Game 7: @ Oregon State 11/24

[nkvu]

A win over a pack 12 team on the road after a competitive loss to a top 25 team on the road. Has to be a confidence builder. Now have to avoid any let downs from here on in.

[rink]

This OSU crowd is raucous...much louder than Eugene.  If they hold on here, this is tougher than any Horizon League road game.

Were you judging from just an audio feed?  In the second half, it looked like every other seat was empty and most fans were sitting on their hands.  Crowd seemed pretty invisible to me.

[talksalot]

OUTSTANDING WIN... The airlines gotta like this... first the flight back from Rhode Island... and now the flight back from the other coast... our guys gotta be flying high...

and that quivering I heard was from Muncie...

[valpotx]

What a fun game to watch.  It never felt like we were going to lose, even when our lead started to shrink over the last 4 minutes.  Vashil will always have trouble with fouls against Power 5 teams, as they are used to going right at the big guys.  I was impressed that he was able to play as minutes as he did against Oregon and this game, once he got to 4 fouls, but he needs to know when to contest and when to just stand straight up at times.  Regardless, I will take this win, as this Oregon State team is better than the Nebraska and Missouri teams we should have beaten over the last few years!

[historyman]

Valpo, you were a little hard on the beavers tonight!

[Valpower]

The finish was somewhat disappointing, but the reality of the game is not reflected in the score. They got manhandled and there was never any doubt.

[rink]

Now, we hope that OrSU really is the middle of the pack PAC-12 team they're projected to be.  Not quite as exciting if they end up a bottom feeder at season's end.  So, from here on out, go Beavers!

[govalpogo]

And Valpo has done this without two contributing rotation players in Smits and Skara!  Hoping to see David back soon.

[VULB#62]

Now, we hope that OrSU really is the middle of the pack PAC-12 team they're projected to be.  Not quite as exciting if they end up a bottom feeder at season's end.  So, from here on out, go Beavers!

Absolutely.  Payton II for PAC12 player of the year.

[valpo4life]

Going into the run the clock mode with 6 minutes to go is probably too early. But when you're up 17 you have that luxury.

The process of getting there, was pretty dominant. I think Shane attacking the rim with a couple powerful dunks set the tone for us and may do that for the whole season. It just seemed to make us more aggressive overall. If this team starts playing with more of that swagger and authority. Watch out.

[VUfan]

6-1 sounds Sweet!!

[VULB#62]

After the luster wears off, let's see how we handle Ball State. If we crush them, we've got a legit monster. If we just cruise by, we will have to postpone judgment. If we lose in Muncie.......   Whoa!  (Sorry, but that IS a possibility).

[valpopal]

With this win added, Pomeroy currently ranks Valpo at #21.

[agibson]

How on Earth did Paul Oren and Homer Drew end up watching this game at -Northside-?

Don't get me wrong, kudos to them for putting the game on with sound.

But it feels like the hospitality of Valparaiso Nation has failed.

[a3uge]

With this win added, Pomeroy currently ranks Valpo at #21.

And we're #1 in RPI

http://www.rpiforecast.com/live-rpi.html

[agibson]

I've seemed to notice over the last game and a half that our offense tends to score more when we go small because Vashil is in foul trouble.

It's not that he's so much of a liability on offense -- we've all seen he's come a long way -- I think our approach changes and we stop trying to hammer it inside or drive the basket.

The number of failed entry passes to the post certainly decreases. I think a bunch of these (majority? vast majority?) aren't Vashil's fault, either.

[talksalot]

and #1 on WarrenNolan in RPI, with the #2 Schedule!

Ball State is 252
Oregon State 72
Oregon 5

[nkvu]

I wonder what might have happened if we had played Oregon State first and Oregon a couple of days later. As someone who has traveled to the west coast from the Midwest many times in my life, that time change can really mess you up physically (though I must admit it ifor me it was worse going from the west coast to the Midwest.). I think we realistically might have come away with two wins.

[agibson]

On live stats it's all about PaytonII .  Shut him DOWN.

For once it didn't seem like our defense keyed on their star. Tevonn seemed to be doing OK on him, but we didn't seem to go for instant double-teams, etc. More than usual, we let him get his. 

Maybe we knew his teammates couldn't finish the game.

Or maybe he was just that unstoppable - he did look good.  Obviously not good enough.

[agibson]

I do NOT like the way we have been finishing this game.

I definitely didn't like the five second violation.

Milking the clock seems like a Bryce Drew patent.  At least this time we had a big enough lead that it could work. It certainly always makes me nervous.

But, it does make you wonder, what's the danger in running the offense?  Does Bryce know something we don't?  (OK, he knows a lot of things we don't. But, are we missing something about running the clock late in games?)

[wh]

! No longer available

[agibson]

This OSU crowd is raucous...much louder than Eugene.  If they hold on here, this is tougher than any Horizon League road game.

They were noticeable, for sure. A loud drone on Valpo possessions, which Oregon did too I think - I wonder if the Valparaizone could get into that.

Thankfully, they weren't nearly as well miced as the Oregon students.  So, they were _considerably_ less annoying on TV.

[agibson]

Does this count as beating a "BCS" team?

Yes!  Great win over what should be, might be, a pretty good, middle-of-the-pack, PAC12 team. 

Dominant from top... almost all the way to the bottom.  Really impressive stuff.

[Pgmado]

How on Earth did Paul Oren and Homer Drew end up watching this game at -Northside-?

Don't get me wrong, kudos to them for putting the game on with sound.

But it feels like the hospitality of Valparaiso Nation has failed.

Northside was only place in town that was showing the game. They also had Oregon game on Sunday. I watched some bootlegged stream on Sunday but couldn't get it tonight. Got a text from a friend that game was on there and that Homer was there watching. Sitting with him was a fantastic way to watch the game. Just paying attention to the game through his eyes was very insightful.

[vu72]

classy comments from Coach Trinkle.  It was as good a game from Valpo as I've seen since the Maryland game or maybe the GreenBay title game.  Some things have changed: right now Shane Hammink is our star. Alec is playing great given the attention he is given, but Shane has speed and athleticism that Alec lacks.  As for Tevonn?  I think MANY bigs are wetting their pants over what they could have had.  He is the most improved player, Period. Jabril is a close second.  With David back we should be very good going forward.
Tonight was a MUST win and we did it!!  GO VALPO!!