The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

We have 8 games coming up in Dec.:

Dec 3 at Butler (3-2)
Dec 7 at IPFW (2-1)
Dec 10 Bowling Green (3-2)
Dec 17 Oakland (3-2)
Dec.20 at Northern Illinois (0-4)
Fri, Dec 23 at IUPUI (1-4)
Dec 29 Milwaukee (4-1)
Sat, Dec 31 Green Bay (2-4)

How many Dec. games will we win?

IMO these are all winnable games.  I think we win 4 of 5 non-conf. games and 2 of 3 conf. games = 6 wins.  That would give us a very good overall record of 11-4 going into Feb. and could set the stage for an excellent season.

Quote from: wh on November 25, 2011, 11:13:44 PMThat would give us a very good overall record of 11-4 going into Feb.

I agree with your prediction of winning 6 of 8 December games, but let's not forget about the January conference games that make February important.

I'm saying we will probably struggle in the Butler game after 8 days of practice prior to that game, and one of the non-conference games could be a real trap (BG or NIU). Oakland will be up in the air, as I haven't seen what they have this season, or who they've played prior to the game with us.

Butler is is vary win able, so are the WI Schools and all of the non con games. We go 7-1  and sit a top the  Horizon League. Marry Christmas!

It looks like we could win 6, but remember there are finals and holidays involved.  Thus, I will hedge a bit and vote for 5.

I agree that Butler is very winable, but that doesnt mean it will occur.  The Wisconsin road trip is always tough, cost us a shot at regular season championship last year.

BTW, does anyone know where Howard Little is this year?  Is he playing overseas? 

The Wisconsin road trip is always tough, cost us a shot at regular season championship last year.
Road trip?

Quote from: valporun on November 26, 2011, 08:41:56 AM

Quote from: wh on November 25, 2011, 11:13:44 PMThat would give us a very good overall record of 11-4 going into Feb.

I agree with your prediction of winning 6 of 8 December games, but let's not forget about the January conference games that make February important.

I'm saying we will probably struggle in the Butler game after 8 days of practice prior to that game, and one of the non-conference games could be a real trap (BG or NIU). Oakland will be up in the air, as I haven't seen what they have this season, or who they've played prior to the game with us.

I meant to say "going into January."  Sorry for the confusion.

Quote from: lowposter on November 26, 2011, 11:31:39 AM

I agree that Butler is very winable, but that doesnt mean it will occur.  The Wisconsin road trip is always tough, cost us a shot at regular season championship last year.
 

I am pretty sure that these games on the 29th and 31st are at home.

they are all winnable games. i'm thinking 6-2, losing a very tight game at butler, and one of bowling green/oakland/milwaukee.

Butler just isn't very good.  I think they will get drilled by Indiana.  We should win that game.

Yes- we could take 6, but 5 is the most probable outcome. Yes- all are winnable but all might also be losable. I have no desire to even attempt to pick which games are which.

I optimistically voted that we win 6 games in December; though, as someone suggested, there are a number of variables: the final exams, the holidays, a tendency for one or two players to get the flu, students gone for the home games against Oakland, Milwaukee, and Green Bay, etc. Still, even 5 wins would give us 10 as we enter January, and I could be satisfied with that number. Nevertheless, the most important wins would be in the Milwaukee and Green Bay games.

In fact, when the schedule was announced, how many of us wouldn't have taken a 10-5 record at the end of December? 

Also, a significant decision must be made on December 17 when Ben Boggs would be eligible for the Oakland game. Unless there is some injury that necessitates Ben suiting up, I would recommend that he redshirt this year and have two full seasons of eligibility beginning next year, when this team ought to be a favorite for the league championship.

Perhaps an additional mini-poll for December: Agree or disagree with redshirting Ben?

Winning on the road is not easy. We have 4 road games...I will say we win 4.

Quote from: sectionee on November 26, 2011, 06:46:03 PM
Winning on the road is not easy. We have 4 road games...I will say we win 4.

Agreed on road games not being easy to win but I still think we pull out at least 2 road wins. IUPUI in Conseco Fieldhouse is a very winnable road game. Conseco is very empty these days except for concert performances. But if the NBA and it's players ratify the agreement reached then by the day after Christmas the Pacers will be playing the Pistons. The game on the same day as the Valpo/IUPUI game which was against the Nets is cancelled for sure. I wonder if IUPUI could get the Valpo game moved to the evening.

Also I feel that Valpo will defeat Butler or IPFW. I went with 5 wins because we may lose one of the Milwaukee, Green Bay, Oakland or Bowling Green games at home.

Quote from: wh on November 25, 2011, 11:13:44 PM
IMO these are all winnable games.  I think we win 4 of 5 non-conf. games and 2 of 3 conf. games = 6 wins.  That would give us a very good overall record of 11-4 going into Feb. and could set the stage for an excellent season.

There is only one way to define an "excellent season" - NCAA tournament.

That being said, going 11-4 would be a good start, and maybe even a springboard to the conference and possible a tournament double bye scenario. Also being said, I don't see that happening. Maybe I will be wrong, but Valpo isn't consistant enough night in and night out.

I picked 7, but 6-2 would be good as well.

I also picked 7, but feel it can be 5 or 6 depending on how a few close games play out

I am watching the Tennessee vs. Oakland game, and Oakland has led by double digits throughout much of the first half. Oakland will be tough.

Quote from: valpopal on November 28, 2011, 08:56:38 PM
I am watching the Tennessee vs. Oakland game, and Oakland has led by double digits throughout much of the first half. Oakland will be tough.

Playing at Oakland - dangerous!

Picked 11 of 12 in the SEC, but they took #8 Memphis to double overtime...

Would be a great win for Oakland.  Twice in two years?  Even if Tennessee's not #7 this time.

Up five with nine to play.  Up seven with 1m22 to play.

http://www.iheart.com/#/live/1129/?autoplay=true (http://www.iheart.com/#/live/1129/?autoplay=true)

Apparently the first time ESPN's ever televised an Oakalnd home game (ESPNU).

How did they get Tennessee to play in the O'Rena?  We should get one of these BCS teams into the ARC sometime...

89-81 final.  Oakland wins.

$20 for student tickets, incidentally.  $25 for the public.  A sell-out, supposedly.

The game on the 17th could be a really tough one for Valpo, especially if Travis Bader isn't prevented from shooting 3s.  Reggie Hamilton could be a load and a half.

Oh yeah, and Petros is a beast underneath.  One thing to look for: who gets into foul trouble, him or KVW?  Either is possible.

And the two guys calling this Oakland-Tennessee game for ESPNU are horrible in my opinion.  Mike McCormack is the color guy, and for someone who has done games for this conference before (used to do the Mid-Con championship game and even the Mid-Con game of the week), he still belongs in the "out-of-town-stupid" category, at one point stating that Kampe took over in 1999.

3 things these guys are guilty of consistently:

1.  They're in love with the sound of their own voice (especially when they are sucking up to the fans of the mid-major team being showcased).
2.  They don't do their homework.
3.  They can't resist trampling over game action with stories about stuff that in that context are completely irrelevant.

I would say these guys tonight were mostly guilty of #1.

Quote from: StlVUFan on November 29, 2011, 12:31:00 AMMike McCormack is the color guy, and for someone who has done games for this conference before (used to do the Mid-Con championship game and even the Mid-Con game of the week), he still belongs in the "out-of-town-stupid" category, at one point stating that Kampe took over in 1999.

The announce team was Clay Matvick and Tim McCormick. I'm guessing these two bottom-of-the-barrel regional guys that they could last minute send to Rochester, Michigan for what they felt was a meaningless pushover for Tennessee, but I guess they forgot that the Golden Grizzles upset #8 Tennessee a year ago at Knoxville. How quickly ESPN gives a crap about SEC-Summit Basketball.

I am just glad our game against Oakland is at home this year.  Though I believe our students will be away, it just gives you that much more of an edge against them it seems.  Have we ever lost to them at home?

Quote from: valpotx on November 29, 2011, 10:16:09 AM
I am just glad our game against Oakland is at home this year.  Though I believe our students will be away, it just gives you that much more of an edge against them it seems.  Have we ever lost to them at home?

Yes, I believe the very last time Oakland was at the ARC, it was a Kampe victory. This is from memory (shady at best sometimes) without looking it up.

I think it was our only loss to OU could be wrong.....

Yes we absolutely lost to OU at home in our final season in the Mid-Con, but we also lost twice at the O'Rena in the last two years in the Mid-Con.  So we were 15-3 against them until last season.

Still one of our best records in the Mid-Con, though always close games.

Quote from: VUfan on November 30, 2011, 04:53:47 PM
Still one of our best records in the Mid-Con, though always close games.

Except for 2 blow-outs at the ARC, yes.

Quote from: milanmiracle on November 27, 2011, 12:12:10 PM

Quote from: wh on November 25, 2011, 11:13:44 PM
IMO these are all winnable games.  I think we win 4 of 5 non-conf. games and 2 of 3 conf. games = 6 wins.  That would give us a very good overall record of 11-4 going into Feb. and could set the stage for an excellent season.

There is only one way to define an "excellent season" - NCAA tournament.

That being said, going 11-4 would be a good start, and maybe even a springboard to the conference and possible a tournament double bye scenario. Also being said, I don't see that happening. Maybe I will be wrong, but Valpo isn't consistant enough night in and night out.

So was that a vote for 5 or was it less than 5, or was that a wiggle-room 6 vote? Inquiring minds want to know.

So far in December Valpo is 2-2. I wonder if anyone would have predicted beating Butler and Bowling Green and losing to IPFW and Oakland at the beginning of the season.

The Crusaders should beat NIU. The tough games coming up seem to be IUPUI and Milwaukee. IUPUI beat Ball State at Conseco Fieldhouse 66-57 behind their superstar, Alex Young, 22 points, Monday night. Ian Chiles had 17 for the Jaguars who have won 3 in a row and stopped a 6 game Ball State winning streak. Will the Crusaders go 0-3 against the Summit League? Who would have ever believed that could happen? 

You can never take Green Bay lightly but Valpo should be able to beat them at the ARC.

Also StlVUfan's signature is a great warning for Valpo about this year's Butler team. Watch out for the improving Bulldogs when they come to the ARC in February.

I don't feel nearly as good about the team right now as I did after the Butler win.  IPFW and N IL are both in the worst 25% group, and yet we lose to one and play from behind for most of the game in the other.  Then I read Bryce's comments in the paper that some guys were a little under the weather plus they were playing with a short rotation.  I hope I'm wrong, but this is starting to sound eerily similar to last year's flu and injury excuses after playing down to (and getting beat by) lesser competition, starting with a loss to a hapless Toledo team and ending with the end-of-the-season swoon.  Maybe our coaches and players need to do some benchmarking at Cleveland State to see how they won repeatedly last year with what was basically a 6-man rotation and the usual variety of injuries.  I think this next game will go a long way in telling whether this year's version has just been in a minor funk or in fact has caught the "weak and weary" disease that hovered over the men's locker room for most of Jan, Feb and March. 

The flu issues could just be the guys not taking care of themselves by staying warm or layering up to go outside going to classes, the library, get food, and other walking campus details. I mean how often do you see those guys walking around campus in hoodies and sweats with baseball hats on when the temperatures start to change, thinking they are immortal to the weather changes? Common sense would say to take care of your ego about getting sick, be careful and pro-active about getting sick, instead of careless, and being sick for days, so it affects your health in practice and in games.

Quote from: valporun on December 21, 2011, 03:26:35 PM
The flu issues could just be the guys not taking care of themselves by staying warm or layering up to go outside going to classes, the library, get food, and other walking campus details. I mean how often do you see those guys walking around campus in hoodies and sweats with baseball hats on when the temperatures start to change, thinking they are immortal to the weather changes? Common sense would say to take care of your ego about getting sick, be careful and pro-active about getting sick, instead of careless, and being sick for days, so it affects your health in practice and in games.

Science would tell you that you get sick from germs and viruses, not from weather changes or cold weather ;)

Common sense would say to protect yourself from having those germs and viruses enter your body.

I was wondering how the team would be in December, and mentioned the possibility of flu or colds in my original comments. By the end of the semester sickness was widespread. You would walk down the halls and hear coughing or sneezing from every classroom. The germs could easily be on each door handle, desk surface, etc.

Quote from: valpopal on December 21, 2011, 04:41:41 PMThe germs could easily be on each door handle, desk surface, etc.

...or on their girlfriends  :-*

I can tell you were being sarcastic about science saying germs are the only cause, but I want to challenge any scientist to come measure that in my area in November - March.  We can go from 70-80 degrees to 30 overnight, and then back up to 70 the following day.  When this happens, everyone gets sick in the office  :)

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, colds are not caused by being cold. They are caused by viruses. A likely reason people get sick more when it is/gets cold is because people start spending more time inside around other people where they are more likely to pass those viruses among each other.

Quote from: valpofan56 on December 21, 2011, 05:40:13 PM
No ifs, ands, or buts about it, colds are not caused by being cold. They are caused by viruses. A likely reason people get sick more when it is/gets cold is because people start spending more time inside around other people where they are more likely to pass those viruses among each other.

:thumbsup:

The pediatrician at our baby class in July said "you can let them run around naked out in the cold if they want...they are not going to get sick from it.  That and wet hair causing pneumonia are old wives tales that you will surely hear as you raise your child."

Sure enough...tried to explain it to my grandmother who replied "ooh just listen to your grandmother!"

I just don't understand how this thread went from how Valpo was doing in December to how colds effect the team to how the team catches colds from their girlfriends to how viruses are spread to about how the temperatures change so quickly in Texas to how babies catch colds and if you should listen to your grandmother's advice on caring for babies.

Quote from: historyman on December 21, 2011, 10:41:25 PM
I just don't understand how this thread went from how Valpo was doing in December to how colds effect the team to how the team catches colds from their girlfriends to how viruses are spread to about how the temperatures change so quickly in Texas to how babies catch colds and if you should listen to your grandmother's advice on caring for babies.

Is Friday here yet?

Quote from: historyman on December 21, 2011, 10:41:25 PM
I just don't understand how this thread went from how Valpo was doing in December to how colds effect the team to how the team catches colds from their girlfriends to how viruses are spread to about how the temperatures change so quickly in Texas to how babies catch colds and if you should listen to your grandmother's advice on caring for babies.

It went much the same way a game thread for the NIU game became a discussion about the history of WVU's coach in 2002...

Quote from: historyman on December 21, 2011, 11:18:47 PMThat means Gale Catlett played one season with Jerry West at West Virginia for the Mountaineers. West played at WVU from 1956 to 1960.

:P

Ok, everyone, let's reel it in. 

I think we end up with 5 wins this month.

Quote from: valpo04 on December 22, 2011, 06:40:10 AM

Quote from: historyman on December 21, 2011, 10:41:25 PM
I just don't understand how this thread went from how Valpo was doing in December to how colds effect the team to how the team catches colds from their girlfriends to how viruses are spread to about how the temperatures change so quickly in Texas to how babies catch colds and if you should listen to your grandmother's advice on caring for babies.

It went much the same way a game thread for the NIU game became a discussion about the history of WVU's coach in 2002...

Quote from: historyman on December 21, 2011, 11:18:47 PMThat means Gale Catlett played one season with Jerry West at West Virginia for the Mountaineers. West played at WVU from 1956 to 1960.

:P

Well at least I was still talking about college basketball not cold viruses or grandma's advice on babies.   ;)

I'll agree with the 5 win December.

So, will the 2 winners for the month of December please step foreward. My conservative estimate of 5 was still too optimistic. If your less than 5 vote actually meant 3 then you need not admit you were wrong.