Let's recognize our participation with a topic for the game that serves as the door to the NCAA Tournament
I'm there and hoping for an easy win for a change. I remember the championship game a couple years ago against Wright State. That one was such a struggle for both teams. I think we gain some energy in this one and the 3's come in bunches. I also predict that Keith Carter scores 15+ points. We limit Sykes to under 15 points.
Valpo 69
Green Bay 62
I kind of agree...if Keith Carter's jumper is falling Valpo should cruise. No Tevonn worries me, his athleticism kind of helps even out their athleticism. Would also be great if Darien could get hot, and stay hot!
I will say Valpo 64-60.
Valpo by 1!
I anticipate a great game Tuesday night. This is the competitive match most want to see - 2 talented, well coached teams finishing 1 and 2 in the regular season to compete in the conference championship. I hope Valpo can recover from the Tevonn Walker injury - Carter and Skara need to step up.
BTW, for those critiquing Keifer Sykes and saying that he was not worthy of Horizon Conference Player of the Year, after watching him play Saturday night, you have to be kidding. I would strongly disagree. Valpo is an excellent team and found ways to stop him, but Sykes is awesome and fun to watch.
Tuesday night will be fun.
Nice article on Keifer Sykes in the Chicago Tribune. It is good to see he will graduate and has a strong network of support.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-keifer-sykes-haugh-spt-0306-20150305-column.html (http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-keifer-sykes-haugh-spt-0306-20150305-column.html)
Sykes played his high school basketball at Marshall - one of the legendary powerhouses in the Chicago Public League (even more so for girls basketball).
As others have mentioned, this game will be hard to win without Tevonn. Even if we do get by GB, playing in the NCAA tournament without him will make it extremely difficult to spring an upset.
My guess for the GB game. Carter is going to move to the 2 for the entire game (playing no point guard), Nickerson remains at the point, and Max moves back into the backup role at the point guard position for 6-8 minutes a half. Nickerson and Carter take turns guarding Sykes.
Nothing like a whole new lineup for the championship game! I think GB is playing better basketball right now (Sykes fully healthy), but with home court advantage this game is a coin flip.
I think we win this game. The last two we were without KC, this time we have him and no Tevonn. KC and EVN should be able to keep Sykes at bay. So long that he doesn't have one of those games that everything falls in we should win. My guess is that we'll win rather easily. I think we're deeper, Sykes may be the best player in the league but we have a number of guys that can produce big numbers for us.
It'll be a great game. The better team will win, I think we're the better team.
Valpo 72
GB 61
Valpo wins in a breeze by 11?
2014, you must have friends that are optimistic Cub fans. This will not be an easy win by any stretch of the imagination. The loss of Tevonn is significant, and even if he were not in the game it would be at least competitive. These teams split close games in the regular season and realistically I see no reason otherwise Tuesday night. Valpo's recent games the past few weeks have been close, picking a prohibitive win makes little sense.
Valpo 55-54.
Last time we played GB, it was more like a 10 point win. We missed FTs down the stretch and they hit some 3s which drew them close. Other than Sykes nobody scares me that much on their roster. Mays, McKinnie, and Fouse are all good players but they aren't going to beat us. Sykes best games came against weaker defenses in the HL, we have guys that can mirror him and Vashil to protect the rim when Sykes gets in close.
We have the ability to shutdown Sykes. UIC's defense is nowhere near the level that our's is at. If Tevonn is out, which will probably be the case, it does affect the game. But the other two games we were without KC, we have him back, likewise with Tevonn he's a terrific defender and he's a better ball handler as well. Our defense is good enough to stop Sykes as well it forces a lot of 3s, which GB is the worst 3-point shooting team in the league.
We're at home. I think we win by 11, pulling away late.
Every game we seem to be smooth sailing with any 4 minutes to go and then the other team makes some deep contested 3s and nothing goes in for us. It would be nice to watch a game for once where the other team just misses everything at the end and we win by 15, 20.
Quote from: a3uge on March 08, 2015, 12:04:13 PM
Every game we seem to be smooth sailing with any 4 minutes to go and then the other team makes some deep contested 3s and nothing goes in for us. It would be nice to watch a game for once where the other team just misses everything at the end and we win by 15, 20.
My dad brought up this same topic after the CSU game last Friday. In that game and against GB, they didn't hit 3s all game then their prayers start getting answered, and the same thing happened in that matchup against CSU. If they don't hit some low-percentage shots there probably ~10 point wins.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 08, 2015, 11:15:57 AMAs others have mentioned, this game will be hard to win without Tevonn. Even if we do get by GB, playing in the NCAA tournament without him will make it extremely difficult to spring an upset.
My guess for the GB game. Carter is going to move to the 2 for the entire game (playing no point guard), Nickerson remains at the point, and Max moves back into the backup role at the point guard position for 6-8 minutes a half. Nickerson and Carter take turns guarding Sykes.
I am glad that Max has gotten significant playing time recently because we will need his help again.
The winner of this game still has a shot at a winnable NCAA matchup, but without TeVonn the number of teams in that 4 or 5 seed bracket range that we can compete with just got smaller. As for the NIT there is no doubt in my mind that this bunch could make an impressive showing but I am still expecting a close VU win over GB.
Valpo 64
GB 55
We get some late FTs to secure the victory and win by 9!
Earlier in the year I say we win this one no doubt. But now I'm not so sure I'm a little bit lost with GB and Sykes. They've looked pretty good the past few games. But 2 of their last 3 games were against UIC who gave them a run for their money. Sykes only plays good against crappy defenses maybe he turned it around lately? We will have to wait and see let's hope not. One of my friends apparently talked to the team doctor after the game and said it was a torn mcl. Im not gonna take his word because you never know. Valpo 55 GB 54 Tevonn plays and hits a buzzer beater to win the game and send Valpo into the tourny :thumbsup: ;)
Sykes admits to thinking how beating the Crusaders at the ARC would be sweet revenge:
http://www.horizonleague.org/video.html?id=13866 (http://www.horizonleague.org/video.html?id=13866)
Quote from: wh on March 08, 2015, 01:09:48 PM
Sykes admits to thinking how beating the Crusaders at the ARC would be sweet revenge:
http://www.horizonleague.org/video.html?id=13866 (http://www.horizonleague.org/video.html?id=13866)
Looks like he might keep a scar there by his eye.
Sorry, all, but the loss of Tevonn will be too much.
GB 63
Valpo 58
Besides, I'd rather be wrong and win. But, I truly feel the loss of Tevonn makes any chance of a win in the field of 64 nearly impossible. If Carter doesn't show up big - time on Tuesday, I'm afraid he and Max just won't cut it at the next level.
Go Crusaders! Prove me wrong!
Quote from: BrownTown on March 08, 2015, 01:18:04 PM
Sorry, all, but the loss of Tevonn will be too much.
GB 63
Valpo 58
Besides, I'd rather be wrong and win. But, I truly feel the loss of Tevonn makes any chance of a win in the field of 64 nearly impossible. If Carter doesn't show up big - time on Tuesday, I'm afraid he and Max just won't cut it at the next level.
Go Crusaders! Prove me wrong!
We won yesterday without Tevonn? Why not against GB. CSU and GB are pretty identical skill wise.
Quote from: a3uge on March 08, 2015, 12:04:13 PMIt would be nice to watch a game for once where the other team just misses everything at the end and we win by 15, 20.
(http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130701212935/prowrestling/images/0/04/No.png)
those were good days, eh, Murray St?
We won without KC for basically the whole conference season. Last night it didn't seem like we missed Tevonn too much. Yes, he's a fantastic player but KC is just as skilled as Tevonn, different set of skills but just as skilled both offensively and defensively.
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 08, 2015, 01:06:14 PM
Earlier in the year I say we win this one no doubt. But now I'm not so sure I'm a little bit lost with GB and Sykes. They've looked pretty good the past few games. But 2 of their last 3 games were against UIC who gave them a run for their money. Sykes only plays good against crappy defenses maybe he turned it around lately? We will have to wait and see let's hope not. One of my friends apparently talked to the team doctor after the game and said it was a torn mcl. Im not gonna take his word because you never know. Valpo 55 GB 54 Tevonn plays and hits a buzzer beater to win the game and send Valpo into the tourny :thumbsup: ;)
Valpofan00, brilliant minds think alike! Nice prediction on the score
Quote from: classof2014 on March 08, 2015, 12:24:13 PM
Quote from: a3uge on March 08, 2015, 12:04:13 PM
Every game we seem to be smooth sailing with any 4 minutes to go and then the other team makes some deep contested 3s and nothing goes in for us. It would be nice to watch a game for once where the other team just misses everything at the end and we win by 15, 20.
My dad brought up this same topic after the CSU game last Friday. In that game and against GB, they didn't hit 3s all game then their prayers start getting answered, and the same thing happened in that matchup against CSU. If they don't hit some low-percentage shots there probably ~10 point wins.
Yeah, it seemed like CSU was getting a lot of nice bounces. There was one shot Grady took that looked flat and ugly, and it hit the back rim and sort of died and rolled in. Another shot hit the back rim and flew up in the air and landed straight in. For a period of time some of the long rebounds found CSU hands. I thought that was going to come back to bite Valpo
But we did a nice job of hitting free throws and getting to the line down the stretch.
I thought Grady played very hard and well. The game was well officiated but college basketball is getting waaaaay too physical.
GB will be a very tough game. Say what you want but Sykes is great and the HL POY for a reason. He may come out to explode after 2 subpar performances against Valpo. Valpo will have to play an A game to win by double digits and GB would have to be in a funk.
This game will be decent ESPN TV - I say Valpo will win by less points than the number of Viagra commercials shown in the broadcast Tuesday night.
[tweet]574654293824901120[/tweet]
[tweet]574654431477768192[/tweet]
Derrik Smits
@SmitsDerrik
I know where I will be on Tuesday @ValpoBasketball #Crusaders #SeizeTheLeague
8:59 PM - 7 Mar 2015
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 08, 2015, 02:10:27 PMI thought Grady played very hard..............I say Valpo will win by less points than the number of Viagra commercials shown in the broadcast Tuesday night.t.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................subliminal advertising? ? ? ?(http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/9643148/3/stock-photo-9643148-raised-eyebrow.jpg)
Valpo by 5. KC fills in for Tevonn and EVic holds Keifer to 5 points and 3 dimes. Mays gets double digits (seriously, Vashil and Jubril can't handle him 1 on 1) and Mckinnie handles Alec to 12 and 5.
Who steps up for us offensively? KC and Skara. Each of the get 14 and Darian gets 18 to lead all scorers.
73-68 Valpo p
Only Mez seats left (3 or 4 individual single seat ones in lower level). Thinking about driving from Indy and sneaking into the student section. Too bad the game starts so early!
The length of EVN has given Sykes fits. Most of Sykes buckets come at the rim and we have the best defender in the league. Sykes isn't the best shooter in the league. Doesn't mean he can't score from outside, since he certainly can. Our defense plays into his weakness.
If Sykes wants to have a good game he's gonna need to hit deep shots. 2 seasons ago he nearly beat us in the semis, we're gonna have to come out and be prepared.
This is his last chance. Hopefully he tries too much and has an off night.
This will be another defensive battle and hopefully won't become a FT shooting battle, as both teams were in the bottom two of the HL. I think we make our FTs at the end of the game and come out with a victory!
Valpo 67
UWGB 60
If you live within a couple hours of Valpo and aren't at the game Tuesday, your attendance complaining privileges are revoked.
Unfortunately I will be heading to Evansville for a Wednesday morning meeting.
Is Evansville really in the state of Indiana?
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TsdGw7BD6AwQW2vrzR5ACPtM_7KQokvJjUI8dT3IYy0=w157-h207-p-no)
Anybody have any news on the Tevonn injury?
The ticket office is making availability errors. I bought a second row ticket online last night that I'm getting screwed out of. They emailed me this afternoon saying they need to relocate me due to an error on their end. Ended up getting a free upgrade to a center court chairback.
Quote from: gamelord on March 09, 2015, 01:36:47 PM
The ticket office is making availability errors. I bought a second row ticket online last night that I'm getting screwed out of. They emailed me this afternoon saying they need to relocate me due to an error on their end. Ended up getting a free upgrade to a center court chairback.
Same thing happened to us for the semi-finals and tomorrow. Worked out because we got chairbacks out of it. But seems like we need a better ticketing system.
I can help with some of the confusion... originally... and like 2013... we built a riser for the media in Section H (Center Court Chairbacks) that took out the first 3 rows, and made row 4 un-sellable. ESPN showed up either late Thursday or Friday morning... and said those tables/chairs blocked their camera view.... and we took them out... 8-10 hours before tip off.
SO... all of the people in that section were moved up 3-4 rows... leaving the back 3-4 rows of section H "Available" with no way to market it at the last minute
SO... some people got the bump up... this had nothing to do with the seating software...and some were sold to walk-up patrons.
Kudo's to the staff who had to relabel all of the rows for that section and figure out how to sell new seats that did not previously exist!
A huge game not only for the team but the university as a whole. As a high school senior in 2004, I remember watching Valpo beat IUPUI on ESPN in the Mid Con Championship game and then listening to Todd in our loss to Gonzaga in the tournament. That experience sealed the deal in terms of where I would attend college.
Valpo has a golden opportunity. 40 minutes of solid basketball and we go dancing. And as we know, magic happens at the big dance. Let's do this.
If anyone wants to count, the section sizes are different.
(http://i.imgur.com/S8Ehfz2.png)
Movie theater manager to ticket seller, "How many people did we have tonight?"
Seller "Well, that's an interesting question. Theater 1 looked about half full, theater 2 roughly 25%...but of course there may have been people out of their seats buying popcorn or".
Manager: "Wait a minute. Can't you just tell me how many tickets you sold?"
Seller "Well sir, it's not that simple. I mean we have the workers. And then there's the cleaning crew. If you want to count them I'd have to guess.
Manager "don't you know how many workers and cleaning people we have?"
Seller "Well sir, it's not that simple..."
Quote from: talksalot on March 09, 2015, 03:53:32 PM
I can help with some of the confusion... originally... and like 2013... we built a riser for the media in Section H (Center Court Chairbacks) that took out the first 3 rows, and made row 4 un-sellable. ESPN showed up either late Thursday or Friday morning... and said those tables/chairs blocked their camera view.... and we took them out... 8-10 hours before tip off.
SO... all of the people in that section were moved up 3-4 rows... leaving the back 3-4 rows of section H "Available" with no way to market it at the last minute
SO... some people got the bump up... this had nothing to do with the seating software...and some were sold to walk-up patrons.
Kudo's to the staff who had to relabel all of the rows for that section and figure out how to sell new seats that did not previously exist!
That explains why seats in section H are available, but there was a software glitch/mixup from my original location. I bought a ticket for row B of section D which I assume they realized needed to go to Green Bays allotment of tickets. I was offered somewhere else in section D or the H chairback. Of course I took the chairback.
Bryce said Tevonn is day to day and doubtful Tuesday.
Horizon League now promoting the game as a Family Night with tickets at $15, which includes a $5 food voucher.
[tweet]575023429029511168[/tweet]
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 09, 2015, 04:30:17 PM
Bryce said Tevonn is day to day and doubtful Tuesday.
That sounds relatively good. I'll take that as indicating the x-rays and MRIs were negative and we're talking about a minor, if painful, injury. Correct?
Quote from: Valpower on March 09, 2015, 05:06:11 PM
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 09, 2015, 04:30:17 PM
Bryce said Tevonn is day to day and doubtful Tuesday.
That sounds relatively good. I'll take that as indicating the x-rays and MRIs were negative and we're talking about a minor, if painful, injury. Correct?
Let's hope, but wasn't Keith also originally day to day?
So that means he could play in the tournament?
Quote from: Valpower on March 09, 2015, 05:06:11 PM
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 09, 2015, 04:30:17 PM
Bryce said Tevonn is day to day and doubtful Tuesday.
That sounds relatively good. I'll take that as indicating the x-rays and MRIs were negative and we're talking about a minor, if painful, injury. Correct?
Probably didn't even have the MRI yet... Swelling has to reside first.
He's a tough kid I wouldn't be surprise if he's plays tomorrow . He's done it before
You can't just tough through an ACL or MCL tear.
Quote from: valpopal on March 09, 2015, 04:35:30 PMHorizon League now promoting the game as a Family Night with tickets at $15, which includes a $5 food voucher.
On 24 hours notice. Talk about your last minute promotions.
They're trying to pull a parable of the vineyard here.
I never thought of it from quite that perspective before... God was having trouble getting a lively crowd in heaven (shades of the wedding banquet parable), so he pulled out all the stops!
Quote from: beastkiller on March 09, 2015, 07:07:58 PM
He's a tough kid I wouldn't be surprise if he's plays tomorrow . He's done it before
That would be great if he did (obviously), but whether he plays or doesn't play no one would ever question his toughness. Im just relieved to hear that it's not something more serious like a torn ACL.
If he is not ready -don't push it
2146 total upper deck seats.
Well, I see we're up 51-3 in championship game posts vs. GB fans. And 1 of their 3 posts is from Jimmy Lemke.
http://phearthephoenix.proboards.com/thread/496/horizon-league-tournament-championship (http://phearthephoenix.proboards.com/thread/496/horizon-league-tournament-championship)
Would it be right for GB to win this game when it means so little in Green Bay, WI? The answer - no it would not.
Quote from: wh on March 09, 2015, 11:27:13 PM
Well, I see we're up 51-3 in championship game posts vs. GB fans. And 1 of their 3 posts is from Jimmy Lemke.
http://phearthephoenix.proboards.com/thread/496/horizon-league-tournament-championship (http://phearthephoenix.proboards.com/thread/496/horizon-league-tournament-championship)
Would it be right for GB to win this game when it means so little in Green Bay, WI? The answer - no it would not.
If Green Bay wins this game, the terrorists have won.
I am likely going to watch the game at a sports bar - my daughters are in competitive dance and religiously watch Dance Moms which is on tonight. Sad as this sounds; I lose to the grace and charm of Abby Lee Miller.
I checked uwgb message board to see their stance on the game. One guy replied that we have a lot of traffic on the forum but don't put a lot of life bodies in the stands.
Don't shoot me for bringing up the private thing again.....but there is a huge valpo fan base that outside of Indiana. I remember attending the central Florida game over Xmas a couple years back and we had an alumni event before the game. There were about a 100 or more valpo fans in Orlando. I don't think that would be the case for uwgb.
I think attendance might improve if we were able to put more love bodies in the stands.
I make this post with a smile, since I have posted several very unfortunate typos.
usc4valpo.... Too funny but can't they dvr their show
I am a little worried about this game without Tevonn. I watched Sykes score at will in the game Saturday. I hope we can find a way to make other players take shots they shouldn't. I think that might be the key to winning. (Well the key to winning is actually - just having more points when the time runs out)
Good luck tonight guys - should be a really good game.
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 10, 2015, 07:38:12 AM
I checked uwgb message board to see their stance on the game. One guy replied that we have a lot of traffic on the forum but don't put a lot of love bodies in the stands.
Don't shoot me for bringing up the private thing again.....but there is a huge valpo fan base that outside of Indiana. I remember attending the central Florida game over Xmas a couple years back and we had an alumni event before the game. There were about a 100 or more valpo fans in Orlando. I don't think that would be the case for uwgb.
No disagreement here. The fact that this game is not already a complete sellout is an embarrassment. That said, I don't know how many failed attempts it's going to take for "whomever" to recognize that locals will not pay $20 to sit in the upper deck at the ARC and watch the Valparaiso University men's basketball team play, no matter how good they are.
It's also on a Tuesday night which stinks... If it was a weekend game I'd go no doubt but since it requires basically 2 days off of work to attend that makes it difficult for alumni who live 5-6 hours away to go.
There's no question Valpo has the most passionate fans in the HL. The problem is that most alumni leave the area once they graduate. I would've loved to stay in NWI but couldn't because there were no jobs available.
Quote from: IrishDawg on March 10, 2015, 08:43:36 AM
Good luck tonight guys - should be a really good game.
Thanks, IrishDawg! For our new guys Irish was 1 of the 2 best game previewers in HL history, along with Detroit's Commissioner, and an all around good guy (a rarity for a Butler fan)! ;)
Vegas has us at -3.
I think UWGB is playing better on offense than they were when we saw them the last two times. I didn't realize but this is their first championship game in 17 years. Plus Sykes is hungry, this is going to be a tough game.
I think we'll be fine tonight. IMO, we have the competitive advantage being at home and having played one more tournament game than they have since our tournament began last week in Cleveland. It'll be a tough competitive game for sure but I honestly think this team has learned how to close. Winning at CSU at the end of the year went a long way benefit wise in a lot of respects. Sykes does make me nervous though.
As worrisome as the absence of Tevonn is, we still have E, who is unlike anyone else who has guarded Sykes, and Carter, a remarkably good defender himself. Remember, Sykes likes to drive the lane and we have Vashil back there. The matchups are going to be a lot tougher for him than he saw against UIC. I'd be disappointed if he puts up more than 20. I'm more worried about the absence ofTevonn on offense.
Also, remember last time GB came to the ARC, Sykes shot everything he touched, and was stone cold. GB got back into the game when he sat. I doubt we'll see something that drastic happen again, but we are the toughest defensive matchup in the HL for the Phoenix. I'd be surprised if either team scores more than 65.
Quote from: wh on March 10, 2015, 08:46:08 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 10, 2015, 07:38:12 AM
I checked uwgb message board to see their stance on the game. One guy replied that we have a lot of traffic on the forum but don't put a lot of love bodies in the stands.
Don't shoot me for bringing up the private thing again.....but there is a huge valpo fan base that outside of Indiana. I remember attending the central Florida game over Xmas a couple years back and we had an alumni event before the game. There were about a 100 or more valpo fans in Orlando. I don't think that would be the case for uwgb.
No disagreement here. The fact that this game is not already a complete sellout is an embarrassment. That said, I don't know how many failed attempts it's going to take for "whomever" to recognize that locals will not pay $20 to sit in the upper deck at the ARC and watch the Valparaiso University men's basketball team play, no matter how good they are.
Sorry, got a little long winded, here's my response.
The main issues are 1. Spring break. 2. Scattered alumni. 3. The community doesn't really embrace the university. 4. The game is at 6pm on a Tuesday.
Point 1: Faculty, staff, and students make up the bulk of fans and are off partying in Florida, doing mission trips in Honduras, or, like I would do, are in Milwaukee eating ungodly amounts of food and sleeping in till noon.
Point 2: Most alumni don't live even within an hour of Valpo, and probably under a third live in the Chicago area.
Point 3: If you aren't on the staff, a student, or professor, you're seen as a townie. If you're a student you're seen as an uppity entitled elitist with rich parents. In the 90s, I'm sure the connection was much better with Bryce going to high school at Valparaiso. Now? Not really at all. Even the NW Indiana Times seems to not want to admit that Valparaiso University actually exists.
Point 4: I texted a number of people that were willing to travel for the game, but many couldn't get off work in time. 6pm is really inconvenient.
How the university can realistically fix these issues without doubling their athletic budget: Its going to be hard to actually move spring break or decide the game time, so we're probably stuck forever with this problem. It's also going to be awhile until we find donors that want to dish in money for ARC upgrades. The best way to help attendance now is by winning and promoting the program. It shouldn't be hard to find a couple thousand alumni to fill the seats for a championship game. Here's what has to happen:
* They have to know.
* They have to care.
* It has to be easy.
Knowing and caring come from marketing. Knowing is having a proper website, a proper schedule, proper social media, social media that emphasizes home games and packages, and proper email lists. Caring comes from the team winning, legitimizing the gameday experience (telling the pep band sto stop playing the time warp song), viewing parties, having proper packages, engaging in social media, and easy access to streaming and content (video replays). Making everything easy includes an organized alumni base that organize ridesharing, vans, busses to tournament games, having a proper ticketing website that is easy for old people to use.
Right now I don't think we do the simple things well and all my suggestions don't involve a whole lot of money. There's no reason why we don't have a bus/van from Indianapolis, Chicago, and Milwaukee to watch the game. Students home for spring break and young alumni would be all over that.
Here's something I hope we have been working on for tonight. One of the reasons GB blocks so many of our shots underneath without a natural shot blocker is their entire front court leaves their man and swarms to the ball when it goes up. Plus, their swarm is synchronized. First the on-ball defender goes up, followed immediately by a secondary blocker in the event the shooter ball fakes the first defender and evades the first block attempt. I have noticed Alec and Jubril especially absolutely need to learn to do more ball faking before they put a shot up underneath. They are too predictable and in turn too easy to block by the primary defender.
It's Paul Oren's birthday today, how can we lose?
Despite only living an hour and 15 minutes away, I will be unable to attend the game tonight. Unless somebody has invented a teleporter so that I can go straight from getting off work at 6 to the tip-off of the game. I do wish that the championship game was not on a Weeknight(WORKnight). I know TV deal, espn, blah, blah, blah. Perhaps we can move it to a Saturday or Sunday and Fox Sports or CBS Sports can pick it up?
I think putting more love bodies in the stands would decrease attendance in the short term, but increase it by 50% come the fall.
I think part of the problem with semis were the fact that we had fans of four teams at the games and some of those left when their team was done. Won't be the cas tonight. Lower seats totally full and that has been the case for a couple of days. Upper deck is looking better then the semis. In CC for example there are now 2 seats left in row UU, which leave five rows left to the top. It was great to be there for the semis. Sure wish I could have stayed till tonight. :(
Just looked at Valpo's site. Bottom sections seem to be totally sold out, upper deck looks a little over half sold. With a reasonable walkup, attendance will be in the 4200-4500 range. While I agree that games like this should be sold out, a Tuesday night at 6:00 PM is a very difficult time. You can get away with this with a high prestige program, but most teams (even in a conference like the Big 12) would struggle to get more than 60-70% of their seats sold under these circumstances. Moving the tournament to a neutral site will only make attendance worse, while moving it to a bigger school in the conference would just make the tournament less fair.
It seems very reasonable to assume that more alumns and a greater percentage of alumns stay in places like Green Bay, Detroit or Milwaukee than alums that stay in Valparaiso. To the marketing questions raised above, I would argue that the basketball program and other athletic programs need to target the community. Don't accept the division between town and university.
Instead of talking about stuff we can control (the attendance) let's talk about the actual product on the court.
Sykes obviously scares me the most. We can't let him beat us. If he contributes to 30 points the we lose (be it by scoring or assisting). If he get 10 points and 10 dimes we lose; 20 and 5, we lose; 14 and 8, you guessed it. He has had 34 points that he's contributed to in the 2 games against us (23 and 11 respectively). I would like the ball out of his hands as much as possible, but since he's the point guard on their team, he's going to have it on every possession. That's why I think we have to completely eliminate Sykes. You may say "What about Mays and McKinnie and Love and to a lesser extant Fouse". They can't shoot threes. In conference Green Bay took 13.9 threes a game and made only 4 (28.7%). Sykes takes a little under 4 a game and makes a little over 1, so if you eliminate him they are going to hit a very minimal amount of threes. Crowd the lane, clog it and don't let them get decent looks from inside the arc. Here's my game plan: Play a box+1 defense
Here's your typical box+1
(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UNWU1J1Mhi8/maxresdefault.jpg)
While that would work, I worry about Green Bay's ability to work the middle of the box and shoot from the low post. I don't think we need to have 2 guys hanging out at the top of the key looking to stop potential threes or Sykes drives. That's why I'd propose a box+1 hybrid that I haven't seen and I'm not sure if it's been tried before (I'm sure it has, if it hasn't then I'm revolutionizing basketball.
A hybrid of the box+1
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7593/16775303841_62ff491982_o.jpg)
In this you would have 2 guys who are 6'7+ taking out their wings, Darien would be there to eliminate entry passes to the inside and Vashil cleans up anything on the inside. EVic, Vashil, and Alec would rotate similar to a 2-3 defense, but the wings would play a little higher than a typical 2-3. Darien would rotate to whatever side the ball is on, but would never extend past the 3 point line. And no matter what, screens, off ball movement, etc, Keith would defend Sykes as if he had the ball, never letting more than 3 feet of separation between them. If Sykes has the ball inside the 3 point line, I want the defense to swarm him like this:
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7610/16157118083_fd2b92fac0_o.jpg)
1. Whatever side he's on that wing steps up to double him.
2. Vashil rotates to Sykes's side but stays on the block.
3. The opposite wing drops down to the opposite block ala a 3-2 defensive set.
4. The top of the box (in this case Darien) drops to the opposite elbow to eliminate cross court passes and passing lanes to a cutter.
Offensively, I don't want EVic playing point. I would prefer to see Max come in to give Keith a break. When Max is in though I want him as the top of the box and EVic or Darien playing the +1 on Sykes. When Sykes gets his 2-3 minutes of rest these two things are important: Keith is out as well and you switch to a man defense.
Personally I trust Drew to coach them up enough over the two day break to implement a box+1 and I don't think Wardle would be able to adjust on the fly to it. I also think Wardle would get used to it and when Sykes comes out the man defense switch would get his head spinning.
Quote from: agibson on March 09, 2015, 08:23:57 PMI never thought of it from quite that perspective before... God was having trouble getting a lively crowd in heaven (shades of the wedding banquet parable), so he pulled out all the stops!
I swear I'm going to find a way to use that in a future sermon, if you don't mind ;)
As a 21 year townie fan (with academic ties to Purdue, IU and Syracuse) I began following VU with Bryce. VU Basketball is the fall/winter event for the 4 of us who sit together, travel to most away games together and definitely travel to tournaments together. Additionally we have brought to the posse many other now devoted fans who appreciate the opportunity to watch good D1 basketball (emphasis on good basketball) at an affordable price with convenient parking. Maybe it is my impression but I don't see town v VU animosity just ambivalence fueled by lives busy with families.
Agreed with all of the right arguments
I disagree with changing the primary defensive strategy and would assume that Bryce will focus on the aggressive man-to-man defense that has been successful. Bryce has done a great job of switching to zone to change the pace several times during the season. A box and 1 (or diamond and 1) could be used to change the pace as well, but at this point I think it is best to stick with what you do best. Valpo has very good defensive guards.
Tevonn is warming up on the court and moving well.
Quote from: hailcrusaders on March 10, 2015, 05:21:29 PM
Tevonn is warming up on the court and moving well.
Decoy???
Quote from: hailcrusaders on March 10, 2015, 05:21:29 PM
Tevonn is warming up on the court and moving well.
Can I hit "like" this 1 million times???
I am still very nervous, regardless on if he plays or not. Both teams are talented and will represent the HL well in the NCAA tournament! I hope both teams play excellent on national TV so that the committee will give the winner a deserving 12 seed. Go Crusaders!
It would be huge if he can even play 10 minutes today...
This will be a gutty hard played game on both sides. I would expect both teams to not shoot well for the first ten minutes, but if one does it will have a big advantage.
Keys for Valpo: Vashil plays 25+ minutes, develop a second and third option from Peters on offense (need a 15+ point night from one of the Walkers or Carter), don't let Sykes get comfortable by strong man-on-man defense with help when he drives, make free throws down the stretch.
Valpo 61 GB 57
Paul Oren just tweeted that Tevonn is starting
They have double us up at 10-5. They look more athletic than last time. They are shooting better than last time. M
Uwgb is tailed in. They are playing their best bball.
Green Bay is playing very well. Tough task ahead.
Our offensive sets have been bad. Maybe push a little.
Valpo has gotten away from running good offensive sets in the half court. Green Bay is playing very good defense, but Valpo needs to work the ball inside earlier in the shot clock.
Hope we get 20 points before halftime. Down by double digits haven't shot a free throw yet.
Big high percentage shot baskets in the last minute. Probably fortunate to be down only 6 at half.
We barely ran any offense in the 1st half. WE LOOKED LIKE DETROIT OUT THERE!
This is probably the result of both Walkers being out for extended periods of time and Peters being unable to hit a shot. Nobody knows what to do, so they just aren't doing anything at all...
Peters forcing some shots. Surely we will have a game plan to beat the zone. Would be a bigger hole if not for Skara. What is the most we have been down at half time?
Very rough half to watch....hopefully we keep the momentum coming into the second half.
Deer in the headlights from everyone, especially Peters. I just don't see the momentum changing in this one.
I started watching midway through the 2nd, haven't seen Vashil at all? Hurt?
(http://31.media.tumblr.com/715237de74e87b94e0a06191a94d1e5e/tumblr_n1vu46N0KG1qzxv7fo3_250.gif)
Great turnaround in the second half to win going away! Glenlivet 18!! Woo Hoo!!
Vashil was good all night, it was just that Adekoya was slashing and created a few baskets plus played good defense. Skara, Nickerson and Carter really stepped up. Fantastic defense in last 11:30...only allowed 5 points.
wow. ... All I can say is wow. Great second half.
Only saw the last 50 seconds because of CPE, but it was a happy watch. :) Sounds like the team overcame some adversity to bring home the victory as they seem to have done all year! Kudos to the team on a great year and a well deserved championship!
Peters couldn't make a shot...
No Tevonn...
DWalker busts his nose and only plays 20 minutes...
Vashil sitting significant minutes down the stretch...
and we win? WOW!
Thank you DEFENSE, David Skara, and DEFENSE. Did I mention DEFENSE?
FTS had a helluva lot to do with the win, too. 100% (9-9) until some hiccups in garbage time.
Quote from: rink on March 10, 2015, 07:59:53 PMI started watching midway through the 2nd, haven't seen Vashil at all? Hurt?
Luke Gore on the post game said that for last 12 minutes the team on the floor was playing so well they made no subs.
Congrats to the team 28-5 best record they find a way!!!! but both teams deserve to go to the NCAA that's what is wrong with the NCAA!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Smj on March 10, 2015, 08:26:25 PM
wow. ... All I can say is wow. Great second half.
yes!
Wow fantastic game. I thought this was gonna be another detroit game 2 years ago for a while. All I can say is wow
Quote from: govalpogo on March 10, 2015, 08:30:00 PMOnly saw the last 50 seconds because of CPE
you poor poor soul...a dual lenten sacrifice.
We're dancin'! ...We must have been some nervous fans, though...hardly any game posts. I'd even venture to say you have to go back to some non D1 non con to find that few in-game posts. I'd rather think it's because you're all AT THE GAME AND I HOPE IT'S AMAZING
WOO
(http://vansunsportsblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/lapierre-woo.gif)
Quote from: VU75 on March 10, 2015, 08:36:06 PM
Quote from: rink on March 10, 2015, 07:59:53 PMI started watching midway through the 2nd, haven't seen Vashil at all? Hurt?
Luke Gore on the post game said that for last 12 minutes the team on the floor was playing so well they made no subs.
it was 40-39 when I started watching. Great finish!
great game, great atmosphere. lets get a 12 seed now. feel a little bad for keifer - - was denied two years in a row. great season for GB. glad this game was on our court!!
Incredible crowd that stayed till the end to hear the all tournament team announcement. David Skara stepped up as high scorer but more importantly closed the lane and the perimeter. Can't wait till selection Sunday
We won, so that's pretty neat.
I managed to catch an earlier flight, so even with the bus 20 minutes late, I got to the game just before half time. The web wasn't working well for me, so I turned to twitter.
This is the time on Sprockets where I subject you to my twitter feed, typos and all ;)
[tweet]575283172231024641[/tweet]
[tweet]575454015942623234[/tweet]
[tweet]575457708234559489[/tweet]
[tweet]575458336813944833[/tweet]
[tweet]575460401699147776[/tweet]
[tweet]575463040365125633[/tweet]
[tweet]575463687399473152[/tweet]
[tweet]575464110231420928[/tweet]
[tweet]575465061180796929[/tweet]
And, a selection of retweets
[tweet]575438313336737792[/tweet]
[tweet]575465323387715584[/tweet]
[tweet]575465840809631745[/tweet]
[tweet]575435874470600705[/tweet]
[tweet]575477009402327040[/tweet]
[tweet]575484275505520641[/tweet]
I said Valpo would win by 11 and pull away late, they won by 10. One of the best defensive efforts I've seen in a long time. When Sykes hit his first couple of shots I thought we were in trouble. We turned up the defense which kept us in the game in the first half. In the second half the offense came alive to score 35 and the D played its best 20 minutes I can remember. Gave up a season low 44 points in the championship game.
Being down 10 early the team could've folded, they played through it and finished off the Phoenix. Looking forward to the tourney!
Quote from: govalpogo on March 10, 2015, 08:30:00 PMOnly saw the last 50 seconds because of CPE, but it was a happy watch.
Would you believe the church council met tonight? I saw one member at the game, but, he left his family there midway through the game to make it to the meeting on time. The cost of discipleship, as he said ;)
Possible bonus, I might at least get to watch the 2nd half video feed tonight. ESPN archive up yet?
Quote from: rink on March 10, 2015, 08:35:44 PM
FTS had a helluva lot to do with the win, too. 100% (9-9) until some hiccups in garbage time.
What about the crowd forcing GB to _miss_ FT's? Was at least four in a row. What a crazy game. Best atmosphere I've ever seen. Players seemed to be feeding off it, or maybe it just seemed that way. E. Vic waving the crowd to their feet on several occasions. Valpo getting _crazy_ energy at times, and doing some slightly zany things. But, amazing.
Well another injury.
outstanding pick - I truly apologize for the cub fan comparison!!
Tremendous defense at the end.
They are dancing in the streets of Zadar drinking Karlevacko beer!
Quote from: agibson on March 10, 2015, 09:47:03 PMWhat about the crowd forcing GB to _miss_ FT's? Was at least four in a row.
Huh. Maybe it just felt like it. Never more than two in a row? But five of seven missed, in one stretch. (And Love missed three of _his_ attempts in a row, but somebody else was sandwiched in with a make.)
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 10, 2015, 09:54:58 PMWell another injury.
I think you meant [tweet]575489273622716417[/tweet].
I was listening to the radio at that point, but they made it sound like blood everywhere. And definitely broken. I was impressed to see him play in the second half, at all.
Here's another good one
[tweet]575491509853687808[/tweet]
This team is as physically and mentally tough as any I can remember. Can't believe T Walker even tried to play and D Walker trying to play with a broken nose? Impressive. Talk about a team with a will to win. They have my total respect.
Great ARC-Mosphere tonight... 15-1 on the year in the ARC. Vashil's dunk at the first-half buzzer was the Momentum Shift we needed. Great psychology experiment with Tevonn in the starting line-up. Interesting how the introductions just happened have him as the last person introduced.... funny how that happens sometimes.
Quote from: govalpogo on March 10, 2015, 08:30:00 PM
Only saw the last 50 seconds because of CPE, but it was a happy watch. :) Sounds like the team overcame some adversity to bring home the victory as they seem to have done all year! Kudos to the team on a great year and a well deserved championship!
/there is a thing called VCR. You might want to look into it!
Watched the game on pins and needles. Then I watched the highlights on ESPN. They could have picked a lot better highlights from the game.
I think playing this game at home helped us win. Don't know if we pull that out on the road, especially after being in a hotel room for a week.
Uwgb forum wants to get rid of wardle now. Would it be a bad joke to offer Moore?
Quote from: vu72 on March 10, 2015, 10:35:46 PM
Quote from: govalpogo on March 10, 2015, 08:30:00 PM
Only saw the last 50 seconds because of CPE, but it was a happy watch. :) Sounds like the team overcame some adversity to bring home the victory as they seem to have done all year! Kudos to the team on a great year and a well deserved championship!
/there is a thing called VCR. You might want to look into it!
Lol, we do have DVR on the tv, but I didn't even think of it. Let's say I only watched the last 50 seconds LIVE. I've since enjoyed the replay. GO VALPO GO!
I can't find the all tournament team. Can someone post?
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 10, 2015, 10:53:15 PM
I can't find the all tournament team. Can someone post?
Harris-UIC, Sykes-GB, Nickerson-Valpo, Skara-Valpo, Peters-Valpo.
With Peters MVP.
Bailed out of work early out here on the left coast (2 hour time delta) and got to the hotel room at the half and down 6. Couldn't believe we only hit for 19 freaking points in 20 minutes of BB!
For the next 15 game minutes I thought we would blow it. But then the energy flow visibly changed. GB played like first half Valpo and Valpo morphed into a clawing, determined defender. Loved seeing EVN rousing the crowd -- not a usual ARC happening. Still, could not get my BP down until we had a sizable lead with under a minute left.
Got a congratulatory text from my son in Boston -- the Valpo win is a coast to coat phenomenon ! And this was supposed to happen NEXT year :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :rotfl:
Regardless of what they do in the dance this is a gutsy gutsy team. Can they take the next step and beat a big school on what we hope is a neutral court? We shall see.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 10, 2015, 11:27:44 PMthe Valpo win is a coast to coat phenomenon
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9QyvYfCIAActXG.jpg)
(http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/130209124151-18-blizzard-0209-horizontal-large-gallery.jpg)
I think you're subconsciously thinking about the fact you missed a Massachusetts record snowfall this winter by moving to Wisconsin before it happened.
Vashil Fernandez with a statement dunk. The statement: "Make room for three more banners in those rafters!"
(http://i60.tinypic.com/2mct7v8.jpg)
To those watching ESPN who never heard of him: "His name is 'Skara'—starts with an 'S'...as in 'Superman'!"
(http://i59.tinypic.com/2njv7d5.jpg)
Keith Carter: chalks up 8 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, two steals, and a block...as well one traumatized bench player for Green Bay! :o
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2v9doqa.jpg)
Hope everyone made it back safely. I've never seen more carnage on the road in my life. Saw 5 or 6 tipped over semis, trucks mangled into other trucks, a tanker spill, and wheels all over the place. The fog allowed for 9 to 10 feet of visibility.
About the game: that was the first time I've sat in the Mezzanine, but man, the ARC got LOUD in the second half. The first half we went on that small 4-0 run after the timeout and we never looked back. We all stood for that last shot and got some momentum going out of the half (despite actually going down more in the second half).
Call me crazy, but I actually think one of the rims was more loose than the other. The rim seemed stiff in the first half and we couldn't seem to finish anything. In the second half we seemed to be rattling home everything. Maybe it's coincidence, but I could have sworn they were noticeably different. Is that a thing?
Fun game to watch, but also had me cussing out loud in response to a few of our fast break mistakes lol. It felt like we were going to get blown out at the beginning of the second half after we initially cut it to 2, and they got it back to 8. Great heart and guts shown by the team! I love seeing that Smits is very excited to be coming to Valpo and attends many of our games. Those are the kids we want to have in our program, the ones that truly get what Valpo is about! I really hope that I am able to attend my first NCAA game, so the committee needs to keep our site in the central US!
I found this tidbit from ESPN's summary hilarious btw. Someone didn't have many math classes growing up...
TIP-INS
Valparaiso: This was Valparaiso's third time playing for the Horizon League championship in the past four years.
Green Bay: This was the 21st appearance in the Horizon League championship game for the Phoenix, but first since 1998. Green Bay won its lone tournament title in 1995, its first season in the conference.
Gatorade shower for Bryce:
http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=815811208474598 (http://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=815811208474598)
Wardle post game press conference:
http://www.greenbayphoenix.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=22500 (http://www.greenbayphoenix.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=22500)
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 01:14:53 AMCall me crazy, but I actually think one of the rims was more loose than the other. The rim seemed stiff in the first half and we couldn't seem to finish anything. In the second half we seemed to be rattling home everything. Maybe it's coincidence, but I could have sworn they were noticeably different. Is that a thing?
(http://www.howardyermish.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Shhh-Quiet-Bacn1-300x300.jpg)
Our bench out scored them 25-3. We are a complete team. Even with the injuries we overcame.
Bryce said he was blessed with the kids and opportunity to coach. We are blessed as fans for the job that he has done and the kids that we have to root for. We have a really good kids on the team. they repretation the school well.
I found a quick video on the HL website and peters was very humble about his Mvp award. Laughed that he wasn't deserving and couldn't find the bottom of the net. Gave thanks to God, teammates and coaches.
I know I know let's enjoy the championship before such talk, but I sure hope everyone stays including the coaching staff. I like max Joseph and think he would start as a freshman at any of the other HL schools. I know he's good friends with t.walker but I hope he isn't frustrated with his playing time.
Nice win last night guys, and congrats on being the first team from Indiana to punch its tourney ticket. I haven't watched a ton of Valpo's games this year (probably 5 or so not including the conference tourney), but I think if you get the right matchup in the tourney, you guys could do some damage. Lot of length on this team, and if you can pack the lane defensively and not have to worry about multiple shooters, it's going to be very difficult to score on you. Certainly don't want to see a Horizon League rematch in the tourney this year, that's for sure. Congrats again, and good luck the rest of the way!
Quote from: IrishDawg on March 11, 2015, 07:17:23 AM
Nice win last night guys, and congrats on being the first team from Indiana to punch its tourney ticket. I haven't watched a ton of Valpo's games this year (probably 5 or so not including the conference tourney), but I think if you get the right matchup in the tourney, you guys could do some damage. Lot of length on this team, and if you can pack the lane defensively and not have to worry about multiple shooters, it's going to be very difficult to score on you. Certainly don't want to see a Horizon League rematch in the tourney this year, that's for sure. Congrats again, and good luck the rest of the way!
Totally agree with this ... congrats! :clap: After last year, it will be great to see a few Indiana teams dancing. The 2nd half defense was tremendous. Sykes is a great player, but he can't do it by himself against a defense packed in the lane. When no other GB players seemed ready to step up and hit shots, the game was over. Best of luck in the tourney, unless you get that matchup IrishDawg mentioned. ;) Lots of 5/6 seeds will be disappointed if they draw Valpo.
Green Bay made one field goal in the last 12 minutes.
The 15-0 run we made, GB was scoreless for 7 min, 25 sec. In that span they had 5 turnovers, went 0-6 and missed 2 free throws.
The entire second half they went 1-11 on 3s and shot only 25% and committed 9 turnovers. We shot 47%, made 13-17 FTs only only had 4 turnovers. Tale of two halves.
In the first half we had a 7 min scoreless drought ourselves, but kept in the game by limiting UWGB to 36%. We simply shot better on the stiff rim.
Nobody has mentioned it but the it sure seems to me the player who wins Player of the Year during the regular season may come with a curse...
The last 5 players to win the PoY, didn't win the tournament.
Norris Cole 10/11 - Lost in the semis
Ryan Broekhoff 11/12 - Lost in the finals
Ray McCallum 12/13 - Lost in the semis
Keifer Sykes 13/14 - Lost in the semis
Keifer Sykes 14/15 - Lost in the finals
The worst regular season finish of any of those teams in the regular season was Cleveland State 10/11 squad that finished 3rd in the standings. Other than that it was either first or second place team that had the player who won the award.
I'm starting it now... the curse of the PoY
Wait'll Next Year !
[tweet]575664882718220288[/tweet]
Wow. Not sure I've seen a Valpo team with this much character in all the years I've been watching them. Sure, Green Bay shot horribly, but credit our second-half defense; it was definitely the key to victory last night. SO GLAD THEY'VE PROVEN ME WRONG; to do what they did virtually without BOTH Walkers AND a cold Peters... amazing. Nobody thought David Skara would step up the way he did, and without him, we're not celebrating another trip to The Big Dance. Conversely, if we had been told Skara would be our leading scorer, I'd say most of us would've gulped in disappointment. I could write a novel about how deep this team has been this season, but hey, that would be preaching to a joyous, happy choir. Hopefully we can make a little noise! Go Valpo!
Quote from: bbtds on March 10, 2015, 11:14:47 PMHarris-UIC, Sykes-GB, Nickerson-Valpo, Skara-Valpo, Peters-Valpo.
HEY LOOK WE HAD FOUR OF THE FIVE ... um... oh, right.
[tweet]575673527031889920[/tweet]
Forgot about this...
One thing that maybe didn't come across on TV - Nickerson played like some someone had just stole his wallet. He was flat out angry. I thought he was going to start foaming at the mouth. Sykes may have been weirded out by him if anything, he was pounding his chest and staring in his eyes. After a stoppage, Nickerson was getting in other UWGB players faces and bumping into them. It didn't look like he was saying anything or jawing, just really intense. In the second half Nickerson got the entire crowd to stand again for a defensive stand (this was after we cooled off on our big run, most of which we were standing for). I was afraid that he would walk into the stands and slap fans for sitting down. He played outstanding defense and really wanted it... at times to his detriment like that dumb behind the back pass... but he was one of the stars of the game in my opinion.
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 10:21:37 AM
Forgot about this...
One thing that maybe didn't come across on TV - Nickerson played like some someone had just stole his wallet. He was flat out angry. I thought he was going to start foaming at the mouth. Sykes may have been weirded out by him if anything, he was pounding his chest and staring in his eyes. After a stoppage, Nickerson was getting in other UWGB players faces and bumping into them. It didn't look like he was saying anything or jawing, just really intense. In the second half Nickerson got the entire crowd to stand again for a defensive stand (this was after we cooled off on our big run, most of which we were standing for). I was afraid that he would walk into the stands and slap fans for sitting down. He played outstanding defense and really wanted it... at times to his detriment like that dumb behind the back pass... but he was one of the stars of the game in my opinion.
His energy and intensity were amazing. In both tourney games his defense was fantastic.
My wife was a but worried that his antics might get hi a technical, recently or in the future. But, if he can keep it (just?) in check, awesome!
And, yeah, the behind the back pass was a but like the horrible alley-oop pass (who threw that?), and a few other fast break type plays that didn't quite work, building off amazing energy and trying to do a little too much. But, in the moment it was high intensity and pretty neat - thankfully didn't cost us this tine.
Quote from: BrownTown on March 11, 2015, 09:55:17 AM
Wow. Not sure I've seen a Valpo team with this much character in all the years I've been watching them. Sure, Green Bay shot horribly, but credit our second-half defense; it was definitely the key to victory last night. SO GLAD THEY'VE PROVEN ME WRONG; to do what they did virtually without BOTH Walkers AND a cold Peters... amazing. Nobody thought David Skara would step up the way he did, and without him, we're not celebrating another trip to The Big Dance. Conversely, if we had been told Skara would be our leading scorer, I'd say most of us would've gulped in disappointment. I could write a novel about how deep this team has been this season, but hey, that would be preaching to a joyous, happy choir. Hopefully we can make a little noise! Go Valpo!
I know at the start of the season that Oren stated that Shane Hammink was a likely starter. Since Shane and Skara play similar positions, I am actually very glad Hammink was unable to play this year, because that probably allowed Skara to play more minutes to develop as a player. For once, I think we owe the NCAA a thank you. Skara develops nicely with more PT and we get Hammink for 2 more years. WIN WIN.
Nickerson's intensity did come across on TV. You could see how focused he was on playing great defense on every possession.
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 10:34:31 AM
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 10:21:37 AM
Forgot about this...
One thing that maybe didn't come across on TV - Nickerson played like some someone had just stole his wallet. He was flat out angry. I thought he was going to start foaming at the mouth. Sykes may have been weirded out by him if anything, he was pounding his chest and staring in his eyes. After a stoppage, Nickerson was getting in other UWGB players faces and bumping into them. It didn't look like he was saying anything or jawing, just really intense. In the second half Nickerson got the entire crowd to stand again for a defensive stand (this was after we cooled off on our big run, most of which we were standing for). I was afraid that he would walk into the stands and slap fans for sitting down. He played outstanding defense and really wanted it... at times to his detriment like that dumb behind the back pass... but he was one of the stars of the game in my opinion.
His energy and intensity were amazing.
(http://i57.tinypic.com/dbgorb.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/25irdr6.jpg)
If we play a guard oriented team in the touney we could easily upset them. EVN gives PGs fits, just look at what he's done the past 3 games to shutdown Sykes, Lee, and Lewis. 3 of the best guards in the league. His 6' 8" frame gives him length that most guards, especially PGs, don't contend with on a nightly basis.
The top players in the HL always seemed to have off nights against us... Coincidence? I think not.
For those of you who watched on TV, what did the announcers have to say about the game other than the obligatory comments about Bryce and The Shot and "Green Bay has taken the crowd out of it" and "now the crowd is back in it." Did they comment on Sykes' chances in the NBA, good defense or bad offense, etc. BTW, who were the announcers?
How often have we seen the toughness exhibited by members of this team throughout the season? Both Walkers displayed it again last night, especially Darien after his broken nose!
[tweet]575698886926315520[/tweet]
Quote from: valpopal on March 11, 2015, 11:48:05 AMHow often have we seen the toughness exhibited by members of this team throughout the season? Both Walkers displayed it again last night, especially Darien after his broken nose!
With all the injuries I can't think of a better time to have 9 days off.
What kind of shape might Tevonn and Darien be in by the 19'th? Will Keith look much more like his old self by then?
Knowing he likely will receive tempting offers from other programs, I took this photo of Bryce last night near the end of the game with the hope that it is not the last time we see him leading the Crusaders at the ARC.
[tweet]575704404235546625[/tweet]
Quote from: sliman on March 11, 2015, 11:46:48 AMBTW, who were the announcers?
Bob Wischusen had the play-by-play (he did the 2013 HL Championship Game, then a few friends and I went out for drinks with him). Bob is the radio voice of the New York Jets and does the Saturday Showcase Big Ten game with Dan Dakich, in addition to a lot of other ESPN work.
Jim Calhoun (former Connecticut coach) had the analysis.
Quote from: justducky on March 11, 2015, 12:09:45 PM
Quote from: valpopal on March 11, 2015, 11:48:05 AMHow often have we seen the toughness exhibited by members of this team throughout the season? Both Walkers displayed it again last night, especially Darien after his broken nose!
With all the injuries I can't think of a better time to have 9 days off.
What kind of shape might Tevonn and Darien be in by the 19'th? Will Keith look much more like his old self by then?
I suspect that for coaches and players both, the next few days, and 9 days overall, seems like a _long_ break. In some ways too long.
But, hopefully it does give people time to heal! I don't know what we can expect. It sounded like, on the radio pregame, there were rather specific details about Tevonn's injury and status. Anybody get the details?
Quote from: justducky on March 11, 2015, 12:09:45 PM
Will Keith look much more like his old self by then?
To me KC looked like his old self last night. He didn't score much but that was the gameplan after watching the postgame press conference, Bryce said he didn't want KC to try to get to the rim and score because GB has a tendency to block shots, the gameplan worked since GB only had 2 blocks.
KC's stat line was incredibly strong,
8 points, going 5-6 from the FT and hitting the biggest shot of the game as well, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. I think one of those steals was a big one down the final stretch where he ripped the ball out Love's (I think Love's) hands.
EVN is also as close to 100% as he has been all season. It was also nice to know Tevonn will be alright, he might not be a 100% for the tournament but he'll probably be starting.
The scary thing is this team hasn't been a 100% all season, which doesn't even include not having Lexus.
Quote from: ValpoHoops on March 11, 2015, 12:13:57 PM
Jim Calhoun (former Connecticut coach) had the analysis.
The photo with the Oren caption, I think it was, was priceless. I assume that got posted here?
I watched the second half on replay last night, so got a taste of the broadcasters. Calhoun was the most distinctive. I liked some of his analysis, for sure. Sometimes brought a very interesting coach's perspective. Some nuts and bolts.
But, he, and to some extent the whole ESPN broadcast, had extreme Keifer Sykes bias. Calhoun in particular seemed to be rooting for GB and Sykes throughout the second half. He was rather critical of Peters, as compared to Sykes. Thought that the only way either team was going to break through was for a star to step forward and take over. And that Sykes was a much more plausible option for that, and that Peters was dropping the ball.
He really seemed to misunderstand the nature of Peters' game, as we've seen it this season, and of our team. He might have Sykes and Green Bay pegged reasonably well, but Sykes couldn't step up - we shut him down. But, Peters doesn't _have_ to take over the game. Against CSU we were reminded that he sometimes can. But, last night, and often, Valpo doesn't _need_ him to. We're a _team_.
I was a bit disappointed by the audio levels on ESPN, as well. I suppose it's good, and professional, that the broadcasters are plenty loud. But, after that, they seemed to have the cheerleaders miced (Green Bay cheerleaders?). And not much on the crowd. If you were listening for it, you could tell that the crowd was being rather continuously noisy. But, it didn't have a _drop_ of the energy that was present in the room. It would have been nice to have some more noise from the ARC included at a reasonable level. Maybe I'll throw a cell phone video up to give some sort of a feel for the noise.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 11, 2015, 12:23:41 PMI think one of those steals was a big one down the final stretch where he ripped the ball out Love's (I think Love's) hands.
This was one of my favorite plays of the game.
Carter rips the ball out of the shooter's hands, felt like he was stealing a three point shot. And _he_ gets fouled. And knocks down both shots.
Jubril is clutch...he has heart...He deserves some love
I would love to see some cell phone video. Especially when the crowd is chanting defense and stomping the seats. The place was shaking and it gave me the chills. Loudest I've ever heard that place.
Quote from: truth219 on March 11, 2015, 12:30:59 PM
Jubril is clutch...he has heart...He deserves some love
[tweet]575712879510429696[/tweet]
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 11, 2015, 12:32:58 PM
I would love to see some cell phone video. Especially when the crowd is chanting defense and stomping the seats. The place was shaking and it gave me the chills. Loudest I've ever heard that place.
I'll see what I can do - I'd love to see others' too. I'm afraid the stomping didn't come through very well on mine - probably not enough bass pickup on my mic. But, the stomping _was_ fantastic.
I'm curious, where were you sitting? Coming in _during_ half time, I just went high figuring there would be space. So, I was unusually high up in EE. I did wonder how much of the awesome noise, feel and excitement was the crowd, and the occasion obviously, and how much might have been location. Does it somehow seem louder up top?
The tournament feel was really good too - good noise from the Green Bay fans, scattered through the arena. And from their students. And great to have two pep bands. Great to get to sing over there band playing the Hey cheer, etc.
I honestly couldn't hear much of John on the PA. Part of that might be the speaker locations and capabilities up high in the mezzanine. But, I trust most of it was the crowd. John does a great job. But, on this occasion, I didn't mind in the least not being able to hear the PA.
ESPN and CBS have great equipment for cutting out background noise. I have been to games with sound over 115 dBs, where your ears ring until the next day, and you can still hear the announcers clearly. No doubt that the ARC was loud and the students looked really into the entire game.
Two other comments:
-Calhoun was OK. I didn't think that he did any meaningful preparation and his insights reflected that. His general theme in the second half was, "not an artistic game, but both teams playing their tails off".
-They need to elevate the primary camera used for games at the ARC. A simple platform (or a higher one) would solve the problem of the sideline being blocked when the fans in the chairbacks stand.
There were apparently multiple radio calls of the game last night.
Here's one that's apparently streaming all day as a rebroadcast
http://tunein.com/radio/Road-To-Indianapolis-s239278/ (http://tunein.com/radio/Road-To-Indianapolis-s239278/)
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:24:48 PM
I was a bit disappointed by the audio levels on ESPN, as well. I suppose it's good, and professional, that the broadcasters are plenty loud. But, after that, they seemed to have the cheerleaders miced (Green Bay cheerleaders?). And not much on the crowd. If you were listening for it, you could tell that the crowd was being rather continuously noisy. But, it didn't have a _drop_ of the energy that was present in the room. It would have been nice to have some more noise from the ARC included at a reasonable level. Maybe I'll throw a cell phone video up to give some sort of a feel for the noise.
Think about the loudest you've ever heard it at the ARC, and then double it. For much of the last 10 minutes and all of the last 5 minutes it was literally deafening. I had problems hearing people in my own family sitting right next to me. It was absolutely crazy!
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 11, 2015, 12:53:08 PM
ESPN and CBS have great equipment for cutting out background noise. I have been to games with sound over 115 dBs, where your ears ring until the next day, and you can still hear the announcers clearly. N
It's impressive technology, and you obviously want to be able to control it. But, I think they're too aggressive in damping out the crowd. Some soccer producers do a nice job of getting the balance right.
Quote
-They need to elevate the primary camera used for games at the ARC. A simple platform (or a higher one) would solve the problem of the sideline being blocked when the fans in the chairbacks stand.
Definitely. It's like they didn't even consider the possibility the chairbacks would stand. (And, joking aside, they were standing _plenty_ yesterday. And _always_ stand at the beginning of the game.)
Quote from: wh on March 11, 2015, 01:09:41 PM
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:24:48 PM
I was a bit disappointed by the audio levels on ESPN, as well. I suppose it's good, and professional, that the broadcasters are plenty loud. But, after that, they seemed to have the cheerleaders miced (Green Bay cheerleaders?). And not much on the crowd. If you were listening for it, you could tell that the crowd was being rather continuously noisy. But, it didn't have a _drop_ of the energy that was present in the room. It would have been nice to have some more noise from the ARC included at a reasonable level. Maybe I'll throw a cell phone video up to give some sort of a feel for the noise.
Think about the loudest you've ever heard it at the ARC, and then double it. For much of the last 10 minutes and all of the last 5 minutes it was literally deafening. I had problems hearing people in my own family sitting right next to me. It was absolutely crazy!
Louder than the HL semi-final game against Butler in 2011-2012? That was the loudest I have ever heard the ARC, even going back to the days when I was on campus. It was a constant pissing match between Butler and Valpo fans :)
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 01:11:25 PM
Quote
-They need to elevate the primary camera used for games at the ARC. A simple platform (or a higher one) would solve the problem of the sideline being blocked when the fans in the chairbacks stand.
Definitely. It's like they didn't even consider the possibility the chairbacks would stand. (And, joking aside, they were standing _plenty_ yesterday. And _always_ stand at the beginning of the game.)
They had an extra camera along the side of the court that I hadn't seen used before. They probably should have cut to it more often for the sideline action.
What struck me was just How READY the crowd was to go nuts. My husband said: The crowd is ready to just power this team through, the team just needs to give them the catalyst. When Carter finally hit the 3 for the lead it was just non-stop from then on and you could see both the overwhelmed faces of the Green Bay Players and the energy coursing through the Valpo Team
A key score in the closing section of the game came when Nickerson lost control of the ball on his drive but somehow managed to guide it toward and into the basket. At that point, I felt the good fortune was on Valpo's side.
[tweet]575732876966248448[/tweet]
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 10:21:37 AMOne thing that maybe didn't come across on TV - Nickerson played like some someone had just stole his wallet.
Yes well ok so maybe somebody did. Then just maybe somebody planted some circumstantial evidence to suggest that Sykes was the culprit. But thats all I know about it. Honest! ;)
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:48:01 PMJohn does a great job. But, on this occasion, I didn't mind in the least not being able to hear the PA.
mumble mumble... I think there is a compliment in that sentence somewhere... so thank you. The announcers were in seats 3 and 4 from the end of the scorer's table near the VALPO bench... which was right near the UWGB "Student Section"... I did not see the usual crowd-mic's around the arc... I think the only audio from the gym was coming through their headset. I thought the place was LOUD (starting about the 10:00 mark in the second half... thank you KC for that deep triple.
Quote from: talksalot on March 11, 2015, 02:19:22 PM
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:48:01 PMJohn does a great job. But, on this occasion, I didn't mind in the least not being able to hear the PA.
mumble mumble... I think there is a compliment in that sentence somewhere... so thank you. The announcers were in seats 3 and 4 from the end of the scorer's table near the VALPO bench... which was right near the UWGB "Student Section"... I did not see the usual crowd-mic's around the arc... I think the only audio from the gym was coming through their headset. I thought the place was LOUD (starting about the 10:00 mark in the second half... thank you KC for that deep triple.
[tweet]575737715028836352[/tweet]
Quote from: valpotx on March 11, 2015, 01:27:32 PMThat was the loudest I have ever heard the ARC, even going back to the days when I was on campus.
I think the Marquette game in 2006 was louder at times. But it was nowhere near the constant noise level of last night. Last night was, without a doubt, the longest the place has been going crazy like it was that I've seen.
Great Energy from the crowd. My son texted me that Calhoun said "Artistic Execution No; Competitive Execution YES" about the time of the back and forth fast breaks in 2d half. KC last night was a warrior and gave everything. At one point he came to the bench for a TO and had both hands on his knees. Since 1998 team not sure there has been a tougher, grind it out team. Congrats to them!!! Now, 3-0 in conference championship games at the ARC. The wife was a bit nervous, but I was generally calm. My seats were almost the same as the 1995 Championship game and so there was a peace about it. There is nothing like cutting down the nets.
Quote from: valpotx on March 11, 2015, 01:27:32 PM
Quote from: wh on March 11, 2015, 01:09:41 PM
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:24:48 PM
I was a bit disappointed by the audio levels on ESPN, as well. I suppose it's good, and professional, that the broadcasters are plenty loud. But, after that, they seemed to have the cheerleaders miced (Green Bay cheerleaders?). And not much on the crowd. If you were listening for it, you could tell that the crowd was being rather continuously noisy. But, it didn't have a _drop_ of the energy that was present in the room. It would have been nice to have some more noise from the ARC included at a reasonable level. Maybe I'll throw a cell phone video up to give some sort of a feel for the noise.
Think about the loudest you've ever heard it at the ARC, and then double it. For much of the last 10 minutes and all of the last 5 minutes it was literally deafening. I had problems hearing people in my own family sitting right next to me. It was absolutely crazy!
Louder than the HL semi-final game against Butler in 2011-2012? That was the loudest I have ever heard the ARC, even going back to the days when I was on campus. It was a constant pissing match between Butler and Valpo fans :)
I remember that being crazy for most the first half and early second. The crowd seemed to feed of the Butler fans there. The second half was just depressing for Buter, and wasn't nearly as loud.
Last night you couldn't hear whistles in the second half. Crazy atmosphere. Imagine if the students WEREN'T on spring break!
The Missouri State bracketbuser game was crazy, as well as every Butler game. The loudest, craziest game though had to have been the CIT game vs Iona.
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 03:00:37 PM
Quote from: valpotx on March 11, 2015, 01:27:32 PM
Quote from: wh on March 11, 2015, 01:09:41 PM
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:24:48 PM
I was a bit disappointed by the audio levels on ESPN, as well. I suppose it's good, and professional, that the broadcasters are plenty loud. But, after that, they seemed to have the cheerleaders miced (Green Bay cheerleaders?). And not much on the crowd. If you were listening for it, you could tell that the crowd was being rather continuously noisy. But, it didn't have a _drop_ of the energy that was present in the room. It would have been nice to have some more noise from the ARC included at a reasonable level. Maybe I'll throw a cell phone video up to give some sort of a feel for the noise.
Think about the loudest you've ever heard it at the ARC, and then double it. For much of the last 10 minutes and all of the last 5 minutes it was literally deafening. I had problems hearing people in my own family sitting right next to me. It was absolutely crazy!
Louder than the HL semi-final game against Butler in 2011-2012? That was the loudest I have ever heard the ARC, even going back to the days when I was on campus. It was a constant pissing match between Butler and Valpo fans :)
I remember that being crazy for most the first half and early second. The crowd seemed to feed of the Butler fans there. The second half was just depressing for Buter, and wasn't nearly as loud.
Last night you couldn't hear whistles in the second half. Crazy atmosphere. Imagine if the students WEREN'T on spring break!
The Missouri State bracketbuser game was crazy, as well as every Butler game. The loudest, craziest game though had to have been the CIT game vs Iona.
LOL, seconded.
The most enjoyable/fun game I attended at the ARC was the MO St. bracketbuster because Dickie V, Pretty performance, big crowd, game in hand. The best game was the breaking of Butler's streak over us! That was loud and exciting! ...Then I went to a few conference games at Cameron Indoor. For the most part a packed ARC can hold its own, but the Crazies have another gear that's ridiculous. I love games when the student section is as tired as the players after the game!
"I don't care who you are, if you don't get excited about this kind of basketball, then you don't love the game." -Jim Calhoun
Quote from: valpo84 on March 11, 2015, 02:41:45 PMThere is nothing like cutting down the nets.
Especially at home!
Here was my view last night. Took this before second half tipoff:
(http://i.imgur.com/EMPTv20.jpg)
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2015, 04:20:34 PM
Here was my view last night. Took this before second half tipoff:
(http://i.imgur.com/EMPTv20.jpg)
Great shot. From this view, it is clear to me that three upgrades could make this arena a really good college venue: (1) full end line bleachers on the right like those on the left, (2) North side lower level chair backs (unless the chair backs are there already -- then put chair backs on the south side), and (3) Expanded upper level bleachers above the north lower level. Number three requires the addition referenced in the 30 year plan though. The bowl-like configuration would be even more intimidating than it is now when we have a good crowd and a tight game going on.
BTW, last night I had to chuckle at all of our previous posts about the ARC being HS level. Did any of you see the Robert Morris/St. Francis championship venue? The ARC is so much more impressive. And I believe that the NEC, along with many second tier mid-major conferences, play in facilities just like that with capacities in the 2500-3000 range.
Missouri State Bracketbuster game, Marquette 2006 game, and regular season OT Butler game are the best/loudest environments that I have seen at the ARC. If I had to pick one, I would go with the Missouri State game for the same previously stated reasons.
Since goValpogo raised Cameron, I would comment that Allen Fieldhouse has probably two other levels that the ARC (and most other places) can't reach. Still, I think that the environment at Valpo is really really good when the place is full and the crowd is really into it. As another poster said, the crowd has the ability to will Valpo to a win.
I have posted a photo album at the following link with nearly 20 images from the Crusader Club Pep Rally before the Championship game, where I once again enjoyed speaking with some forum members: enjoy!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157648980887613/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157648980887613/)
Quote from: govalpogo on March 11, 2015, 03:38:20 PM
"I don't care who you are, if you don't get excited about this kind of basketball, then you don't love the game." -Jim Calhoun
It was great to see that the game warranted having a Hall of Famer like Jim Calhoun coming to the ARC. I know that Bryce had him address the team before the game. He did a very solid job.
I listened to the entire replay as I drove home immediately after the game, and I was pleasantly surprised by the pbp. What I was bracing for was the unprofessionalism I heard from Vern Lundquist in 2013 (when Valpo stole the ball from MSU and then gave it right back to them), but instead I heard a very respectful commentary.
By the way its amazing what upgrading your phone to a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 can do to the quality of such things.
My only complaint with Calhoun was that he swallowed some of his words, he talked so fast at times.
Quote from: StlVUFan on March 11, 2015, 11:26:15 PM
I listened to the entire replay as I drove home immediately after the game, and I was pleasantly surprised by the pbp. What I was bracing for was the unprofessionalism I heard from Vern Lundquist in 2013 (when Valpo stole the ball from MSU and then gave it right back to them), but instead I heard a very respectful commentary.
By the way its amazing what upgrading your phone to a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 can do to the quality of such things.
My only complaint with Calhoun was that he swallowed some of his words, he talked so fast at times.
As far as the national ESPN games go, this was by far one of the better commentating crews I've listened to. It was nice to have a coach giving us insight on what may be going on in the huddle, although he wasn't a great speaker in terms of pronunciation but he's a coach first, commentator second.
I do think they were a bit biased towards Green Bay in the second half but if Valpo were playing from behind in the final 10 minutes I think they would've been pulling for Valpo.
They're no Todd Ickow but did a fantastic job and didn't talk about Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, etc... really at all.
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 11, 2015, 06:51:53 PMBTW, last night I had to chuckle at all of our previous posts about the ARC being HS level. Did any of you see the Robert Morris/St. Francis championship venue? The ARC is so much more impressive.
TOTALLY thought the same thing! I flipped over to that briefly to show my mother, a retired VU prof, and she agreed, "they think WE are high school? THAT is high school!" and my dad was like "not back home. back in indiana that's middle school."
Any of you who remember Boucher Gym at Ben Franklin (the old VHS) would agree. What a great old barn. Even having to run bleacher laps in it!
Did Darien suffer a concusion that I was not aware of? I read some article saying he did. maybe the person who wrote it has no idea what they're talking about?
I would think that if Darken was concussed, the trainers would have checked for that almost immediately and he would not have returned to the game for as little as he did play. Have not heard anything of the sort, but cannot refute for sure.
I was perusing the GB board (more out of curiosity than schadenfreude) and came across this gem of a quip:
"I would rather watch the 2015 NFC championship, the "4th&26" game, the Valpo buzzer beater and the Belmont game last year before even considering rewatching the second half of this one."
To be fair, I'd be pretty upset too if my football team and basketball team choked in the same manner.
Darian hit his nose...he wasn't concussed. Keifer took it just above his eye(ya know because he is so much shorter) he was more likely to get the concussion.
I'm sure his eyes were pretty watery after breaking his nose, watching the second half warm ups most of his shots weren't even close.
Quote from: a3uge on December 15, 2014, 04:46:16 PMDamien
Quote from: HC on March 12, 2015, 07:02:32 PMDarian
Quote from: wh on February 26, 2015, 04:20:25 AMDerrick
Quote from: hailcrusaders on March 12, 2015, 06:32:17 PMDarken
(http://i.imgur.com/uAnyYV2.png)
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 12, 2015, 05:36:01 PMDarien
Bryce said in postgame presser that Darien "wasn't himself." The word concussion was never mentioned.
Could be worse then a misspelling...I read an article that called him Keith Carter.
Quote from: Pgmado on March 12, 2015, 08:09:46 PMBryce said in postgame presser that Darien "wasn't himself."
that's when he was Damien
Got some Vines for you:
[tweet]575883411031617536[/tweet]
[tweet]575883685280358400[/tweet]
[tweet]575884003078639617[/tweet]
And the best:
[tweet]575882631096610817[/tweet]
Great work.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-st-0313-20150312-story.html (http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-st-0313-20150312-story.html)
Article on Skara with the lede that he almost picked UWGB, and then thought better of it.
To go further, then, on GB fans talking about getting rid of Wardle--he had 5 years with an Alec Brown or a Keifer Sykes on the team--and 3 with both!--and never made the tourney.
...If not then, then when?
(Of course, they didn't want to fire him 2 years ago when people were crapping their pants. But when his team crapped the BED twice...)
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 12, 2015, 11:31:04 PM
Great work.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-st-0313-20150312-story.html (http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-st-0313-20150312-story.html)
Article on Skara with the lede that he almost picked UWGB, and then thought better of it.
To go further, then, on GB fans talking about getting rid of Wardle--he had 5 years with an Alec Brown or a Keifer Sykes on the team--and 3 with both!--and never made the tourney.
...If not then, then when?
(Of course, they didn't want to fire him 2 years ago when people were crapping their pants. But when his team crapped the BED twice...)
"Nickerson's big and he's tough," Waddle said. "They put a lot of pressure on Keifer with those long-armed bodies."Tom Waddle must have attended the press conference. But why was Mutka asking him questions?
Quote from: classof2014 on March 12, 2015, 08:26:10 AMI do think they were a bit biased towards Green Bay in the second half but if Valpo were playing from behind in the final 10 minutes I think they would've been pulling for Valpo.
Your "but" took the wind out of your sails there.
I sensed no bias whatsoever. As you pointed out, it was Green Bay that was behind, therefore it was Green Bay's play that begged analysis. They threw plenty of complements Valpo's way.
This announcer bias meme must be stopped at all costs ;D
Poor #5... you would think this might be motivation...
http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/10/introducing-cinderella-meet-the-valparaiso-crusaders/ (http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/10/introducing-cinderella-meet-the-valparaiso-crusaders/)
Conference: Horizon
Coach: Bryce Drew
Record: 28-5, 13-3 Horizon
Rankings and ratings:
– Kenpom: 70
– RPI: 61
– AP/USA Today: Not ranked
Seeding: Valpo was a No. 12 seed in our latest bracket.
Names you need to know: Alec Peters (17.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Delanie Walker (11.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Tevonn Walker (10.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
Quote from: agibson on March 11, 2015, 12:48:01 PM
Quote from: Valpofan00 on March 11, 2015, 12:32:58 PM
I would love to see some cell phone video. Especially when the crowd is chanting defense and stomping the seats. The place was shaking and it gave me the chills. Loudest I've ever heard that place.
I'll see what I can do - I'd love to see others' too. I'm afraid the stomping didn't come through very well on mine - probably not enough bass pickup on my mic. But, the stomping _was_ fantastic.
Preparing for tomorrow, I think this one's the best of what I've got
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A88lxayoKjM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A88lxayoKjM#ws)
It was around the time Valpo took the lead for the first time in the second half, so maybe a little noisier than average. As I said, the stomping doesn't come through. But, people who won't there will have to believe me, it was nearly this loud for _much_ of the second half. Not deafening. Didn't make your ears hurt. But _loud_! Tons of energy.
I was at the Missouri State Bracketbuster - lots of fun to solidly beat a great team. Dickie V. in the house. Big, rowdy student section. Good crowd. A _very_ enjoyable game. But I don't remember it being anywhere near this noisy.
I believe I was at both the Butler tournament game at the ARC, and the regular season game (were those the last two at the ARC?). I was at one of them, at least. Great games, big crowds, good energy. I don't remember them being anywhere near this noisy.
Good loud crowd, engaged, noisy, for _much_ of the game. Or at least much of the second half - I can't vouch for the first. (They sounded pretty loud, from my perspective in the lobby, at the end of the first half! Probably on Vashil's dunk.)
Huh. I thought that would auto-embed. How's that work?
Quote from: agibson on March 20, 2015, 11:54:01 AM
Huh. I thought that would auto-embed. How's that work?
I don't have a good "s"right after I "http."
Quote from: bbtds on March 20, 2015, 12:38:06 PM
Quote from: agibson on March 20, 2015, 11:54:01 AM
Huh. I thought that would auto-embed. How's that work?
I don't have a good "s"right after I "http."
Thanks! Fixed, above.