2/16/13 Valpo home to UDM

[ValpoHoops]

What happened with the flagrant, I was watching the shot go through the hoop?

Whoever it was that fouled bobby got his elbow up into Bobby's face/throat.

[valpospartan]

FG %  - 12.5
3Pt FG% - 0
FT% - 50
TO - 1
Too much dribbling
Bad passes

Why, oh why, does someone with these numbers see the floor?

[valpopal]

Game definitely turned when Erik got his fourth foul. He was outplaying McCallum on both sides of the court. Tough loss, but got to give credit to Detroit, especially Minerath, for never giving up. Both teams have now stolen one on the other's court; however, Valpo still has control of its own fate. Time to put this behind and move on to the business of winning the rest of the conference games. Nobody thought it would be easy. I know I never expected us to have less than 3 losses. In fact, I had predicted 12-4 with a split against Detroit.

Meanwhile, a highlight from the student section:

Valparaiso University Harlem Shake

[truth219]

I don't care what you say about my comments. Dority was aweful tonight. He had a lot of clunkers. He isn't a good point gaurd. When he is bringing the ball down the court I have a gut feeling that says we are not going to score, and most of the time it is true. Wear your blinders if you want, but he isn't good. He isn't even a good back up. He can't lose anyone with his ball handling skills. He can't even make space to shoot. He goes to the hoop and either puts up a lay up that hits the bottom of the back board or throws it away. Drink the koolaid if you want but I don't but it. He went 1-8.....that's aweful.  Look at his previous games and sure they are decent but that's against sub par teams. He isn't a starting d1 point gaurd for a team that wants to have sucess and that's a fact.

[VUfan]

Simply put Detroit  out played Valpo in all respects in the second half, they took over the court we got pushed all over!! when push came to shove they wanted the game more,good Game Detroit!!!.
Now forget this game get ready for LU on the road,hope the team wants that game more!!.   

[valpotx]

They didn't outplay Valpo in the second half, just the last 9 minutes 

[historyman]

I don't care what you say about my comments. Dority was aweful tonight. He had a lot of clunkers. He isn't a good point gaurd. When he is bringing the ball down the court I have a gut feeling that says we are not going to score, and most of the time it is true. Wear your blinders if you want, but he isn't good. He isn't even a good back up. He can't lose anyone with his ball handling skills. He can't even make space to shoot. He goes to the hoop and either puts up a lay up that hits the bottom of the back board or throws it away. Drink the koolaid if you want but I don't but it. He went 1-8.....that's aweful.  Look at his previous games and sure they are decent but that's against sub par teams. He isn't a starting d1 point gaurd for a team that wants to have sucess and that's a fact.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish with all this animosity towards the rest of the posters on this board? If you don't agree with what the majority of posters believe about the team maybe it would be good to find another group of fans to converse with about Valpo hoops. Unless always being the guy who antagonizes the rest of the crowd is your thing. 

[truth219]

Good point

[valpotx]

I believe that we will still get the #1 seed, as our guys will win the next 3, and come out to play at GB.  I believe this, not only because I think that this will be a learning game, but because I really don't want to fly into Detroit, or stay in the city!  I apologize to any of you living in Detroit, but it is just a depressing city, essentially a sign of the economy's struggles.  It was bad before the economy tightened up, and I can only imagine it now.  I put it up there with that Cleveland video that was floating around.  Maybe I am spoiled because Texas hasn't been affected by the strained economy, I don't know.  I go into Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, and I see clean cities with clean buildings/streets, and booming populations filled with excitement (4 of the top 10 US areas for job growth and growing populations).  I think of Detroit as the exact opposite. 

[webbvufan]

I believe that we will still get the #1 seed, as our guys will win the next 3, and come out to play at GB.   

+1  I believe in this team.  They will bounce back.   Tonight was tough. but we're still in the driver's seat.

[bbtds]

I believe that we will still get the #1 seed, as our guys will win the next 3, and come out to play at GB.  I believe this, not only because I think that this will be a learning game, but because I really don't want to fly into Detroit, or stay in the city!  I apologize to any of you living in Detroit, but it is just a depressing city, essentially a sign of the economy's struggles.  It was bad before the economy tightened up, and I can only imagine it now.  I put it up there with that Cleveland video that was floating around.  Maybe I am spoiled because Texas hasn't been affected by the strained economy, I don't know.  I go into Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, and I see clean cities with clean buildings/streets, and booming populations filled with excitement (4 of the top 10 US areas for job growth and growing populations).  I think of Detroit as the exact opposite. 

Just so I have a point of reference, when was the last time you traveled to Detroit and saw a game at Detroit-Mercy?

[valpotx]

I haven't ever been to a game at Detroit-Mercy, but have been to the city itself just a few years ago, outside of the few times I was there in college.  I am saying that I don't want to fly to Detroit because I plan on going to the conference tournament again.  It was easy for me to ask my fiancee if she wanted to go to Chicago last year, and also see the school I played baseball at.  I asked her today if she would be up for a trip to Detroit, and I got an, 'ewww, why??' 

Is it nice around their school then?

[bbtds]

Is it nice around their school then?

It's not as bad as some other parts of the city but not anywhere as nice as Rochester where Oakland is located.  I think overall Calihan Hall is pretty decent. There is a great deal of security on the campus so it's not a problem there. But I wouldn't go walking around the neighborhood that surrounds UDM. 

[humbleopinion]

A few observations:

Detroit made some very good adjustments at half.  Van Vijk had a monster first half, and was all but shut down in the second.

No one can convince me that Buggs isn't important to this team.  When he went out, the team was deflated, and the writing was on the wall.

Not since Dennis Rodman left Detroit has the city had a player like Minnerath.  He's a jerk, he plays dirty, but he gets it done on the court.  Opening up his game was another good half-time adjustment by Sr.

Although Jr's chest-thumping went on a bit longer than I would have liked, I did get a peak into his personality when he fell into a Crusaderette and madensure that she wasn't hurt before he went back onto the court. 

I wondered if we should have had Bogan running the point again after Buggs went out.  Maybe some of the early season chemistry would have emerged.

Rossi still in a warm-up?  I hope he can get on the floor soon.  Ryan was covered closely all night long -- we need to have someone else getting attention.

We will miss Matt Kenney.

[SadersofthelostArc]

I don't care what you say about my comments. Dority was aweful tonight. He had a lot of clunkers. He isn't a good point gaurd. When he is bringing the ball down the court I have a gut feeling that says we are not going to score, and most of the time it is true. Wear your blinders if you want, but he isn't good. He isn't even a good back up. He can't lose anyone with his ball handling skills. He can't even make space to shoot. He goes to the hoop and either puts up a lay up that hits the bottom of the back board or throws it away. Drink the koolaid if you want but I don't but it. He went 1-8.....that's aweful.  Look at his previous games and sure they are decent but that's against sub par teams. He isn't a starting d1 point gaurd for a team that wants to have sucess and that's a fact.

This is just "aweful."

[KL31NY]

I know this is akin to liking your own Facebook status or mentioning yourself in your own tweet, but here's a couple cents. Post in the chatroom when we were up 12 with 8+ minutes to go before Minnerath's 2-pointer and Bryce's TO

KL31NY: we're only doing enough just to stay ahead on 'em. we gotta drive 'em outta the gym now

We went 8:29 w/out a field goal from Kenney's bucket prior to the above dialogue that put us up 15 to Dority's layup with under a minute to go. During our field goal drought, Detroit scored on 12 of its 13 possessions. Unreal! Give 'em credit. We left the front door open and they blasted it through the living room to the back of the kitchen.

[Valpo89]

I think you are all disregarding the truth in truth219's assessment of the guard situation.
If you couldn't see things weren't working when Buggs was not on the court, you haven't seen enough basketball.

[valporun]

I haven't been a huge supporter of Dority's all season. He just seems like he's going to be the next Tony Falu, in my opinion. I know I shouldn't mention his name, but that's just what I feel like Dority will be, when he's not getting his points or touches to be the leading scorer every game.

In terms of the flagrant foul called on Calliste's elbows to be Bobby's throat, based on the graphic ESPN showed, the only way that Calliste could have been ejected was if he had done this same action to Will, because it was Bogan who had the ball at the time. What Calliste did, according to the rules is equivalent to an off-the-ball foul, just with a little more intention than a simple hand check.

Last night was definitely a frustrating final quarter of basketball, and I hope Bryce takes some time to analyze what he did with his coaching in this game, about substitution rotations and management of timeouts. The first TO he called in the first half made sense to give our guys an extra breather, plus getting subs in, but after that, he needed to be reallly careful with how he used his timeouts, and must work on this in the remaining conference games, so this same stuff doesn't happen in the tournament. I would sure like to be a fly on the wall during some of the team film sessions immediately after games, just to hear what kinds of dialogue the players have with the coaching staff about how things were handled, or what the players believe could have been done better than what they were, just to see what kind of court knowledge the team really has.

[ValpoHoops]

In terms of the flagrant foul called on Calliste's elbows to be Bobby's throat, based on the graphic ESPN showed, the only way that Calliste could have been ejected was if he had done this same action to Will, because it was Bogan who had the ball at the time. What Calliste did, according to the rules is equivalent to an off-the-ball foul, just with a little more intention than a simple hand check.

You must have read the ESPN graphic wrong (or they used a different graphic than they have used all season). A flagrant foul is a flagrant foul, no matter who it is committed on. A player for Oregon was DQ'd last night for an off-the-ball foul.

Either that, or you don't know what "making a play on the ball" means in terms of a flagrant foul. When a player has the ball, you must make an attempt to get the ball (usually to block a layup or dunk), rather than just take someone out. That line has no meaning as to whether a player has the ball or not.

Per NCAA Rule Book:
c. Flagrant 1 personal foul. A flagrant 1 personal foul shall be a personal
foul that is deemed excessive in nature and/or unnecessary, but not based
solely on the severity of the act. Examples include, but are not limited to:
1. Causing excessive contact with an opponent while playing the ball;
2. Contact that is not a legitimate attempt to play the ball or player,
specifically designed to stop or keep the clock from starting;
3. Pushing or holding a player from behind to prevent a score;
4. Fouling a player clearly away from the ball who is not directly
involved with the play, specifically designed to stop or keep the clock
from starting; and
5. Contact with a player making a throw-in. (Women) This act shall also
serve as a team warning for reaching through the boundary. (See Rule
4-17.1.g.)
6. Illegal contact with an elbow that occurs above the shoulders of an
opponent when the elbows are not swung excessively


d. Flagrant 2 personal foul. A flagrant 2 personal foul shall be a personal
foul that involves contact with an opponent that is not only excessive, but
also severe or extreme while the ball is live.


What happened is clearly part of c-6, so correctly ruled a Flagrant 1. Had he, for example run past Bobby and thrown an elbow into the side of his head while not involved in "basketball activity", that would have qualified as a Flagrant 2. Even though he got his elbow up, he was running through a screen, which qualifies as a "basketball play", but with the elbow its flagrant.




To Dority, he was bad. There's no other way to say it. When Buggs got in foul trouble, that was the turning point...we had no backup PG last night that was capable.

[EddieCabot]

he was pounding on the floor at one point after a made bucket too

Absolutely no room for this in the game. 

I also noticed that Detroit played their starters until the end and kept extending the lead by scoring 10 points in the last minute of the game. 

[Pgmado]

Not sure I have any problems with how Detroit conducted themselves. Steve Wojo and Chris Collins used to slap the floor all the time at Duke (at all points of the game) and they were universally praised (except by Carolina) fans for being gritty, hard-nosed players. Suddenly Junior does it and everyone is upset? I don't even have a problem with McCallum pounding his chest after he led his team back from a 15-point deficit in their biggest game of the year. He's got 1,200 students screaming "Daddy's Boy" every time he touches the ball, of course he is going to react.

Unless we find out that the fans were on a spray-painting rampage after the game last night, not sure you can criticize much about Detroit with the exception of Calliste's flagrant. They kept their starters in at the end because they aren't a very deep team and it was a five-point game down the stretch.

This was just a great college basketball game, great atmosphere and it will be a shame if these two teams don't play again. 

[VUfan]

The whole team played poorly in the Second half, not just Dority. Some of our leaders were hard to find, Dority is uncertain of his role, Buggs tried to do too much, not so good clock management, when the flagrant foul occurred the team did not respond as a team.  A bad 10 minutes, Detroit  responded by playing together. Lets forget, move on to Loyola, they have won their last two and we have not beaten this year the road only gets steeper from here on out!!
Go for a walk!! 

[crusaderjoe]

Oakland, part deux.

[crusadermoe]

Have to say I cringe when Dorrity drives the lane too.     Somehow Buggs finds a way even at 5'10" to put it in the hoop when he doesn't dish off.     

It is frustrating when they sag off Buggs and he doesn't shoot well, but I'm not sure how much better Dorrity's shooting has been.    He sure doesn't hesitate to shoot.  Maybe he should.

[agibson]

Absolutely no rebounding.

Well, we did outrebound them 24-12 in the first half.  A tale of two halves, clearly.  (Or a tale of a.. six minute?... scoring drought and everything that came with it.)

In that first half we held Detroit to fewer points than anyone but Syracuse.