Valpo at Wright State Saturday 1/17/2015 6:00 PM CST (7:00 PM ET)

[Kyle321n]

After having 4 games in 8 days, we get a nice week to relax, rest up, and hopefully heal some dislocated toes. After this 7 day break we get 4 games over a 9 day stretch. Then we get 5 more days off. The Horizon League: Where spacing our a schedule is non-existent. 

Wright State plays Cleveland St. on Wednesday, so we'll have a little bit of a better idea of this year's Raiders. They've beaten Detroit at home and YSU on the road while losing by 24 at Green Bay. I'd expect them to get a rightly pissed CSU so that should be a really good game.

I won't make a prediction right now because I want to see what happens in the CSU game, but this isn't going to be an easy game. When playing at Nutter the Raiders are 6-1 this season and 16-3 there last season.

[agibson]

The HL website is curiously missing video links, but I assume that the Valpo game will _at least_ be on HLN.

[historyman]

The HL website is curiously missing video links, but I assume that the Valpo game will _at least_ be on HLN.

The Valpo at Wright St men's basketball game will be on ESPN 3.

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index#type/upcoming/startDate/20150117/sport/basketball/

Scroll to midway down the page. The link has not been set up yet but the game is on the ESPN 3 schedule.

[covufan]

This is going to be a close game.  We will need our FTs towards the end of this game - hopefully we'll connect.

Valpo  67
WSU   64

[valpo4life]

Regarding the schedule being confusing, I believe part of the issue is not having the travel part system we did when B@#%$r was in the Horizon. I also believe we are on a new ESPN deal this season. So that may have some influence on scheduling as well. Just speculation.

As far as the game goes, it's tough to win at the Nutter Center. But I do believe we will win in a tough fought battle. Wright State is in somewhat of a rebuilding phase. Only a couple players left from their good teams from the past couple seasons. Yoho can shoot it and is their version of Alec. Arceneaux is a feisty small guard. And they're getting Griffin back from injury a couple games ago I believe. They seem to not have much of a post threat (from looking at stats only). So if we can play tough on the perimeter and force them into tough jumpers or make them face the beast that is Vashil Fernandez in the paint, we should come away with what would be our best win of the season based on the RPI (Wright State sits at 90).

Valpo 67
WSU 61

[HC]

I dislike the coach of WSU and will never pick his team to win, unless they are playing Oakland then I won't pull for either team to win....my conflict ion with which HL team I dislike the most is a discussion for another thread.

I will pick Valpo to beat the snot out the Raiders, 76-60. I'm interested to see if Valpo runs that inbounds play where Vashil got the lob for an and one, WSU ran that play last year right before they played us and got a huge dunk then ran it against Valpo and turned it over. Very little would make more happier (more happy?) then to see Vashil throw down a vicious alley oop of an inbound play we sniped from them.

Nickerson is out to redeem himself, DWalker has rebound his shooting touch, Alec stays hot (I think before last game he was like 2/14 from downtown in HL play), and TWalker has a night.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

We need to give Tevonn a nickname. 

Although the first person to suggest "Sky" is out of the running.

[Smj]

After the last ESPN3 announcers ... How about Tevin which rhymes with Kevin....

[covufan]

We need to give Tevonn a nickname. 

Although the first person to suggest "Sky" is out of the running.

How about "Moon"?

[wh]

Valpo Basketball Preview 1|12|15

[valpo4life]

I've started referring to Tevonn as the Canadian Russell Westbrook.

[bbtds]

We need to give Tevonn a nickname. 

Although the first person to suggest "Sky" is out of the running.

Johnny Walker Gold Label? Johnny Walker Canadian? Underground Montreal Walker (their underground walkways are very extensive)? Walker Canadian Ranger? Pont Cartier Walker (Cartier bridge [in Montreal] Walker)?



Pont Jacques Cartier (Jacques Cartier bridge in Montreal crossing over the St Lawrence River)

[valpotx]

Valpo 73
WSU 62

[crusadermoe]

Reminds me of Will Ferrell race driver Ricky Bobby and his two sons, Walker and Texas Ranger.   

[beastkiller]

What about T-train or the walker express

[wh]

By whatever name I love his toughness. I think the play where he got hurt he was trying to fight through an illegal screen set by their 6-9, 260 lb backup center and "ran into" the guy's elbow. Then, he shows up at the postgame press conference with a huge welt under his eye and says he didn't feel pain from the blow, just energy from the crowd. That's one tough young man.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I like T-train.

Pretty soon we might have to make a poll about this.  A "poll model", if you will.

Oh yeah.  VU 63 WSU 56.  Mostly because it's like the only score in this range of games we haven't had yet : )

Last 9 games (thru 2011; top is most recent, first is good guys):
@ 58-67
h 45-62
T 62-54
@ 68-61
h 69-63
h 63-54
@ 55-73
h 58-56
@ 71-60

[FWalum]

Love this kid,  T has almost everything I would be looking for in a player at his position.  I think that Luke Gore said it best when he talked about the one play where Tevonn and Max got involved in a scrum on the floor with T finally ripping the ball away from the CSU player.  Luke was like... "they're freshman and didn't care or know that this was the type of play where CSU normally out physicals their opponent" or something to that effect.

Wish on occasion that he looked like he was enjoying the moment a little more. The first time I have seen him crack a smile was in the press conference talking about the "homerun" play.

[atkins]

I'm a big fan of Tevonn.  A gritty, gutsy player who generally makes good decisions with the ball.  At times, he looks like the best player on the court (yes, even when Alec is out there).  I am intrigued to (someday) see the chemistry between Tevonn and Lexus.  I suspect it will be dynamite. 

On a totally unrelated note, our first opponent of the year, Mizzou, was crucified by Kentucky today.  If we play Kentucky, we lose by at least 50 unless we run the shot clock down to 1 second every possession.  So glad they have no interest in VU. 

[justducky]

 
I might have a much clearer game outlook after I watch WSU-CSU tomorrow night but it goes without question that much of our success or failure will be attributed to our point guard play. So how will our point minutes be distributed this time around? Should we go with the youngster playing his natural position as a raw rookie freshman or go with the maturity of an upperclassman who looks like a point guard freshman only because he has been transplanted to a new position?

Our best-- maybe only answer is that once again we will need them both and I am very glad they are both here and available. I now fully understand why Max was recruited and believe that some of our "package deal" thinking might have been erroneous. Nickerson on the other hand with his elevated half-court view and greatly extended passing and driving angles has some developable potential strengths that just can not be duplicated by someone 5 to 8 inches shorter. Despite the downside of Keith (and Lexus) being unavailable I am kind of glad that Max and E.Victor are getting this "trial by fire" test that might serve both them and the team very well in the future.

[Kyle321n]

Despite the downside of Keith (and Lexus) being unavailable I am kind of glad that Max and E.Victor are getting this "trial by fire" test that might serve both them and the team very well in the future.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but watching Max and EVic play makes me very excited for next season when Lexus comes back. We will legitimately have 4 guys who can play the point.

Our KenPom rating was at 77 after the CSU game, we went up to 82 yesterday and start today at 80. I haven't paid close attention to WSU's during this break but the score prediction has stayed at a steady 64-63 with a 52% chance of us winning. This has remained our 3rd hardest game according to chance of victory all season (@GB and @CSU being 1 and 2). If we win this I could see this boost us into the high 60s for KenPom and RPI into the mid 70s-low 80s (RPI Forecast has us at 88, RealTime has us at 90, and ESPN has us at 92).

This is why I don't like using RPI as a gauge of anything, WSU is 93 at ESPN despite having an 8-7 record. They put too much into strength of schedule and not enough into the quality of your play. If you play poorly against your tough opponents, it's just the same as if you played extremely well and still lost.

[SanityLost17]

Despite the downside of Keith (and Lexus) being unavailable I am kind of glad that Max and E.Victor are getting this "trial by fire" test that might serve both them and the team very well in the future.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but watching Max and EVic play makes me very excited for next season when Lexus comes back. We will legitimately have 4 guys who can play the point.

Our KenPom rating was at 77 after the CSU game, we went up to 82 yesterday and start today at 80. I haven't paid close attention to WSU's during this break but the score prediction has stayed at a steady 64-63 with a 52% chance of us winning. This has remained our 3rd hardest game according to chance of victory all season (@GB and @CSU being 1 and 2). If we win this I could see this boost us into the high 60s for KenPom and RPI into the mid 70s-low 80s (RPI Forecast has us at 88, RealTime has us at 90, and ESPN has us at 92).

This is why I don't like using RPI as a gauge of anything, WSU is 93 at ESPN despite having an 8-7 record. They put too much into strength of schedule and not enough into the quality of your play. If you play poorly against your tough opponents, it's just the same as if you played extremely well and still lost.

We are set at the point guard position until the spring of 2018!  I just hope that Max is patient next year, because if we are fully healthy, I don't see him getting a lot of playing time, no matter how good he is.  However, he should get LOTS of playing time his junior and senior year.  Please be patient, Max!   

14-15 = Carter/Max/Nickerson
15-16 = Carter/Lexus/Max  (won't need Nickerson to do it anymore so he can play the 2 and the 3)   
16-17 = Lexus/Max/Davidson  (Davidson should be a fully capable backup by this point in case of injury, illness, etc.)   
17-18 = Lexus/Max 

[a3uge]

Despite the downside of Keith (and Lexus) being unavailable I am kind of glad that Max and E.Victor are getting this "trial by fire" test that might serve both them and the team very well in the future.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but watching Max and EVic play makes me very excited for next season when Lexus comes back. We will legitimately have 4 guys who can play the point.

Our KenPom rating was at 77 after the CSU game, we went up to 82 yesterday and start today at 80. I haven't paid close attention to WSU's during this break but the score prediction has stayed at a steady 64-63 with a 52% chance of us winning. This has remained our 3rd hardest game according to chance of victory all season (@GB and @CSU being 1 and 2). If we win this I could see this boost us into the high 60s for KenPom and RPI into the mid 70s-low 80s (RPI Forecast has us at 88, RealTime has us at 90, and ESPN has us at 92).

This is why I don't like using RPI as a gauge of anything, WSU is 93 at ESPN despite having an 8-7 record. They put too much into strength of schedule and not enough into the quality of your play. If you play poorly against your tough opponents, it's just the same as if you played extremely well and still lost.

While RPI isn't a good predictor of which team is going to win, or how good a team actually is, it is the primary basis for which seed a mid major will get (+ or - 1 based on geography). RPI was never meant for predictions - for that, use KPom or methods that take into account possession data, MOV, etc. But ultimately, at the end of the season, RPI provides a decent enough indicator or who you beat. Playing a team close shouldn't count for anything - the only thing that matters at the end of the game is which team scored more points. That's the whole object of the sport. That's what the selection committee values. At the end of the season seeding isn't meant to be a predictor, but an evaluation. This is what RPI does well, and this is what is used (for the most part). Because it's used, it will always be important enough to track.

But I think we can all agree that ESPN's BPI is the most useless stat ever (besides their QBR).

[wh]

Despite the downside of Keith (and Lexus) being unavailable I am kind of glad that Max and E.Victor are getting this "trial by fire" test that might serve both them and the team very well in the future.

I'm getting ahead of myself, but watching Max and EVic play makes me very excited for next season when Lexus comes back. We will legitimately have 4 guys who can play the point.

Our KenPom rating was at 77 after the CSU game, we went up to 82 yesterday and start today at 80. I haven't paid close attention to WSU's during this break but the score prediction has stayed at a steady 64-63 with a 52% chance of us winning. This has remained our 3rd hardest game according to chance of victory all season (@GB and @CSU being 1 and 2). If we win this I could see this boost us into the high 60s for KenPom and RPI into the mid 70s-low 80s (RPI Forecast has us at 88, RealTime has us at 90, and ESPN has us at 92).

This is why I don't like using RPI as a gauge of anything, WSU is 93 at ESPN despite having an 8-7 record. They put too much into strength of schedule and not enough into the quality of your play. If you play poorly against your tough opponents, it's just the same as if you played extremely well and still lost.

While RPI isn't a good predictor of which team is going to win, or how good a team actually is, it is the primary basis for which seed a mid major will get (+ or - 1 based on geography). RPI was never meant for predictions - for that, use KPom or methods that take into account possession data, MOV, etc. But ultimately, at the end of the season, RPI provides a decent enough indicator or who you beat. Playing a team close shouldn't count for anything - the only thing that matters at the end of the game is which team scored more points. That's the whole object of the sport. That's what the selection committee values. At the end of the season seeding isn't meant to be a predictor, but an evaluation. This is what RPI does well, and this is what is used (for the most part). Because it's used, it will always be important enough to track.

But I think we can all agree that ESPN's BPI is the most useless stat ever (besides their QBR).

Interesting, informative exchange right here...

[wh]

CSU/WSU game on now on ESPN3