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Hey, love to come out on top in this one!  A wild game, defense and FTs down the stretch were big.  Pretty good for playing Clay and Kiser at the 5 for a good portion of the game.  Vintage McMillan unfortunately.  I thought Emil's minutes were fine.

A gem only seen on video was the section of young Valpo fans under the camera making fun of the GCU students' acrobatics that go along with their standard cheer by mimicking with the motions to the YMCA dance.  Brilliant!

I'd pay for flo hoops if I could be sure that I can watch this game tonight (replay) with my wife....

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

You are able to watch the replay from Flohoops.

Frustrating last few seconds.  GCU really has hit a lot very difficult shots.  It's been quite a battle thus far!  Annoying that GCU has even managed to create a home court advantage all the way in the Virgin Islands!    Krikke out due to "illness."

I'm still not over Shawn Huff air-balling those free throws by the way.

Jarryd Loyd. Front end of 1-and-1.

Definitely air balled though!      Okay, maybe he brushed the front of the net. 

[By the following year,]

Found some of these great pics from 2007-2008 season.  Look at all the variety of instruments that are being played from a drum set, electric guitars, a tuba and even an electric violin.  I counted over 55 students playing in this pep band.
That is fantastic!!!!!!!

https://www.photography-by-cat.com/Clients/Valparaiso-University/Sports/VU-Crusader-Pep-Band/Photos-by-Tim-Stride-2007-2008/

This was my freshman year.  Which I've had a terrifying realization about...this moment was closer to "the shot" (9 yrs)  than it is to now (12 yrs).  Whoa.  Getting old.  Anyway, yes, the place was consistently hopping in such a way that it turned this super casual college sports fan into a hyper Valpo fan.  The student culture was still entact from several years in a row of making the NCAA tournament in the early 00's.  It was awesome. 

It is also important to remember that this particular set of photos (so many familiar faces!) was also an ESPN 2 game (when it was still a big deal) against rival and #10 ranked Butler...of course the place was packed! The team started off that year 10-1 and only barely lost to Vandy for the L.  We were ready to take the Horizon by storm we thought! 

By the following year, the team was on it's way to a 9-22 season and the student section was EMPTY. (except against Butler)  I know, I was there.  Perhaps the jump to the HL was too much for us after all!  It takes years of winning to build a culture and one bad season to smash it to bits.  By my senior year, we had begun building the new thing as the team gained some traction, but it wasn't until a few HL championships in a row that the place buzzed with that kind of energy again, which it did as recently as a couple of years ago.

My point is this, Winning (like love) covers a multitude of sins.  And a 3-1 start, despite a nice, exciting win against Toledo isn't going to change the culture.  It takes a season or two (or a big win over a Power 5).  There are plenty of challenges out there, streaming has become better and more accepted as a form of media, kids are crazy busy, etc.  But if the team wins regularly and proves to the students that it's worth the 2 hour investment, the kids will come. 

I'm still not over Shawn Huff air-balling those free throws by the way. 

Better in the second half despite some sloppy stretches.  Outcome never really in doubt down the stretch.  Double digit win in regulation.  I'll take it, but it's hard to get too excited about struggling a bit against Edwardsville when a division foe beats the #1 team in the country!  EDIT: We also didn't lose to Coppin State at home so... Check this one off and keep working on how the offense will work without Zeke.     

They shot so many free throws in practice that they forgot how to play defense!     Seriously, though, being out-hustled in an unacceptable manner.  Let's get it together out there!

Even more than in last year's preseason game, I thought that the SIUe game was a sign for how the rest of the year was going to go.  It took overtime to get by them at home last year and the energy and execution were...not there.  I think a big sign of growth for this year will be to take care of business against who you need to and avoid unexplicable debacles like Riverside and High Point (though they turned out to be okay last year).  Get it done!

Whoa, snuck this one in on us!  Recruiting class is full then (Potential transfers not withstanding)?  A 6'4" guard.

https://twitter.com/VerbalCommits/status/1194067290398040065

Pretty obvious analysis: The fight in this team is incredible, as well as they have been finishing out games, the last 4 minutes were surprising to me.  Free throws for the love of...  Fazekas injury is huge going forward. 

Okay then, 2 games this week to take care of business in against SIUe and North Dakota.  Do that and set yourself apart from the last couple of years.     

This is an interesting one.  When the schedule came out I counted it as an automatic L based on brand recognition alone.  Given the rankings and input of prognosticators, I guess I should have more confidence seeing how well Toledo is expected to do and how tempered expectations are for SLU.  So know I'm thinking it's a toss up, but still am not confident.  In recent history we always seem to find a way to lose to the Billikins.  The faced pace nature of the game should be exciting, hopefully Canada has our guys feeling a bit more confident in running and gunning than they otherwise would be in game 2. A win would be the most solid 2 game start that I can remember (10-15 years)  Guess we'll see!   

[JFL:]

What a game.  Valpo showed more faith in themselves than I did at 21-7.  Toledo needed to hit every shot down the stretch...and they did (announcer jinxes EVERYWHERE btw).  JFL did his thing.  I think there is a pretty good case for a foul on McMillan on that last play but  . Now for the performances:

JFL: Overall nothing to complain about. 19pts, 5reb, 2stl.  Not his most efficient game but he and Fazekas kept Valpo's pulse going early.  Obviously hits the game winner.

Sackey: Mr. Energy.  8 assists! (that might hurt me in the o/u) 3 steals and disruptive defensive.  Good stuff.

McMillan: This may be a case where not having our 7fters helped Mileek.  Last year, he wouldn't have seen the light of day after a start like tonight.  This year, he gets a chance to right the ship, and I think did pretty well.  Big 3 pointer and hook down the stretch.

Robinson: Great 2nd half.  Really the x factor Valpo needed to push through with the W imo.  His post play today was better than anything we've seen since Peters    I'm confident that something good will happen when he has the ball.

Fazekas: 23 pts.  Scorer's gonna score.  I think we may have underestimated the effect that a fully healthy Ryan could've had on last year's team.

Morgan: A disappointing debut for sure.  I think he's D was good at the end of the 1st, but the quick turnovers were not so good.  Maybe tried to do too much in his limited minutes.

Clay: I liked what I saw from Donovan.  Got his rebounds.  Had a block.  Good energy.  Freshman in his first game.

Gordon: Not much from Eron tonight.  Perhaps still nursing his injury?  Saw him on the bike alot.

EFV: I really like Mr. Freese, both the stuff from Canada and tonight.  He has nice hands, seems to put him self in the right place, rebounded well, and I thought the D was decent too. 

Krikke: Not much from this Frosh tonight either.  I like his upside, but still looked a bit slow on both sides.

Kiser: We saw absolutely everything that we love from John Kiser tonight.

Lorange: Injury still bugging him?  Was dressed but perhaps only for emergency use?

Walk-ons: Thought we might see them when this game was young, but not a chance down the stretch!

Overall: Tremendous effort and very solid win!  Did you notice the absence of a 5-7 minute scoring drought!?! 

Javon Freeman-Liberty: 63.5 steals OVER
Siggy Lorange: 27.5 3-point field goals UNDER
Zion Morgan: 16.5 games with more assists than turnovers UNDER
Daniel Sackey: 3.2 assists per game UNDER
Donovan Clay: 3.8 rebounds per game OVER
Eron Gordon: 7.5 points per game OVER
Emil Freese-Vilien: 10.5 blocks UNDER
Mileek McMillian: 44.5 field goal percentage UNDER
Ben Krikke: 5.8 points per game OVER
Nick Robinson: 10.5 points per game OVER
John Kiser: 11.5 3-point field goals UNDER
Ryan Fazekas: 42.5 3-point field goal percentage OVER
Matt Lottich: 1.5 technical fouls UNDER

Wins: 17.5 OVER
Arch Madness wins: 1.5 UNDER
MVC Finish: 6.5 (Over means 1-6, Under means 7-10) OVER
Postseason victories (NCAA, NIT, CBI, CIT): 0.5 OVER
Conference win streak: 2.5 OVER
Conference loss streak: 2.5 UNDER
Attendance: 2,800 UNDER

Tiebreaker: Combined season points from Brock Pappas and Luke Morrill 6

[Valparaiso's new-look roster to debut against Toledo]

Valparaiso's new-look roster to debut against Toledo
Robbie Weinstein robert.weinstein@nwi.com, 219-933-4198 Nov 4, 2019 Updated 1 hr ago 

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/valparaiso-s-new-look-roster-to-debut-against-toledo/article_4c4a4ed4-2560-5597-827e-fbdc90026f35.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

lol, the "progressing nicely watch" is a nice touch Robbie. 

I voted 5-3 to show my guarded optimism.  I think 6-2 is possible, worse is also possible.  Very hard to tell exactly how good the team will be, but with Javon fully off the leash this year, I say Valpo has a chance in every game. 

I mean, I get it.  If this guy has to find something to say through rudimentary research into all 353 teams then I'm guessing that the transfers do indeed stand out as leaving the team in rough shape.  Most of us had similar thoughts about our prospects in the middle of transfer gate (some still do, I'm sure).  I, for one, am more excited for the "fresh start" than I would have been if everyone had stayed as I would fear another season of infuriating under-performance.  Only time will tell if it all works out. 

Think we can convince the managers to get us a video feed again  .    I guess they still can only do one broadcast at a time in the production room? 

I've enjoyed this one too. I still have a few more minutes to go...but would like to hear Paul ask about getting games with former Horizon League foes.

I've enjoyed this one too. I still have a few more minutes to go...but would like to hear Paul ask about getting games with former Horizon League foes.

Agreed. One would think a home and home with say Oakland and Wright State (one on the road and one home each year) would be in the best interest of all of the schools. These would be competitive games that would help teams get ready for the conference season, and be of interest to all fans.

In the interview, Does Gore not say without hesitation "We're going to play some horizon teams," then lists off UIC and Oakland immediately as teams on his list (and then most other HL teams as possibilities as well)?   

First of all, swoosh on the Arkansas game prediction  .

Seems to me that our schedulers listened to y'all complain about the multiple non D-1 games and opted to play more away games instead of loading up on Purdue NW and IU Kokomo, etc.   I assume that Central Michigan and North Dakota are the teams Valpo is paying to host.  There's enough history with Trinity that I wouldn't think they would need to be paid.  Toledo has been on the books for awhile. Did a game with South Dakota State fall through as alluded to by SDSU's cryptic and phantom MVC opponent listed on Twitter? 

The away games with EMU and SIUe are a little confusing to me.  Did Valpo offer to pay them to come in, but saved their money in exchange for home and homes?

Overall, I don't really care about the home schedule as much as others, I live in New Jersey and really only get to see Valpo when they make the NIT final 4  .  I see a schedule that's not too bad for a rebuilding team.  A few challenges with a lot of winnable games to work out the kinks.     

[I hope we take a few buy games to get some more cash as well especially if it's a P5 program we could conceivably beat.]

Wouldn't mind seeing some of our old HL rivals if we're looking for home games. MAC teams would be awesome too. I hope we take a few buy games to get some more cash as well especially if it's a P5 program we could conceivably beat.

Here are the P5 schools left that did not release their schedule yet.
ACC:
NC State
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Big 10:
Minnesota
Big 12:
Baylor
SEC:
Arkansas
Pac 12:
Colorado
Oregon St.
AAC:
Memphis
SMU
South Florida
Big East:
DePaul
Villanova

I'll feed the completely off base, rumor mongering fire, but Mr. Happenin Hoops aluded to another high major buy-out game (road obviously) for Valpo when the SLU game was released.  A few days later, two of our beat reporters started following Arkansas hoops on twitter.  Coincidence? 

https://twitter.com/jeremiah0002/status/1165418492163739649?s=20

I assume all Official Visits have this photo shoot or photo shopped picture?  So I'm not reading much into this...or should I be?

I think fairly common, still not a bad sign that he posted the pics though. 

I am still confused about what the bat emoji means. 

Yellow Bat?  Yellow Bat? 

81-68.  Looks like it was freshmen and Zion for the last 6 minutes or so.  I *think* the walk on's played the last 2ish minutes.

That's what I saw as well.  Also was a stretch in the first half where it appeared we stretched the lead and played a walk-on who quickly scored, no?

Hadn't seen the 2Q, but yes it does appear that both got some run and Morrill hit a quick 3.  Looked good too.

81-68.  Looks like it was freshmen and Zion for the last 6 minutes or so.  I *think* the walk on's played the last 2ish minutes. 

We are extremely guard heavy. Freeman, Lorange, Morgan, Sackey, Gordon and Robinson are all true guards with only Nick easily slid to the 4. Fazekas played the 3 at Providence and Clay is clearly a 3 and 4 in development. Even if I do not list Kiser as a guard we still have 8 of our best players being guards. If Matt goes with his strengths we will see some big minutes of 5 guard play.

It should be entertaining! 

Just comparing box scores, it looks like the minute distribution was more like a real game that they were trying to win rather than a preseason game to experiment with.  Minutes for McMillan, F-V, and Krikke would indicate that there was indeed a good portion of time when the floor was filled with guards and/or when Kiser was playing the 5. 

That said, they still outrebounded Carleton and even though the team doesn't have the height of last year's, they are an athletic and long bunch.  For example, Freeman is the tallest looking 6'3" ever IMO.