: ValpoDad89 on November 16, 2017, 07:38:44 PM
Seriously, I love the way we scheduled this year. Easy foes up front to develop chemistry and cohesiveness and then we play some P5 schools mixed with some decent minds to see where we are made and then onto the MVC schedule. This team will surprise a LOT at the end. Plus, so well coached. Man, Bryce leaving blew but Matt was and is the man to take this program to further heights. His recruiting, assistant hires and in game coaching are just proving that.
One thing I like about the schedule is that it ramps up in such a way that every game is the biggest game of the year (up until Ball St I suppose). How do you get excited for SIUe? By playing them on the road after 2 cupcakes! How do you help assure that SELA isn't a trap? Put it after SIUe!
Both SELA and SAMFORD were upended on Thursday...
Quote from: ValpoDad89 on November 16, 2017, 07:38:44 PM
Seriously, I love the way we scheduled this year. Easy foes up front to develop chemistry and cohesiveness and then we play some P5 schools mixed with some decent minds to see where we are made and then onto the MVC schedule. This team will surprise a LOT at the end. Plus, so well coached. Man, Bryce leaving blew but Matt was and is the man to take this program to further heights. His recruiting, assistant hires and in game coaching are just proving that.
I think that Matt Lottich is an excellent coach - no argument there.
The schedule is awful. There are eight meaningful games in which the students are on campus, with one of them prior to January 10th. Not much opportunity to build up any excitement with the students, nor the entire fan base. Playing games against schools like Trinity or North Park are absolutely pointless. You want to attract more fans and interest? You have to play competitively (and preferably win) against recognizable solid (but not necessarily Power 5 + 1) competition. While a few people on this board may get excited about the first three games, most potential fans do not. Consider the 'water cooler test': this week, basketball fans that I know talked about the Wisconsin-Xavier, Duke-Michigan State, Kansas-Kentucky and Marquette-Purdue, but they also talk about UW-Milwaukee-Iowa State and Central Arkansas-UCLA. Valpo playing North Park, Trinity and SIU-E draws zero interest.
Maybe you can call up those teams and get them to schedule us?
There were several posts that suggested that the schedule is great and that it was desirable. I recognize that scheduling is difficult and (in previous posts) have suggested that Valpo has done an excellent job of scheduling in many recent seasons. But I cannot accept that this schedule be viewed as anything but poor.
s... this might help the ol' RPI a little..
Tulane (who beat SELA) is pounding Colorado State in Jamaica by 28
South Carolina (who lost to Illinois State yesterday) bounced back over UTEP 80-56
Quote from: VU2014 on November 16, 2017, 05:12:14 PM
That was a heck of a alley-oop and breakaway dunk
https://twitter.com/jbuckets25/status/931295219303280640
With the speed and athleticism of this team, we may need a thread just for posts of dunks. That way we can just go to one thread for all of the dunks!
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 17, 2017, 02:34:55 PM
There were several posts the suggested that the schedule is great and that it was desirable. I recognize the scheduling is difficult and (in previous posts) have suggested that Valpo has done an excellent job of scheduling in many recent seasons. But I cannot accept that this schedule be viewed as anything but poor.
I can when I think about it as a strategy for developing an expanded rotation of newer players, into a new system, in a new league. It allows a certain freedom to experiment with player combinations, build their confidence in the system, and establish a routine for winning. If I take a somewhat short-term and superficial view of putting butts in seats (how appealing is the opponent to fans) it's certainly a poor schedule. But if I think more about it in the long term (how to get the team to peak when it counts) I think this schedule is good. We'll see.
Quote from: Valpower on November 17, 2017, 07:22:51 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 17, 2017, 02:34:55 PM
There were several posts the suggested that the schedule is great and that it was desirable. I recognize the scheduling is difficult and (in previous posts) have suggested that Valpo has done an excellent job of scheduling in many recent seasons. But I cannot accept that this schedule be viewed as anything but poor.
I can when I think about it as a strategy for developing an expanded rotation of newer players, into a new system, in a new league. It allows a certain freedom to experiment with player combinations, build their confidence in the system, and establish a routine for winning. If I take a somewhat short-term and superficial view of putting butts in seats (how appealing is the opponent to fans) it's certainly a poor schedule. But if I think more about it in the long term (how to get the team to peak when it counts) I think this schedule is good. We'll see.
We needed to schedule this season for the benefit of our 18-19 at large hopes. Did we? What foundation work has been accomplished with our 2017 OOC schedule?
I'd like to believe that the relative strength of our OOC schedule is aligned with the team's ability and potential, but I have my doubts. Any time ml, Todd, Matt, or Bryce prior ever talk about scheduling it's always in negative terms - how they weren't able to find a date that worked with an opponent they wanted, how nobody good wants to play at the ARC, blah, blah, blah. Scheduling sounds like an annual exercise filled with good intentions but short on desired results. What it doesn't sound like is a strategic masterpiece.
Quote from: justducky on November 17, 2017, 08:52:25 PMWe needed to schedule this season for the benefit of our 18-19 at large hopes. Did we? What foundation work has been accomplished with our 2017 OOC schedule?
We'll see, though we may never agree on whether what we achieved this season is attributable to the schedule or not. My feeling, as I've suggested, is that the easy opponents in the early part of the schedule, gradually increasing in difficulty and leading to two ranked opponents (and a tougher conference slate later in the season), are serving the cause. We've got different talents this year requiring a different system. The groundwork is laid by giving them an opportunity to learn it without being overwhelmed or discouraged early on.
Now, if you advocate for an Oakland-style trial by fire against realistically unbeatable opponents, you've got your own ideas about how to develop talent that differ from mine. I respect that.
Quote from: wh on November 17, 2017, 10:01:00 PM
I'd like to believe that the relative strength of our OOC schedule is aligned with the team's ability and potential, but I have my doubts. Any time ml, Todd, Matt, or Bryce prior ever talk about scheduling it's always in negative terms - how they weren't able to find a date that worked with an opponent they wanted, how nobody good wants to play at the ARC, blah, blah, blah. Scheduling sounds like an annual exercise filled with good intentions but short on desired results. What it doesn't sound like is a strategic masterpiece.
Except for the P5 (bad intentions, good results).
Quote from: wh on November 17, 2017, 10:01:00 PM
I'd like to believe that the relative strength of our OOC schedule is aligned with the team's ability and potential, but I have my doubts. Any time ml, Todd, Matt, or Bryce prior ever talk about scheduling it's always in negative terms - how they weren't able to find a date that worked with an opponent they wanted, how nobody good wants to play at the ARC, blah, blah, blah. Scheduling sounds like an annual exercise filled with good intentions but short on desired results. What it doesn't sound like is a strategic masterpiece.
Just took a gander at our fellow MVC OOC schedules, appears only UNI put together a strong OOC.
Am I missing something here? Do we think that we are Wichita State or Butler? Last I checked we have been consistently top of conference. But done nothing in the NCAA's with our crappy seeding. Enter MVC, I suspect this alone drives improvement.
Let's get there first in this conference and see where that seeds us in the NCAA's. Afterall, what does OOC schedule strength achieve other than higher NCAA seeding.
I'm not directing this at any one individual, just seems an overall theme. Been a fan for 16-years, nothing compared to many of you. But man alive, we are worse than children on "OOC" and "ARC renovations".
I have not seen any mention of the number of Valpo people in the St. Louis area that turned up for the pregame alumni event and the game. This was stated as the primary reason for scheduling a road game at SIU-E - one of the worst D1 teams in recent years. My guess is that, after you exclude the Lottich family, it was less than 15.