Milwaukee at Valparaiso (Jan. 26, 7:05 PM)

[valpopal]

Time to move ahead in the schedule by adding more wins, starting with Milwaukee on Monday.

[HC]

Valpo by 17, 69-52.

[wh]

The first of 9 consecutive wins to finish 14-2 (27-4). 

Dead serious prediction...

[FWalum]

What is perhaps most impressive to me about this team is that they seem to learn something from every game and then have applied it in future circumstances.  We need to assert our will in this game so that Milwaukee is demoralized and has no glimmer of hope that they could possibly defeat us.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

The first of 9 consecutive wins to finish 14-2 (27-4). 

Dead serious prediction...

the confluence of context and seeing your avatar lead me to read that as "conservative wins".

got you pegged bro

27-4 would be great.  Then we'd be getting down to BIDNESS...

[valpotx]

Valpo 76
Milwaukee 60

[Chairback]

Valpo 74
Milwaukee 66

My prediction:  The only game we lose is at Cleveland State.  I think we will win the conference tourney.

[covufan]

The first of 9 consecutive wins to finish 14-2 (27-4). 

Dead serious prediction...

i think this will happen as well.

We control at least a tie for conference champ. We need to come out and show we mean business, or Bidness as LAA said.

[oklahomamick]

We need to slow down.  One game at a time.   

[talksalot]

It's the Crusader's Birthday Party !  Can't lose!

and BTW, this is the sorta-official start of a slight change to the game-management schedule...    As part of the new HL agreement with ESPN3, we will be joining the other teams in conference to have consistent timing.

Game tips will be at x:02 not x:05 after the hour.
We will no longer have Lights Out for player introductions  (Not possible in the ARC to bring the lights up in a timely manner)
We will have the National Anthem BEFORE Player introductions, that will be introduced at :00 on the pre-game warm-up clock
Games will start after the starters for the home team are introduced.

[vu72]

It's the Crusader's Birthday Party !  Can't lose!

and BTW, this is the sorta-official start of a slight change to the game-management schedule...    As part of the new HL agreement with ESPN3, we will be joining the other teams in conference to have consistent timing.

Game tips will be at x:02 not x:05 after the hour.
We will no longer have Lights Out for player introductions  (Not possible in the ARC to bring the lights up in a timely manner)
We will have the National Anthem BEFORE Player introductions, that will be introduced at :00 on the pre-game warm-up clock
Games will start after the starters for the home team are introduced.

So is there an official announcement coming?  I presume the reason we have partnered with ESPN3 and not kept the Horizon League broadcasts is for financial reasons.  Will it be made public?

[StlVUFan]

We will no longer have Lights Out for player introductions  (Not possible in the ARC to bring the lights up in a timely manner)

I don't like this, but ...

We will have the National Anthem BEFORE Player introductions, that will be introduced at :00 on the pre-game warm-up clock

I *do* like this.  The trade-off seems worth it.  At the risk of irreverence, I've always found the anthem in between player intros and opening tip to be kind of a mood killer.  Being able to turn out the lights really adds to the effect, but that's icing on the cake by comparison.

[valpopal]

We will no longer have Lights Out for player introductions  (Not possible in the ARC to bring the lights up in a timely manner)

A big thank you from all the photographers.  Actually, following darkness for intros the lights usually do not reach full strength until after the first media timeout with about 15:00 left in the opening half. I sometimes wonder if that influences early game shooting of basketballs the way it influences shooting photos.

[wh]

I'm not sure our friends on the Milwaukee board even know we have a game on Monday. The only thread that generates any interest over there is about the future of their arena, which seems to go on endlessly. IMO the APR tournament exclusion penalty is leaving a lot of innocent victims in its wake, not the least of whom are loyal fans of the program who are left with little to hope for.  On Monday we'll be watching a group of Milwaukee players who did nothing to cause the penalty they're being subjected to playing their hearts out like every other team, yet unlike everyone else having nothing to look forward to as the regular season winds down except cleaning out their lockers.

I'm certainly a proponent of academic accountability, but the longer I've watched this season unfold and observed the effect this is having, the more ridiculous it seems. It would be like my older brother committing a crime and me going to jail for it because, after all, we're in the same family. In fact, the more time I spend on this post the more I detest everything about NCAA compliance and control. No, I don't have a better idea, but give me and a few of my friends the same number of days, weeks and months these great thinkers took to develop the current system and I'll guarantee we'll come up with something far more equitable.

Editorial over - thanks for listening. 

[StlVUFan]

IMO the APR tournament exclusion penalty is leaving a lot of innocent victims in its wake, not the least of whom are loyal fans of the program who are left with little to hope for.

There is a school of thought that I'm partial to that says, "Yes, and that's UWM's fault, not the NCAA."

[wh]

Spread: Valpo -15 open; -13.5 current

[valporun]

The only real solutions I have for the APR issues, since postseason bans don't mentally and emotionally affect the players who didn't go to class, especially if they already graduated, left school, or declared entry into the NBA draft, but do affect the guys they left behind, is to a) fire the coaching staff for not doing their job to make sure the players are going to class, and b) suspending/firing the academic compliance coordinator that failed to make sure the players were keeping up on their "contract" to attend and pass classes, based on the scholarship agreement they made with the school they attended. Banning the team from postseason play pisses off the conference because that team can't play in the tournament, and can affect seeding for the tournament, plus deters recruits from looking at the school because they might not be able to play in the postseason that first year, even though they weren't a part of the cause.

[classof2014]

We take out our frustrations in this game.


We win 89 to 63.

[wh]

I just hope the Milwaukee team that beat WSU 67-41 6 days ago doesn't show up...

[covufan]

I just hope the Milwaukee team that beat WSU 67-41 6 days ago doesn't show up...

I think our defense will have something to say about this.  If that team shows up in Milwaukee, we could be in trouble.

I think we'll come out and play well in front of the home crowd.

Valpo    74
APR Challenged team from Milwaukee  58

[valpo4life]

I just hope the Milwaukee team that beat WSU 67-41 6 days ago doesn't show up...

To put your mind at ease, Milwaukee has frankly been pitiful on the road. They are averaging just 61 ppg and giving up 78 a game. And we are giving up just 57 ppg at home and scoring 74 per game. This game doesn't worry me too much.

Valpo 75
Milwaukee 58

[Kyle321n]

We should win this handily but if Vashil gets into early foul trouble then our old friend Matt Tiby will say "how do you do?" to an outmatched Jubril.

[a3uge]

Valpo 70 Milwaukee 52

[govalpogo]

Love the score thus far (19-3) but I can't get espn 3 to work for anything!

[LaPorteAveApostle]

exactly one-quarter of the way through we are on pace for an 84-20 final. 

i'd be ok with that.

...

still won't make up for last march.