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Also this is the first I've heard of 22 MVC games all the reports I saw indicated 20 games. I'm not sure I'd advocate for 22 games unless it was the only way to keep all non D1 games confined to the exhibition portion of the schedule where they belong. Really I think 20 should be more than enough to accomplish that but what do I know?

If Valpo were to lose 2 conference games out of 22 assuming that every team would play each opponent in conference twice home and away how would you propose deciding which two opponents Valpo would only play once? Would it be fair if Valpo only had to play Missouri State once and Northern Iowa once? With Donovan Clay playing for MOST (531 miles) and Northern Iowa (342 miles) would that make sense? Or should we only play Murray State (411 miles) and Belmont (443 miles) once each?

I don't know how the conference will decide on the schedule ultimately I just know that less non conference opportunities is more than likely a hindrance if the league aspires to get multiple bids (not that I think that that's really possible this year though I suppose it could be). I also do not believe that the double round robin should be treated as this immutable sacrosanct thing that cannot be done away with. Many conferences at our level (A-10 Mountain West WCC to name a few) that are successful at getting at large bids do not have a double round robin. I doubt the decision will come down to travel but ensuring that the best most compelling potential matchups are preserved. Additionally, I am sure that consideration is given to protecting the best teams (based on the perceived strength of the roster) that have the best chance at receiving at large bids from too many resume dings. This is precisely what Gonzaga fought for when they ultimately decided to stay in the WCC instead of moving to the Mountain West. More teams can actually be a benefit because it can provide that insulation and create a slight boost to a team's overall metrics and resume. This was one reason why I was (and remain) a huge proponent of expansion if the right teams are available. The more good teams that are in the league the better the league is and the stronger the league is perceived by outside observers. It does not matter where those games are played or how far apart the schools are.

Also this is the first I've heard of 22 MVC games all the reports I saw indicated 20 games. I'm not sure I'd advocate for 22 games unless it was the only way to keep all non D1 games confined to the exhibition portion of the schedule where they belong. Really I think 20 should be more than enough to accomplish that but what do I know?

I love the idea of seeing plenty of MAC teams on the schedule. It's a comparable league in basketball strength to the MVC and therefore a good litmus test as we figure out how competitive we can be in league play this year. Plus the geography is good for low travel cost high interest games that might boost attendance somewhat. I don't know how many MAC school alumni are in the area but there's gotta be at least a few.

Point taken but who's to say that he isn't the coach in waiting in Spokane as Few's successor?

Future Valpo Coach. Saying it now. Either Jake or Roger Powell. https://twitter.com/ohiostatehoops/status/1522228994019536899?s=21&t=xG42Wu0CRuQFT3HZiwUfQg

If it were going to be Roger Powell he would have accepted the job when Bryce left. The fact that he went with him to Vanderbilt and then on to Gonzaga tells me that Powell has bigger jobs than Valpo on his mind. Diebler MIGHT be gettable and would be a good fit but even that isn't a given.

All things considered only 3 transfers is a reall ygood outcome. This is the year we will finally see if Lottich can lead. He has had relative stability for once. The team should have plenty of experience playing together and the league is wide open with the transfers experienced by UNI Missouri State and Murray State. Dare I say that there is reason for optimism that our long coveted top 4 finish might not be far off? If Lottich really is a good coach simply the victim of bad luck he should be able to do it this year. If we're mediocre again I think the questions and criticisms are more than fair at this point and the time to look in a different direction will be here.

I don't see any problem unless DBU has wider athletic ambitions. Are they having financial issues?

I am really going to enjoy watching Valpo's resurgence when (not if) we find the right man for the job to lead our men's basketball program back to prominence. When we become everything we thought we would be when we first joined and finally prove ourselves to be a credit to the MVC. It's a day I fondly look forward to. I don't know who the man to lead us there will be but I know that he is out there and I am confident we will find him eventually. As for the topic of this thread I overall have a positive view of LaBarbera's tenure as AD. I believe we can confidently say that much more good for the university was accomplished than bad during his time. The facilities upgrades have not come fast enough for anyone's liking but they are happening slowly but surely the institutional commitment has not been there to the degree that we would like it to be but there are hopeful signs that that is changing and the two conference moves were absolutely huge. He has some big misses on coaching hires on his resume to be sure but in my opinion he still rates as perhaps the best AD Valpo has ever had. I wish him well in his retirement and hope that his replacement will be even better!

To the point about Butler's struggles, I doubt there are many Butler fans complaining about where they are right now. They struggle but they are in a league with basketball blue bloods like Villanova and Georgetown along with several other tradition rich schools like St John's Providence Marquette etc. Plus they have a great media deal and lots of exposure. I think they're just fine with how things have turned out.

Just for comparison's sake: Here's Valpo in the MVC under Matt Lottich:

35-55 Conference Record

Average finish in conference: 7th (and this is arrived at by giving them the greatest possible benefit of all ties for example last year when we tied for 5th I gave him 5th When we tied for 6th I gave him 6th If I use our Arch Madness seeding the number will be lower)

ZERO seasons with a winning conference record (9-9 doesn't count)

To his credit he has performed up to (and last year even exceeded) preseason expectations but the fact that the expectations were that low to begin with is very worrisome

This year Picked 7th Finished 7th

Last year Picked 8th Finished T-5th

I bring this up to ask: if Butler fans criticize LaVall Jordan and the direction he is taking their program on their board (which I'm sure they do because those results speak for themselves) are they poisoning the well and damaging their program's recruiting too or does that only apply to criticism of Lottich? I would argue that the poor performance is itself a hindrance to recruiting and that pointing that out as a fan changes little to nothing in that regard. After all kids want to win no matter what level they end up playing at.

There is a huge difference between questioning the direction of the program and outright racism or the defense thereof but whatever. If you're going to equate these two things that's wholly on you. But if the forum would be a better place if we only posted glowing opinions of Matt Lottich and the direction of the program then fine. Since I can't do that in good conscience because it would be lying I guess I'll have to be quiet and take a break until his tenure ends or he finally figures out how to win in this league whichever comes first. I genuinely don't want to hurt the program. Of course the inconsistency and struggle of the Lottich era hasn't done the program any favors but you're right. Infighting among a fanbase isn't a good look and I'm not going to contribute to it anymore. I wish Valpo only the best regardless of who is coaching but I'm out for awhile. Enjoy your echo chamber.

It just shows what a meat grinder this deep league is. I love this conference even despite our struggles. Hopefully Loyola can still hang on to its at large hopes but I'm not so sure at this point. Luckily I think they might still have one or two more Q2 opportunities for themselves which could really help them out.

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2022/2/22/22945126/the-valley-still-runs-deep-conference-college-basketball

NC A&T to the CAA. I'm a bit surprised by this considering that I heard although it was message board speculation and nothing concrete that one of the reasons A&T left the MEAC for the Big South was travel costs and now the travel costs are going to be much higher in the CAA.Hopefully Howard is next as they definitely deserve an invite. Logistically I think the next school will have to be a non football school to even things up in the CAA but maybe they have room for Howard assuming they want an invite. They do seem incredibly committed to the MEAC which is commendable but it would be a great step up for the Bison if they were able to move.

https://caasports.com/news/2022/2/22/football-caa-welcomes-north-carolina-a-t-as-newest-member-of-the-conference.aspx

I know this is football related but still it's very interesting. I wonder what this will do to both conference's future autobids. I know this is similar to the ASUN-WAC agreement of this past year (speaking of which the ASUN really needs to get on the stick about adding some football members because I think the WAC has enough starting next year where they don't need the ASun. I wonder how these conferences will work to restore their autobids in football.

http://ovcsports.com/news/2022/2/22/big-south-conference-and-ovc-announce-football-agreement.aspx

I told myself I was going to stay out of this topic but I can't anymore.   If you wanted to say that Juwan Howard showed weakness and failed in his role as a leader of young men that's one thing. If you wanted to say that he deserves to be fired and that anything less is getting off easy that's fine too.  All valid and fair points. The fact that he hasn't been fired offends your sensibilities and hurts your feelings. That's valid. I agree he should have been fired especially since he had a prior dustup with Mark Turgeon of Maryland. But as many on your side of the political aisle like to say: "Facts don't care about your feelings." Hurt feelings and offended sensibilities are not a substitute for an actual argument and that is all you have brought to the table with very little substance beyond that. Here's the thing: to insinuate without facts or basis that his punishment is light because he is black isn't just stupid and childish. It's utterly racist. Additionally it isn't even true. Here are some facts: In addition to the very prominent issues surrounding Bob Knight that were covered up for DECADES at IU Gregg Marshall got away with rampant player abuse for YEARS at Wichita State. He is white. Mike Rice got away with it as well at Rutgers for awhile before finally being fired. Also white. Jimmy Patsos got fired at Siena after getting away with player abuse for awhile. He is also white. Are you sensing a theme yet?  All of these coaches were white. All of them did the same thing or worse than Howard. None of them were immediately fired. So miss me with that "He would have been immediately fired if he were white BS. It's not true and is a strawman of your own making. You create a strawman and then decry others for creating a strawman. Seems pretty hypocritical to me but you do you I guess. Moreover it flies in the face of the usual state of the justice system in this country where black offenders often receive harsher sentences than white offenders for the same crime. This kind of crap that somehow occasionally finds its way onto this board along with the constant losing and poor performance from the program are huge reasons I don't post nearly as much on this board anymore. He is not getting treated any differently than most coaches who are caught doing something like this to be honest. It says far more about the state of college athletics and the way coaches are treated regardless of race than it does about race. As much as you want to make this a race issue and claim victimhood and persecution for yourself (which I thought was something you were against doing but what do I know?) it just doesn't wash when the facts are considered. If you want to have a discussion about the culture of collegiate athletics or athletics in general and why this kind of behavior is excused and tolerated to the degree that it is you will find much agreement and success making that argument because that is truly the issue here. This is a sports culture problem much more than it is a race problem. We can and should be having that conversation about the culture of athletics but take this race baiting crap to the Off Topic board where it belongs. The fact that we even have a section at all where people can post this kind of crap is embarrassing in and of itself for a basketball\sports forum but whatever. Free speech and all that I guess. But why can't you keep it to the off-topic board which gets far less traffic and not on the most visited frontward facing section: the basketball discussion board? Have any of you (especially those of you who insinuate that this is in any way a race issue when it clearly isn't outside of your own twisted worldview considered how this looks to a potential recruit or their family if they were to read this? Do you think that would make them want to come to Valpo or do you think it makes us look like a bunch of backward racists? What do you think a potential recruit is going to believe the values of this University are if they read this? That's not the University I attended. Those aren't the values my professors espoused and they should not be tolerated on this board. Take your bigotry and white fragility someplace else. That's all I'm going to say on the matter. This is going to be my final post for awhile on this board. Possibly forever if this is the kind of crap that is going to be posted repeatedly.

I'm as upset as anyone about the slow pace of facilities development and the apparently dubious nature of the university's commitment to athletic success. It is a huge problem maybe even moreso than our current coach but vu84v2 raises a salient point. It's really easy to raise money when you have the state legislature backing 75+% of your project for you. It's the same reason Indiana State's facility is so nice despite them facing a lot of the same financial obstacles. As a private institution this is not an avenue available to us. We need more committed donors we need to make athletics more of a priority and while many will say words are wind (and they are right) words and aspirations are about all we have until the money shows up somehow.

Who was the kid from out west (Stanford, USC, UCLA?) who transferred into Valpo a few years back and was expected to be a star but only played a few games?

I'm drawing a complete blank. Has senility set in?

Was it Falu? Tony Falu?

Has anyone noticed how the Green Bay program has tanked?  They are 3-10 in the HL and 4-18 overall.  The last couple of years have not been much better.  Even their women's program has regressed.

Yeah financial issues have really hit them hard given their small enrollment and endowment. That and they made a pretty headscratching decision firing their coach a few years ago who was unspectacular but doing a solid job. Sometimes the grass isn't greener when you make a coaching change.

We will be #7 and beat #10 Evansville then play #2 on no rest.

Which I'm guessing will be either Missouri State or UNI and will be an extremely tall order no matter who we play.

It's not the distance in the standings that is worrisome it's that SIU holds every conceivable tiebreaker which effectively adds a full game to their lead over us. How I wish we had completed that comeback at the ARC earlier in the year

This hire signals that USC football is back Book it And that pains me to say as a UW support but that program hasn't been the same since Peterson stepped down anyway

I just realized something...Lottich has been here 6 years. Of the two recruiting classes that he has had that have graduated from college so far, he has had exactly ONE player that he recruited stay with him all four years and graduate from Valpo, John Kiser. That number will increase to TWO this year through three recruiting classes thanks to Brock Pappas. TWO, and not a single one who was recruited as a scholarship player. That is really all the evidence I need, regardless of the results on the court. It is obvious: players don't want to play for him, and perhaps that is why we see the carelessness and lack of effort from his players.

That just makes it utterly baffling that he can get them here in the first place. Clearly he talks a much better game than he coaches. That or it's the rest of the Valpo experience (facilities etc) in which case we're in much deeper trouble. I hope it's just a Lottich issue because that's far more fixable.

The decline of men's bb is both a coaching failure and an organizational failure, operating on parallel paths. Long ago, the university squandered an opportunity to leverage success on the court and folksy Homer Drew's national reputation into increased enrollment or engaging high level donors. I know first hand that Homer pursued this directly with the last 2 presidents and current and previous AD's. His repeated efforts received nothing more that nods and smiles.

So here we are some number of years later - success squandered, reputation destroyed, pathetic venue, an athletic department in complete disarray, communication channels shut off, fan interest in severe decline, next to no student support, minimal success in non-revenue sports, shoe string budgets, no donors lined up, no facility plans even on the table, years away from a new venue, and a hundred etc's.

But wait, don't we have a new President who said he wants competitive athletics? Don't we all? Does anyone think anything is going to change any time soon, just because he said that? This university is in financial distress. It's using a failing traditional education model that not enough people value in today's world at today's prices. If he doesn't get the community-tied nursing program in place and find a way to make online options our friend instead of listening to people who turn their nose up at it, this university could be on the scrap heap in 10 years. How would you like to go to bed at night with that on your mind? I know I wouldn't.

Meanwhile, you think all we need to do is bring a new coach into the middle of this mess that is Valparaiso University and start competing for conference championships? Don't make me laugh. Matt Lottich with zero support from anyone else, including Mark LaBarbara and staff, is going to take this program down for good or raise it up with the crap hand he's been dealt, and nothing is going to change that fact. If you're a believing Christian, you better start praying for Matt instead of wasting your time lambasting him, because we have exactly 1 more season to learn our fate. And it's all in his hands.

The bball program was not in decline 6 years ago despite having zero help from the president and AD.

Thank you Oklahomamick I was just going to say that. Yes we had the same substandard facilities the same lack of institutional support the same negative trends beginning to impact the university (albeit those issues are more pronounced now) and yet the program was fine because we had a good coach. Even if you believe that these issues are more to blame than Lottich himself do you honestly believe that we would have been as successful under Lottich as we were under Bryce? I don't think so given the fact that we are now getting beaten by the UIC's of the world these days. That shows that while we have significant institutional challenges and failings the coaching issue is way more pronounced than wh lets on. I also take issue with the idea that we haven't had success in non-revenue sports as that is patently false. Volleyball has had not one but two outstanding seasons at the MVC level Women's soccer was great this year even though they didn't win the conference and women's basketball until this season was improving dramatically. None of those are the flagship program which has struggled mightily with the transition to the MVC but there are signs of optimism in the overall athletic department. They aren't yet succeeding at the level they were in the HL but I am confident we will win a conference championship in SOMETHING soon though it probably won't be in Men's basketball until a coaching change is made. Let's not forget that while the MVC is still significantly better the HL wasn't as bad as it is now when we were there. With the right coach we can overcome our institutional and financial challenges right now we do not have the right coach and so we are struggling. Will we find the right one next time? There's no guarantee but we've seen what we have and it is not good so it seems prudent if we care about succeeding in men's basketball to try and see if we can find someone who can do better. We don't have to win every year. Even being a top 3-4 program every year in a league like the MVC could get us NIT consideration and that would be good for a baseline if that ends up being the program's floor we can call that successful but we need to be more competitive than we've been and Lottich has proven that he is not the man to get us to that level. You can acknowledge the institutional issues all you want and even if we agree on that (and we do) the facts are still on the side of the Lottich skeptics. I'm sorry it's just reality.

I just realized something...Lottich has been here 6 years. Of the two recruiting classes that he has had that have graduated from college so far, he has had exactly ONE player that he recruited stay with him all four years and graduate from Valpo, John Kiser. That number will increase to TWO this year through three recruiting classes thanks to Brock Pappas. TWO, and not a single one who was recruited as a scholarship player. That is really all the evidence I need, regardless of the results on the court. It is obvious: players don't want to play for him, and perhaps that is why we see the carelessness and lack of effort from his players.

That just makes it utterly baffling that he can get them here in the first place. Clearly he talks a much better game than he coaches. That or it's the rest of the Valpo experience (facilities etc) in which case we're in much deeper trouble. I hope it's just a Lottich issue because that's far more fixable.

I've been thinking lately about just how different the tone surrounding this realignment period for the MVC has been. I almost feel like the last two times the MVC suffered a defection (Creighton and Wichita State) pundits and observers rushed to write the epitaph for the conference. I feel like that was a residual effect of the MVC's having cracked the RPI code back in the mid 2000s resulting in the conference having an ability to punch way above its weight in terms of bids and tournament wins.  But this time feels different. I don't know whether it's a testament to the overall quality of the league (the fact that UNI and Illinois State stepped up with at large caliber squads (even though Illinois State didn't get in) after Creighton left and then Loyola went supernova after Wichita State left and UNI and Drake fielded at large caliber squads at that time too (even though UNI would not have gotten in in all likelihood during the COVID year) or if it's because people believe in the quality of the additions the MVC is made but it feels like nobody is throwing dirt on the MVC after Loyola this time. Has anyone else noticed this? What do you think?

If played this may be your last best chance to see Matt win a game at the ARC.

I hope you mean ...last best chance THIS YEAR. I wear more than 1 Valpo stakeholder hat. As a donor I expect the university to be good financial stewards. Throwing away $400K to buyout a bb coaching salary at the same time university academic staff members are being downsized and longstanding academic programs are being cut is completely irresponsible, and heartless. I love Valpo bb as much as the next guy, but let's get a grip here.

I really hate to admit it but you're 100% right here. Moving on from Lottich seems unquestionably what is best for the program but it's probably not what's best for the university given the apparent realities VU faces right now. I just hope the program isn't totally screwed forever because of the short-sighted decision to go all in on Peters' last year without much or any regard for the future health of the flagship program.

I see where you are coming from wh. I also see higher long term financial loss if various changes are not made.

This is also worth considering but unfortunately it is probably more prudent to confront the immediate challenge before considering long-term ramifications. Ironically, following this path which is wise in this instance is exactly what put our basketball program in this position in the first place.

I've been as down on the program in the Lottich era as anyone (maybe even more so) but we have to be fair here: It's one thing to beat a team that's just beginning to learn how to play together and forge its identity in November\December\Early January vs playing them in February and March in the heat of conference play when they're battle tested and most players know their roles and the lineup combinations that work. Also familiarity can breed close games and wacky results. Do you think we would have been as competitive against Loyola as we were in the last meeting had that been a one off early in the season? I don't think so. The fact that we're losing to these teams when we didn't before isn't an indication that the program is down from where it has been; rather, the fact that we're getting blown out in far too many of these games even on our home floor where we used to win like 90+% of the time is. Also Missouri State and Drake are in vastly different spots than they were as programs when we played them and have much better coaches (that 2011 game Vs Missouri State aside). The Bears under Ford are far better than the Bears under Lusk who was kind of their Lottich if we're being honest here.

I appreciate what you're saying about DI commitment, but be careful on making that suggestion. I'm not nearly as much of an 'insider' as most of this board is, but I've stayed as close to my alma mater as life (and donations) have allowed. There is now, and has always been a small, but vocal group within university leadership that believes we belong in D3, with no athletic scholarships. I know it's popular on this board to blame the current students for the mascot change, but anyone around Vu will tell you the push for that began a long time ago, it just finally achieved the perfect combination of student leadership and presidential transition to happen. For whatever our new Pres says now or in the future, don't doubt for a second that if our flagship athletic program doesn't improve quickly, those voices will grow louder.

I'm done if we drop out of D1 unless that move is a result of a shift in power dynamics in the NCAA beyond Valpo's control and Valpo's new division still contains recognizable names from the current D1 era. That cant' be helped but if it's a willful decision ala Hartford leaving the America East I'll never go to an event or even consider donating ever again.