Saturday, 1/27 9pm @Illinois State ESPN2

[VU2010]

Very difficult to watch. Sad. When is the last time we didn't score a 3? No confidence. Team is getting worse and worse. Not seeing growth. Let them play. Mix it up. Do something different ...

[truth219]

we should be down by 40

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[valpotx]

We are lucky that Illinois State couldn't buy a 3 today as well.  This team should be embarrassed of itself, as they are single-handedly setting back our program with just 1 conference season.  Recruits are looking at our offense and wondering why they would want to come here. 

Someone please challenge me again on our current team being able to beat our Mid-Con championship teams, as one of our posters tried to do when we were 8-0.  Our 2001-2002 team would beat this current team by 30-35...

[valpolaw]

It's been said about sorolla before, but maybe we should check most of the team for low testosterone or send them testosterone boosters.

There's absolutely no improvement from game to game. If anything we continue to get worse. We can't even make one three, you gotta be kiddin me

[valpopal]

You normally would think that Valpo being 0-12 from 3-pt. line would be the difference in the game. However, Ill. St. has missed 17 and is only 3-20 from the 3-pt. line. The main difference is almost totally the inside play.

[VU2014]

Remember how bad our offense looked last year when Alec went down with the injury? 

We said, "give him some slack, he's missing his best player"

This year it looks the same.

We say, "give him some slack, we lost a good player and we are young"

I remember Valpo playing pretty well against a good NKU team on the road and took the game down to the wire. Not all bad. Missing 2 of his best players and then also never had Skara last year. The MKE game Hammink was ill.

This team doesn't have anyone who can shoot. Tevonn has been exposed in Conference play. A good player but not a guy you want to lean on as a leading scorer.

[M]

Leek got destroyed and hasn't played well tonight...but at least he tried to stop the guy unlike the other 4 guys in yellow jerseys. No excuse for not running back on defense. Just another disappointing night.

Plus my thread record is going to fall to a very average 2-2 it looks like.

[a3uge]

We were not ready to join this league.

And we weren't "ready" to join the Horizon. Valpo finished .500 with a pretty experienced team, then finished 9th in conference the next year. It took time to adapt to the conferences style of play, which at the time was pretty bruising.

Valpo eventually got the right recruits, figured the league out, and started competing. They got bruisers like Capo and KVW. Then, once Butler left, and the entire league got new coaches, the style of play changed drastically to way more up-tempo. Valpo dominated that by recruiting decent athletes that could run up and down the court and really defend. The defensive-based teams worked well because they had a future NBA player to score points, and, well, a bunch of opponents that didn't play any defense.

So we have a bunch of guys that would do pretty well vs more up tempo teams (and we've seen Valpo play really well when they can control the tempo), but we're playing in a league full of teams that slow the pace down. Valpo will adjust, but it may take a few years just like the last conference switch.

[oklahomamick]

Nope...i recall a lot of standing around on offense

[valpopal]

Valpo is down almost 20 points, there are only 5 minutes left, plus McMillan, Sorolla, and Kiser all have 0 points inside, yet Linssen and Hazen haven't seen the floor at all. 

[valpotx]

Again, that 2008-2009 team was bad because we lost Bouchie and Haanpaa, who were stout players.  It was not the step up to play in the HL that caused that season.

[oklahomamick]

I would say this team has better players than our mid-con teams.  However I would put money on the mid-con teams because they played better as a team.  Seems like they had an idea on offense....each player had a role and they ran plays.

[nkvu]

Amazing. We finally hit a 3.

Yippee 

[VU2014]

Like clock work. Garbage time run.

[a3uge]

Again, that 2008-2009 team was bad because we lost Bouchie and Haanpaa, who were stout players.  It was not the step up to play in the HL that caused that season.

True, but the Horizon was really strong. Gordon Hayward,  Norris Cole, Matt Howard... Then Shelvin Mack, Eli Hollman came in the next year. Those are much better players than what we left behind in the Summit, and probably better players than what we just left in the Horizon.

[a3uge]

Like clock work. Garbage time run.

I don't understand why it takes the last 2 minutes to trap and play up tempo.

[VU2014]

This final score doesn't tell how poorly Valpo played. 
https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/957479241649676288

[bbtds]

Valpo plays better in the second half and nail more free throws than normal, hit more shots and draw the second half and only lose by 11. Bravo, I guess.

[VU2010]

I just don't understand why we wait until 2 minutes left to press and play with a sense of urgency. Hopeful for next season, but changes need to be made.

[valpopal]

Despite the poor inside play, Linssen never got in the game with his hustle and energy. Also, although Hazen was a starter most of the non-conference schedule, once again he doesn't even get a single minute of play during garbage time.

[valpotx]

It is sad to see that our run of 8 straight postseason appearances will end this year, as well. 

[Just Sayin]

The game plan for the remaining games is simple. Guys, offensively, play the entire game and every play as if there are two minutes left and we are down by 12.

[nkvu]

Other than Smits showing some continued improvement on offense, the only other good thing about this game was that Bradford didn't miss a three or a free throw.

[a3uge]

Despite the poor inside play, Linssen never got in the game with his hustle and energy. Also, although Hazen was a starter most of the non-conference schedule, once again he doesn't even get a single minute of play during garbage time.

The issue didn't seem to be effort tonight. Everyone was playing hard, right until the end. Perhaps that would be an easier fix. If effort was the problem, I'm not sure putting in an anemic Hazen would be a good solution.

I thought that Golder, if anyone, should have gotten more minutes. He needs the practice for next year and has the highest ceiling on the team.

[JD24]

This team doesn't have anyone who can shoot. Tevonn has been exposed in Conference play. A good player but not a guy you want to lean on as a leading scorer.

There's not a lot to choose from.