ok, if we don't win on Tuesday, this will be my last game thread starter of the year.
This is not the UWGB-Valpo battle for the conference lead type of game. We haven't played them since February 4, 2017, and they clobbered us at the Resch center 86-69. Two weeks earlier, we beat them at the ARC 80-56.
We haven't lost to them at the ARC since January, 23 2011. The Phoenix won that one 63-61.
They have played two completely different games. A blow-out loss and an expected margin over a lower division team.
This year, GB was given a lesson by Iowa State, 85-44. and they beat St. Francis (Illinois) 72-56.
They are led by Guard Noah Reynolds (Wyoming Transfer) at 18.5 and Elijah Jones with 11. Sundance Wicks was named the ninth head men's basketball coach in program history on March 14, 2023. Wicks joins the Phoenix after three seasons as an assistant coach at Wyoming.
GBs tallest players are 6'8", their leading rebounder, Marcus Hall, is a 6'6" Freshman.
Against St. Francis, GB out scored them 42-22 "in the paint"
Against Iowa State, The Cyclones outscored GB 42-8 "in the paint"
Against Iowa State, GB was 5 of 13 from 2-point range and 8-33 for 3ptrs.
I guess we'll all have to come out Tuesday night. Bring the Noise to the ARC and keep the pressure on.
This is a good matchup for this young team. How does this team react to the loss. How do they react in game when scoring goes cold. Hustle, find the open man, hit the boards, play defense.
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I wonder if we could bring Rowdy back for this game?
That would send a chill down the backs of many of their fans. Of course they are from WisCONsin so they are somewhat used to chills. :-)
Valpo 68
GB 64
Quote from: valpotx on November 13, 2023, 02:39:08 AM
Valpo 68
GB 64
Good for you. Not what I am thinking. The Phoenix will be in that last quarter of the Horizon League with IU-Indy (trying to get adjusted to the Jaguars new name). I believe the Beacons will do better but GB pulls it out. We still need to learn to win. We'll shoot slightly better than we did against IU-Indy.
Green Bay 66
Valpo 62
:thumbsup:
Quote from: talksalot on November 12, 2023, 03:17:44 PM
ok, if we don't win on Tuesday, this will be my last game thread starter of the year.
Thanks for taking the bull by the horns and posting game starter threads for everyone's enjoyment. They're always reliable and informative. I hope you continue regardless of the outcome of the game. With appreciation, wh
Valpo 68
GB 62
Darius has his highest scoring game of the season with two points and plays 37 minutes.
We have some success with up tempo play and the perimeter.
Valpo 77 - 65
My other prediction is that we don't have any late game ejections from the players. I don't see one from coaching staff either, but firmly believe that The Rev will fix this one time aberration
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I think we come out and beat the crap out of UWGB.
Quote from: Chairback on November 13, 2023, 11:50:40 AM
I think we come out and beat the crap out of UWGB.
I like your thinking but it will be much closer.
I won't make it to this game either but I promise to reappear at the ARC soon!
Quote from: covufan on November 13, 2023, 09:16:12 AM
We have some success with up tempo play and the perimeter.
Valpo 77 - 65
My other prediction is that we don't have any late game ejections from the players. I don't see one from coaching staff either, but firmly believe that The Rev will fix this one time aberration
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I don't know what happened over there, but I will say that their player had been stirring the pot the whole game up to that point. Obviously, it's never good to get ejected, but I do like that our guys play with a chip on their shoulder. They're not afraid to mix it up underneath, and they body up their man - on the ball and off. That level of physicality wears on the opposition mentally and physically and causes frustration (and anger) when someone always seems to be glued to you. I can tell that is going to be part of Roger's MO. Unfortunately, we might not have enough interchangeable parts at this point to play offense at a frenetic pace for 40 minutes - and play that aggressively on defense. I could tell our guys started to wear down in the 2nd half, run more clock, and stand around more. It's exciting to watch the development, knowing where Roger wants to get to over time. Baby steps...
I'm glad the games are starting at 7 (or later!) Weren't they starting at 6 last season? 6 seems kinda goofy it you think about getting home from work, eating dinner and getting you, your spouse and two kids in the car to arrive at 6. Am I right on that?
Yes.
UWGB 71
VU 67
Paul
VU 72
GB 66
I liked Roger's honest/frank approach to basketball weekly! He actually said things of substance! Gonna be close. But like RPJ said, can we figure it out in winning time ! I watched a good chunk of St. Francis(IL) vs UWGB, Phoenix were not good initially but figured it out! Is it a must win , probably not, but IMO it is!
Beacons 71
Phoenix 68
Young teams can be interesting to watch early in the season. They can lay an egg, as we did against IUPUI, but they can also strike hot. I think this is a strike hot game.
Valpo favored by 3, o/u 133.5...
Will also be interesting to follow the IUPUI game at Indiana State. Trees favored by 17.5.
https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/thread-valparaiso-vs-green-bay/comments
We all forgot that Preston Ruedinger is at GB!
I cannot figure out why our half court offense the first 2 games looks like it is run though Jerome Palm. He absolutely looks improved offensively from last year, but if we are going to go to a big man so much, why wouldn't it be Schwieger. I havent even seen Cooper touch the ball today meanwhile Jerome has touched it nearly every possession.
Jaxon Edwards has really exceeded my expectations so far. Jahari Williamson and Sherman Weatherspoon have done the exact opposite.
Roger Powell has repeatedly said that some of these freshmen will play in the NCAA tournament someday, thats how highly he thinks of this class. I came into this year knowing we would suck. I knew we would win single digit games. That being said, with such a "talented" class, and such a heralded coaching staff, you would think we would be able to at least compete with IUPUI and UWGB at home, despite the lack of experience. So far, a completely uninspiring team. All I wanted to see was improvement between November and March, so there is a long way to go. But even in my most pessimistic expectations to the season, I did not foresee dropping both to IUPUI and Green Bay.
Shots are not falling cuz feet are not set. Our kids are too anxious. Our team hasn't yet gotten to the point where the fast paced game has slowed down in their minds.
Let Jaxon take over. Hope he scores 20.
Excellent news. You've got to admit, that's a huge win for our team.
They made some defensive adjustments at half and their offense was (marginally) better in the second. Feels good to be in the win column.
Also: Schwieger, stafford, and edwards are really good. The drop off after them is significant. If we can keep them around, see improvement from Weatherspoon and Williamson, and add some good depth players/one more scorer (McNair?) around them, I see the vision. We jsut aren't going to get enough out of Darius and Palm. I've seen enough of them, but there's nothing to replace them right now. I think Manyang could eventually be a HUGE addition. I really hope he gets healthy soon.
I loved the fight and grit that Valpo showed tonight. I started to get that sinking feeling that the game was slipping away from us but we clawed our way back.
I think this team took a small step forward tonight. If you squint, you can begin to see the outlines of what this team might eventually become.
Is there a timeline for Manyang?
Is he out for the season?
Plodding win. Hustle and good things will happen. Unsure how cold GB went, but we persevered to catch them and win.
Must play better Friday, or it will be a 35 point blowout.
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Quote from: covufan on November 14, 2023, 09:43:30 PMPlodding win. Hustle and good things will happen. Unsure how cold GB went, but we persevered to catch them and win. Must play better Friday, or it will be a 35 point blowout. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yea...about that. I don't see any way we don't lose by 40. We might (hopefully) improve a lot this season, but we are starting from a LOW point based on these last two games. I see something along the lines of 96-42.
Quote from: vok22 on November 14, 2023, 07:11:50 PMI cannot figure out why our half court offense the first 2 games looks like it is run though Jerome Palm. He absolutely looks improved offensively from last year, but if we are going to go to a big man so much, why wouldn't it be Schwieger. I havent even seen Cooper touch the ball today meanwhile Jerome has touched it nearly every possession.
Currently Schwieger and Palm have to play because they are clearly amongst the 5 best players on the roster. They can't run the offense through Schwieger because where does Palm go in the offense? He's not a perimeter player at all whereas Schwieger is and I think ultimately will be that type of player long term. APeters lite if you will.
I also agree with Bud's comment that too many are shooting 3's without their feet set.
Quote from: valpotx on November 14, 2023, 07:04:29 PM
We all forgot that Preston Ruedinger is at GB!
Some of us forgot. Some remembered he would probably be a liability.
Quote from: mj on November 14, 2023, 09:14:08 PM
I loved the fight and grit that Valpo showed tonight. I started to get that sinking feeling that the game was slipping away from us but we clawed our way back.
I think this team took a small step forward tonight. If you squint, you can begin to see the outlines of what this team might eventually become.
You know what, I've been doing a lot of squinting over the last 6 to 7 years.
Quote from: talksalot on November 14, 2023, 01:43:03 PM
Valpo favored by 3, o/u 133.5...
Will also be interesting to follow the IUPUI game at Indiana State. Trees favored by 17.5.
Yikes!
Indiana State Trees 96
IU-Indy Jagoffs 57
Quote from: vok22 on November 14, 2023, 09:48:42 PM
Quote from: covufan on November 14, 2023, 09:43:30 PMPlodding win. Hustle and good things will happen. Unsure how cold GB went, but we persevered to catch them and win. Must play better Friday, or it will be a 35 point blowout. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Yea...about that. I don't see any way we don't lose by 40. We might (hopefully) improve a lot this season, but we are starting from a LOW point based on these last two games. I see something along the lines of 96-42.
Saw Illinois tonight. They are not really together on offense (no developed point guard), but they are long, athletic and can play good defense. For where Valpo is right now, it will be tough to score 60.
My how the roster's and atmosphere has changed since the 2015 Horizon League Championship game!
Palm is a good energy guy, rebounder, that's exclusively what he should do. He could carve out 7.5-9 rbs a game, shooting only when wide open. Not a total liability. Small silver lining team found a way to gut out a win, play good D. Might not have happened last year in a game like this. Valpo will loose by 20- 25 pts @ Drake, Missouri State in conference etc.. Loosing Rudinger didn't hurt Valpo at all. Jaxson Edwards....Hard to believe he didn't play more at Murray. Team will struggle to score most of the season, as some else pointed out. Only three consistent scorers at the moment. Game atmosphere was similar to a Wake tonight.
Quote from: AB on November 14, 2023, 10:15:10 PMGame atmosphere was similar to a Wake tonight.
Demon Deacons games are pretty good spirit wise.
Oh, you mean an actual
FUNERAL! :o
This team has talent. We're seeing the emergence of a "big 3" in Stafford, Edwards, and Schwieger (whose scoring should increase over the season). If Palm can stick to playing an inside game, he'll be productive. Ajiboye (9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 19 minutes tonight!!!), Williamson, and Weatherspoon are promising frosh. I don't know about DeAveiro -- can you keep giving big minutes to someone who may not hit 30% of his shots? (But do they have a choice?)
I look forward to seeing Schwieger develop. I assume that they are working with him on a quicker release, similar to what Alec Peters developed over his Valpo career. Alec was a little bit quicker on his release during his FR season, but just like Rowdy, both were very quick by their Sophomore seasons.
Good confidence win for these guys, but I disagree with David81 - for a Div. 1 level this team needs much more overall talent and it will take time. A lot of growing pains ahead, but I like the resiliency of these guys.
Quote from: AB on November 14, 2023, 10:15:10 PM
Game atmosphere was similar to a Wake tonight.
Coach Powell seemed to sense this as well and addressed it in his opening comments at the postgame press conference when he urged fans to get behind the team. Attendance was an anemic 1204!
On another note, Valpo split its games this past week against two of the weakest D-1 teams in the country, that were ranked by CBS Sports as #360 and #361 out of 362 programs. Friday we will see VU face a top-25 team that lost last night to the #4 team and will be looking for revenge on their home court. It might not be pretty.
Quote from: David81 on November 14, 2023, 10:39:54 PM
I don't know about DeAveiro -- can you keep giving big minutes to someone who may not hit 30% of his shots? (But do they have a choice?)
I would give Williamson more of the minutes at point to even the time with DeAveiro a bit. So far, Darius has been getting more than 30 minutes per game while Jahari gets only 13. Yet, Jahari is averaging 8 points and Darius is averaging 2 points. Also, Jahari's shooting percentage is 50% at 7-14 (4-8 from the three-point line). Darius is shooting only 14% at 2-14 (1-4 from the three-point line). With his play on the Canadian Under-18 and Under-19 teams as well as his appearance in the World Cup for Team Canada, Jahari has as much quality experience as Darius. DeAveiro is excellent at obtaining assists and handling the ball at the point, but there needs to be a scoring threat at times from that position as well. Jahari has seen the court only 40% of the time that Darius has, yet Jahari has averaged 4-times the points.
Agree Valpopal on Darius. Still start him but closer to the Palm minutes(23) he had this past game. Good with Jahari getting 17 minutes.
Just based on a couple of games it appears Darius is a pretty good on ball defender. I don't know if he's better than Jahari but I know Darius is pretty good. I imagine Darius is currently playing because he's the best at running the team at the moment and his defense is pretty good.
The entire team is simply a better defensive team than we saw under Lottich. Much more active.
Quote from: usc4valpo on November 15, 2023, 05:41:31 AM
Good confidence win for these guys, but I disagree with David81 - for a Div. 1 level this team needs much more overall talent and it will take time. A lot of growing pains ahead, but I like the resiliency of these guys.
I'm not talking about NCAA tourney-level talent, at least not yet, but rather players who can help this team return to respectability. I'm bullish on this roster because some of the most hopeful signs are coming from players with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining. Stafford has another year remaining, Edwards two more, and then you've got a slew of promising freshmen. With the transfer portal being what it is, I don't know if it is still possible for a mid-major to recruit talented young players with room to grow into standouts, who stay the whole time. But Coach Powell may be the guy who restores that once tried-and-true method for VU.
I assume that Powell understood when he accepted the Valpo job, that fan support was much less than what he experienced in his previous stint. He is definitely trying his best to engage the community, but this community has shown that they will only come out when we are winning
In the past, the winning has glossed over many of the issues we've talked about on this board. Even in those years we had to deal with parking issues, flushless restrooms that constantly smell like urine, subpar concessions, an awful sound system, aisles with more tripping hazards than a lego convention, kids running around the track screaming while the ball is in play, etc.
To be fair, it feels like we're on the track to correcting some of these issues. The new lighting and scoreboard is a great step in that direction. But you're not going to see the ARC anywhere over half full at best until there's a consistently winning product on the floor.
UWGB takes down UIC in Chicago...
Sigh... Bad loss by the Flames... They've shown real flashes to start the year but very inconsistent. Still I like what they're doing so far considering I thought they would be a terrible addition basketball wise and I think they will eventually get it right and contribute well.