12/8 Valpo v. New Mexico

[wh]

Fresh perspective on things.  Nice post.

[DMvalpo18]

LaPortAveApostle, Brilliant sir. I like it.

[MattCarter]

Got my haircut today, thanks Matt.  That is pretty much a guaranteed Valpo Victory #itsonlyweirdifitdoesn'twork

Short hair cuts create a more level surface to allow for better rotation of Rowdy's three point shot

[Smj]

I know we have a thread on watching games but i am wondering if anyone has any info on how we can watch today's game on TV?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

SMJ:  http://www.vipboxsports.eu/basketball/111965/1/valparaiso-vs-new-mexico--live-stream-online.html

wh, DMV:  thank you.

Matt, my long-lost singing buddy:  While I want to believe you, the kid still looks like this.


So.

[HC]

Maybe is already been mentioned, New Mexico hasn't lost a home game in December in 8 years. Valpo is a 10 point dog today. This is a recipe for an upset.

[Cliston94]

I would love to see Valpo actually beat somebody it isn't supposed to beat, but until it actually happens again (and I think the last time was probably when VU beat Ohio State in, what, 2001-02?), I'll believe it when I see it. This program is a good, solid mid-major program, but it never built on the momentum of its Sweet 16 run the way other programs such as Gonzaga, Xavier and Butler have done. I'm not sure why, but it just hasn't happened. It's a chicken-and-egg thing, but Valpo is never going to be on that level if it can't start winning these kinds of games. VU just always seems to play badly against most of the top teams or "name" teams on its schedule. The game at Nebraska was a disgrace. Nebraska's slow and not especially talented, but VU came out and played without any kind of confidence, poise or discipline; I couldn't believe the bad shots, the airballs, the turnovers. It was awful. The Crusaders finally made a run at the end only when it was too late -- i.e., when the pressure was off, and they stopped being psyched out and just played basketball. And that, I think, is the key: they get on a Big Ten team's court, or up against a Top 20 team, and they make a bunch of mental mistakes they don't make against schools "on their level." It's a head game. When they can get past this psychological barrier they seem to have, they'll start winning some of these games. Until then -- New Mexico 77, Valpo 54.

[vuweathernerd]

as much as i'd love to see a win, i don't see it happening on the road against a ranked opponent. not with how flat we've looked in recent games.

[MattCarter]

SMJ:  http://www.vipboxsports.eu/basketball/111965/1/valparaiso-vs-new-mexico--live-stream-online.html wh, DMV:  thank you. Matt, my long-lost singing buddy:  While I want to believe you, the kid still looks like this. So.

But HC looks sharp!  Quit beein' so snooty.  Just like back in da day when ya got all the good solos.  Couldn't give a brother a chance at all.  I'd like to say we made fun of ya or had a clever nickname, alas we didn't plan ahead.   

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I'd like to say we made fun of ya or had a clever nickname, alas we didn't plan ahead.

literally laughing

thanks bro.

[Smj]

Turnovers....  Totally unforced....    (9 first half turnovers)

[milanmiracle]

Turnovers....  Totally unforced....    (9 first half turnovers)

Well, from what I can tell Ryan is carrying the team as he has 13 of their 25 points.

[vu84v2]

3:45 left.  1 Offensive rebound and 23 turnovers.  To be a very good mid-major program, you have to be much much better than that.  This team looks lost on offense and has for many games this season.

[leftcoast]

Perhaps one of you long time Valpo fans/posters could answer this question - why does Valpo always play to expectations?  The BB teams (past 10 years, or so) lose to the better out of conference teams they play and usually beat the mid-major teams they are expected to.  Rarely an upset in either the win or loss column. Am I off base here or is there a culture of mediocrity? Still living off the Sweet 16 run? Should fans be satisfied with simply being a competitive Horizon league team? 

[truth219]

Valpo is a 1 trick pony

[mj]

23 turnover. Ben Boggs didn't even show up. This team is a mess right now. Thank goodness Ryan showed up or the score would have looked like the women's game against Louisville.

Something happened in the championship game against Detroit last year that's still with this team. Since then this team has played like crap. We need to turn this around soon.

[vu84v2]

leftcoast - I never think that Valpo's problems are a lack of effort.  Frankly, its always there.  I also don't think that they get psychologically overwhelmed when they play in a big road arena (no more than anyone else does). 

I think that the problem Valpo often has is that there are not enough options down low offensively and not enough overall offensive options.  Broekhoff is clearly a very good D1 player, but a good defensive team from a major conference takes him away (and he still went for 24 tonight).  Van Wijk is a nice mid-major player, but he can't match up with larger and more mobile big men - he goes from being a 15-20 ppg scorer to 8-10.  Having a point guard that can shoot would really help too, but the other guards don't create their own shot and they are not quick enough to beat guards and small forwards from major teams.

[KL31NY]

Any idea who was guarding Williams? We somehow kept their leading scorer from making a field goal, he scored five points, all at the free throw line

[truth219]

Effort alone doesn't get you anywhere, gotta have talent. I agree we've been lost since detroit ran us out of the arc.

[valpopal]

Unbelievable: Valpo loses to a top-20 team in front of 16,000 fans on their court, and a few people here are panicked. The team stats are respectable, shooting about 50% from the field and 45% from the 3-point line, and rebounding was almost even. The difference was turnovers plus fouls, many of which resulted from the turnovers. I don't know what everyone expected, but I called it a 12-point loss in my prediction, which is what it would have been if Buggs hadn't given that last second foul. Valpo is not a top-20 team, but we will be in contention for the Horizon League championship, which is the main goal, and I don't expect to see 23 turnovers in conference games.

As I mentioned in my predictions, the week-long final exams break will be welcome, hopefully allowing players to get healthy and Dority to join the team. The span of games after finals and before the New Year will be a transition period preparing for conference play, and the real season begins with the first conference game in January. I expected nothing more nor less. In fact, the team's won-lost record at this point is exactly as I expected. Would I have liked a big upset? Sure. But realistically this team is focused on getting to the NCAA tournament through a regular season and conference tournament title, and they are still on track at this point.

[truth219]

Unbelievable: Valpo loses to a top-20 team in front of 16,000 fans on their court, and a few people here are panicked. The team stats are respectable, shooting about 50% from the field and 45% from the 3-point line, and rebounding was almost even. The difference was turnovers plus fouls, many of which resulted from the turnovers. I don't know what everyone expected, but I called it a 12-point loss in my prediction, which is what it would have been if Buggs hadn't given that last second foul. Valpo is not a top-20 team, but we will be in contention for the Horizon League championship, which is the main goal, and I don't expect to see 23 turnovers in conference games.

As I mentioned in my predictions, the week-long final exams break will be welcome, hopefully allowing players to get healthy and Dority to join the team. The span of games after finals and before the New Year will be a transition period preparing for conference play, and the real season begins with the first conference game in January. I expected nothing more nor less. In fact, the team's won-lost record at this point is exactly as I expected. Would I have liked a big upset? Sure. But realistically this team is focused on getting to the NCAA tournament through a regular season and conference tournament title, and they are still on track at this point.

You must like watching valpo play in the CBI tournament, because one loss in the conferance tourney and that's where we will be. Its not the fact that we lost to a ranked opponent. It the fact that we looked like a bad basketball team.

[HC]

Not a terrible performance, except on the offensive end by everyone not named Broekhoff.  Over 20 turnovers is not acceptable regardless of who you are playing.  http://sectionee.blogspot.com/2012/12/game-wrap-up-new-mexico.html

I'm excited to see Dority play Saturday and hope that these next couple weeks this team will really mesh together and guys will figure out what the heck they are supposed to be doing on the court.  We need someone to score when Ryan is resting or triple teamed.

[78crusader]

Fellas, we're just not gonna have the kind of year we were expecting/hoping for.

Paul

[HC]

How about them UIC Flames 

Kevin has played ok, but when Ryan needs a breather there hasn't been anyone able to fill in for those few minutes.  Other teams don't have to keep looking around for that scorer.  Who's it going to be? Will hit a couple early shots tonight, Boggs didn't do anything offensively, Capo can't play many minutes yet, Coleman isn't the streaky shooter Jay was, and Rossi is MIA.  If they can't find the answer we will be looking up at a couple teams in the conference standings.

[Smj]

Fellas, we're just not gonna have the kind of year we were expecting/hoping for.

Paul

I am starting to accept this... But I would just like to see an upset.   

We just look lost out there.   This many seniors should not turnover the ball this much.   also, other players need to step up - Ryan's back has got to be getting sore from carrying the team.