NIT

[justducky]

So no high majors making the trip to NYC?  Representatives from the Horizon, WCC, A10, and MWC.  I thought the CIT and CBI were the "mid-major tournaments!"   

Well if teams like Pitt, Michigan, Syracuse and Vanderbilt had been in the NIT where they belonged then the BIGs might have been a bit more competitive.     

[crusaderjoe]

So no high majors making the trip to NYC?  Representatives from the Horizon, WCC, A10, and MWC.  I thought the CIT and CBI were the "mid-major tournaments!"   

Make no mistake, when you look at national fan bases, enrollment, facilities and athletic programs, BYU is a major competing in a mid major conference.  Football independence put them there.  Even though they are technically not P5, I see it as Valpo competing against its second P5 program in this tournament.

[FWalum]

Bryce at NIT Press Conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaCp7tHT3tQ

[nkvu]

GW reminds me a bit of Wright State. Not terribly athletic but disciplined and fundamentally sound. Of course the fact that SDS couldn't hit a shot if the basket was six feet wide may be making GW look better than they are.

[hailcrusaders]

George Washington wiping the floor with SDSU. Definitely not what I was expecting. GW doesn't have the flash of BYU but they're playing so well.

[nkvu]

SDS playing maybe the worst offensive game I've seen this year. Their shooting beyond about 5feet is virtually non existent. And their defense based on this game is highly overrated. Hard to say how good GW really is.

[hailcrusaders]

SDS playing maybe the worst offensive game I've seen this year. Their shooting beyond about 5feet is virtually non existent. And their defense based on this game is highly overrated. Hard to say how good GW really is.

Unless SDSU pulls a TA&M, GW will have won 4 in a row over quality opponents. If nothing else, they have momentum (as we do too)

[nkvu]

I hope Valpo's experience against BYU's 1-3-1 defense prepared them for GW because they will definitely see it. But I have to say SDS had plenty of open looks from three that they bricked or didn't take.  We are a much better shooting team than SDS that went what 3 for 22 from 3? If we hold GW under 70 in the final I like our chances.

[FWalum]

I agree, looks like we better work on our offense against the 1 3 1 zone.  Thought it really gave us fits against BYU and if I were GW I would continue doing exactly what they did against SDSU.

We will need to do more than just lobbing over the top (which never worked) or shooting 3's.

[ValpoDad89]

I can only say this about GW, DePaul best them ' nuff said. All kidding aside, they were playing a team like us, with a contrasting style. San Diego St., is a defensive minded team and from what I saw from some earlier games, does not have the ability to come from behind when dealt a huge deficit.

We are like SD St. in that we are defensive minded but we more offensive skill that can help us if needed if we fall behind early. On the other hand, can GW deal with our size down low and if we jump on them early, can they find it within to comeback? To me, this is the opponent I want and an opponent we can beat. I felt BYU was the toughest matchup wise for us out of the 4 remaining.

[VULB#62]

It seemed from the posts I've read that all of the semi finalists had trouble with FG accuracy. That could be the MSG environment. The bowl there is rather flatish. That plays mind tricks with depth and background. But GW and Valpo now have a game under their belts in that venue, so I look for a better FG% from us a least, and if we play lock down D, it won't matter on the GW side. Alec will not have that cold a night twice in a row.

[agibson]

It seemed from the posts I've read that all of the semi finalists had trouble with FG accuracy. That could be the MSG environment. The bowl there is rather flatish. That plays mind tricks with depth and background. But GW and Valpo now have a game under their belts in that venue, so I look for a better FG% from us a least, and if we play lock down D, it won't matter on the GW side. Alec will not have that cold a night twice in a row.

That was the narrative from the HL tournament - but did it hold true for the NIT? I've not compared with season averages, but I didn't think that Valpo or even BYU had _particularly_ poor shooting numbers (turnovers, yes). Sounds like San Diego State did have a horrible shooting night.

[VULB#62]

It seemed from the posts I've read that all of the semi finalists had trouble with FG accuracy. That could be the MSG environment. The bowl there is rather flatish. That plays mind tricks with depth and background. But GW and Valpo now have a game under their belts in that venue, so I look for a better FG% from us a least, and if we play lock down D, it won't matter on the GW side. Alec will not have that cold a night twice in a row.

That was the narrative from the HL tournament - but did it hold true for the NIT? I've not compared with season averages, but I didn't think that Valpo or even BYU had _particularly_ poor shooting numbers (turnovers, yes). Sounds like San Diego State did have a horrible shooting night.

Overall, probably not I guess, but that last 8 minutes  was really frustrating as I watched game tracker record miss after miss (except for David's three at the end     ).  We did hit FGs for 51% in the first half, but, not seeing the game, I don't know if that was because of a lot of easy close-in FGs in the first half vs. longer shots in the second or what.  But there was a definite accuracy drop off in the second half.  We didn't hit FTs like we usually do either 

From the box score:

FGs
1st half - 15/29 51.7%   2nd half - 11/32 34.4% TOTAL - 26/61 42.6%
3PT FGs
1st half - 7/12 58.3%   2nd half - 4/16 25.0 %  TOTAL - 11/28 39.3%
FTs
1st half - 7/13 53.8%   2nd half - 2/4 50.0%  TOTAL - 9/17 52.9%

[agibson]

Glancing quickly back at google trends. I've not looked at all systematically but, the picture on "overall searches for the university" may not have changed so much. Some uptick, but nothing as significant as an NCAA appearance.

But, here's one fun one. Google's own identification of searches (no idea of definition) specifically for the basketball team. I don't think I posted this search in the last batch, but my recollection is that it's improved considerably since that time.

The spike is the month of March, 2016. Nearly as may as our all-time high, in March 2015, our last NCAA appearance.

[vu72]

These comments are more than a little late, but I've been contemplating them for a while.  It has to do with the overall impact of the NIT on Valpo's reputation and, more importantly, Valpo's image with future students and their parents.

When we started out as an NIT invite, we all thought we had been passed by and, for the most part, our chance to showcase our school and team to the nation had been last.  in hindsight, that couldn't be farther from reality, and here's why.

Valpo is viewed by most, as the preeminent Lutheran university in the country in the same way as ND is to Catholics or Baylor is to Baptist.  You can add appropriate schools, but you get the picture.  Before people start getting their spikes on to jump on me, I'm not saying Valpo has a national reputation like ND or Baylor, just that from a Lutheran standpoint it stands at a level above other Lutheran institutions.  Again, not saying that all of our academic programs are superior to, say, a St. Olaf, but from a recognition standpoint, probably exclusively because of our basketball program, we are at a different level.

From an enrollment standpoint Valpo has at least as many Lutheran students as any other school but that pool is shrinking for all institutions. While many here may not care about the Lutheran enrollment at Valpo, it remains a big part of our stated goals and very important to many influential alumni. So back to the NIT.

To me, the most important game was the win over Florida State.  Sure, the run to NYC was cool and we also gained lots of TV exposure which will no doubt help with recruiting.  Still, the FSU game was more important and here's why:

The Lutheran grade school tourney was in town and those folks packed the ARC.  Those folks were mostly Lutheran with Lutheran kids. I'm guessing that many of the parents, and many of the kids as well, didn't really know that Valpo played basketball at the highest level.  They might have known that Valpo played basketball and that at some distant point in the past something happened which people at their work may remember.  But that walk from the chapel to the ARC on that cold evening, looking for something to do to fill the night, opened their collective eyes to what Valpo basketball and part of the Valpo college experience were all about.  No visit in the future to other Lutheran campus' will provide such an experience.  The ARC was packed, that was cool.  Someone mentioned that the game was on ESPN, that was really cool.  Then they realized that Valpo wasn't playing Concordia River Forest.  Valpo was playing, and soundly beating frickin FLORIDA STATE!!  They won't forget that.

So that's it.  From a core appeal to future Lutheran students, that game may have had a much bigger impression than going to the NCAAs and even winning a game.  It was a once in a lifetime chance to appeal to hundreds of kids and their parents in a way that may or may not get them to look further at Valpo but their conversations when reaching home may do as much, if not more in that regard.

[VULB#62]

Good point 72. And then some of those Luderans followed Valpo to MSG on national TV and said to themselves: Wow, we were on campus there. Its a cool place.

[bbtds]

Luderans

Is that the Swedish/Norwegian pronunciation?

[FWalum]

The ARC was packed, that was cool.  Someone mentioned that the game was on ESPN, that was really cool.  Then they realized that Valpo wasn't playing Concordia River Forest.  Valpo was playing, and soundly beating frickin FLORIDA STATE!!  They won't forget that.

I know that my Godson and his friends who played in the tournament thought that it was really cool and he has asked for and received several Valpo apparel items since that time!

[VULB#62]

Luderans

Is that the Swedish/Norwegian pronunciation?

ya der hey, ya betcha.

[valpopal]

George Washington coach under fire for his handling of players.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/gw-basketball-players-report-coachs-verbal-and-emotional-abuse-many-fled-school/2016/07/21/b7d5bd12-4dae-11e6-a7d8-13d06b37f256_story.html#comments


http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/07/21/report-gw-players-allege-verbal-emotional-abuse-from-lonergan/

[VULB#62]

USAToday picked it up too.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2016/07/21/george-washington-basketball-players-report-verbal-emotional-abuse-mike-lonergan/87384568/

[FWalum]

Surprised that players would play so hard for a coach that they thought was treating them in the manner described in those articles.

[usc4valpo]

are millenial feelings being hurt?

[bbtds]

are millenial feelings being hurt?

I would call it a generational difference in ways of relating the needs of a basketball team. Those coaches who don't adjust such as Lonergan and Swoopes will suffer the consequences. 

[Valpower]

are millenial feelings being hurt?

I would call it a generational difference in ways of relating the needs of a basketball team. Those coaches who don't adjust such as Lonergan and Swoopes will suffer the consequences. 

Booooo to you two!  The players are complaining about behavior that, if true, is inappropriate and hostile.  It was certainly not a part of any coaching experience I've had.