3/21, 12:15pm ET: NCAA First Game: (14) Valpo v. (3) Michigan State Game Thread

[truth219]

Regaurdless of if you agree with the seed or not it is what it is...either we will win or lose. What are the odds we can beat mich state...id say 1 out of 10

[valpo04]

Regaurdless of if you agree with the seed or not it is what it is...either we will win or lose. What are the odds we can beat mich state...id say 1 out of 10

[setshot]

One and done. The last time we played MSU in the first round, MSU went on to win the championship. It could happen again. 

[LaPorteAveApostle]

What are the odds we can beat mich state...id say 1 out of 10

somewhere between our chances @ UNM and @ STL...not great, but not bad.  I think we should go small and dare them to match up rowdy and payne rather than try to play KVW & Capo at the same time and play into their hands so to speak...

and don't pay any attention to setshot.  if they couldn't even make their conference tourney championship they are not going to make the elite 8 even if they somehow get by us.

[truth219]

Anyone know what time the game is

[crusaderjoe]

Million dollar question #1:  How'd we get a 14?

Million dollar question #2:  Who is Brandon Wood going to root for?

[bbtds]

Regaurdless of if you agree with the seed or not it is what it is...either we will win or lose. What are the odds we can beat mich state...id say 1 out of 10

Reguardless--does that mean if we play without guards again?  When did we first play without guards? 

[crusaderjoe]

Million dollar question #3:  Who is valpospartan going to root for? 

[vu72]

This clearly is the best bracket to get to the final four.

[Valposter]

 

What are the odds we can beat mich state...id say 1 out of 10

somewhere between our chances @ UNM and @ STL...not great, but not bad.  I think we should go small and dare them to match up rowdy and payne rather than try to play KVW & Capo at the same time and play into their hands so to speak...

and don't pay any attention to setshot.  if they couldn't even make their conference tourney championship they are not going to make the elite 8 even if they somehow get by us.

Michigan State almost always has a way of exceeding expectations at tournament time and out-performing their regular season body of work.  It is uncanny. 

Elite 8 would not shock me.  Final Four would not shock me.  Tom Izzo is a magician at tourny time. 

[KL31NY]

Fun Fact: Albeit the early round nomenclature has changed, but this will technically be the first 2nd Round game for Valpo since we beat Florida State in '98.

Even if we go "one-and-done," that'll make the banner look a little cooler  8)

[crusadermoe]

I hate this draw.    No real disputing the #14 seed.   

But it put us in Michigan one hour from East Lansing.    Due to Izzo the motivator and a big home crowd, we won't catch them napping.     I thought our best shot would be either a slow team or an unfocused one.   

Mich State and March are the epitome of "focus".    I still have nightmares of Matteen Cleaves and gang going up 20-4 on us in Cleveland.   

[Smj]

I thought right away we got screwed.   I did not want to be negative too quickly but 14 - really.  I was watching predictions like crazy and barely saw any that had us below a 13.   I think the selection committee has a number of strange seeds each year.

I do think VU can win.  If we play our game and can be hitting on all cylinders we could surprise a team that is looking past us.   Happened last year to a couple 2 seeds......   It is march - anything can happen.

[vurich]

Like everyone else, I'm disappointed with the seed and having to play MSU in essentially a home game. I really thought we were going to get a 13, but we basically put ourselves in the position for the committee to do that.  You can't lose games to the likes of Oakland, who is down this year, Loyola, and YSU.  The loss to Nebraska didn't do us any favors either.  If you're going to drop games like that, you have to have one or two good wins, in the eyes of the committee, and we came up short there too with NM and SLU.  Those aren't bad losses, but coupled with the others mentioned above, you open yourself up to the committee dropping you down.

I still think we are a 13, especially when compared to the other 13 seeds, but we just have to play the hand we've been dealt.  It would've been nice if we didn't leave any doubt, but would've, should've, could've.

I know one thing, if the officials let Nix play like he did in the Big Ten Tourney, we are going to get killed, figuratively and quite possibly, literally. He was clobbering guys down low, especially during the Ohio State game, and the officials let them play, both ways and on both ends of the court  We really need to hope for a closely officiated game, which doesn't seem to exist any more.

Go VU!

[Smj]

I thought this year's selection show was weak....   I like past years where they had more cameras at team parties.    This year, it felt like $&@ it lets just name the teams and move on.   If that is all they are going to do just post the bracket online....

[Chairback]

VUrich is 100% correct.  We haven't beat anyone and have had some really bad losses.  Plus we are 1 lucky shot or one more turnover away from being in the NIT.

To me this team has been stuck in preseason mode all year.  I don't see them snapping out of it and beating MSU after the showing we had on our home floor in the conf tourney.

We have the most experienced team in the nation and we do not play like it.  I guess anything can happen in the NCAA tourney......

[wh]

I don't think the selection committee gave their decision about our seed and location nearly as much scrutiny as we did.  They basically gave MSU a home game and then looked for the closest team geographically to serve as their sacrificial lamb.  We "fit the uniform."   

[a3uge]

The fact we have more posters defending the selection committee than standing up for Valpo is an absolute embarrassment to basketball fans everywhere. In no situation should it be alright that Montana gets a 13 seed and we play an rpi 9 away game as a 14 seed.

[milanmiracle]

I don't think the selection committee gave their decision about our seed and location nearly as much scrutiny as we did.  They basically gave MSU a home game and then looked for the closest team geographically to serve as their sacrificial lamb.  We "fit the uniform."   

I'd say that's somewhat close to accurate. I think they also thought about keeping Valpo in the midwest region, but really they just didn't worry about it too much.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Tom Izzo is a magician at tourny time.

Mich State and March are the epitome of "focus".    I still have nightmares of Matteen Cleaves and gang going up 20-4 on us in Cleveland.   

...I think--no question they are good and have been, historically--but this is a case of reputation more than actual results.

I mean, the Rolling Stones come out with a half-decent record every now and then too, but they are really trading on their reputation of a bunch of albums ago.

--2-2 in the last 2 years, less than par for the Izzo course (average 2-1 every year).
--6 final fours in the Izzo era (1995-); only 2 of those in the last 7 (same as B----r, except that msu lost to them).
--4 first round losses (all since the only title)
--yeah they killed us...when they won their only tourney (izzo here) but they beat everyone by 11+ that year.  and that was 2000. clinton was president fergodsakes.

I mean yeah, they're good, but it's not like every year they're amazing.  they're beatable, both this year and in general.

The fact we have more posters defending the selection committee than standing up for Valpo is an absolute embarrassment to basketball fans everywhere. In no situation should it be alright that Montana gets a 13 seed and we play an rpi 9 away game as a 14 seed.

bravo pal, drinks on me.

[justducky]

If you take the group of NMSt, Montana, Davidson and SDSt I think it would be easier to make the case that we are better than all 4 than to make the case that we are the worst. However there is no one in the Big10 that I could take more pleasure in beating than the Spartans. We got some debts to settle, even if getting them to pay up might be a bit difficult.

Much of this 14 seed issue comes full circle back to our powder-puff OOC home schedule. Everone is reluctant to come to the ARC so we sign whoever we can get, then they turn out to be so bad that everybody stays home anyway. It would be interesting to compare the results financially and RPI wise if we had just hit the road and played big dollar top 50 teams. This year in particular we might have been better off.

[atkins]

As I feared, it does appear that the selection committee saw the nationally televised Horizon Championship turnoverfest.  After that crap game, we should be counting our lucky stars that we're a 14 and not a 15.  It is humbling that Harvard got a better match-up, which suggests we're a low 14.  I think we could've given New Mexico a good game.  We match up poorly against MSU, and unless we shoot 80% from the field, we're looking at a double-digit blowout. 

[drewsaders11]

The fact we have more posters defending the selection committee than standing up for Valpo is an absolute embarrassment to basketball fans everywhere. In no situation should it be alright that Montana gets a 13 seed and we play an rpi 9 away game as a 14 seed.

Agreed.  Montana is in the 28th best conference, we are in the 12th best conference. We could have stayed in the MidCon/Summit (19th best) lost 2 more games (albeit 2 to Minnesota and Belmont, but including Cal St Bakersfield), and still been a 13.  Ridiculous.  At least have us play Marquette at a neutral site, not Michigan St. in Michigan.

[chef]

Montana has 2 wins VS teams over .500, Valpo has 12. Whether some people believe Valpo deserved a 14 seed or not, there can be zero debate that Montana deserved a better seed than Valpo.

[agibson]

Are they planning to release the S curve this year?  Presumably Montana got bumped up (and Oregon down?... and we down?) for some reason or another.