12/5, 7:05: IPFW @ Valpo Game Thread

[truth219]

This is a must win. Well, at least, I feel it is.

[covufan]

This game is a should win - a game we are expected to and should win.  Must wins are closely competitive games that we need (must) win.  Anything less than a 10 point win will be unexpected.

Valpo  77
IPFW   59

[Valpo89]

IPFW has won three of the last four meetings.

[valporun]

I hope we play more to our strengths against IPFW, rather than playing down to theirs. Our weakness is not taking advantage of what we are because we want to play evenly to what the opponent is. I hope we can do what we're best at, and dominate IPFW with our strengths, rather than react more to what they've done to make it more of a game for us. Our game plan seems to suffer either because of the name on the opponent's jersey, or because we lose some confidence in our game individually.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

IPFW has won three of the last four meetings.

That's ... that's disgusting.  I might actually cheer for them if this were their fight song, though.

Mr. Mastodon Farm

[crusadermoe]

They beat Miami of Ohio recently.     Not like beating Kentucky, but a MAC team nonetheless.

[vu72]

They are no pushover.  They still have Frank Gaines who killed us last year and averaged over 28 ppg over the last six games last year.  First team All Summit.  They only have one other senior but a bunch of juniors so a very experienced team.

[valpotx]

We should win by just as many points as some of these other wins this year, especially since our shots only seem to fall at home:

Valpo 76
IPFW 58

[bbtds]

Fort Wayne    64
Valpo            59

[crusadermoe]

I think we will pull it out,.....but we will need a B+ effort or better.   Bryce probably tore into everyone.   

Valpo 67
IPFW 62

[HC]

Valpo by a bakers dozen. I won't be in attendance since its my sons last game tomorrow.

[milanmiracle]

IPFW has won three of the last four meetings.

Yep, and I think Valpo was favored in every one. This is not a team to take lightly.

[truth219]

If valpo loses this game, I will start questioning things.

[VUfan]

Valpo brings it's A game, with the scoring spread around and Buggs does not have to be the shooting star and does what he does best. Valpo 82 IPUFW( I think)68 ( if Ball State becomes part of this School Would it be know as IPBSUFW?)

[vuweathernerd]

If valpo loses this game, I will start questioning things.

wait, you haven't been to this point?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

wait, you haven't been to this point?

I know, right?  I'd say that maybe the following might not qualify as him rubber-stamping "things"!

As in put rossi on the floor for 20 mins and see what he does. Bench boggs and bogan for some of the game. Once dority is eligible, he should start. I don't care if I've never seen him play. Buggs is garbage...he's fast...that's it. I wanna see some good post defense. Our zone today got picked apart.

Happy with what I saw...three things I didn't like
1 there is no sense in pump faking on wide open 3 pointers...that is so annoying we pass it around the arc and get wide open looks and just pump fake and pass...it gets old
2 turnovers against lousey opponents
3 defense...our defense is sub par...I don't think we defend well as a unit

Sure we won by 21 tonight, but this team was terrible. We looked sloppy. I'm not a big capo fan...be just doesn't impress me that much. Van wijk looked like crap tonight,

Vashil is too much of a liability to keep him on the court for any lenght of time. As good as he can be at times on defense, he has way to many turnovers. And bogan is our weakest guard. He can shoot, but so can everybody else...besides buggs. Coleman is good as well he should still get his minutes. Vashil,bogan, and boggs should lose the most minutes as far as I'm concerned. Rossi needs more, assuming he is healthy.

Good Lord, let's not make the man start questioning things!  I shudder to think...

[valpopal]

Ryan is feeling better this week, and Bobby is gradually healing from his surgery; however, I think Bryce will be experimenting with combinations. Therefore, though the early Vegas line has Valpo favored by 16 points, I think that might be a bit high. I predict a 14 point win:

Fort Wayne 62, Valpo 76

[VULB#62]

What was the matter with Ryan?

[HC]

I think he was sick. Seems like our players get sick an awful lot?

[VULB#62]

I think he was sick. Seems like our players get sick an awful lot?

Wondering that myself.  And at crucial times.

[EddieCabot]

They are no pushover.  They still have Frank Gaines who killed us last year and averaged over 28 ppg over the last six games last year.  First team All Summit.  They only have one other senior but a bunch of juniors so a very experienced team.

They beat Miami of Ohio recently.     Not like beating Kentucky, but a MAC team nonetheless.

Frank Gaines can score in bunches, but let's not get carried away about IPFW ... they were picked 6th in THE SUMMIT LEAGUE!  The win over Miami doesn't say much as they were picked DFL in the MAC.  Every indication (Vegas, Pomeroy, RPIforecast.com) is that Valpo should win by 15 to 20 points.  It should be over by halftime.

[valpopal]

I think he was sick. Seems like our players get sick an awful lot?

Wondering that myself.  And at crucial times.

There has been some sort of nasty virus going around campus the last few weeks, and I think about half the team has had it at one point. I have had it myself, and I can't believe Kevin, Ryan, and others have played in that condition.

[VULB#62]

Couldn't decide whether to post this in the SL string, where there was a lot of angst about the performance and questioning of the players, or here cuz it is the lead-in article to the game.  Chose here.  A bit of an explanation for the lower than expected performances of Rowdy and Capo.

Jankowski in the NWITimes:

VALPARAISO | Road trips west of the Mississippi River haven't been pleasant for Valparaiso's men's basketball team this season.
The Crusaders (5-2) looked like a different crew in road losses against Nebraska and Saint Louis, opponents from power conferences who theoretically were vulnerable. Valpo failed to score 50 points in either game, shooting 34.8 percent against the Cornhuskers on Nov. 15 and 32.6 percent Sunday against the Billikens.
"We're very upset," Valpo coach Bryce Drew said after the loss at Saint Louis. "It's not a very happy locker room right now."
It's been a different story at the Athletics-Recreation Center, where Valpo plays tonight against IPFW before a challenging three-game road swing.
The Crusaders are 4-0 at home. Certainly the competition hasn't been as tough, but Valpo has shot 49 percent overall, 47.6 from 3-point range and outscored its opponents by an average of 22 points per game.
But IPFW (5-4) will be Valpo's toughest opponent so far at the ARC. The Mastodons are coming off a huge win Saturday, rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat Miami (Ohio) 57-56 on a layup by Mario Hines with two seconds remaining.
Valpo leads the all-time series 8-3, but IPFW has won three of the last four meetings, including 85-76 last year in Fort Wayne.
"We have to evaluate the (Saint Louis) game, get better from it and get ready for IPFW which has played well against us," Drew said. "It will be a big test for our guys to turn around and see how they do."
Drew still is waiting for his team to be at full strength. Leading scorer Ryan Broekhoff (16 points per game) was sick enough last week to miss most practices, and Bobby Capobianco is still sore and recovering from Nov. 8 hernia surgery.
Capobianco was scoreless in 10 minutes of action against the Billikens. He had scored 10 points in his debut against Chicago State, and four points the next night in back-to-back appearances.
"The adrenaline got him through the first couple games," Drew said. "Now I think we have to get him where he's in better basketball shape. He didn't practice much last week, still has some discoloration in his stomach area."
IPFW has a big-time scorer in 6-foot-3 Frank Gaines. The fifth-year senior, who torched the Crusaders for 24 last year, is averaging 19.3 points which includes a 32-point effort in a season-opening loss at Auburn.

[FWalum]

This should be a win for VU, but this game can not be taken lightly.  IPFW has found a more balanced attack over the last 3 games because they have not been able to rely on Gaines as he as been going through some personal issues.  He should be back and mentally prepared for this game.  IPFW views this as a statement game for them and their athletic program, easily their biggest non conference game of the year.  They need to validate that they can hang with HL teams and their success against us has given them the confidence to make this a very close game.  Without that confidence this is a blow out when just comparing talent.  Will be making my first trip to the ARC this year and will probably be sitting near the IPFW media crew.  Just look for the guy with the Concordia Cadets (Concordia Lutheran High School) black sweater.

[StlVUFan]

Valpo brings it's A game, with the scoring spread around and Buggs does not have to be the shooting star and does what he does best. Valpo 82 IPUFW( I think)68 ( if Ball State becomes part of this School Would it be know as IPBSUFW?)

It's called Fort Wayne.