I'll update the rankings on URI after the polls come out on Monday. Thought #1: 4-17 from 3-point range will not create a W. 17 Steals might create a W.
URi with wins over Marist 107-65 (H), Dartmouth 84-61(H), Brown 79-72 (H), Cincinnati 76-71 (N), Belmont 82-73 (H), one loss is to Duke, 75-65 (N).
Here's their Roster
http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/2016-17/roster
and here's their stat sheet... 4 starters averaging over 10 points/game
http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/2016-17/teams/rhodeisland?view=profile&r=0&pos=sh
Over the past 31 seasons... here's Valpo's record based on the game # for the season:
#1: 18-13
#2: 17-14
#3: 18-13
#4: 16-15
#5: 18-13
#6: 18-13
#7: 18-13
Tuesday is game #8... our record is 12-18 in the past 30 years... which is the second lowest W-L% of any game on the schedule. (game #27 is only 11-19, 37%).
Last year's game at Ball State was #8.
three years ago, the 114-108 3OT loss to Mercer was #8
I love it when a guy watches 1 game and becomes a match-up expert:
From the URI board:
Forget last year. Two different teams.
I watched their game against Ball St today. They came back to get the win but trust me, this Valpo team can not hang with us. Peters may get his but we will shut everyone else down.
We will have a huge advantage at the guard positions and I think we will be just fine around the basket as well. Haas will do his best to contain Peters.
They have very little depth. Our style of defense is going to wear them down.
This game isn't a toss-up. We will win handily.
Please note we will have to deal with a couple of real Valpo homers on the ESPN3 broadcast. Will be nice to shut them up with a resounding victory.
Can you tell I'm confident in this one?
Quote from: wh on November 27, 2016, 05:47:12 PM
I love it when a guy watches 1 game and becomes a match-up expert:
From the URI board:
Forget last year. Two different teams.
I watched their game against Ball St today. They came back to get the win but trust me, this Valpo team can not hang with us. Peters may get his but we will shut everyone else down.
We will have a huge advantage at the guard positions and I think we will be just fine around the basket as well. Haas will do his best to contain Peters.
They have very little depth. Our style of defense is going to wear them down.
This game isn't a toss-up. We will win handily.
Please note we will have to deal with a couple of real Valpo homers on the ESPN3 broadcast. Will be nice to shut them up with a resounding victory.
Can you tell I'm confident in this one?
Very little upside in a post like that. What a moron.
URI is probably a better team than us, but the home court advantage, combined with this being URI's 1st true road game, makes this one a toss up. Not going to predict a winner...but will be a 5 point game one way or the other.
URI 62
Valpo. 57
74-60 Valpo puts the hurt on them.
I think this game is important far beyond the final score. Don't get me wrong, would love a W. But this is one of the few times a ranked team comes into the ARC. I really hope the athletic department is going all out to promote this game. A packed student section, an upper level mostly full, and an entertaining game could go a long way toward having this program taking the next step we all hope and believe it can. We don't typically draw well on school nights, and we don't typically draw well in the non conference. Having attended many games at many different schools over the past twenty years, I would say going back to the 90s we've always had a good to great game day experience. The next step is converting that to butts in the seats. Consistently. I know the problems and possible solutions to that have been discussed at length on this board, but frankly, none of us are paid to make this program a success. I will be be bitterly disappointed if i don't see an aggressive media/social media campaign over the next 48 hours. I'm already disappointed no special announcements or promotions were announced at the Ball State game.
Regardless, we can do our part. Tell your friends, neighbors and invite anyone who loves roundball. Expect a lengthy rant Wednesday one way or the other.
Quote from: wh on November 27, 2016, 05:47:12 PMFrom the URI board:
Forget last year. Two different teams.
I watched their game against Ball St today. They came back to get the win but trust me, this Valpo team can not hang with us. Peters may get his but we will shut everyone else down.
We will have a huge advantage at the guard positions and I think we will be just fine around the basket as well. Haas will do his best to contain Peters.
They have very little depth. Our style of defense is going to wear them down.
This game isn't a toss-up. We will win handily.
While his logic may be flawed his conclusion may be accurate (depends on his definition of winning handily). Our short guard play is still somewhat down (Tevonn ???), as is our depth and interior defense. So our play has been spotty our shooting weak and our early ticket sales for the game abysmal. With all that I am still expecting a hard fought battle with a close outcome.
Longer term even if we win on Tuesday I do not yet believe we have any realistic at-large hope. Way too much work yet to be done. Matt will need to keep in focus the deeper player rotations that will give us some mileage in February and March.
The braggart from the URI board made several solid (albeit discourteous) points. I disagree with his statement regarding the "announcers," and I question whether URI will "will win handily." If Valpo plays its typical lackluster home game like the others this season, URI will indeed win handily. My hope is that we (finally) play a quality first half. If we had played URI instead of Ball State today, we would have been blown out by 20+.
First 1,000 people get T-shirts.... I have no idea what the promotion is... and something nice at halftime.
I don't care that Rhode Island is currently ranked, that won't matter to our guys. We seem to only get intimidated by the big name programs that are ranked. You don't look at the URI jersey and get tense like you would with any storied programs or top ranked teams. Since we are at home:
Valpo 74
URI 67
I think we finally break out of our 3 point shooting slump.
Valpo 71
URI 64
This is actually a pretty tough spot for Rhode Island. It's their first road game of the year, and Valpo will be highly motivated to beat their first ranked team since the 90s (although Valpo has beat teams that were eventually ranked). There's much more to lose for URI, as this would move them out of the top 25 and damage their at-large resume (but hopefully not much at all [emoji4] ). I would assume Vegas is going to have URI favored by 4 or 5, but that's going to be a tough one to figure. On paper, URI has more talent, but this is basketball where home teams like IPFW can beat IU. It's just asinine to make declarations like "this one won't be close." Okay dude.
Also, the hot take that the game will hinge on guard play is fairly suspect, especially after EC Matthews just went 1-6 against Belmont (not exactly known for their defense). They still won easily. URI's clear advantage is Hassan Martin and without Vashil (who had an awesome game last year), Valpo will need to have Jubril play much better on defense than he's played all year.
Still, if Valpo finds their shot and shoots well at home, this is a very winable game. Valpo hasn't been a "drain the shot clock, look for mismatch" type team that they've been in the past. They're playing at a much quicker pace, and pretty much everyone has been given the green light. They haven't gone full UWGB, but we've (unfortunately for Valpo) seen up-tempo, faster paced teams upset better teams on paper by simply shooting well.
I would not expect a big crowd. As of now, there are still 212 seats available in the lower "bowl" and barely a dent upstairs--14 seats sold in CC. ??? I'd guess 3127.
We haven't beaten a ranked team at home in 28 years. To be fair, there haven't been that many opportunities, but it's been 28 years nonetheless. I think the URI fan is right about our lack of depth generally. If no one steps up and we get very little quality minutes from the bench, it's going to be a long night, and you can look for that near three decade streak to continue.
Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws. Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws. Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws.
I agree with the previous comment that this is a tricky game for Rhode Island. First road game and it is in a different (i.e. smaller) type of place to play. I hope that the early indications on attendance are wrong. This is every bit the same quality game that Florida State and Saint Mary's was last season and the ARC was packed for Saint Mary's. Valpo is a great environment when there is a large crowd and a quality opponent.
I like Valpo's four guard rotation against a better team like Rhode Island. All four of them hustle and can get after it defensively. My guess is that they all bring their A game tomorrow night. I expect a close game and see outside shooting as the key for Valparaiso to win. Hard to see Valpo winning if they shoot 20-25% from three point range, definitely possible to see them winning if they shoot 40%+. Rhode Island will likely double Peters when he has the ball, so need others to hit the open shot.
Quote from: vu72 on November 28, 2016, 07:45:36 AM
I would not expect a big crowd. As of now, there are still 212 seats available in the lower "bowl" and barely a dent upstairs--14 seats sold in CC. ??? I'd guess 3127.
It may be some kind of test of regional support. Of the depth of "I come for a few games a year" fans or how many serious CBB fans there are among IU, Purdue, ND, and VHS fans that will come out for a good game on a week night.
I'm not even sure the student section will be full. Week night. School night. Crunch time for classes, last exams. Not even a TV game (too bad!).
Hopefully I'm pleasantly surprised, the student section overflows (and it's been good so far apart from Ball State), there are at least 4k in the stands, and they're noisy.
OK, with a a combination of reading this thread, my kids being the right age, and the opportunity to take time off to get there, I am going to take my family to the game tomorrow. While I do not post here much, I lurk often and I am a VU grad and huge fan. That said, I have not had the opportunity to go to a game in years. If possible, I would like to ask some of those "in the know" on this board for some advice on what to do for the game. My kids are young (11 son -basketball player- and 9 daughter -dancer- seeing the Crusaderettes is going to blow my daughter's mind :thumbsup:), but I want to make a great first impression for them of my school. Eventhough, they have never been there, I have watched many a Valparaiso basketball games on TV with my children (my son even cried when when we lost in the Horizon tourney last year). Long story short, I want them to leave with the best Valparaiso University experience as possible. On a side note, I am planning on arriving in Valparaiso at around 3:30 to 4pm and I have not bought tickets yet (I am weighing options on which ones to buy). Thank you in advance everyone for your anticipated help. As a father and a grad, I just want to cement a love of VU with my kids and you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Thanks again.
A few quick ideas:
I don't usually favor a big meal pre-game. But, if you want a sit down meal, you could do much worse than Industrial Revolution. My kids, similar ages, really like it. Good beer, pretty good food (some of the better burgers in town) and fantastic decorations, a tribute to NW Indiana's industrial heritage. Close to campus.
I don't know that it's quintessentially Valpo (maybe it should be!) but you could do much worse than Barada Kabob, just north of campus, for a lighter/quicker (but slower than fast food) pre-game meal.
At the game, Culvers custard would help make any kid's evening.
If I were you I'd consider picking up tickets in advance - print them at home, or the box office is open until 4 PM (and then probably from 6 PM?); or you can probably phone ahead and have them at Will Call from the box office. But, I don't think there's too much risk of a sell-out (alas).
Parking at 6:20 or a bit later probably gets you there in plenty of time for all of the pre-game festivities (not sure when you'd have to arrive to get the first 1000 handout). At that hour, I don't think you'd have any problem parking south of the softball field, in either of the two fair-sized lots there. If you're closer to game time and there's a good crowd you might get pushed behind the Union instead.
If you wanted to look around campus a bit _and_ get there for the anthem, etc. you could arrive around 6 PM. Maybe peek into the Union or the VUCA. The Chapel could be a priority, but is apparently open to the public only until 6 PM (after that you'd need to try to catch a student or someone to let you in). Maybe the library. No Christmas decorations just yet (that's later in the week), but you could see a bit of campus.
Here's a thought. There are a couple of timeout fan contests that you might get your son in. One is a FT shooting contest between 2 kids shooting at opposite ends of the court (or students at times). In another one 1 contestant tries to bounce a basketball into a garbage can placed at center. The fans really get into it and it's something special he would be able to add to his experience. I don't know how they choose contestants, but a guy 2 seats over from me yesterday participated in the FT shooting contest. I heard him say it was his birthday, so he obviously let someone know in advance. If you're interested, I suggest you contact someone in the athletic office today.
Also, if we win, make sure they ring the victory bell outside adjacent to the west end parking lot. You won't be alone. Several people (mostly kids) will be taking a turn. It's a cool way to add to the experience.
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 12:10:18 PM
OK, a combination of reading this thread, my kids being the right age, and the opportunity to take time off to get there, I am going to take my family to the game tomorrow. While I do not post here much, I lurk often and I am a VU grad and huge fan. That said, I have not had the opportunity to go to a game in years. If possible, I would like to ask some of those "in the know" on this board for some advice on what to do for the game. My kids are young (11 son -basketball player- and 9 daughter -dancer- seeing the Crusaderettes is going to blow my daughter's mind :thumbsup:), but I want to make a great first impression for them of my school. Eventhough, they have never been there, I have watched many a Valparaiso basketball games on TV with my children (my son even cried when when we lost in the Horizon tourney last year). Long story short, I want them to leave with the best Valparaiso University experience as possible. On a side note, I am planning on arriving in Valparaiso at around 3:30 to 4pm and I have not bought tickets yet (I am weighing options on which ones to buy). Thank you in advance everyone for your anticipated help. As a father and a grad, I just want to cement a love of VU with my kids and you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Thanks again.
I would think you might want to buy tickets on-line at the Valpo Athletics site. You can then pick them up at will call. Based on current availability the only lower level seats where you can get three together are either in F (chairback $25 per seat) or in E at $10 per seat but this is behind the visitor bench and others can comment on this but I would think there may be some foul language originating from that area. I'd go to the upper deck , section CC, which is the middle of the court and you can still get seats a few rows up easily.
As for pregame I would think you might want to go to the Union for a bite to eat where your kids can see a bunch of students etc and head to the bookstore to see all the Valpo stuff. I'd get to the arena at least 30 minutes a head of the start to get into the swing of things with the players shooting and band getting things rolling. Those who live in Valpo may have a better idea. Have a blast!!
Thank you for the advice on game experiences for tomorrow. You guys are the best! I reached out to the athletic department and the basketball team via Facebook messenger. Any advice on who to specifically contact in the at the athletic office?
Big game tomorrow! We need a big crowd
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 01:25:29 PM
Sorry to hijack the thread, but are the seats in section F right behind the team and near where the Crusaderettes and cheerleaders are?
This is the best way to buy tickets... you can see an interactive seat map:
http://www.etix.com/ticket/p/7663876/valpo-mens-basketball-vsrhode-island-valparaiso-valparaiso-universityathleticsrecreation-center-arc?cobrand=valpo
The cheerleaders are by section A (right in front of the bench), while the dancers are usually by the student section (section E/F).
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 01:25:29 PMSorry to hijack the thread, but are the seats in section F right behind the team and near where the Crusaderettes and cheerleaders are?
Section F are chairbacks, next to the student section on the other side of the court from the visitors bench and somewhat behind and to the side of the basket.
Quote from: crusaderjoe on November 28, 2016, 07:51:30 AM
We haven't beaten a ranked team at home in 28 years. To be fair, there haven't been that many opportunities, but it's been 28 years nonetheless. I think the URI fan is right about our lack of depth generally. If no one steps up and we get very little quality minutes from the bench, it's going to be a long night, and you can look for that near three decade streak to continue.
Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws. Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws. Draw contact, go to the line, hit free throws.
This is a good strategy comment, as we're 9th in the nation in free throw percentage at 81% on 184 attempts (26 per game, 13th highest in the nation). None of the 8 teams above us have shot more than 127 on the season. Also, foul trouble may just be the defining factor of this game. I know we don't have the best depth currently as the new guys are still developing, but it's not like Rhode Island has amazing depth either. They have a good starting five, pretty solid sixth man (IU transfer), but after that it's nothing overly special. Another factor will be Jubril's shooting ability for the night, if he's hitting shots from the perimeter then Martin (averaging 4.5 blocks per game) hopefully plays further away from the rim than he'd like to. Maybe even play Alec at the 5 for a couple minutes, play zone on defense, and create mismatches on offense.
Quote from: Baylorfan24 on November 28, 2016, 01:14:28 PMBig game tomorrow! We need a big crowd
That we do! So now that Scott no longer has an excuse how long will it take to get Baylor into the ARC? :thumbsup:
Quote from: atkins on November 27, 2016, 08:39:08 PMThe braggart from the URI board made several solid (albeit discourteous) points. I disagree with his statement regarding the "announcers," and I question whether URI will "will win handily." If Valpo plays its typical lackluster home game like the others this season, URI will indeed win handily. My hope is that we (finally) play a quality first half. If we had played URI instead of Ball State today, we would have been blown out by 20+.
But, but...the "announcers" ARE homers. Where's the insult in that? I don't think some people have grasped what ESPN3 is.
As for having a strong first half, I'll say I'm somewhat resigned to the fact that until we get more consistent offensive contributions from Derrik and Jaume, we'll struggle while the opponent focuses on Alec. It's worked out fairly well so far because Alec is so good at getting the opposition in foul trouble (while staying out of it himself) that he can then come on strong in the second half. I hope the bigs continue to get the chance to develop, even at some risk of losing an OOC game. I'm excited about this strong start, but I'm more interested in continual development leading to peaking at the right moment.
Also, Valpo hasn't proven themselves good at building on and maintaining a lead. Against Ball State, every time they went on a small run you could see they're offensive mindset change (a giddiness, if you will) that resulted in poor, hurried shot selection.
Based on the amount of zone being played against us thus far, it's obvious that the word on the street (and accurately so) is that we are far more effective against man. Hopefully, URI is quick, athletic and confident enough to ignore the scouting reports and play us straight up man. What I wouldn't give to see some open driving lanes for Shane and Tevonn, and Alec posting up 1 guy instead of 2.
I'm, feeling a lot better after just checking the box score of the Rhody/Belmont game, which was won by RI, at RI, by 9 points. Here's why: Evan Bradds DID NOT PLAY (concussion) for Belmont. He is a complete stud and is to Belmont what Alec is to us. Last year, at Belmont against us, he went for 26 points and 10 boards. Bradds is averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 boards. Funny how the RI poster didn't mention that...
I'm seeing Rhode Island favored by 2.5 or 3.5 points. We could certainly do this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh7gaKRS2qc
Quote from: agibson on November 28, 2016, 04:04:27 PM
I'm seeing Rhode Island favored by 2.5 or 3.5 points. We could certainly do this.
Well, we've done it 3 out of 4 times; each time, I'm sure, possessing "less" talent.
the team continues to grow, good guard play, strong team defense VU 75 RIU 72 a good month!! ;D
Quote from: talksalot on November 27, 2016, 04:42:22 PMI'll update the rankings on URI after the polls come out on Monday
URI up to #21 in this weeks AP poll... no Valpo votes... yet.
Quote from: talksalot on November 28, 2016, 09:44:23 PM
Quote from: talksalot on November 27, 2016, 04:42:22 PMI'll update the rankings on URI after the polls come out on Monday
URI up to #21 in this weeks AP poll... no Valpo votes... yet.
Valpo got smoked by Oregon which was without best player. I highly doubt Valpo will be getting votes for a while.
Nonconference schedule can help boost Rams' tourney hopes
http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20161128/nonconference-schedule-can-help-boost-rams-tourney-hopes
Quote from: bsmith21 on November 28, 2016, 10:58:40 PMAgreed. The only change to the top 25 with a Valpo win will be that Rhode Island will no longer be on it.
We're not going to crack the Top 25 with one win. But, I'll be surprised if we beat Rhode Island and don't pick up at least a few votes.
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 09:09:08 AM
Quote from: bsmith21 on November 28, 2016, 10:58:40 PMAgreed. The only change to the top 25 with a Valpo win will be that Rhode Island will no longer be on it.
We're not going to crack the Top 25 with one win. But, I'll be surprised if we beat Rhode Island and don't pick up at least a few votes.
Yeah, Seth Davis already had Valpo in the "almost famous" category. He loves Valpo for whatever reason, so I can see him giving a few votes.
Quote from: Pgmado on November 28, 2016, 10:35:56 PM
Quote from: talksalot on November 28, 2016, 09:44:23 PM
Quote from: talksalot on November 27, 2016, 04:42:22 PMI'll update the rankings on URI after the polls come out on Monday
URI up to #21 in this weeks AP poll... no Valpo votes... yet.
Valpo got smoked by Oregon which was without best player. I highly doubt Valpo will be getting votes for a while.
Would have helped us if their "best player" had played. He was outstanding against a mighty Boise State team last night, going 1 for 9 for 5 points, 3 boards, 1 asst and 4 TOs.
[tweet]803462134692716544[/tweet]
Unless there is a HUGE walk-up crowd it is not going to be a very impressive turnout. As of now there are still 174 seats available in the lower sections and maybe 200 sold upstairs. :(
Jon Rothstein calls the ARC a 'Hornet's Nest'
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/803581567725633536
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/803612550587908100
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/803647593020420096
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 10:18:53 AM
[tweet]803462134692716544[/tweet]
I seem to remember South Carolina in the first game of the 1998-1999 season being ranked in the UPI poll. This was the game in the RCA Dome where Valpo played opposite Indiana.
Quote from: vu72 on November 29, 2016, 10:25:30 AM
Unless there is a HUGE walk-up crowd it is not going to be a very impressive turnout. As of now there are still 174 seats available in the lower sections and maybe 200 sold upstairs. :(
I finally came to the conclusion last season that there are 3 things that are essentially carved in stone, and thus represent a complete waste of time to further discuss, debate, criticize, or defend:
---the men's basketball program marketing effort (or lack thereof) - it is what it is and it isn't going to change.
---the need to remodel/revamp the ARC - not going to happen in the next 10 years - it is what it is and it isn't going to change.
---the continuing relative decline of the HL and what it needs to do to elevate its profile and standing among the spectrum of D-1 conferences. The conference simply does not have the visionary leadership nor the necessary level of commitment from its member programs to pull out of this tailspin. There is absolutely no reason for hope here, short of a new commissioner and several new AD's (especially P.C. female AD appointments, all of whom are in over their heads and all of whom have conflicting gender-based agendas.
Quote from: wh on November 29, 2016, 12:15:36 PM
Quote from: vu72 on November 29, 2016, 10:25:30 AM
Unless there is a HUGE walk-up crowd it is not going to be a very impressive turnout. As of now there are still 174 seats available in the lower sections and maybe 200 sold upstairs. :(
I finally came to the conclusion last season that there are 3 things that are essentially carved in stone, and thus represent a complete waste of time to further discuss, debate, criticize, or defend:
---the men's basketball program marketing effort (or lack thereof) - it is what it is and it isn't going to change.
---the need to remodel/revamp the ARC - not going to happen in the next 10 years - it is what it is and it isn't going to change.
---the continuing relative decline of the HL and what it needs to do to elevate its profile and standing among the spectrum of D-1 conferences. The conference simply does not have the visionary leadership nor the necessary level of commitment from its member programs to pull out of this tailspin. There is absolutely no reason for hope here, short of a new commissioner and several new AD's (especially P.C. female AD appointments, all of whom are in over their heads and all of whom have conflicting gender-based agendas.
now that's a right for the thread! :crazy:
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 29, 2016, 11:54:35 AMI seem to remember South Carolina in the first game of the 1998-1999 season being ranked in the UPI poll. This was the game in the RCA Dome where Valpo played opposite Indiana.
Impressive memory! It does look like a nice couple of wins to start that season. South Carolina from the SEC and Seton Hall from the Big East.
The Valpo All-Time Results pdf doesn't have either ranked. But, double checking a bit... Neither team went on to do much. Carolina went 8-21 overall, last in the SEC (6th in the SEC East). They lost in the first round of the SEC tournament and their season was over. I don't know if anyone archives the ESPN/USA Today coaches polls back that far. The AP polls _are_ archived, but South Carolina doesn't seem to have made it.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/1999-schedule.html
They were much better the previous year, ranked throughout the season, got a 3 seed in the Big Dance, but were bounced by Richmond in the first round. They still were ranked #14 in the final AP poll. Maybe that's what you're remembering?
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/south-carolina/1998-schedule.html
But the writing must have been on the wall; they weren't ranked in the pre-season AP poll
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/1999.html#all_polls
Seton Hall did slightly better. 15-15 overall, 9th (of 13) in the Big East. Beat Notre Dame in the Big East tournament before falling in the second round. Did manage to get a bid, to lose in the first round of the NIT.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/seton-hall/1999-schedule.html
We gave IU a run for their money as they pulled it out in the last 2 minutes or so behind the little left handed guard who I think now is an asst, at Butler. Was it Mike Lewis? We led late in the game but then he made some 3-pt shots very late and IU won by just a few points. Perhaps I'm thinking of another time we played IU in Indy.
As far as what type of defense is being played against us, why wouldn't teams play a zone against us? What are we shooting? Around 25%? Maybe tonight we will get it right and shoot 3's well. We are due!
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 29, 2016, 11:54:35 AMI seem to remember South Carolina in the first game of the 1998-1999 season being ranked in the UPI poll. This was the game in the RCA Dome where Valpo played opposite Indiana.
That was the beginning of the Lubos Barton era at Valpo. He was huge in those wins against South Carolina and Seton Hall.
We didn't play very much zone against Ball St. That surprised me because our zone was very successful against Bama and BYU
While the situation at UWM that played out last season was indeed a train wreck, might i remind wh that the AD who hired the coach who beat us in the tourney and reped the Horizon in the NCAA tournament is a woman?
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/803749277528944641
Quote from: bbtds on November 29, 2016, 01:52:49 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 29, 2016, 11:54:35 AMI seem to remember South Carolina in the first game of the 1998-1999 season being ranked in the UPI poll. This was the game in the RCA Dome where Valpo played opposite Indiana.
That was the beginning of the Lubos Barton era at Valpo. He was huge in those wins against South Carolina and Seton Hall.
Lobos Barton's quote after the South Carolina game when he was asked what he thought of the RCA Dome..."big as Czech airport". Ivan Vujic also picked up Homer in celebration.
I remember South Carolina being #25 in the UPI poll, but not ranked in the AP. Indeed, they had a horrible season. Still, those were two amazing games because Valpo fans knew none of the new players (Barton, Tonagal, Vuijic, etc.) and they played great against two big conference schools.
I think this is going to be our biggest home crowd of the year so far. The parking lots that fill up about 1/2 hour before the game were already full about 6 pm.
Quote from: historyman on November 29, 2016, 06:26:47 PM
I think this is going to be our biggest home crowd of the year so far. The parking lots that fill up about 1/2 hour before the game were already full about 6 pm.
Glad to hear it. The ticket office shows about 2500??
URI is going to have to really pick it up to "it won't even be close win"
Couldn't play a half of basketball anymore closer than that. Glad we are up 1 and stats wise, everything is pretty much even.
Need to start the 2nd Half off really strong.
Up eight with six to go and I can hear the Rhode Island people now saying they got homered by the referees.
10 ticks left, up by 3. We could sure use Alec Peters' 3 free throws on that whiffed call in the first half.
Big win. Now, if we can avoid getting beat by 40 to Kentucky, we should be in good shape.
What a game!
A fantastic win in as great a college game as I have seen in many years. Great coaching as EC Mathews disappeared. Alec was Alec. Wonderful for the program and I wonder, were any recruits in audience??
Notre Dame 1988 can now officially fade into history.
Everyone ok with renaming it "Matt Lottich Court"?
Quote from: wh on November 27, 2016, 05:47:12 PM
I love it when a guy watches 1 game and becomes a match-up expert:
From the URI board:
Forget last year. Two different teams.
I watched their game against Ball St today. They came back to get the win but trust me, this Valpo team can not hang with us. Peters may get his but we will shut everyone else down.
We will have a huge advantage at the guard positions and I think we will be just fine around the basket as well. Haas will do his best to contain Peters.
They have very little depth. Our style of defense is going to wear them down.
This game isn't a toss-up. We will win handily.
Please note we will have to deal with a couple of real Valpo homers on the ESPN3 broadcast. Will be nice to shut them up with a resounding victory.
Can you tell I'm confident in this one?
Anybody noting what this idiot has to say now?
For a second, I thought we were going to choke it away. Great game. Big credit to the players and coaching staff.
I've seen a lot of funny comments on twitter comparing old and new staffs....These are the players Bryce recruited. And very good players at that. One being probably the best in the history of the program. We have seen that Coach Lottich can coach. Let's see how the players that he recruited turn out.
But for now...this was awesome. Wish there was a larger crowd. Great result and fun times to be a Crusader. And the homerun ball pretty much worked again! It's been a fun ride to end last year in NYC and a great ride to the start of the year.
Awesome win! Already getting lots of recognition from national publications.
http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/11/29/valparaiso-picks-up-key-non-conference-win-over-no-21-rhode-island/ (http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/11/29/valparaiso-picks-up-key-non-conference-win-over-no-21-rhode-island/)
26 games to go (including 3 HL tournament games -- in Detroit). Assuming a loss to Kentucky and a hypothetical loss in the HL championship game to a team like Oakland, we likely need to go 22-2 in the remaining 24 to get an at large. We simply cannot finish with more than 5 loses based on how bad our SOS will be by the end of HL play. Tall order for a team that has not shown much depth.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 29, 2016, 06:19:09 PMI remember South Carolina being #25 in the UPI poll, but not ranked in the AP. Indeed, they had a horrible season.
Interesting! You really meant UPI. I assumed it was a typo for AP. I didn't know UPI ever had a basketball poll. Do they still?
Great win from Valpo tonight! Tremendous fight, and great adjustment from Alec in particular, in a game officiated like none other we've seen this season.
Nice of them to let the students on the court. I wonder what Lottich had to say.
Tremendous game from Jubril, and others.
This "brick wall at the 3PT line" begins to seem like a Lottich signature defense. I don't remember ever seeing it from Bryce. Their player, with 10 s left, saw his lane, dutifully drove the basket, and was then all "Wait... I can't hit this - we'll lose!" and threw it out to the heavily guarded perimeter. For Alec Peters to eventually block the three pointer.
Not a big crowd at the ARC. Pretty good for a Tuesday. Student section wasn't even full. But, the atmosphere was very good! Atmosphere per ticket sold, or atmosphere per student in attendance, and it was phenomenal!
Great game!
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 12:10:18 PMOK, with a a combination of reading this thread, my kids being the right age, and the opportunity to take time off to get there, I am going to take my family to the game tomorrow.
Any chance that was you guys ringing the Victory Bell fifteen minutes, rather late, after the final whistle? Maybe your dad at some distance. Son in a vintage Vilcinskas jersey that looked almost Vlicinskas-sized on him?
In any case, I hope the kids had a good time!
Glancing over the box score, we only went 3-10 from three but found other ways to score.
We had 17 turnovers to URI's 9. I would not have thought we'd win if I didn't know any better.
Tthought we played outstanding defense this evening. Almost reminiscent of last year's game.
EC Matthews was held to a quiet six points, also reminiscent of last year's game ;)
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 09:46:18 PMNot a big crowd at the ARC. Pretty good for a Tuesday. Student section wasn't even full. But, the atmosphere was very good! Atmosphere per ticket sold, or atmosphere per student in attendance, and it was phenomenal! Great game!
Anyone know the attendance? Would have guessed between 3,000 and 3,500 from ESPN3. I had a dream the other night I was there and the crowd was no more than 2,000...glad to see that was not the case
November 29, 2016
Valparaiso, Ind. (ARC)
Attendance: 4149
here's the full box
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore/2016-17/5930/2125-rhode-island-vs-valpo-11-29-2016/
Quote from: talksalot on November 29, 2016, 09:55:23 PM
November 29, 2016
Valparaiso, Ind. (ARC)
Attendance: 4149
Interesting. I'd have believed you if you told me 3,000. I'm not sure the crowd was bigger than Southern Utah and the banner raising. But a _lot_ louder!
Quote from: talksalot on November 29, 2016, 09:55:23 PMhere's the full box
http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore/2016-17/5930/2125-rhode-island-vs-valpo-11-29-2016/
Also interesting that we attempted only 10 threes. Fewest in almost two years.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/2015-02-13-valparaiso.html
And you have to count the dozen+ NBA scouts; Jerry Palm from CBSSports and Adam Amin from ESPN in the house... AND a Kenny Harris sighting!
Quote from: DMvalpo18 on November 29, 2016, 09:17:22 PMQuote from: wh on November 27, 2016, 05:47:12 PMI love it when a guy watches 1 game and becomes a match-up expert: From the URI board: Forget last year. Two different teams. I watched their game against Ball St today. They came back to get the win but trust me, this Valpo team can not hang with us. Peters may get his but we will shut everyone else down. We will have a huge advantage at the guard positions and I think we will be just fine around the basket as well. Haas will do his best to contain Peters. They have very little depth. Our style of defense is going to wear them down. This game isn't a toss-up. We will win handily. Please note we will have to deal with a couple of real Valpo homers on the ESPN3 broadcast. Will be nice to shut them up with a resounding victory. Can you tell I'm confident in this one?
Anybody noting what this idiot has to say now?
Scoured their board and no word from him. Good call on his part though.
Warren Nolan RPI updated...
Valpo jumps up all the way to #54
URI falls to #60
Conference RPI jumps to #16
Valpo in an 8-way tie for the second best record in D1. There are 19 undefeateds left...and 8 of us are 6-1 (D1 only)
I had to laugh when Shane missed on the home run and we sent them to the line with a chance to tie...after giving up 4 points in about 2 seconds. Felt the old curse creeping up!
Great win. Great game. Nice to savor it for a week as well before Kentucky.
Quote from: govalpogo on November 29, 2016, 10:11:24 PMI had to laugh when Shane missed on the home run and we sent them to the line with a chance to tie...after giving up 4 points in about 2 seconds. Felt the old curse creeping up!
It was more like 70 seconds. But, yeah, it was quick. And Shane had just traveled in the back court for a turnover, besides. 7 turnovers. Oof. Definitely good for him that we won!
To be fair, Rhode Island sniffed the home run ball coming. The pass reception was pretty well guarded - Shane did well to control it.
And Todd was quick to compliment his defense, all game long, in the post-game.
Quote from: talksalot on November 29, 2016, 10:04:37 PM
And you have to count the dozen+ NBA scouts; Jerry Palm from CBSSports and Adam Amin from ESPN in the house... AND a Kenny Harris sighting!
Count them at a hundred a piece, maybe.
But, yes, the "behind the camera" extended press row was nicely full!
Quote from: govalpogo on November 29, 2016, 10:11:24 PMI had to laugh when Shane missed on the home run and we sent them to the line with a chance to tie...after giving up 4 points in about 2 seconds. Felt the old curse creeping up! Great win. Great game. Nice to savor it for a week as well before Kentucky.
Todd mentioned this on the broadcast but Shane should have just dribbled to open court or found an open teammate once he lost position. Situational awareness goes a long way when you're gutting out a close one.
Felt a lot quicker than 70...There was that bad pass from Peters right after a layup that turned into 2 more (tip in off a missed three try I believe). Pbp says 64-58 with :27 left, 64-62 with :21. Eek. So glad it all worked out in Valpo's favor!
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 10:15:43 PM
Quote from: govalpogo on November 29, 2016, 10:11:24 PMI had to laugh when Shane missed on the home run and we sent them to the line with a chance to tie...after giving up 4 points in about 2 seconds. Felt the old curse creeping up!
It was more like 70 seconds. But, yeah, it was quick. And Shane had just traveled in the back court for a turnover, besides. 7 turnovers. Oof. Definitely good for him that we won!
To be fair, Rhode Island sniffed the home run ball coming. The pass reception was pretty well guarded - Shane did well to control it.
And Todd was quick to complement his defense, all game long, in the post-game.
Quote from: govalpogo on November 29, 2016, 10:22:20 PMFelt a lot quicker than 70...There was that bad pass from Peters right after a layup that turned into 2 more (tip in off a missed three try I believe). Pbp says 64-58 with :27 left, 64-62 with :21. Eek. So glad it all worked out in Valpo's favor!
Yep, my bad. Reflecting, during the game, on how quickly the lead dwindled I'd checked a time stamp on Twitter. But clearly got it wrong! Maybe emotionally I was connecting with the 6 point lead at 1m44 rather than the 6 point at 35s.
Scary stuff indeed. I didn't lose my moderate-late-game confidence. But, it was definitely shaken.
Yeah that ending was terrifying. But kudos to Lottich for coaching up the guys on that last play. What a win for the program. In his first 8 games, Lottich has wins over Avery Johnson, Dam Hurley, and Dave Rose.
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 10:29:05 PMScary stuff indeed. I didn't lose my moderate-late-game confidence. But, it was definitely shaken.
I should not forget the egg they laid, however. Hassan Martin, one of their studs, missing the front-end of the one-and-one with 17 s to go...
I showed up at half time with about 4 others...so add five to that total!
What a fun night in the ARC. Had Shane played average this wouldn't have been close. Time to go get Big Blue Nation!
Quote from: crusaderjoe on November 29, 2016, 09:05:08 PM
Notre Dame 1988 can now officially fade into history.
Except that it is part of the intro video before the Valpo players are announced.
Valpo up after the break, right now, on ESPN2 CBB show.
Rhody Nation message board in disbelief it seems. Few props for Valpo and "the sky is falling" mentality for the beloved Rams. Only player we have is AP. They are so much better everywhere else. Last year losing Matthew's was the excuse for the loss to Valpo. This year it is their Coach Hurley's fault and only 3 guys came ready to play. After back to back losses to Valpo in last 2 seasons, one would think we might have earned a little respect from their fans. Guess not.
Have a drink and calm down Rhody fans. You will win a lot of games this season. It is early and this WAS your teams first real road game. Hope the series continues. Great for both schools.
I had completely forgotten that the last time I saw Rhode Island play in person was in 1998. In St. Louis. Not long after our last won over a ranked opponent. Appropriate.
And our third ranked win *ever*. Man.
Quite a start for Coach Lottich and his signature defense.
Quote from: vufan75 on November 30, 2016, 12:02:50 AMHave a drink and calm down.
Was Dragon's Milk bourbon barrel aged stout for me. And I've got an 8 AM class!
Awesome to hear that Kenny Harris was in the building. That kid worked extremely hard to lose weight once he joined our program. He would run with us at our 5 am workouts, and would be working with Bob Brooks on strength and conditioning drills. That kid could have been something special for our basketball program, if he didn't have that health incident. Extremely nice guy, too.
Great win, and it is good that we still get wins when we don't play our best. I kept refreshing the Rhode Island board throughout the game, as I could tell that we were going to win with them not hitting their 3s, and I wanted to bathe in their tears lol. You would think that Rhode Island was Duke with how much they thought they would whoop us. When they lose, instead of it being the fact that we are a better team again this year (as well as the 3 prior times we have played them, now sitting at 4-1), it is because of refs, and we just got lucky. I have news for the Rams fans that may be lurking, but you were never going to come into the ARC and beat us by double-digits. Absolutely 0% chance of that happening. Also, we have 3 or 4 guys that are better than their RI counterparts, not just 1. You basically had 1 guy that showed any type of ability, since there is obviously something wrong with Matthews. Hope you enjoyed the loss, and go win some games so that it looks better on our resume ;).
https://www.twitter.com/AliBerdiel/status/803791340110745600
Quote from: a3uge on November 27, 2016, 11:43:54 PM
This is actually a pretty tough spot for Rhode Island. It's their first road game of the year, and Valpo will be highly motivated to beat their first ranked team since the 90s (although Valpo has beat teams that were eventually ranked). There's much more to lose for URI, as this would move them out of the top 25 and damage their at-large resume (but hopefully not much at all [emoji4] ). I would assume Vegas is going to have URI favored by 4 or 5, but that's going to be a tough one to figure. On paper, URI has more talent, but this is basketball where home teams like IPFW can beat IU. It's just asinine to make declarations like "this one won't be close." Okay dude.
Also, the hot take that the game will hinge on guard play is fairly suspect, especially after EC Matthews just went 1-6 against Belmont (not exactly known for their defense). They still won easily. URI's clear advantage is Hassan Martin and without Vashil (who had an awesome game last year), Valpo will need to have Jubril play much better on defense than he's played all year.
Bam! I thought this was right on - Hassan had 16, but Jubril played his best defensive game of the year to limit him. Terrell played a great game, but EC Matthews struggled again. The game was won in the trenches, not with decent guard play.
So I was not the only one that enjoyed reading the Rhode Island message board? I agree that they just need to relax and recognize that they have a really good team that had a tough night playing their first road game in a challenging place to play. I would not be surprised to see Rhode Island string 10-12 wins in a row fairly soon. Lots of talent.
The one point that the Rhode Island posters made that does seem valid is that Rhode Island didn't adjust their defense to reduce Peters as an offensive threat. Alec has been quite effective this year against the double team, but there were too many possessions where one guy was struggling to defend Alec. Give Alec credit though...and that fadeaway 17 foot jumper for the last field goal was a big time shot.
So I think we can add Rhode Island to the list of solid mid-majors that are never going to schedule us again.
Butler - Beat them 4 games in a row. (I guess they are high-major now, but I will include them)
Rhode Island - Beat them 2 years in a row.
Murray State - Beat them 3 years in a row.
BYU - Beat them 2 years in a row.
We are going to run out of people to schedule. We split with Belmont last year, maybe they will go ahead and keep scheduling us. We only beat Saint Mary's once. Maybe they want to make it 2 in a row before they decide to never schedule us again.
Also, I think Rhode Island fans forgot that this was a road game. They have not had one all season. Yes, we had a slightly favorable whistle at times, just like all home teams have. When we go to MOState here in a few weeks, we are going to have to play really well to win because it is a road game. That is the nature of college basketball.
I was just thinking about how different Valpo's team is playing this year versus last. With Vashil we had a defensive advantage but an offensive deficit. His scoring range was a foot and a half so with him parked in the middle it made it hard to open driving lanes. Last night with Jubril hitting an early 3 things definitely opened up for Tevonn, Alec and Shane driving into the paint.
Apparently there were NBA scouts at the game to see Alec and probably Matthews and Martin. I wonder if they saw what they were hoping to see. Alec showed a lot more than just a 3 point shooter last night. The turn-a-round jumper, the driving and scoring ability as well as his rebounding were fantastic last night as was his defense. I think they saw what they were looking for. :thumbsup:
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 30, 2016, 08:48:25 AM
So I was not the only one that enjoyed reading the Rhode Island message board? I agree that they just need to relax and recognize that they have a really good team that had a tough night playing their first road game in a challenging place to play. I would not be surprised to see Rhode Island string 10-12 wins in a row fairly soon. Lots of talent.
The one point that the Rhode Island posters made that does seem valid is that Rhode Island didn't adjust their defense to reduce Peters as an offensive threat. Alec has been quite effective this year against the double team, but there were too many possessions where one guy was struggling to defend Alec. Give Alec credit though...and that fadeaway 17 foot jumper for the last field goal was a big time shot.
Alec was on fire. I thought he could have scored even more at the line, but the refs felt he'd been to the line enough already. He should have had 3 free throws when he got Matthews to jump in the air, and could have had more at the end when Iverson was stuck on 4 fouls. It seemed like the refs were reluctant to give him his 5th. They had no answer for him; it was fun to watch.
I thought the reffing was bizarre. They seemed to be trying to even out calls all game. The phantom Jubril travel after the Hurley technical - lol.
Quote from: vu84v2 on November 30, 2016, 08:48:25 AM
So I was not the only one that enjoyed reading the Rhode Island message board? I agree that they just need to relax and recognize that they have a really good team that had a tough night playing their first road game in a challenging place to play. I would not be surprised to see Rhode Island string 10-12 wins in a row fairly soon. Lots of talent.
The one point that the Rhode Island posters made that does seem valid is that Rhode Island didn't adjust their defense to reduce Peters as an offensive threat. Alec has been quite effective this year against the double team, but there were too many possessions where one guy was struggling to defend Alec. Give Alec credit though...and that fadeaway 17 foot jumper for the last field goal was a big time shot.
Their forum is really a mess over this game like everyone has said. It seemed like the whole board picked up on the one poster that talked about our sub par Ball State game and must have completely forgotten that we beat Alabama by 8 and also won against BYU. They made it sound as if we were a forgettable team on their way to the A10 crown and not one of the top mid majors in the country. In their whining after the game they said such ignorant things as "The Valpo announcers said this is their school's first win ever against a top 25 team. Please put an asterisk next to that one" and berated Dan Hurley in post after post. At least one poster thought we were more than a one man show when he said "Tavon Walker and Alec Peters are better than any URI player".
I guess I shouldn't be to hard on them remembering the angst on here last year when Ball State beat us on their home floor, but it really is surprising to me how hard they are going after Hurley and the constant use of the F word (maybe I am just showing my age).
I imagine their board looked a lot like ours after we lose a game at Ball State or Belmont :-X :-X
I think jubril deserves a lot of credit. He can bring the ball up the court, finish fast breaks, post up defensively and offensively (against bigger dudes). He's really a 4 playing a 5. He scored 7 out of our fist 14 points. Stayed out of Foul trouble.
Obviously haven't seen other HL teams play yet and it's only based on conference play but if jubril doesn't pick up 1st or 2nd team, it's rigged.
Wait it's already rigged towards Detroit....
My experience is that Yankees use that F word a little more than others
Quote from: oklahomamick on November 30, 2016, 10:39:37 AM
My experience is that Yankees use that F word a little more than others
No effin way. :-X I think its a generational thing exacerbated by the fact it is a public university. ::) It's also a tone set by the posters themselves and their admin. If it is allowed then the precedent is there and hard to roll back. I've been on a lot of other boards and most are civil in their language. I think ours is pretty good that way -- at least we use **** or ____ instead of the word we really want to use. ;)
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 09:48:18 PM
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 12:10:18 PMOK, with a a combination of reading this thread, my kids being the right age, and the opportunity to take time off to get there, I am going to take my family to the game tomorrow.
Any chance that was you guys ringing the Victory Bell fifteen minutes, rather late, after the final whistle? Maybe your dad at some distance. Son in a vintage Vilcinskas jersey that looked almost Vlicinskas-sized on him?
In any case, I hope the kids had a good time!
YES! That was us! Small world... small school ;-) We all had a fantastic time taking the advice given on this board... Buying tickets in section CC in advance, check! Dinner before the game (Kelsey's-I love Kelseys), check! Tour of the campus (basketball office, chapel, student union, WVUR, the football stadium, and the law school prior to the game) and then parking by the softball field, check! Getting to the game early to get a free t-shirt and enjoy the atmosphere (my daughter got to meet and have her picture taken with all of the Crusaderettes), check! Contact with the athletic office to arrange something special during the game (The Crusader came up to our section to visit), check! 3 scoop Culver's custard as a treat during the game, check! A fantastic victory, check! Ringing the victory bell after the game (I told the kids about it before the game and I forgot about it after the game, my daughter remembered and insisted that we must go back to do it before we left), check! Getting recognized doing all of this stuff by famed Valpo messageboard poster agibson ;-), check!
In all seriousness, thank you all so much for your advice for the game and passion as fans. My kids had an awesome experience and, if I had to guess, they will be cemented as Valparaiso University fans for the rest of their lives. You all truly are the best!
On the way home, my dad said to me in jest as the kids were falling asleep talking about the game, "You better be careful, do you know how much that place costs?"... Ha! Yes Dad, I sure do. ;-)
GO VALPO! Thanks again friends...
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/efxd35dxjrqdc81/Photo%20Nov%2029%2C%209%2012%2053%20PM.jpg?dl=0) Edit, I guess I do not know how to post a picture. Here is a link to the picture: https://www.dropbox.com/s/efxd35dxjrqdc81/Photo%20Nov%2029%2C%209%2012%2053%20PM.jpg?dl=0
(http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/content_link/JkZR3TyJI5X97SZ1Y09m46WxyPBcHigBFZZCN90ugAtzqx32EYUWPgI6yFFPcSu2/file?dl=1)
Photographer's credit to my wife on that one.
Fantastic story!
Glad you made the trip. You really checked all of the boxes!
Quote from: walldozer on November 30, 2016, 11:06:44 AMYES! That was us! Small world... small school ;-) We all had a fantastic time taking the advice given on this board... Buying tickets in section CC in advance, check! Dinner before the game (Kelsey's-I love Kelseys), check! Tour of the campus (basketball office, chapel, student union, WVUR, the football stadium, and the law school prior to the game) and then parking by the softball field, check! Getting to the game early to get a free t-shirt and enjoy the atmosphere (my daughter got to meet and have her picture taken with all of the Crusaderettes), check! Contact with the athletic office to arrange something special during the game (The Crusader came up to our section to visit), check! 3 scoop Culver's custard as a treat during the game, check! A fantastic victory, check! Ringing the victory bell after the game (I told the kids about it before the game and I forgot about it after the game, my daughter remembered and insisted that we must go back to do it before we left), check! Getting recognized doing all of this stuff by famed Valpo messageboard poster agibson ;-), check!
WOW!! Maybe if I had done all of that stuff one of my kids would have gone to VU! Good job Dad!
Quote from: walldozer on November 30, 2016, 11:06:44 AM
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 09:48:18 PM
Quote from: walldozer on November 28, 2016, 12:10:18 PMOK, with a a combination of reading this thread, my kids being the right age, and the opportunity to take time off to get there, I am going to take my family to the game tomorrow.
Any chance that was you guys ringing the Victory Bell fifteen minutes, rather late, after the final whistle? Maybe your dad at some distance. Son in a vintage Vilcinskas jersey that looked almost Vlicinskas-sized on him?
In any case, I hope the kids had a good time!
YES! That was us! Small world... small school ;-) We all had a fantastic time taking the advice given on this board... Buying tickets in section CC in advance, check! Dinner before the game (Kelsey's-I love Kelseys), check! Tour of the campus (basketball office, chapel, student union, WVUR, the football stadium, and the law school prior to the game) and then parking by the softball field, check! Getting to the game early to get a free t-shirt and enjoy the atmosphere (my daughter got to meet and have her picture taken with all of the Crusaderettes), check! Contact with the athletic office to arrange something special during the game (The Crusader came up to our section to visit), check! 3 scoop Culver's custard as a treat during the game, check! A fantastic victory, check! Ringing the victory bell after the game (I told the kids about it before the game and I forgot about it after the game, my daughter remembered and insisted that we must go back to do it before we left), check! Getting recognized doing all of this stuff by famed Valpo messageboard poster agibson ;-), check!
In all seriousness, thank you all so much for your advice for the game and passion as fans. My kids had an awesome experience and, if I had to guess, they will be cemented as Valparaiso University fans for the rest of their lives. You all truly are the best!
On the way home, my dad said to me in jest as the kids were falling asleep talking about the game, "You better be careful, do you know how much that place costs?"... Ha! Yes Dad, I sure do. ;-)
GO VALPO! Thanks again friends...
(https://www.dropbox.com/s/efxd35dxjrqdc81/Photo%20Nov%2029%2C%209%2012%2053%20PM.jpg?dl=0) Edit, I guess I do not know how to post a picture. Here is a link to the picture: https://www.dropbox.com/s/efxd35dxjrqdc81/Photo%20Nov%2029%2C%209%2012%2053%20PM.jpg?dl=0
If someone is ever looking for part of an improved (and not highly costly) model for how to market and increase interest in Valpo basketball, this story would be a really good foundation. Caring people wanting to have a good time with their family, supported by current fans who welcome and provide ideas and support, resulting in a great overall event for the family (sure, the big win helps).
Glad that you had a great time at the game and enjoying the Valpo environment.
Still waiting for RoadyJay to make a comment after last night on the Rhode Island forum after he seemed to get such a kick out of our response to his original post. Somehow I don't think he will be using the lol emoji in his next post on that thread.
Re: Game 7: @ Valparaiso - Tues 8pm ESPN3
Their forum is imploding based on my posts here... :lol: :lol:
http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index ... pic=2695.0
Quote from: FWalum on November 30, 2016, 11:22:02 AM
Quote from: walldozer on November 30, 2016, 11:06:44 AMYES! That was us! Small world... small school ;-) We all had a fantastic time taking the advice given on this board... Buying tickets in section CC in advance, check! Dinner before the game (Kelsey's-I love Kelseys), check! Tour of the campus (basketball office, chapel, student union, WVUR, the football stadium, and the law school prior to the game) and then parking by the softball field, check! Getting to the game early to get a free t-shirt and enjoy the atmosphere (my daughter got to meet and have her picture taken with all of the Crusaderettes), check! Contact with the athletic office to arrange something special during the game (The Crusader came up to our section to visit), check! 3 scoop Culver's custard as a treat during the game, check! A fantastic victory, check! Ringing the victory bell after the game (I told the kids about it before the game and I forgot about it after the game, my daughter remembered and insisted that we must go back to do it before we left), check! Getting recognized doing all of this stuff by famed Valpo messageboard poster agibson ;-), check!
WOW!! Maybe if I had done all of that stuff one of my kids would have gone to VU! Good job Dad!
FWAlum--we did a lot more than that and it didn't help get him to Valpo. But he definitely ended up with a love of sports, college hoops and football!! 8-)
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 30, 2016, 11:06:10 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on November 30, 2016, 10:39:37 AM
My experience is that Yankees use that F word a little more than others
No effin way. :-X I think its a generational thing exacerbated by the fact it is a public university. ::) It's also a tone set by the posters themselves and their admin. If it is allowed then the precedent is there and hard to roll back. I've been on a lot of other boards and most are civil in their language. I think ours is pretty good that way -- at least we use **** or ____ instead of the word we really want to use. ;)
F......in' right!
By the way going back to an earlier post:
valpo64, you may be thinking of a tourney with Army, Colgate, IU and Valpo at the Market Square Arena in December 1996. We got beat pretty good 72-51. We beat Army in the first game against I think a Dino Gaudio coached team. Colgate had Adonal Foyle, as my son got his autograph at the game.
The really close Indiana game was 2000-01 season in the Hoosier Classic 63-60 at Conseco. That was a very good team that started in the Alaska Tourney by beating Ohio State. But, lost in the MidCon Finals to SoUtah (was that the infamous mono game?) Dane Fife or Tom Coverdale (likely Coverdale) shot lights out.
Quote from: FWalum on November 30, 2016, 12:14:55 PM
Still waiting for RoadyJay to make a comment after last night on the Rhode Island forum after he seemed to get such a kick out of our response to his original post. Somehow I don't think he will be using the lol emoji in his next post on that thread.
Re: Game 7: @ Valparaiso - Tues 8pm ESPN3
Their forum is imploding based on my posts here... :lol: :lol:
http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index ... pic=2695.0
He finally replied (pg. 10) by backhandedly crediting Valpo (apparently we had the game of our life while URI had their worse...game...ever). Personally, I think we all could see there was plenty of room for improvement and this was certainly not a game where everything was clicking. The mental lapses in the last few minutes alone were horrific and the inability to keep the momentum after a slight lead still persists. Maybe we can go beat Kentucky just to comfort them?
Thanks for the "refresher" Valpo84. As you know, you are alot younger so your memory is also alot better. Oh for the good ol' days when we all were wearing our white converse all-star gym shoes. LOL
Quote from: bbtds on November 29, 2016, 11:14:30 PM
Quote from: crusaderjoe on November 29, 2016, 09:05:08 PM
Notre Dame 1988 can now officially fade into history.
Except that it is part of the intro video before the Valpo players are announced.
ESPECIALLY since I'm in the background!
If Shane would've had even an average game by his standards it's a double digit Valpo win.
Quote from: valpo84 on November 30, 2016, 01:20:28 PMThe really close Indiana game was 2000-01 season in the Hoosier Classic 63-60 at Conseco. That was a very good team that started in the Alaska Tourney by beating Ohio State. But, lost in the MidCon Finals to SoUtah (was that the infamous mono game?) Dane Fife or Tom Coverdale (likely Coverdale) shot lights out.
I thought the Hoosier Classic game at Conseco in 2000-01 was against Purdue? I know I was at this game, as I had to change the time for my music jury to accommodate going to this game with the pep band. It was a fun trip on Fall semester Reading Day, that's for sure.
What is this, 1865 Mickey? You called us Yankees 15 years ago and still with that junk!?!?😉
Yankees is a baseball team, not a geographic sub section of ppl. It's time to take down the confederate flag alongside SC!!!!
Heck of a game VU, awesome to watch! Has us all in good moods 🎉🎉🎉
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/valparaiso-knocks-off-ranked-opponent-for-first-time-since/article_e721f5c0-8b47-5508-bfb5-505aa307175c.html
Quote from: vufan75 on November 30, 2016, 12:02:50 AMRhody Nation message board in disbelief it seems. Few props for Valpo and "the sky is falling" mentality for the beloved Rams. Only player we have is AP. They are so much better everywhere else. Last year losing Matthew's was the excuse for the loss to Valpo. This year it is their Coach Hurley's fault and only 3 guys came ready to play. After back to back losses to Valpo in last 2 seasons, one would think we might have earned a little respect from their fans. Guess not. Have a drink and calm down Rhody fans. You will win a lot of games this season. It is early and this WAS your teams first real road game. Hope the series continues. Great for both schools.
Just wanted to chime in and give maybe some of you a better idea of why our fans are so upset.
It's not because we don't think Valpo is a quality team, although I know there were a few people who were overly confident going into the game. The reason people are upset is because it's the same issues we've seen in the past even though we have the best team on paper in arguably two decades. No flow to our offense, bench not contributing, Hurley only playing Stan Robinson 6 minutes even though he deserves way more, down by 3 with the ball and we can't even get off a shot. On top of that, EC had his third game in a row not reaching double figures.
Those who say we still have great team and there's nothing to worry about are the ones who are only looking at this team on paper. They aren't the ones who have watched every game Hurley has coached at URI.
Quote from: valporun on November 30, 2016, 04:12:25 PMQuote from: valpo84 on November 30, 2016, 01:20:28 PM
The really close Indiana game was 2000-01 season in the Hoosier Classic 63-60 at Conseco. That was a very good team that started in the Alaska Tourney by beating Ohio State. But, lost in the MidCon Finals to SoUtah (was that the infamous mono game?) Dane Fife or Tom Coverdale (likely Coverdale) shot lights out.
I thought the Hoosier Classic game at Conseco in 2000-01 was against Purdue? I know I was at this game, as I had to change the time for my music jury to accommodate going to this game with the pep band. It was a fun trip on Fall semester Reading Day, that's for sure.
Valpo played at Conseco twice that season. Great story about the game against Indiana. It was during Christmas break and the morning of the game Karl Berner calls me and tells me he has an extra media pass for WVUR and that he can get me in. I drive the 280 miles from Milwaukee to Indianapolis and witness an amazing game. Coverdale knocked down a halfcourt buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. I interviewed Mike Davis after the game and I remember he had the longest finger nails of any male I'd ever seen until that point in my life.
I was hoping to get back in my dorm room for the night back in Valpo, but they had changed the locks on Alumni Hall, so I ended up driving all the way back to Milwaukee. Around 3:30 in the morning, and 553 miles into my 560 mile trip, I hit a patch of black ice on the road during a blizzard and I spun into a ditch. The snow was fresh and loose so when I hit the ditch it lifted a bunch of snow in the air that cascaded onto my car almost like a waterfall. My car was immediately buried in snow and I had to climb out of the back to get out of the car. A tow truck came, pulled the car out and there was zero damage to my car. I drove the final seven miles gripping my steering wheel like crazy.
and THAT folks is why I'm driving to Lexington with pgmado in one of the other seats... :)
Thanks Rhody. I speak for myself, but your opinion is well received. We know the pain of underachieving. Our team last year was setup for a great Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament but we couldn't get out of our conference championship. Last year was probably our best team since the 90s. Which in my head is just yesterday but it's been over 16 years...
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on December 01, 2016, 04:19:50 PM
Thanks Rhody. I speak for myself, but your opinion is well received. We know the pain of underachieving. Our team last year was setup for a great Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament but we couldn't get out of our conference championship. Last year was probably our best team since the 90s. Which in my head is just yesterday but it's been over 16 years...
It certainly was but I'm not quite ready to say this year's team isn't as good. Clearly we had more depth last year and we did have the nation's best shot blocker. This years team is completely different. As an example, look at center. Last year we had Vashil backed up by Jubril. They averaged a combined 11.7 ppg and 11.4 boards. This year we have Jubril, backed up by Derrik and J. They combine for 11.3 ppg and 7.7 boards. Obviously Vashil will easily beat the combined this year's centers for blocks.
Looking at the point, Keith averaged 10.3 ppg, 3.3 boards and 4.5 apg. He had some back up but did average averaged 29 minutes per game. This year we have Lexus and Max with a combined 12.5 ppg, 6.4 boards and 4.2 apg.
The big equalizer is the combined play of Alec, Shane and Tevonn. Their combined average ppg have increased 15 ppg over their output last year and they have 5 more boards.
At this point the tight rotation is working very nicely and perhaps better than the full backup five emerging every game last year. Over a long season however we may see our boys fade unless we can get more minutes and production from the freshman.
Truly valid points, my reasoning is that all but Jaume/Bradford were on last years team. Smits was there, of course his injury had already occurred by this time last year.
We had Lexus and everyone else. It was coaches choice to not play them. I still think last years team was more developed....especially at 8 games in. But man have we had a good two weeks😎
P.S. Where Center is likely to be a strength this year in depth, SG/SF is not.
So big win for Cincy over @19 Iowa State. That will help value our win over Rhody. Keep it up!!
Quote from: Pgmado on December 01, 2016, 01:54:12 PM
Quote from: valporun on November 30, 2016, 04:12:25 PMQuote from: valpo84 on November 30, 2016, 01:20:28 PM
The really close Indiana game was 2000-01 season in the Hoosier Classic 63-60 at Conseco. That was a very good team that started in the Alaska Tourney by beating Ohio State. But, lost in the MidCon Finals to SoUtah (was that the infamous mono game?) Dane Fife or Tom Coverdale (likely Coverdale) shot lights out.
I thought the Hoosier Classic game at Conseco in 2000-01 was against Purdue? I know I was at this game, as I had to change the time for my music jury to accommodate going to this game with the pep band. It was a fun trip on Fall semester Reading Day, that's for sure.
Valpo played at Conseco twice that season. Great story about the game against Indiana. It was during Christmas break and the morning of the game Karl Berner calls me and tells me he has an extra media pass for WVUR and that he can get me in. I drive the 280 miles from Milwaukee to Indianapolis and witness an amazing game. Coverdale knocked down a halfcourt buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half which ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. I interviewed Mike Davis after the game and I remember he had the longest finger nails of any male I'd ever seen until that point in my life.
I was hoping to get back in my dorm room for the night back in Valpo, but they had changed the locks on Alumni Hall, so I ended up driving all the way back to Milwaukee. Around 3:30 in the morning, and 553 miles into my 560 mile trip, I hit a patch of black ice on the road during a blizzard and I spun into a ditch. The snow was fresh and loose so when I hit the ditch it lifted a bunch of snow in the air that cascaded onto my car almost like a waterfall. My car was immediately buried in snow and I had to climb out of the back to get out of the car. A tow truck came, pulled the car out and there was zero damage to my car. I drove the final seven miles gripping my steering wheel like crazy.
Oh my. I went to the Purdue game at Canseco that year, and drove back home right after (to St. Louis). Didn't get home until the following (Sunday) evening because the huge snowstorm closed I-70 for awhile. With all the flurries, couldn't see much past my windshield anyway. By the time the road cleared, I was in such a state that I kept having to stop every few exits and try to sleep some more.
But you certainly had the rougher ride after the IU game. Trying to remember which game came first.
It was deja vu for URI, following another 3-point loss on the road - this time to Providence. As in our game, they missed a 3-pointer that would have sent the game to O.T. For the record, Rhody was favored in both games - 2.5 vs. Valpo, and 3.5 vs. Providence.
As might be expected, their message board in full cardiac arrest.
I heard there is a VU hangover
Quote from: Pgmado on November 28, 2016, 10:35:56 PM
Quote from: talksalot on November 28, 2016, 09:44:23 PM
Quote from: talksalot on November 27, 2016, 04:42:22 PMI'll update the rankings on URI after the polls come out on Monday
URI up to #21 in this weeks AP poll... no Valpo votes... yet.
Valpo got smoked by Oregon which was without best player. I highly doubt Valpo will be getting votes for a while.
Quote from: a3uge on November 29, 2016, 09:11:57 AM
Quote from: agibson on November 29, 2016, 09:09:08 AM
Quote from: bsmith21 on November 28, 2016, 10:58:40 PMAgreed. The only change to the top 25 with a Valpo win will be that Rhode Island will no longer be on it.
We're not going to crack the Top 25 with one win. But, I'll be surprised if we beat Rhode Island and don't pick up at least a few votes.
Yeah, Seth Davis already had Valpo in the "almost famous" category. He loves Valpo for whatever reason, so I can see him giving a few votes.
Just like that, Seth Davis is giving Valpo votes. Don't say I didn't warn you!
So anyone have a (preferably digital) copy of this game? Wanted to rewatch it. Can't find it on youtube and Watch ESPN only goes back so far.
Rhode Island with a wire to wire 84-72 win over Creighton. Next up- Oregon. If the ducks are still short handed the Rams might make a trip back to the sweet 16. They are really playing well.
Quote from: justducky on March 17, 2017, 06:04:24 PMRhode Island with a wire to wire 84-72 win over Creighton. Next up- Oregon. If the ducks are still short handed the Rams might make a trip back to the sweet 16. They are really playing well.
Boucher is out for the season for Oregon. I'm not aware of any other injuries. Oregon should win this game although you never know.
Quote from: justducky on March 17, 2017, 06:04:24 PMRhode Island with a wire to wire 84-72 win over Creighton. Next up- Oregon. If the ducks are still short handed the Rams might make a trip back to the sweet 16. They are really playing well.
Right now looking like a solid prognostication! :thumbsup:
Not quite enough for Hurley's crew.
RI played great, but Martin was mia and they blew a big lead. Too bad, would've like to see them win but it was a great game. I remember when their fans were flipping out when we beat them early in the season.
Witch year, this year or last year? :lol:
I think Hurley was on the hot seat until he made the run at the end of the year and won the a10 tourney and a NCAA game. They closed out the year well.
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 20, 2017, 05:21:12 AM
Witch year, this is year or last year? :lol:
I think Hurley was on the hot seat until he made the run at the end of the year and won the a10 tourney and a NCAA game. They closed out the year well.
SOUND LIKE A WITCH HUNT TO ME!! ;)
Quote from: vu72 on March 20, 2017, 09:31:07 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 20, 2017, 05:21:12 AM
Witch year, this is year or last year? :lol:
I think Hurley was on the hot seat until he made the run at the end of the year and won the a10 tourney and a NCAA game. They closed out the year well.
SOUND LIKE A WITCH HUNT TO ME!! ;)
(https://images.moviepilot.com/images/c_fill,h_363,w_500/t_mp_quality_gif/u1pg26o5nzmjpjerx05u/a-theory-to-blow-you-back-to-kansas-7-reasons-the-true-villain-of-the-wizard-of-oz-was-1018491.jpg)
Did you say "Witch Hunt?"