The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

Looks like we can start this off already in the pre-season.  I'm open to suggestions about whether we keep the mid-major stuff segregated, or not.

But, for now, the national polls.

To list a few references, bookmarks for myself if nothing else, I've been appreciating:

Warren Nolan
http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Valparaiso (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Valparaiso)
for his historical ranking lists of the AP and Coaches', and numbering the places past 25.

http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/ (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/)
for having a nice interface to get at some recent historical info, and the voters' individual ballots for the AP.

http://collegepollarchive.com/mbasketball/index.cfm (http://collegepollarchive.com/mbasketball/index.cfm)
has what seems like a comprehensive archive of the AP poll.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2015-polls.html (http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/2015-polls.html)
has a pretty useful archive of both polls, but nothing beyond #25?

I believe that the 2014-15 season, starting with the Feb 2 poll, is the first time _ever_ that we've received votes in both polls simultaneously. 

Our high water mark in the 2014-15 season was 31st with 10 points in the AP poll (Feb 23, week 16).  That was our high water mark for the coaches' poll also, at 29th with 16 points.

I believe we've only received votes in the AP poll twice before the 2014-15 season, in the 2012-2013 pre-season poll where we had three points and in the March 11, 2013 poll where we received one point.

We were nationally ranked in the coaches' poll, only, after the Sweet 16 run.  #23.
http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/1998-polls.html (http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/1998-polls.html)
We also received votes in the coaches' poll for four weeks in the 2010-2011 season (weeks 13-16) [added 11/16/15]
http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2011/schedule/Valparaiso (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2011/schedule/Valparaiso)
In 2011 there's a reference http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2010-11/10447/crusaders-travel-to-cleveland-state-thursday/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2010-11/10447/crusaders-travel-to-cleveland-state-thursday/) to "Valpo last made an appearance in one of the national polls in March of 2002, accumulating five points in the last poll prior to the NCAA Tournament that season." I don't know of an easy, comprehensive, reference to past Coaches polls, so I'm not confident these are all instances of receiving votes there.

I've not seen the full details yet, but local journalists have some news
[tweet]661247248110649348[/tweet]

5 points is a step _up_ from where we ended the AP before the NCAA tournament last year (3 points, a #24 and a #25).  But, #42 is a step down (at the beginning of the season the votes are spread all over the place, one assumes) from where we left off at #35.

For Valparaiso (like any other team), I would argue that national rankings are pretty meaningless. And I would also argue that, for Valparaiso, national rankings are very important this year. This looks like a very good team, but in my opinion you will not get people other than those that already know Valparaiso to take notice unless Valpo gets nationally ranked or wins one or two NCAA tournament games (preferably both). I really hope that Valparaiso can make an early run to develop national visibility of the program.

Quote from: agibson on November 02, 2015, 01:09:10 PMI've not seen the full details yet

Still waiting for the aggregators to aggregate.  But it seems that it was none of John Feinstein, Seth Davis, or Dick Vitale that voted for us this time. All three liked us last season.

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 02, 2015, 02:47:16 PM
For Valparaiso (like any other team), I would argue that national rankings are pretty meaningless. And I would also argue that, for Valparaiso, national rankings are very important this year. This looks like a very good team, but in my opinion you will not get people other than those that already know Valparaiso to take notice unless Valpo gets nationally ranked or wins one or two NCAA tournament games (preferably both). I really hope that Valparaiso can make an early run to develop national visibility of the program.

Uh, I agree, I think. :crazy:  We were told at a recent alumni gathering that the University was embracing the "Butler Model" of focusing attention on the Men's basketball success as a means of gathering attention for the University.  Getting ranked in the top 25 gets scores scrolled across tv's nationally and regular mentions on newscast.

Quote from: agibson on November 02, 2015, 04:15:19 PMStill waiting for the aggregators to aggregate.  But it seems that it was none of John Feinstein, Seth Davis, or Dick Vitale that voted for us this time. All three liked us last season.

OK - here we go.
http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015 (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015)

Elton Alexander, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, did give us some love last year, and has us at #24.

The other #24 seems to be new to the poll. Graham Couch.  Lansing, MI (!).

The other vote is a #25, from an ACC guy. Bret Strelow, Fayetteville, NC.  Didn't vote for us last year.

Feinstein was a maverick, more or less as usual I guess.  Rhode Island #22.  Butler #19.  Yale #25.

Quote from: vu72 on November 02, 2015, 05:08:57 PM

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 02, 2015, 02:47:16 PM
For Valparaiso (like any other team), I would argue that national rankings are pretty meaningless. And I would also argue that, for Valparaiso, national rankings are very important this year. This looks like a very good team, but in my opinion you will not get people other than those that already know Valparaiso to take notice unless Valpo gets nationally ranked or wins one or two NCAA tournament games (preferably both). I really hope that Valparaiso can make an early run to develop national visibility of the program.

Uh, I agree, I think. :crazy:  We were told at a recent alumni gathering that the University was embracing the "Butler Model" of focusing attention on the Men's basketball success as a means of gathering attention for the University.  Getting ranked in the top 25 gets scores scrolled across tv's nationally and regular mentions on newscast.

The bold italicized comment above is one of the most exciting things I've read on this board in quite awhile.  Although, to be fair, IMO the "Butler Model" is not a recent concept, but rather the cultivation of a mindset that has spanned decades with its roots entrenched in the "2 for 1" mentality. This is a mentality that I'm not sure Valpo would ever feel comfortable pursuing given that we were technically on the opposite end of it.

Maybe Barry Collier can send us the cliffs notes version so we can run the "Butler Model lite". Can we accomplish any version of the "Model" without facility upgrades?  Not sure.  Nonetheless, it is really exciting that the school is embracing the flagship program like this.

Quote from: crusaderjoe on November 02, 2015, 06:08:49 PM

Quote from: vu72 on November 02, 2015, 05:08:57 PM

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 02, 2015, 02:47:16 PM
For Valparaiso (like any other team), I would argue that national rankings are pretty meaningless. And I would also argue that, for Valparaiso, national rankings are very important this year. This looks like a very good team, but in my opinion you will not get people other than those that already know Valparaiso to take notice unless Valpo gets nationally ranked or wins one or two NCAA tournament games (preferably both). I really hope that Valparaiso can make an early run to develop national visibility of the program.

Uh, I agree, I think. :crazy:  We were told at a recent alumni gathering that the University was embracing the "Butler Model" of focusing attention on the Men's basketball success as a means of gathering attention for the University.  Getting ranked in the top 25 gets scores scrolled across tv's nationally and regular mentions on newscast.

The bold italicized comment above is one of the most exciting things I've read on this board in quite awhile.  Although, to be fair, IMO the "Butler Model" is not a recent concept, but rather the cultivation of a mindset that has spanned decades with its roots entrenched in the "2 for 1" mentality. This is a mentality that I'm not sure Valpo would ever feel comfortable pursuing given that we were technically on the opposite end of it.

Maybe Barry Collier can send us the cliffs notes version so we can run the "Butler Model lite". Can we accomplish any version of the "Model" without facility upgrades?  Not sure.  Nonetheless, it is really exciting that the school is embracing the flagship program like this.

Excellent post!

Quote from: crusaderjoe on November 02, 2015, 06:08:49 PMThe bold italicized comment above is one of the most exciting things I've read on this board in quite awhile. 

I'll confess that I read it as lip service.  I'm not sure what it would mean in practice, or what's being done in practice to pursue it.

I would argue that the Valparaiso model and the "Buter way" are not incredibly different. Both emphasize character and leadership, combined with athletic ability and effort. Thus, for Butler I would argue that once they became successful they started framing their success around the "Butler way". Its not a fluke that Butler is successful - they have had great coaches and have been very good at recruiting the right players for their system.

So I reiterate again that visible national success is more important this season than most any other previous season. Getting and staying ranked, with the regular visibility on sports' highlights shows and the seemingly endless sports talk world, is no better advertisement for the program. That said, I know that Bryce, the other coaches, and the players will always make every effort to win and do the right thing - so I don't feel anyone can get too upset if Valpo does not get consistently ranked during the season. Hoping for more national visibility this year, but looking forward to a great season regardless.

Bret Strelow is a good guy and a good Twitter follow: @bretstrelow

Just noticed that Valpo was given the number one ranking of the Mid-Majors by NBC Sports.  This should put a large bull's on our backs going forward.
To new to post the external link, maybe someone else could do that.

I have a sense of foreboding about this coming season.   Not sure why. Can't put my finger on it. However, getting shellacked by the Canadian team we played this summer and then apparently getting spanked by a mediocre Big 10 team in the recent scrimmage does not exactly inspire confidence.   Beating a Division II team by eight points at home does not help, either. Yes, I realize the Canadian team was a good team and University of Indianapolis is no slouch, but still...

Paul

Can we wait till we play a legitimate game before panicking?

Valpo is #1 in a mid-major ranking where the Atlantic 10 and the top teams in the MVC and the WCC are removed. Hard to take that poll very seriously, but again visibility, recognition and being part of the national discussion is more important this  year.

Quote from: 78crusader on November 03, 2015, 09:29:13 PM
I have a sense of foreboding about this coming season.   Not sure why. Can't put my finger on it. However, getting shellacked by the Canadian team we played this summer and then apparently getting spanked by a mediocre Big 10 team in the recent scrimmage does not exactly inspire confidence.   Beating a Division II team by eight points at home does not help, either. Yes, I realize the Canadian team was a good team and University of Indianapolis is no slouch, but still...

Paul

These are all practic games. The coaches are using lineups they wouldn't normally use. Even as a player its in the back of your mind that these games mean nothing and probably don't go 100% on every play like they would during games that matter. Preseason is preseason; I'm sure many of the players use these games to work on their mechanics, yes they want to win but in the end its just practice.

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 04, 2015, 09:19:07 AM
Valpo is #1 in a mid-major ranking where the Atlantic 10 and the top teams in the MVC and the WCC are removed. Hard to take that poll very seriously, but again visibility, recognition and being part of the national discussion is more important this  year.

"This is my plea: Don't argue the semantics of who we rated as high-major vs. mid-major. That's not the point of this. The point is to highlight the best teams in the country that you're probably not aware of, the teams you'll want to track this season if you want to accurately predict upsets come March."

The rankings are centered around Cinderellas, not certain conferences.

Quote from: oldgraydog on November 03, 2015, 07:06:40 PM
Just noticed that Valpo was given the number one ranking of the Mid-Majors by NBC Sports.  This should put a large bull's on our backs going forward.
To new to post the external link, maybe someone else could do that.

Quote from: vu84v2 on November 04, 2015, 09:19:07 AM
Valpo is #1 in a mid-major ranking where the Atlantic 10 and the top teams in the MVC and the WCC are removed. Hard to take that poll very seriously, but again visibility, recognition and being part of the national discussion is more important this  year.

http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2015/11/02/mid-major-power-rankings-the-best-from-the-rest-of-the-country/ (http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2015/11/02/mid-major-power-rankings-the-best-from-the-rest-of-the-country/)

http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2015/10/17/9560287/mid-major-madness-preseason-power-15-countdown-valparaiso-crusaders (http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2015/10/17/9560287/mid-major-madness-preseason-power-15-countdown-valparaiso-crusaders)

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

http://www.midmajormadness.com/rankings/2015/10/6/9459255/preseason-mid-major-power-15-released (http://www.midmajormadness.com/rankings/2015/10/6/9459255/preseason-mid-major-power-15-released)

would love to see some of these teams end up on our schedule in future years.

We've got 3 (4?) of them this season with URI, Iona and Belmont (twice).  Not too shabby to start.

Quote from: VULB#62 on November 04, 2015, 10:48:41 AM
We've got 3 (4?) of them this season with URI, Iona and Belmont (twice).  Not too shabby to start.

Yes, and not a complaint on this years schedule.  Would like to see Central Michigan (and maybe other MAC teams), Illinois St., Evansville, etc., in future years.   If we are having trouble with scheduling, some of these teams might be as well.  Good place to start?

Quote from: covufan on November 04, 2015, 11:06:21 AMWould like to see Central Michigan (and maybe other MAC teams), Illinois St., Evansville, etc., in future years.   If we are having trouble with scheduling, some of these teams might be as well.

You have forgotten that Central Michigan ducked us last year when we went there to beat up on Pine Bluff and Maine. The MAC is becoming a master at gaming the system to produce OOC wins and artificially elevated RPIs.

Opinions Are Like Butts Everybody Has One and Most Stink

"polls are just opinions expressed by larger numbers of people than a few. In the end they mean absolutely nothing"


While it is fun to speculate and imagine and wonder I wanted everyone to keep perspective and realize it means absolutely nothing to be voted highly in a poll. In the end it must be earned on the court, field, etc.

Quote from: classof2014 on November 04, 2015, 09:40:56 AM

Quote from: 78crusader on November 03, 2015, 09:29:13 PM
I have a sense of foreboding about this coming season.   Not sure why. Can't put my finger on it. However, getting shellacked by the Canadian team we played this summer and then apparently getting spanked by a mediocre Big 10 team in the recent scrimmage does not exactly inspire confidence.   Beating a Division II team by eight points at home does not help, either. Yes, I realize the Canadian team was a good team and University of Indianapolis is no slouch, but still...

Paul

These are all practic games. The coaches are using lineups they wouldn't normally use. Even as a player its in the back of your mind that these games mean nothing and probably don't go 100% on every play like they would during games that matter. Preseason is preseason; I'm sure many of the players use these games to work on their mechanics, yes they want to win but in the end its just practice.

For those with a less than extensive vocabulary I looked up the word practic:

A person concerned with action or practice, as opposed to one concerned with theory.

Strelow (@bretstrelow) apparently has us at #22 (up from #24 last week).  Above Purdue, Butler, LSU.
http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/sports/acc_basketball/acc-basketball-bret-strelow-s-ap-top-ballot/article_257f1754-8c7c-11e5-93b0-aff501f015dd.html (http://www.fayobserver.com/blogs/sports/acc_basketball/acc-basketball-bret-strelow-s-ap-top-ballot/article_257f1754-8c7c-11e5-93b0-aff501f015dd.html)

I don't see @eaPeeDee or @Graham_Couch posting their ballots.

Presumbaly we'll move up a bit, for not losing, for beating Iona, for smashing Iona, but likely not crack the top 25.  Last week that took 126 points.  With votes all over the place in the early season, paradoxically, being ranked #25 on all 65 ballots wouldn't get you #25 overall.

Seth Davis (their only voter last week) has said he dropped Iona.  Had us, with three other teams, on his "almost in" list.

The coaches' poll is out first this week, no love there
http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/basketball-men/polls/coaches-poll/ (http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/basketball-men/polls/coaches-poll/)

Quote from: agibson on November 16, 2015, 11:57:57 AMThe coaches' poll is out first this week, no love there
http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/basketball-men/polls/coaches-poll/ (http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/basketball-men/polls/coaches-poll/)

Not even from Tim Cluess!

Michigan enters, Wisconsin exits, Oregon at #27. 

Oregon was #26 in the AP last week, and I guess their moving up to #25 and Wisconsin falling out of the top 25 is our best bet at a top 25 game this season, at least pre-NCAA (hopefully _not_ in the first round!).

Though, I notice Belmont has gone from 2 points to 4 points in the coaches' poll.  So, who knows?

Quote from: agibson on November 16, 2015, 12:00:41 PMOregon was #26 in the AP last week, and I guess their moving up to #25 and Wisconsin falling out of the top 25 is our best bet at a top 25 game this season, at least pre-NCAA (hopefully _not_ in the first round!).

http://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll (http://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll)

Oregon's in at #25, with 121 points.  Wisconsin's out.  So, we get our chance to knock off our first ranked team since the Sweet 16 run.

@ValpoBasketball and @MichaelOsipoff have Valpo with 8 points, up from 5 last week.  8 points is good for 37th place this week, up from 42nd.

(Looks like Alexander #25, Couch #23, Strelow #22. So, no new members of the Valpo bandwagon this week.)

Could be a rough day of voting for us.  Strelow pushed Oregon to #18 and dropped us.

We did hang on to two points in the AP poll good for 40th.  They don't seem to have released the ballots yet, but it seems like we were #25 on Alexander and Couch's ballots.

Seth Green did still include us on his (rather long) list of "almost in" teams.

Oregon climbed from 25/27 (AP/Coaches) to 21/23
Baylor fell from 20/21 to 28/25

Iona and Rhode Island are gone.

We're not much changed in Pomeroy's computer rankings.  26th with 10th best defense, 56th best offense.  Oregon 23rd best (maybe they slipped a little? their defense especially? now at 29th?).

Pomeroy's got Oregon State at 35th.  Giving Valpo a 1.9 point edge on defense (per 100 possessions), but Oregon State a 0.7 point edge on offense.  Close enough they could still be favorites on their home court? 

Quote from: agibson on November 23, 2015, 01:20:58 PMSeth Green did still include us on his (rather long) list of "almost in" teams.

Seth Green, Seth Davis, one of those guys.

Thanks to Paul Oren for pointing out that Oregon State's _also_ on this list.  Perhaps there's a chance he'll rank Tuesday's winner?  At least if it's us, on the road?

[tweet]668625503948046336[/tweet]

Quote from: agibson on November 23, 2015, 01:20:58 PM
We did hang on to two points in the AP poll good for 40th.  They don't seem to have released the ballots yet, but it seems like we were #25 on Alexander and Couch's ballots.

Turns out Couch kept us at #24 and Alexander dropped us.

I notice the NPR maverick Feinstein gave his ceremonial #25 to Chatanooga, and somebody gave them a first place vote in the mid-major coaches' poll on the strength of their win over Illinois (and at Georgia earlier).  They lost to IA state yesterday, I guess that'll calm the surge.

NCAA Stats page for games through 11/23 - 351 teams ranked...not a lot of teams have played 6 games already.

Record 5-1 - #62
Scoring Offense 75.5 - #175
Scoring Defense 55.3 - #8
Scoring Margin 20.2 - #39
FG % Offense  46.9 - #98
FG % Defense 34.5 - #31
3pt FG / Game:  #229
3pt FG %  #246
Three Pt FG Defense    76   28.7
Free-Throw Percentage   78   72.7
Rebound Margin 70   7.7
Assists Per Game    175   13.5
Assist Turnover Ratio   173   1.05
Blocked Shots Per Game    114   4.2
Steals Per Game 55   8.5
Turnovers Per Game    160   12.8
Turnover Margin    104   2.3
Personal Fouls Per Game    53   17.7
Total Blocks    19   25
Total Assists    20   81
Total Rebounds    2   244
Free Throw Attempts 10   139
Free Throws Made    7   101
3-pt Field Goal Attempts    17   123
Total 3-point FGM    41   38
Total Steals    4   51
Fewest Turnovers    330   77
Fewest Fouls 312   106
Offensive Rebounds Per Game    231   10.33
Defensive Rebounds per Game    51   30.33
Total Rebounds Per Game 103   40.67

and the Player rankings...

Free-Throw Percentage (250 ranked)   Alec Peters    106   88.9

Blocked Shots Per Game (250 ranked)   Vashil Fernandez   15   3

Total Points (250 ranked)   Alec Peters    28   91
   Tevonn Walker   193   66

Total Rebounds (250 ranked)   Alec Peters    139   32
   Vashil Fernandez   165   31

Double Doubles (250 ranked)   Vashil Fernandez    93   1
   Darien Walker    93   1

Total Assists (250 ranked)   Keith Carter   166   16

Total Blocks (250 ranked)   Vashil Fernandez   2   15

Total Field Goals Made (250 ranked)   Alec Peters    44   29
   Tevonn Walker   122   25

Total Minutes (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   60   9660

3-pt Field Goal Attempts (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   200   23

Total 3-point FGM (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   189   9

Total Steals (250 ranked)   Max Joseph    146   7
   Keith Carter    146   7
   Alec Peters    227   6
   Darien Walker   227   6

Total Field Goal Attempts (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   134   53

Free Throws Made (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   44   24

Free Throw Attempts (250 ranked)   Alec Peters   102   27

Here for a moment Warren Nolan reports us as #1 RPI in the country. 0.8129.  #2 SOS to Sam Houston State, who's winless.

Not that it means much. Going to be a lot of RPI pain in league play this season. (And Warren Nolan doesn't recognize our first-to-six wins, naturally.)

Couple of pollsters tweets:

Seth Davis:
Might have to rank em. That is a high quality road win.  https://t.co/vMykPkBLZl
https://twitter.com/SethDavisHoops/status/669368757622456320

Geoff Grammer:
Valpo is probably a T25 worthy team right now.
https://twitter.com/GeoffGrammer/status/669366447420764160

Brett Strelow:
@GeoffGrammer Took em out after loss to Oregon. Might put em back in next week
https://twitter.com/bretstrelow/status/669367129351823361

Jon Rothstein:
Valpo goes on the road and beats a very good Oregon State team. Crusaders are 6-1. Could be potential at-large candidate in March.
https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/669366186979667968

Was great to see them chatting back and forth!

[tweet]669367733729890306[/tweet]

I don't think you'll see Valpo ranked any time soon. Too many power conference teams playing cupcakes at home that are unproven. Valpo's ceiling ranking is only going to be 23-25, while the current 25th team SMU is ranked 14 in one poll. I could see Valpo being ranked if they won the rest of their OOC games.

LATEST RPI As of 11/25
Rank   Team           Rating     HighLow   Last
1   Valparaiso (4-1)   0.813   1   130   3
2   Chattanooga (2-1)   0.782   2   197   4
3   Iowa State (3-0)   0.771   3   303   7
4   Oregon (4-0)   0.763   1   192   5
5   TX-Arlington (3-1)   0.737   5   267   8
6   NC-Wilmgton (2-0)   0.729   6   221   11
7   S Carolina (5-0)   0.721   7   176   12
8   Louisville (4-0)   0.717   2   189   2
9   Washington (3-0)   0.715   9   204   14
10   Fresno St (4-0)   0.706   10   246   10

Quote from: a3uge on November 25, 2015, 10:17:57 AMI could see Valpo being ranked if they won the rest of their OOC games.

We'd be... 14-1 I guess, very optimistically, adding two wins against Belmont, and one win on the road against each of Belmont and Oakland, when it came to a poll.

Maybe we could be ranked then, but not even sure that'll be enough.  I don't know, I suppose it might be. (Surely it'd help if Belmont takes down BYU on the road, and otherwise keeps winning.  Probably too much to ask for Oakland to take down a couple of its usual array of giants, and for Belmont and Oakland to both be picking up some votes in the polls.)

But, it'd be nice to be showing up on a dozen ballots, with some #24's, #23's, maybe a #22 or higher sprinkled in. 

And maybe we can do a _little_ better than Murray State last season who started receiving votes mid-season, and finally got ranked toward the end of the season, having carried a huge unbeaten streak through conference play.  And, maybe, we can still hope for better than the treatment Murray State got come Selection Sunday.  (Knock on wood we don't need it.)

Were #32 in the Sagarin ranking this morning with the 33rd toughest schedule.

Valpo enters Gary Parrish's "Top 25 (And One)" today at #26.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25 (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25)

Quote from: zvillehaze on November 27, 2015, 11:32:02 AM
Valpo enters Gary Parrish's "Top 25 (And One)" today at #26.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25 (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25)

two behind Butler

Monmouth might steal some token mid major votes from us... They beat ranked Notre Dame and UCLA already.

Will they be high water marks?

#1 RPI (0.7898 - OK, no way was this going to last.).  #22 KenPom (#7 defense).

No chance to realize the AP votes that would have come from the Oregon trip.

Valpo falls to 28th in KenPom, 11th defensively. Good thing there's more than one game in the season.

HA............... I say HA............... NATIONAL RANKINGS............. I can't believe we're talking about National Rankings, .............Don't talk about national rankings.........................NATIONAL RANKINGS................HA...........

We're hanging around the RPI at least, #6 or 7 (RPI 0.7124, SOS 4th at 0.6935).  (And the Horizon League is doing better than I'd have thought... 12th or even 10th.  I really thought we were as low as 18th a week ago, but now I wonder if  I was misreading...)

We've fallen.. but not as far as the Shockers!  (9/11 to 20/20 to nada/RV two votes; and down to 10th in the midmajor coaches' poll).  Valpo's fallen only to fifth in the midmajor coaches' poll, passed by BYU and St. Mary's.

Momouth leaps from 23rd to 7th in the midmajor poll, and picks up votes in both national polls.

Quote from: agibson on November 30, 2015, 09:58:04 PMMomouth leaps from 23rd to 7th in the midmajor poll, and picks up votes in both national polls.

Momouth, I think that should be Greg Kampe's nickname.

Egads !   Since NC's domination of Davidson at the Dean Center this afternoon... Valpo has plummeted from 2nd all the way to 3rd! in the WarrenNolan RPI......

Quote from: bbtds on December 01, 2015, 02:56:53 AM

Quote from: agibson on November 30, 2015, 09:58:04 PMMomouth leaps from 23rd to 7th in the midmajor poll, and picks up votes in both national polls.

Momouth, I think that should be Greg Kampe's nickname.

If I remember correctly...  Monmouth is in Iona's conference?  Possibility of them playing each other 2-3 times.  Hopefully Iona beats them every time.   

Quote from: SanityLost17 on December 07, 2015, 08:52:44 AMMonmouth is in Iona's conference?  Possibility of them playing each other 2-3 times.  Hopefully Iona beats them every time.   

January 15th at Iona
February 19th at Monmouth (ESPN3 game)

I notice Indiana and Notre Dame are still picking up a few points in the AP poll.  So much for leaping on to the stage in Indiana college basketball.  (The Indy Star runs a state round-up ranking.  I think we were as high as third on several ballots at one point.)

Order is restored in the universe, I suppose they would say.

I sort of hate to dwell on the midmajor rankings... But in the coaches poll, I notice Valpo's back up to 3rd, about as high as they have been all season - above any MVC teams.  Belmont falls to 11, Oakland to 15.  Iona re-enters at 25. I notice SD State's at #19 (so no bad loss for CSU).  Milwaukee receiving votes.  So's Ball State - though only since beating us (but they are 6-2, even if all wins are home or netural).  And Loyola.

Indiana State is _not_ receiving votes.  Though their coach is one of the voters.

Looks like our RPI fell to #8 on the Chicago State win.  (Our KenPom hangs around at #30, defense #6.)

I took a peek at the Horizon League forecast... grim stuff.  Currently 16th.  Expected to fall to 20th.  The Summit's currently at 11th, and expected to stay there.  (SD State forecast into the top 50, ORU in the top 100, only IUPUI misses the top 200).  Cleveland State forecasts about like IUPUI, and YSU, Wright State, Northern Kentucky, look worse.

Our SOS (before Chicago state) was #7, but is predicted to fall to 194 after league play.  SD State is at 298, expected to rise to 142 after conference play.  We're forecast to win a couple of more ball games, but their RPI forecast is 36 to our 45.

SD State has a win at Minnesota.  Otherwise, I we have more noteworthy wins.  Their RPI is currently is 92 and their KenPom 50. But, I wonder how hard it'll be for the committee to ignore the weakness of the Horizon League this year.  Or if they'll notice the relative strength of the Summit.

and you wake up this morning following the weekend devastation.. and we are

#14 RealTime 47 SOS
#20 Nolan 59 SOS (top-100 opponents:  IPFW #81, Iona #69, Oregon #36, Oregon State #38, Belmont #82)

See what happens to the Mid-Major College Insider poll when it comes out later today... last wee:
1.  Zags
2. St. Mary's
3. Valpo
4. Northern Iowa
5. Evansville
6 BYU

11.  Belmont
15. Oakland
25. Iona

Quote from: talksalot on December 14, 2015, 10:56:17 AM
and you wake up this morning following the weekend devastation.. and we are

#14 RealTime 47 SOS
#20 Nolan 59 SOS (top-100 opponents:  IPFW #81, Iona #69, Oregon #36, Oregon State #38, Belmont #82)

See what happens to the Mid-Major College Insider poll when it comes out later today... last wee:
1.  Zags
2. St. Mary's
3. Valpo
4. Northern Iowa
5. Evansville
6 BYU

11.  Belmont
15. Oakland
25. Iona

Winning, and winning on the road especially, helps as far as perception is concerned, even against poor competition.  Valpo moves to number 2 in the Mid-Major Madness Power 15.

Quote from: Valpower on December 14, 2015, 01:14:22 PMWinning, and winning on the road especially, helps as far as perception is concerned, even against poor competition.  Valpo moves to number 2 in the Mid-Major Madness Power 15.

With Gonzaga falling all the way to #4 (though they hang around the national AP poll).

The midmajor coaches' poll does have St. Mary's fall below us.  Gives us two first-place votes for the first time this season, and our highest point total of the season at 687.  But we stay at #3.

Little Rock skipped ahead of us. It's good to be undefeated.  Their biggest win is... maybe Tulsa.  But they've been winning on the road: Idaho, DePaul, Tulsa, SD State. And I mentioned undefeated?  They also pick up votes in both national polls for the first time this season.

I notice South Dakota State (that other SD State) picked up a vote in the national coaches' poll. By virtue of... winning at Minnesota?  Or, perhaps, just continuing to win.  9-1.  Maybe there's hope for us before the end of the conference season...

NCAA.com Rankings...
Defense ppg-allowed through 12/19/15

1.  Arkansas Little Rock 53.3
2.  Louisville 55.6
3.  VALPO 56.3
4.  Michigan State 56.9

Other Categories:
Stat   Rank   Value
Scoring Offense   212   71.4
Scoring Margin   31   15.1
Rebound Margin     66   5.8
Assists Per Game   224   12.7
Blocked Shots Per Game   T-184   3.4
Steals Per Game   34   8.3
Turnover Margin   47   2.8
Assist Turnover Ratio   167   1.06
Field-Goal Percentage   206   43.1
Field-Goal Percentage Defense   9   36.5
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game   T-130   7.4
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage   171   34.1
Free-Throw Percentage   84   71.9
Won-Lost Percentage   29   83.3


Great Statistical recap:   
http://stats.ncaa.org/rankings/ranking_summary (http://stats.ncaa.org/rankings/ranking_summary)

Felder is certainly loading up the HL Statistical charts!

We slide to 4. Northern Iowa moves up to 3 (after nice win vs Iowa State). 

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

But our KenPom defensive rating is still at #3.  And our overall KenPom is at #27.  Highest it's been in a while, maybe all season?

At the risk of drawing a few rotting vegetables, I'll dare to post to this thread.

After the Oakland game.

Our KenPom ranking rises #26 --> #20.  I think the VU game notes claim we made it there after the Oregon State game too, but this approximately tied for our high water mark this season. (Pyth .8715).  #2 defense, 88.7 adjusted per defensive possession, is likely our best of the season (improved from #2 89.2).

Our RPI rises from #34   0.6036 to #28    0.6110 on the win.

Seth Davis picked against us on his ESPN page, but liked the win.

[tweet]685649870955376640[/tweet]

Not that I expect top 25 votes again, without a longer win streak. But, maybe an Almost Famous.

I figure we're fans, not players.  Why not ride the highs as high as they'll take us?  What's the risk, the lows will feel lower?

[tweet]686258053860163584[/tweet]
[tweet]686258617687871488[/tweet]

[tweet]686366731397271553[/tweet]

Purdue gave up 84 in a losing effort at Illinois, and it did their defensive efficiency numbers in.  Overall we're #19 at KenPom, our highest ever.

It begins.  Again.

[tweet]686375722294865920[/tweet]

Quote from: agibson on January 10, 2016, 08:16:15 PMPurdue gave up 84 in a losing effort at Illinois, and it did their defensive efficiency numbers in.  Overall we're #19 at KenPom, our highest ever.

Purdue falls to Warren Nolan #29 vs our 23
Butler at #41
ND at 58
Indiana at 59

Bunch of overrated bums none of which had any desire to play us! We should have just picked a fight with all of them!  ;)  Hope we get a chance to beat several of them in March as that might cure some of my  >:(  animosities.

If you draw a circle around Valpo... the closest team ahead of us in the RPI is Sparty !  188 Miles...
and Univ of Dayton at 268 miles is second.

Chicago Market-area RPI Rankings:

Northern Illinois 75
Northwestern 112
DePaul 171
Loyola 270
Chicago State 319
UIC 345

Can't hurt recruiting! 

We're up to No. 35 in the Sagarins this morning.  Oregon State slipped to No. 51.  I presume that if they move back into the top 50 it will help us. The Horizon is now ranked 17th, one behind the Summit.  The only other Horizon team in the top 100 is Oakland at No. 99.

Also received 5 votes in the USAToday Top 25. Nobody from the Summit or MVC got any votes as far as I could tell.

Others Receiving Votes
Connecticut 34; Oregon 18; Southern California 16; UCLA 12; George Washington 11; California 9; Dayton 5; Houston 5; Valparaiso 5; Washington 3; Texas Tech 3; Cincinnati 2; Arkansas-Little Rock 2; Boise State 1; Hawaii 1; Utah 1; Saint Mary's 1.

Quote from: VULB#62 on January 11, 2016, 12:02:11 PMAlso received 5 votes in the USAToday Top 25.

Huzzah! First of the season! And with Seth Davis at least, it'll be the first time this season we've gotten votes in both polls simultaneously (that happened last season too, for the last third of the season, but had never happened before last season).

QuoteNobody from the Summit or MVC got any votes as far as I could tell.

Interesting! How far Wichita State has fallen... And the MVC? Wichita State did show up RV in the AP poll last week, but had already fallen below Evansville (and well below us) in the mid-major coaches poll.

Seth Davis gave a bit of an explanation of his vote in his SI column
http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/11/hoop-thoughts-nonconference-rpi-2016-ncaa-tournament (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/11/hoop-thoughts-nonconference-rpi-2016-ncaa-tournament)

Quote
I've been itching to rank Valparaiso for a while, and the Crusaders finally put me over the top with their impressive win at Oakland. Winning conference games on the road against good teams is tough. Winning them convincingly is even tougher.

I can only imagine that ESPN2 makes a difference...

Quote from: VULB#62 on January 11, 2016, 12:02:11 PMOthers Receiving Votes
Connecticut 34; Oregon 18; Southern California 16; UCLA 12; George Washington 11; California 9; Dayton 5; Houston 5; Valparaiso 5; Washington 3; Texas Tech 3; Cincinnati 2; Arkansas-Little Rock 2; Boise State 1; Hawaii 1; Utah 1; Saint Mary's 1.

Interesting too that we're getting votes and Notre Dame's not.  I wonder how many would agree?

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2016/01/08/state-hoops-conference-calls-and-weekly-rankings/78446296/ (http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2016/01/08/state-hoops-conference-calls-and-weekly-rankings/78446296/)
is the last of the Indy Star's state round-ups.  And that before @Oakland.

Even then, one of their three panelists put us ahead of Notre Dame. I wonder how many people would, in a head-to-head comparison?  It's the sort of resumee comparison that could be important in March.

Quote from: VULB#62 on January 11, 2016, 12:02:11 PMAlso received 5 votes in the USAToday Top 25.

5 in the coaches poll makes us T32.

Six votes in the AP poll makes us T33.  That's not our biggest vote total of the season, but it is our highest ranking, as the number of teams receiving votes tends to shrink as the season progresses, more facts (e.g. games) are on the table, and a consensus emerges.

The bottom of the AP looks like

Quote
23   Butler   12-4   302
24   Purdue   14-3   145
25   Gonzaga   13-3   101
Others receiving votes: USC 79, Indiana 59, UCLA 21, Utah 10, Texas Tech 10, Saint Mary's 8, Wichita St 7, Valparaiso 6, Oregon 6, Hawaii 4, St Bonaventure 1, Oregon State 1, Akron 1, Dayton 1

So Wichita State is still beating us there, we're tied with Oregon, and ahead of Oregon State.

I notice RV California got swept on the Oregon road trip, while Stanford got the same split we did (but their margin of loss to Oregon was larger, at 13 points).

Valpo 32nd in the media poll and 33rd in the coaches poll. Their current RPI is 22.

The BOLD face is my own... Is there a way to find out who voted for us?

List of Voters
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 32 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The board for the 2015-16 season:
Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's; Jim Boeheim, Syracuse; Todd Bozeman, Morgan State; Glenn Braica, St. Francis Brooklyn; Scott Cherry, High Point; Tim Cluess, Iona; Ed Conroy, Tulane; Keith Dambrot, Akron; Cameron Dollar, Seattle; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Steve Fisher, San Diego State; Bruiser Flint, Drexel; Mark Fox, Georgia; John Gallagher, Hartford; Matthew Graves, South Alabama; Ray Harper, Western Kentucky; George Ivory, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; Rob Jeter, Wisconsin-Milwaukee; James Jones, Yale; Mike McConathy, Northwestern State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Matt Painter, Purdue; Randy Rahe, Weber State; Heath Schroyer, Tennessee-Martin; Joe Scott, Denver; Zach Spiker, Army; Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State; Bob Williams, UC-Santa Barbara; Mike Young, Wofford.

Probably I've asked before, but what's Steve Fisher's connection?

Quote from: talksalot on January 11, 2016, 02:22:44 PMThe BOLD face is my own... Is there a way to find out who voted for us?

For the AP it's published each week, a bit slower than the rankings themselves (somehow they leak #1 and #2 first sometimes, then the top 25, then the RV's, and eventually the ballots).  They're out now: #24 from Graham Couch (who ranked us 24, 23, 24 in the opening weeks), #25 from Cecil Hurt, Matt McCoy, Seth Davis, Zach Osterman.  [edited] Davis has talked about us plenty, but to my surprise this is his first vote for us this season. So four new voters on the bandwagon.  And this is the most _voters_, though not the most points, we've had this season.  And I saw at least one other AP voter listing us, with another 3-4 schools, as "considered" (but not ranked).  Perhaps with two more wins we can get Elton Alexander (Cleveland) and Brett Strelow back in the fold.

For the Coaches Poll, the ballots aren't systematically released.  I believe I once saw a set of ballots, but it may have been a one-off, one week, one season.

Quote from: talksalot on January 11, 2016, 02:22:44 PM
The BOLD face is my own... Is there a way to find out who voted for us?

List of Voters
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 32 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The board for the 2015-16 season:
Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's; Jim Boeheim, Syracuse; Todd Bozeman, Morgan State; Glenn Braica, St. Francis Brooklyn; Scott Cherry, High Point; Tim Cluess, Iona; Ed Conroy, Tulane; Keith Dambrot, Akron; Cameron Dollar, Seattle; Scott Drew, Baylor; Matt Driscoll, North Florida; Steve Fisher, San Diego State; Bruiser Flint, Drexel; Mark Fox, Georgia; John Gallagher, Hartford; Matthew Graves, South Alabama; Ray Harper, Western Kentucky; George Ivory, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; Rob Jeter, Wisconsin-Milwaukee; James Jones, Yale; Mike McConathy, Northwestern State; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Matt Painter, Purdue; Randy Rahe, Weber State; Heath Schroyer, Tennessee-Martin; Joe Scott, Denver; Zach Spiker, Army; Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State; Bob Williams, UC-Santa Barbara; Mike Young, Wofford.

Quote from: agibson on January 11, 2016, 03:06:07 PM
Probably I've asked before, but what's Steve Fisher's connection?

Quote from: talksalot on January 11, 2016, 02:22:44 PMThe BOLD face is my own... Is there a way to find out who voted for us?

For the AP it's published each week, a bit slower than the rankings themselves (somehow they leak #1 and #2 first sometimes, then the top 25, then the RV's, and eventually the ballots).  They're out now: #24 from Graham Couch (who ranked us 24, 23, 24 in the opening weeks), #25 from Cecil Hurt, Matt McCoy, Seth Davis, Zach Osterman.  [edited] Davis has talked about us plenty, but to my surprise this is his first vote for us this season. So four new voters on the bandwagon.  And this is the most _voters_, though not the most points, we've had this season.  And I saw at least one other AP voter listing us, with another 3-4 schools, as "considered" (but not ranked).  Perhaps with two more wins we can get Elton Alexander (Cleveland) and Brett Strelow back in the fold.

For the Coaches Poll, the ballots aren't systematically released.  I believe I once saw a set of ballots, but it may have been a one-off, one week, one season.

http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/

Quote from: a3uge on January 11, 2016, 03:19:44 PM
http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/ (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/)

Yep, invaluable.  The AP would do well to adopt something at least a _bit_ more like this.  Their format's pretty ugly.

Matt McCoy?   now THERE's a Valpo Connection...He's the Public Address Announcer for the Ohio State Buckeyes~!  (Radio host on WTVN)

https://www.facebook.com/Matt-McCoy-610-WTVN-176493972389066/?fref=ts (https://www.facebook.com/Matt-McCoy-610-WTVN-176493972389066/?fref=ts)

Zach Osterman - Indy Star

Graham Couch - NBA Reporter for USA Today

Cecil Hurt - Tuscaloosa News

Couch had Valpo 23 and 24 in the first few weeks.

Graham Couch is a long time Michigan State guy, who works for the Lansing State Journal. I assume he's keeping a close eye on Oakland since they nearly beat the Spartans. The easy victory over the Grizzlies likely got us a #24 vote from him.

Valpo is 6-3 in true road games.  7 of those teams that currently have an RPI fairly close to 150 or better.  I looked up the actual numbers earlier, but don't have them in front of me at the moment. 

Kentucky is 1-2 in true road games.

I don't blame Seth Davis for ranking us ahead of them.  Grow a pair and hit the road for a few games and see how it feels. 

Quote from: a3uge on January 11, 2016, 03:19:44 PM
http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/ (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/)

Anybody notice that they have our old proboards http://valpofans.proboards.com/index.cgi? (http://valpofans.proboards.com/index.cgi?) site as the message board link.  Is there anyway to change that?

Zach Osterman is all IU which fits into the biker type. He is a south side Indy guy (like certain IU guys). He seems to like dogs.

http://www.lakako.com/photos/1500234442 (http://www.lakako.com/photos/1500234442)

No real connection to Valpo except in same state as IU.

Valpo has moved up from 4th to 2nd in the newest College Insider mid major poll:

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

Quote from: wh on January 12, 2016, 05:54:10 PM
Valpo has moved up from 4th to 2nd in the newest College Insider mid major poll:

Nice!  Nice to see that a few think we're above the Zags. A home and home this season would have been a lot of fun...

Ken Pom Ratings through half of the games on Thursday, Valpo still #1 in Defense; up to #18 overall !!

Gonzaga losses at home to BYU. That should temporarily put us at the top of the mid-major poll.

Quote from: justducky on January 14, 2016, 10:15:58 PM
Gonzaga losses at home to BYU. That should temporarily put us at the top of the mid-major poll.

Interesting!  Computer numbers, even RPI?, have preferred St. Mary's for a while.

Three pretty good looking teams in the WCC.  And some pretty bad looking ones.

Quote from: agibson on January 14, 2016, 10:23:25 PMInteresting!  Computer numbers, even RPI?, have preferred St. Mary's for a while.

St. Mary's was one of the last (like us) to release their schedules. I would not be surprised if there was some scheduling attempt, but they don't like to hit the road much either. I watched them some earlier in the year and they are playing Pacific on ESPNU as we speak. Numbers aside my impressions are that we are the better team.

The AP poll had Utah 10, Texas Tech 10, Saint Mary's 8, and Wichita St 7 ahead of us.  We were tied with Oregon with 6 votes, and ahead of Hawaii 4, St Bonaventure 1, Oregon State 1, Akron 1, and Dayton 1.  Utah has already since dropped a game to Oregon and will play Oregon State.  If Oregon State beats them and we beat Green Bay it will be interesting to see how we and Oregon move.  Oregon State may lose their vote for having lost at Colorado, but who knows.

If Texas Tech loses to Baylor, they will have lost 4 in a row.

So with almost all of the Saturday games in the books, the Valpo RPI stands at 19

KenPom Defense has us at #3

The Valpo win tonight was the 500th win attributed to a Drew-Coached team...

Speaking of Drew... looking at the standings...

19..Valpo
20..Iowa State
21..Baylor

tee hee...

Even higher now in the RPI than KenPom. An RPI of 17.

looking at the list now...(with SOS ranking)

14 West Virginia  (69)
15 USC  (39)
16 Iowa State  (18)
17 VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY  (77)  :thumbsup:
18 Florida (5)
19 Miami (FL)  (44)
20 Kentucky (34)
21 Duke (20)
22 Pittsburgh (70)
23 Monmouth (75)

[tweet]688898795313229824[/tweet]

https://twitter.com/SethDavisHoops/status/688898795313229824

Seth Davis has Valpo at #20 on his ballot. If Valpo beats YSU, Valpo could have 20 some points on Tuesday.

The poll will come out before we play on Monday night (usually around lunchtime). There are already a few other people out there that we have picked up points from.

It generally takes about 100 points to get to #25, so hopefully we are well on our way.

Quote from: ValpoHoops on January 17, 2016, 08:03:54 PM
The poll will come out before we play on Monday night (usually around lunchtime). There are already a few other people out there that we have picked up points from.

It generally takes about 100 points to get to #25, so hopefully we are well on our way.

Woops, I'm an idiot... Yes, always on a Monday.

Quote from: a3uge on January 17, 2016, 07:53:39 PMSeth Davis has Valpo at #20 on his ballot.

Wow.  I really didn't see that coming.  I thought it'd be more incremental.  And, nationally, it may still be... But, the highest we've appeared on any ballot this season.

Last week Graham Couch and Seth Davis were two of the most "extreme" (atypical) ballots, overall.  So, hard to know how far out on the edge Davis is. But, posting on twitter well ahead of the deadline, maybe he's a taste maker...

Could be interesting viewing tomorrow afternoon! 

Looking a bit more closely at Davis' ballots.

He really doesn't like teams that lose at home!

He dropped Pitt on their loss that cost us #1 defense in Ken Pom, pushed us ahead of Virginia (lost on the road at FSU), he dropped Providence eight places on their home loss to a pretty good Seton Hall, pushing us ahead of them, dropped UCLA like ten places on their home loss to USC, pushing us ahead of them, and must have done something else extreme besides.

Crazy talk.  Really shaking things up.

Arkansas-Little Rock is picking up at least one point.  They had at least one in the coaches poll last week.

A number of voters talk about the difficulty of voting this week

[tweet]688910553721475072[/tweet]

With Davis' six points, if everyone from last week at least allows us to tread water, we'll eclipse last season's best AP ranking (for points at least, almost certainly ranking too - but we'll see), which was our best ever.

I read on twitter that 16 of the top 25 lost this week, so the shakeup could really help Valpo make some strides.  I think building a big league winning streak will do more than we originally thought at getting us somewhere in the polls.  Consistency seems rare even among the top teams.  Still, I would think our ceiling would be 24/25. 

Quote from: govalpogo on January 17, 2016, 09:07:46 PM
I read on twitter that 16 of the top 25 lost this week, so the shakeup could really help Valpo make some strides.

Once we're on people's radar then "just keep winning" will help a lot.  Maybe we'll find out tomorrow how many writers have us on their radar.  (The couple of others I've seen posted leave us off; so I don't think we're looking at a wholesale revolution: a majority of ballots will likely _not_ include us; we're not at all likely to jump straight in to #25.)  I don't know that receiving a few votes is enough for major conference beat writers to take us seriously... We'll see!

Yea, I'm certainly not expecting that the team will crack the top 25 this week or really even for quite a while if at all.  Although, I didn't expect to see Valpo with 6 and 5 points in the respective polls this past week either.  Fun to watch!

3 more points as Chris Dachille lists Dear old Valpo at #23!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CY-VUhxWwAAUwDj.jpg (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CY-VUhxWwAAUwDj.jpg)

[tweet]688933453102993408[/tweet]

Hey, what do I know?  If a quarter of voters do something like Dachille and go from not listing us at all to #23...

I would love to see us ranked in the top 25, especially when Buck Futler is not.

Valpo's won 22 in a row at home...last I heard, that was tied for 9th in the nation (maybe 8 with Iona losing)...

We are tied with Stephen F Austin.... speaking of NCAA records... get a load of what they did in their last game on Saturday night.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – There have been 2,255 Stephen F. Austin men's basketball games played in the history of the program and in none of them did the Lumberjacks display a shooting touch as sizzling as the one they possessed on Saturday night. ( I love the verb choices this SFA writer choses throughout this article...) 

As a matter of fact, through all of the NCAA Division I men's basketball games so far this season, no team in the country has, either.

Ty Charles established a new career-high with 25 points and his 11-of-12 (91.7-percent) night from the field was a microcosm of the 'Jacks success as a whole as SFA destroyed Abilene Christian 97-62 by way of a program-best 72.2-percent (39-of-54) shooting effort on Saturday night. IPFW matched that 72.2-percent showing from the field, but that came against NAIA Purdue-North Central on Jan. 2, 2016.

SFA's 80-percent night from long range bettered Oral Roberts previous NCAA DI season-high mark of 71.4 (15-of-21) against Detriot on Nov. 28, 2015.

That 72.2-percent shooting effort ranks as the best single-game field goal percentage by any team in the 2015-16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as does the 'Jacks 80-percent (12-of-15) effort from three-point land.

The previous program high for field goal percentage in a single game was 71.7-percent – accomplished when the 'Jacks bested Ouachita Baptist 70-62 over 30 years ago on Dec. 4, 1984 in WRJ Coliseum.

Charles stood at the head of SFA's scoring line as five 'Jacks would go on to finish with 11 or more points. Thomas Walkup pumped in 19, Jared Johnson had 14 on the strength of 4-of-6 long distance shooting, TJ Holyfield wrapped up his night with 12 and Clide Geffrard submitted 11 to the 'Jacks final tally.

All of those made shots happened as a direct result of the 'Jacks season-high 28 assists. A game-best seven of those helpers belonged to senior Trey Pinkney who upped his nation-leading assist-to-turnover ration to 6.63. The Katy, Texas, product has yet to commit a turnover in a SLC game this season and has amassed 18 assists through four league bouts.

Devoid of any indications of a blowout early on, the game was tightly contested throughout the first half as the Wildcats gunned for a 3-1 start in Southland Conference play. SFA began things with an 8-2 in the initial 2:33 surge that featured the first of TJ Holyfield's career-best three downtown strikes of the night.

That six-point advantage was the largest the 'Jacks could muster against their intrastate rivals in the infancy of the matchup, though. A flurry of Wildcat trifectas, including one each from Jaren Lewis, Parker Wentz and Isaiah Tripp, through a span of 3:11 allowed the visitors to remain neck-and-neck with the SLC's highest scoring team.

Once Tripp's long ball hit pay dirt, the score was knotted at 19-all with 11:10 remaining in the opening stanza. The tally remained the same until Charles tipped in a missed Jared Johnson jumper some 39 seconds later to push that 'Jacks ahead for good.

Still, the Wildcats wouldn't stop gnashing, as ACU's dangerous youngster Jaylen Franklin stood undaunted at the prospect of going blow-for-blow with the three-time defending league champions. Through the final 7:46 of the first half, the freshman served as the lone source of offense for the Wildcats by netting 10 of his team-high 18 through the course of that span.

Franklin's one-man scoring show wasn't near enough, though, to stop the 'Jacks overwhelming deluge of offense. Following a Franklin layup that trimmed SFA's edge to 27-25 with 7:00 left in the first, the 'Jacks belted the Wildcats with a 15-2 scoring haymaker in which Charles scored eight straight.

It upped the 'Jacks advantage to 42-27 with 1:26 to go in the half, and despite Franklin's last two buckets of the frame, ACU wouldn't get within 11 points of the hosts for the rest of the night.

A merciless 28-9 run uncorked by SFA through the first 8:30 of the second half floored the Wildcats for good and from that point on the 'Jacks lead only dipped below 30 points on four occasions.

The margin became a game-high 38 points when Jovan Grujic's layup with 4:00 left made matters 90-52. Simply put, the 'Jacks took on the role of offensive clinicians in the last 20 minutes by sinking 78.6-percent (22-of-28) of their field goals and eight of their nine downtown tries (88.9-percent).

Abilene Christian did shoot 51-percent (25-of-49) from the field, but the Wildcats lacked the requisite amount of firepower to keep up with the 'Jacks. Outside of Franklin, no ACU player concluded the night with more than nine points.

Off to their fourth-straight 4-0 start in Southland Conference play, SFA heads for the Big Easy for a Monday night battle with the New Orleans Privateers. A four-point loser to league-leading Houston Baptist on Saturday night, UNO will host the 'Jacks for the second time in three all-time meetings between the two programs. Tip time is slated for 8 p.m and the game will be broadcast nationally on American Sports Network.

SFA (RPI 205)  next home games:  :
Saturday 1/23 vs Sam Houston State (6-8) RPI 212
Monday 1/25 vs Lamar (6-7) RPI 339
Monday 2/8 vs Northwestern State (0-11) RPI 348
Saturday 2/13 vs Texas A&M Corpus Christi (11-3) RPI 89

1st Poll of the day: Mid-Major Power 15 : Valpo maintains the top spot over St. Mary's

Rank              School                                Last Week
1.   Valparaiso Crusaders (15-3, 6 1st Place)   1
2.   St. Mary's Gaels (15-2, 4)   4
3.   Wichita State Shockers (12-5)   5
4.   Dayton Flyers (14-3, 1)   3
5.   Evansville Purple Aces (16-3)   6
6.   VCU Rams (13-5)   14
7.   Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-4, 1)   2
8.   Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (15-1)   8
9.   Monmouth Hawks (13-4)   12
10.   St. Joseph's Hawks (14-3)   9
11.   George Washington Colonials (14-4) 7
12.   Hawaii Warriors (15-2)   t-15
13.   BYU Cougars (13-6)   13
14.   Stony Brook Seawolves (13-4)   NR
15.   UAB Blazers (15-3)   NR
Dropped Out: UT Arlington, St. Bonaventure, Akron

Others Receiving Votes: Grand Canyon, UC Irvine, St. Bonaventure, Chattanooga, Mercer, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, Southern Illinois, Davidson, James Madison, Pepperdine

Voters: Ben Miraski, Parks Smith, Will Maupin, Jimmy Kelley, John Hooper, Cam Newton, Tyler Bennett (College Court Report), Brandon Hickey (Hustle Belt), Michael James (@ivybball), Jordan Majewski (Staring at the Floorboards), Dan Bogle, Ryan McFarland, Michael Mallory

Quote from: talksalot on January 18, 2016, 08:55:27 AMValpo's won 22 in a row at home...last I heard, that was tied for 9th in the nation (maybe 8 with Iona losing)...

We are tied with Stephen F Austin.... speaking of NCAA records... get a load of what they did in their last game on Saturday night.

Yeah, three-way tie for 8th also with UAB
http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats)
but this stuff can fluctuate a little just with scheduling.  I'm not sure who might be lurking with 20 or 21...

As usual, Osipoff's first with the news

[tweet]689142202497368064[/tweet]

"only" 16 points, but good for our highest total ever, and our highest AP ranking ever.

So, very splashy to pick up a #20 vote, but we probably only gained entry on a couple of new ballots this week.

Gotta keep winning!

Quote from: agibson on January 18, 2016, 11:49:49 AM
As usual, Osipoff's first with the news

[tweet]689142202497368064[/tweet]

"only" 16 points, but good for our highest total ever, and our highest AP ranking ever.

So, very splashy to pick up a #20 vote, but we probably only gained entry on a couple of new ballots this week.

Gotta keep winning!

Isn't that the coaches poll?

Argh! Whoops!  Thanks for the fix, was just starting to notice a problem... Doesn't the AP poll usually come out first, in its dribs and drabs?  [Apparently not, Osipoff reminds me.  Off my game this morning.]

Last season I think our high-water in the coaches' poll was also 16 points, but that was good for #29 at the time.

For the coaches poll, the "receiving votes" category is pretty jammed up

QuoteGonzaga 35; Clemson 29; Dayton 29; Oregon 20; Valparaiso 16; Wichita State 16; Connecticut 12; Saint Mary's 10; Michigan 6; California 5; Arkansas-Little Rock 5; Washington 5; LSU 3; Monmouth 3; Seton Hall 2; Alabama at Birmingham 1.

With a big step up to USC's 103 points for #25.  Out of 31 or 32 ballots (I'm seeing 31 first place votes, but other weeks it's ben 32).  A bit less than half the number of AP voters.

Monmouth re-enters the poll with three points.

More individual AP ballots are appearing.  Shannon Ryan for the Chicago Tribune says to keep an eye on us next week.  Kevin Lyttle from Austin (thanks Hank) brings us in at #25.  Jerry Carino... in New Jersey?, who said something similar last week, brings us in at #24.  At least a couple of others leave us off.  Should be a record AP week for us, for sure.

[tweet]689153388882333699[/tweet]

And -that- is our best showing all-time in the AP poll.  Probably at least a dozen voters?  Should be enough to get some momentum going, if we can keep winning.

[tweet]689153848716455936[/tweet]

Reasonably tight after #26.  Gotta keep winning.  Other teams will help by losing.  We're not going to have any big splashy wins to add to the conversation, but if we could keep that string of double digits going it could generate some buzz...

Time to just keep winning at this point now that there are more eyes on the program once again.  Polls definitely are more susceptible to peer influence and the eye test than evaluation tools like RPI.  Last time we had pollsters ready to pull the trigger was after the Oregon State game, but before Sunday ended all the talk went mysteriously silent.   :-\

We have three ROAD games to play before the next poll comes out...

looking at the teams ahead of us... so even though they have RPIs of 236, 150 and 322 respectively, 18-3 will look pretty good if the power-5 can continue beating each other!

Only UA-Little Rock plays 3 road games before the next poll... they are @ Arkansas State (255), Texas State(264) and Texas-Arlington (67)

Here are the teams receiving votes with 2 road games this week...

Oklahoma  is at Iowa State and Baylor
Arizona is at Stanford and California
Butler is at Providence and Creighton
Southern Cal is at Oregon and Oregon State
Purdue is at Rutgers and Iowa (plus home to Ohio State)
South Carolina is at Ole Miss and Tennessee
Dayton is at St Bonaventure (54) and Fordham (178)
Gonzaga is at St Marys (45) and Pacific (266)
Navy (158) is at Lehigh (272) and Army (193)
Utah is at Washington State and Washington

http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015 (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015)
has the AP ballots.

Rothstein joined Davis in placing us at #20 - Rothstein's first vote for us this season, but he's shown some awareness on twitter, etc.

13 voters overall, of 65.  Everyone who's supported us earlier this season is back on the bandwagon except Bret Strelow - and he had us at #22 earlier in the season.  (Couch is in at #24, not quite his earlier level of enthusiasm.)  Doughty, one of our most enthusiastic supporters last year, isn't yet with us this year.

Quote from: talksalot on January 18, 2016, 01:30:04 PMWe have three ROAD games to play before the next poll comes out...

Could have a top-10 quality active road win streak going at that point...

Quote from: agibson on January 18, 2016, 04:36:22 PM
http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015 (http://collegepolltracker.com/basketball/team/vu/2015)
has the AP ballots.

Rothstein joined Davis in placing us at #20 - Rothstein's first vote for us this season, but he's shown some awareness on twitter, etc.

13 voters overall, of 65.  Everyone who's supported us earlier this season is back on the bandwagon except Bret Strelow - and he had us at #22 earlier in the season.  (Couch is in at #24, not quite his earlier level of enthusiasm.)  Doughty, one of our most enthusiastic supporters last year, isn't yet with us this year.

Cecil hurt us this time and left us off, despite having a vote last week.

On
Davis 20 (week 10, 11)
Rothstein 20 *new
Dachile 23 *new
Hines 23 *new
Couch 24 (week 1, 2, 3, 10, 11)
Carino 24 *new
Osterman 24 (week 10, 11)
Alexander 25 (week 1, 2, 11)
Lyttle 25 *new
McCoy 25 (week 10, 11)
Kaufman 25 *new
Richey 25 *new
Palmer 25 *new

Off
Strelow (week 1, 2)
Hurt (week 11)

Quote from: agibson on January 18, 2016, 04:38:55 PMCould have a top-10 quality active road win streak going at that point...

That streak would start in 2016... since we lost at Belmont... we would be at 5

1.   Gonzaga   13
2.   Southern Illinois   7
3.   James Madison   6
3.   Providence   6
3.   SMU   6
3.   Stony Brook   6
7.   UAB   5
8.   Cal State Bakersfield   4
8.   Kent State   4
8.   Montana   4
8.   Northwestern   4
8.   Saint Joseph's   4
8.   San Diego State   4

Quote from: a3uge on January 18, 2016, 04:48:49 PMCecil hurt us this time and left us off, despite having a vote last week.

I see what you did there.  Clever!

I'd missed him.

He was unusual last week in including St. Mary's (#24) and us (#25).  He's now _really_ unusual in sending St. Mary's to #21 (they have the #21, a #23, and nothing else), and he rather inexplicably dropped us.  Interesting.

and here are the current home streaks...always nice to see your name in print, spelled correctly.

1.   Arizona   49
2.   Wichita State   40
3.   Kansas   35
4.   Villanova   32
5.   Kentucky   30
6.   South Dakota State   24
7.   Maryland   23
8.   Stephen F. Austin   22
8.   UAB   22
8.   Valparaiso   22

UAB's next two home games are against Rice (#301) and North Texas (#300)
Maryland hosts Northwestern Tuesday night; and hosts Iowa on the 28th.
SoDakota State hosts Nebr-Omaha on the 28th and IUPUI on 2/6

and Arizona's next home game is against Oregon on the 28th.  That would be a nice duck win!

The best thing we can do is keep lobbying for Valpo... but do it on Sunday afternoon! It would be great for the program to be ranked. I think @wright state may be difficult, but if we win that, its smooth sailing for awhile.

One thing that was great seeing - people putting Valpo at #25 no longer registered as an "extreme" pick.

Also, having so many people trust Valpo over Monmouth says a lot about the respect for our program.

1st Poll of the day: Mid-Major Power 15 : Valpo maintains the top spot over St. Mary'sRank              School                                Last Week1.   Valparaiso Crusaders (15-3, 6 1st Place)   12.   St. Mary's Gaels (15-2, 4)   43.   Wichita State Shockers (12-5)   54.   Dayton Flyers (14-3, 1)   35.   Evansville Purple Aces (16-3)   66.   VCU Rams (13-5)   147.   Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-4, 1)   28.   Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (15-1)   89.   Monmouth Hawks (13-4)   1210.   St. Joseph's Hawks (14-3)   911.   George Washington Colonials (14-4) 712.   Hawaii Warriors (15-2)   t-1513.   BYU Cougars (13-6)   1314.   Stony Brook Seawolves (13-4)   NR15.   UAB Blazers (15-3)   NRDropped Out: UT Arlington, St. Bonaventure, AkronOthers Receiving Votes: Grand Canyon, UC Irvine, St. Bonaventure, Chattanooga, Mercer, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, Southern Illinois, Davidson, James Madison, Pepperdine








HL needs to step up - - not even one other team receiving votes.

Quote from: elephtheria47 on January 18, 2016, 05:06:45 PM
HL needs to step up - - not even one other team receiving votes.

Oakland's up to #20 in the coaches poll, which we're doing very well in.  Probably our best week ever there?  Though I assume Butler spent some time at number one...

Gonzaga getting punished for a one point loss at home to a pretty good BYU team.

Quote from: a3uge on January 18, 2016, 05:04:35 PM
The best thing we can do is keep lobbying for Valpo... but do it on Sunday afternoon! It would be great for the program to be ranked. I think @wright state may be difficult, but if we win that, its smooth sailing for awhile.

One thing that was great seeing - people putting Valpo at #25 no longer registered as an "extreme" pick.

Also, having so many people trust Valpo over Monmouth says a lot about the respect for our program.

Need to keep reminding voters (or make voters aware) that we had 2 starters injured at the Ball State game.  Also need to remind them that our non-con SOS is strong and that we played 7 true road games. 

Of course, non of this matters if we lose anytime soon. 

The AP Poll picture wasn't very clear but there was a team at the top who received all the 1st place votes.  Who was that???

Oklahoma will be the first school to make the final four in football and basketball.

CollegeInsider.com Top 25

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

•Valpo has gone from 4th to 2nd to 1st in the past 2 weeks 
•Received 20 of 31 1st place votes.

Quote from: wh on January 18, 2016, 09:14:14 PM
CollegeInsider.com Top 25

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

•Valpo has gone from 4th to 2nd to 1st in the past 2 weeks 
•Received 20 of 31 1st place votes.

Don't we only have 3 losses?

Also Arkansas Little Rock just lost on the road to Arkansas State. Only their 2nd loss. Great game. Love their stadium. The ARC could look really nice if they just redid the seating.

Quote from: govalpogo on January 18, 2016, 09:45:11 AMVoters: Ben Miraski, Parks Smith, Will Maupin, Jimmy Kelley, John Hooper, Cam Newton, Tyler Bennett (College Court Report), Brandon Hickey (Hustle Belt), Michael James (@ivybball), Jordan Majewski (Staring at the Floorboards), Dan Bogle, Ryan McFarland, Michael Mallory

How long has the Panthers quarterback been a voter in the basketball mid-major poll?

Defense - Points Per Game

1.   Arkansas-Little Rock   57.5
2.   Louisville   57.8
3.   Saint Mary's College   58.1
4.   Villanova   60.0
5.   San Diego State   60.4
6.   Old Dominion   60.7
7.   Purdue   60.8
8.   Virginia   61.2
9.   SMU   61.2
10.   Cincinnati   61.3
11.   Valparaiso   62.2   ;D
12.   Clemson   62.4
12.   Navy     62.4
14.   Georgia State   62.6
15.   Michigan State   62.7
16.   Loyola-Chicago   62.9
17.   Texas State   63.2
18.   UC Irvine   63.3
19.   Wichita State   63.3
20.   Ball State   63.4

Quote from: talksalot on January 19, 2016, 09:57:17 AM
Defense - Points Per Game

1.   Arkansas-Little Rock   57.5
2.   Louisville   57.8
3.   Saint Mary's College   58.1
4.   Villanova   60.0
5.   San Diego State   60.4
6.   Old Dominion   60.7
7.   Purdue   60.8
8.   Virginia   61.2
9.   SMU   61.2
10.   Cincinnati   61.3
11.   Valparaiso   62.2   ;D
12.   Clemson   62.4
12.   Navy     62.4
14.   Georgia State   62.6
15.   Michigan State   62.7
16.   Loyola-Chicago   62.9
17.   Texas State   63.2
18.   UC Irvine   63.3
19.   Wichita State   63.3
20.   Ball State   63.4

Crazy, considering 3 Horizon teams (that we've already played) are in the top 10 in tempo/possessions per game - #7 UDM, #10 Oakland, and #2 UWGB. YSU and UIC are also in the top 100. Milwaukee, Valpo, Wright State, and CSU are still all the same, but the conference is moving more towards run and gun and less towards the old slogfests that we're used to.

Quote from: a3uge on January 19, 2016, 10:12:15 AMbut the conference is moving more towards run and gun and less towards the old slogfests that we're used to.

It really is a change from the Wright State defense, probably also Butler, when we joined the league.  Wright State still seems to play some defense.  But, for the league as a whole, it seems like a huge change.  And a big change, perhaps, even from last season to this season?

Quote from: agibson on January 19, 2016, 11:43:37 AM

Quote from: a3uge on January 19, 2016, 10:12:15 AMbut the conference is moving more towards run and gun and less towards the old slogfests that we're used to.

It really is a change from the Wright State defense, probably also Butler, when we joined the league.  Wright State still seems to play some defense.  But, for the league as a whole, it seems like a huge change.  And a big change, perhaps, even from last season to this season?

Too bad, in my opinion. I liked the old slogfests. I wonder how much of it has to do with personnel (which will change quickly), coaching styles (only new at GB and UIC; won't change quickly), and the NCAA rule changes (won't change at all, presumably)

IMO the change has more to do with the NCAA persisting that officiating crews continue to call body contact that impedes freedom of movement. Teams like WSU and CSU have made a living riding and bumping players to slow them down and wear them down. It's a strategy that allowed slower, less athletic teams keep faster, more athletic teams in check. It's the only reason Butler ever made it to back-to-back championship games against far more talented competition - that and master flopping by Howard (another gimmick that has been removed from the game).

Quote from: wh on January 19, 2016, 02:36:55 PM
IMO the change has more to do with the NCAA persisting that officiating crews continue to call body contact that impedes freedom of movement. Teams like WSU and CSU have made a living riding and bumping players to slow them down and wear them down. It's a strategy that allowed slower, less athletic teams keep faster, more athletic teams in check. It's the only reason Butler ever made it to back-to-back championship games against far more talented competition - that and master flopping by Howard (another gimmick that has been removed from the game).

Lol that Butler starting 5 in 2010 has had more professional success than Duke's starting 5. Even Draymond Green was Michigan State's 4th leading scorer that year. Wes Johnson didn't amount to anything after Syracuse. It wasnt like Butler completely lacked talent compared to the teams they played - they had as much talent as any.

Didn't see this posted anywhere, but we received one vote from Jeff Goodman in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/powerrankings (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/powerrankings)

Quote from: talksalot on January 19, 2016, 09:57:17 AM
Defense - Points Per Game

1.   Arkansas-Little Rock   57.5
2.   Louisville   57.8
3.   Saint Mary's College   58.1
4.   Villanova   60.0
5.   San Diego State   60.4
6.   Old Dominion   60.7
7.   Purdue   60.8
8.   Virginia   61.2
9.   SMU   61.2
10.   Cincinnati   61.3
11.   Valparaiso   62.2   ;D
12.   Clemson   62.4
12.   Navy     62.4
14.   Georgia State   62.6
15.   Michigan State   62.7
16.   Loyola-Chicago   62.9
17.   Texas State   63.2
18.   UC Irvine   63.3
19.   Wichita State   63.3
20.   Ball State   63.4

Something's missing. Valpo is only giving up 60 points a game. What's this source? Does it not include games against non-D1? Anyhow, according to the NCAA stats, Valpo is 4th in points allowed.

Quote from: chef on January 20, 2016, 01:38:34 AM

Quote from: talksalot on January 19, 2016, 09:57:17 AM
Defense - Points Per Game

1.   Arkansas-Little Rock   57.5
2.   Louisville   57.8
3.   Saint Mary's College   58.1
4.   Villanova   60.0
5.   San Diego State   60.4
6.   Old Dominion   60.7
7.   Purdue   60.8
8.   Virginia   61.2
9.   SMU   61.2
10.   Cincinnati   61.3
11.   Valparaiso   62.2   ;D
12.   Clemson   62.4
12.   Navy     62.4
14.   Georgia State   62.6
15.   Michigan State   62.7
16.   Loyola-Chicago   62.9
17.   Texas State   63.2
18.   UC Irvine   63.3
19.   Wichita State   63.3
20.   Ball State   63.4

Something's missing. Valpo is only giving up 60 points a game. What's this source? Does it not include games against non-D1? Anyhow, according to the NCAA stats, Valpo is 4th in points allowed.

Looks like it came from warrennolanrpi. They don't count any results from non D-1 games - record, winning streaks, anything.

http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats)

Quote from: wh on January 20, 2016, 02:04:39 AMLooks like it came from warrennolanrpi. They don't count any results from non D-1 games - record, winning streaks, anything.

http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/stats)

I bet he does count non-D1 for winning streaks.  At least his number for Valpo matches SID Aaron's.  But, yeah, in general, warrenolan.com looks askance on the non-D1's.

Quote from: HailVU2014 on January 19, 2016, 11:32:32 PMDidn't see this posted anywhere, but we received one vote from Jeff Goodman in the ESPN.com Power Rankings.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/powerrankings (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/powerrankings)

Nice!  Probably a (another) first for Valpo.

Only ten voters.  A longer list than I remembered, with 25 spots on the ballot.

Don't look now, but Seth Davis is still giving us a Top 25 vote... Did not expect that!

(Also, I have no clue how to put tweets on a post...at least via the app...)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Current Home Winning Streaks through 1/24
1. Arizona 49
2. Wichita State 41
3. Kansas 36
4. Kentucky 31
5. Maryland 24
5. South Dakota State 24
5. UAB 24
8. Stephen F. Austin 23
9. Valparaiso 22    :thumbsup:
10. Oregon 20

Defense:   Points Per Game Allowed:
1. Arkansas-Little Rock 58.7
2. Louisville 58.8
3. Saint Mary's College 59.5
4. San Diego State 60.5
5. Virginia 61.4
6. Old Dominion 61.6
6. Villanova 61.6
8. Valparaiso 61.9 :thumbsup:
9. Purdue 62.0
10. Wichita State 62.3

Quote from: HailVU2014 on January 24, 2016, 08:10:29 PMDon't look now, but Seth Davis is still giving us a Top 25 vote... Did not expect that! (Also, I have no clue how to put tweets on a post...at least via the app...) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

By some miracle (ignorance??) we'll still be receiving at least one Top 25 vote tomorrow.

Quote from: hailcrusaders on January 24, 2016, 08:54:21 PM

Quote from: HailVU2014 on January 24, 2016, 08:10:29 PMDon't look now, but Seth Davis is still giving us a Top 25 vote... Did not expect that! (Also, I have no clue how to put tweets on a post...at least via the app...) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

By some miracle (ignorance??) we'll still be receiving at least one Top 25 vote tomorrow.

speaking of ignorance, have you noticed what is happening in college basketball?  One lose to a pretty good team on THEIR floor does not make a season.  Number 21 USC just lost to Oregon State by 15. Is their season over?  Oh yeah, we beat OSU, are we in or out?  time will tell....

Quote from: vu72 on January 24, 2016, 09:12:07 PM

Quote from: hailcrusaders on January 24, 2016, 08:54:21 PM

Quote from: HailVU2014 on January 24, 2016, 08:10:29 PMDon't look now, but Seth Davis is still giving us a Top 25 vote... Did not expect that! (Also, I have no clue how to put tweets on a post...at least via the app...) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

By some miracle (ignorance??) we'll still be receiving at least one Top 25 vote tomorrow.

speaking of ignorance, have you noticed what is happening in college basketball?  One lose to a pretty good team on THEIR floor does not make a season.  Number 21 USC just lost to Oregon State by 15. Is their season over?  Oh yeah, we beat OSU, are we in or out?  time will tell....

I guess it depends on what we mean by making or breaking a season. A Top 25 vote is nice, but ultimately meaningless. Do we still have a shot at an at-large, or will it all come down to the JLA?

If we make the NCAA, do we get the 9 or 10 seed we're hoping for? Or will we be relegated to the usual 12/13? That Wright State game meant nothing for this team's ability to pull a tournament upset, but I'd much rather play a 7 or an 8 seed than a 4 or a 5. A first round exit would be disappointing.

Quote from: hailcrusaders on January 24, 2016, 11:44:04 PM

Quote from: vu72 on January 24, 2016, 09:12:07 PM

Quote from: hailcrusaders on January 24, 2016, 08:54:21 PM

Quote from: HailVU2014 on January 24, 2016, 08:10:29 PMDon't look now, but Seth Davis is still giving us a Top 25 vote... Did not expect that! (Also, I have no clue how to put tweets on a post...at least via the app...) Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

By some miracle (ignorance??) we'll still be receiving at least one Top 25 vote tomorrow.

speaking of ignorance, have you noticed what is happening in college basketball?  One lose to a pretty good team on THEIR floor does not make a season.  Number 21 USC just lost to Oregon State by 15. Is their season over?  Oh yeah, we beat OSU, are we in or out?  time will tell....

I guess it depends on what we mean by making or breaking a season. A Top 25 vote is nice, but ultimately meaningless. Do we still have a shot at an at-large, or will it all come down to the JLA? If we make the NCAA, do we get the 9 or 10 seed we're hoping for? Or will we be relegated to the usual 12/13? That Wright State game meant nothing for this team's ability to pull a tournament upset, but I'd much rather play a 7 or an 8 seed than a 4 or a 5. A first round exit would be disappointing.

agreed.  but we have to get there first.  getting there will require us winning two games on neutral court in Detroit. 

[tweet]691431625712914432[/tweet]

God bless Seth Davis.

Reasonable people can disagree, I think, about whether we're top 25 (Jerry Palm's immediate reply was "I love Valpo, but no way are they top 25."). But, I'm sure Davis saw we lost - he dropped us five places and he's no ignoramus.

Oh, and for tweets it's "(tweet)#(/tweet)" without the quotes, with [] instead of () and where # is the number from the end of the URL.

Probably St. Mary's, at least, will pass us on the mid major poll...

And, while I still hope for better, and we still have time to prove we deserve it, given recent history I'd consider a 12 seed a minor victory.

We've had a 12... once? Against BC?  12 seeds win games.

Quote from: agibson on January 25, 2016, 08:37:47 AM
Oh, and for tweets it's "(tweet)#(/tweet)" without the quotes, with [] instead of () and where # is the number from the end of the URL.

Probably St. Mary's, at least, will pass us on the mid major poll...

And, while I still hope for better, and we still have time to prove we deserve it, given recent history I'd consider a 12 seed a minor victory.

We've had a 12... once? Against BC?  12 seeds win games.

I wouldn't worry too much about 10-13... It really depends on the matchup and vulnerability/momentum of each team. Last year Valpo was underseeded and in the past two trips were a bit overseeded themselves (according to RPI, bracket projections, etc). Maryland had won 8 of their past 9, including a win against eventual runner-up Wisconsin. The other 4 seeds were Louisville and UNC, so it may not have mattered sitting at a 13, but they could have played Georgetown, Iowa State, Arkansas... All weaker teams, but 3-4 seeds. Of course Michigan State in Michigan was a brutal draw. Getting a higher seed mitigates the likelihood of a bad matchup, but sometimes you just need a bit of luck.

I didn't think hard about it, but definitely better than I expected
[tweet]691696214107111424[/tweet]

It must be easy to drop teams on a loss. Glad we didn't fall all the way out.  Maybe there were plenty of losses in the top 35, and not too many knocking on the door.

That's down to a three-way tie for 37th in the Coaches Poll, as it seems votes are getting diluted a bit, spread among more teams.  And we're not too far behind Butler now, falling from #24 to receiving just fifteen votes.  St. Mary's takes 31, Gonzaga hangs on to 17, Little Rock 5, Monmouth 3.

Tied for 34th in the AP.  Behind Butler. But with Gonzaga (and Little Rock, Monmouth) nowhere in sight.

I'll take this all as a sign of respect.  For Valpo.  For the league. Maybe even for Wright State.

But, it might also be a sign of weakness in the top 50.  (Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with that too!)

Quote from: agibson on January 25, 2016, 01:10:10 PM
I didn't think hard about it, but definitely better than I expected
[tweet]691696214107111424[/tweet]

It must be easy to drop teams on a loss. Glad we didn't fall all the way out.  Maybe there were plenty of losses in the top 35, and not too many knocking on the door.

That's down to a three-way tie for 37th in the Coaches Poll, as it seems votes are getting diluted a bit, spread among more teams.  And we're not too far behind Butler now, falling from #24 to receiving just fifteen votes.  St. Mary's takes 31, Gonzaga hangs on to 17, Little Rock 5, Monmouth 3.

Tied for 34th in the AP.  Behind Butler. But with Gonzaga (and Little Rock, Monmouth) nowhere in sight.

I'll take this all as a sign of respect.  For Valpo.  For the league. Maybe even for Wright State.

But, it might also be a sign of weakness in the top 50.  (Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with that too!)

Well said.  The notion that all of a sudden, based on a loss at Wright State, that we no longer had any possibility of an at-large bid is just wrong.  Everybody seems to be beatable this season.  Michigan State had lost three in a row.  Maryland (who many had picked as the ultimate champ this season)have lost three.  The great Butler boys have lost 6!(and 5 of their last 7)  We have a long way to go but so does everyone else.

Very surprising.  It seems that mid-majors get more respect nowadays, from a few voters at least.  Several years ago, this loss would have doomed any chance of us getting votes again, unless we rattled off 10 more wins. 

Interesting to ponder... what if...

What if the Bracketbuster was around?   We'd be wondering how they would pair us up...and hoping we'd get a home game with the likes of St Marys or Gonzaga...


AP POLL:  (T-34)

Others Receiving Votes: Dayton (16-3) 77; South Carolina (17-2) 74; St. Mary's (17-2) 42; Pittsburgh (16-3) 38; Southern California (15-5) 27; Butler (13-6) 26; Clemson (12-7) 18; VCU (15-5) 17; Hawaii (16-2) 9; Valparaiso (17-4) 9; Connecticut (14-5) 5; Utah (15-5) 5; UAB (17-3) 4; Chattanooga (17-3) 2; Navy (15-5) 1; Michigan (15-5) 1; Grand Canyon (18-2) 1; Colorado (15-5) 1

COACHES POLL: (T-36)

Others Receiving Votes: Dayton (16-3) 49; St. Mary's (17-2) 31; Clemson (12-7) 30; Notre Dame (14-5) 20; Gonzaga (15-5) 17; Butler (13-6) 15; Southern California (15-5) 14; Connecticut (14-5) 11; Michigan (15-5) 10; California (14-6) 10; Washington (13-6) 7; VCU (15-5) 6; LSU (12-7) 6; Valparaiso (17-4) 6; Arkansas-Little Rock (17-2) 5; UAB (17-3) 4; Utah (15-5) 4; Texas (12-7) 3; Monmouth (15-5) 3; Saint Joseph's (16-3) 2; Oregon State (12-6) 1

Mid-Major has not updated yet...

Quote from: talksalot on January 25, 2016, 02:03:11 PM
What if the Bracketbuster was around?   We'd be wondering how they would pair us up...and hoping we'd get a home game with the likes of St Marys or Gonzaga...

So glad BracketBuster is done with. All it did was give half the really good mid-majors a loss against other mid-majors. Those wins did very little to boost national profile of teams. A situation where a loss hurt a lot more than a win helped.

Quote from: Pgmado on January 25, 2016, 02:45:15 PM

Quote from: talksalot on January 25, 2016, 02:03:11 PM
What if the Bracketbuster was around?   We'd be wondering how they would pair us up...and hoping we'd get a home game with the likes of St Marys or Gonzaga...

So glad BracketBuster is done with. All it did was give half the really good mid-majors a loss against other mid-majors. Those wins did very little to boost national profile of teams. A situation where a loss hurt a lot more than a win helped.

From the fans perspective, I miss it.  Another event to anticipate, cheer for, announcements, etc.

And something closer to a 50-50 matchup than you're going to get in the NCAA. 

It would be great fun this year to see Valpo go up against Gonzaga, or St. Mary's, or Wichita State, or even Monmouth or Little Rock.  And, in a year with not even a top-100 win available in the Horizon League, it seems worth rolling the dice. If nothing else, you'd hope it would help in seeding "should the last 12 go to Monmouth, or the team that beat them head-to-head on national TV?".

Overall, for Valpo, it was a consistent source of nationally televised games.  Including in many seasons where those were hard to come by.

Quote from: agibson on January 25, 2016, 02:58:11 PM

Quote from: Pgmado on January 25, 2016, 02:45:15 PM

Quote from: talksalot on January 25, 2016, 02:03:11 PM
What if the Bracketbuster was around?   We'd be wondering how they would pair us up...and hoping we'd get a home game with the likes of St Marys or Gonzaga...

So glad BracketBuster is done with. All it did was give half the really good mid-majors a loss against other mid-majors. Those wins did very little to boost national profile of teams. A situation where a loss hurt a lot more than a win helped.

From the fans perspective, I miss it.  Another event to anticipate, cheer for, announcements, etc.

And something closer to a 50-50 matchup than you're going to get in the NCAA. 

It would be great fun this year to see Valpo go up against Gonzaga, or St. Mary's, or Wichita State, or even Monmouth or Little Rock.  And, in a year with not even a top-100 win available in the Horizon League, it seems worth rolling the dice. If nothing else, you'd hope it would help in seeding "should the last 12 go to Monmouth, or the team that beat them head-to-head on national TV?".

Overall, for Valpo, it was a consistent source of nationally televised games.  Including in many seasons where those were hard to come by.

I want nothing to do with the bracketbuster after the Missouri State win. Valpo had to split up their Wisconsin road trip and play two days later way up in Green Bay. Missed layups aside, the win ended up being completely meaningless.

Quote from: vu72 on January 25, 2016, 01:42:22 PM

Quote from: agibson on January 25, 2016, 01:10:10 PMI didn't think hard about it, but definitely better than I expected [tweet]691696214107111424[/tweet] It must be easy to drop teams on a loss. Glad we didn't fall all the way out.  Maybe there were plenty of losses in the top 35, and not too many knocking on the door. That's down to a three-way tie for 37th in the Coaches Poll, as it seems votes are getting diluted a bit, spread among more teams.  And we're not too far behind Butler now, falling from #24 to receiving just fifteen votes.  St. Mary's takes 31, Gonzaga hangs on to 17, Little Rock 5, Monmouth 3. Tied for 34th in the AP.  Behind Butler. But with Gonzaga (and Little Rock, Monmouth) nowhere in sight. I'll take this all as a sign of respect.  For Valpo.  For the league. Maybe even for Wright State. But, it might also be a sign of weakness in the top 50.  (Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with that too!)

Well said.  The notion that all of a sudden, based on a loss at Wright State, that we no longer had any possibility of an at-large bid is just wrong.  Everybody seems to be beatable this season.  Michigan State had lost three in a row.  Maryland (who many had picked as the ultimate champ this season)have lost three.  The great Butler boys have lost 6!(and 5 of their last 7)  We have a long way to go but so does everyone else.

This is particularly true this year. There seems to be so much parity. The Top 10 teams keep losing, the weaker power-5 schools keep losing. Oakland and Valpo have power-5 wins (I'd argue Oakland's is nicer than ours, but that's beside the point), and UW-Milwaukee has TWO power-5 wins.

Even the high mid-majors aren't that good. The usuals like Gonzaga, Wichita State, and Northern Iowa are respectable, but down. Valpo is good, St. Mary's is good, I think UALR isn't as good as their record, but that's pretty much it for your expected March Cinderellas.

I'm interested to see who gets at-larges, what seeds they get. Crazy we're talking March already when it's still January.

Quote from: a3uge on January 25, 2016, 03:25:19 PMI want nothing to do with the bracketbuster after the Missouri State win. Valpo had to split up their Wisconsin road trip and play two days later way up in Green Bay. Missed layups aside, the win ended up being completely meaningless.

Nevertheless, I'll confess that I remember the ARC during the Missouri State game better than I do the subsequent meltdown!

How'd the season even end... was that the Florida trip?  Or the Pepe's game?

(OK, a lot of my personal recollection may be rather individually specific.  My only game at the ARC that season, I was probably fairly distracted during the Green Bay trip and at the end of the season, etc, etc.  But, still, it was a heck of a game at the ARC!)

Quote from: agibson on January 25, 2016, 03:36:18 PM

Quote from: a3uge on January 25, 2016, 03:25:19 PMI want nothing to do with the bracketbuster after the Missouri State win. Valpo had to split up their Wisconsin road trip and play two days later way up in Green Bay. Missed layups aside, the win ended up being completely meaningless.

Nevertheless, I'll confess that I remember the ARC during the Missouri State game better than I do the subsequent meltdown!

How'd the season even end... was that the Florida trip?  Or the Pepe's game?

(OK, a lot of my personal recollection may be rather individually specific.  My only game at the ARC that season, I was probably fairly distracted during the Green Bay trip and at the end of the season, etc, etc.  But, still, it was a heck of a game at the ARC!)

Oh yes, that was indeed the same year as the 300 fan Pepes game. May that season forever live in infamy.

Quote from: a3uge on January 25, 2016, 03:47:06 PMOh yes, that was indeed the same year as the 300 fan Pepes game. May that season forever live in infamy.

Some of my all time best and all time worst basketball memories jam packed into a 6 week time frame! The only comparable hi to low comparison that quickly comes to mind is this year's Oakland bunch.

St. Mary's did indeed pass us for #1 in the mid-major coaches poll.  Wright State is now past Oakland in that poll, and knocking on the door of the top 25.

Our #3 KenPom defensive efficiency held in place even on the Wright State loss, and moved to #1 after the NKU win. (I believe our overall KenPom took a pretty big hit on the loss, and recovered somewhat on the win, currently #23, above Oregon, behind Kentucky.)

Jay Bilas:

30. Valparaiso Crusaders
The Crusaders have had some fits and stops on the offensive end but have been very consistent in guarding. Valparaiso is rated the No. 1 defensive team in the nation and is sixth in 2-point percentage defense (40.7 percent). Alec Peters has hit 49 3-point field goals and is shooting 46 percent from deep.

[tweet]693977351043051521[/tweet]
https://twitter.com/JeffWashburnJC/status/693977351043051521

Professional journalist bitter that another sports writer doesn't elevate the team he's covering. I can't imagine Oren tweeting that Valpo would "destroy" even a team like Prairie View A&M. Seems very hacky, but I guess that gets you the followers.

Thru games 1/31/16, kenpom has Valpo rated 23rd overall. #1 in his adjusted defense rating.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

We would beat Purdue, so that SOB can eat it :)

Quote from: valpotx on February 01, 2016, 12:59:20 AM
We would beat Purdue, so that SOB can eat it :)

At the ARC. Valpo is a bad road team as are most majors.

Quote from: bbtds on February 01, 2016, 09:46:54 AM

Quote from: valpotx on February 01, 2016, 12:59:20 AM
We would beat Purdue, so that SOB can eat it :)

At the ARC. Valpo is a bad road team as are most majors.

Purdue is 2-1 against top 50 KenPom teams at home, with wins over Vandy and Michigan and the loss to Iowa. I think we give them a hell of a game at the Mack.

Why don't we settle this on the hypothetical court of cbssports.com braketology:

Providence, RI
5 - Purdue
12 - Valpo

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology)

I t would be fun to play Miami again in the post season, at a neutral site this time...   assuming they get by Stony Brook... :-X

Feb 1:  USAToday Coaches poll.

Valpo is tied with Butler and Monmouth at #34 with 8 votes.  St. Mary's moved up to #25.  Oregon jumped from #24 to #17

Quote from: VULB#62 on February 01, 2016, 12:13:43 PM
Feb 1:  USAToday Coaches poll.

Valpo is tied with Butler and Monmouth at #34 with 8 votes.  St. Mary's moved up to #25.  Oregon jumped from #24 to #17

Up from 6 votes and a three-way tie for #37.  The direction is good, if the shift is modest (maybe you could consider the added victories modest too, or at least the competition).  Keep winning...

[tweet]694227000333111296[/tweet]

_Down_ slightly in points, from 9 points, if up slightly in rank, from T34. Only a couple of points on the margin, so could be anything.  But, you wonder if we lost some mid-major love to St. Mary's, or what.

I'd not noticed when it happened, but , I guess do to scheduling quirks, we're back into the "tied for most wins in the nation" category if you include non-D1 wins.  Our 19-4 (or Purdue's) required 23 games, while SMU got it done in 20.  But, hey.  19 wins.  Most in the country, why not?

Quote from: valpocleveland on February 01, 2016, 11:27:27 AM
Why don't we settle this on the hypothetical court of cbssports.com braketology:

Providence, RI
5 - Purdue
12 - Valpo

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology)

Notice that this bracket places Butler and George Washington as the last 2 at-large teams in.

If Butler finishes 5-4 in their last nine Big East games (looks like 4-5 would be easier than 6-3) their record would be 19-11. Let me optimistically predict that they win 2 conference tournament games before they are beaten. That would give them a 21-12 record with a weak OOC SOS. Does that get them in?

Hypothetically if we won out and lost the HL championship game wouldn't we be the far easier pick? Ok we might both be in the first 4 out. Or  :o   maybe it would be VU and Butler as the 12 seed play in game. 

I wouldn't worry too much about any of this because we will lose one more HL regular season game and I believe that might do us in.   :'(

The mid-major poll was close last week, and it's close again this week.  We did lose our four first-place votes, St. Mary's got a couple of them, Wichita State got a couple of them, and slid ahead of us into second place.

Sort of feels like voters are fluttering in the wind a bit.  Surely we did nothing bad last week.  Wichita State's win at Evansville is more impressive than anything we accomplished last week.  But, St. Mary's narrow win on the road at Pacific seems probably less impressive than our two home blow-outs.

Feels like the mid-major coaches are being influenced by the "national" voters.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

*shrug*

Quote from: agibson on February 02, 2016, 11:06:08 AM
The mid-major poll was close last week, and it's close again this week.  We did lose our four first-place votes, St. Mary's got a couple of them, Wichita State got a couple of them, and slid ahead of us into second place.

Sort of feels like voters are fluttering in the wind a bit.  Surely we did nothing bad last week.  Wichita State's win at Evansville is more impressive than anything we accomplished last week.  But, St. Mary's narrow win on the road at Pacific seems probably less impressive than our two home blow-outs.

Feels like the mid-major coaches are being influenced by the "national" voters.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

*shrug*

Nobody said "Life was fair" especially among Iowa caucus participants. Just ask Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.


(https://s3.amazonaws.com/wp-ag/wp-content/uploads/sites/72/2015/09/Trump-Bush-GIF.gif)

I wasn't sure which thread to put this on, but apparently this was said on College GameDay this morning over in South Bend...


[tweet]696006681566842880[/tweet]
[tweet]696006217378852864[/tweet]

Seth Davis still loves us... but only as far as #25.  Purdue leapfrogs us into #23 (for losing at Maryland... by only 11?).

On Wichita State's loss on the road

[tweet]696546242516512768[/tweet]

Quote from: agibson on February 07, 2016, 10:13:19 PMPurdue leapfrogs us into #23 (for losing at Maryland... by only 11?).

Full disclosure - he was one of the only voters leaving them off his ballot, until now.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/story/college-basketball-bracket-busters-wisconsin-florida-kentucky-LSU-020316

10 sneaky-good college hoops teams that could be dangerous in March


4. Valparaiso. Quick: What program has the nation's top-ranked defensive efficiency on KenPom.com? I guess I gave it away by asking the question here: It's Bryce Drew's Valparaiso Crusaders. The Horizon League power is also the top mid-major program in KenPom.com's rankings (and no, I don't count Wichita State as a mid-major program, thank you very much). Led on offense by 6-foot-9 junior star Alec Peters and his 45.9 percent three-point shooting, Valpo simply swallows up opponents on defense, forcing tough shots (with an effective field-goal percentage on defense that ranks eighth in the country) and simply not allowing opponents to grab their own rebounds (only two teams in the country are better on the defensive glass). The definition of reliability.

I see the Coaches poll is out for 2/8:

Valpo in at 32... all alone with 14 votes

Others Receiving Votes: Notre Dame (16-7) 63; Gonzaga (19-5) 53; Duke (17-6) 40; St. Mary's (19-3) 28; Pittsburgh (17-5) 25; Seton Hall (17-6) 21; Valparaiso (20-4) 14; Louisville (19-4) 12; Monmouth (19-5) 12; Utah (17-7) 12; VCU (17-6) 8; LSU (15-8) 5; Saint Joseph's (19-4) 2; Stony Brook (19-4) 1; Clemson (14-9) 1; California (15-8) 1; Arkansas-Little Rock (21-2) 1

and the AP poll comes out as soon as I save the previous post...

All alone at #35

Others Receiving Votes: South Carolina (20-3) 128; Indiana (19-5) 91; Notre Dame (16-7) 75; San Diego State (18-6) 22; Seton Hall (17-6) 14; Duke (17-6) 14; Gonzaga (19-5) 10; VCU (17-6) 10; LSU (15-8) 10; Valparaiso (20-4) 9; Stony Brook (19-4) 8; St. Mary's (19-3) 6; Saint Joseph's (19-4) 5; NC-Wilmington (18-5) 4; Utah (17-7) 3; Hawaii (18-3) 3; George Washington (18-5) 2; Chattanooga (21-3) 2; Connecticut (17-6) 2; Monmouth (19-5) 1; Michigan (17-7) 1


BTW... is it me?  I can't find Butler Anywhere on either poll... Gee...  :twocents:

From 7/6 (points in AP/Coaches) to 9/14.  Increasing love for us among the coaches (not quite to our season max... which was probably 16 points?).  In the AP we're back up to where we were... after the Wright State loss.

Keep on winning...

Who jumped ahead of us this week? (Teams beaten ranks via KenPom)

AP Poll Edition:
Texas-  199pts (up from 1pt), Beat Baylor (29) and Texas Tech (59)
Duke- 14pts (up from 6pts), Beat GA Tech (61) and NC St. (64)
San Diego State- 22 (up from 1pt), Beat Colorado St (164) and New Mexico in OT (100)
LSU- 10 pts (up from 0pts), Beat Auburn (174) and Miss St (102)
Gonzaga- 10 pts(up from 0pts), Beat Loyola Marymount (253) and Pepperdine (124)


Coaches Poll Edition
Texas- 69 (up from 7pt), see AP Poll
Seton Hall- 21 (up from 1pt), Beat Marquette (109) and Georgetown (60)

Texas makes sense jumping us. Two top 75 wins will do it. Duke wasn't going to be behind us long, I'm kind of surprised they weren't back in the top 25. LSU is on top of the SEC right now, they'll come down to earth after games against South Carolina and Texas A&M this week.

The ones who surprise me are SDSU (I guess having Steve Fisher as your head coach you get a boost?), Gonzaga (everyone's Cinderella!) and Seton Hall. I'm pretty sure we could beat all of these teams on a neutral court and frankly I want to play LSU with Ben Simmons, that would be fun.

Crusaders are #1 in the Mid Major Top 25 poll

Opponents:
16. IPFW
20. Belmont
23. Oakland
RV: Wright St., Ball St.

College Insider ranks us #1 among mid-majors as of today, 02-08-16. So why do I think that more regular season loss will relegate us to "win your conference tournament or no bid" status?

Paul

Interesting Note on This Week's AP Poll... Several Teams in the RV Section have just one supporter that gave them an "atrociously high" ranking.

LSU has 10 points, which is good for T-32, but it is just one voter that ranked them as 16!!!
Stony Brook has 8 points, which is good for 36, but it is just two voters, one is a 25th place vote but the other is a 19th place vote!!
St. Joseph's has 5 points from just one 21st place vote.
UNC-Wilmington has 4 points from just one 22nd place vote. (And...it's Elton Alexander from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, you would think he would care about the HL more than the CAA... However, his voting is always so strange, he added us to his ballot at #23 after the Wright State loss.)

I am just grateful that we have 6 supporters this week with about a 12-18 that have given us a vote at some point this year. IMO, this gives us a chance, if we take care of business in the HL.

Stony Brook hasn't lost in nearly two months!

Quote from: hailcrusaders on February 08, 2016, 07:15:47 PMCrusaders are #1 in the Mid Major Top 25 poll

Nice! With more points, but not yet more first-place votes, than we've had all season. Interesting how different constituencies rank teams differently, e.g. how Gonzaga passed us in the big top 25, but here Arkansas-Little Rock is above them. And, indeed, their two-loss profile may start to attract attention nationally.

Quote
Opponents:
 16. IPFW
20. Belmont
 23. Oakland

I don't remember. How have the other Horizon League teams done this season? Surely a couple have been in the top 25... I actually have the records, but not the current motivation to check (not _that_ curious...)

Quote from: HC on February 08, 2016, 08:35:33 PM
Stony Brook hasn't lost in nearly two months!

They haven't! But, if we are complaining how bad the Horizon League is, Stony Brook has even more to complain about in the America East! They haven't lost in two months, but their RPI just dropped to 64 tonight with a win over Hartford. Valpo only has 260+ RPI anchors in Cleveland State and UIC. Stony Brook has (#262) Massachusetts-Lowell, (#302) Binghamton, (#304) Maine, (#313) Hartford, and (#328) UMBC. Yikes! So, it's little wonder that they haven't lost since the non-conference. They just have to worry about the other Top 100 RPI team in the Albany Great Danes and perhaps a few other teams with RPIs in the range similar to our Wright State, Milwaukee, and Green Bay that could pull an upset. http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Stony-Brook (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Stony-Brook)

But being biased here, our total resume is better than Stony Brook as they only have home wins against Hofstra and Albany. Not really Top 25 worthy, even with the two months of winning, IMO. See 2014-2015 Murray State for a great comparison. (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2015/schedule/Murray-State (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2015/schedule/Murray-State))

Quote from: agibson on February 08, 2016, 01:05:01 PM
From 7/6 (points in AP/Coaches) to 9/14.  Increasing love for us among the coaches (not quite to our season max... which was probably 16 points?).  In the AP we're back up to where we were... after the Wright State loss.

Keep on winning...

But not too handily or you'll emphasize how bad the conference is and have them downgrade you.  [/catch-22 sigh]

Quote from: HailVU2014 on February 08, 2016, 09:42:32 PM

Quote from: HC on February 08, 2016, 08:35:33 PM
Stony Brook hasn't lost in nearly two months!

They haven't! But, if we are complaining how bad the Horizon League is, Stony Brook has even more to complain about in the America East! They haven't lost in two months, but their RPI just dropped to 64 tonight with a win over Hartford. Valpo only has 260+ RPI anchors in Cleveland State and UIC. Stony Brook has (#262) Massachusetts-Lowell, (#302) Binghamton, (#304) Maine, (#313) Hartford, and (#328) UMBC. Yikes! So, it's little wonder that they haven't lost since the non-conference. They just have to worry about the other Top 100 RPI team in the Albany Great Danes and perhaps a few other teams with RPIs in the range similar to our Wright State, Milwaukee, and Green Bay that could pull an upset. http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Stony-Brook (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Stony-Brook)

But being biased here, our total resume is better than Stony Brook as they only have home wins against Hofstra and Albany. Not really Top 25 worthy, even with the two months of winning, IMO. See 2014-2015 Murray State for a great comparison. (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2015/schedule/Murray-State (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2015/schedule/Murray-State))

Yes, at the same time Stony Brook has known for a while what kind of conference they are in. They didn't beat a team from their conference 4 times at the same time that team was in the national championship game twice.

Early Afternoon....

Home Court Winning Streaks (after UNI beat Wichita State)

1. Kansas 39
2. Kentucky 34
3. Maryland 27
4. South Dakota State 26
4. UAB 26
6. Stephen F. Austin 25
6. Valparaiso 25  A win tonight we move to T4
8. Oregon 22
9. Oklahoma 19
10. Chattanooga 18

Defensive Points allowed per game
1. Arkansas-Little Rock 58.9
2. Virginia 59.6
3. Saint Mary's College 59.9
4. Louisville 60.3
5. San Diego State 60.5
6. Wichita State 60.6
7. Villanova 61.0    (60.9583)    TP 1,463 in 24 games
8. Valparaiso 61.0 (61.04348)   TP:  1,404 in 23 games; Hold WSU to 59 we move up
9. Old Dominion 61.5
10. Connecticut 61.5

Scoring Margin... I listed more than 10... because I liked the teams BELOW us !
1. Louisville +18.0
2. Michigan State +15.8
3. Saint Mary's College +15.7
4. SMU +15.4
5. Indiana +15.3
6. West Virginia +15.2
7. Villanova +14.9
8. Purdue +14.7
9. Gonzaga +14.0
10. Valparaiso +13.5
11. Arizona +13.3
12. North Carolina +13.3
13. Duke +13.0
14. Kansas +12.7
14. Oklahoma +12.7

Overall W/L Percentage
1. Dayton 87.5%
1. Maryland 87.5%
1. Villanova 87.5%
1. Xavier 87.5%
5. Oklahoma 87.0%
5. SMU 87.0%
7. Arkansas-Little Rock 86.4%
8. Hawaii 85.0%
9. Chattanooga 83.3%
9. Grand Canyon 83.3%
9. North Carolina 83.3%
9. Saint Joseph's 83.3%
9. South Carolina 83.3%
9. UAB 83.3%
9. Virginia 83.3%
16. Akron 82.6%
16. Kansas 82.6%
16. Miami (FL) 82.6%
16. Stony Brook 82.6%
16. Valparaiso 82.6%  a win tonight, we move to T9

I didn't expect it, but we still got one 25th place vote in the coaches poll.

A team can have a bad game or two, or an opponent with their number, why not? Tgank you coach! Name destined to remain unknown.

Our KenPom numbers took a hit but, to a computer for sure, it's only one game. Our defensive efficiency is in a virtual tie with Louisville, but we get the #2 slot.

Wichita State has also passed us, but now we're back in the driver's seat, #1 adjusted defensive efficiency.  (And right next to Notre Dame and their #1 offense in the overall KenPom, maybe we're at #26 overall.  But offense takes 125 to top the charts -25 points above average in 100 possessions- whereas defense is only 89.)

Rodney Dangerfield:  "I don't get not respect"...

Love this headline by the AP and carried on Yahoo Sports...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/quick-start-leads-valparaiso-past-western-kentucky-64-032641503--ncaab.html (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/quick-start-leads-valparaiso-past-western-kentucky-64-032641503--ncaab.html)

If I'm a Norse SID OR the Hilltopper SID, I might have something to say about this...

New Category !  19-way tie for 9th place... Consecutive Road Wins!

1. Villanova 8
2. Hawaii 6
3. Monmouth 5
3. Stephen F. Austin 5
5. East Tennessee State 4
5. High Point 4
5. Iona 4
5. Liberty 4
9. Alabama 3
9. Alcorn State 3
9. Arkansas-Little Rock 3
9. Army 3
9. Ball State 3
9. BYU 3
9. Fairfield 3
9. Kansas 3
9. Lehigh 3
9. Murray State 3
9. Navy 3
9. Ohio 3
9. Saint Mary's College 3
9. Seton Hall 3
9. South Carolina State 3
9. UC Santa Barbara 3
9. ULM 3
9. Valparaiso 3
9. Wagner 3

Defensive Points per game allowed...
slipped a little giving up 74 today...

1. Arkansas-Little Rock 58.8
2. Virginia 59.5
3. Wichita State 60.2
4. Saint Mary's College 60.4
5. San Diego State 60.5
6. Louisville 60.8
7. Villanova 61.5
8. Valparaiso 61.7
9. Cincinnati 61.8
10. Charleston 61.9

But we made up for it with a nice 16-pt margin today...
1. Louisville +16.6
2. Michigan State +15.8
3. Villanova +14.6
4. Saint Mary's College +14.4
5. SMU +14.2
6. Arizona +14.0
7. Indiana +13.7
8. Wichita State +13.5
9. North Carolina +13.5
10. West Virginia +13.3
11. Purdue +13.2
12. Valparaiso +13.0


Best Winning Percentage:

1. Villanova 88.9%
1. Xavier 88.9%
3. Arkansas-Little Rock 88.0%
4. Hawaii 87.0%
5. Grand Canyon 84.6%
5. Kansas 84.6%
5. SMU 84.6%
8. Saint Mary's College 84.0%
9. Arizona 81.5%
9. Chattanooga 81.5%
9. Maryland 81.5%
9. Michigan State 81.5%
9. North Carolina 81.5%
9. Saint Joseph's 81.5%
9. Valparaiso 81.5%

and lastly.. Most Wins!

1. Villanova 24 - 3
1. Xavier 24 - 3
3. Monmouth 23 - 6
4. Arkansas-Little Rock 22 - 3
5. Grand Canyon 22 - 4
5. Kansas 22 - 4
5. SMU 22 - 4
8. Arizona 22 - 5
8. Chattanooga 22 - 5
8. Maryland 22 - 5
8. Michigan State 22 - 5
8. North Carolina 22 - 5
8. Saint Joseph's 22 - 5
8. Valparaiso 22 - 5


A Banner day at the ARC!... I understand that the Athletics Department will make room for more of them, as needed.   

Quote from: talksalot on February 21, 2016, 04:43:34 PMNew Category !  19-way tie for 9th place... Consecutive Road Wins!

1. Villanova 8
2. Hawaii 6
3. Monmouth 5
3. Stephen F. Austin 5
5. East Tennessee State 4
5. High Point 4
5. Iona 4
5. Liberty 4
9. Alabama 3
...
9. Valparaiso 3
9. Wagner 3

A bit silly, but I guess we can claim a double share of the million-way tie for 3rd by virtue of ending Oakland's.  Otherwise they'd be at #1 with 9, after the UIC win.

Seth Davis is back to liking us (thank you Iona?) so we'll remain RV again, at least in the AP poll - last week was coaches only.

We're down to #5 in KenPom defensive efficiency.- lowest we've been in a -long- time.

Quote from: agibson on February 21, 2016, 08:29:30 PMSeth Davis is back to liking us (thank you Iona?) so we'll remain RV again, at least in the AP poll - last week was coaches only. We're down to #5 in KenPom defensive efficiency.- lowest we've been in a -long- time.

Yes, playing Oakland who is one of the best offenses in the country did not help.  We still have to play Green Bay who has hit 100 points several times this year, including their last game. 

We lost our one coach, but picked up Seth Davis along with a friend or two, for three points (probably that's tied for 37th, with St. Mary's ahead of us for example) in the AP poll.

It really does feel like there's a ton of group think in these things, demonstrated by that coach (or graduate student assistant or whatever) dropping us after all his friends did.  We're lucky to have Seth Davis, always public, early, and often supporting us.

Thinking of the irrationality of the process, it seems absurd, but it'd be really nice if our KenPom defensive efficiency could drop back down into #1 ahead of Selection Sunday. Would just be a nice thing to have as a talking point in the board room. I have a hunch that his calculations care more about points allowed than they do about wins/losses or even margin of victory. So, it might be hard to do against Green Bay (though if we could win 85-70 again... not going to be easier on the road.  Might have a better shot at burnishing our defensive numbers against Milwaukee?

Quote from: agibson on February 22, 2016, 01:07:22 PMpicked up Seth Davis along with a friend or two

Two friends, it turns out.  John Bohnenkamp from Iowa who voted for us, at least this season, only two weeks ago and today. And Elton Alexander from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who we've discussed.

We've somehow also crept up to #12 on Warren Nolan's "Nolan Power Index". Our highest rank all season. I don't know much about it.

http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Valparaiso (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/schedule/Valparaiso)
http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/npi (http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2016/npi)

so we end the Regular season...

Longest Road Winning streaks in country:

1. Hawaii 6
1. Iona 6
1. Stephen F. Austin 6
4. Valparaiso 5
4. High Point 5
4. Lehigh 5
4. Monmouth 5
4. UC Santa Barbara 5
4. ULM 5

Best Road Records in the Nation:

1. Saint Joseph's 9-1
2. Hawaii 6-1
3. Villanova 10-2
4. Gonzaga 9-2
5. Arkansas-Little Rock 12-3
6. San Diego State 8-2
7. Navy 11-3
8. Dayton 7-2
9. Monmouth 13-4
10. Valparaiso 12-4

Defensive Points per game allowed:

1. Arkansas-Little Rock 59.2
2. Wichita State 59.6
3. Virginia 60.2
4. Saint Mary's College 60.4
5. San Diego State 60.6
6. Louisville 61.2
7. Cincinnati 61.6
8. Old Dominion 62.0
9. Connecticut 62.1
10. Charleston 62.1
11. Valparaiso 62.4
12. Villanova 63.1
13. Michigan State 63.3


Overall Scoring Margin:

1. Michigan State +16.4
2. Louisville +15.4
3. Saint Mary's College +14.7
4. Wichita State +14.6
5. SMU +14.2
6. Indiana +14.1
7. Villanova +13.7
8. West Virginia +13.2
9. Purdue +12.9
10. North Carolina +12.8
11. Arizona +12.8
12. Gonzaga +12.7
13. Kansas +12.4
14. Stephen F. Austin +12.3
15. Valparaiso +12.3

Overall D1 Winning Percentage

1. Arkansas-Little Rock 88.9%
2. Villanova 86.2%
2. Xavier 86.2%
4. Kansas 85.7%
4. SMU 85.7%
6. Saint Mary's College 85.2%
7. Hawaii 84.0%
8. Valparaiso 82.8%
8. Michigan State 82.8%
8. Saint Joseph's 82.8%

so... looking at the Mid Major Top 25 College Insider...

What did the top teams do this week.

1.  Valpo. two wins. Beats Teams RPI 167 and 149 on the road, one in OT one by a basket.  26-5
2.  St. Marys, two wins.   Beat #249 by 25 at home, beat #220 on the road by 12, 26-3
3.  Ark-Little Rock, Home wins over #101 by 12, and #254 by 5....26-3
4.  Wichita State, Beat #233 on the road  by 21, and #106 at home by 16
5.  Monmouth, two wins at home #247 and #308, clinched conference title, 25-6
6.  Hawaii. Lost at home to #259 by 6, won at home over #260 by 11, 23-4
7.  Stephen F Austin, two games since last poll, Wins over #333 by 21 and #226 by 28,. 22-5
8.  Gonzaga - two road wins, #297 by 22 and #73 by 3; 23-7

Two points in the AP (Seth Davis had us #25, so should be two 25's) and six points in the Coaches Poll. Nice to recover some ground with the Coaches, a bit of a headscratcher we didn't gain a bit better with the writers. But, maybe they're circling the wagons. None for Monmouth, three for St. Mary's, two for Little Rock, just one for Dayton as they continue their descent.

For other national rankings, Vashil currently sits first in blocks, but with Odiase and others above him in BPG. Even blocks, regular season, won't hold with the Oregon guy with a couple of games to go.

http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php (http://www.collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25.php)

       RECORD   POINTS   PREVIOUS   
1.   Valparaiso (22)   26-5   758   1   Horizon
2.   Saint Mary's (3)   24-4   734   2   West Coast
3.   Little Rock (2)   26-3   702   3   Sun Belt
4.   Wichita State (3)   23-7   698   4   Missouri Valley
5.   Gonzaga (1)   22-7   636   8   West Coast
5.   Monmouth   25-6   636   5   Metro Atlantic
7.   Stephen F. Austin   22-5   540   7   Southland
8.   Hawaii   23-4   524   6   Big West
9.   Chattanooga   25-5   466   15   Southern
10.   Stony Brook   23-6   447   9   America East
11.   BYU   22-9   401   10   West Coast
12.   South Dakota State   23-7   399   16   Summit
13.   Evansville   23-8   383   12   Missouri Valley
14.   Princeton   20-5   362   19   Ivy League
15.   Akron   22-7   356   11   Mid-American
16.   Yale   20-6   263   20   Ivy League
17.   Grand Canyon   24-5   254   13   Western Athletic
18.   IPFW   23-8   231   14   Summit
19.   Belmont   20-10   140   17   Ohio Valley
20.   Weber State   22-7   139   22   Big Sky
21.   Albany   24-7   131   24   America East
22.   Iona   19-10   116   25   Metro Atlantic
23.   Northern Iowa   19-12   94   23   Missouri Valley
24.   Hofsta   22-8   91   NR   Colonial
25.   UNCW   22-7   87   18   Colonial


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Oakland 83, Southern Illinois 82, New Mexico State 77, UC Irvine 74, Siena 25, North Florida 24, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 15, High Point 11, UL Monroe 10, Ball State 9, James Madison 9, Winthrop 8, CSU Bakersfield 7, Ohio 7, UL Lafayette 7, Columbia 6, UT Arlington 5, ETSU 4, Illinois State 3, Pepperdine 3, Tennessee State 3, Vermont 3, William & Mary 3, Milwaukee 2, Wagner 2, Texas Southern 1.

It's funny how these polls individually have a fair bit of momentum, a lot of continuity from one week to the next, but can be quite different one from another.

We're getting a ton of love from this set of mid-major coaches, and almost none prefer Wichita State or St. Mary's. In the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, which includes some mid-major coaches, Wichita State and St. Mary's are #23 and #24. Wichita State is #28 in the AP Poll. Probably none, or almost none, of the voters for these polls prefer Valpo over Wichita State.

Quote from: agibson on February 29, 2016, 08:52:07 PM
It's funny how these polls individually have a fair bit of momentum, a lot of continuity from one week to the next, but can be quite different one from another.

We're getting a ton of love from this set of mid-major coaches, and almost none prefer Wichita State or St. Mary's. In the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, which includes some mid-major coaches, Wichita State and St. Mary's are #23 and #24. Wichita State is #28 in the AP Poll. Probably none, or almost none, of the voters for these polls prefer Valpo over Wichita State.

Yeah, I've thought this was odd as well...

Before the HL Tournament starts... the national records, etc...

1.  Most Wins:

1. Villanova 26 - 4
2. Monmouth 26 - 6
3. Arkansas-Little Rock 25 - 4
3. Kansas 25 - 4
3. SMU 25 - 4
3. Xavier 25 - 4
7. Michigan State 25 - 5
8. Saint Mary's College 24 - 4
9. Valparaiso 24 - 5
9. Chattanooga 24 - 5
9. Miami (FL) 24 - 5
9. UAB 24 - 5

2.  Defensive points per game allowed:

1. Wichita State 59.5
2. Virginia 60.1
3. Arkansas-Little Rock 60.2
4. San Diego State 60.4
5. Saint Mary's College 60.6
6. Louisville 60.9
7. Cincinnati 61.8
8. Charleston 62.2
9. Old Dominion 62.2
10. Valparaiso 62.4


3.  Scoring Margin:

1. Michigan State +16.9
2. Louisville +15.0
3. SMU +14.6
4. Saint Mary's College +14.5
5. Wichita State +14.3
6. Stephen F. Austin +14.0
7. Villanova +13.9
8. Indiana +13.8
9. West Virginia +13.5
10. Purdue +13.1
11. Kansas +13.0
12. Gonzaga +12.7
13. North Carolina +12.5
14. Arizona +12.4
15. Valparaiso +12.3


4.  Winning Percentage D1 Games

1. Villanova 86.7%
2. Arkansas-Little Rock 86.2%
2. Kansas 86.2%
2. SMU 86.2%
2. Xavier 86.2%
6. Saint Mary's College 85.7%
7. Hawaii 84.6%
8. Michigan State 83.3%
9. Valparaiso 82.8%
9. Chattanooga 82.8%
9. Miami (FL) 82.8%
9. UAB 82.8%





[/b]

To add a couple to that set (from WarrenNolan?), here are a few from NCAA.

Rebounding Margin
RANK   TEAM    GM   REB   RPG   OPP REB   OPP RPG   REB MAR
1   Michigan St.   30   1271   42.4   912   30.4   12.0
2   Purdue           30   1247   41.6   917   30.6   11.0
3   Yale                   27   1092   40.4   797   29.5   10.9
4   SMU                   29   1141   39.3   839   28.9   10.4
5   Arizona           30   1206   40.2   909   30.3   9.9
6   Valparaiso           31   1297   41.8   992   32.0   9.8

Field Goal Percent Defense

RANK   TEAM    GM   REB   RPG   OPP REB   OPP RPG   REB MAR
1   Michigan St.   30   1271   42.4   912   30.4   12.0
2   Purdue           30   1247   41.6   917   30.6   11.0
3   Yale                   27   1092   40.4   797   29.5   10.9
4   SMU                   29   1141   39.3   839   28.9   10.4
5   Arizona           30   1206   40.2   909   30.3   9.9
6   Valparaiso           31   1297   41.8   992   32.0   9.8

And scoring margin bumps to #8 when you include our non-D1 games (which NCAA.com does). Points allowed to #7.

For advanced states, our adjusted defensive efficiency from KenPom seems to have slipped a bit while we've been not playing, currently at 91.6 which is good for #4, where we've been sitting for a while.

[tweet]706670650610552832[/tweet]

Keeps us at #25, no big surprise. Giving us a solid two months of receiving votes.

He'd also leave Wichita State out of the tournament.

Nice to keep a few AP votes even after Selection Sunday. Three points, good for a tie for #37. Familiar faces, but Graham Couch _added_ us after the HL tournament loss (#25 and has Monmouth at #24). Elton Alexander kept us at #24. Seth Davis dropped us, so just as well, probably, that he didn't do his traditional "feeding of the trolls" Sunday night (I suppose he was distracted by the NCAA bracket, etc.; had announce in advance that it was done for the season).

I'd not noticed that Dick Vitale added us in the hour before our HL tourney loss. First time this season.

I guess noone reported on last week.  Bigger things on our minds. A solid showing, a season high #30 (tied) in the coaches poll, and #33 in the AP (7 points: Dick Vitale and Elton Alexander #24, Chris Goff, Seth Davis, Tod Palmer #25).

There is another, post-tournament?, coaches poll. So, who knows? Unlikely, perhaps, but make some noise in the NIT and see what happens.

No more polls until after the tournament, but KenPom and many of the RPI sites continue to update.

The Texas Southern game, mid-tier Horizon type opponent, at home, looks like it was largely a wash.

The Florida State game helped our RPI (Opponents-opponents win percentage I guess), now back up to 42, about where it was before the HL tournament.

In KenPom we've ben kind of treading water. Our defensive numbers slipping a bit, our offense improving. Currently #13 defense (Wichita State hangs on to #1), #101 offense, #35 overall (just behind St. Mary's).

Quote from: agibson on March 18, 2016, 12:44:35 PMThe Florida State game helped our RPI (Opponents-opponents win percentage I guess), now back up to 42, about where it was before the HL tournament.

In KenPom we've ben kind of treading water. Our defensive numbers slipping a bit, our offense improving. Currently #13 defense (Wichita State hangs on to #1), #101 offense, #35 overall (just behind St. Mary's).

Well, that helped our RPI. Up to #35.

Our KenPom numbers were, a bit mysteriously, falling while we weren't playing. I suspect they'll improve after tonight.

Shortly after Florida State we were around:

Quote from: agibson on March 18, 2016, 12:44:35 PMIn KenPom we've ben kind of treading water. Our defensive numbers slipping a bit, our offense improving. Currently #13 defense (Wichita State hangs on to #1), #101 offense, #35 overall (just behind St. Mary's).

Before tonight, we'd somehow fallen to #42 overall, #14 defense. St. Mary's was at #32 overall, #15 offense.

After tonight we just about change places. We're at #32 overall, #7 defense (our offense slid slightly).  St. Mary's to #43 overall, #22 offense (their defense improved slightly).

I suppose that's what happens when you hold a good offensive team 15 points below their _lowest_ score of the season.  _29_ points below their average. Wow.

(And KenPom's only tracking two basketball games in the country tonight...)

Did pick up two points in the coaches poll to end the season.

(Fell to fifth in the mid-major coaches poll, while still edging the others in first-place votes, picking up more of those than anybody but Gonzaga, who was #1 by some margin.)