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Powell mentioned wanting to have a former head coach, an offensive guy, and a defensive guy on his staff. Baldwin is obviously the former head coach, but I wonder which are the offensive and defensive guys. I read a lot about their recruiting connections, but can't find any details on what side of the ball they are most fluent in.

I always say Moser teams as being very tough and prepared defensively. So if I had to take a guess, Gordon would be the "defensive guy".

Worth nothing, there's still another assistant or associate head coach role to fill.

Updated schedule:
@ Toledo Tue. 11/10
@ UIC Sat. 11/14
Challenge in Music City Nashville TN 11/27-29.
*Townson Towson
* Wright St.
*TBD
Eastern Michigan Sat. 12/5
@ Central Michigan Sat. 12/12
Charlotte Mon. 12/21

I could see Valpo playing at Vanderbilt just after their Challenge.  Vandy will be in Brooklyn for the Legends Classics Nov. 23 and 24th and Valpo in Nashville Nov. 27-29th.

Lunardi's April early bracketology has Wright State winning the HL:

http://m.espn.com/ncb/bracketologyByRegion?&year=2020&iteration=281&region=4&wjb=

And now we know the last team on the list is Georgia St. Although people might not love this tournament, it is a sneaky good mid major lineup and should be entertaining to watch. Wright St and Georgia St are two of the most uptempo teams in the country.

Will we be doing a home and home with Grand Canyon? It seems logical that we would. We could add a buy game with Arizona or Arizona State or start a series with another mid major out west and make it a really good trip.

I'm going to just go ahead and shut this down right now with a 0% possibility this happens.

Maybe ya'll are being a little to hard on DePaul.  True, they finished last in the Big East, but...They had wins over Iowa, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Northwestern, Butler, Georgetown and Xavier.  This with a roster with 5 freshman and 4 sophomores.  They bring back four of their top 5 scorers and add Javon??  Hmmm.

If I remember correctly, 2 of their top 3 scorers are actually leaving. Reed to the draft and Coleman-Lands transferred.

After seeing Damezi both play and practice multiple times in high school, he is not a player I would want on our roster. Sure he has some talent, but he will be a liability for Loyola more than he is an asset.

Grand Canyon favored by 1.5 points per betting odds.
Sagarin: Valpo by 3
Pomeroy: GC by 3

Sharp money has it down to a PK in spots now.

I think we have a good shot at winning this one. GC is one of the worst rebounding teams in the country (their only player above 6'7" has their worst rebounding percentage) and doesn't defend the rim. Their offense is pretty solid, but that's mostly because they take care of the ball. If we are able to force some live ball turnovers and get out in transition, we may take this one by double digits.

And why do our coaches have to huddle up every time out? Talk during the game. Coach them up during time outs. Sorry but frustrating.

I love the last part of this...Valpo has to be about the only ones I've seen (I know I know UC Riverside did it too) huddle up the coaches between timeouts. Mind boggling.

You have got to be kidding me... This is frustrating and mind boggling?

Bryce consistently huddled with the coaching staff at the beginning of full timeouts. Matt is simply carrying on the tradition.

As wh says, not only did Bryce do the same thing as did Homer, but practically every other coaching staff in the country.  It may not happen every timeout, but certainly frequently especially during fulls.

Yea this a pretty standard practice during a TV timeout. Coaches get the chance to have all 4 or 5 together for a quick discussion and decide on their main talking points when going back to the players and allows everybody to be on the same page. It's a really nice thing to have, a lot of people don't realize how fast a game happens in a coach's eyes (I don't think Lottich has gotten up to speed on this, think he would be an amazing asset as an assistant currently but don't see the head man ability yet, key word is yet).

Good win despite some poor shooting from Fazekas and Evelyn and still giving up way too many offensive rebounds.  Certainly wasn't an upset, and should be some easy games ahead leading into Ball State and Texas A&M, which should be the last couple of tests before league play starts.

I know a lot of focus is on Fazekas and his shooting, but overall he's been really efficient on offense, and through 6 D1 games he's basically shooting at the same rates he did his first 2 seasons at Providence.  Against the best teams that Valpo's played so far (Tier A & B opponents in kenpom, which doesn't include the Wake Forest game), Fazekas is shooting 35% from 3 and 46% from 2, which again are basically what he's been before.

As others have stated, Evelyn is by far the bigger issue on offense right now, but the sample size is too small to draw any real conclusions from it.

I wouldn't be surprised if Evelyn might have put a little too much pressure on himself to be the go to scorer for this year's team and has forced it a little too much early in the season. As this team settles into their roles and we find a flow I would expect his numbers to increase. When that happens we could be a tough team to defend when you consider the variety of pieces this roster has.

Fazekas needs to settle into the role of spot up shooter.   Right now he is trying to do too much, but he doesn't need to be the guy who creates his own shot.  With Smits dominating the low post teams are going to have to start doubling and that should leave Fazekas with some wide open spot up shots of which he will hit a very high percentage.

Do we think that Fazekas would benefit from coming off the bench and having a few more sets run to get him his "spot up" shot attempts?  Right now it feels like he is just "willing" his shots rather than letting them come to him in the flow of the offense.

There is that old adage, shooters shoot themselves out of funks . . . maybe this is what we are seeing?  The issue is that we have such a small body of work to compare with him that we are more emotional than fact driven in our observations (me included).

I was very happy with his rebounding in this game, 9 Reb is awesome!

*checks stats*

*sees Fazekas is shooting 40.5% from 3 (15-37), Evelyn shooting 25% from 3 (10-40)*

*questions why we are questioning Fazekas's shooting and not Evelyn's*

Well....only positive I'm taking from the first half is I had western Kentucky -3.....for a couple units.  If I'm going to watch us lose at least I can make money doing it. 

Hedging your feelings. Heady play.

This really feels like an "Old Man Yells at Cloud" take. We might as well go back to making freshmen ineligible.

My point is that sports are one of the few places left where lessons in life can be taught in small but meaningful ways.  Done right, of course.  And I feel that, as the institution we proclaim ourselves to be, we can make a difference.  If that is an  old man yelling at clouds, guilty!

So, we shouldn't start a talented freshman because kids around the country are entitled and he needs to learn a lesson about those kid's entitlement. Got it.

To me it is about establishing a solid, long lasting culture. When underclassmen know they have to work their way into the lineup as a rite of passage, it says something about the culture. And doing so is done in games, not practice. It doesn't have to be years or months, maybe just weeks, but the concept needs to be instilled from day one. In my mind no freshman, no matter how good, gets to feel entitled.

This really feels like an "Old Man Yells at Cloud" take. We might as well go back to making freshmen ineligible.

[Washington native Alec Peters named to Phoenix Suns Summer League roster]

I am not sure Alec is even with the Suns. He is not being listed as playing on the summer league

Washington native Alec Peters named to Phoenix Suns Summer League roster

By Aaron Ferguson
Posted Jul 1, 2018 at 3:18 PM

https://www.google.com/amp/www.pjstar.com/sports/20180701/washington-native-alec-peters-named-to-phoenix-suns-summer-league-roster%3ftemplate=ampart

That is a relief!

Interesting note that three Suns players at PF were omitted from the roster: Chriss, Warren, and Williams. As I mentioned previously, I expect at least two of them will be traded (most likely for a PG), making room for Alec if he performs well during the summer games.


By the way, the first game for Phoenix is Friday at 8:30 CT on ESPN against the Mavericks.

It wouldn't make sense for any of the 3 players listed to participate in the summer league. So I would not recommend reading into that.

Illinois State offered Brandon Newman.

Add Florida State to the list.

Question for the locals. Did anyone see this happening just a year ago? Trace played for Valparaiso High School and after 1 year at prep school he's now committed to playing for Maryland. Happy for the kid but did we miss out on a difference maker?

https://twitter.com/traceramsey_/status/989514223075160064

Short answer: No.

I have not been able to attend a game this year, but is the music selection during timeouts, etc still horrendous? I remember times where the opposing team would have to call a timeout due to us making a run and the first thing you hear is the slow intro to Sweet Caroline. Music was a buzzkill.

Also if students are still allowed in for free, they should be required to sit in the student section. If that gets full then they can overflow to another designated section. If a student wants to sit elsewhere make them buy a ticket for that seat. There are many times at games in the past where students and athletes would sit in section A or AA. Athletes at Valpo seem to rarely ever in the student section, it almost seems like they think they are too cool to cheer.

Please if someone from the Athletics Department is reading this. For future reference, please REMOVE THE VOLLEYBALL LINES OFF THE COURT DURING BASKETBALL SEASON. It looks awful on the broadcasts and it makes us look small time.

The volleyball lines stay until their season ends, then they are removed. Men's Basketball has only had one home game since the ending of their season (Utah State). I don't recall one way or the other if the volleyball lines were there or not. I would fully expect them to be gone for the Missouri State game.

Lottich will learn some things from this...

1) you don't have to start the second half with the same guys you started the first half
2) don't start players that aren't producing
3) don't run clock with 4 minutes left
4) tell your team to guard the 3 at all costs up 2

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one questioning Lottich. The offense just looks stagnant/easy to guard too often. Combine that with not being a sub par 3 point shooting team, it's a combo that can lead to lulls/sloppy play (131 assists to 150 turnovers this season). By this time of the year, you need to have mixed in more "stuff" because scouting has become very advanced. And this is just for non conference opponents, it will only get harder come MVC play.

For the record, I love the energy and recruiting Lottich brings to Valpo. But I'm not sold with the on court portion yet. One thing that will always stick out to me was last season at home against Oakland we came out of a timeout and Shane dribbled it up and went off a little false ball screen action with Alec and shot/missed a 3 without a single pass. Ever since then I've had slivers of doubt enter my mind.

I don't mean to be super critical. Head coaching is hard. Especially the year after losing a player like Alec. We are a good defensive/rebounding team, good in transition. I just want to see more out of this roster in the half court offensively, they have the ability.

Another update:

RealTimeRPI now projects a 26-3 season with losses at Purdue, Northwestern, and Northern Iowa. That would have to consider at large discussion, you would think.

Obviously that may not be realistic, but hey it's fun to look at!

It's great to be getting this kind of love but UNI not even being in the field right now is just baffling.

Eh, UNI's early season resume doesn't support this statement currently. Only 1 Top 100 win in UNLV. RPI wise our wins over SIUE and SELA are better than NC State, for the time being lol.

UPDATE:

RPI: 54 SOS: 218

Date   Opponent   Opp. RPI Rk   Results
  11-15     at    SIU Edwardsville     1-4 (0-0)   104    94-69    W
  11-19         SE Louisiana     3-3 (0-0)   142    83-50    W
  11-21         Samford     2-5 (0-0)   250    88-67    W
  11-24     vs    Kent St.     2-3 (0-0)   273    77-67    W
  11-25     vs    N.C. Wilmington     1-3 (0-0)   189    79-70    W
  11-28         Utah St.     4-4 (0-0)   180    72-65    W
  12-07     at    Purdue     6-2 (0-0)   52    68-87 L - Scouting   
  12-09     at    Ball St.     2-4 (0-0)   205    72-76 L - Scouting   
  12-14     at    Northwestern     4-3 (0-0)   147    67-77 L - Scouting   
  12-18     at    Santa Clara     0-4 (0-0)   342    74-75 L - Scouting   
  12-20     at    UC Riverside     1-3 (0-0)   168    78-69 W - Scouting   
  12-28     at    Indiana St.     1-4 (0-0)   235    76-72 W - Scouting   
  12-31         Missouri St.     5-2 (0-0)   132    81-68 W - Scouting   
  01-03     at    Bradley     5-1 (0-0)   41    74-75 L - Scouting   
  01-06         Southern Ill.     1-2 (0-0)   166    81-68 W - Scouting   
  01-10         Drake     3-1 (0-0)   105    85-63 W - Scouting   
  01-13     at    Northern Iowa     4-2 (0-0)   51    72-77 L - Scouting   
  01-17     at    Missouri St.     5-2 (0-0)   132    73-76 L - Scouting   
  01-21         Loyola Chicago     6-1 (0-0)   94    80-69 W - Scouting   
  01-24         Evansville     5-1 (0-0)   73    80-69 W - Scouting   
  01-27     at    Illinois St.     2-3 (0-0)   111    68-74 L - Scouting   
  01-31         Indiana St.     1-4 (0-0)   235    84-64 W - Scouting   
  02-03     at    Southern Ill.     1-2 (0-0)   166    72-76 L - Scouting   
  02-07     at    Evansville     5-1 (0-0)   73    72-77 L - Scouting   
  02-11         Illinois St.     2-3 (0-0)   111    76-66 W - Scouting   
  02-14     at    Loyola Chicago     6-1 (0-0)   94    72-77 L - Scouting   
  02-17         Bradley     5-1 (0-0)   41    82-66 W - Scouting   
  02-20         Northern Iowa     4-2 (0-0)   51    80-68 W - Scouting   
  02-24     at    Drake     3-1 (0-0)   105    77-71 W - Scouting   

18-11 Overall, 11-7 in MVC play

A win is a win but...Where is Joe Burton?  He has disappeared of late.  Too many guys just not showing up.  Hazen?  Bradford?  The three went off for a combined 3 points, 5 turnovers and 5 personal fouls.   

The positive about being a deep team is you don't have to worry about that because there are others capable of stepping up. The negative about being a deep team is if a player doesn't have a good start to his game, his minutes are likely going down and his chance to find a rhythm is gone. If someone is out playing you for the night, you aren't going to see the court very often. Plain and simple.

Back in my day, going to a basketball game and a trip to Duffy's afterwards usually improved my mid-term performance.

You spelled always* wrong

I'd say 6-0 is possible. Neither of our P5 opponents looks unbeatable. In fact, they've both had significant stretches of vulnerability. I wouldn't put it past Valpo to be able to spring an upset or two.

Eh I don't think we will be beating Purdue, especially in Mackey. Sure they lost two games in Atlantis, but KenPom still has them at 13 and it was played in a ballroom. Only harder place to play would be an air craft carrier. I think we will be able to give Northwestern all they want and come away with a win. But at Purdue you can count me out on

UPDATE:

RPI: 73  SOS: 263

Date   Opponent   Opp. RPI Rk   Results
  11-15     at    SIU Edwardsville     1-4 (0-0)   141    94-69    W
  11-19         SE Louisiana     3-3 (0-0)   136    83-50    W
  11-21         Samford     1-5 (0-0)   237    88-67    W
  11-24     vs    Kent St.     2-3 (0-0)   275    77-67    W
  11-25     vs    N.C. Wilmington     1-3 (0-0)   248    79-70    W
  11-28         Utah St.     4-3 (0-0)   199    82-67 W - Scouting   
  12-07     at    Purdue     5-2 (0-0)   80    68-87 L - Scouting   
  12-09     at    Ball St.     2-4 (0-0)   217    73-76 L - Scouting   
  12-14     at    Northwestern     4-2 (0-0)   161    67-78 L - Scouting   
  12-18     at    Santa Clara     0-4 (0-0)   335    74-75 L - Scouting   
  12-20     at    UC Riverside     1-2 (0-0)   219    78-69 W - Scouting   
  12-28     at    Indiana St.     1-4 (0-0)   225    76-72 W - Scouting   
  12-31         Missouri St.     4-2 (0-0)   109    81-68 W - Scouting   
  01-03     at    Bradley     5-1 (0-0)   20    74-75 L - Scouting   
  01-06         Southern Ill.     1-2 (0-0)   179    81-68 W - Scouting   
  01-10         Drake     2-1 (0-0)   67    85-63 W - Scouting   
  01-13     at    Northern Iowa     4-2 (0-0)   57    72-77 L - Scouting   
  01-17     at    Missouri St.     4-2 (0-0)   109    73-76 L - Scouting   
  01-21         Loyola Chicago     6-0 (0-0)   118    80-69 W - Scouting   
  01-24         Evansville     5-1 (0-0)   78    80-69 W - Scouting   
  01-27     at    Illinois St.     2-3 (0-0)   129    68-75 L - Scouting   
  01-31         Indiana St.     1-4 (0-0)   225    84-64 W - Scouting   
  02-03     at    Southern Ill.     1-2 (0-0)   179    73-76 L - Scouting   
  02-07     at    Evansville     5-1 (0-0)   78    72-77 L - Scouting   
  02-11         Illinois St.     2-3 (0-0)   129    76-66 W - Scouting   
  02-14     at    Loyola Chicago     6-0 (0-0)   118    72-77 L - Scouting   
  02-17         Bradley     5-1 (0-0)   20    82-67 W - Scouting   
  02-20         Northern Iowa     4-2 (0-0)   57    80-69 W - Scouting   
  02-24     at    Drake     2-1 (0-0)   67    77-71 W - Scouting   

18-11 Overall, 11-7 in MVC play

This is cool to follow along, etc. But I really question how it predicts us to lose at a winless Santa Clara but beat UC Riverside.