The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

QuoteThe Valparaiso men's basketball team's fourth straight postseason appearance will begin at the ARC against Ivy League foe Columbia in the first round of the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:05 p.m.

Valparaiso enters the CIT with an 18-15 record overall this season, including a 9-7 mark in Horizon League play – Valpo's fifth straight season over .500 in one of the nation's top-12 leagues. The Crusaders are led by First Team All-Horizon League selection Lavonte Dority (Chicago, Ill./Foreman [USF]), who averages 16.0 ppg and shoots 43.2% from the 3-point line, while All-Freshman Team choice Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) paced Valpo with 47 points in its two HL Championship games.

Columbia brings a 19-12 mark into the CIT, including an 8-6 record in Ivy League play. The Lions are led by junior forward Alex Rosenberg, who averages 16.2 ppg and hits at a 43.1% clip from 3-point range. Rosenberg also gets to the free throw line better than eight times a game and is an 82.6% shooter from the stripe, leading the Columbia squad to a top-10 spot nationally in team free throw percentage (77.0%). Sophomore guards Maodo Lo (14.5 ppg, 44.9% 3PT%) and Grant Mullins (11.7 ppg, 89.9% FT%) also average in double figures for the Lions.

The Crusaders and Lions have had no common opponents this season. Valpo and Columbia have met twice previously on the hardwood, with the Lions earning a 66-64 win on Dec. 30, 1957 and the Crusaders winning 71-55 on Dec. 21, 2001 in Laie, Hawaii. The last time Valpo hosted an Ivy League squad was on Dec. 18, 1993, when the Crusaders defeated Dartmouth 100-54.

Tickets are available now for Tuesday night's game by visiting ValpoAthletics.com, calling 877-MY-VU-TIX or 219-464-5233, or by visiting the ticket office, located in the main lobby of the ARC.

http://valpo.streamlinetechnologies.com/mbasketball/news/2013-14/13517/crusaders-to-host-columbia-in-cit-first-round-game-tuesday-evening/ (http://valpo.streamlinetechnologies.com/mbasketball/news/2013-14/13517/crusaders-to-host-columbia-in-cit-first-round-game-tuesday-evening/)

A very intriguing matchup.  They played a very good Harvard team close at home but then were destroyed by 33 at Harvard. They have size but appear very young with no seniors and 10 members of the roster being freshman or sophomores.

This is definitely a very winnable game for us.  I would say that our game against Iona 3 years ago was much more difficult competition than we will be facing this time.  I remember the last time we played them in the Hawaii tournament in 2001, and we handled them pretty easily.  Though they have a good record, I am not fearful of this team...

A hearty congratulations to Columbia though, as I just read on their release that this is their first postseason action in 46 years!!!

http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=209432734 (http://www.gocolumbialions.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9600&ATCLID=209432734)

I don't know, Valpo by 6.

Quote from: valpotx on March 12, 2014, 05:17:52 PMThough they have a good record, I am not fearful of this team...

This is the kiss of death if ever there was one.  I still have flashbacks of our absolutely disastrous outing against Iona.  We will have to play much, much better than we have been playing to have a chance to win this game.

Paul

Yes, it can be the kiss of death, but Iona was a much better team than Columbia is.  It appears that their bigs are all 3 point shooters, so I am assuming that they pretty much play everyone around the perimeter for much of the game.  Only one guy averages more than 4 rebounds per game as well (another has 4.0 exactly), so it is a combined effort in their +3.0 rpg.  I say that we win:

Valpo 71
Columbia 64

Ionagate, I'm sad to say, was the last Valpo game I attended before graduating and moving back to the east coast.  What an awful homestretch that season turned out to have.  It was the only game in which I ever sat down in the student section during play...not that it mattered...there were only about 6 of us....just a terrible way to end my student section career.  Anyway, that team was incredibly disappointed to not at least be playing in the NIT, let alone the NCAA's ergo they did not take the "PB&J Tournament" (as one Michigan State transfer called it) seriously.  The 07-08 team took the CBI more seriously because it was their first postseason action in several years (and they played more reputable teams).  This team loaded with freshmen, and never really having NIT hopes, will hopefully take the game/tourney more seriously. 

I say under 1K in fans.  I'm struggling to see any value at all in participating in this.  The team came out with a thud in the horizon tourney so I don't expect them to be mentally into this game.

It's very hard for a fan to get pumped up for Columbia in the CIT so I think having a pep rally is laughable.

How many games do you have to win to be CIT champs? Also, how much cash do we have to shell out to play in this game?  Hopefully we are not at a net loss cash wise for playing.

Off to fill out my CIT bracket!

Quote from: govalpogo on March 12, 2014, 06:27:07 PM
Ionagate, I'm sad to say, was the last Valpo game I attended before graduating and moving back to the east coast.  What an awful homestretch that season turned out to have.  It was the only game in which I ever sat down in the student section during play...not that it mattered...there were only about 6 of us....just a terrible way to end my student section career.  Anyway, that team was incredibly disappointed to not at least be playing in the NIT, let alone the NCAA's ergo they did not take the "PB&J Tournament" (as one Michigan State transfer called it) seriously.  The 07-08 team took the CBI more seriously because it was their first postseason action in several years (and they played more reputable teams).  This team loaded with freshmen, and never really having NIT hopes, will hopefully take the game/tourney more seriously.

Was definitely one of those 6 people in the student section, along with Drewsaders that posts occasionally here. That's half of us, I guess. I think there were under 300 people total there. That season ended super abruptly... the stupid bracketbuster breaking up the Wisconsin trip, the missed layup, the OT loss to GB, the loss to Loyola at home, the loss vs Milwaukee after destroying Detroit... Not surprised the team didn't want to be there (except Jay Harris, oddly enough).

Anyways, I wonder if this will be streamed somehow.

I put this article on the other CIT thread... Here's Columbia's take on this:

NEW YORK – The Columbia University men's basketball program has accepted a bid to play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director, Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education announced today.

"We are thrilled to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament," Murphy said.  "We are so proud of the season our men's basketball team had.  I can think of no better way to cap off a wonderful season than by participating in a great postseason tournament."

The Lions will travel to Valparaiso, Indiana to play Valparaiso on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 7:05 p.m. Central Time for Columbia's first post season appearance since the 1967-68 season.

Columbia is 1-1 all-time vs. the Crusaders, earning a 66-64 win in 1957 and losing to Valparaiso 71-55 in 2001.

Columbia enters the CIT at 19-12, 8-6 in the Ivy League, marking the most wins since 1969-70 and the most Ivy League wins since 1992-93.

"We are excited for this opportunity to play in the CIT," head men's basketball coach Kyle Smith said. "It has always been our goal to play in the postseason.  It is fantastic to see our team reach one of their goals."

WE ARE GONNA HAFTA HAVE A CIT BRACKET CONTEST

anyway.  this dude gets to the line over 8 times a game.  that is certifiably insane.  his season would be far and away the top FT making season at VU (in Bruce Lindner's Insane In The Membrane Season he made 177) -- Rosenberg's over 200 made.

aaaaaand i would expect nothing less than for the Top-10 FT% in the country to be filled with Ivy Leaguers, except that it's not, and they shoot "only" 74.5%, not 77 according to bbstate.

still, don't foul 'em, i guess.  there's your scoutin' report.

here's your scoutin' music:
"Bull-dogs run around New Haven,
Harvard paints old Cambridge red;
Even poor old Philadelphia
Really has a college, it is said;
Williamstown belongs to Williams;
Princeton's tiger stands at bay;
But old New York won't let
the world forget that
There's a college on Broadway."

Quote from: a3uge on March 12, 2014, 08:29:14 PM
Anyways, I wonder if this will be streamed somehow.

Someone said HLN up above...

Here's the HLN feed website for the CIT game versus Columbia:

http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349 (http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349)

Quote from: bbtds on March 12, 2014, 09:04:54 PMHere's the HLN feed website for the CIT game versus Columbia:

I'll be honest--I clicked on it hoping to see some kind of pregame or something. 
(http://img.pandawhale.com/67294-I-dont-know-what-I-expected-gi-7sWg.gif)
Need my fix.

Quote from: bbtds on March 12, 2014, 09:04:54 PM
Here's the HLN feed website for the CIT game versus Columbia:

http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349 (http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349)

It is the same HLNValpo feed that is embedded with the chat window in the "Game Day" section of this forum.

http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0 (http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0)

I watched Columbia have Michigan State on the ropes in East Lansing. I think everyone here is overlooking these guys, this one should be a very tight one.

Columbia also has a lot more reason to "get up" for this game than our guys do with this being their first postseason game in many years.

On the other end, they could be very nervous, as no one on their team has experienced such a feeling in the postseason.

Very true, Let's hope that is the emotion that shows up on their end...although they showed up for their big game against MSU.

I'm guessing our guys will have a better showing than the Iona debacle a few seasons ago. We are a freshmen heavy team, who in their first season are playing in a post-season tournament. It's not like a bunch of seniors that were disappointed in not being able to get into the NCAA's especially looking so good during the season.

I'm guessing the freshmen and the team will be excited to have this opportunity to salvage what was a mediocre season.

Unfortunately this is one of the few games I'm gonna have to miss. Really hope they win so I at least have another opportunity to see them at the ARC before November.

Quote from: Chairback on March 12, 2014, 07:49:56 PMHow many games do you have to win to be CIT champs? 

There are 32 teams so 1 or 2 less games than the NCAA tournament. Win 5 games and you win the CIT.

There's only ever been one extended non-Dance postseason run in school history--the 2002 WNIT.  I would say the 3-game run in that really helped the team in the next year, right?  This could really be something.  But we have to get past a tough team too.

(I was at the Michigan game.  Had no qualms rooting against my soon-to-be alma mater for the sake of Jeanette & co.)

I agree with that, LAA. I only saw a small part of the WNIT game vs. Houston because of class. I missed Michigan and Ball State because of a track trip to California, also meaning I missed the game in St. Louis against Kentucky for the same reason. It was a fun day trip to West Lafayette to play Purdue in the Women's NCAA, followed by the 2004 trip to Williams Arena in Minnesota with them.

Quote from: classof2014 on March 13, 2014, 06:26:38 PMI'm guessing our guys will have a better showing than the Iona debacle a few seasons ago.

I think if I were tied-up to a chair with a gun to my head and given the choice of watching either that Iona game or the March 6 2012 HLT beat down by Detroit at the ARC, then the later game followed by the infamous Ray McCallum Jr. ESPN camera dance might be the better choice. Another good option would be for the gunman to just go ahead and pull the trigger.

That WNIT run was quite fun, and I was at the Houston game hosted at the ARC.  That was the only time I have seen the women's game filled with spectators, and it was a great environment.  It definitely set us up for the NCAA appearances the next two years.

Columbia won't be nervous - they will be playing at the ARC, not Rupp Arena or Pauley Pavillion.  They also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

Mr. Bartow's East Tennessee State just accepted a CIT bid....  might be fun to play them again in the ARC in a few weeks.

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AMThey also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

usc4valpo is dead on.  We better bring it or we'll end up with an embarrassing loss.  This is a good team. 

Paul

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AMThey also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.

I do think we are underestimating them, but if we play the compare game the schizophrenic Crusaders only lost to #18 St. Louis by 2 and beat UCF by 15, which almost took down #13 Cincinnati last night (lets not talk about the return game).  If our bigs can at least be a threat and keep the pressure off of the perimeter then hopefully the good VU team will show up.  I'll leave the coaching to Bryce but would love to see some more pick and roll stuff with Peters and Adekoya on the roll and down on the block.

I wonder if Keith Carter will be playing.

Quote from: gamelord on March 14, 2014, 09:02:46 AM
I wonder if Keith Carter will be playing.

I believe he'll be playing. He's been one of the few who has actually shown some energy at the end of the season. He made a big mistake that cost us the opportunity to get back in the game. I'm sure sitting out the rest of the game and watching Milwaukee pull away was punishment enough.

Jordan is sitting out because he has shown a lack of enthusiasm towards the end of the year. Keith has had an abundance of enthusiasm and only had one boneheaded play towards the end of the year. He has shown a will to win, he's gonna go be playing on Tuesday,

Quote from: gamelord on March 14, 2014, 09:02:46 AMI wonder if Keith Carter will be playing.

if you're referring to possibly getting suspended because of defending his, ahem, manhood, bryce and valpo aren't suspending him, and apparently neither is the HL.

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AM
Columbia won't be nervous - they will be playing at the ARC, not Rupp Arena or Pauley Pavillion.  They also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

Gotta agree. The top three in the Ivy usually match up well with any league competitor and their #1 team, usually gets at least past the first round, and often the second round of the NCAA.  BTW great article about Princeton/Georgetown in SI this week -- the premiss of the article is that by losing to John Thompson's Hoyas by only 1 point on a blocked shot in the last second and keeping Alonzo Mourning in check, Princeton saved the NCAA tournament field from be being reduced in the future and therefore kept it open for us mid-majors. Good nostalgic reading.

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AM
Columbia won't be nervous - they will be playing at the ARC, not Rupp Arena or Pauley Pavillion.  They also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

I agree that their record is very solid, notwithstanding their 33 point loss to the same Harvard team they played so well against.  They played St. Johns close and also played Michigan State close (but so did Oakland).

If we get a good crowd the ARC can be very intimidating but being an Ivy League team, they are used to playing in smaller venues.  Their size is young and thin.  We will need to pound it on the inside.  I see a 10 point win, 68-58

A little off topic, but it really seems obvious to me that we have gotten a rep for this illegal screen thing and refs must be concentrating on this during our games.  For the life of me I can't see any difference between the way our bigs set screens and what I have been seeing in the tournament games I have been watching this week.  Last night watching the UCF Cincinnati game Cincinnati's bigs were moving on EVERY screen and only 1 call.  If we had looked like that Moussa would have fouled out in the first half.  I think we have to do a better job of going shoulder to shoulder off the screen but I think the refs have made it a Valpo point of emphasis.  What is the crew makeup like for these CiT games?  Hopefully we get some guys that are not familiar with our supposed reputation.

Quote from: classof2014 on March 14, 2014, 09:14:53 AM
Jordan is sitting out because he has shown a lack of enthusiasm towards the end of the year. Keith has had an abundance of enthusiasm and only had one boneheaded play towards the end of the year. He has shown a will to win, he's gonna go be playing on Tuesday,

To be fair, Coleman was crying after the loss to UW-M as he was walking out.

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AM
Columbia won't be nervous - they will be playing at the ARC, not Rupp Arena or Pauley Pavillion.  They also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

The Ivy League is notorious for low attendance. Last year the league averaged 1,916 per game. Columbia's last game against Harvard drew 2,200. Not that the ARC is going to be crazy, but I'm not sure why you mentioned those gyms when the majority of the time they're playing in empty high school gyms and haven't played against UCLA or Kentucky.

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 09:26:01 AMThe top three in the Ivy usually match up well with any league competitor and their #1 team, usually gets at least past the first round, and often the second round of the NCAA.

Er...this is just not true.

Cornell in 2010 and Princeton in 1983 are the only teams since the '80s to win 2 games.

These are the years an Ivy team has even won one: 2013 (Harvard).  Before that:  1998 (Princeton).  Looking at the same period, also '96, '94, and '84.

That's all of 9 wins in the last 33 years.

I think enough people over-inflate the Ivy Ideal anyway--let's not do it in sports, too.

I thought the NCAA had a rule about being ejected from a game that it was an automatic one-game suspension for any player ejected, whether from a flagrant 2, receiving two techs, or being in a fight? I know most times the NCAA lets the conference or school decide on suspensions, as they might know the details of the cause in less time than the NCAA offices take. I mean didn't Bobby have to sit out the game after his Detroit flagrant on the Anderson windmill dunk?

Quote from: valporun on March 14, 2014, 10:41:01 AM
I thought the NCAA had a rule about being ejected from a game that it was an automatic one-game suspension for any player ejected, whether from a flagrant 2, receiving two techs, or being in a fight? I know most times the NCAA lets the conference or school decide on suspensions, as they might know the details of the cause in less time than the NCAA offices take. I mean didn't Bobby have to sit out the game after his Detroit flagrant on the Anderson windmill dunk?

Bobby played 5 min the next game vs Wright State. Knowing what a thug Bobby is, he probably thugged his way into the lineup illegally.

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 14, 2014, 10:36:45 AM

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 09:26:01 AMThe top three in the Ivy usually match up well with any league competitor and their #1 team, usually gets at least past the first round, and often the second round of the NCAA.

Er...this is just not true.

I think enough people over-inflate the Ivy Ideal anyway--let's not do it in sports, too.

Clarification on that -- should have qualified that with "during the regular season." Did not mean to imply that in March Madness that they were that good and went that deep.  Point is Columbia can be a tough opponent on Tuesday.

Quote from: 78crusader on March 14, 2014, 08:31:49 AM

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 14, 2014, 08:16:46 AMThey also won 19 games and played a very good Harvard team close in an OT loss.   You guys are underestimating the Ivy League and the geek squad schools.  I have to wonder if the Crusader will be up for this.

usc4valpo is dead on.  We better bring it or we'll end up with an embarrassing loss.  This is a good team. 

Paul

If Columbia is good and they are like 40 and 50 places higher than us in the KenPom and the RPI rankings, why would this be an embarrassing loss?

Just checked the Sagarin rankings.  We are ranked 160 while Columbia is ranked 127.  Their strength of Schedule is 193 while ours is 150.  Their ranking is 75.02 and ours is 72.57, plus the 3.21 home court advantage, making us a net .76 point favorite!!

Quote from: vu72 on March 14, 2014, 12:02:06 PMJust checked the Sagarin rankings.  We are ranked 160 while Columbia is ranked 127.  Their strength of Schedule is 193 while ours is 150.  Their ranking is 75.02 and ours is 72.57, plus the 3.21 home court advantage, making us a net .76 point favorite!!

That's what I was thinking. With this game being played in Valpo this should be a very evenly matched contest. These teams finished in the same places in fairly evenly matched conferences with maybe the Ivy League being slightly ahead . This slight advantage the Ivy has is evened out by Valpo playing at home. So Columbia maybe slightly better this year than Valpo but that is offset by Valpo playing at the ARC. I'm looking forward to what should be a very tightly contested game.

Was just over on the Columbia Fan Forum.  They were wondering why Brown (who apparently also is in the field) got a home game and they didn't.  One of the posters said it was because Brown was willing to pay the $35,000 fee required to host.  So, I'm guessing we paid the $35,000 fee for hosting. I am the Master of the Obvious!

On another note, two of Columbia's guys were voted to all league teams.  Forward Alex Rosenberg was voted to the First Team, while guard Maodo Lo was voted to the Second Team.

Be interesting to know whether they (CIT) also get a cut of the gate.  Certainly they shouldn't get any more than they already do (what a racket to be in, huh?).   16 1st rd games * 35 K = that's over half a mil up front. 

But say sell 2x more GA than CB and get 3500 paying customers, and it's paid for (well, plus the fee for refs, and talksalot's exorbitant per diem : )

(Who'd have thought an IVY would be too poor to pay for a home game?)

Bottom line for fans--we complain about lousy home schedules, but to get a storied institution in its first postseason since the LBJ admin is pretty entertaining.  There's even more to play for than there was against, say, Mercer.  (Would that FGCU had played as well as we did against them!)

Easy to say when I can see palm trees from where I'm sitting, though.

Columbia also beat American U and Stony Brook.  AU is an AQ to the dance this year and Stony Brook lost in the America East Tourney final.

FYI -- Quote from the Columbia website regarding their gym:

Home to Columbia's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams, the Francis S. Levien Gymnasium opened at the start of the 1974 season. With a capacity of 2,500, Levien Gym is one of the larger facilities in the league.
   

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 02:09:21 PM
Columbia also beat American U and Stony Brook who are both AQs to the dance this year.

FYI -- Quote from the Columbia website regarding their gym:

Home to Columbia's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams, the Francis S. Levien Gymnasium opened at the start of the 1974 season. With a capacity of 2,500, Levien Gym is one of the larger facilities in the league.
   

That is amazing when you realize that these Ivy League schools are hardly tiny.  Columbia has over 25,000 students in various undegrad and graduate levels, and over 8,000 just undergrad.

Now, THERE's a school I might believe students who claim they're in the library on game night. :)

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 11:14:04 AMClarification on that -- should have qualified that with "during the regular season." Did not mean to imply that in March Madness that they were that good and went that deep.  Point is Columbia can be a tough opponent on Tuesday.

Still not sure what you meant by 1st and 2nd round?

I follow Columbia very closely. Know their whole team. They are a 3 pt shooting team that runs a motion offense, with plenty of back doors, like the old Princeton offense. They have a couple guys who might emerge in this game, ultimately though, despite a higher RPI and Ken Pom rating, they lose this game on the road to Valpo.

Though one commentator said that a former Iona team was much stronger than this Columbia team, well, comparisons are shaky but Columbia played Manhattan -- recent tournament conquerors of Iona -- played them at home early this year. The game, in fact was all but won, but if you look at the box score, Columbia was up by 3 with 5 seconds remaining and didn't box out well on Jasper free throws, so Manhattan ended up scoring 4 pts in 3 seconds.  Still, Freshman Petrasek just barely missed a game winning tip in at the buzzer.

Also look at RPI, BPI and Ken Pom ratings for Columbia and Valpo. Columbia's is significantly better in all three ratings.  But, I admit, that may not mean much, especially on the road.

To reiterate, Columbia is not very good on the road, which is why I am pretty certain Valpo takes this game by about 10 points.

Also significant is that Columbia's best player, PG Sophomore Grant Mullins missed the last half of the season with a serious concussion. He may or may not play against Valpo, and has not played since February 15th.  In retrospect, he came back too soon and it apparently prolonged his recovery. He may be gone until next season.

That said, someone mentioned the Lions' Alex Rosenberg. "Don't foul 'em" somebody said. It ain't that easy. Rosenberg is like the second coming of NBA legend Dolph Schayes and if you don't know who that is, google the name. Rosenberg is 6-7 and drives to the basket kamikaze like. I don't know who else to compare him to. But you cannot help fouling him. He always lands on the floor. If the shot doesn't go in for an and-one, he goes to the line again and again shooting 2.  Princeton stopped him in his most recent game by denying him any room to get started. They focused on taking him out of the game.  Oh, yeah. Rosenberg can hit the 3. He is over 40% accurate, but not so good on the road.

First Harvard game, Columbia  by most observers won that game. The ref took the winning shot by Rosenberg away with a questionable charging call at  the end of 1st Overtime. You all saw the Jim Boeheim going ballistic on a block/charge call that went against T. J. Fair. This was a little worse and the defender was still moving with his leg up in the air. It should have been basket good with Rosenberg going to the line to make 37 points and a 3 point win. But officially it wasn't.

But on the road, against Harvard a couple weeks later, the Lions did not compete. That is what I fear, despite the strong showing against Michigan State earlier, will happen against Valpo's powerful front line.

Columbia is relatively weak defending the post. Valpo can punish them in the paint. But Columbia will take a good 3 pt shooter out of the game. Conversely, if Columbia gets it going from 3, Valpo will be in trouble. It will be a close game at best, if Columbia achieves its 50% proficiency from 3, which they have done a few times this year, most notably against Yale.

Columbia has a lot of different guys Coach Kyle Smith can insert, who can do things well depending on where Valpo's strength lies. Look out for guys like captain Steve Frankoski, an occasionally maniacal scorer from 3 pt. land. A feast or famine guy, but mostly famine. Another guy, freshman Jeff Coby, a 6-8 leaper who played very well against Michigan State, then got a stress fracture on his foot. He is working his way back, but is very raw. Makes free throws.  6-11 Cory Osetkowski has some nice, but very slowly developing low post moves, and on a good day, will hit a couple 3s.  The guy that will catch Valpo napping is Maodo Lo, from Berlin, Germany. Makes the 3, except on the road, but will drive into the paint to get his scores.  Isaac Cohen, don't let the name fool you, he is a hell of a defender, 6-4 re-bounder and glue guy, who almost always passes up shots.

I know Bryce Drew is a heck of coach. But Kyle Smith is the best Div I coach you never heard of. Trust me. The players love him.

It's all really hard to say, but with Valpo being the home team and having been in the post season recently, I just think Valpo wins. Sorry Lions.

Two separate but related thoughts, LAA.  My first thought was that typically during the regular season the top three in the league (usually Penn, Princeton and now Harvard with Amaker) fare competitively with many of their better OOC opponents and in many cases they stray into BCS territory (like Columbia at MSU).  The other thought was that their one AQ (regular season champ cuz they don't do the tournament thing) in many years gets past the 1st round and occasionally the second round in the NCAAs.  Given they are a need-based league and don't offer athletic full-rides, the winning teams  play pretty competitively.

Welcome Filippo.  Quite a scouting report.  Thanks. 

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 03:11:20 PMTwo separate but related thoughts, LAA.

Ah, ok.  Thanks. 

Quote from: Filippo2014 on March 14, 2014, 03:03:50 PMIt's all really hard to say, but with Valpo being the home team and having been in the post season recently, I just think Valpo wins. Sorry Lions.

Thanks for this detailed post.  Obviously Rosenberg seems like a guy for whom the new rules were a huge boon--with that one glaring exception.

Hard to blow a 3 pt lead with 5 sec.  That one hurts.

Obviously with 3 double-digit scorers, missing one will hurt.  Hope that dude's ok.

How good can they be? They couldn't even win a conference tournament game.

Quote from: a3uge on March 14, 2014, 04:26:21 PM
How good can they be? They couldn't even win a conference tournament game.

(http://www.quickmeme.com/img/03/031bc319eeda30437eebc10a56be9b9e0127f5d1f0bb0c95e3b2bfcada8a5995.jpg)

I think an unknown in this game will be the number of fouls called, especially against our big men. Since Columbia has players that are good at drawing fouls and who shoot free throws well, I hope we have refs that are not going to revert to the early season when numerous fouls were called.

In addition, we've seen too many offensive fouls called on Valpo's inside screens. We already are going to be shorthanded with Bobby and Jordan out, and who knows if Yeo or Chadwick will be back to full health. If Vashil, Moussa, and Jubril run into foul trouble, Valpo could be in a difficult position.

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 14, 2014, 01:27:23 PMwell, plus the fee for refs, and talksalot's exorbitant per diem : )

That, and 99-cents will get you a small coffee at Speedway, a warm bottle of water from the unplugged fridge in the media room, and the thin-crust Papa John's Pizza - Better Ingredients, Better Pizza.

For those curious, none of the 4 of us at the table (Clock Operators, Dot and myself) have ever been paid for working the table.... goes to show how hard it is to fire a volunteer!

You're easily worth 100 times what they're paying you.  Maybe a thousand!

In 1979 Penn and the great Tony Price made it to the Final Four, winning the East Regional.  Less than 5000 fans were at the Eastern regional championship game  in North Carolina as NC, NC State and all the East powerhouse schools were out.  Out of 10 seeds, #9 Penn defeated #10 seed St. Johns.  The

Please give Dot my best - what a wonderful lady!!

Can't get enough about Columbia?  Here is a link to their "Game Notes" going into last weekends home games with Penn and Princeton.

http://www.gocolumbialions.com//pdf9/2655240.pdf (http://www.gocolumbialions.com//pdf9/2655240.pdf)

Great stuff.  Gotta stop Rosenberg as Filippo said earlier.

Dude, the discussion was whether Columbia would be nervous to play in a postseason game. When I referred to the stadium, I was actually referring that they were not facing an NCAA powerhouse at a huge arena, which is not their usual surroundings.  The Ivy League and the Horizon League are similar in basketball competition, arena size (not age, some of the gyms in the Ivy League are classically old) and  attendance. 

Crusader's are going Ivy in the CIT
Holy Cross @ Brown on Tuesday night~!

Murray State's press release says they will be playing Missouri State
Missouri State's web site says they will be playing Middle Tennessee State
Perhaps a split squad?

Pacific travels to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon University.

Here is a link to the 2014 CIT guide

http://collegeinsider.com/CIT2014/CIT_Guide_2014.pdf (http://collegeinsider.com/CIT2014/CIT_Guide_2014.pdf)


One thing I had forgotten about since 2011 was that Iona, the team that beat Valpo so badly in the first round of the 2011 CIT, went on to play in the CIT championship game against Santa Clara. The Gaels lost 76-69 to Santa Clara on March 20, 2011. (page 16 in CIT guide)

Just the video you wanted to view. Interviews with Iona coach amd players after beating Valpo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k3QitBzIvg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k3QitBzIvg)


The following teams received an invitation to the 2014 CIT and will participate.

School             Conference         Overall record   Conference   record
Brown              Ivy League          15–13                    7–7
Canisius              MAAC                   21–12                   14–6
Chattanooga      Southern Conference   18–14           12–4
Columbia              Ivy League          19–12                    8–6
East Carolina      Conference USA   17–16            6–12
East Tenn St      Atlantic Sun           18–15            10–8
Grand Canyon      WAC                   15–14            10–6
IPFW              Summit                   24–10            10–4
Holy Cross      Patriot                   19–13            12–6
Missouri State   Missouri Valley           20–12             9–9
Murray State      Ohio Valley           18–11            13–3
Neb–Omaha      Summit League           16–14             5–9
Northern Colo.   Big Sky                   18–13             11–9
Pacific              West Coast           15–15             6–12
Quinnipiac      MAAC                   20–11             14–6
San Diego      West Coast           16–16              7–11
USC Upstate      Atlantic Sun           19–14              11–7
Valparaiso      Horizon League           18–15              9–7
VMI              Big South                   20–12             11-5
Wright State      Horizon League           20–14             10-6
Yale              Ivy League           15–13              9–5


21 of the 32 teams have already been selected.

Confirmed first round match-ups:

March 18
Columbia at Valparaiso
Holy Cross at Brown
Chattanooga at East Tennessee State
Wright State at East Carolina

March 19
Murray State at Missouri State
Pacific at Grand Canyon
Quinnipiac at Yale

I've never been so happy YouTube failed to embed before.

Not to change the subject (just to get that taste outta your mouth), I noticed that if the Post has someone covering us this game, it won't be Steve Gorches--they laid him off and he was lucky to latch on with the Times, although not likely in the same position. His twitter 'bio' is remarkably honest about the situation:
https://twitter.com/SteveTGorches

... the web-post I mentioned earlier from Mid-Tenn about playing MoState has been taken down from the MTSU site.  Mo State still does not recognize who their opponent will be.  Murray State says they're playing in Springfield.

love it when a plan comes together.

Just a couple more thoughts occurred to me.

Columbia does not offer athletic scholarships. I should think that all of Valpo's rotation are on athletic scholarships. Just to make that clear, none of Columbia's players are on scholarship. You are not likely to see a lot of tattoos on these players, either. But it also makes for a pretty long bench because you are not restricted as to how many guys on the team. They are essentially all invited walk-ons. 

As a matter of fact, when Coach Kyle Smith took over the job four years ago, he thought the Ivy League was just an exalted Division III league. Smith is known for his preparation. He was top assistant to Randy Bennett out at St. Mary's for 8 years. St. Mary's was nipping at Gonzaga's heels all that time, and was the one team that gave Gonzaga fits.

The best place to read about Columbia's men's basketball team is Columbia's newspaper, the Columbia Spectator. I am not allowed to post external links here on your forum site, but if you put Columbia and Spectator all as one word and add the dot com into your browser, you should arrive in the right place and you will see some pretty good articles there about the Columbia.

If you want to read more about Alex Rosenberg, Google the New Jersey Star Ledger Alex Rosenberg basketball, and it will take you to a pretty nice article about Columbia's junior forward.

To listen to some interviews with Coach Kyle Smith, try Columbia's radio station, WKCR dot org and look under archives.

The Ivy League Digital network has games in their entirety but to view anything but highlights, you would need a $16 subscription.

The Ivy League does not have a post season league tournament. They consider their 14-game season as a 14-game tournament.

As much as Columbia doesn't give scholarships, players can get quite a bit (nearly 100 percent) of financial help from the school. I spoke to a player recently who was recruited to an Ivy League school and they illustrated that while they wouldn't be on scholarship, they weren't going to have to pay for anything.

Exactly.  In fact, in the very near future, the top Ivies will be in the position to offer everyone who is accepted the ability to attend free (at least tuition free), due to the size of their endowments.

Which is kind of funny, because that's how it used to be at several well-off schools--e.g. Creighton was free from 1878 to 1924 due to the extraordinary largesse of the Creighton brothers.

So it's not like these are some hardy go-getters just out there for love of the game either ;)

You get financial aid to an Ivy League school based on financial need, academics and the overall student resume.   In the Ivy League, student athletes have insane test scores and GPAs coming out of high schools, and/or they have various connections to get in.

Good book on Ivy League athletics and recruiting/scholarships/etc. is "Playing the Game: Inside Athletic Recruiting in the Ivy League." Getting a little older but good primer.

Should have a decent turnout by the student section since spring break is over and there are rarely exams or papers due the Wednesday of the week after spring break. Extended weather report calls for clear skies with temperatures in the 50s. Plus, it doesn't hurt that students attending the game will get free pizza.

Students might come out.
Students, come to the game against Columbia early on Tuesday and Coach Bryce will buy you pizza! He'll personally ask you to come tomorrow during lunch in Founders'.

When I was in school they did the free pizza gimmick a couple of times...one game every student walked a way with a full pie.  It doesn't always work ;)  Hopefully this year will be different!

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 16, 2014, 07:20:11 AMExactly.  In fact, in the very near future, the top Ivies will be in the position to offer everyone who is accepted the ability to attend free (at least tuition free), due to the size of their endowments. Which is kind of funny, because that's how it used to be at several well-off schools--e.g. Creighton was free from 1878 to 1924 due to the extraordinary largesse of the Creighton brothers. So it's not like these are some hardy go-getters just out there for love of the game either ;)

Valpo wasn't free but it wasn't too expensive back in 1859.

In 1859, citizens of Valparaiso were so supportive of the placement of the college that they raised $11,000 to encourage the Methodist Church to locate there. Students paid tuition of $8 a term (three terms per year), plus nearby room and board around $2 a week.

Pizza's good - what about admission?

Looks like they cut the ticket rate... $7.50 bleachers, $15 chairbacks.

But what about students?  Staff?  If they're beating the bushes, I assume that students, at least, are free?  But, I'm not immediately turning anything up.

As for whether the CIT gets a cut.  I figure it might work like the CBI did when these things were first getting started.  It's not that you pay to host a game, exactly.  But, you give them a cut, and you also give them a guarantee ($7 per head, for at least $35,000, or whatever).  Allegedly the CBI did pay travel - so it's not like they just pocket the $35k.

CIT CHAIRBACKS:  ABOUT TWICE AS EXPENSIVE AS VU TUITION*





*tuition in 1859

Quote from: agibson on March 16, 2014, 11:27:47 PMLooks like they cut the ticket rate... $7.50 bleachers, $15 chairbacks.

But what about students?  Staff?  If they're beating the bushes, I assume that students, at least, are free?  But, I'm not immediately turning anything up.

I'm just slow to read my email...

For faculty and staff, an upgrade (?) to the lower bleachers!

Quote
Show your University ID upon arrival to next week's game, and you will be admitted for free to sit in Section E of the lower bleachers. If you'd like to sit elsewhere, tickets are on sale now for the reduced price of $15 for chair backs and $7.50 for bleacher seats.

presumably students got a similar email and are, indeed, free.

The price is right! I hope the upper deck is still open, my boys like to be up and moving and being up high avoids others getting upset.

By the way, the game seems to be at 6 CT instead of 7 as implied by the thread title.

Quote from: a3uge on March 18, 2014, 09:43:19 AM
By the way, the game seems to be at 6 CT instead of 7 as implied by the thread title.

Thanks. I got that info from the CIT release so it is EDT. 

The game is at our normal 7:05 p.m. CT tip time (as reflected on both our site and Columbia's site) - it appears there's just some confusion with the CIT on what time zone we're on.

Quote from: aleavitt on March 18, 2014, 10:10:55 AM
The game is at our normal 7:05 p.m. CT tip time (as reflected on both our site and Columbia's site) - it appears there's just some confusion with the CIT on what time zone we're on.

Thanks for the clarification. Fixed again!

Ugh CBS Sports has it listed as 7ET... I'm guessing they assumed 7pm ET because the press release never mentioned it being a Central Time Zone.

Is tonight's game on the HLN?

Weird - it was going to be, right?  There were links up a couple of days ago.  It looks like the new service... might still be free?  It certainly claims to be free, and I'm able to create an account, etc. without entering any billing info.  So, it may work.

http://www.watchcollegeinsider.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?db_oem_id=29600 (http://www.watchcollegeinsider.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?db_oem_id=29600)

I'll be pleasantly surprised if it's as good as HLN.

Maybe this has already been discussed here - I know Coleman and Capobianco's absences has been.  But, somehow, I noticed for the first time today the clear emphasis that Bryce is planing to put tonight on next year, and on the freshmen.  Admittedly, it was clear in the paper already a couple of days ago (maybe I missed the earlier Times article?) - but both beat stories hit it hard today.

Hopefully it means Yeo's ready to go, and not limited?

I'll be curious to see how the minutes work out - how much we see of LVD, and Moussa, etc.  And, I'll be very curious about the result!

Everyone talks about these C tier post-season tournaments as a chance for more practice, to start to get ready for next year, etc.  I get that, as a benefit.  But, conceptually, I guess I'm not quite ready to make that the main goal instead of "winning the game, winning the tournament".  It feels... pretty experimental to throw out a "mostly 2014-2015" lineup, based on fairly limited practice.

Hopefully it works out!  I'll have to fight off the disappointment if we end up looking like we did back in November, trying out rotations, etc. and end up dropping the game. 

Clearly losing Coleman and Bobby was going to hurt.  But, I didn't quite see this apparently rather complete "future" emphasis coming.

It is on the HLN also.

http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349 (http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349)

and as valpo04 would be quick to point out the HLN site can also be accessed through this Valpo fan zone forum, now between the Other Sports category and the On The Horizon category in the Video & Chat section.

Quote from: historyman on March 18, 2014, 05:58:58 PM
It is on the HLN also.

http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349 (http://www.horizonleague.org/live/11349)

and as valpo04 would be quick to point out the HLN site can also be accessed through this Valpo fan zone forum, now between the Other Sports category and the On The Horizon category in the Video & Chat section.

Interesting that the page is still up.  But, is it linked from anywhere?  I wonder if it'll work?  valpoathletics an horizonleague.org (from their schedule, etc.) both seem to link to the new watchcollegeinsider.com page.

I'm thinking LVD and Moussa play about the same they did before. Lots more Yeo and some Chadwick. It's about next years guys, but you still want to win...after all more games more chances to see what all these returners can do.

I hope it is on HLN and not controlled by the CIT. I'm currently on their site watching Wright State/East Carolina and I think Wright State is doing well--I don't know. See, there is no score showing and, the audio, is St.Johns v. Robert Morris is the NIT!  Very odd to say the least.

So far, only the CIT site is playing video.  Nothing from the forum or HLN link.  They just confirmed that only CIT will work, and Todd says this is the smallest crowd this season...

At least some students came out.

don't forget our game day  chat, peoples!

Pleasantly surprised that I didn't need to create a useless account to watch this.  First links I followed were asking me to register, but just going to watchcollegeinsider.com I was able to click on the schedule to watch the game without being pestered to create an account.

I get the sound for the wrong game. Boo.

Quote from: a3uge on March 18, 2014, 07:34:30 PMI get the sound for the wrong game. Boo.

i warned you about using internet explorer 5.0

HLN has an ap.  CIT requires flash - I get to use the game tracker on my iPad. >:(

Well, that was terrible.  Columbia didn't look very good at all, we should pound a team like that.  What a crapfest of a year, just awful basketball at every turn.

This seems like a fitting end to a season filled with frustration and heartbreak.  Give Columbia credit, they hit the shots that they needed to. 

well, it was a rollicking time in chat tonight at least.

anyone else find it ironic that a well-oiled team playing 60s-era basketball won the game turning it into 1-on-1?

Well, its over.  Another close, hard fought loss.  This coming from one of our biggest cheerleaders:  What will happen to make this a better result next year?  I have my doubts...

The CIT feed wasn't bad (presumably it's a Valpo feed).  Video quality was a bit on the low side, think old school streaming.  But rock solid - not a single skip.  And Todd on the call.  No complaint from me.  About the streaming :(

I didn't expect too much from the postseason, so I prefer to see the positives tonight.  Moussa and the block record.  Definite positives from Carter, Fernandez, and Yeo. 

Are all the pieces fit together?  No, of course not.  But there's some potential there. 

Thanks, LVD, for the memories.  A solid season, but definitely not his night.

I hate to say this but I told you not to take Columbia lightly.

It should bear noting that we had just 6 turnovers.  Previous low this year was 9, done twice--the blowout of UCF and the YSU squeaker.  So tempo didn't do us in--may have done us some favors.  And they had 9.  When was the last time we were +3?

In FACT that was the lowest number of TOs we've ever had under Bryce.  Tied the previous low, but the other game was that 50-pt blowout of Holy Cross (not THAT HC).

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 18, 2014, 09:01:52 PMI hate to say this but I told you not to take Columbia lightly.

Seriously?  They weren't any good.  I think that missing their third-best player hurt them, but we shut down their best, and their second-best only showed up for the first and last minutes.

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 18, 2014, 09:03:40 PM

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 18, 2014, 09:01:52 PMI hate to say this but I told you not to take Columbia lightly.

Seriously?  They weren't any good.  I think that missing their third-best player hurt them, but we shut down their best, and their second-best only showed up for the first and last minutes.

Agreed.  That team would finish last in the Horizon.

Not even close, Columbia is pretty bad.  USC, did you watch the game??  It almost looked like several of our guys were going through the motions, though several played with passion.  How can we get beat on a crossover dribble, long step-back 2 pointer, against a team with the speed and dribbling skill of any gym's recreational team?  Everything they did seemed to be in slow motion when they drove or dribbled, yet our guys got faked out several times??  WTH!!  That was just plain awful, but kudos to Moussa, Vashil, and Clay for having good games.  LVD should have sat more, as he was very bad for most of the game.  I understand that it was potentially his last collegiate game, but if you are routinely taking on 3 guys, odds are that you will end up 3/16....

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 18, 2014, 09:03:40 PMSeriously?  They weren't any good. 

I don't know where they would have finished in the Horizon.  But, RPI ~130?  18-19-20+ wins?  They weren't a bad team this season.

Video visual evidence trumps any paper evidence for me.  They were SLOWWWWWWWWWW...his name is Mortis, the safety tortoise, he always plays it safe!  (Anyone? :))

We lost 4 of 5, and 5 of 7, to end the season.

That's dispiriting.

Jabril did not show up. Was playing half assed out there. I hope someone takes his starting position next year as he has resorted to shooting crappy threes instead of banging inside.

Last post for a while from me.  I take away from this game a few things: 1st we saw the good that Yeo will bring and hopefully the end of some really dumb play by him too, 2nd we need some new offensive sets for next year, 3rd I thought Vashil was very good for most of the night, I hope he learns when he isn't going to be able to block/alter a shot and these times he needs to stick in for the board, 4th Alec is a great player, 5th Lexus was awful when he played tonight, very different then most of the season, lastly Jubril has impressed me less and less throughout the season I hope a year working out and working on his shooting and what not.....anyways lots to work on and lots to look forward too for next season.

HC is out, peace!

Columbia played Butleresk.  Slow, controlled, no turnovers, good defense, make some threes.  I think they would be in the top half of the Horizon, like Butler was.  ;)

Our postseason record in the last 19 seasons (13 seasons in postseason): 3-13...

Also, it has to be mentioned in this thread that Bryce didn't make much of an attempt at a 2 for 1 with 54 seconds left with what we had called.  Why not try a drive 10 seconds into the shot clock?  Maybe you get fouled, maybe you don't, but we were only down 1 at that point and it would be the wise thing to do, in getting 2 possessions to their 1.  I don't think we even did this one time this year, in very similar circumstances in several games.  If they come down and get 2, we at least have a chance to tie with a 3, or play the foul game.  You always want to HAVE the ball in the last possession, not give them the chance...

Quote from: valpotx on March 18, 2014, 09:42:31 PM
Also, it has to be mentioned in this thread that Bryce didn't make much of an attempt at a 2 for 1 with 54 seconds left with what we had called.  Why not try a drive 10 seconds into the shot clock?  Maybe you get fouled, maybe you don't, but we were only down 1 at that point and it would be the wise thing to do, in getting 2 possessions to their 1.  I don't think we even did this one time this year, in very similar circumstances in several games.  If they come down and get 2, we at least have a chance to tie with a 3, or play the foul game.  You always want to HAVE the ball in the last possession, not give them the chance...

Paul Oren made the same observation on Twitter before the last possession.  The 2 for 1 is a staple in the NBA, but not commonly employed in college.  You would think that Bryce, with his NBA background, might use that strategy more than his college counterparts.  Maybe they were trying, but just couldn't find a shot.

Zville, I hate saying this, but I actually envy Butler today.  You were able to sit at home, already looking to next season, while we were losing to a pretty poor Columbia team.  What a way to end the season... :-\

Quote from: vu72 on March 18, 2014, 08:55:13 PMWhat will happen to make this a better result next year?  I have my doubts...

A very realistic statement if I've heard one. It may take till Peters' and the other freshmens' senior year before they really have a chance to do something exciting in the Horizon League. There is a lot more to be done at Valpo and if they have a down year it may never happen.

Quote from: valpotx on March 18, 2014, 10:05:42 PM
Zville, I hate saying this, but I actually envy Butler today.  You were able to sit at home, already looking to next season, while we were losing to a pretty poor Columbia team.  What a way to end the season... :-\

Haha...we've been looking forward to next season for quite a while now!  March is always more fun when you're part of the Big Dance, and even more fun when it carries into April.  We can cross our fingers and hope next seasons brings better results.  Despite the disappointment tonight, Valpo's future certainly looks bright with the contributions they got from their freshman class this year.  Enjoy the off-season!

An evenly matched game overall.  We were beaten by a well-schooled team that was obviously less physically skilled but craftier and more effective.  Clearly, Columbia is a more fundamentally sound team than we are at this point in time.  I truly believe that we would lose to Columbia more often than we would defeat them. 

For the umpteenth game, the same defensive lapses occurred repeatedly.  Defensive intensity was spotty at best.  We do not defend the three very well.  Lots of improvement needed on the defensive side for us to have a real chance at defeating a major conference team (other than a mediocre last place team).  Our game against SLU was a fluke.  SLU would blow us off the court if we were to play them again -- They've improved substantially, and I'm not sure we really have improved that much. 

On the positive side, I was pleased to see good work from Vashil and Yeo.  Carter showed flashes of greatness.  Peters (finally) had an outstanding defensive game.  Building blocks.   

If Jubril can develop that 3 point shot then the whole floor in front of him could start to open up like the parting of the sea. Until then (since very little ever remains static) next year might find him playing in some different roles with fewer total minutes.

I hope he stayed after the game so that he could begin the transformation. 

This game ended like a few others witnessed at the ARC this season, a heartbreaking loss in a final possession game. Expectations for the season included the high probability that a team with so many freshmen might have difficulty sealing the deal in close games, and that proved true.

However, now is the time to begin looking forward with hope that this excellent freshmen class will use the experience from their first year, build on it, develop over the summer, and produce better results. In his comments after the game, Alec Peters indicated that was his intention, as well as the goal of his teammates. I think Peters will now assume the role of team spokesman that Dority held this past season, but I also expect that Alec—as LaVonte did last summer—will lead by example.

Consequently, I anticipate that in the fall we will see the freshmen become players that are stronger, smoother, and with an even greater hunger for winning. If Bryce can bring in another good class of freshmen to replace the seniors, the future will be bright.

Therefore, reviewing the final game of the year, I thought it was appropriate that the last Valpo basket of this season was a breakaway slam by one of the freshmen. I will think of my following photo of the shot as an image that offers a sign of optimism for next year, which I hope will become a breakaway season for Clay Yeo and each of his fellow freshmen.


(http://i58.tinypic.com/2h6rdi1.jpg)

Quote from: valpotx on March 18, 2014, 09:09:36 PMHow can we get beat on a crossover dribble, long step-back 2 pointer, against a team with the speed and dribbling skill of any gym's recreational team?

Yes, we got beat on a long step-back 2 pointer, but that 2 pointer alone did not beat us.  Great on the ball defense by Carter all night, he DIDN'T GET BEAT on the crossover and made the guy take a very tough shot. What else can you say other than... he made it, Columbia wins.

I think Keith Carter showed why so many think he is something really special.  Five assts, zero turnovers, great on the ball defense, great passes and hit a key three. His play is something to really look forward to.  Second thing to look forward to is the continued improvement of Vashil.  I don't think he is done improving and his senior year should be very good.  Think about how much he has improved over last year. Next we have Alec Peters and enough said about him. 

The questions get tougher to answer after these three.  Will Jabril get his act together?  Can Clay become a solid contributor?  Will Lexus get back to where he was can improve?  What about E. Victor?  Can he be the athletic, fast big man we need?  What will a year in the weight room do for our young guys?

Lots of questions.  Not many certain answers.  It could be very good or more of the same.  Time will tell.

Post game thoughts from the NWI Times blog. 

http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/initial-valparaiso-basketball-post-mortem/article_02eb6de6-af24-11e3-aba9-001a4bcf887a.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/initial-valparaiso-basketball-post-mortem/article_02eb6de6-af24-11e3-aba9-001a4bcf887a.html)

Quote from: EddieCabot on March 19, 2014, 09:27:58 AM

Post game thoughts from the NWI Times blog. 

http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/initial-valparaiso-basketball-post-mortem/article_02eb6de6-af24-11e3-aba9-001a4bcf887a.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/initial-valparaiso-basketball-post-mortem/article_02eb6de6-af24-11e3-aba9-001a4bcf887a.html)

(http://parksandresorts.wdpromedia.com/media/disneyparks/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/vti298175LARGE.jpg)

Quote from: EddieCabot on March 19, 2014, 09:27:58 AMPost game thoughts from the NWI Times blog. 

Vultures:
--no fangs
--do not spit venom

Man, if they did, though...scary times.

In general, I do agree with him, however (being more optimistic than most).

I think know that the Internet Age has sparked the INSTA-REACTION which in turn prompts the INSTA-OVERREACTION.   That's all this really is, blowing off steam.  We had a bad end to a pleasantly hopeful year, and we'll more accurately assess things in the weeks and months to come.

Gosh, it's a long way to October, with nothing to look forward to, other than the news of Tex's baby :)

Speaking of Internet reactions:

LaVonte Dority was probably the most disappointed person in the building after last night's game. Unlike the freshmen who can look forward to next year, this was his last game in a Valpo uniform. As we have seen, Dority put in a lot of hard work over the summer and became an improved player, as well as the team leader this season.

On the court, he gave all he had and took a lot of pounding whenever he drove to the basket. I don't know how many photos I snapped of him being knocked to the ground. Off the court, he also conducted himself admirably, especially when placed in the difficult position of answering questions at press conferences after tough losses like this one. Through it all, LaVonte expressed enthusiasm and fondness for Valparaiso.

Therefore, I was not surprised to see his first tweet after the heartbreaking loss in his final game as a Crusader: "My time at Valpo was everything... Forever a Crusader!" I think LaVonte Dority has earned most fans' admiration during this season, and the sentiment in his message is appreciated.


(http://i57.tinypic.com/403te.jpg)

Amen!  He was a bull, though, and I gotta think that as many times as he ended up on the ground, just as many people bounced off him on his way to the rack.

Not very many people scored 500+ in a season in a Valpo uniform...maybe 10?

Forever a Crusader indeed!

Quote from: FWalum on March 19, 2014, 07:55:27 AM

Quote from: valpotx on March 18, 2014, 09:09:36 PMHow can we get beat on a crossover dribble, long step-back 2 pointer, against a team with the speed and dribbling skill of any gym's recreational team?

Yes, we got beat on a long step-back 2 pointer, but that 2 pointer alone did not beat us.  Great on the ball defense by Carter all night, he DIDN'T GET BEAT on the crossover and made the guy take a very tough shot. What else can you say other than... he made it, Columbia wins.

My statement wasn't meant as a dig against Carter.  It was more in how dumbfounded I was at the end of that shot, that a team with very little skill in dribbling, beat us on a last second shot of that nature...

LaVonte poured his heart and soul into making himself the best basketball player and team leader he could possibly be. I will always think of him with great fondness. I have no doubt that wherever life takes him he will make his mark in a big way.

Uh oh, the fact checker at the NWI Times didn't catch that Jimmie Miles didn't graduate from Valpo.  I get what the Packers fan was saying, but had to point this out :)

How could I forget CellPhoneGate?!?!?! It was well after midnight by the time I wrote that. Apologies.

Give Columbia credit.  The final score is the final score.  They may be "bad", but what does that say about the beloved Crusader?


There is certainly lessons learned and room for improvement for next year.

It is obvious that the long season took its toll on our frosh.  Can't wait for the next few years to watch them get better and better.  That, along with some new big recruits and others should make for some fun times at the ARC.

I hope that we get that 6'11" Seth A guy, so that Vashil's minutes can be kept at 30 or below.  He was able to play 20-25 minutes in a few games this year, and I imagine that 30 will probably be his target for next year.

Isn't Seth A. a junior, or am I confusing him with someone else?

Ah, I think that you are correct.  Well, let's get a Juco big guy then!

I get it now... I really do. I had a hard time originally seeing LVD as more than a way-point in VU basketball history. Another transfer that I really wouldn't invest much thought into because he would be just "ok".  The first time I saw the LVD halftime video I thought it was a little cheesy... of course every member of his friends and family are going to say those things and feel that way.

Well Mr. dority, I get it now, we have been allowed to see the type of man that you are, on the court and in front of the fans and media and it makes us so proud to have you representing our university, now and in the future.  I am not praising you just because you scored the most points or did this and that on the court.  I say these things because of the other qualities - leadership and humility- you put on display for us to see.  Continue to make your family, friends and university proud and you will have success no matter what you do.  Thank you for sharing a little bit or yourself with us.

Quote from: wh on March 19, 2014, 02:10:56 PMIsn't Seth A. a junior, or am I confusing him with someone else?

From the little I have heard secondhand I would view this guy as another long term "project with potential" type player who might be very little help until his sophomore year or later (16-17 season). Is his HS Peru? Have any of you seen him play?

As tex says, a ready-to-go juco big is the ticket - someone who can support Vashil next year and play a bigger role the following year with hopefully a freshman big added to the mix.  Of course, that's easier said than done.  Everybody and their brother are looking for the same thing.     

Give the season sometime, let being a student and rest help these student- athlete's  grow, some time away from the game is good, the game will become fresh again.

I second Moussa's comment in the postgame conference, in that I wish he would have been here the last few seasons vs. 1, instead of Alabama.  You could tell that he valued his time learning at Valpo, when this type of learning should have happened over his 2 seasons with Alabama.  He is going to make money professionally somewhere, as Paul stated in the conference, but he would have been much better prepared had he spent 3 seasons at Valpo, instead of 1.

As others have stated, LVD will do good things after Valpo, and hopefully have a long professional career.  As much as he made me wince when he drove to the basket against 3 or 4 defenders, often with a circus shot that was likely to get blocked, he was one of a rare few on our team willing to do so.  He seemed to be a passion guy, and you need those.

Alec started to take it to the hole more over the last few games, and pound it inside, which will only help his outside game.  Hopefully we have someone next season that is willing to get hit on the drives, as that is a part of the game that you need, in order to get the open outside looks.

yep.    Lots of good mixed with the bad this year.    If you think about it, there were no stabilized returning starters on this squad.   

Dority stepped up and Bobby had his moments.    But by and large it was all a mystery.    Sometimes it clicked (SLU) and sometimes it crashed and  burned.   

And we had a freshman with a well-rounded game go off for 30 twice.    That is firepower we have not seen since Bryce or Lubos.

Quote from: crusadermoe on March 19, 2014, 07:16:43 PM
yep.    Lots of good mixed with the bad this year.    If you think about it, there were no stabilized returning starters on this squad.   

Dority stepped up and Bobby had his moments.    But by and large it was all a mystery.    Sometimes it clicked (SLU) and sometimes it crashed and  burned.   

And we had a freshman with a well-rounded game go off for 30 twice.    That is firepower we have not seen since Bryce or Lubos.

[/b]


Well, Dan Oppland could fill it up pretty well also.   ;)

Perhaps Columbia and the Ivy League deserve a little more respect than what some of you are giving them.  Harvard upset Cincy today, which was really not that surprising, but Harvard was a 12 seed.

eh.  that's great for them.  but there's at least one 5-12 upset every year, on average.

still doesn't change the fact that the Ivy has as a conference has now won all of FOUR NCAA games since VU's shining moment.

heck, in one year, butler...never mind.

Quote from: VULB#62 on March 14, 2014, 09:26:01 AMtheir #1 team, usually gets at least past the first round, and often the second round of the NCAA.

62, you were right this year!  according to the NCAA they're in the third round already ;)

Apostle, all I am saying is give Columbia a litlle repsect.  They beat the Crusader at the ARC and they are well coached.    I was suprised many on the site before the game thought this would be a prohibitive win.


I think this season was a learning experience and I think the Crusader met expectation this year.

Quote from: usc4valpo on March 20, 2014, 09:33:28 PMI was suprised many on the site before the game thought this would be a prohibitive win.

That's because we're Valpo fans.  I would hope we'd expect a win.

I said on chat that Columbia is the Little Black Dress of basketball teams.  They know what they got and so they work maximize their strengths and try to hide their flaws. 

We, on the other hand, are a tube top:  high risk, high reward.  We try to cram as much in there as possible and half the time, it just doesn't work.  All our strengths and flaws are hanging out there for all to see.

excellent analogy!!

I root for my beloved Crusader, but I like when the Geek squad teams (Ivies, Stanford, Northwestern) do well.

How about Williams and Amherst playing each other in the D3 semi's. The Ivies and the "little three" put poor old Valpo in the dust both academically and b'ball wise. ::)

The thing Columbia really has going for it is that they'll always have a veteran team on the floor because most often IVY League basketball recruits aren't looking to transfer because they want a better basketball team to play on. They just want to focus on their careers, and basketball is a good way to apply patience, especially when running some modification of the Princeton offense, whether they're spreading the floor or sucking time from the clock.

Agreed.  I also think that Columbia's players will stay there to focus on theor top priority, education.

I saw that Kale Abrahamson at Northwestern is transferring to get more "playing time."  Either Chris Collins wants him to leave, or he is an idiot leaving a top academic school for more playing time at a lower level school.

After a busy week, I have finally posted a gallery of nearly 40 photos from the game, including the three below, at the following link. These pictures provide a final look at this year's team: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157642722014744/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157642722014744/)

(http://i59.tinypic.com/ogi4ic.jpg)

(http://i62.tinypic.com/2jaccqq.jpg)

(http://i62.tinypic.com/3582feb.jpg)

Is Kale A from Northwestern a possibility for Valpo?  Size?  Class?

If Kale's not a fit for the ARC, he's a sure fit for Dining Services

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!!

Just want to inform everyone that the gallery of photos from this game, as well as all my other Valpo sports images from the past year (approaching 1500 photos), are now also available as user friendly scroll sets at the following. I will be curious to see whether anyone thinks this format seems more enjoyable to follow.

http://flickrock.com/96208998@N05#/96208998%40N05/sets/72157642722014744 (http://flickrock.com/96208998@N05#/96208998%40N05/sets/72157642722014744)

Interesting, 'pal.  It loads quicker but you have to do more scrolling to find what you want. trade-off.

so...Columbia wins at home against a decent Eastern Michigan team.  69-56.  (That's consistent defense for you.)

I suppose the school started digging into its substantial pockets for home games once they proved they could beat the big boys on the road ;)

more CIT "news":

--EMU actually led by 6 with 7 minutes to play.  1 FG in the last 10 min will do that to you
http://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/3/23/5538704/2014-cit-eastern-michigan-vs-columbia-recap-lions-69-eagles-56 (http://www.hustlebelt.com/2014/3/23/5538704/2014-cit-eastern-michigan-vs-columbia-recap-lions-69-eagles-56)

--EMU drew 373 fans to its opening round game.  No, I didn't miss a digit in there.  It's their first post-season game in 16 years.  Some good articles to make you feel much better about yourself on their blog.

--5th-yr OHIO senior Jon Smith decided not to play in the CIT.  Funny how that makes more news than the coach deciding people won't play in the tourney.
http://www.athensohiotoday.com/sports/ohiouniversity/campbell-lifts-ohio-past-cleveland-state---in-the/article_75fd238a-c765-57aa-8ad0-0e1373be525f.html (http://www.athensohiotoday.com/sports/ohiouniversity/campbell-lifts-ohio-past-cleveland-state---in-the/article_75fd238a-c765-57aa-8ad0-0e1373be525f.html)

yawn.  second-round results:
    
SECOND ROUND
All Times EST    
    
FRIDAY, MARCH 21    
Towson 83, ETSU 77    recap | box
    
SATURDAY , MARCH 22    
VMI 106, IPFW 95    
Ohio 56, Wright State 54    
Yale 71, Holy Cross 66    
Columbia 69, Eastern Michigan 56    
San Diego 77, Sam Houston State 72    
Pacific 89, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 60    
    
MONDAY , MARCH 24    
Nebraska-Omaha (17-14) @ Murray State (19-11) 8:00 pm    

Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on March 23, 2014, 10:01:05 PMI suppose the school started digging into its substantial pockets for home games once they proved they could beat the big boys on the road

Man's voice: Margaret, why is the athletic dept asking for only $50,000 to host a match? The boys in Cambridge are laughing at us because they beat a rowing team from Michigan State University while our team only beat a side from Val-par-I-so, somewhere in that dreadful state of Indian-ah.

Woman's voice: I didn't know they had rowing in Indian-ah.

Child's voice: They don't. The reason they didn't need much money was because it was for the basket-ball team. The school they beat formerly called itself "the Harvard of the Midwest."

Woman's voice: Oh, how ridiculous! The boys from Cambridge would never allow that. They should have called their school "the Columbia of the corn-fields."

Child's voice: Orville Redenbacher would never have allowed that.

lol!  man, you are just on a ROLL lately!

(other than that 'mute point' one ;))