Less than 24hrs to game time, so I quess it's time to put up a game thread.
Charlotte is just 4-4 but is very tuff at home where they have beaten Wake Forest and Davidson. Away form home they're not so good, but we are playing them in their house. It will be very competitive game I believe.
NINER NUGGETS
Jordan Shepherd, who has scored in double-figures seven times this season, averages a team-leading 14.4 points per game. He ranks 11th in Conference USA in scoring. Shepherd leads the 49ers in assists at 3.9 assists per game which ranks him seventh in Conference USA.
Drew Edwards is second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game. He has scored in double-figures four times this season.
Jahmir Young, who has four double-figure scoring games, is third on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Young leads the team in rebounding at 5.4 boards per game. He ranks eighth in Conference USA in defensive rebounds at 5.1 per game. He is second on the team in assists at 3.25 per game.
Malik Martin, who has scored in double-figures in three of the last four games, is fourth on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game.
Milos Supica, who scored a game-high 15 points while dishing out a career-high five assists in the 49ers win at UNCW, averages 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Amidou Bamba, who scored 11 points at UNCW, has eight block shots in Charlotte's last four games. He is second on the team in rebounding at 4.8 boards per game while averaging 6.6 points per game.
Cooper Robb has scored in double-figures in two of the last three games. He has recorded 10 steals in the 49ers last four games.
CHARLOTTE-VALPARAISO SERIES
Monday's game marks the seventh meeting between Charlotte and Valparaiso, who leads the all-time series, 4-2. In their last meeting, Charlotte defeated Valparaiso, 74-62, in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, December 22, 2006. De'Angelo Alexander led four 49ers double-figure scorers with 24 points.
As a side note, in their last game at UNCW that they won, former Valpo player Marten Linssen as a starter led all players with 17pts.
There will be radio broadcasts but live video seems to be limited to the C-USA network which you need a subscription or a 24hr pass for $6.95 to watch.
According to Pomeroy rankings, Valpo would be a slight favorite at a neutral but since the game is at Charlotte Valpo is the underdog.
If we play the kind of defense we did last game and continue playing good offense, this game is winnable.
It would be a huge confidence builder for this team to win this game on the road. It could set the table for the rest of the season.
Need to continue playing well on defense.
Valpo 72
C'Lotte 70
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Quote from: VUBBFan on December 15, 2019, 10:28:23 PMThere will be radio broadcasts but live video seems to be limited to the C-USA network which you need a subscription or a 24hr pass for $6.95 to watch.
https://payments-i.sidearmsports.com/processpayment.aspx?id=8098f9e2-b62b-4516-a64f-04c0d98c6ec7
http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=9879&path=charlotte
http://conferenceusa.com/watch/purchase.aspx#register
Valpo 74
Charlotte 68
Martin Linssen scored 17 against them...
Not sure what to think about that. I seem to remember watching Linssen and thinking there was no way he would ever be a contributor on a solid D1 team. Never got the same vibes I get when watching Krikke, who I think will progress very nicely over the next 3 years.
So, not sure what that says about Charlotte's post players. We are unproven on the road. I see this game being very close.
While I know that teams need to play one game at a time, I think a good 'reach out' goal is that Valpo wins two of their next three.
Sagarin has us at #157 while Charlotte is #175, with the home court edge, they are about a 2 point favorite. This would not be a great win and just an OK loss.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on December 16, 2019, 08:10:58 AMMartin Linssen scored 17 against them...
Not sure what to think about that. I seem to remember watching Linssen and thinking there was no way he would ever be a contributor on a solid D1 team.
I always thought of Marty as a guy with a ton of desire and enthusiasm much the same as John Kiser. A guy who approaches each game with that kind of mind set will many times improve enough through shear will and will put in the time to get much better. At least enough to score 17 when lightly guarded due to Charlotte covering UNCW's better players. I have a feeling Linssen plays with such great enthusiasm that he collects many fouls in a short period of time also.
Quote from: vu72 on December 16, 2019, 08:29:48 AM
Sagarin has us at #157 while Charlotte is #175, with the home court edge, they are about a 2 point favorite. This would not be a great win and just an OK loss.
[tweet]1206609226925297665[/tweet]
Quote from: EddieCabot on December 16, 2019, 11:53:39 AMQuote from: vu72 on December 16, 2019, 08:29:48 AMSagarin has us at #157 while Charlotte is #175, with the home court edge, they are about a 2 point favorite. This would not be a great win and just an OK loss.
[tweet]1206609226925297665[/tweet]
The question with NET, as with its predecessor RPI, is how well do they predict winners and losers? The RPI was dumped because it didn't work very well.
How well did NET do with picking winning teams in the Sweet 16, the Elite 8, the Final Four, and the teams which played for the national championship since its inception?
The NCAA keeps coming up with these new ideas but it seems they really don't do a good job at selecting and seeding teams in the tournament. Sagarin and Pomeroy do a much better job than the NCAA does at predicting winners. And for good reason, they start with the box score data of all 353 teams and then use rigorous statistical testing including multiple regression analysis to come up with the proprietary tweeks they make to the raw box score data, the results of which have shown not only to be statistically significant with a high level of confidence in order to rank order the best teams to the worst teams but also to pick winners.
Quote from: vu72 on December 16, 2019, 08:29:48 AMSagarin has us at #157 while Charlotte is #175, with the home court edge, they are about a 2 point favorite. This would not be a great win and just an OK loss.
There is nothing okay about losing to a team like Charlotte. These are the games we need to win if we're going to be a top half MVC team.
I wouldn't sweat the NCAA's metrics that much. They would never put something out that didn't heavily favor the big boys.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on December 16, 2019, 12:58:18 PM
I wouldn't sweat the NCAA's metrics that much. They would never put something out that didn't heavily favor the big boys.
Here's the full list ... https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-net-rankings (https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-mens-basketball-net-rankings)
Not sure if it favors the big boys or not, but several teams from outside the Power Conferences are ranked high. San Diego St, Gonzaga, Dayton, Wichita St, Memphis, Liberty, Duquesne and Richmond in top 25.
Yes, but similar to the RPI, most of those non power five teams will start dropping once they get deeper into conference play.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 16, 2019, 12:21:18 PMThere is nothing okay about losing to a team like Charlotte. These are the games we need to win if we're going to be a top half MVC team.
If we want to strengthen the MVC instead of continuing to anchor it then we have to find ways to beat this level of team on the road without Fazekas! Winning 2 of these next 3 road games is BIG and an all out effort should be expected! :thewave:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2PoTlk2gCo
Charlotte has been Hot and Cold. Their "stud" player is a freshman who scored 24 on Wake Forest... and did nothing their next two games.
11-06 at James Madison 4-4 (0-0) 172 74-79 L
11-12 Davidson 5-5 (0-0) 136 71-58 W
11-17 Wake Forest 6-5 (0-2) 77 67-65 W
11-21 at Appalachian St. 3-5 (0-0) 256 55-64 L
11-27 at Georgia St. 5-3 (0-0) 58 78-81 L
11-30 S.Car. Upstate 1-8 (0-0) 326 83-47 W
12-03 N.C. Asheville 3-4 (0-0) 143 75-83 L
12-07 at N.C. Wilmington 2-6 (0-0) 228 76-57 W
12-16 Valparaiso 5-4 (0-0) 83 73-81 L - Scouting
RealTime RPI says Valpo by 8
The Vegas Line - Composite - says THEY are favored by 4, with an o/u of 137.5
This is not an emotional post or an overreaction.
It is actually not possible to play worse than we did the 1st 4 minutes of the game. For 4 minutes, we were the WORST team in the country.
watching the game. We are all over the place and SLOPPY, including Javon and particularly Sackey. A real mess and still only down by 5. The only guy really looking good is Donovan. Javon has 11 but, has taken most of the shots, turned it over twice and missed both of his FTs.
I'll be shocked if we don't win this mess. Perhaps it is time to bench Daniel for a while.
Of course it's not an overreaction. ;D
Valpo shooting percentage better than Charlotte in first half. Turnovers and steals are beating us.
If they settle down and protect the ball, they should be good.
A Matt Lottich team not ready to play at the start of the game. Color me surprised.
That was pretty painful to listen to. Sackey is turning into a turnover machine. I really thought he'd improve in that department this year but has seemed to regress in the last few games. Then again nobody else took very good care of the ball tonight either. Hope Robinson's injury isn't serious.
Other than the terrible announcers, it was a real mess tonight. Nick out, Daniel a mess and Javon not himself. We had like 3 FTs and missed them all. A wierd effort.
27 free throws to 4.....
Siiiigh. Frustrating to say the least. Apart from another abysmal start...Everything that Valpo hopes to do and be was on display at Central Michigan...everything they don't want to have happen in game style happened tonight. Didn't get out in transition at all. Freeman was human. Robinson (often the 2nd option now) goes down early. Sackey is not only an offense non factor, he's actually starting to make things worse when he's on the court. When this stuff happens, you are simply going to lose with this team.
If Robinson misses extended time, this could really become another hard season to watch. Not that it's hopeless. Charlotte has shown they can win against almost anyone at home...but still...
Where do we go from here? Sink or swim?
This pretty much sums the game up. Turn overs are the things we should be able to manage. No control over refs. Only heard the game didn't see it, so don't know if the foul calls were legit for both sides (anyone see the game? comment on accuracy?). I say turn overs are what killed us.
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1206754398287925249
Unable to properly express my frustration with the current state of this program without using very unChristian language so I'm logging off. Rant coming tomorrow.
The money the athletic department saved by cutting men's soccer and men's tennis could go to the coaches buyout. Oh wait, no one really knows what his contract is.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on December 16, 2019, 06:15:46 PMIt is actually not possible to play worse than we did the 1st 4 minutes of the game. For 4 minutes, we were the WORST team in the country.
First half I listened to the 49ers broadcast and they stressed their great defensive play. Listened to Todd for the second half and he, you and this board seem to think many or most of our errors were self inflicted with the Robinson injury making everything worse. :'(. What is up with Sackey ??? He has to be able to take and hit an occasional 3 to keep the floor open for penetration. Not only does his sagging defender handcuff him but it also helps clog the middle for everybody! Coming into the season he was much improved and now his shooting is spiraling counterclockwise down the crapper!
Quote from: justducky on December 16, 2019, 08:43:25 PM
Quote from: SanityLost17 on December 16, 2019, 06:15:46 PMIt is actually not possible to play worse than we did the 1st 4 minutes of the game. For 4 minutes, we were the WORST team in the country.
First half I listened to the 49ers broadcast and they stressed their great defensive play. Listened to Todd for the second half and he, you and this board seem to think many or most of our errors were self inflicted with the Robinson injury making everything worse. :'(. What is up with Sackey ??? He has to be able to take and hit an occasional 3 to keep the floor open for penetration. Not only does his sagging defender handcuff him but it also helps clog the middle for everybody! Coming into the season he was much improved and now his shooting is spiraling counterclockwise down the crapper!
Have to wonder why Siggy didn't see the floor.
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 16, 2019, 08:15:13 PM
This pretty much sums the game up. Turn overs are the things we should be able to manage. No control over refs. Only heard the game didn't see it, so don't know if the foul calls were legit for both sides (anyone see the game? comment on accuracy?). I say turn overs are what killed us.
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1206754398287925249
I did and the stats pretty much says it all. They are not a very good team though they did play very good defense on Javon and others. The refs were fine. that wasn't the issue. Javon forced to shoot 10 3's and he and Sackey turning it over 8 times. Mileek and Donovan were the stars tonight. Lots of potential but still a ways to go,
Quote from: oklahomamick on December 16, 2019, 08:38:48 PM
The money the athletic department saved by cutting men's soccer and men's tennis could go to the coaches buyout. Oh wait, no one really knows what his contract is.
This is a ridiculous comment, Mick. You're better than this.
I don't know many teams missing 2 of their top 3 players that aren't going to struggle on the road against a respectable team. As to Javon looking "normal" Todd said more than once they were double and triple teaming him. of course they were. Does anyone think they would have been doing that if Fazekas and Nick were on the court?
On the encouraging side, Todd also said that he thinks Fazekas will be back sooner than later, hopefully by the start of conference play. Assuming nothing is seriously wrong with Nick, we could be back in business soon. If they don't come back, we'll continue to struggle. That's life, and it's nobody's fault. Stuff happens. We have some people that probably should take some deep breaths and exhale slowly.
Quote from: wh on December 16, 2019, 10:44:01 PM
I don't know many teams missing 2 of their top 3 players that aren't going to struggle on the road against a respectable team.
We have heard that before. Starting to sound like a broken record.
To be fair I think we beat Charlotte 7 out of 10 times on the road. This was one of the 3. Also, we have not played in a week.
Quote from: oklahomamick on December 16, 2019, 10:59:07 PM
Quote from: wh on December 16, 2019, 10:44:01 PM
I don't know many teams missing 2 of their top 3 players that aren't going to struggle on the road against a respectable team.
We have heard that before. Starting to sound like a broken record.
To be fair I think we beat Charlotte 7 out of 10 times on the road. This was one of the 3. Also, we have not played in a week.
Ummm I think I heard that one a few weeks ago leaving the Wolverine State. Good teams will deal with adversity and change on and off the court as we did earlier this year when Ryan went out with his injury. Unlike last year and recent years in the past we have found a way to win some games this year without one of our best players. Now the true test will be how do we deal with another player out? Will we struggle against a sub par team in High Point NC and flop against the Hogs from Arkansas? Or does Valpo surprise us all?
From what I read from NWI Times Nick suffered from "back tightness" after jumping up to block a shot at the 59ers game
-btw who are the 59ers?
https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/turnovers-sting-as-valpo-falls-at-charlotte/article_6318c784-d108-5a2f-830b-264ba1880f77.html#1
Per Robbie's Twitter,
"Matt Lottich tried to walk back to VU's hotel from Charlotte's arena because it was warm outside and he wanted to clear his mind but ended up calling an Uber partway through.
"It was insane. It was highway the whole way, so I'm not tryna get hit by a car."
I didn't watch the game. Wasn't going to pay to watch it. But this seems to sum things up rather well.
Refs were just fine. We didn't shoot free throws because we didn't attack....EVER. Jump shots all game. When we tried to attack we dribbled it off our foot, our their foot, or a refs foot, or passed it out to the 1st row of the bleachers.
Something has to be wrong with Sackey. No way he is 100%. He doesn't look anything like he did a month ago or during the summer. Nobody regresses that much in a short amount of time.
Our defense is back to being terrible. EVERY player on Charlotte's team was able to beat EVERY player on Valpo's team on the drive. Even if they didn't get all the way to the rim they got close enough to cause defensive rotation to create other opportunities. WE CANT KEEP PLAYERS IN FRONT OF US.
The most important point is right here:
EVERY PLAYER outside of Javon has a tendency to give up more points on poor defense than they score on any given night offensively.....Can't win that way since you know... The goal is to outscore the other team.
How in the world we turned into such a bad defensive team is beyond me.
As to Sackey, this was asked on November 12 following the SLU game on November 9:
"Paul- what is Sackey's status? He also left game late with what appeared to be some upper body extremity injury after tough fall?"
Might this have been the beginning of Sackey's struggles? He came down hard on his left wrist/hand. Enquiring minds want to know.
BTW, Ohio State lost it's first game of the year when their star player was unable to play over the weekend. The road is a very fickle place, and as I have said for years a win is a very good thing on the road. We were spoiled being in the Horizon where road wins weren't difficult but still had to be won. YSU was a dump, but you had to motivate to get past home court advantage. There's a reason why home court in college basketball gets 4 points.
Go to High Point, right the ship and then head to Ar-kansas and see what you can do.
Quote from: wh on December 16, 2019, 10:44:01 PMI don't know many teams missing 2 of their top 3 players that aren't going to struggle on the road against a respectable team. As to Javon looking "normal" Todd said more than once they were double and triple teaming him. of course they were. Does anyone think they would have been doing that if Fazekas and Nick were on the court? On the encouraging side, Todd also said that he thinks Fazekas will be back sooner than later, hopefully by the start of conference play. Assuming nothing is seriously wrong with Nick, we could be back in business soon. If they don't come back, we'll continue to struggle. That's life, and it's nobody's fault. Stuff happens. We have some people that probably should take some deep breaths and exhale slowly.
This is going to be a problem going forward. How to deal with the fact that opponents are going to go overboard to make it difficult for our stud to get open looks and to score. What will the coach do to address this inevitability? It's not going away. Are there others who can step up and become scorers? Double and triple-teaming him should leave others open. Coach needs to address this NOW. Or else ugly will be back.
I wonder if Javon is getting tired of carrying this team. I would consider him a major transfer risk. He already tried once and things haven't exactly improved all that much this year. I hope he stays but I wouldn't exactly blame him if he chose to leave.
Going to be plenty of ups and downs this season with 4 of the 7 main rotation guys are freshman and sophomores. When guys like Robinson and Fazekas, who can give consistent offensive production are out, puts a lot more pressure on guys who haven't been relied upon in that role.
Defense wasn't great by any means, but the offense was a far bigger issue last night, in my opinion.
Still wouldn't worry about JFL as a transfer risk, and the team still has plenty of potential for growth between now and the end of the season.
Potential for growth, or progressing nicely?
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 17, 2019, 08:01:21 AMI wonder if Javon is getting tired of carrying this team.
I would hope we can assume this hasn't exactly been a bulletin to him.
Come on... Whether it's injuries youth or whatever he doesn't have enough help. Why has UNI been able to surround Green with a capable cast but we can't?
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 17, 2019, 12:52:39 PMWhether it's injuries youth or whatever he doesn't have enough help.
We can always use more "help"! He is getting more consistent help from a variety of players. The operative word is "consistent". One guy is beginning to stand out and that is Donovan Clay. Last night he went for 11 points, 6 boards, was 3 of 5 from the 3 with 4 assists and 0 turnovers. The previous game he had 10 points. Against Central Michigan Eron Gordon got 14 points, going 2 for 2 from 3 and 4 for 4 from the line, 2 assists and 0 turnovers. Ben and Kiser are good for 13 points and 7 boards per game, combined.
It will be tough to consistently put together a solid backup group. Why Sigurd isn't getting a chance, particularly with the way Sackey is playing, is hard to figure out.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 17, 2019, 12:52:39 PM
Come on... Whether it's injuries youth or whatever he doesn't have enough help. Why has UNI been able to surround Green with a capable cast but we can't?
Half of UNI's roster are 4-year players. Valpo has 1 active senior (John). Different as night and day.
Quote from: VALPO LI on December 17, 2019, 06:34:14 AM-btw who are the 59ers?
It is the 49ers. You would think they would get it correct since there is an NFL team in San Francisco by the same nickname.
The nickname "49ers" derives from the fact that the university's predecessor—Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina (CCUNC – established in 1946) was saved from being shut down by the state in 1949 by Bonnie Cone, when the Charlotte Center became Charlotte College.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 17, 2019, 12:52:39 PM
Come on... Whether it's injuries youth or whatever he doesn't have enough help. Why has UNI been able to surround Green with a capable cast but we can't?
Of UNI's rotation players, other than Green, they're all Juniors and Seniors. I think the better question is whether guys like Brown, Phyfe, Berhow, Dahl, etc can maintain an offensive efficiency that's 30 points higher than where they've been at 2-3 years prior for an entire season. At this point the sample size is large enough that the answer may be yes, but Green is essentially the same player he was last year and everyone else is playing at a level they never have during their careers.
Valpo doesn't have guys that can stretch the defense, so the offense suffers. Their bigs are either young or Mileek, so the interior of the defense isn't stout. Not fun, but I still do think there are bright spots.
Quote from: wh on December 17, 2019, 02:07:37 PMHalf of UNI's roster are 4-year players. Valpo has 1 active senior (John). Different as night and day.
WH, you using the same excuses as two years ago...We are young, not enough 4 year players....you are better than that.
I find it hard to believe the criticism of this team as it is now especially since Fazekas and Robinson are now out. Give me a break, with them out and the youth we now have with some good recruits, it takes time to mold a team. And even now people bring up Matt's job??? Are you kidding? Chill out folks! So we are off a week for finals then start a long road trip over the Holidays and we look sluggish in our first start. It sure is understandable to me even though I don't like it. I'm with you "wh".
This would be a lot easier to take if we hadn't have had such terrible years back to back prior to what looks like another up and down year and probable play in game finish. I am getting desperate to see this team make its mark in the MVC and prove it belongs. I really thought we would be better than we've shown. I really don't want us to keep letting the conference down. They picked us over a very good program and gave us a great opportunity and I really hope we can do more with it than we have.
Maybe we were caught looking ahead to High Point?
I'm just kidding around and agree with valpo64. It's a good group of guys who are playing well and enjoying themselves. That will take you a long way.
At least this week won't go down hill from here. We play at High Point.
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 17, 2019, 05:26:35 PM
I'm just kidding around and agree with valpo64. It's a good group of guys who are playing well and enjoying themselves. That will take you a long way.
At least this week won't go down hill from here. We play at High Point.
Didn't High Point win at the ARC last year?
Almost 24 hours since our 2nd key player went down with an injury and no one has blamed the athletic trainer yet a la last year. Or did I miss it?
With the NET rankings now out allow me to make some comparisons. Charlotte now sits at 130, Bradley 128, MSU 133, ISUr 151, Loyola 165, and ISUb 87. If we have to play all 5 of those Valley teams on the road while short both Nick and Ryan we might be lucky to win one and our average margin of defeat would likely be between 8 to 12. No, I am not happy about our performance but I understand all of the legitimate reasons why we struggled to compete.
Tomorrow is another day and I eagerly await it. :thumbsup:
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 17, 2019, 05:23:59 PM
Maybe we were caught looking ahead to High Point
Don't be so comfortable with the idea of beating HPU. If we play against HPU the way we played in the first 4 minutes against Charlotte we are sure to lose to High Point which would certainly be the lowwwww point of the season just as last season.
Although looking ahead to the High Point is a natural thing to do. ;)
Quote from: Valpo89 on December 17, 2019, 05:56:32 PM
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 17, 2019, 05:26:35 PM
I'm just kidding around and agree with valpo64. It's a good group of guys who are playing well and enjoying themselves. That will take you a long way.
At least this week won't go down hill from here. We play at High Point.
Didn't High Point win at the ARC last year?
I think you missed the pun about "down hill" & "high point."
:lol: :thumbsup:
Things are looking up. We are on to High Point.
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Quote from: covufan on December 18, 2019, 08:56:10 AM
Things are looking up. We are on to High Point.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That pun was already done