1/17: Valpo @ Detroit Game Thread oh and lots of giveaways!

[historyman]

Crusaders score final 12 points to get past Detroit

4 hours ago  •  Paul Oren Times Correspondent

The Valparaiso men's basketball team didn't need a buzzer-beater to win at Detroit this season. It needed a perfect final three minutes.

The Crusaders brushed off a 22-point second half deficit and scored the final 12 points of the contest to complete an improbable comeback with an 89-88 win against the Titans on Thursday.

Kevin Van Wijk scored a career-high 31 points and Ryan Broekhoff knocked down two free throws with 17.4 seconds left to give the Crusaders their first lead since the opening moments of the game.

Detroit had two chances at a game-winner, but Evan Bruinsma and Nick Minnerath each missed 3-pointers in the final five seconds.

"We kept plugging away and we took the game one possession at a time," Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew said. "We knew there wasn't any 20-point shot or 10-point basket that we could hit out there."

The game was yet another heart-stopping contest at Calihan Hall. Last season Erik Buggs went the length of the court in the final seconds to hit a game-winning layup at the buzzer.

"I don't think we've been down this much and been able to come back to win," Drew said. "As a former player and now a coach you see both sides of it and sometimes there just isn't an explanation."

Minnerath was unstoppable for much of the evening as the fifth-year senior scored a career-high 36 points. Minnerath missed last season with an injury but has long been respected by the Crusaders as the best player on Detroit's roster. With the game on the line, Minnerath missed just his fifth shot of the night, setting off a wild Valparaiso celebration.

"There is no question that (Detroit) dominated the game for much of the night," Drew said. "They have five guys who can score in double figures. Erik (Buggs) did a good job forcing (Ray) McCallum to pass on one of the last shots. I'm extremely proud of this team right now."

The Crusaders (14-5, 4-1) trailed 88-77 with just under three minutes remaining when Matt Kenney knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. Van Wijk then scored four points before Broekhoff connected on the final two free throws of the night. Broekhoff was fouled after Buggs poked the ball away from McCallum with 19 seconds left.

"We stayed together and we stayed composed," Van Wijk said. "We knew that we had to chip away over time. We have a lot of experience on this team. Everyone has been in a situation like this before."

Broekhoff had 18 points and nine rebounds while Matt Kenney added 12 points. Doug Anderson had 17 points for the Titans (11-7, 3-2) while McCallum was limited to just six points.

[Smj]

Detroit post game interview is up

Poor Minnerath

Okay - why is there no Valpo post game interview  
(If they recorded mcCallum then wouldn't they record Valpo for a post game interview?   WTF)

[oklahomamick]

I waited to watch the game until it was archived on ESPN3 so I had to stay away from here.   

I can't find it!!!  Someone help.

[Smj]

I waited to watch the game until it was archived on ESPN3 so I had to stay away from here.   

I can't find it!!!  Someone help.

I have the espn app on my iPad and it shows up under replay....    There also appears to be a link on the Internet that may or may not work?
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/roadblock?watchsrc=true&device=ios&id=745053&_slug_=valparaiso-vs-detroit
Or
http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index?rb=true&watchsrc=true&device=ios&id=745053#type/replay/

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Would someone kindly copy the Post Tribune game story and post it? 

I've found that if you have a smart phone, you can circumvent these problems, just fyi.

[Valposter]

Buggs. If you can't make a wide open 3 at the D-1 level when they are 10 feet away from you, you don't need to be playing in games where they sag on you.

Buggs fired up 2 threes towards the end of the game. You can't fault him this game for not trying. And he didn't shoot any worse from three than others on many nights. Buggs also hit 2 of 3 free throws and without that kind of free throw shooting we don't win.

This was a great game and a great comeback!  However, it appears to me that the comeback really was fueled between the 7 minute mark and 3 minute mark during a large portion of that time when Buggs was on the bench.  It is so obvious to me that we are playing 5 on 4 offensively when Buggs is on the court.  That is so difficult to do effectively against good, athletic, defensively-skilled teams.  It's no wonder we have a hard time getting offensive rhythm and flow, passing lanes and open looks (with the exception of Buggs on which they are wasted) against good teams.  That is the only way that teams can remotely hold Rowdy in check because they can easily double-team him by leaving Buggs literally unguarded and Buggs still cannot score, break down the defense, or make them pay in any signifcant way.  If you can't consistenly make a wide open 12-foot jumper as a guard, you can't start at the Division 1 level on a good team.  Layer in the turnovers and it makes that statement even more emphatic. 

I know Buggs is a college student-athlete and I am sure a great guy, and I am not bashing him as a person, just his performance on the court.  I really want to see Valpo have a season to remember because I think they have that kind of potential and talent overall.  But Buggs has to either play significantly better immediately (and no one would be happier than me to see that, but I don't think that is likely to happen) or they need to find another solution at point guard.  It is so obvious to me that Buggs is holding this team back so far this season in every way and it amazes me that he is held practically unaccountable on this board or by the coaching staff.

It drives me absolutely crazy seeing the immense potential of this team go drastically under-realized because they don't have, imo, a point guard playing competantly at the Division 1 level thus far this season.  College basketball is a guard-driven sport (especially at the point!) and Valpo will only go as far as their point guard position can take them. Valpo needs to get significantly better point guard play to make it to March Madness and to have any chance of doing something special once there.  It would be nice to have another highlight this year (a Rowdy buzzer beater) to replace the Bryce shot.   

But let me end this post on a positive note.  That was a great comeback on the road against a good but distasteful team, Kevin had a great game, and Rowdy was, is, and always will be ice!

[KL31NY]

Detroit post game interview is up

Poor Minnerath

Okay - why is there no Valpo post game interview  
(If they recorded mcCallum then wouldn't they record Valpo for a post game interview?   WTF)

BYOC- Bring your own camera. Until you get to tournaments, it's up to each athletic department to record any post-game discussions they want. Detroit doesn't have to record ours if they record their own.

[vusupporter]

Buggs. If you can't make a wide open 3 at the D-1 level when they are 10 feet away from you, you don't need to be playing in games where they sag on you.

Buggs fired up 2 threes towards the end of the game. You can't fault him this game for not trying. And he didn't shoot any worse from three than others on many nights. Buggs also hit 2 of 3 free throws and without that kind of free throw shooting we don't win.

This was a great game and a great comeback!  However, it appears to me that the comeback really was fueled between the 7 minute mark and 3 minute mark during a large portion of that time when Buggs was on the bench.  It is so obvious to me that we are playing 5 on 4 offensively when Buggs is on the court.  That is so difficult to do effectively against good, athletic, defensively-skilled teams.  It's no wonder we have a hard time getting offensive rhythm and flow, passing lanes and open looks (with the exception of Buggs on which they are wasted) against good teams.  That is the only way that teams can remotely hold Rowdy in check because they can easily double-team him by leaving Buggs literally unguarded and Buggs still cannot score, break down the defense, or make them pay in any signifcant way.  If you can't consistenly make a wide open 12-foot jumper as a guard, you can't start at the Division 1 level on a good team.  Layer in the turnovers and it makes that statement even more emphatic. 

I know Buggs is a college student-athlete and I am sure a great guy, and I am not bashing him as a person, just his performance on the court.  I really want to see Valpo have a season to remember because I think they have that kind of potential and talent overall.  But Buggs has to either play significantly better immediately (and no one would be happier than me to see that, but I don't think that is likely to happen) or they need to find another solution at point guard.  It is so obvious to me that Buggs is holding this team back so far this season in every way and it amazes me that he is held practically unaccountable on this board or by the coaching staff.

It drives me absolutely crazy seeing the immense potential of this team go drastically under-realized because they don't have, imo, a point guard playing competantly at the Division 1 level thus far this season.  College basketball is a guard-driven sport (especially at the point!) and Valpo will only go as far as their point guard position can take them. Valpo needs to get significantly better point guard play to make it to March Madness and to have any chance of doing something special once there.  It would be nice to have another highlight this year (a Rowdy buzzer beater) to replace the Bryce shot.   

But let me end this post on a positive note.  That was a great comeback on the road against a good but distasteful team, Kevin had a great game, and Rowdy was, is, and always will be ice!

We were down 9 when Buggs went out with 9:30 to go, we were down 9 when he came back in for good with 3:20 left.  Also, a quick scan of the play-by-play (assuming its accuracy) shows we outscored Detroit by about 7 with Buggs in the game.  Yes, he struggles with the jumper, but quite a few times last night, he took advantage of his defender helping on drives by cutting to the basket unguarded and being in position for a pass and easy layup - I believe he made about 3 baskets that way and got fouled once as well.

[agibson]

Am I reading the box score correctly?  I'm getting used to outrebounding our opponents, but it looks like we had 17 offensive rebounds to their 16 defensive rebounds?  We rebounded a bigger fraction of our misses than they did?!

How rare is is that?

(Granted this is with four "team" offensive rebounds for us, and one "team" defensive rebound for them.)

For an eleven point margin in second-chance points (17 for us, 6 for them).  Overcoming their 9 point margin in points of turnovers and their 1 point margin in fast break points.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

However, it appears to me that the comeback really was fueled between the 7 minute mark and 3 minute mark during a large portion of that time when Buggs was on the bench.

erm...seems to me that the comeback was ultimately fueled in the last three minutes, you know, when we went on a 12-0 run?  Buggsy had two key assists in that time--on the 2nd Kenney 3-ball, and the last of the "oh geez KVW is all alone again" layups.

Let's face it...if the lil guy *were* a scorer, he wouldn't be in Valpo--he'd be in the SEC or B1G, because that is all he is missing.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

in FACT, at the SEVEN minute mark we were down NINE and at the 3 minute mark ELEVEN!

Check it if you don't believe me:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/playbyplay?gameId=330172174

EDIT...and I see that VUSupporter has beaten me to the obvious.  Sorry to be redundant, but well-played, sir.

[HC]

Buggs was fantastic and made Jr look like a chump all night.

http://sectionee.blogspot.com/2013/01/valpodetroit-pps.html

PPS for the game.  Minnerath, KVW, and Ryan all with huge scores.  Buggs outscores Jr, beautiful!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Statistical oddity (not to give UDM fans anything to whine about, because they do enough of that already)...

KVW, no fouls (thanks to chef's pointed-out mistake by the scorers) in 30 minutes. 

He had
--fouled out of 7 of the previous 11 games.
--not gone foulless since only 16 min against CSU this year.
--not gone foulless in 30+ min since Akron LAST NOVEMBER.
--been in the top ten in most fouls in all of college basketball.  (now drops to #11!)

Just part of the amazing game he had.

[truth219]

Buggs. If you can't make a wide open 3 at the D-1 level when they are 10 feet away from you, you don't need to be playing in games where they sag on you.

Buggs fired up 2 threes towards the end of the game. You can't fault him this game for not trying. And he didn't shoot any worse from three than others on many nights. Buggs also hit 2 of 3 free throws and without that kind of free throw shooting we don't win.

This was a great game and a great comeback!  However, it appears to me that the comeback really was fueled between the 7 minute mark and 3 minute mark during a large portion of that time when Buggs was on the bench.  It is so obvious to me that we are playing 5 on 4 offensively when Buggs is on the court.  That is so difficult to do effectively against good, athletic, defensively-skilled teams.  It's no wonder we have a hard time getting offensive rhythm and flow, passing lanes and open looks (with the exception of Buggs on which they are wasted) against good teams.  That is the only way that teams can remotely hold Rowdy in check because they can easily double-team him by leaving Buggs literally unguarded and Buggs still cannot score, break down the defense, or make them pay in any signifcant way.  If you can't consistenly make a wide open 12-foot jumper as a guard, you can't start at the Division 1 level on a good team.  Layer in the turnovers and it makes that statement even more emphatic. 

I know Buggs is a college student-athlete and I am sure a great guy, and I am not bashing him as a person, just his performance on the court.  I really want to see Valpo have a season to remember because I think they have that kind of potential and talent overall.  But Buggs has to either play significantly better immediately (and no one would be happier than me to see that, but I don't think that is likely to happen) or they need to find another solution at point guard.  It is so obvious to me that Buggs is holding this team back so far this season in every way and it amazes me that he is held practically unaccountable on this board or by the coaching staff.

It drives me absolutely crazy seeing the immense potential of this team go drastically under-realized because they don't have, imo, a point guard playing competantly at the Division 1 level thus far this season.  College basketball is a guard-driven sport (especially at the point!) and Valpo will only go as far as their point guard position can take them. Valpo needs to get significantly better point guard play to make it to March Madness and to have any chance of doing something special once there.  It would be nice to have another highlight this year (a Rowdy buzzer beater) to replace the Bryce shot.   

But let me end this post on a positive note.  That was a great comeback on the road against a good but distasteful team, Kevin had a great game, and Rowdy was, is, and always will be ice!

What do you think we can do, recruit mid season. We have who we have. Obviously buggs is our best option. Dority had 4 turnovers last night in 13 mins. Buggs has the capacity to drive the lane and either get a lay up, find an open man, or take it back out. Dority basically always goes to the hoop or turns it over. He isn't as quick as buggs nor does he have the court vision. Then there is bogan...who is a 2 gaurd...not a point. He has been in the gutter offensively lately but his defense is legit.

[valpotx]

I made the post about Buggs not shooting when wide open at halftime.  I was happy to see that he at least TRIED to get a shot off in the second half.  If you don't even attempt to shoot a 3 now and then when they literally are 10-15 feet away, then they prove that they don't have to guard you until you get to the FT line on your drive. 

[Valposter]

in FACT, at the SEVEN minute mark we were down NINE and at the 3 minute mark ELEVEN! Check it if you don't believe me:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/playbyplay?gameId=330172174 EDIT...and I see that VUSupporter has beaten me to the obvious. Sorry to be redundant, but well-played, sir.

I am talking about the entire season's body of work, not just last night's game.  But certainly we saw the same mistakes from Buggs last night that we have been seeing the entire season.  Turnovers.  Missed wide-open shots.  Passed up wide open shots.  Bad decisions.  Everyone, game after game, complains about the offensive flow and the number of turnovers even though we have all of this senior talent returning along with the best player in the conference.  There is a reason for that, and his name is Buggs.  Why is this team under-performing with senior leadership and the best player in the conference?  I keep hearing the question, "why isn't this team clicking".  We have threads about it game after game.  We have a specific thread with that title.  What is the reason?  Is it Rowdy .....obviously not.  Is it Kevin....no.  Is it our point guard position.........yes!  That position more than any is responsible for ball security, and the rhythm and flow of the offense.  And that is repeatedly the two things EVERYONE has complained about with this team all season to this point.  And it's ridiculous to say that if Buggs could score (i.e. hit an open 12-foot jumper consistently) that he would be too good for Valpo or the HL.  There are plenty of point guards in the HL that can score, assist, protect the ball, and run the offense.  Buggs is in the bottom half of HL point guards.  He is Valpo's weak link and is going to hold this team back from accomplishing what is possible and what everybody wants. 

I believe in the eye test, and Buggs does not pass the eye test.  But, just look at some stats and compare if you won't or can't see it with your eyes:

Buggs:  505 minutes; 46% FG%; 11% 3-pt%; 52% FT%; 50 TO's; 97 total points; 5.1 pts/game.

Dority:  252 minutes; 37% FG%; 30% 3-pt%; 84% FT%; 26 TO's; 124 total points; 12.4 pts/game.

Dority is third on the team in scoring with about half of the minutes of Buggs.  And his turnover/minutes is comparable to Buggsand would probably improve wit more playing time.  That's not even factoring in the positive impact that Dority's offensive threat and presence would  have in Rowdy getting more open looks thus increasing his scoring output and Kevin getting more space to work withing underneath as defenses cant sag back playing off Buggs.

   

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Apples and oranges, my friend.

Get some tempo-free stats and then we can talk.

[KL31NY]

As we start focusing ahead, I wanted to repost a link from HC in another thread. With Valpo @ Cleveland State on ESPN2 in a couple weeks, there's an alumni gathering to attend in addition to the game. http://www.valpo.edu/alumni/events/clevelandstategameandlunch.php C'mon down to Cleveland-town everyone!

[vu72]

in FACT, at the SEVEN minute mark we were down NINE and at the 3 minute mark ELEVEN! Check it if you don't believe me:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/playbyplay?gameId=330172174 EDIT...and I see that VUSupporter has beaten me to the obvious. Sorry to be redundant, but well-played, sir.

I am talking about the entire season's body of work, not just last night's game.  But certainly we saw the same mistakes from Buggs last night that we have been seeing the entire season.  Turnovers.  Missed wide-open shots.  Passed up wide open shots.  Bad decisions.  Everyone, game after game, complains about the offensive flow and the number of turnovers even though we have all of this senior talent returning along with the best player in the conference.  There is a reason for that, and his name is Buggs.  Why is this team under-performing with senior leadership and the best player in the conference?  I keep hearing the question, "why isn't this team clicking".  We have threads about it game after game.  We have a specific thread with that title.  What is the reason?  Is it Rowdy .....obviously not.  Is it Kevin....no.  Is it our point guard position.........yes!  That position more than any is responsible for ball security, and the rhythm and flow of the offense.  And that is repeatedly the two things EVERYONE has complained about with this team all season to this point.  And it's ridiculous to say that if Buggs could score (i.e. hit an open 12-foot jumper consistently) that he would be too good for Valpo or the HL.  There are plenty of point guards in the HL that can score, assist, protect the ball, and run the offense.  Buggs is in the bottom half of HL point guards.  He is Valpo's weak link and is going to hold this team back from accomplishing what is possible and what everybody wants. 

I believe in the eye test, and Buggs does not pass the eye test.  But, just look at some stats and compare if you won't or can't see it with your eyes:

Buggs:  505 minutes; 46% FG%; 11% 3-pt%; 52% FT%; 50 TO's; 97 total points; 5.1 pts/game.

Dority:  252 minutes; 37% FG%; 30% 3-pt%; 84% FT%; 26 TO's; 124 total points; 12.4 pts/game.

Dority is third on the team in scoring with about half of the minutes of Buggs.  And his turnover/minutes is comparable to Buggsand would probably improve wit more playing time.  That's not even factoring in the positive impact that Dority's offensive threat and presence would  have in Rowdy getting more open looks thus increasing his scoring output and Kevin getting more space to work withing underneath as defenses cant sag back playing off Buggs.

   

I share some of the frustrations of watching Erik playbut then I see him do things that no one else can do--period.  LaVonte is not nearly as quick as Erik, for one.  In looking at this years statistics, there are only three players who have more assists than turnovers--Ryan (barely), Matt and Erik.  He has 62 assts to 47 tos versus Dority with 21 assts and 22 tos. At the same time Erik has 27 steals to 11 for Dority.

Yes, he can't shoot, we all know that but-------------who was guarding Ray yesterday??  Who drove the length of the floor last year to win at the last second?  Erik is a much better passer than Dority.  If you just look at one short coming, in Erik's case, shooting, then how would you view Kevin's play if you only looked at assts to tos?  He is the worst on the team by far, with 10 assts to 37 tos.

[TitanReg]

Congrats on the win.  Your team never quit and mine fell apart.  I have great respect for your team and school.  I am not a kid but an older alum of Detroit who has always traveled to the ARC and seen almost every game between our schools since you joined the HL.

I'm not one for excuses. We folded and you came on and yes it was painful but its only a game. I spoke to Coach Drew after the game and offered my congratulations.  I look forward to coming to VU next month for the next chapter.

I know there's been some crap between our younger fans and all but I think I'm a classy person and though disappointed, I say again, your team played hard and congrats on the win. 

I also hope Coach Homer and his wife are doing well.  Always enjoyed speaking with him on my visits to Valpo. 

See you next month.

[truth219]

My personal opinion is that buggs is lightyears better than dority. He has the ability to dribble out of trouble. When dority gets doubled...he's a sitting duck. Buggs has huge upside. He is going to work on his shot, and I bet we see him hit some 3 pointers next time out. Buggs can also finsih must better at the rim. Buggs can always beat you because of his speed. Something dority doesn't have. Could dority beat buggs at an arm wrestling match...yes but buggs is the best point gaurd in the city of valpo

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Thanks for being a class act, Reg.  All best and come down to V-town for the rematch...

[Valposter]

My personal opinion is that buggs is lightyears better than dority. He has the ability to dribble out of trouble. When dority gets doubled...he's a sitting duck. Buggs has huge upside. He is going to work on his shot, and I bet we see him hit some 3 pointers next time out. Buggs can also finsih must better at the rim. Buggs can always beat you because of his speed. Something dority doesn't have. Could dority beat buggs at an arm wrestling match...yes but buggs is the best point gaurd in the city of valpo

If Buggs is the answer at point guard, then someone please explain to me why the fans have been so upset and frustrated with turnovers, offensive flow and rhythm of the offense.  That is the point guard's main job...ball security and offensive flow.  So, if Bugg's, the point guard, is not primarily responsible for these issues, then who?  No one has denied these issues exist.  So, who is to blame for the team's unacceptable turnover rate and offensive flow issues all season and what solutions can be offered to fix?      

[wh]

Congrats on the win.  Your team never quit and mine fell apart.  I have great respect for your team and school.  I am not a kid but an older alum of Detroit who has always traveled to the ARC and seen almost every game between our schools since you joined the HL.

I'm not one for excuses. We folded and you came on and yes it was painful but its only a game. I spoke to Coach Drew after the game and offered my congratulations.  I look forward to coming to VU next month for the next chapter.

I know there's been some crap between our younger fans and all but I think I'm a classy person and though disappointed, I say again, your team played hard and congrats on the win. 

I also hope Coach Homer and his wife are doing well.  Always enjoyed speaking with him on my visits to Valpo. 

See you next month.

I remember how down I was feeling the day after we threw the Oakland game away in somewhat similar fashion.  I wasn't so magnanimous as to go on their board and congratulate them for what I considered at the time to be a gift. My hat is off to you, Reg.  Like you, I can't wait till the next battle on 2/16.  The ARC should be rocking!

[Valposter]

Apples and oranges, my friend. Get some tempo-free stats and then we can talk.

Kindly and respectfully disagree my good friend..........