2014-2015 schedule

[vu72]

The 2014-15 basketball season officially gets underway tomorrow night!! Who else is getting overly excited for this?

You had me there for a second.  Didn't realize they had moved it up two weeks.  Great!  The sooner we can get the season started the better.  In the meantime can someone please stop by to catch some practice and tell us whats going on??

[VULB#62]

In the meantime can someone please stop by to catch some practice and tell us whats going on??

I agree.  We need more friendly spies on this forum.  Not being a MBB guy I defer to all the rest of you guys, but I genuinely enjoy reading about your observations. 

This FB/Track guy can't help feeling that we are being pushed under the radar (undeserved), yet Valpo could be a more significant factor than the pundits are prognosticating.  We will go maybe 6-10, 6-7 or 6-8, 6-9 across the front line, and I think the whole team can run. So, I wonder if there will be a little different version of Valpo BB from what we saw in 2013-14?  My biggest thing is seeing how much of a jump Alex will make between his freshman and sophomore years.  My biggest question is who is gonna step up and assert themselves.

[vu72]

In the meantime can someone please stop by to catch some practice and tell us whats going on??

I agree.  We need more friendly spies on this forum.  Not being a MBB guy I defer to all the rest of you guys, but I genuinely enjoy reading about your observations. 

This FB/Track guy can't help feeling that we are being pushed under the radar (undeserved), yet Valpo could be a more significant factor than the pundits are prognosticating.  We will go maybe 6-10, 6-7 or 6-8, 6-9 across the front line, and I think the whole team can run. So, I wonder if there will be a little different version of Valpo BB from what we saw in 2013-14?  My biggest thing is seeing how much of a jump Alex will make between his freshman and sophomore years.  My biggest question is who is gonna step up and assert themselves.

Fair question.  I think you'll see several. First, Vashil made a huge jump from sophomore to junior and expect the same again. Next, the sophomore year is always a big jump and expect that from Peters and Adekoya. Next think back on how LaVonte looked after sitting out a year. Flashes of great stuff but lots of questions.  The next year?  All conference.  I can see a similar result for Keith Carter. I really expect a LaVonte type output from E. Victor for the same reason.  He will need a year to get used to our system. As a result I think we won't see great things from him.  Still, I think he will contribute in a very good way.

This year off-first year of eligibility could very well have effected Chadwick as well.  If his health is good we may very well see much improvement in his play as well.

[crusadermoe]

We are looking at a new cast of characters.   Not a lot of certainty.

But this sure beats hoping A. Nikilla has developed a cross-over dribble over the summer.

[ValpoFan]

Does anyone know the practice times?
Thanks.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Some perspective is needed. 

Here's what our conference looks like.  The number is non-exhibition home dates; the first name is most objectively attractive non-con home date; the second is the next-best game.

Valpo  6   New Mexico    Ball State
CSU    7   San Francisco Toledo
WSU   5   George Mason Miami (NTM)
UWGB 6   Georgia St      Drake
UIC     7   UCF               Loyola
UWM   6   Wisconsin*      Montana
YSU    7   N Kentucky     Kent St
UDM   7   Wichita St*     USF
Oak    6   Toledo            W Mich

So...it's all pretty much birds of a feather here.  We're all in the same boat.  Most people have a really good game to look forward to, and there's a falloff to the next best one.

UDM has the best home non-con, but the WSU is asterisked because that's just payback for the Bracket Buster two years back.  They still have South Florida and Oral Roberts.  And UWM has Wisconsin, but that's just because the state schools and the flagship have a relationship unlike really any other I can think of.

Point being:  we're all in the same boat, and it's not like we're dragging the conference down...if anything--pulling it up. 

There are people on here wanting "BCS"! when they really mean "Power 5"! and yet the only Power 5 team going to an HL school ALL season long is probably only obligated to by the Wisconsin state legislature.

Scheduling is hard.

Now, ticketing...that might be an interesting cost comparison.  But I'm done for the day.

[EddieCabot]

I just noticed the Valpo-Maine game on Sunday starts at 8:45 AM?  I thought it was a typo, but have confirmed through other sources.  Anyone know why this game is being played at such an odd time?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

because 8:15 was just too early

[historyman]

I just noticed the Valpo-Maine game on Sunday starts at 8:45 AM?  I thought it was a typo, but have confirmed through other sources.  Anyone know why this game is being played at such an odd time?

CMU plays Drake at 12:30 p.m. ET. I wonder if they gave Valpo and Maine a choice of 9:45 a.m. ET and 3:15 p.m. ET. Well, that still seems to scream 3:15, dummies. Maybe Maine has a party to get to back in Orono. Could be the CMU women have a game too. There won't be many fans at the game on Sunday in mid-Michigan and the McGuick Arena will be pretty quiet no matter what. Could be Maine just wants their athletes back early enough for practice on Monday morning.


I was thinking about attending but leaving by 4:30 a.m. CT to sit in a quiet gym where the only sounds you hear are the squeaking shoes and dribble of the basketball with an occasional shout from a fan, player, coach or ref. Well, that is driving almost 2 hours in the dark. Watching the sunrise in Grand Rapids wouldn't be all bad. Temps will be in the 20's and possble snow flurries.

[valpospartan]

 "Well, that is driving almost 2 hours in the dark. Watching the sunrise in Grand Rapids wouldn't be all bad. Temps will be in the 20's and possble snow flurries. "


2 hours will get you a little over halfway to CMU.  3-1/2 hrs. will get you there - with no snow, that is.

[Kyle321n]

Yeah I had thought about going up to these games too. 8:30 is just way too early for me to try to get there.

[historyman]

2 hours will get you a little over halfway to CMU.  3-1/2 hrs. will get you there - with no snow, that is.

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

that is driving almost 2 hours in the dark

Two hours in the dark until the sun rises at 6:41 a.m. CT then 1.5 or more hours till Mt Pleasant.

Actually since Grand Rapids at 7:41 a.m. will put you in the middle of rush hour add about 5 to 10 minutes.

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Valparaiso+University,+1700+Chapel+Dr,+Valparaiso,+IN+46383/McGuirk+Arena,+360+W+Broomfield+St,+Mt+Pleasant,+MI+48858/@42.8627053,-85.9081345,7z/am=t/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x88119a6abcae3cdb:0x66489861033cba18!2m2!1d-87.04236!2d41.464277!1m5!1m1!1s0x882204b348153f15:0x16294f37de84f351!2m2!1d-84.773909!2d43.581798





Sunrise over Grand Rapids Tuesday morning

[talksalot]

Looking past these two winnable games ... I just looked at the roster for PORTLAND.. Game 3 in Nashville...

They have HEIGHT:

7'0" FR Center from Germany (Only played 11 minutes in an exhibition, and not at all against SJState)
6-11 SR Center From Netherlands
6'10" SR Fwrd/Center from Ukraine
6'10" SR/Red-Shirt from Canada  (Had their one blocked shot in their OT Win over San Jose State)
... and a 6'8" FR Forward from Portland

[valporun]

You really think there is going to be rush hour traffic at 7:41AM on a Sunday morning? Unless there is a hidden 14,000+ member megachurch arena along the way, I don't see traffic being an issue on a Sunday morning.

[valpotx]

Portland is copying our worldly roster

[historyman]

You really think there is going to be rush hour traffic at 7:41AM on a Sunday morning? Unless there is a hidden 14,000+ member megachurch arena along the way, I don't see traffic being an issue on a Sunday morning.

My mistake. I got the Friday game time mixed up with Sunday.


The good news is that by working late tonight I will be heading to mid-Michigan tomorrow about 11:30 am. Half of my co-workers are leaving for Thanksgiving vacation starting tomorrow I hear Mt Pleasant is having light snow tonight and will have a little less than a foot of snow on the ground but no precipitation is expected tomorrow. It's not Buffalo but I'm sure it will be shocking to my system. Better make sure my snow brush is in the car.

I'm sure it will be shocking to the Golden Lions also. Especially since they have already been to Hawaii this season. No game thread?

[valporun]

For any fans wanting to keep with our opponents, whether we played them already or upcoming, Missouri will be taking on Arizona at Maui in a few minutes, and Murray St. plays Xavier this evening on Fox Sports 1. MSU interests me, at least so we have an idea of what to look forward to with our game against them on Saturday.

[EddieCabot]

For any fans wanting to keep with our opponents, whether we played them already or upcoming, Missouri will be taking on Arizona at Maui in a few minutes, and Murray St. plays Xavier this evening on Fox Sports 1. MSU interests me, at least so we have an idea of what to look forward to with our game against them on Saturday.

I watched these games also.  Mizzou lost by 20, but kept it close versus mighty Arizona.

Murray St. got blown out by Xavier.  Valpo has loads more talent, so if they play an ok game and avoid mistakes, they should handle them on Saturday.

[FWalum]

Murray St. got blown out by Xavier.  Valpo has loads more talent, so if they play an ok game and avoid mistakes, they should handle them on Saturday.

Murray St. really likes to run and trap.  We need to be prepared to get back on D and also be able to make the good open pass. They have good quickness and seemed to try and fight over the top of screens.  Xavier was MUCH more physical than Murray St. and we will also need to be the same.

[talksalot]

so... after a month... how is our previous victims are doing...

East Tenn St:  3-1, Nolan RPI 68... Valpo is their only loss; wins over NC_Asheville, Winthrop and Morehead State

Missouri, 2-3, Nolan RPI 168... losses to UMKC,Arizona and Purdue... wins over Valpo and ORU.

AKR-PB - 1-5, Nolan RPI 229... losses to Hawaii, High Point, Central Michigan and Ohio...and Valpo.  Win against CSU-Bakersfield #339

Maine:  0-5; Nolan RPI 252...losses to Butler (by 42), NJIT, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois... and Valpo.

Drake is 1-6, Nolan RPI 246
Murray State is 2-4, Nolan RPI 178
Portland is 4-1, Nolan RPI 191  (this will go up solely based on the WCConference SOS.