The Ramblers are 20-point favorites for Valpo/Loyola 2.0. This is the biggest underdog spread I can recall against a conference opponent, going all the way back to our Mid Con days.
I hope I'm wrong, but I have almost no glass-half-full optimism about this one.
Ramble on...
Quote from: wh on February 16, 2021, 04:43:02 PM
The Ramblers are 20-point favorites for Valpo/Loyola 2.0. This is the biggest underdog spread I can recall against a conference opponent, going all the way back to our Mid Con days.
I hope I'm wrong, but I have almost no glass-half-full optimism about this one.
I thought the Smith years were all 20 point dogs
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: covufan on February 16, 2021, 06:31:02 PM
Quote from: wh on February 16, 2021, 04:43:02 PM
The Ramblers are 20-point favorites for Valpo/Loyola 2.0. This is the biggest underdog spread I can recall against a conference opponent, going all the way back to our Mid Con days.
I hope I'm wrong, but I have almost no glass-half-full optimism about this one.
I thought the Smith years were all 20 point dogs
LOL! Probably true. I wasn't thinking quite that far back. I started taking Valpo basketball seriously when Dave Redmon and Casey Schmidt arrived on the scene in the early '90's.
If Matt has a masterminded adjustment for Loyola then he should probably sit on it until the MVC tournament. ;) So if he sits on adjustment plan A then we could see adjustments B and C and crazy experiment X and that 20 point spread could quickly grow to 35. ::) I'm not a sports betting guy but I think I just predicted that those 20 points look pretty comfortable.
Tom Smith losing big at Hilltop - such great memories...
Quote from: justducky on February 16, 2021, 07:51:21 PM
If Matt has a masterminded adjustment for Loyola then he should probably sit on it until the MVC tournament. ;) So if he sits on adjustment plan A then we could see adjustments B and C and crazy experiment X and that 20 point spread could quickly grow to 35. ::) I'm not a sports betting guy but I think I just predicted that those 20 points look pretty comfortable.
I think you must remember that this team almost beat Drake twice, albeit it was probably during a Drake slump, but almost anything can happen. Don't count any team completely out in the MVC.
Wait, this is the same Loyola that was in the Horizon League with us?
Albeit unlikely, this is a chance for Valpo to achieve two wins against top 25 teams in the same season for the first time.
Quote from: bbtds on February 16, 2021, 09:01:04 PMI think you must remember that this team almost beat Drake twice, albeit it was probably during a Drake slump, but almost anything can happen. Don't count any team completely out in the MVC.
So you are thinking that we play hounding defense with Krikke, Clay and Edwards never missing and thus we beat the point spread! :o Got it ! How much did you wager? ???
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 16, 2021, 09:06:48 PMWait, this is the same Loyola that was in the Horizon League with us?
Not quite... One program got to the MVC and got serious about basketball. The other one got to the MVC and didn't get serious about basketball. I'll leave it to you to fill in the blanks.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 16, 2021, 09:27:03 PMAlbeit unlikely, this is a chance for Valpo to achieve two wins against top 25 teams in the same season for the first time.
While that would be truly amazing I don't see it happening. This Loyola team might seriously be better than the one that was in the Final 4 four years ago, They're that good. I saw a graphic when they played Drake and this team not only compares very favorable to the metrics of that Final 4 team it even exceeds them. If Moser keeps them focused and motivated to play they should have no trouble, especially since we're not a great matchup for them as evidenced by the shellacking they gave us earlier this year. Let us also not forget that the team that beat Loyola last year had decent senior leadership and a certain someone named JFL who is now playing elsewhere. We'll be lucky to cover.
Ok, if we win at Loyola, will the #FireLottich crowd put off their demands until next season?
Quote from: valpotx on February 16, 2021, 11:48:47 PM
Ok, if we win at Loyola, will the #FireLottich crowd put off their demands until next season?
This crowd will come back the next horrible game Lottich coaches. For the record, I'm not in this crowd, especially during this Covid19 year. Lottich does need to move the pendulum in the opposite direction.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bigger problems than Lottich with the Valpo basketball program.
Quote from: valpotx on February 16, 2021, 11:48:47 PM
Ok, if we win at Loyola, will the #FireLottich crowd put off their demands until next season?
I'd be wondering why a team talented enough to beat a ranked Loyola at-large team lost so many other games this season.
Quote from: a3uge on February 17, 2021, 11:15:07 AMQuote from: valpotx on February 16, 2021, 11:48:47 PMOk, if we win at Loyola, will the #FireLottich crowd put off their demands until next season?
I'd be wondering why a team talented enough to beat a ranked Loyola at-large team lost so many other games this season.
Then perhaps you're already worried seeing as this team was talented enough to beat a ranked at-large caliber Drake team?
I don't see a way we win this one. We have no answer for Krutwig down low.
On a positive note, assuming we don't win tonight, the last four games of the season are all very winnable. Hopefully we put a good effort in tonight to set us up for a good final stretch, which could get us to .500 in conference if we win out those final 4 games. Which, given how the year started, would be a huge victory and likely put us at a 4 or 5 seed.
But then again, the more likely scenario is we win 1 of the remaining 5 games. But let's be positive here. Go Crusad... damnit.. I mean, Go Valpo!
Quote from: wh on February 16, 2021, 04:43:02 PM
The Ramblers are 20-point favorites for Valpo/Loyola 2.0. This is the biggest underdog spread I can recall against a conference opponent, going all the way back to our Mid Con days.
I hope I'm wrong, but I have almost no glass-half-full optimism about this one.
If you are going to continue to start the game threads in an effort to *start* using "Crusaders," can you at least flip the icon to game thread? Thanks.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2021, 12:42:37 PM
Quote from: a3uge on February 17, 2021, 11:15:07 AMQuote from: valpotx on February 16, 2021, 11:48:47 PMOk, if we win at Loyola, will the #FireLottich crowd put off their demands until next season?
I'd be wondering why a team talented enough to beat a ranked Loyola at-large team lost so many other games this season.
Then perhaps you're already worried seeing as this team was talented enough to beat a ranked at-large caliber Drake team?
Fair, but Loyola seems much better overall than Drake. They're legit this year.
Quote from: valpo04 on February 17, 2021, 04:31:28 PM
Quote from: wh on February 16, 2021, 04:43:02 PM
The Ramblers are 20-point favorites for Valpo/Loyola 2.0. This is the biggest underdog spread I can recall against a conference opponent, going all the way back to our Mid Con days.
I hope I'm wrong, but I have almost no glass-half-full optimism about this one.
If you are going to continue to start the game threads in an effort to *start* using "Crusaders," can you at least flip the icon to game thread? Thanks.
Presumably, you find my intentional use of "Crusaders" personally off putting enough to bring it up, so out of respect for you as a fair minded board administrator I'll discontinue using it.
Quote from: wh on February 17, 2021, 05:37:35 PMPresumably, you find my intentional use of "Crusaders" personally off putting enough to bring it up, so out of respect for you as a fair minded board administrator I'll discontinue using it.
It goes against my nature to bury anything that isn't dead but in this case I will also respect minority opinion and try to be a good boy also. :'(
Go Vulcans!
Matchups and you have to play for 40 minutes to defeat Loyola.
Well...17 minutes in and we're still in the game...
Gave up another 3 pointer right before half. Cuts our lead into 3.
No Sackey?
When Loyola played Drake, Drake was missing their leading scorer who is out with a broken foot. Can't remember his name but he was very good against us.
Good first half. I was just hoping they'd keep it close and interesting.
Wish the announcers would bring up the HL record against each other.
3 wide open Loyola 3 pointers are 100% Clay's fault. He is out of position so often it is embarrassing.
Need some open shots here or 1v1 mismatches. Need some buckets last 3 minutes.
Bad call
Foul?
Ugh. Wish we could have hit a few more FTs.
Tough loss for the Crusaders... Not so sure about that final foul call on the offensive rebound, but it's hard to win only scoring 52 points. It's been good to see Zion start to play really well. A shame he's likely done after this year. Can't help but be optimistic about the future of this team, but I'm trying to keep it a cautious level of optimism. Go Valpo!
I am sorry, nobody will be convincing me that call wasn't intentional to keep the 2 bid valley alive. Atrocious.
Tonight's starting lineup is what I have been recommending: Edwards for Sackey and Krikke in the 4 position. It allows for better spacing and defensive matchups. I hope we continue with this in the future.
Valpo Mantra , "oh what a moral victory" ughhh I despise Porter Moser , he's a bitch , complains constantly to the refs n Lottich doesn't say a word . Classic Lottich n Valpo. So inconsistent this season , why can't we play with that intensity all season ?? Great games from Zion n Goodnews !
Heartbreaker. Just like last year. Listened to both those games on the radio.
3 solid games against top 25 teams. Just wish we could come to play/ coach like this every night. If we did, we could be a top 4 MVC team.
What a great effort. Great prep by Lottich and staff and the kids fought hard. They deserved a win against the 22nd ranked team on Loyola's home court. The youngsters are playing well. Hopefully they will be able to do it more consistently as they get more experience.
Have to ask: where was Sackey? Not that I think he would have made a difference.
Tough ending on a tough call. Much better game than I expected. The team played really well but gave too many open three looks that Loyola knocked down. Still, if we knock down our free throws we would have won. Great game from Zion and Goodnews. The team seemed much more under control for most of the game with Sackey out, and except for a few key times, much better on the boards.
Great effort by the Valpo Men's Basketball Team (just doesn't flow well)!
If Lottich can keep the team playing like this, we have some good games coming up in Arch Madness
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The one announcer was a complete ass. Has to be one of the worst I've heard in awhile. Was that Kaplan?
How has this team which has gotten swept by Evansville and won only one non conference D1 game in addition to getting absolutely thrashed by Bradley in a game also come within an eyelash of three victories against top 25 teams securing one? I am absolutely dumbfounded. Are we better than we showed earlier in the year? Is Lottich actually right when he says that we are building something special?
Ouch!
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1362237937879035910?s=21
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Chairback on February 17, 2021, 09:09:01 PM
The one announcer was a complete ass. Has to be one of the worst I've heard in awhile. Was that Kaplan?
Yep. I cannot stand him
Start Morgan and Gordon in the back court. They play under control and defend ball screens well. Game came down to 50/50 balls and missed free throws. Loyola escapes on an off night. Team is improving and played hard on both sides of the ball for 40 minutes.
Quote from: covufan on February 17, 2021, 09:14:36 PMOuch! [tweet]1362237937879035910[/tweet]?s=21 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oof... Minimal at best contact. I probably would have let that one go if I were officiating.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 16, 2021, 11:14:01 PMQuote from: oklahomamick on February 16, 2021, 09:06:48 PMWait, this is the same Loyola that was in the Horizon League with us?
Not quite... One program got to the MVC and got serious about basketball. The other one got to the MVC and didn't get serious about basketball. I'll leave it to you to fill in the blanks. Quote from: vu84v2 on February 16, 2021, 09:27:03 PMAlbeit unlikely, this is a chance for Valpo to achieve two wins against top 25 teams in the same season for the first time.
While that would be truly amazing I don't see it happening. This Loyola team might seriously be better than the one that was in the Final 4 four years ago, They're that good. I saw a graphic when they played Drake and this team not only compares very favorable to the metrics of that Final 4 team it even exceeds them. If Moser keeps them focused and motivated to play they should have no trouble, especially since we're not a great matchup for them as evidenced by the shellacking they gave us earlier this year. Let us also not forget that the team that beat Loyola last year had decent senior leadership and a certain someone named JFL who is now playing elsewhere. We'll be lucky to cover.
I'll eat this one... Very bad prediction by me... Maybe I have been unfair... Maybe Lottich isn't as bad a coach as I've made him out to be in my mind... Maybe we really are getting better... I just wish I could see stronger more consistent evidence of that... We'd better put it all together next year though. This kind of inconsistency should not be acceptable next season.
I'll start by saying this, after watching this game, there should be no reason Sackey starts another game the rest of the season. Zion looks far more controlled at the point and seems to run the offense more effectively.
I really don't understand this team though, one game we look like world beaters and the next we look like a D-III school. I really hope Ognocivic gets a start down at SIU this weekend, him and Krikke on the court at the same time seems to open up the offense more.
As painful as the end call was, we played well enough to win. Am I getting tired of moral victories, absolutely. But after getting slammed at home by this same team, to almost go into their place and pulling the upset, I'm optimistic for these last two weeks.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2021, 09:38:23 PMMaybe Lottich isn't as bad a coach as I've made him out to be in my mind... Maybe we really are getting better... I just wish I could see stronger more consistent evidence of that... We'd better put it all together next year though. This kind of inconsistency should not be acceptable next season.
I'm not yet worried about next season. I'm more worried about which team Matt will take down to Carbondale. Maybe he should schedule two team buses so that both teams can make the trip? ;)
Goodnews and Zion might be hard to remove from the lineup. Their shots are falling, their confidence is building, and their tandem defensive pressure is starting to impress me. JO also did a decent job against Krutwig even before help arrived. Given time he should mature into a solid MVC defender.
Let next year be the year Matt Lottich proves me and the rest of his doubters and detractors wrong. And Let next year be the year that he proves MLB's faith in him was well-placed! I will happily admit that I was wrong when he shows me the evidence that I was. Show me that evidence Matt! Next year should be the year. We certainly have the talent on the roster and coming in to finally do it, especially since there will be a changing of the guard of sorts in the MVC with the schools we've gotten used to seeing at or near the top possibly descending just a little bit. The opportunity is there Matt just has to capitalize on it. Go Valpo!
Great game plan heading into this one. It was evident that we were not going to let Krutwig beat us, so we were willingly giving up an eventual wide open 3, each time we double or triple teamed Cameron on the low block. We were fortunate that they were not hitting them in the first half, as they sure hit some key 3's late in the second half. This was excellent preparation by Lottich and the guys. It was a pick-your-poison type of decision. I think that if we didn't double or triple team, Krutwig eats us alive again down low, and the score is worse than a 2 point loss. He has such patience and poise when he has the entire defense around him, and always finds the open guy. Kind of like when Vlade Divac used to eat defenses alive with his passing.
Morgan played out of his mind today. His form is still abysmal, but he was shooting it on target, and seems to have a much better confidence over these last few games. He is such a lanky dribbler, that he scares the crap out of me when he dribbles straight into or out of a double team, but never seems to panic. I know that he is in control, but something with his long limbs and high dribble, causes me to think that he is going to cough it up every time lol. On the defensive end, the dude can straight up play, and is up there with JFL's ability to get the timely interception or steal, and just be up in their grill all game long.
To be fair to the refs, if you extend your arms on a rebounder, you are going to get that push call each time. As the announcer pointed out, it wasn't even needed, with the positioning and height that Goodnews had/has. At a minimum, he would have ended up with a tip attempt, even if it wasn't a clean catch-and-shoot, without extending his arm. I am surprised that we don't get called for more fouls, but there seems to be less focus on the NCAA's initiative a few years back, of calling hand checks. Anyone else remember 2-3 seasons back, where if you extended the arm on the offensive player, who was driving or posting up on you, it was an automatic ticky-tack foul? I still yell at the screen/monitor any time that I see our guys reach out at the offensive player versus up, thinking that they are going to call the foul, but they never do. Even my 6 year old says, 'hands up, not out,' when watching us play :).
We got the shot that we wanted at the end of the game, so it was drawn up and executed well, other than the shot being slightly off. It was evident that we wanted it to be Krikke, and the guys were patient enough to let him get open, rather than what we have seen in the past in these types of situations. I can remember many seasons where our last play first option is not immediately open, and it results in a last second and off balance heave, or no shot at all.
Either way, that was a fun one. We have shown to the league that we belong, and can both make a run in the MVC tournament again, or be a 1-and-done team. I am leaning towards the former. Good effort, guys!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=G9qa9X773Ok&feature=share
1. Krikke had a wide open look and needs to hit that shot.
2. The Loyola player didn't box either Valpo player out. So extended arm or not I do not make that call as a ref for a guy who stood between 2 valpo players and didn't box either of them out.
3. Clay has to play better. Other guys are stepping up and it is time for Clay to get his sh** together. He missed several defensive assignments in this game and had a few really bad turnovers. I still think he is our best player if he can get himself out of this mental funk.
That's a foul in real-time, but slowed down it looks egregious. Tough break.
Quote from: valpo64 on February 17, 2021, 07:53:33 PM
When Loyola played Drake, Drake was missing their leading scorer who is out with a broken foot. Can't remember his name but he was very good against us.
Hemphill.
I like the look without Daniel. We are much bigger and that has been an issue with Sackey, let alone his shooting. Loyola is legit and we almost beat them at their place. Compared to the first game it was night and day. Add the big guards coming in and we should be in a place able to compete for a title.
minutes shooting points
Morgan. 28 6-9 15
Kpegeol. 24 5-7 10
Edwards. 20. 2-6 05
I had to check the boxscore to verify my visual observation of how little Sheldon was asked to contribute offensively. I suspect that Matt might have stressed (successfully) that he play within his game. Obviously he, Clay, Gordon and McMilan were all covered well.
I didn't catch why Sackey wasn't playing.
I don't exactly recall but I think he was either in pain or causing pain. ;) Whatever, it sounded minor and might be an ankle. Sounded like he wouldn't be out long.
Quote from: justducky on February 18, 2021, 08:06:35 PM
I don't exactly recall but I think he was either in pain or causing pain. ;) Whatever, it sounded minor and might be an ankle. Sounded like he wouldn't be out long.
The announcers said he injured an ankle during practice on Monday. Didn't say how badly.
I love seeing this team play without Sackey in the lineup. We play 4 against 5 when he is in the game. Like this new lineup. Like to see JO continue to improve. Being only a freshman, he did quite well against one of the all-time best MVC big men . Now we need that good play on an everyday basis but that will come with experience during the rest of this year. It is exciting to watch these young , inexperienced guys get better and better even though it isn't on an every-outing basis. Go Valpo CRUSADERS!