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Extremely disappointed and embarrassed to see the University give in to this.  This nickname change has no just cause to anyone outside the tiny fraction of population inclined to fixate on any remotely possible offense (and then those individuals who, once the idea is planted, jump on board via power of suggestion and/or fear of insensitivity).

Transparency of the survey results doesn't matter since the approach was obviously biased and had nothing to do with generating serious insights.

The fact that such a significant decision was levied a mere month after distributing the survey -- and preposterously worse, carried out by an Interim University President during a fleeting 7 month temporary stint (and just 2 weeks before officially transitioning to the President-Elect!?) -- just adds to the dirty pool and cowardice.

But overall, it's a principle thing for me.  A major action like this, done purely for political correctness, represents a critical incongruence between the institution's values/views/priorities and my own.  The writing's on the wall now more than ever.  So, I'll no longer be donating to VU.  I'm not helping pay for this nickname change and supporting the misguided leadership behind it.

Local news segment with game footage:

http://www.montanasports.com/2017/09/02/montana-grizzlies-pull-away-late-in-opening-win-over-valparaiso-45-23/

Apparently it doesn't matter who's in the game, Smits or otherwise. We're Swiss cheese on D. Perhaps partly to blame on putrid O setting up GB to run.

Reporting from row 2. IMO, the guys look really lethargic. On the court and off. Low energy, worn out seeming.

Both shots were fade away

I don't think either shot was a fadeaway, they were step back jumpers. Looked like decent defense on the first one, but crazy soft defense / huge cushion on the second. Classic case of compensating for lack of speed and athleticism, fearing the blow-by drive.

Without Jubril and Max, pulling out a win here would be pretty darn impressive.  Awful that "something" had to come up to knock us back so far from full strength. I can only trust it's the right measure for whatever is going on.

Mo St has a loss to DePaul on their record? Valpo by 8.

>> "I'm going back to Valpo to shoot 100 free throws."

Said with sincerity or jokingly in post-win relief?

In Lottich We Trust!!  Love the poise the team exhibited.  Looked really overmatched, smaller, slower, less prepared, and every bit the 6 point underdog in those first ~10 minutes.  Great composure chipping away to nearly even at half, and then mostly controlled the game throughout the second half.  And this while committing too many turnovers and missing countless bunnies at the rim.  Hopefully this propels the team to play with confidence against Ball St and Rhode Island.

I did not expect we would win playing BYU's high-scoring game.  But 92-89 ... 181 combined ... shattered the over-under!

I didn't want it to end. I loved the team we had.

I don't know why, but the tone of this made me think it's over. Hope I'm wrong.

Interviewer: Where did you go to school?
Josh: It was called George Washington.
Interviewer: Oh, GW? My brother-in-law got his doctorate there. Did you pledge?
Josh: Yes. Every morning.

Valpo by 9.

Watched the first half at the office on ESPN App, nice 14 point lead, we looked great.  I eventually made it home, turn on ESPN ... tie game with 40 seconds left.  Yikes! Exciting finish, glad to be on the winning end.  (And I'm REALLY thankful the officials didn't pull a phantom foul of nowhere on that final 3 attempt / Hammink block.)

One more and I bust into the cellar for the good Valpolicella!

Alec Peters with a really nice interview with the broadcast team moments after the game.  On the one hand, he came across as an intelligent, high-character young man -- represented the university very well.  On the other hand, what a great reward for Alec -- a significant amount face time on the main ESPN channel during prime time ... very much a "big-time program" experience for a student athlete who is otherwise under the radar at a mid-major school like Valpo.

I'm really surprised that a Mike Davis coached team is this undisciplined WRT technical fouls. Is not line there's egregious officiating out there. TSU is just losing their cool at odd times.

Yes and a heads up, the news outlets down here are already talking conspiracy.  Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma AD and head of the selection committee) is good friends with Derrick Gragg (Tulsa AD).  Castiglione even gave Gragg his first job when Gragg was25 years old.  TU did not have a watch party as everyone was shocked and didn't think Castiglione could pull it off.

Interesting. Heard talk on the radio afterwards about how Tulsa didn't deserve the bid. Vegas odds say 14 (!) *excluded* teams would be favored over Tulsa, from what I heard. Feel bad for Monmouth.

Feel a bit better knowing that winning at home vs Wright State, on the road vs Ball State, and the semifinal game vs UWGB likely didn't matter. Or UIC being an RPI killer didn't matter. Really, the only way Valpo was getting an at-large would have been a victory at Oregon or if Valpo was in the Big 10.

Very much disagree. This is disingenuous, helps-one-sleep-at-night talk. If we win at Ball St, win at home against Wright St, and lose the conference tourney final, we are an at large bid. If my math is right, that's a 29-4 team whose losses are at Oregon, at Belmont, at a decent-ish conference opponent, and on neutral ground against a decent-ish conference opponent. (Hell, even one of those hiccups is probably okay.)

If we're all honest with ourselves,  we knew this was the resume we needed to be an at-large this season. There's just not enough juice left in victories against Horizon teams, OR St (road), RI (road), Belmont (home), and Iona (home) with bad losses against Ball St, two regular season Horizon losses, and an 0-1 Horizon tournament record.

An at-large would have been a nice surprise gift today, but we didn't take care of the business that any non-biased outsider would have required for an at-large. Plain and simple. Didn't get it done this season. No one else to blame.

Is there any logical reason why this year's Valpo team would get an at-large bid when last year's Belmont team did not?  Or would that be totally illogical? I don't remember the intimate details of Belmont's 14-15 season, but it included like a 26 game winning streak and a loss at the buzzer in the OVC finals, right? With those scant details, sounds more worthy than 15-16 Valpo.

Still, I sorta get the feeling that this year's Valpo team drew more national attention and interest from the types who might be on the selection committee. An, "I want to see what these guys would do", that wasn't there with Belmont last year. Maybe I'm making that up ... a biased perspective based on proximity.

Obviously so memorable that people mistake Murray State for Belmont...

Ha, indeed, I meant Murray St. No logic for 15-16 Valpo to get in when 14-15 Murray St was left out, right? (I remember being shocked when the Racers were snubbed last year.)

Is there any logical reason why this year's Valpo team would get an at-large bid when last year's Belmont team did not?  Or would that be totally illogical? I don't remember the intimate details of Belmont's 14-15 season, but it included like a 26 game winning streak and a loss at the buzzer in the OVC finals, right? With those scant details, sounds more worthy than 15-16 Valpo.

Still, I sorta get the feeling that this year's Valpo team drew more national attention and interest from the types who might be on the selection committee. An, "I want to see what these guys would do", that wasn't there with Belmont last year. Maybe I'm making that up ... a biased perspective based on proximity.

[we settled right down to the level of Wright St, UWM, UWGB, and Oakland when all was said and done]

when you have a team that can legitimately beat someone in the NCAA tourney?

I don't get it, why* can Valpo beat teams in the NCAA tourney but other teams can't?  Over the past few weeks, haven't we have played right at the same level as Wright St, UWM, UWGB, and Oakland?  Just look at the recent games we've played!  I know we thought we were an amazing super team this season that would outshine the rest of the league, but right now we're no better than the other top teams in the conference -- which means, not very good in the big picture.

*Seeding, I guess.  But the spirit of the original comment was, "we're good enough to play with the big boys, unlike these other teams".  There's been no evidence lately that we're capable of playing with big boys ... we settled right down to the level of Wright St, UWM, UWGB, and Oakland when all was said and done.  No better.

The Horizon League got what they wanted in having someone other than Valpo representing the conference in the tourney, and it will be a joke to see which team that is.

I think it's time to stop pretending that we're some special darling that deserves anything other than what we get.  The reality is that we are NOT head and shoulders better than the rest of the Horizon league.  It's not like we've been dominating and now suddenly the carpet is getting pulled out from under us.  In the last three weeks we've lost to Wright State at home, squeaked by Oakland by two points at home, were tied with UWM at the end of regulation, and squeaked by Green Bay by two points.  A loss to Green Bay tonight shouldn't be some great surprise -- and it certainly could have happened in the ARC.  We've played like nothing more than a garden-variety upper-tier-of-a-weak-conference team since mid-February.

Lousy job by Bryce down the stretch, IMO.  Had the horses for something great.  Playing at the same level as Wright State, Oakland, UWM, and Green Bay in the end is FAR from something great.

Valpo just beat one of the better teams in their conference and went 16-2...and all I hear is a bunch of whining about how poor they played, this guy didn't do that, etc. Holy crap, Valpo just won road games against tough opponents who are eyeing this game. Give them a little credit, they are 26-5!!

Part of me feels griping is warranted.  (Surprise.) Let's face it, this is supposed to be a team capable of national noise. The Horizon is a pretty bad conference, so "two of the better teams in the conference" doesn't change the fact that these are sucky teams with circa 150 RPIs that came within a hair's breath of providing TWO losses. The team might need to play better to fulfill expectations.

That said, avoiding losses on the road certainly deserves credit. I'm sure Belmont and Iowa would have killed for squeaker road victories today against TN St and OH St, respectively. Same for Xavier with the letdown at Seton Hall. And Duke at Pitt.

Here's to looking better in the conference tournament and taking care of business there, getting a favorable seeding to the dance, and doing something nationally relevant for the first time in a loooong time.

I swear I saw tevonn pick up his foot off the line before receiving the pass. Are thes officials processing all their thoughts half a second behind realtime?

Both Walkers with deep 2s, barely inside the arc, with lots of shot clock remaining.  This was our plan coming out of half?

Tevonn with awful dribbling to close out an awful half.

The officiating is really bad, but we need to play better. We look like a team that has no business dreaming of winning an NCAA tourney game right now.

UWM getting away with a lot offensive elbows, even a slap to carter's face.