2015-2016 Opponents

[valpo4life]

Figured I'd go ahead and start this topic. This isn't to discuss who we want to play or don't want to play, but more of a running thread of who we are actually going to play as it gets leaked out.

Via Indiana State's beat writer, we will be playing a game there next season. Assuming he knows his stuff, I'm glad to have them on the schedule.

[truth219]

I like that

[justducky]

Via Indiana State's beat writer, we will be playing a game there next season. Assuming he knows his stuff, I'm glad to have them on the schedule.

This would be good news and if true would indicate that our OOC schedule will have at least one D1 opponent.  Considering the long history and short distance these teams should strive to play 4 of every 10 years.

As for competition they lose only 2 seniors Gant and Kitchel who combined for 16 points and 52 minutes of playing time. They might be a top 100 RPI team next year.

Glanced at some of their attendance figures and they drew only 5500 for Butler and 4600 for Northern Iowa but they were only 15-16 on the season.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Kitchel

Is that the South Central kid?

EDIT: yes, Jake Kitchell (valpo native!)
http://www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&ATCLID=204968628

Career stats: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/51743/jake-kitchell

When you said "16 points and 52 minutes" i thought you meant total, not per game.  I feel much better for Jake Kitchell knowing you were talking about per game.

[crusadermoe]

I hope we trade some 2 away games for 1 home game to get good tests for us.

[Valpofan00]

Murray State?

[valpo4life]

Indiana State also losing Etherington and Bennett as they are transferring.

[truth219]

I graduated from south central in 2004 with jake kitchells sister.  Went to same church as well sacred heart in wanatah.  Nice family

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Went to same church as well sacred heart in wanatah

Man, I hope THAT kid was on the altar at Sacred Heart.

"At ALTAR SERVER, 6'7' and STILL in EIGHTH GRADE...JAcobbbb....KITCHELLL!!!

At cantor, in her eightieth year of eligibility, ..."

[valpopal]

Figured I'd go ahead and start this topic. This isn't to discuss who we want to play or don't want to play, but more of a running thread of who we are actually going to play as it gets leaked out.

Via Indiana State's beat writer, we will be playing a game there next season. Assuming he knows his stuff, I'm glad to have them on the schedule.

Valparaiso apparently has made a 4-year deal with Indiana St. The first and last years will be in Terre Haute, the middle two years at Valpo.

[agibson]

Valparaiso apparently has made a 4-year deal with Indiana St. The first and last years will be in Terre Haute, the middle two years at Valpo.

Nice!  One of our most frequent opponents all-time, but it's been a while.  And we're due a few wins.  Great to get them on the books.

[crusadermoe]

Back to topic of the thread.   We really have not clue of the OOC teams beyond Indiana State now do we?   Probably some dialog with MAC and MVC schools in the works.  Loyola makes sense, but rule of the thread is not who we "should play".   So see you all in July? 

The holiday tournaments are always a big mystery.   Hopefully we snag a high profile one this year since that would be 3 decent games rather than a Portland-Maine kind of thing in Nashville.   But the Nashville thing was wise last year.   Would be great to go up against power teams to get a yardstick early. 

[vu72]

Back to topic of the thread.   We really have not clue of the OOC teams beyond Indiana State now do we?   Probably some dialog with MAC and MVC schools in the works.  Loyola makes sense, but rule of the thread is not who we "should play".   So see you all in July? 

The holiday tournaments are always a big mystery.   Hopefully we snag a high profile one this year since that would be 3 decent games rather than a Portland-Maine kind of thing in Nashville.   But the Nashville thing was wise last year.   Would be great to go up against power teams to get a yardstick early. 

There may be a conference  challenge.  Gary Waters said that they are working on a challenge with the West Coast Conference is my memory is correct.

[classof2014]

We'll play our usual B1G opponent, last year it was Mizzou from the SEC but you get the idea.

[covufan]

These are teams that I think we should be looking at for the 2015-16 or later years:

Wichita State
UNI
Notre Dame
Butler
Providence
VCU
Xavier
Davidson
San Diego St
SF Austin
Dayton
Purdue
Colorado St
Buffalo
Stanford
Temple
ODU
St. Mary's
Murray State
Richmond
Tulsa
Illinois St
La Tech
Harvard
Georgia St
Cent Michigan
Penn State
Memphis
Creighton
Bowling Green
Akron
Northwestern
Kent
William & Mary
E. Kentucky

From this year's schedule:

IPFW
Ball State
ETSU
Drake

[FWalum]

Not sure why Evansville is not on your list. Would love to see us pick them up. They are in the CIT semifinals versus UT-Martin tomorrow night. D J Balentine is having a stellar tournament averaging 30 pts per game and shooting over 60% from 3.  They were 5th in the MVC this year and only graduate one senior who did not start and did not contribute significantly (4.1ppg and 1.5 reb).  They could be top 3 in the MVC next year with Illinois State losing Daishon Knight to graduation. Evansville should start 2 juniors and 3 seniors next year and perhaps have their best team in the Marty Simmons era.  Having been on one of boards down there when my daughter was in school, I know that the administration would be eager for us to play on a regular basis.

[covufan]

Not sure why Evansville is not on your list. Would love to see us pick them up. They are in the CIT semifinals versus UT-Martin tomorrow night. D J Balentine is having a stellar tournament averaging 30 pts per game and shooting over 60% from 3.  They were 5th in the MVC this year and only graduate one senior who did not start and did not contribute significantly (4.1ppg and 1.5 reb).  They could be top 3 in the MVC next year with Illinois State losing Daishon Knight to graduation. Evansville should start 2 juniors and 3 seniors next year and perhaps have their best team in the Marty Simmons era.  Having been on one of boards down there when my daughter was in school, I know that the administration would be eager for us to play on a regular basis.

I've always thought that Evansville would make a good every other year team.  My list should also include: E'Ville, Belmont, Marquette, W. Michigan, E. Michigan, W. Kentucky, Loyola-Chicago, N Dakota St., Chattanooga, Middle Tenn St., and Portland. 

These are teams that are in the top 150 or so RPI or other ranking systems.  Some of which don't require a plane flight. 

[crusadermoe]

OK....the "shoulds" are more fun.  Especially since we won't know much for certain til late summer.   

Agreed on all the schools.   But shoot higher than Top #76-150 whenever the chance opens up.   Evansville is great.  North Dakota State feels really Mid-Conny even though they are good.  We are finally getting our location aligned for the public with Midwest cities.    North Dakotapolis feels like Bark Charkley checking into the hotel or driving through Annapolis.   

[justducky]

There may be a conference  challenge.  Gary Waters said that they are working on a challenge with the West Coast Conference is my memory is correct.

I have more confidence in the tooth fairy than I do for the HL to put together a long term successful conference challenge. We need to be early and aggressive in our OOC scheduling holding nothing in reserve for a challenge that will probably never be duct taped together.

At this point it looks like VU and Oakland will be sitting on top of the HL for the next 2 seasons. Could these 2 schools set aside one long weekend and look for 2 common opponents in the same general area (such as Tulsa and ORU)? We could do this east or west coast and anywhere in between that has 2 schools willing to give VU and Oakland return games.

[HC]

Oakland isn't playing any team that isn't giving them a big time payday. 

[StlVUFan]

The holiday tournaments are always a big mystery.   Hopefully we snag a high profile one this year since that would be 3 decent games rather than a Portland-Maine kind of thing in Nashville.

Nashville was Portland-Murray State-Drake, which was a very good draw in my opinion.  Maine was at CMU, along with UAPB.

[historyman]

Oakland isn't playing any team that isn't giving them a big time payday. 

That is not true. Only 6 (that sounds like an oxymoron) of the Grizzlies OOC games were to schools in big six conferences. The other 8 games were against mid-major or lower teams. They played Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Carolina, Chicago State, Toledo, Georgia State, Rochester College and Morehead State. That is more mid-majors than big conference opponents in the OOC schedule. You may have meant RPI-improving games in the OOC that are not big pay days.

[HC]

I meant it as a joke

[nkvu]

Oakland has been criticized often for scheduling unwinnable payday games against high major schools. Yet how often will high majors actually give a good mid major team a game in a situation where they could win. There is just no incentive. If the high major wins they're supposed to. No gain.  If they should lose it goes down as a bad loss and hurts their RPI. Big loss for them. Probably for us only the best of the high majors will play us as even though we were good this year and will be better next year they still don't consider us a threat. But they will play us only at their place and never give us a return game. Middling high majors won't want to play us even at home as there will be a decent chance that we could win.

So I wonder if next year we won't have to take some of the same type games that Oakland was criticized for if we want the team to get experience against high major competition. Otherwise we are left with trying to schedule games with the best mid-majors we can with little chance of improving our RPI much next year over this year.

I don't envy the coaches trying to put together a decent schedule next year.

[Valpower]

Oakland has been criticized often for (and should stop) scheduling so many unwinnable payday games against high major schools. Yet I understand the challenge; how often will high majors actually give a good mid major team a game in a situation where they could win. There is just no incentive. If the high major wins they're supposed to. No gain.  If they should lose it goes down as a bad so-called "bad" loss and hurts their RPI boosts their RPI (for having played a team with a better record or, at the very least, on the road), demonstrates their weakness, harms their ranking, and diminishes their TV exposure. Big loss for them. Probably for us only the best of the high majors will play us as even though we were good this year and will be better next year they still don't consider us a threat. But they will play us only at their place and never give us a return game. Middling high majors won't want to play us even at home as there will be a decent chance that we could win.

So I wonder if next year we won't have to should, given that we're a much better team, take some of the same type games that Oakland was criticized for and shouldn't have been taking if we want the team to get the kind of invaluable experience against high major competition that is most constructive when there is a better-than-laughable chance of winning. Otherwise we are left with trying to schedule games with the best mid-majors we can with little chance of improving our RPI much next year over this year.

I don't envy the coaches trying to put together a decent schedule next year but I would mind having their salary .