Game #12 - Santa Clara Thursday Dec 22, 7pm (CT) at the ARC

[talksalot]

From here on out... we are playing teams deep in the RPI rankings... Starting with a Santa Clara team from the West Coast Conference with a #317 RPI, Sagarin is #210

So far this year, the Broncos record:

W  #325 2-9 Northern Arizona 65-61
L   #282 4-6 UC Davis 63-58
L   #64   7-2 Tennessee State  69-61
W  #213 1-7 Northern Colorado 88-72 
W  #277 5-6 Sacred Heart 84-74  OK FINE, I fixed it, yes they are Marshall's twin.
L   #31   10-2 Arizona 69-61
L   #85   6-5  VanderBryce  76-66  and Yeh, at FULL STRENGTH, I think we give the Commodores a "whatfor"
L   #143 4-7  UC Irvine  58-55
L   #169 3-4 San Jose State  55-40 (first true road game of year)
W  ------ --- Cal State East Bay 75-50
W  #312 0-6 Cal State Riverside  77-53
L   #194 5-5 Washington State 69-68

They are 0-6 against the top 200 RPI teams
They are 0-4 away from the Bay area.

[VULB#62]

Questions:

Do these results mean we could probably beat Vanderbryce?

Is Sacred Herd the benign twin of Marshall U.?

[talksalot]

and pardon the double post... here's the espn summary of the Santa Clara - Wazoo game in Pullman:

12/17/2016  Washington State 69 Santa Clara 68   Pullman  3PM
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Josh Hawkinson scored 21 points and Washington State staged a furious comeback in the last six minutes, defeating Santa Clara 69-68 on Saturday when Charles Callison came up with the game-saving block.

The Cougars (6-5) scored 14 of the game's final 16 points, but couldn't breathe a sigh of relief until Callison sealed the win with his last second block of SCU's Jared Brownridge. It was only fitting that the game lied in their hands, as Brownridge had scored 25 points and Callison was at the center of WSU's rally.

The Cougars trailed 66-55 with less than six minutes to play when they began to catch their rhythm. Callison brought WSU to within 66-65 on a 3-pointer with 2:09 remaining, and his layup with 1:25 left gave the team its first lead since halftime.

Santa Clara (5-7) missed its last seven shots, but still had a chance to send the game into overtime in the closing seconds when they trailed 69-66. WSU chose to foul Jarvis Pugh with seven seconds left to prevent a 3-pointer, and his pair of free throws brought within one.

Callison, who ranks third in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage, missed the front end of a one-and-one to set the stage for the thrilling conclusion. Brownridge pulled up near the 3-point line, only to have Callison swat away the game winner.

"I knew he was going to try to get the last shot up at the 3 and I just tried to make a big play and not foul him," Callison said.

WSU showed a level of resiliency that was lacking in previous seasons, but third-year WSU coach Ernie Kent believe Saturday's comeback could be the turning in his program.

"One of the things that has kept me awake a lot of nights the last three years is when they have that saying at the end of an event here that we Coug'd it and I always kept saying `Boy, wouldn't it be great to change that around to where it meant a positive thing, that Coug'd it means you pulled it out,' " Kent said. "...Maybe this is the start of something for us."

BIG PICTURE

Santa Clara: Brownridge reached the 25-point mark for the fourth time this season, and improved his scoring average to 17.6 points per game. His seven made 3-pointers tied a season high. The Broncos have one game remaining before West Coast Conference play begins against BYU.

[M]

Vanderbryce is down to 9 players 🤐

Anyways, I'm taking valpo in a 82-68 win.

[jloose128]

While obviously a weaker opponent, this game reminds me of the Saint Mary's game in the NIT last year. Santa Clara has not played a game east of Las Vegas this season, and they probably won't again after this (barring a postseason tournament)

[bbtds]

L   #85   6-5  VanderBryceBruce  76-66  and Yeh, at FULL STRENGTH, I think we give the Commodores a "whatfor"

L   #85   6-5  VanderBryceBruce  VanderAndersonCooper 76-66  and Yeh, at FULL STRENGTH, I think we give the Commodores a "whatfor"

[justducky]

Am I the only one that looks at our remaining schedule and thinks undefeated?

Yes, and 2 more regular season losses plus a HL tournament loss might head us back to the NIT. 

[oklahomamick]

Am I the only one that looks at our remaining schedule and thinks undefeated? Our conference schedule is so easy and the horizon league is pretty weak this year. I think it's very very possible to do so. I'm sure there will be 1 disappointing loss though, always seems to happen. But still it's a very easy schedule so who knows.

Oakland and WSU will be really tough, especially on the road.  Remember we will get their best game each time.

[VUSWIM08-12]

I've watched Santa Clara play Arizona the last two years, they beat the Wildcats last season. If Brownridge gets going he can flat out score. Hoping to be back in Indiana so I can make a trip to the ARC for my one game a year!

Crusaders 79
Broncos 68

[Valpo Joe]

Time to RUN the Table - no reason it can't be done

[bbtds]

Oakland and WSU will be really tough, especially on the road.  Remember we will get their best game each time.

I believe Northern KY, Oakland, Wright State and even Cleveland State and Green Bay will all be pretty tough to beat on the road.

[covufan]

Santa Clara will want to slow things down - hopefully we won't let that happen.

Valpo   78
Santa Clara  58

[agibson]

Regarding Santa Clara, I sat by a couple ladies who said one reason they scheduled the game is because Santa Clara has a 'local' kid on the team - maybe from Aurora? I haven't looked at the roster yet, but they were excited for the game. I believe a neighbor in Valpo is a grandmother or something. So that's a home game for Valpo while NOT having to make a trip to Fort Wayne so Tom Davis could blast the Crusaders for something else. He's got a nice, long history of doing that.

Looks like Jared Brownridge, a senior for the Broncos, out of Waubonsie Valley in Aurora. Northern Illinois, and some others, might have been a bit closer. But, not a bad homecoming game.

Seems like we played another team recently with a Waubonsie alum...

[valpotx]

Valpo 77
Steve Nash U 63

[valpo84]

Valpo 77
Steve Nash U 63

From the small world Valpo department, in 1996 at the Arizona Invitational Tourney aka NCAA 1st round at ASU, the opening game that afternoon (Valpo played the last game of the day), involved Santa Clara and a floppy haired point guard named Steve Nash.  We had a NBA scout sitting behind us for the afternoon session.  We discussed his view of Nash.  It was a cautious review not predicting a perennial NBA all-star and future Hall of Famer.  BTW, Nash played great and they pulled the upset of 7 seed Maryland.  Thought it was a good omen....

Next time I saw Santa Clara live was probably December 2005 at UNC where John Bryant was a frosh 6'11 325 lb Center.  He drew comparisons to Big Country Reeves. He squared off a pretty decent Frosh class UNC team with Ty Hansbrough and Danny Green among others.  That was the same weekend as Valpo at Duke @ Cameron. Oppland had a good game.... Wonderful college hoops weekend though at Dean Dome and Cameron....

[talksalot]

NCAA Official Stats through Tuesday Night Games...

Comparing VU's national ranking to SC's national ranking...

STAT                     VU     SC     Vu Better?
Blocked Shots Per Game    234   322   BETTER
Defensive Rebounds per Game    149   287   BETTER
Fewest Fouls    213   238   BETTER
Field-Goal Percentage Defense    185   215   BETTER
Free Throw Percentage    6   134   BETTER
Free Throws Attempted    66   303   BETTER
Free Throws Made    24   288   BETTER
Offensive Rebounds Per Game    64   334   BETTER
Rebound Margin    70   282   BETTER
Scoring Margin    158   181   BETTER
Scoring Offense    136   305   BETTER
Steals Per Game    81   270   BETTER
Three-Point Field Goal Defense    147   328   BETTER
Total Blocks    233   303   BETTER
Total Rebounds    111   243   BETTER
Total Rebounds Per Game    77   335   BETTER
Total Steals    97   231   BETTER
Turnovers Forced    85   221   BETTER
Won-Lost Percentage    36   237   BETTER

and these are the places the Broncos are better than Valpo:

Assist Turnover Ratio    308   73   WORSE
Assists Per Game    300   179   WORSE
Fewest Turnovers    230   104   WORSE
Field-Goal Percentage    274   230   WORSE
Personal Fouls Per Game    230   160   WORSE
Scoring Defense    194   48   WORSE
Three-Point Field Goals Attempted   208   31   WORSE
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game    288   71   WORSE
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage    324   169   WORSE
Total Three-Point Field Goals Made   277   44   WORSE
Total Assists    273   120   WORSE
Turnover Margin    160   84   WORSE
Turnovers Per Game    253   29   WORSE

[talksalot]

here's the box score from the Wazoo game... they only go 7-deep

http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2016-17/boxscores/20161217_h8wx.xml

They only shot 4 free throws (made all of them)
12 of 27 from Three Point Range
14 of 32 from Two Point Range

Their Aurora player appears to be their "show"... played every minute, took 33% of their shots

Washington State packed in 2388 at the Beasley Center, its current seating capacity is 11,671 for basketball.

wow... check out these attendance numbers...
http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2016-17/teams/santaclara?view=attendance

[talksalot]

ok, you VENUE band-wagoneers....


Here's the Santa Clara gym... and their plan for renovation.

http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/general/2015-16/releases/20160602qo8hxz

notice the average home attendance is about 1100 this year.

[talksalot]

from the SC Game Notes...  some explanation of their 7-man rotation at Wazoo...

• Santa Clara has been missing pieces in its rotation this season. 

Sophomore point guard KJ Feagin broke a bone in his foot during the first week of preseason practice and has yet to play a game. Sophomore guard Evan Wardlow has been injured most of the last two seasons. He was relegated to seven games last year due to a wrist injury and has seen only 54 minutes of action this year because to a hamstring injury. He reinjured the hamstring last week in practice is out indefinitely.

• Junior forward Matt Hubbard had offseason ankle surgery and was limited to 52 minutes in eight of the first 12 games. However, Hubbard decided this week to leave the program. He is on schedule to graduate in the spring. Hubbard played in 68 career games (37 starts), averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds.

• Injuries have forced the Broncos to shorten rotation.

Guards Jared Brownridge and Matt Hauser, and forward Nate Kratch have started all 12 games. Forward Jarvis Pugh has started 11 games. Brownridge
Hauser, Kratch and Pugh are averaging 30-plus minutes per game.   Brownridge, Hauser and Pugh have seen the most time, averaging 31 or more minutes per contest. Forwards Henrik Jadersten (20.7 minutes pg) and guard Kai Healy (20.9) are the only other players to see action in all 12 games and play at least 10 minutes each outing. Jadersten and Healy helped the Broncos scored a season-high 25 bench points in last week's win over UC Riverside (Dec. 13). Healy posted his first-career double-double with 10 points and a career-high tying 10 rebounds. Jadersten scored 13 points and collected seven rebounds.

• Hauser (16 points/10 assists vs. N. Colorado, Nov. 19) became the first Santa Clara player to post double digit points and assists in the same game since Evan Roquemore (14 points/11 assists) against Pacific (Dec. 17, 2011). He followed that up with his second career double-double (14 points/11 assists) vs. Sacred Heart (Nov. 21).

• With 36 points vs. Vanderbilt (Nov. 25), Brownridge, who earned a spot of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational tournament team, posted his ninth-career game of 30 or more points, the most in school history. He was tied with the school's all-time leading scorer Kevin Foster.

• Brownridge scored 25 points vs. Washington State (Dec. 17), connecting on 7 of 14 from behind the 3-point line. He recorded seven or more made 3-pointers for the eighth time in his career, extending his own school record. Kevin Foster (2008-13) had five in his career, including the single-game record of nine (vs. Air Force, March 18, 2011).


Here's what they say about us:

Head coach Matt Lottich is in his first season and has his team is off to a 9-2 start with its two losses coming against Oregon and Kentucky, both nationally ranked.  Senior forward Alec Peters is the second-leading scorer in the nation, pouring in 25.6 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the floor and 94.4 percent from the free-throw line. Peters is also second in the country in free throws made at 84 on 89 tries. Senior guard Shane Hammink is second on the team in scoring at 14.7 per game while junior guard Tevonn Walker averages 11.3 ppg. After going 30-7 last season with a trip to the NCAAs, the Crusaders are the favorites to claim the Horizon League title. Santa Clara and Valparaiso will be meeting for the first time.

Herb Sendek - their coach...from Miami Ohio, NC State and Arizona State.   Has never coached against Valpo.  (one of the few with 400+ wins who hasn't).  We played NC State the year after he left; and we last played Arizona State two years before he got there.

[vu84v2]

Valpo 68
Santa Clara 55

[M]

They gave us a trip to the NCAA's...that was nice of them 

[bbtds]

ok, you VENUE band-wagoneers....


Here's the Santa Clara gym... and their plan for renovation.

http://www.santaclarabroncos.com/general/2015-16/releases/20160602qo8hxz

notice the average home attendance is about 1100 this year.

Do you think the VU board ever compares budgets to other schools and wonders how they save so much on athletic facilities?

[valpotx]

Someone should ask Herb how Richie Edwards worked out for him

[justducky]

Someone should ask Herb how Richie Edwards worked out for him

I had never connected the dots on that Arizona St. event. Not one of his better decisions.

Richie could have had a far more useful Sr season with us (off the bench) than he delivered for ASU after a redshirt year.

[wh]

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