Ball State at Valpo, Dec. 13

[valpopal]

Last game before final exam week and the first real test to see if this Valpo team has put the New Mexico disaster behind them. Also, it would be nice to get to double digit wins!

[covufan]

We need a solid game.  Play good defense, hit our 3's and FT's, and hit the boards.

Valpo    75
Ball St   60

[talksalot]

The Cardinals are 0-3 on the road (@ Utah- 7-1, @ Eastern Illinois 2-6 and @ IUPUI 2-6 in OT)
The Cardinals are 3-0 at Hone (IU-Kokomo, Grambling 0-5 and Indiana State 3-5)

They have alternated their schedule:   L - W - L - W - L - W   SO the next game is an "L" against us.

Here's the link to the .pdf version of their year-to-date stats:

http://www.ballstatesports.com/fls/14200/Stats/mbasketball/2014-15/2014-15-Stats.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=14200

BSU:  38% of their shots are from 3-point range (hitting on 43% of them)
VU     36% of our shots are from 3-point range (hitting on 38% of them)

BSU: 71.9% FT %
VU:  65.5% FT %


Should have a nice crowd

[vu72]

Not much mention on their fan website but getting pretty good respect:

http://www.bsufans.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3937

[valpotx]

Valpo 74
Ball State 62

[Smj]

If we don't get out of this slump I think we might lose this one.   I will be making the trek again this weekend so I'd like to see a well played game...    I have seen them (us) dismantle teams so we all know they have it in them.

(Family is leaving early to get to Valpo because my son heard an ad during a radio broadcast about Ben's soft pretzels - guess we gotta try them out.)

[classof2014]

We should win this one easily. We're way better than Ball State, who's a poor MAC team. So even if we play poorly we should still win.

We had a let down game last weekend now everyone is down on this team... ridiculous

[agibson]

my son heard an ad during a radio broadcast about Ben's soft pretzels - guess we gotta try them out.

Nice!  I've enjoyed their ads on the radio broadcast - a nice addition to the lineup.

Still haven't tried the pretzels.  But, they've got a good location, right on the refurbished (and still refurbishing!) plaza downtown. 

Have a pretzel day!

Looks like I won't make the game myself... Christmas party season.

[historyman]

my son heard an ad during a radio broadcast about Ben's soft pretzels - guess we gotta try them out.

Nice!  I've enjoyed their ads on the radio broadcast - a nice addition to the lineup. Still haven't tried the pretzels.  But, they've got a good location, right on the refurbished (and still refurbishing!) plaza downtown. Have a pretzel day! Looks like I won't make the game myself... Christmas party season.

As long as their radio ads keep saying Valparaiso instead of Valparaiso.

[historyman]

http://ballstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=14200&ATCLID=209805087

Valpo's size will test Ball State on the glass, a place where the Cardinals have made a living recently. Since the Utah game, Ball State has outrebounded five straight opponents and has done so by an average of better than nine rebounds per game.

Ball State has also continued its marksmanship from 3-point range. The Cardinals hit six of their eight treys against Indiana State in the second half on the way to a comeback win. They are averaging better than eight 3's a game and shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.

• Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference and ranks among the top 50 in the nation in assists per game at 15.8.
• In four of their six games, the Cardinals have recorded assists on at least 55 percent of their baskets.
• Their highest single-game percentage (70.8 percent) came with 17 assists on 24 made field goals in the win over IU Kokomo.
• Sophomore post player Franko House leads the Cardinals with 18 total assists on the season, while sophomore point guard Zavier Turner is averaging a team-best 4.0 assists per game.
• Ball State is a youthful team with freshmen and sophomores combining to score 76.7 percent of the team's points (348 of 454) this season.
• The Cardinals feature a young roster with a combined eight freshmen and sophomores.
• Last season freshmen accounted for more than 45 percent of the team's minutes and more than 40 percent of its scoring.

[talksalot]

PS, and BTW... if any of you happen to go to Ben's Soft Pretzels... PLEASE mention that you heard them either on the broadcast or their announcement at the ARC before the games...  First Year advertiser and first year in business...   Southwest corner of Lafayette St & Lincolnway; open until 7 Su-Th; and 9 on Friday and Saturday.    That concludes this advertisement.   

[Smj]

We were definitely planning to say we are from Wisconsin and heard your ad(s) while following Valpo basketball.    How about all of us stop by Ben's and make that plug?  (Who doesn't like a soft pretzel?)   

Sure wish I lived closer - would love to move back to the area some day.

[wh]

Muncie Star Press game preview

http://www.thestarpress.com/story/sports/college/ball-state/2014/12/12/ball-state-mens-basketball-valparaiso-james-whifrod-sean-sellers-bryce-drew/20328311/

[LaPorteAveApostle]

What are the odds the Muncie Press' web guys learn to spell the coach's name before he's fired?

They also just got a little shorter (and more short-handed):
http://www.thestarpress.com/story/sports/college/ball-state/2014/12/12/mading-thok-ball-state/20312465/

[wh]

Spread Valpo -13

[Smj]

- At the game ...   Go Valpo!
- Ben's pretzels - worth the stop. ..
- I was just asked if I wanted to do the donut toss game at halftime or a timeout.  I declined...   Would have embarrassed myself.

Interesting start. .... 

(Game start slooooow - 5 minutes to score)

[oklahomamick]

Spread Valpo -13

Well, a couple minutes in and we are down 13...

[truth219]

Nickerson might be getting close to becoming a starter

[oklahomamick]

Ball St. 62% from three.  It's killing us, don't if it helped when we switched to the zone.   

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Darien Walker--poor man's Brandon Wood or destitute man's Brandon Wood?

[oklahomamick]

free throws almost cost us the game.  Looked like a good crowd. 

[LaPorteAveApostle]

You could say our free throw shooting is inadekoate.

Good win, though.  Glad to see us tested and respond.  Great second half D.

[govalpogo]

It's frustrating to be down big to an opponent that you should be beating, at 14-2 or 19-7, the team could have tail spun into something really bad.  But they forged through and clawed against a scrappy team.  Hats off to BSU, from the parts I watched (the parts where Valpo missed everything) they were in it to win it!  Glad to see 10-2. 

[valpotx]

Good to see us pull this one out, as we haven't had many tests in a victory so far.  Good to know that we can win shooting ugly.

[oklahomamick]

I almost forgot...  Great to see the home run ball.  Can't believe it works so many times.