1/18 - Youngstown State @ the Beeghly Center

[FWalum]

Not trying to quell the enthusiasm, but remember that YSU has some serious injury issues.

I think Chris Sparks had a lot of praise for VU and felt he needed to balance out his commentary by staying upbeat in regards to YSU. I don't really blame him for that probably required performance.

[talksalot]

Still no box score posted. Way too many players and all the scoring and tallying! It would be up by now if Peters had just played 40 minutes.

You want box score???  I got your box score right here....

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore/2015-16/5292/valpo-vs-youngstown-state-01-18-2016/

and here's the recap

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2015-16/15169/valpo-earns-sixth-straight-double-figure-victory-in-league-play/#.Vp5EIvkrJpg

[frontrowfan]

Chris Sparks really praised the performance of the Freshmen on the YSU team and talked about their strong potential for the future.  He was overly enthusiastic about Slocum.  Hard not find a lot to talk about the Crusaders given the fact that we played at least the last 7 min with mostly bench players who usually enter the game in the closing minutes....and we still maintaned the lead.

[talksalot]

I'll give props to Chris Sparks and Andy Mazur for their coverage of that game.  Zero pronunciation issues.... they had both done their homework.  The outcome of the game was "what they had been expecting"...

[valpo95]

Hard to be too critical about last night's game - it was good to have so many players contribute and it was a good win.

However, Carter, T. Walker and Skara combined to go 0-9 from 3 point range. That was balanced by the hot shooting from Peters and D. Walker, but in the long run that a major issue.

[FWalum]

I'll give props to Chris Sparks and Andy Mazur for their coverage of that game.  Zero pronunciation issues.... they had both done their homework.  The outcome of the game was "what they had been expecting"...

Totally agree. Both seemed very prepared for what "they expected" to maybe be a boring game. 

[valpotx]

I was impressed with Chris Sparks' commentary throughout the game.  He definitely has a great voice for broadcasting. 

[agibson]

Aaron gives some historical context on the rebounding in the Wright State game notes

- Valpo out-rebounded YSU 51-20 and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds versus
the Penguins' 16 defensive boards.
- The +31 edge on the glass was the largest by the Crusaders against a D-I team
in at least two decades, and was the largest in any game since Valpo was +38
against Purdue North Central on Nov. 18, 2010.

and

- Combined with their stellar defense has been a tremendous effort on the glass
this season for the Crusaders, as Valpo currently ranks 15th nationally with a
+9.5 rebound margin.
- Valpo's +31 advantage at Youngstown State was its best against a Division I
opponent in at least two decades.
- The Crusaders have been at least +8 on the boards in all six Horizon League
games, including a double-fi gure advantage four times.
- In league play to date, Valpo owns an average edge on the boards of +18, while
Vashil Fernandez (10.7 rpg) and Alec Peters (9.8 rpg) rank 1-2 in the league in
rebounding in league-only action.

I'm sure we can't maintain a +18 average.  But, I do wonder if the average will be historic.  Not the easiest numbers to come by...

And I can't resist quoting a defense stat as well

- Valpo's scoring defense (60.0 ppg) ranks fourth nationally, while its field goal
percentage defense (37.1%) is good for sixth in the nation