OK, so we beat Green Bay (DON'T call us UWGB, or Wisconsin-Green Bay) and showed some real spark at times. Here's another game thread for your dancing and dining pleasure.
BTW, no band last night due to flu-like symptoms running through the group, including the director and Chuck-on-drums. They only had 8 or 9 healthy players.
So... it's on to the Host of the MTE (that includes Southern and Western Illinois for us). The Illini are a good team.
Beat Ottawa College of Kansas 116-65 in the first exhibition game.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 25 Illinois never trailed in the second half enroute to an 82-75 victory over No. 1 Kansas in the Maui Strong Relief Matchup exhibition at State Farm Center on Sunday night.
Followed up with 80-52 win over Eastern Illinois
Followed up with 64-52 win over Greg Kampe's Oakland Grizz's
and last night, they hosted #4 Marquette. Here's the recap of that 7-point loss. I had not realized that the Southern Illinois stud Domask had moved up to Urbana.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 23 Illinois came up short in the Gavitt Tipoff Games, falling at home to No. 4 Marquette, 71-64, in front of a sold-out State Farm Center crowd on Tuesday night.
Marcus Domask finished in double digits for his first time as an Illini, recording 18 points and six rebounds. Domask nearly reached double figures in the first half alone, notching nine before the break before accounting for nine of Illinois' first 16 points of the second period of play. He also accumulated one steal and one block.
Luke Goode recorded a career-high 13 points, which included four 3-pointers, a mark that also set a new career best despite coming off the bench. Goode scored a team-high 10 points in the first half before eclipsing his career-best mark in the second half with his fourth triple of the night.
Terrence Shannon Jr. ended his night in double figures for the 13th consecutive game, tallying a team-high 21 points, including 14 in the second half and nine in the final five minutes. Shannon also amassed two assists, two steals, and a block.
Ty Rodgers set the tone on defense while also recording six points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.
Quincy Guerrier grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, his second straight game with double-digit boards, while Coleman Hawkins made an Illini-most three blocks.
Illinois knocked down a season-high 11 3-pointers as a team, while the Orange and Blue made seven blocks and six steals on the defensive end of the floor.
The No. 23 Fighting Illini (2-1) return to State Farm Center on Friday night, when former Illinois star and current Valparaiso head coach Roger Powell Jr. and the Beacons come to town. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT on B1G+.
So, I'm sure we can probably agree that UofI can write any final score they want in this game. I'm hoping our freshmen don't come out with complete deer-in-headlights. Hope we can enjoy the atmosphere... and look forward to picking up some good tips and bring'em back for the Leathernecks next Tuesday.
so... as a side note. one of Homer's first games against a ranked team... resulted in...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jMzLovPgc8
Despite our GB win we are near or at an all time low in our ability to impressively compete with a ranked opponent. Because of our program overhaul, I'm fine with this but our standard measurements for success at Illinois might need to be rewritten. The best case might mean the home team takes the floor with total sleepwalking complacency thus keeping us briefly in the game and giving our youth a needed shot of confidence. BUT! Lots of small and painful 2023-24 steps remain ahead of us.
Our shooting efficiency has been offensive. We'll need our best game (Division I game) to keep this under 30. Is the team up to the challenge? We only played 8 against GB. We have not been able to play the uptempo game, with only 67 possessions the last two games each. We have not been able to keep the other team from offensive rebounds, which will really haunt us against better teams.
This is more of a 'would love to see' guess:
Illinois 79
Valpo 60
Quote from: talksalot on November 15, 2023, 09:05:06 AMOK, so we beat Green Bay (DON'T call us UWGB, or Wisconsin-Green Bay) and showed some real spark at times. Here's another game thread for your dancing and dining pleasure.
Well, that is a lot better than what the Chicago Bears have done.
Shannon and Hawkins have some potential of playing in the NBA, so they will be very difficult for Valpo's young players to defend. Domask and Goode can shoot the three. Biggest weakness for Illinois is that they do not have a point guard, so pressuring the ball could reduce Illinois' offensive effectiveness. Biggest worry for Valpo is Illinois' defense....Marquette struggled at times to score against them and had seven shots blocked (and Marquette is one of the very best offensive efficiency teams in the country).
Illinois 78
Valpo 52
University of Illinois Illini "Chief Illiniwekless" 93
Valparaiso Beacons "Beaconing Up" " brotherhood of the fading light" 59
Ill 82
Vu 49
Illinois 88
Valpo 62
The line is 26.5 and the o/u is 133.
• Coming into this season, Valpo's starting 5 has played in 77 D-1 games, collectively.
• IL's starting 5 - 487 games collectively.
• IL starts 3 5th-year seniors, 1 4th year senior, and 1 sophomore.
This is a complete mismatch, experience wise and age wise. We have no chance of ever being in this game, nor should anyone expect that we should. That said, next year will be vastly different. Everyone will have a year experience minimum, and this stupid extra year of eligibility awarded for the season that no one missed due to COVID will finally be over. That's a double benefit to us.
This will be ugly, but a good learning opportunity for a young team:
Illinois 84
Valpo 50
UI 81
VU 54
At the very least, it will be interesting to see who among these young players will show the athleticism and basketball smarts that reveal an NCAA tourney-level player in the making. If even a couple of them stand out, then that portends well for this program.
I believe in Coach Powell, and I also believe the VU administration has made a renewed commitment to the basketball program.
Much better days are ahead. Unfortunately, the Illinois game will not be one of those better days.
Illini 79
VU 42
Paul
Illinois 86
Valpo 48
Illinois Too much
VU Not enough
Line has moved to -30, took Illinois at -31 for +110 earlier this morning. I hope it's significantly closer!!
Quote from: 78crusader on November 17, 2023, 10:58:28 AMMuch better days are ahead. Unfortunately, the Illinois game will not be one of those better days.
I agree completely and am anticipating a painful night. Should I get a fresh supply of sipping whisky or will that just make things worse ???
Quote from: justducky on November 17, 2023, 03:13:21 PM
Quote from: 78crusader on November 17, 2023, 10:58:28 AMMuch better days are ahead. Unfortunately, the Illinois game will not be one of those better days.
I agree completely and am anticipating a painful night. Should I get a fresh supply of sipping whisky or will that just make things worse ???
I have a ball cap I picked up in Bardstown KY that says "Just add Bourbon". I'd go with that.
Think big picture with this game.
Lessons are learned. And you get better. Perfect example below
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1996-03-15-arizona.html
https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/tvb-thread-valparaiso-at-illinois/comments
Well that's an unexpected great start !!!
Am I seeing this right?
Stafford with 23 points at the half and the rest of the team total 22 points?
;D
This will be an interesting 2nd half, hope the Beacons can continue to light em up!
What I posted on TVB stream: "Of course I care what happens in the 2nd half. But if we don't think that something special is building here under Coach Powell, then we've missed the real lesson of the first 20 minutes."
Checked the score at half and thought it was glitching at first. Hope they can keep it up!
Illinois is pulling away here, but that first half was the most fun I've had watching this program since 2020 Arch Madness. Better days are ahead!
I didn't watch the game, but it seemed like there were shots by both teams every 10 seconds in the second half! Was it like an old Loyola Marymount vs. UNLV shootout feel? That is how it appeared in live stats
A lot of folks lost a lot of money tonight. Go Beacons!
I tried to follow the TVB thread. No matter what I clicked (there are 3 options) none presented comments in the order in which they were posted. My "3 minutes ago" comment was buried 15 comments in and no matter what I did it did not appear at either the top or bottom of the string at the time.
Paul, please look into this. It detracts from the thread and is frustrating. The VU Fan Board string is better at this.
Quote from: nkvu on November 17, 2023, 12:49:40 PM
Illinois Too much
VU Not enough
Way too much of this in second half...
What a first half!
Need to take away the confidence that we can compete with anyone on our schedule - just need to play a full 40 minutes.
Can't count on Stafford to do this every night, but impressive. Jaxson Edwards 0-12? 0-3 on three's ouch. From an effort standpoint, appears it's more consistent from the get go compared to last year, which augers well for the future. Seemed like we were down 25 to Toledo last year before you blinked. That kinda thing happened way too much. Who's gonna be our consistent third scorer this year outside of Stafford and Cooper? Palm will have plenty of jump shots available this year.
How does Jaxon pull down 15 freakin RBs, not draw one foul, and not score a single point in 32 minutes :crazy:?
Congrats to Jerome on a double-double! :thumbsup:
Looks like Jahari is moving up in the assists and scoring profile. :clap:
Anybody who drops 30 on the #23 team in the country just woke up a lot of MVC coaches. ;D
Good all-around game (12 points, 7 RBs) by Cooper in only 20 minutes ⬆️
Nice playing in front of almost 15,000 8-)
The big question, however.....
Can Roger now push these kids to play with the same grit out of the gates against Western Illinois and Southern next week? Or will the sense that they won (only) the first half make them think they are better than they really are?
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 17, 2023, 09:25:20 PM
I tried to follow the TVB thread. No matter what I clicked (there are 3 options) none presented comments in the order in which they were posted. My "3 minutes ago" comment was buried 15 comments in and no matter what I did it did not appear at either the top or bottom of the string at the time.
Paul, please look into this. It detracts from the thread and is frustrating. The VU Fan Board string is better at this.
It's slightly dodgy. Though it takes a bit of extra effort, when I opt for the newest to show on top and periodically refresh, it works fine for me.
Quote from: David81 on November 17, 2023, 10:47:58 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 17, 2023, 09:25:20 PM
I tried to follow the TVB thread. No matter what I clicked (there are 3 options) none presented comments in the order in which they were posted. My "3 minutes ago" comment was buried 15 comments in and no matter what I did it did not appear at either the top or bottom of the string at the time.
Paul, please look into this. It detracts from the thread and is frustrating. The VU Fan Board string is better at this.
It's slightly dodgy. Though it takes a bit of extra effort, when I opt for the newest to show on top and periodically refresh, it works fine for me.
More than dodgy. I was doing exactly that. Nada. Lucky that the accurate LiveStats link got posted to the TVB thread.
QuoteIt's slightly dodgy. Though it takes a bit of extra effort, when I opt for the newest to show on top and periodically refresh, it works fine for me.
This is the best way I have found. Not great, just OK.
This is the way to display command and positivity in a press conference even following a loss:
Quote from: David81 on November 16, 2023, 06:23:42 PM
Illinois 88
Valpo 62
U of I 87
Valpo 64
3 points off, very good!
A step in the right direction regarding progress. I enjoy watching a team grow and improve, which will happen this season. I'm not a believer in moral victories, but steady progress, something not happening with Coach Prime at Colorado, is a beautiful thing.
The final post-game question and Roger's response "I came to coaching to change lives" (or something to that effect) is all we need to know about the man and the direction the program is headed.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=GtVaLshFIPOGW-E3&v=eE5oQyAKsJc&feature=youtu.be
Despite the second half, that game inspired more confidence for the future of this program than I've gotten from a game in years.
Schwieger 12 points 7 rebounds 2 blocks and a steal and ZERO turnovers. Foul trouble of course, but that typical for a freshman going up against a seasoned vet.
Jaxon edwards, despite going 0-12 from the field, did everything he could elsewhere to impact the game with 15 rebounds. Often times when a young player is having a bad night offensively, they let it impact them on the other end. It's a great sign to see he bought into the team aspect of the game.
Isaiah Stafford.
Team could really benefit from manyang rn even just to eat up minutes and fouls right now. We also have to find a way to not let Jerome Palm 15 shots. Those need to be going to Schwieger or ANYBODY else.
I also really liked Coach powells attitude towards the game and season. You can tell he is proud of them, but at the end of the day he's telling them they have to be better if they didn't win. He set the bar high and he's not moving it. That's what it takes to develop a winning culture and I think that was my favorite thing about the game: the fact that coach Powell didn't take it as a moral victory.
Quote from: usc4valpo on November 18, 2023, 06:50:50 AM
A step in the right direction regarding progress. I enjoy watching a team grow and improve, which will happen this season. I'm not a believer in moral victories, but steady progress, something not happening with Coach Prime at Colorado, is a beautiful thing.
A vision of what is possible with the path that Coach Powell has started...
Quote from: AB on November 17, 2023, 10:12:51 PMCan't count on Stafford to do this every night, but impressive. Jaxson Edwards 0-12? 0-3 on three's ouch. From an effort standpoint, appears it's more consistent from the get go compared to last year, which augers well for the future. Seemed like we were down 25 to Toledo last year before you blinked. That kinda thing happened way too much. Who's gonna be our consistent third scorer this year outside of Stafford and Cooper? Palm will have plenty of jump shots available this year.
Being down quick last year was a big issue for me. Once in a while...it happens. As often as it was last year...team not ready willing or wanting to play.
So far, this team is definitely invested and particularly defensively. The offense is obviously hit and miss and that looks as if it is player related.
Quote from: usc4valpo on November 18, 2023, 06:50:50 AMA step in the right direction regarding progress. I enjoy watching a team grow and improve, which will happen this season. I'm not a believer in moral victories, but steady progress, something not happening with Coach Prime at Colorado, is a beautiful thing.
What does Coach Prime have to do with Coach Powell, Valpo, the MVC or basketball other than the fact that he's in your head?
Quote from: vok22 on November 18, 2023, 08:39:40 AMIsaiah Stafford.
His...to this point...streakiness is already starting to bug me. It could be a case where Valpo is only competitive when he's on and UIPUI-ish when he's not.
Sure, I'm always looking for a bright spot and I think I've found it! Last night we only had seven turnovers against the #23 team in the nation. Against Green Bay we only had five! Compared to last year's final game against Murray State where we had 19!!!!!
Taking care of the ball will lead to wins. Clearly the coaching change has already had a big impact.
Quote from: JD24 on November 18, 2023, 09:17:04 AM
Quote from: vok22 on November 18, 2023, 08:39:40 AMIsaiah Stafford.
His...to this point...streakiness is already starting to bug me. It could be a case where Valpo is only competitive when he's on and UIPUI-ish when he's not.
That was kinda my earlier point.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 17, 2023, 10:33:31 PM
Anybody who drops 30 on the #23 team in the country just woke up a lot of MVC coaches. ;D
Roger has to prepare the team to respond to MVC game plans that try to take Isaiah out of the game (or games when Isaiah goes cold). The rest of the team has to take up the challenge. And Isaiah has to learn to recognize when that is happening and involve his teammates.
BTW, independent of this particular point..........
Last night's video clips brought out another way how different this team is compared to the last few years in at least one obvious way: even I could see that when our offense is forced into their half court attack, these kids RUN through their patterns, not jog. So the half court attack is fast paced too. I loved watching that.
JD24 - where I'm getting at is Powell looking at a long term sustainable solution, which is required in a situation like Valpo. I like where this is going.
Quote from: Chairback on November 18, 2023, 07:40:54 AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=GtVaLshFIPOGW-E3&v=eE5oQyAKsJc&feature=youtu.be
• "The 11th least experienced team in the country against the 11th most experienced team in the country."
• Top 25 P-6 opponent at their venue.
The 2nd half result is what I expected from the opening tip. Instead, our guys played a brilliant 1st half of basketball. A proud moment for a gritty group of newcomers in their infancy. I love everything about these young guys.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=chgtRySsRV0&si=gbc17owIWhZQUZKu
Highly complimentary of Roger starting at about the 9:10 mark.
You can't help but to compare Powell's press conference vibe compared to Lottich. Hold's them accountable while praising. Speaking confidently. Doesn't make excuses about having to do laundry etc... Lottich was to concerned about hurting players feelings/protecting them. Anyway. Powell is saying all the right things. This year will toughen up the team, grow and learn from these experiences, come back more prepared and battle tested for next year.
JD24 - where I'm getting at is Powell looking at a long term sustainable solution, which is required in a situation like Valpo. I like where this is going.
Quote from: usc4valpo on November 18, 2023, 04:57:53 PMJD24 - where I'm getting at is Powell looking at a long term sustainable solution, which is required in a situation like Valpo. I like where this is going.
I heard you the first time and it didn't make any more sense (the comparision that is) the 2nd time. ;D
Tonight at MSG #11 Florida Atlantic and the #20 Illini went at it in the Jimmy V Classic.
FAU took the first half by 1 point 40-39. Sound reasonably familiar? Then there was the second half. Final: Illinois over FAU 98-89. Maybe we are better than some people give us credit for. And/or maybe U of I is better than the pollsters give them credit for as well.