Game 34 Florida State Seminoles @ the ARC in 37 hrs 45 minutes

[valpospartan]

Anyone know the color commentator's name?

[ValpoHoops]

Mark Adams

Twitter: @enthusiadams

He went on a few epic rants about mid majors getting hosed by the NCAA committee. He's a huge mid major supporter.

[VUfan]

A C Come tell me how good!!! NCAAwsome Good!!!!!!   

[govalpogo]

I don't believe Valpo has trailed yet in the NIT.

[bbtds]

I think we are getting a little too hopeful for tonight's attendance. I say it will be slightly better than average.

With the Lutheran tournament groups it was totally full just after halftime. I was told they charged them $1 each to get in.

[valpopal]

I was near LeCrone at one point during the game, and I was watching as he looked around at a real tournament atmosphere. Also, whether intentional or not, it was a great dig at the HL when the attendance was announced as 4,991 near the end of the game.   

[talksalot]

Mark Adams

Twitter: @enthusiadams

He went on a few epic rants about mid majors getting hosed by the NCAA committee. He's a huge mid major supporter.

He was the Head Coach at Central Connecticut State from 1991-1996... was "schooled" by Homer in this place (his words not mine)

[talksalot]

Also, whether intentional or not, it was a great dig at the HL when the attendance was announced as 4,991 near the end of the game

Part of my script.  Announcing the crowd is one of the things I'm supposed to do during the game.   PS... that was 4 more than Wright State.

[gamelord]

I was kinda getting worried about the attendance. The place was empty 5-10 min before tipoff. Then all of a sudden it steadily got packed. Glad to see the black referee on our side, unlike the other two. The way they were calling petty fouls at first, I thought both teams would foul out before halftime.

[talksalot]

Talking to their SID before the game... their charter flight was supposed to land at Gary yesterday but it was too windy, so they diverted to South Bend....   While there, they ran into an old friend... some guy named Digger... who found a nice steak house for them.   They were hoping to fly out of Porter County tonight....

[bbtds]

It was a great win on a great night. One of the best experiences I have had at Valpo in a few years. The culmination of a lot of expectations for this group. One more win and on to New York City.

I heard on WVUR as I was leaving Valpo that St Marys and Georgia will be playing Sunday. The winner then will have Monday to travel to Valpo for the Tuesday night game. That will be a huge advantage for Valpo. Now who is complaining about the LBAA people using the ARC floor for their tournament?

Just past Lafayette now. Going too fast maybe.

[talksalot]

St Marys - Georgia play at 6:30pm CT on ESPNU on Sunday night... that's 4:30pm Pacific Time... I doubt they would travel and land at 2am here...don't know if they'd charter or not... be a long ride in a puddle jumper to get here.... oh wait... that's a good thing!

FYI, the guys in the ARC will be up most of the night getting the arena ready.  Yes, they will be leaving the NIT stickers on the floor.

[justducky]

Just past Lafayette now. Going too fast maybe.

Whatever you do don't get in another accident!

[hailcrusaders]

Someone who appears to be a Duke fan on the FSU board chalked some of FSU's turnovers to floor itself being "riddled with dead spots and slippery areas". Have we ever heard such complaints, or are they just making excuses? It's an old building, and certainly not up to ACC standards, but I have not heard of such reports.

[nkvu]

Someone who appears to be a Duke fan on the FSU board chalked some of FSU's turnovers to floor itself being "riddled with dead spots and slippery areas". Have we ever heard such complaints, or are they just making excuses? It's an old building, and certainly not up to ACC standards, but I have not heard of such reports.

Wasn't the floor just redone a couple of years ago?  Sorry but I'm just not feeling a whole lot of sympathy right now.

[Valpower]

Someone who appears to be a Duke fan on the FSU board chalked some of FSU's turnovers to floor itself being "riddled with dead spots and slippery areas". Have we ever heard such complaints, or are they just making excuses? It's an old building, and certainly not up to ACC standards, but I have not heard of such reports.

How could he possibly know?  My feeling was that he was sarcastically criticizing FSU's ball-handling effort.

[bbtds]

Just past Lafayette now. Going too fast maybe.

Whatever you do don't get in another accident!

Thanks for the well-wishes. I did slow down. I'm safe at home by 11:40 p.m. Not bad at all.

[wh]

Someone who appears to be a Duke fan on the FSU board chalked some of FSU's turnovers to floor itself being "riddled with dead spots and slippery areas". Have we ever heard such complaints, or are they just making excuses? It's an old building, and certainly not up to ACC standards, but I have not heard of such reports.

Wasn't the floor just redone a couple of years ago?  Sorry but I'm just not feeling a whole lot of sympathy right now.

Yes, a new floor with premium padding was installed within the last 3 or 4 years. An ignorant comment.

[a3uge]

The players were sliding all over the place - Alec completely blew a tire at one point.

[wh]

I was near LeCrone at one point during the game, and I was watching as he looked around at a real tournament atmosphere. Also, whether intentional or not, it was a great dig at the HL when the attendance was announced as 4,991 near the end of the game.   

I hope he paid his way in.

[FWalum]

A really enjoyable experience. I to was worried about the late arriving crowd.  Maybe the early time had something to do with that?  Great to see all of the LBAA kids standing around the track and filling all the upper level seats.  The atmosphere was electric! Every time FSU made a run the team and crowd responded. Proud to be a Crusader!!

[wh]

VU fans show out in full voice for Crusaders
Jim Peters Times Columnist  26 min ago

VALPARAISO — Who knew a possible logistical headache could turn into a blessing for the Valparaiso University men's basketball team?

After Tuesday's win over Texas Southern, the school had to do some scrambling to fit in the Crusaders' second-round National Invitation Tournament game against visiting Florida State with the Lutheran Basketball Association of America's National Tournament of Champions descending on the campus.

Rather than moving the game to after the weekend, Valpo scheduled it for Thursday and may have picked up a thousand or so new fans in the process. The upper reaches of the balcony, vacant during the first half, were near capacity after the break as the youth teams, dressed in their respective T-shirts, joined the fun for the bargain price of $1. Additional fans hung out along the upper level rails, bringing the official attendance figure to 4,991, not quite, but just short of capacity at the the Athletics-Recreation Center.

"What a great atmosphere," VU coach Bryce Drew said. "The crowd was tremendous. The team was energized, hearing them out there cheering for us, showing their enthusiasm, and it showed."

The ValparaiZone student section ignited the crowd behind the west basket, giving Florida State an occasional needle with the Seminoles' trademark war chant and tomahawk chant. It also flashed a poster that read 'Wide Left" and an arrow pointing that direction, a shot at FSU's history of missed field goals in football.

"It's the loudest I've heard the ARC in my three years here," VU's Jubril Adekoya said. "It was definitely like a sixth man for us. It was helping us with our energy. When you had adversity in the game, it helped us push through it."

The Crusaders led wire to wire but were picked up by their enthusiastic faithful when the Seminoles made a few pushes, only to be rebuffed each time.

"It was awesome," VU's Alec Peters said. "When we'd make a shot, a key play, take a charge, everybody was erupting. We could feel the energy. It gave the extra boost that we need."

After the turnout of less than 3,000 for the opener, there was no doubt about how strong the Valpo support would show out on St. Patrick's Day, smack dab up against the NCAA tournament. If you were a cursed Purdue fan in the house, you were spared watching the nightmare of their epic collapse against Arkansas-Little Rock, but I digress.

"We play in a lot of those atmospheres in our conference," Florida State's Leonard Hamilton said. "It was good to see the home fans supporting their team. They earned the right (to host), being the No. 1 seed."

Up next for the Crusaders on Tuesday is St. Mary's or Georgia. Oh, wouldn't it be nice to have VU and the Gaels, considered two of the NCAA's main selection oversights, meet with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line? Oh, it just became even more difficult for Valpo to get a big school to play them here in the regular season.

"We're not worried about that right now," Drew said. "We're just excited about tonight, happy for the team and our fans, and looking forward to the next game."

The ARC was quickly adjusted to prepare it for their weekend occupants Thursday night. They'll be gone by the time Valpo plays again, which means those upper level seats will be available. Whether you sport the brown and gold or not, don't miss the chance to come out and see a good basketball team continue its postseason run.

"Enjoy the moment," Hamilton said. "It's a very special team. They're a team that should have been in the NCAAs. They have a very special opportunity. Hopefully, they have the opportunity to get to New York and win the NIT."

[nkvu]

Just watched  Whichita State take down Arizona easily.  If the power 5 didn't have all the advantages I have to wonder if they would even have a winning percentage against the best mid-majors in any kind of a fair situation.  If you really are the best then play mid majors on a neutral court or at their place and PROVE IT!

[agibson]

The players were sliding all over the place - Alec completely blew a tire at one point.

It's frequently slippery - don't know if this is normal, or we have sub-standard towel boys, or what.

[wh]

The players were sliding all over the place - Alec completely blew a tire at one point.

It's frequently slippery - don't know if this is normal, or we have sub-standard towel boys, or what.

In all the tens of thousands of posts over all the years about every topic under the sun, tonight is the first time I ever recall anyone making a claim that the ARC floor was causing their players to "slip."