Shouldn't be much of a test since St. Joe's is picked near the bottom of the GLVC, but was wondering what you guys are expecting? I think everyone knows what to expect from the returning guys, so I'll be interested to see what Capobianco, Fernandez and Rossi bring to the table. Predictions?
Halftime it will be close, by the end of the game a blowout.
St. Joe 57
Valpo 80
Looking forward to a break from paper writing tomorrow!
St. Joe: 53
Valpo: 87
If we don't hit 100 I'll be shocked...
I'm hoping to see something better from Capi and anything from Vashil, compared to what they did during that open practice. 94-54 final
Remember, there is no "taking your foot of the accelerator" with this team as we go 10 deep until dority can play and then 11. There are no walkons to put into the game.
Valpo 88
St. Joe's 56
We exact some more revenge on St. Joe's for them beating us on the last play of regulation in football (men and women's soccer victories already)
Quote from: vu72 on October 26, 2012, 02:01:04 PMRemember, there is no "taking your foot of the accelerator" with this team as we go 10 deep until dority can play and then 11. There are no walkons to put into the game.
It is a little odd that Valpo doesn't have any walk-ons at all. Maybe a couple last minute walk-ons like Stegelmann and Carpenter last year?
I haven't been a big BB follower, but I want to learn. I noticed that both exhibitions are home and against smaller schools. Is this kinda like FCS FB where the bigger D-I team pays the little guy (i.e. Valpo) to get clobbered?
Quote from: VULB#62 on October 26, 2012, 04:00:04 PM
I haven't been a big BB follower, but I want to learn. I noticed that both exhibitions are home and against smaller schools. Is this kinda like FCS FB where the bigger D-I team pays the little guy (i.e. Valpo) to get clobbered?
Exhibition games must be scheduled against non-Division I competition at home (except for rare instances, like last year's Missouri at Missouri State exhibition, which was granted a waiver as it was to raise money for tornado relief funds in Joplin). Alternatively, and something a lot more schools are doing, you can have a scrimmage against another D-I school, but it must be a closed scrimmage and it cannot be publicized by the schools at all. You are allowed a maximum of two combined exhibition games/scrimmages.
Quote from: vu72 on October 26, 2012, 02:01:04 PM
Remember, there is no "taking your foot of the accelerator" with this team as we go 10 deep until dority can play and then 11. There are no walkons to put into the game.
That's a great point. Even though this team returns all 5 starters, you can make an argument that Capobianco, Rossi, Kenney and Dority (when eligible) are more talented than some of those returning starters. As several people have stated, Bryce's biggest challenge this season may be finding enough minutes to keep all these talented players happy.
I tend to agree with vu72 that the early season games will all be blowouts. What Bryce needs to do is develop a reliable rotation before the games at SLU, UNM and Murray State ... those games will be pivotal in Valpo's at-large chances.
Quote from: VULB#62 on October 26, 2012, 04:00:04 PM
I haven't been a big BB follower, but I want to learn. I noticed that both exhibitions are home and against smaller schools. Is this kinda like FCS FB where the bigger D-I team pays the little guy (i.e. Valpo) to get clobbered?
WHAT!!! :o Seriously, get ready for some fun! Exhibitions are, for the most part, used to get the players comfortable with each other and try different combinations. some, like last year's opener can be way too close as you have the "little guy" coming to the D1's home court and having their one chance all year to show people that they really could have played at the D1 level. some can, most can't, and as a result, these games often start close and then turn into blowouts as they get tired of getting hammered on the inside and their constant barrage of 3's stop falling.
Hot off the Valpo sports website, an interview with Coach Drew. Get excited, get REALLY excited!!
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2012-13/12110/mens-basketball-season-preview-with-bryce-drew/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2012-13/12110/mens-basketball-season-preview-with-bryce-drew/)
Quote from: EddieCabot on October 26, 2012, 05:14:32 PMQuote from: vu72 on October 26, 2012, 02:01:04 PM[size=78%] Remember, there is no "taking your foot of the accelerator" with this team as we go 10 deep until dority can play and then 11. There are no walkons to put into the game. [/size]
[size=78%] That's a great point. Even though this team returns all 5 starters, you can make an argument that Capobianco, Rossi, Kenney and Dority (when eligible) are more talented than some of those returning starters. As several people have stated, Bryce's biggest challenge this season may be finding enough minutes to keep all these talented players happy. I tend to agree with vu72 that the early season games will all be blowouts. What Bryce needs to do is develop a reliable rotation before the games at SLU, UNM and Murray State ... those games will be pivotal in Valpo's at-large chances. [/size]
It is truly amazing how deep this Valpo team is. I truly believe that the top five off Valpo bench (lets say Dority, Kenney, Rossi, Capobianco, Fernandez) could beat Wright State's starting lineup without too much difficulty.
I think every returning player will probably have 3-5 minutes cut from their playing time from last year, just because there is so much
talent on this roster.
Nice game day NWI Times article about Capo:
Capobianco eager to make Valparaiso debut
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Friday, October 26, 2012 7:32 pm
VALPARAISO | Much has changed in the world of college basketball since the last time Bobby Capobianco stepped on the floor.
Homer Drew was roaming the sidelines for Valparaiso, coaching Brandon Wood and Cory Johnson in March of 2011. Capobianco was lucky to get more than six minutes a game for an Indiana team that would finish the 2010-11 season on a nine-game losing streak.
Fast forward nearly 20 months and the Hoosiers are the top team in the country while Capobianco is ready to make his long-awaited Valparaiso debut when the Crusaders host St. Joseph's in tonight's exhibition game at the Athletics-Recreation Center.
"As hard as it was to sit out last season, I really enjoyed it," Capobianco said. "I felt like I got better as a basketball player and I spent a lot of time reflecting on how I got to this point."
Capobianco was an ESPN Top-100 prospect coming out of high school and was good enough in the eyes of Indiana coach Tom Crean to become a part-time starter in the Big Ten. As a sophomore, Capobianco saw his minutes cut in half and his role diminished when he did play. Frustrated, he sought out a new opportunity and found one at Valparaiso.
"I do have a bit of a chip on my shoulder," Capobianco said. "I had two years of people invested in me and I don't really feel like they got a chance to see me play. I'm excited now, especially because it's been so long since my parents and my sister have seen me on the court."
It's not like the year off the floor has kept the Ohio native away from the game. Capobianco pushed his fellow post players in practice last season and was the first player in the gym the morning following Valparaiso's loss in the Horizon League title game. As soon as the season ended in Miami, Capobianco dove head first into getting ready for the 2012-13 season.
Capobianco spent part of his summer vacation playing overseas with Global Sports Partners. The forward averaged 17 points over five games while spending three weeks in China with a USA-based team.
"Playing overseas helped me get back into some game situations," Capobianco said. "It's been a long year and I'm just excited to be able to get back out there and play."
Very impressed with Aaron Leavitt's questions for coach Drew. Not your run of the mill softballs, but well answered by Bryce. Now all Aaron needs is a little more vocal inflection.
I'll take a crack at guessing the score...
Valpo 105
St. Joseph's 67
based on the lack of a video link, i'm going to assume tonight's game is not being streamed anywhere?
Exhibition games aren't streamed, if I remember correctly from last year.
Audio stream through WVUR is your best option. No sports radio network or HLN for exhibition games.
Welp. Can't even get that to work: Windows Media Player cannot play the file. A network firewall might be preventing the Player from opening the file by using the UDP transport protocol. If you typed a URL in the Open URL dialog box, try using a different transport protocol (for example, "http:").
Just watched Rossi hit 19 of 21 3's in warm-ups.
Well looks like the audio stream is not working so I guess those of us not at the game will have to rely on those in attendance for analysis. You would think WVUR would test these things beforehand.
I'm getting live stats from the St. Joe site
I'm getting them from CBS Game Tracker. That's the only part that's working tonight.
Quote from: vu72 on October 26, 2012, 12:57:52 PMIf we don't hit 100 I'll be shocked...
:o :o :o :o :o
Quote from: wh on October 27, 2012, 06:54:36 PM
Just watched Rossi hit 19 of 21 3's in warm-ups.
He needs to save them for the game next time :)
Anyone interested in hearing my impression of the Valpo vs St.Joe exhibition game?
Quote from: historyman on October 27, 2012, 09:18:16 PM
Quote from: vu72 on October 26, 2012, 12:57:52 PMIf we don't hit 100 I'll be shocked...
:o :o :o :o :o
Easily >100 had KVW played. Does anyone know more about his situation?
Nothing serious with Kevin...precaution. Hard to judge to much from an exhibition game against a lesser opponent. However, one thing that stuck out to me was the improved play of Ben Boggs.
A few quick highlight pictures from the game:
(http://i48.tinypic.com/igkpsl.jpg)
(http://i49.tinypic.com/fofwgw.jpg)
(http://i46.tinypic.com/k96qoh.jpg)
Quote from: historyman on October 27, 2012, 09:22:50 PM
Anyone interested in hearing my impression of the Valpo vs St.Joe exhibition game?
Of course.
Agree with Chef, Ben looked more comfortable last night then at any point last year.
Valpopal, those are some neat looking photos!
This teams depth and, dare I say, athleticism is going to make this a fun team to watch!
Quote from: chef on October 27, 2012, 11:02:15 PMHowever, one thing that stuck out to me was the improved play of Ben Boggs.
Ben was definitely more of a presence on the court last night than he was last season.
I was also impressed at times with Bogan's ability to handle the point.
I believe Boggs and Coleman will make the biggest impacts to improve this Valpo team from 2011-12 to 2012-13, until Dority starts to play and we see how he is able to mesh with the rest of the team. I don't think that Van Wijk would have made a huge difference in last night's game. Because Valpo now has more bigs to handle his role. That doesn't mean I think Van Wijk should play less. It means I believe that we don't lose as much when Kevin is out out the game for any reason.
Fernandez doesn't look nearly as raw as I thought he would. His wingspan and presence in the lane on defense and his ability to take the ball to the rim on offense is an element we haven't had for some time and is game altering. I think Vashil should either get his dunking perfected or make lay-ups every time. Missing dunks has to be made unacceptable. I realize the dunks get the crowd into the game but Vashil better make them every time or give them up. Every dunk MUST be made.
Alex Rossi isn't going to play much until he gets his shot to fall. Let's hope he gets back to form. He could be another huge weapon to add to the arsenal but I don't see it yet.
We still need to play better defense. This was an athletic Puma team but not a fundamentally good St.Joe team. They missed a ton of shots. Of course the Valpo big men might have played some role in that. Over 60 points was too much for that St.Joe team to score. Valpo can play better defense.
I think Capobianco wants so desperately to play outside and bring the opposing big defenders outside to him but his better game is on the inside and I think he proved it by being a huge scorer for Valpo in this game. There sure are a bunch of scoring options on this team. It's extremely exciting to watch.
Quote from: Valpo2010 on October 28, 2012, 09:47:37 AMBen was definitely more of a presence on the court last night than he was last season.
I was also impressed at times with Bogan's ability to handle the point.
What percent of playing time did Matt, Ben and Jordan spend at the 1, the 2, and the 3? How many of the turnovers might have been caused by guards playing out of position?
KVW didn't play last night, but from an unsophisticated fan perspective to you guys who know the ins and outs of VU BB, will we see a line up of Capo, Vashil, KVW, Rowdy (and pick your PG) on the court for any lengthy stretches of a game? That's 6-10, 6-10, 6-8 and 6-7. Throw in Coleman or Boggs at 6-4 or Rossi at 6-5 and I'd call that a BIG line-up that is still pretty darned athletic. Has a shot blocker presence in the middle and two pounders inside with Ryan being Mr. Everything.
Just wondering.
Pics are super too.
Quote from: justducky on October 28, 2012, 10:30:38 AMWhat percent of playing time did Matt, Ben and Jordan spend at the 1, the 2, and the 3? How many of the turnovers might have been caused by guards playing out of position?
I believe a large percentage of the turnovers happened because the referees were way over aggresive with calling traveling. There must have been some directive to watch for it. I thought the traveling calls faded a bit towards the end of the game. I don't believe it cost Valpo a lot when Buggs was out for 16 minutes (Erik played 24 minutes). Didn't Buggs get several traveling calls also?
OK, we've heard comments on the game last night but what the heck was the score? And who scored how many, etc?
The pictures were great!
90-62
Box Score: http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/basketball-men/2012-13/Box%20Scores/mbbexh1.htm (http://www.valpoathletics.com/media/basketball-men/2012-13/Box%20Scores/mbbexh1.htm)
I agree with Paul Oren in that Matt Kenney has a good chance to win the HL 6th man of the year award. Brings as much energy as anyone in the league off the bench, and his outside shooting has improved.
Where did the pictures come from? They look pretty cool...done in photoshop?
Hope we can get plenty of those of the girls...and Coach Dorow *blush*
Fun game... Saw some flashes of great potential. (Drove 3 hours so that i could see the opener.)
I think it was hard to judge a lot from this game because you could tell that Bryce was trying to get a feel for his players and never really got a smooth rhythm. However, I predict a good season with this team. So many options will be difficult to defend against but we will need the experience that KVW brings. I'm looking forward to next weekend - and the rest of the season.
Do any of you now have a clearer picture of how the backup minutes at the point and off guard might be divided? At this time do we have any idea which of the trio of Ben, Matt or Jordan will play the most 2? Might Rossi also be given a look at this position? How will our turnover numbers look against big time competition? Can any of you answere all of these questions in ten words or less?
Bogan ended up running the point most of the time Buggs sat, although there were some occasions where he passed it off to Kenney. Granted, this will most likely change once Dority becomes eligible.
Rossi played some 2, but from what I saw, was mostly at the 3, with a brief stint at the 4.
No idea who will end up playing the most at the 2 spot, although Kenney's versatility might give him the upper hand, especially seeing his improved perimeter shooting.
Quote from: dgrinde13 on October 28, 2012, 06:09:45 PMBogan ended up running the point most of the time Buggs sat, although there were some occasions where he passed it off to Kenney. Granted, this will most likely change once Dority becomes eligible. Rossi played some 2, but from what I saw, was mostly at the 3, with a brief stint at the 4. No idea who will end up playing the most at the 2 spot, although Kenney's versatility might give him the upper hand, especially seeing his improved perimeter shooting.
More like regained perimeter shooting for Kenney rather than improved. Remember, he was 10/19 from three in the last five games of his freshman season and he was 17/36 from three during a 17 game stretch in the middle of his junior year last season. He just needs to be able to make threes on a consistent basis all year long, which he has not been able to do yet at Valpo.
Thanks for all of our comments regarding last night...looking forward to seeing the Crusaders in person...it should be a fun season to say the least!!
Quote from: SadersofthelostArc on October 28, 2012, 03:21:55 PM
Where did the pictures come from? They look pretty cool...done in photoshop?
Hope we can get plenty of those of the girls...and Coach Dorow *blush*
Thanks to all for the various kind comments about my hdr (high dynamic range) photos, a style I often use. Yes, I hope to take some pictures at a women's game in the future as well.
Also, although the chairbacks and reserved sections had a number of open spaces for this exhibition game, I want to compliment the students for pretty much filling their section at the visiting team's end of the court. I will be optimistic and hope this indicates the student support will be greater throughout the season than in recent years.
Meanwhile, here are a couple more of my shots from last night's game:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/28kho90.jpg)
(http://i49.tinypic.com/wjofs.jpg)
Hey valpopal, not to be a meanie, but every once in awhile could you post pictures with a regular look, and not have every picture look like a poster style piece of art?
Quote from: valporun on October 28, 2012, 08:22:30 PM
Hey valpopal, not to be a meanie, but every once in awhile could you post pictures with a regular look, and not have every picture look like a poster style piece of art?
I think we should start a thread for special requests. So far justducky wants answers to his questions in 10 words or less and valporun wants a mixture of regular and stylish game photos. Got it! ;)
Classless response, valporun.
Keep up the good work valpopal!
Quote from: wh on October 28, 2012, 09:16:31 PMQuote from: valporun on October 28, 2012, 08:22:30 PMHey valpopal, not to be a meanie, but every once in awhile could you post pictures with a regular look, and not have every picture look like a poster style piece of art?
I think we should start a thread for special requests. So far justducky wants answers to his questions in 10 words or less and valporun wants a mixture of regular and stylish game photos. Got it! ;)
And I would like to request more pics of Coach Dorow! :popcorn:
Quote from: valporun on October 28, 2012, 08:22:30 PM
Hey valpopal, not to be a meanie, but every once in awhile could you post pictures with a regular look, and not have every picture look like a poster style piece of art?
Sorry, valporun, no offense taken, but I don't usually do "regular look" photos of anything, whether architectural, landscape, social, or sports. I know you can find plenty of those type of "regular look" pictures from the games in the Times, Post-Tribune, or Torch, as well as at the Valpo Athletics web site or the VU flicker page. I figure there would be no need for me to repeat what the fine photographers for those sites are doing. I'm just offering a different perspective, which some seem to enjoy as an addition to those other journalistic photos available.
Quote from: valpopal on October 28, 2012, 10:26:59 PM
Quote from: valporun on October 28, 2012, 08:22:30 PM
Hey valpopal, not to be a meanie, but every once in awhile could you post pictures with a regular look, and not have every picture look like a poster style piece of art?
Sorry, valporun, no offense taken, but I don't usually do "regular look" photos of anything, whether architectural, landscape, social, or sports. I know you can find plenty of those type of "regular look" pictures from the games in the Times, Post-Tribune, or Torch, as well as at the Valpo Athletics web site or the VU flicker page. I figure there would be no need for me to repeat what the fine photographers for those sites are doing. I'm just offering a different perspective, which some seem to enjoy as an addition to those other journalistic photos available.
No explanation needed, bro. Your photos are awesome and the vast majority of us appreciate them greatly. Some just like to "pee in the Cheerios," so to speak. Keep up the fine work!
Anyone get a feel on how Vashil will be versus quicker guards driving the lane? You see a lot of the bigger guys get into foul trouble with athletic guards, especially when they don't have a lengthy playing background to know how to position their body to avoid the blocking fouls.
That would be the tallest line-up we have had in a long time (Capo, Vashil, KVW, and Rowdy). We had some tall teams when I was in school, as I believe I remember seeing Raitis (6'11")/Kikas (6'9")/Oppland (6'8")/Berdiel (6'6")/Nieves or Ortiz (6'3") on the floor at the same time occasionally during my 4th year (2002-2003).
FWIW just to add to the conversations, some thoughts on the exhibition opener:
Team - Increased depth, especially on the front line. Defense of starters should again be solid, but newcomers will need to step up defensively.
Newcomers - Capobianco will give needed size inside, but he needs to stay inside where we need him and not hanging around the 3-point line where he seems to want to play; if he had Kevin's footwork, he'd be a huge force. Fernandez is a work in progress, further along than Vucic was after three years but doesn't show much basketball IQ due to little of experience and has poor footwork and lack strength; can be intimidating defensively but must learn to keep arms extended rather than swatting down at the offensive player; limited offensively but showed promise on one pivot move under the basket. Rossi didn't have a great game and brought back memories of Boggs in his early games last year; gives a wing option but doesn't appear to play defense or rebound as well as Broekoff or Kenney. Coleman has a ton of athletic ability and is a great leaper, but didn't show much offensive power away from the rim; could be the odd man out in the rotation after Dority becomes eligible. Dority didn't play but looks very strong physically; probably will back up Boggs at the point and the guess is that he will be better offensively but not as good defensively (not a risky prediction, I know). None of the newcomers appear ready to win a starting position and IMHO Capobianco and Rossi would appear to be the two to get the most playing time with Dority joining them in December.
Returnees - Kevin didn't play of course, but the others looked to be in good form to start the season. As someone noted, Kenney seemed in mid-season form with his aggressiveness, energy and outside shooting. Ryan was Ryan. Buggs seemed to have the confidence you want in a senior, still doesn't look to shoot from outside although on his one attempt, his form looked improved perhaps at the result of off-season work. Bogan also showed a senior's confidence and improved awareness of his role on the team. Boggs could have received the most improved award for this one game; he was much more fluid in the offense than a year ago even when he ran the point when Eric was off the floor; won't be a shut down defender, but could be a very important part of the team this year and a surprise to HL team that didn't see much in him last year.
A couple of questions, sliman...
1) Do you think Vashil's defensive issues could be the height advantage against St. Joe's tallest players, who probably maxed out at 6'6" or 6'7"? (Swatting down being the major thing.)
2) In your observation of Dority, are you suggesting that he'll possibly be the offensive version of Buggs as the point?
Quote from: valporun on October 29, 2012, 02:33:10 PM1) Do you think Vashil's defensive issues could be the height advantage against St. Joe's tallest players, who probably maxed out at 6'6" or 6'7"? (Swatting down being the major thing.)
St. Joe actually maxed out at 6'8" freshman Aleksa Kojcinovic from La Lumiere, 6'7" junior D.J. Martinez from Troy, OH and 6'7" soph Ryan Rebholz from Fishers, IN. If those were their true heights and they didn't seem more than an inch off. As I said before I don't think St. Joe's problem is height or athletic ability but more fundamental basketball skills.
One of their guards was a real slasher who could really take it to the basket.
Quote from: sliman on October 29, 2012, 12:23:15 PM
FWIW just to add to the conversations, some thoughts on the exhibition opener:
Team - Increased depth, especially on the front line. Defense of starters should again be solid, but newcomers will need to step up defensively.
Newcomers - Capobianco will give needed size inside, but he needs to stay inside where we need him and not hanging around the 3-point line where he seems to want to play; if he had Kevin's footwork, he'd be a huge force. Fernandez is a work in progress, further along than Vucic was after three years but doesn't show much basketball IQ due to little of experience and has poor footwork and lack strength; can be intimidating defensively but must learn to keep arms extended rather than swatting down at the offensive player; limited offensively but showed promise on one pivot move under the basket. Rossi didn't have a great game and brought back memories of Boggs in his early games last year; gives a wing option but doesn't appear to play defense or rebound as well as Broekoff or Kenney. Coleman has a ton of athletic ability and is a great leaper, but didn't show much offensive power away from the rim; could be the odd man out in the rotation after Dority becomes eligible. Dority didn't play but looks very strong physically; probably will back up Boggs at the point and the guess is that he will be better offensively but not as good defensively (not a risky prediction, I know). None of the newcomers appear ready to win a starting position and IMHO Capobianco and Rossi would appear to be the two to get the most playing time with Dority joining them in December.
Returnees - Kevin didn't play of course, but the others looked to be in good form to start the season. As someone noted, Kenney seemed in mid-season form with his aggressiveness, energy and outside shooting. Ryan was Ryan. Buggs seemed to have the confidence you want in a senior, still doesn't look to shoot from outside although on his one attempt, his form looked improved perhaps at the result of off-season work. Bogan also showed a senior's confidence and improved awareness of his role on the team. Boggs could have received the most improved award for this one game; he was much more fluid in the offense than a year ago even when he ran the point when Eric was off the floor; won't be a shut down defender, but could be a very important part of the team this year and a surprise to HL team that didn't see much in him last year.
Honestly, if none of Capo/Rossi/Dority are good enough to win a starting job, then I think we may not be as good as everyone thinks. We're talking about Big 6 players...no offense to the great guys we have, but I would hope these newcomers are better than some of the returners.
It was a nice exhibition outing against a D2 team, an upgrade from last year's PNC game. This was a great game to get the boys on the floor and play against an opposing team instead of practicing against one another. StJ is not a very good D2 team this year, the bottom of the Great Lakes Conference, a powerhouse D2 league, but still there was some talent on the floor.
What we noticed at the game...
1. The biggest difference, apart from the physical abilities of VU, was the ability of the Crusaders to continue to move the ball by passing until the open man was found. Buggs had several outstanding passes which resulted in open shots and baskets. While Rossi didnt score, he tallied 6 assists. StJ had a tendancy to either take the ball to the basket resulting in a contested shot or rapidly (and wildly) taking an ill advised 3 point shot. Part of that might be the tendancy of the players to revert to individual one on one to "prove" they are are a D1 player, since this is possibly the only D1 team scheduled. My guess is that StJ will improve dramatically as the season progresses. Obviously none of their players are D1 and as soon as they realize that...the better the team will be.
2. On the other hand, VU appeared at midseason form running their offense. There were a few forced shots, primarily by newcomers (airball on first shot comes to mind, plus a few forced 3's), but when your best player, make that the league's best player sets the tone with unselfish play, then the balance of the team will fall into place. This team will continue the past success of finding the open man, unselfishly sacrificing individual play for team benefits.
3. These seniors are ready to play. There is nothing like a senior laden team that check's their egos at the door. This could be a very rewarding season. It SHOULD be a very rewarding season.
4. This is one very well coached team. Enjoy the coaching staff while you can, they are "movin on up".
5. Forget all the possiblities of these huge lineups. Height doesnt win games, skilled players do. The HL is a guard/forward league. Ryan at a 4 is just fine.
lowposter
Quote from: lowposter on October 30, 2012, 06:32:32 AM
It was a nice exhibition outing against a D2 team, an upgrade from last year's PNC game. This was a great game to get the boys on the floor and play against an opposing team instead of practicing against one another. StJ is not a very good D2 team this year, the bottom of the Great Lakes Conference, a powerhouse D2 league, but still there was some talent on the floor.
What we noticed at the game...
1. The biggest difference, apart from the physical abilities of VU, was the ability of the Crusaders to continue to move the ball by passing until the open man was found. Buggs had several outstanding passes which resulted in open shots and baskets. While Rossi didnt score, he tallied 6 assists. StJ had a tendancy to either take the ball to the basket resulting in a contested shot or rapidly (and wildly) taking an ill advised 3 point shot. Part of that might be the tendancy of the players to revert to individual one on one to "prove" they are are a D1 player, since this is possibly the only D1 team scheduled. My guess is that StJ will improve dramatically as the season progresses. Obviously none of their players are D1 and as soon as they realize that...the better the team will be.
2. On the other hand, VU appeared at midseason form running their offense. There were a few forced shots, primarily by newcomers (airball on first shot comes to mind, plus a few forced 3's), but when your best player, make that the league's best player sets the tone with unselfish play, then the balance of the team will fall into place. This team will continue the past success of finding the open man, unselfishly sacrificing individual play for team benefits.
3. These seniors are ready to play. There is nothing like a senior laden team that check's their egos at the door. This could be a very rewarding season. It SHOULD be a very rewarding season.
4. This is one very well coached team. Enjoy the coaching staff while you can, they are "movin on up".
5. Forget all the possiblities of these huge lineups. Height doesnt win games, skilled players do. The HL is a guard/forward league. Ryan at a 4 is just fine.
lowposter
1. Do you think other teams that know Buggs can't shoot will continue to play off him, eliminating some of those passing lanes?
2. I am hoping Ryan becomes a little more selfish, at least in specific moments. If he had a flaw last year, that was it.
3 & 5. Of course they'll be ready early as they're an experienced team, but this season comes down to the HL tournament and the auto bid (forget the at large bid). I am interested to see how they grow as the season progresses. Nothing else matters other than "The Dance". Also, I hope Bryce is preparing them for teams where size will matter, such as NCAA tournament teams! :)
4. I would agree. I don't see Powell sticking around for the long haul. Diebler and now possibly Kurth might, as they have some stake in the program. Some assistants do stay, but usually at higher level programs where the pay is better. They're also young enough they might want their own programs at some point. Either way, I think Bryce will find good basketball minds to replace them.
You are assuming that Bryce stays, which I highly doubt he will after this year. If it turns out like it should (NCAA bid), he will have bigger dawgs than Miss State after him in the summer ;)
Quote from: valpotx on October 30, 2012, 02:12:42 PM
You are assuming that Bryce stays, which I highly doubt he will after this year. If it turns out like it should (NCAA bid), he will have bigger dawgs than Miss State after him in the summer ;)
Bryce may or may not leave. That will be a much more interesting question than most people think. Bryce came to Valpo because of his father, and because he had ties to the community and school. Does that loyalty keep him here? I am going to paraphrase a quote asked of Bryce out of HS...Don't you want to play big time college basketball? Why can't we play big time college basketball at Valpo? Or something to that extent. In the end he did choose Valpo over much bigger and better programs.
Scott Drew leaving was one thing and not surprising at all. Bryce leaving would be a little harder, for both Bryce and Valpo.
*If Bryce does indeed leave, Greg Tonagel is right down the road
Quote from: milanmiracle on October 30, 2012, 11:50:23 AMthis season comes down to the HL tournament and the auto bid (forget the at large bid). I am interested to see how they grow as the season progresses. Nothing else matters other than "The Dance".
Milan has stated this a few times and I wonder if other posters agree?
I disagree, because that type of thinking leads to minimizing the importance of non-conference games (refer to Mark Lazerus's comment last year that the IPFW loss "meant absolutely nothing" to Valpo). I'm assuming the coaching staff and team feel differently, especially after Valpo was voted as over-whelming favorites to win the league. I would hope their goal is to make this a special season ... not just roll the dice and hope they play well in March like Milan suggests. Even if Valpo wins the HL tourney, their seed (and chances for advancing) will depend largely upon how they perform in November and December. Agree?
Quote from: zvillehaze on October 30, 2012, 04:45:18 PM
Quote from: milanmiracle on October 30, 2012, 11:50:23 AMthis season comes down to the HL tournament and the auto bid (forget the at large bid). I am interested to see how they grow as the season progresses. Nothing else matters other than "The Dance".
Milan has stated this a few times and I wonder if other posters agree?
I disagree, because that type of thinking leads to minimizing the importance of non-conference games (refer to Mark Lazerus's comment last year that the IPFW loss "meant absolutely nothing" to Valpo). I'm assuming the coaching staff and team feel differently, especially after Valpo was voted as over-whelming favorites to win the league. I would hope their goal is to make this a special season ... not just roll the dice and hope they play well in March like Milan suggests. Even if Valpo wins the HL tourney, their seed (and chances for advancing) will depend largely upon how they perform in November and December. Agree?
Couldn't agree more haze. All the games are important, as you suggest, if for no other reason than seeding. I tend to agree that an at-large will be difficult--impossible unless we do well in the non-conference--but still a possibility.
I also couldn't agree more with Zville.
Detroit and Valpo have great OOC schedules with ample opportunities for both teams to do well.
Valpo= @ Nebraska, Kent State, St Louis, New Mexico, and Murray State. Nebraska maybe a lesser team, but their RPI will be raised because the B1G will actually be pretty good this year. You go 4-1 in that stretch, and beat all Horizon teams not named Detroit and Green Bay, and you should get at large.
With Butler gone, there is nothing more I would love than Detroit and Valpo both get in the tourney this year.
Quote from: zvillehaze on October 30, 2012, 04:45:18 PM
Quote from: milanmiracle on October 30, 2012, 11:50:23 AMthis season comes down to the HL tournament and the auto bid (forget the at large bid). I am interested to see how they grow as the season progresses. Nothing else matters other than "The Dance".
Milan has stated this a few times and I wonder if other posters agree?
I disagree, because that type of thinking leads to minimizing the importance of non-conference games (refer to Mark Lazerus's comment last year that the IPFW loss "meant absolutely nothing" to Valpo). I'm assuming the coaching staff and team feel differently, especially after Valpo was voted as over-whelming favorites to win the league. I would hope their goal is to make this a special season ... not just roll the dice and hope they play well in March like Milan suggests. Even if Valpo wins the HL tourney, their seed (and chances for advancing) will depend largely upon how they perform in November and December. Agree?
Here's where I am coming from with winning the HL tournament to get an NCAA bid.
I don't think the schedule is strong enough to warrant an at large bid unless they go something and 2 or 3. Remember Cleveland State was a bubble team when they only had 2 losses last year. Of course they fell apart at the end and it didn't matter, but the point was it's hard to get a good look without beating teams in the RPI top 50. People were even wondering if Murray State would be an at large team if they lost to St. Mary's in the bracketbuster.
http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/ncbexperts/id/7569945/ncb-murray-state-needs-beat-saint-mary-bracketbusters-ensure-large-bid (http://insider.espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/ncbexperts/id/7569945/ncb-murray-state-needs-beat-saint-mary-bracketbusters-ensure-large-bid)
Keep in mind that Murray State beat Memphis, W. Kentucky, and Dayton prior to that article.
New Mexico, St. Louis and Murray State are nice games, and they'll likely finish in the top 100, so those wins are necessary and vital to any chance of an at large bid. Nebraska is a good name and I am estatic that Valpo scheduled a beatable BCS school, but they were bad last year, and now they have a new coach. They aren't going to help the RPI any.
I wish all the eggs didn't have to go in the HL tournament basket, but I feel that's the only way Valpo is going to dance, and if they don't dance the rest of the season was well... :-X
I agree and disagree with Milan. Non conference games are important because they are tied to RPI. It is possible that RPI can be used as a seeding tiebreaker for the HL tournament as '72 referenced. These D-I games therefore count in general in my mind.
On the other hand, IMO there will hardly be any way that a nine team mid major league that just lost its media darling (and now may be perceived as being weaker as a result) will be a multiple bid NCAA league. And this is where I agree with Milan--whether warranted or not, as long as the perception exists that the HL is weaker now than it was when Butler was a member, it will be the HL tournament that will decide the one bid no matter who wins what OOC.
To change this perception, a good start would be a Sweet 16 or bust mentality this year for both VU and Detroit.
Just my .02.
I agree with joe on this but also think that the league may surprise some folks with early wins. Detroit, Valpo and Green Bay have the talent to wins some games and change the view of the Horizon to something tough versus something that just lost Butler.
I agree that the HL could surprise as far as OOC. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think a nine team mid major league in and of itself is not capable of producing multiple bids. That's happened before as far as Valpo is concerned—see the Mid Con of 1991 when both UWGB and Northern Illinois made the tournament. I'm just not quite sure at this point that OOC wins on their own will displace the Butler effect at least this season, since they just left last year.
" I'm just not quite sure at this point that OOC wins on their own will displace the Butler effect at least this season, since they just left last year."
Oh, oh Joe. You're itching to breathe more life into 2013-14 HL additions speculation, aren't you. ;)
If we win each of the OOC conference games, and only lose 2-3 conference games, I would have to think that we would get an at-large like Murray State most likely would have last year. Obviously, I highly doubt that we win all the OOC games, but one can dream :)
...wouldn't it be more likely that we lose 2-3 OOC, run the table conf reg season, and still get an at-large bid if we slipped up in the conf championship?
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on October 31, 2012, 12:22:08 PM...wouldn't it be more likely that we lose 2-3 OOC, run the table conf reg season, and still get an at-large bid if we slipped up in the conf championship?
No.
Just because one team goes 16-0 in conference doesn't mean that the conference deserves 2 bids to the NCAA tourney.
Quote from: historyman on October 31, 2012, 12:43:28 PM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on October 31, 2012, 12:22:08 PM...wouldn't it be more likely that we lose 2-3 OOC, run the table conf reg season, and still get an at-large bid if we slipped up in the conf championship?
No.
Just because one team goes 16-0 in conference doesn't mean that the conference deserves 2 bids to the NCAA tourney.
The chance of our losing only 3 OOC games should be under 45% and for only 2 it should be close to 0%. So I would have to agree that a near run of the Horizon League is required but that run might just be enough. We will have a much clearer picture of this when the team returns from Nebraska. Until then I am just hoping that our returning guard play is up to the task.
QuoteNo.
Just because one team goes 16-0 in conference doesn't mean that the conference deserves 2 bids to the NCAA tourney.
Not what I said. Would we not merit an at-large with a 26-3 ish record, regardless of whether the losses were in or out of conference?
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on October 31, 2012, 04:59:10 PM
QuoteNo.
Just because one team goes 16-0 in conference doesn't mean that the conference deserves 2 bids to the NCAA tourney.
Not what I said. Would we not merit an at-large with a 26-3 ish record, regardless of whether the losses were in or out of conference?
If the three losses are to New Mexico, St. Louis and Murray State...then no, it's unlikely.
Road games this year against Nebraska, Kent State, Saint Louis, New Mexico, Missouri State, Oakland, and Murray State. Throw in the 8 league road games. I don't see 26-3 likely, but if it does happen, Valpo will definitely get an at-large bid.
All the "26-3" talk makes me chuckle a bit. You do have access to a schedule, right? ;)
If Valpo loses 3 non-conference games, 2 league games and loses in the HL finals, they would be sitting at 27-6 on Selection Sunday. For reference, the last HL team to get an at-large bid was 26-5 on Selection Sunday and got a #9 seed. Feel free to write it off as unlikely (or impossible) if you'd like, but it seems silly to do that before your team has played a game. :twocents:
I would add one contingency to zville's assessment. The 2 conference losses cannot be to bottom tier HL teams. Prior to our loss in last year's tournament championship game we were 7-0 against the 2nd-4th place teams(which was great), but inexplicably split with 4 of the other 6 lesser teams. Those are all considered bad losses, and that won't pass muster. The few Mid majors that earn at-larges will have beaten the teams they're supposed to beat.
Quote from: zvillehaze on October 31, 2012, 10:05:32 PMIf Valpo loses 3 non-conference games, 2 league games and loses in the HL finals, they would be sitting at 27-6 on Selection Sunday.
It's nice to correct things that people get wrong, but it's more helpful when you actually get what I said right...or rather, not helpful because then there's nothing to correct.
I said
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on October 31, 2012, 12:22:08 PMrun the table conf reg season
so we would be (say) 26-3 going into the conf tourney (actually 28 now that I counted the games), lose in the finals, and be 30-4.
Thirty wins and no at-large bid? How many of those have there been?
All right, so if you're going to ask a rhetorical question, you might as well be the one to try to answer it.
The best way I have found to answer it is to go through the NIT...if a 30-win team missed the Big Dance, well they'd pretty much sure as heck would make the NIT (you'd think)...
Best mid-major (or low-) at-large records in the NIT
2011 Coastal Carolina (Big South) 28-5
2010 Coastal Carolina (Big South) 28-6
2009 Creighton (MVC) 26-7; St. Mary's (WCC) 26-6; Davidson (SoCon) 26-7; Niagara (MAAC) 26-8
2008 Robert Morris (NEC) 26-7; Stephen F. Austin (Southland) 26-5
From 2006 and before, Wikipedia does not give the records of the teams (which, why not?)
Nevertheless, I feel confident in taking a slight leap and declaring that in the last six years, no team who has won 29 or more games in the regular season has missed the NCAA tournament.
All you guys are doing with this 26-3, Sweet 16, etc talk is providing a lot of bulletin board material for our opponents.
We should have a good team. Maybe even a special one. But I'll take the conservative, "take it one game at a time" approach, thank you. For all we know, Georgia Southern might come in here for the first game on Nov. 9 and give us a beat down. Our last two real games feature a 20-point drubbing at home and a lethargic smackdown at the hands of a pedestrian NIT qualifier. To cite just one (admittedly old) example of overconfidence, back in 1984-85 IU was coming off a Elite 8 season with everybody back. Preseason ranked #4. IU then proceeded to spend the entire season proving the experts didn't know what they were talking about: a 19-14 final record that was rightfully rewarded with banishment to the NIT. (When asked what he liked best about that year's team, Bob Knight, before the final NIT game, said: "After tonight I won't have to watch them anymore.")
Paul
If the Georgia Southern or St. Louis or Detroit players are spending time on this board, then let them have all the "bulletin board material" they need. They should probably be practicing instead of scouring obscure enemy websites, you think?
While of course, we only play one game at a time, since this is shaping up to be a historic year, the question is valid:
what does it take to get to the NCAA tourney? There are two ways: automatic or at-large (duh).
But we KNOW how to get the auto bid. In light of last year, however, we are justly allowed to wonder, "how do we get an at-large bid?"
[Brady Hoke voice] "Well, kids, first you have to lose your conference tourney..." [/farley'd]
In all seriousness, I think we've found that we can be assured of an at-large bid with a solid 30-win season, and perhaps even with 29-5, provided we can't find a way to win at least one conference final on our home court.
Now that we have that pretty much solved, we'll know by conference tourney time whether we have to win out or not to have any chance at the Dance, won't we?
I also prefer to take the one game at a time conservative approach. We are one high ankle sprain or balky knee away from a good but not great season. I believe this will be a "special" season, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Remember that Ryan and the team had a bout of some sort of illness at the end of the HL tournament and for the NIT game, that is all it took.
I agree with Apostle that there is probably a 0.0001% chance that any opponent of ours knows a single post off of our forum :)
Apostle, I believe it was in 2006 that the NIT started giving out bids to the regular season conference champions who didn't make the NCAA tournament. This is how you were able to find the top mid-major/low-major teams was with the changed format when the NCAA purchased the NIT.
I mean, this is standard video game theory: know how many lives/how much health you have left at any given time.
If we say we only have 5 "lives", then we know we can't take any nights off against the IPFWs of the year.
As far as the NIT--I think it's simply because I was going off Wikipedia, and no one bothered to put the records in for 2006 or before that. But you are correct that it was in 2006 that the NCAA instituted the "auto-bid". In 2007 and after someone with spare time started inputting the teams' records. I guess I don't blame them for not going further back.
How about Al McGuire and Marquette in 1970? Rejecting their NCAA bid to play in the NIT? That's amazing.
Quote from: FWalum on November 01, 2012, 03:40:59 PM
I also prefer to take the one game at a time conservative approach. We are one high ankle sprain or balky knee away from a good but not great season. I believe this will be a "special" season, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Remember that Ryan and the team had a bout of some sort of illness at the end of the HL tournament and for the NIT game, that is all it took.
[/b]
That is what the difference with this year's team and last year's team. At the NIT game Harris didn't even make the trip and Matt Kenney didn't play either. Some the guys were not at 100% and we played with 6 guys.
That won't happen this year unless the plague hits the team. Last year we played with 8 guys, 1 7'er who could maybe help for a minute or two and 2 walkons. This year we go 11 deep with players who are interchangeable.
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on November 02, 2012, 09:14:37 AMHow about Al McGuire and Marquette in 1970? Rejecting their NCAA bid to play in the NIT? That's amazing.
Apostle, prior to NBC and CBS really buying into the future of the NCAA tournament as we know it now, the NIT was the National Championship tournament. The NCAA was more like the NIT at the time. Also, prior to 2006, unless a mid-major had a really big year, including a big school upset, they didn't regularly get NIT invites. I think Valpo got lucky in 2003 with an NIT bid because our recent NCAA bids and the honeymoon period on the Sweet 16. Once the NCAA bought the NIT, and gave all regular season conference champions bids to the NIT, it opened up the postseason to more mid-majors, and changed that we now have really subpar teams making the postseason to fill in CBI/CIT fields, much like those pre-Christmas/pre-New Year's Day bowl games featuring a battle of bad 6-5 5th or 6th place WAC/MAC football teams.
Quote from: valporun on November 02, 2012, 11:09:22 AM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on November 02, 2012, 09:14:37 AMHow about Al McGuire and Marquette in 1970? Rejecting their NCAA bid to play in the NIT? That's amazing.
Apostle, prior to NBC and CBS really buying into the future of the NCAA tournament as we know it now, the NIT was the National Championship tournament. The NCAA was more like the NIT at the time. Also, prior to 2006, unless a mid-major had a really big year, including a big school upset, they didn't regularly get NIT invites. I think Valpo got lucky in 2003 with an NIT bid because our recent NCAA bids and the honeymoon period on the Sweet 16. Once the NCAA bought the NIT, and gave all regular season conference champions bids to the NIT, it opened up the postseason to more mid-majors, and changed that we now have really subpar teams making the postseason to fill in CBI/CIT fields, much like those pre-Christmas/pre-New Year's Day bowl games featuring a battle of bad 6-5 5th or 6th place WAC/MAC football teams.
An even bigger key to getting the NIT bid in 2003 was being willing to hop on the bus immediately for a Monday night road game.
Add to this that our short-term memory has overshadowed the fact that the field (and the hype and the control by the networks) has grown exponentially. It used to take a couple of weeks to crown a champ. Now it takes a whole month.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2012, 11:50:45 AM
Add to this that our short-term memory has overshadowed the fact that the field (and the hype and the control by the networks) has grown exponentially. It used to take a couple of weeks to crown a champ. Now it takes a whole month.
Of course, it used to only take a couple of weeks because you didn't have so many conferences, 300+ D-I teams, and it was more "you win your regular season title, and YOU'RE IN!!" Not so much about the money grab that is the conference tournament of today. Plus, the tournament field was only 32 teams, so you were playing the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the Championship game in the matter of a weekend, rather than three weeks of 68 to 64 to 32 to 16 to 8 to 4 to 2 to the NC! Plus, doing away with the 3rd place game that might have been a recruiting tool when the gyms were all very small, but now would just be a boring game that two teams would play mostly reserves in because they wouldn't care about it.
Quote from: chef on October 31, 2012, 09:22:05 PM
Road games this year against Nebraska, Kent State, Saint Louis, New Mexico, Missouri State, Oakland, and Murray State. Throw in the 8 league road games. I don't see 26-3 likely, but if it does happen, Valpo will definitely get an at-large bid.
In the 7 OOC road games, we are currently favored to lose these games according to either Massey or RealTimeRPI:
http://realtimerpi.com/ncaab/281_Men.html?Valparaiso (http://realtimerpi.com/ncaab/281_Men.html?Valparaiso)
http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=8361&s=193573 (http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=8361&s=193573)
I think we can pull out 3 or 4 wins, if we gel as a team early this year. With this schedule and the HL season and tourney, we'll be doing extremely well to only have 7 or less losses when NCAA time comes around.
Run, I believe that there were around 316 D-1 schools when we were in school, which has since become 346! There are 282 in D-2, 446 in D-3, and over 300 NAIA. I am sure that more shifts will be coming as the economy recovers.
tx, VULB#62 was talking about how it only took a couple of weeks, not a whole month, for the NCAA tourney to play out. This was before the NCAA had 300+ D-I teams. I'll agree with your numbers from when we were at Valpo, but it's the whole evolution of the tournament over the years/decades, not just since the NCAA allowed all kinds of division/conference jumping in the last decade or so.
Speculation over the last few years is that the Dance is going to keep on getting bigger...I've heard serious calls for a D-1 tourney in which every team in D-1 is in the field! Crazy talk....but 96 teams wouldn't be shocking...it's all about the almight dollar. But, I'd hope the NCAA goon squad understands one very important principle---mo' money, mo' problems.
Quote from: 78crusader on November 01, 2012, 02:31:59 PM(When asked what he liked best about that year's team, Bob Knight, before the final NIT game, said: "After tonight I won't have to watch them anymore.")
I always liked that one! Another one is John McKay: Following a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss in their early seasons, McKay was asked what he thought of his team's "execution." He replied, "I'm all for it."
WVUR webcast will be working for Robert Morris game. Karl Berner and I will be on the call.
Thank goodness and oh, by the way, I regularly check nwi.com for info. any stories coming up??
Quote from: valporun on November 02, 2012, 11:09:22 AM
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on November 02, 2012, 09:14:37 AMHow about Al McGuire and Marquette in 1970? Rejecting their NCAA bid to play in the NIT? That's amazing.
Apostle, prior to NBC and CBS really buying into the future of the NCAA tournament as we know it now, the NIT was the National Championship tournament. The NCAA was more like the NIT at the time. Also, prior to 2006, unless a mid-major had a really big year, including a big school upset, they didn't regularly get NIT invites. I think Valpo got lucky in 2003 with an NIT bid because our recent NCAA bids and the honeymoon period on the Sweet 16. Once the NCAA bought the NIT, and gave all regular season conference champions bids to the NIT, it opened up the postseason to more mid-majors, and changed that we now have really subpar teams making the postseason to fill in CBI/CIT fields, much like those pre-Christmas/pre-New Year's Day bowl games featuring a battle of bad 6-5 5th or 6th place WAC/MAC football teams.
Us old timers will remember that it was actually "The Game" in 1979 that started to alter everything. The NCAA went from 32 teams in 1978 to 64 in 1985. This is exactly why the ESPN thing is total BS. They heavily weighed the most recent years, discounting the importance of the NIT prior to 1978.
Quote from: Pgmado on November 02, 2012, 07:49:35 PM
WVUR webcast will be working for Robert Morris game. Karl Berner and I will be on the call.
Karl Berner, that's a name from the past. I hope there are no problems with the WVUR feed this week. I felt out of the loop last Saturday without my Crusader basketball fix.
Quote from: zvillehaze on October 31, 2012, 10:05:32 PM
All the "26-3" talk makes me chuckle a bit. You do have access to a schedule, right? ;)
If Valpo loses 3 non-conference games, 2 league games and loses in the HL finals, they would be sitting at 27-6 on Selection Sunday. For reference, the last HL team to get an at-large bid was 26-5 on Selection Sunday and got a #9 seed. Feel free to write it off as unlikely (or impossible) if you'd like, but it seems silly to do that before your team has played a game. :twocents:
THIS.
Prognosticate to your hearts content, folks. Count me as one who prefers to watch the season unfold. I'm content with the fact that the schedule is built with at-large in mind, as LeCrone likes to say. I really don't care one wit how likely it is. I prefer to watch them try their best to make it happen. And if they win the auto-bid, it becomes their best attempt at an unprecedented seed.
Quote from: Pgmado on November 02, 2012, 07:49:35 PM
WVUR webcast will be working for Robert Morris game. Karl Berner and I will be on the call.
No Packers talk Paul ;)
Karl Berner is the man.
He should probably post much more on here, except not type, but dictate mp3s so we can all hear his voice.
Although, like the movies, I could probably call it up just from the written word :)