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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.

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...

  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

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?

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 ), 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. 

http://www.freep.com/article/20130427/SPORTS08/304270092/1051/sports03

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/22034866/memphis-junior-tarik-black-transferring

Tarik Black from Memphis is transferring.  Maybe he could be a Valparaiso get.  Sounds like his game would fill a hole in our lineup next year.

On a side note, what are your opinions?  Is Black at the level of the transfers we have been getting in recent years, or better than those transfers? 

I'm sure Tony Vilcinskas' jersey had to be retired because there was too much blood on it. Tony probably used it for DNA evidence to clear himself of a few crimes.  8)

http://valpofans.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=valposports&action=print&thread=3485

Not retired, just repurposed.  My daughter thinks a Tony's 7 footer jersey makes a great dress.    Yep, some blood is still on it too. 

How does conference membership work?  What are the contractual obligations? Once you agree to be in a conference, are you bound to that conference in perpetuity?  I wonder too if the school obligations and the conference obligations change if there is a substantal change in the school or the conference.  For example, is the school bound to a conference if the conference changes 20% to 30% of its membership (including the member that is arguabily its most valuable) within a 12 month period?  In that case, is the conference living up contractual expectations expected by the conference's members?  Conversely, what if a school decides that it no longer wishes to compete in Division 1 athletics.  In that particular situation, would the school be required to pay an exit fee because it is not living up to the contractual expectations of the conference (changing their competitive level of play)?

The the reported fact that Valparaiso must pay an exit fee to a conference that is substantially changed from what Valparaiso initially committed to does not set well with me.  That is what brought me to the questions I ask above.  While I know little about the legal subject, I think that Valparaiso can make a pretty good legal argument that since the conference has had (or may end up going through) such major changes, the end "product" put out by the Horizon has substantially changed from the original Horizon "product" that Valparaiso signed to when it entered the conference.   

Doctor evil- One Million Dollars

Here is a cool link to an article about "The Shot" written through quotes:

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2013/3/19/4119040/march-madness-valparaiso-ole-miss-buzzer-beater-history?utm_source=sbnation&utm_medium=nextclicks&utm_campaign=articlebottom

Enjoy

I posted a

Can you post a link to your write up?  Thanks!

Edit, got it: http://michiganstate.247sports.com/Board/93/Valparaiso-17552356/1

http://michiganstate.247sports.com/Board/93/tOfficial-Valpo-look-a-like-thread-17539420/1

^ That link is hilarious.  Here is another with a forum discussion about Valpo.

http://michiganstate.247sports.com/Board/93/Get-To-Know-Valpo-17542615/1

Any feelings on campus on whether any of the State underclassmen are going to leave early for the NBA?

What is the best MSU message board?

Welcome Spartan.

What did you guys think of Brandon Wood? 

OK, point taken on the computer number crunching.

Now the eye test

B1G                                                     Mountain West Conference
#3 Indiana 14-4 -- 26-5                                  #15 New Mexico 13-3 -- 27-5
#8 Michigan State 13-5 --24-7                               Colorado State 11-5 -- 25-7
#10 Ohio State 13-5 --23-7                                   UNLV 10-6 -- 24-8
#6 Michigan 12-6 --26-6                                       San Diego State 9-7 -- 22-9
#22 Wisconsin 12-6-- 21-10                                  Boise State 9-7 -- 21-10
     Iowa 9-9-- 20-11                                            Air Force 8-8 -- 17-13
     Illinois 8-10-- 22-11                                         Fresno State 5-11 -- 11-19
     Minnesota 8-10 --20-12                                   Wyoming 4-12 -- 19-13
     Purdue 8-10 -- 15-17                                       Nevada 3-13 -- 12-19
     Nebraska 5-13 -- 15-17
     Northwestern 4-14 -- 13-18
     Penn State 2-16 -- 10-21

OK, I do not want want to derail the subject of this thread, so back to the regular programming.  I am trying to take my mind off the subject of this thread (Bryce possibly leaving).  It makes me sad  :-(

[/quote]

Not arguing your point at all. 

On a side note though, regardless of what the formula is, or who put the list together, I have a hard time taking seriously a conference ranking list that puts the Mountain West Conference above the Big Ten.  That just does not pass the eye test.

YIKES! So if I read this crashing the dance site right, are we a low 14 seed (according to them)?

That is hilarious!

On a side note, if you could quantify it in a dollar value, I wonder how much the shot is worth to Valparaiso University in terms of publicity?  It is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Back to the topic...

Sagarin has us a 0.02 point favorite for this one (including the "Home Advantage" for GB).

I will go with Sagrin on this one
Valpo 78
GB 77.98

Our pick up of Rossi is twice as nice since he doesn't go to Loyola, a league competitor whose message board fans had been counting on him being a Rambler.

This ^ 

[It was the best academic fit and the best basketball fit]

This is part of an interview from an Indiana basketball site after he announced the transfer to Valpo.  I noticed a few things of interest which I've highlited:

"It was the best academic fit and the best basketball fit," Capobianco said. "By the time I took my visit, it was obvious that this was the right place."

Capobianco also said he thought he would fit well in Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew's offensive vision. In Indiana's offense, Capobianco was used almost exclusively as a screener and rarely even got the ball in the post. In high school, he was actually known for being able to shoot from beyond the arc, and said Drew plans to use him in that fashion.

"Obviously, I don't know the entire offense right now," Capobianco said. "But just from speaking to Coach Drew, I think after my redshirt year, he's going to try to find a way to use all my skills. I think he knows that even though I have the size to play in the post, I can also do some things on the perimeter. He can use me to dribble drive, he can use my shot. He understands that I have some flexibility and he can work with that."

I do not know much of Copobianco's game and I have never seen him play, but the way he describes himself, his game sounds a lot like Richie Edwards.  For those in the know, is this a right assumption?   

YES!

The Sweetest Thing

I know this is not exacty what you are looking for, but I always loved being called the Yankees of the Mid Con

Name some guards from either of those schools that have been successful in the NBA (Jerry Sichting).

How about Mateen Cleaves?  Whoops, never mind...

Magic Johnson!

Scott Skyles
Eric Snow
Jason Richardson
Shawn Respert
Shannon Brown

How about a trade:  Wood for Sherman?     :-)

Funny, I was just thinking that myself.

While I am one of the people screaming for a big man, that's a trade I would not make. I wouldn't trade Wood for much of anything.

You are right.  I do not want to loose Wood myself and I am hoping that he comes back to good old Valpo.  The thought of the Shermanator to Valpo makes me drool.  The thought of Wood to anywhere makes me cry.  It just made me smile to think that if MSU were going to get Wood from us, the least they could do would be to send Sherman our way to help with our loss.  :-)  Bottom line STAY Brandon, Brandon STAY!!  We need more Wood!!  

How about a trade:  Wood for Sherman?     :-)

Funny, I was just thinking that myself.