Re: Game #27- Oakland Friday February 17 6pm ORena ESPN2

[talksalot]

We have a 2 game lead.  Lets make it 3.  Payback is fun, let's control the tie-breaker.

5 games left, 4 on the road.  We need to avenge the worst loss of the season.

[valpotx]

Valpo 81
Oakland 73

[M]

Oakland fans are back to feeling good about their team, but they are the most back and forth fans in the league. Valpo by 13....75-62 sending Grizzly fans back to the ledge.

[VU2014]

Oakland fans are back to feeling good about their team, but they are the most back and forth fans in the league. Valpo by 13....75-62 sending Grizzly fans back to the ledge.

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/830659322640269312
https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/830659575669981184
https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/830659845347037184
https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/830661333741891584

[oklahomamick]

We have enough credit in the bank that if we lose this one we still in 1st place. 

However Would make no room for error.  Going to wright st and nku must wins which doubt that can be done. 

[oklahomamick]

We are 2 games ahead of Oakland. But honestly they are very lucky to be in the hunt. 

Crazy ending at uic, 3 missed free throws by a senior with 4 seconds against Milwaukee and an ending at Cleveland state where a last second shot was blocked.  Could easily be a Oakland team fighting for 4th place not 1st. 

Let's hope their luck runs ours. 

[talksalot]

so... if you want to relive history... so you won't repeat it...

Here's the Box Score from game 1

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore/2016-17/5948/youngstown-state-vs-valpo-02-11-2017/

and if you really are a glutton for punishment, here's the recap of exactly how they did it.

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2016-17/16103/valpo-leads-start-to-finish-in-win-over-ysu/#.WKBl4cszU5s

we were 11-4 and 1-1 coming out of that game... we are now 21-5 and 11-2; the Grizz are 6-4 in their last 10, 4 W's in a row over Milwaukee, Detroit, Cleveland State and Youngstown State.  They are an uncharacteristic 9-4 at home.

Here's a gut check from RealTimeRpi

02-17   at  Oakland   17-7 (9-4) 139  69-79 L - Scouting   
02-19   at  Detroit   6-19 (4-9) 294  77-70 W - Scouting   
02-21     Milwaukee   7-19 (4-10) 271  85-63 W - Scouting   
02-24   at  Wright St.   15-9 (8-5) 122  70-79 L - Scouting   
02-26   at  North. Kentucky   15-9 (8-5) 126  70-78 L - Scouting   

[VUfan]

This a game that sets the tone for the rest of the season,, Valpo needs to play with intensity, rebound and strong tight defense from the start.  Valpo 78- Oakland 70 hope I'm right 

[oklahomamick]

Hate to say it but Alec maybe getting fatigued.  He has never played so many minutes.  Same with Shane.  Bryce had the luxury that the starters at VU weren't getting near the minutes other HL guys were.

[vu72]

Hate to say it but Alec maybe getting fatigued.  He has never played so many minutes.  Same with Shane.  Bryce had the luxury that the starters at VU weren't getting near the minutes other HL guys were.

You may be right and probably the reason Matt had him sit out last week's practices.  Last night he played 29 minutes while his average for the season is 35.5.  It seemed like a long time for Alec to be sitting on the bench!

[agibson]

Last night he played 29 minutes while his average for the season is 35.5.  It seemed like a long time for Alec to be sitting on the bench!

At the time I took it as, "OK, a bit of foul trouble. But mostly I'm letting Alec rest while the rest of the team shows they can hang with a Horizon League cellar-dweller without him". I'd decided earlier this season that Matt Lottich wasn't that afraid of Alec, or some other players, fouling out. That he wasn't one of those "two fouls? straight to the bench for the rest of the half coaches".

But, based on the post-game presser, I wonder. Earlier in the season were we just seeing the effect of perceiving the bench as very short? If you're playing a 6 man rotation you can't afford to sit a guy in foul trouble, even if that would normally be your inclination.

So, now I'm not sure if he was sitting Alec for two fouls, and he'd normally prefer to do that. Or if it was (also?) to get Alec a bit of rest, and lighten his minutes. Or if there could even be a specific reason to not push his minutes.

[VU2014]

Hate to say it but Alec maybe getting fatigued.  He has never played so many minutes.  Same with Shane.  Bryce had the luxury that the starters at VU weren't getting near the minutes other HL guys were.

Don't forget losing Skara was huge for loosening the load on starters, then on top of that we lost Jubril because the NCAA can't get off its you know what to make a decision. If this was any Power 5 school, where more $ feeds their coffers and their former employees are littered through out their organization showing biased then we'd have a decision a week or two after the Kentucky game. 

[vufan75]

Oakland Press article with some comments about upcoming Valpo game.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/sports/20170210/oakland-gets-its-swagger-back-splitting-metro-series-with-rival-detroit-mercy

[FieldGoodie05]

Hate to say it but Alec maybe getting fatigued.  He has never played so many minutes.  Same with Shane.  Bryce had the luxury that the starters at VU weren't getting near the minutes other HL guys were.

Don't forget losing Skara was huge for loosening the load on starters, then on top of that we lost Jubril because the NCAA can't get off its you know what to make a decision. If this was any Power 5 school, where more $ feeds their coffers and their former employees are littered through out their organization showing biased then we'd have a decision a week or two after the Kentucky game.

We are all noticeably disgusted by the speed at which a decision is being made.  But let's remember that he reportedly admitted to cheating, this should be painful for him.  And because it's a team sport the pain releases a domino effect.

But I'm getting to the point where my anger lies with Jubril as much or more than anyone/thing else.

I don't have any examples for this....but the length of time this has taken leads me to believe it's sistemic problems the NCAA is investigating.  This is carrying over past 2-months, irregardless of the timing with the holidays.

BUT Jubril has been reported to be guilty....so we don't have much of a foot to stand on.

[NativeCheesehead]

FG you are correct, we can't absolve Jubril in all this until we know all the facts. However, we do at least seem to know this is an academic issue. And the frustration for me lies in many players being able to play while Criminal matters were being worked out (or pled out) and having little to no time taken from them.

[Grizz]

You mean like your guy who got arrested on the night before a game for MIP and yet he's still playing. Yea. I get what your saying.

[FieldGoodie05]

You mean like your guy who got arrested on the night before a game for MIP and yet he's still playing. Yea. I get what your saying.

My friend, hello!  You keeping an eye on Stevie Pees Publicly?  We will watch our guys...you watch yours.

Good evening.

[VU2014]

You mean like your guy who got arrested on the night before a game for MIP and yet he's still playing. Yea. I get what your saying.

Oh Grizz... there you go again comparing the crime of underage drinking to domestic abuse. Not even comparable situations.

But I do think we should have sat out Jay for a game or two immediately following the incident. The team is really hurting from the lack of depth because we have two redshirts this year (originally 3 after the Middleton transfer), the Skara transfer as an upper class-men, then the Jubril situation, 3 walk-ons (Kiser giving a nice little boost by eating minutes and play solid D and avoiding turnovers), and 4 freshman. Credit to the coaching staff, AP, Shane, Tevonn and all the regulars for the still overcoming it all to place us at 1st place so far in the conf reg season.

[a3uge]

You mean like your guy who got arrested on the night before a game for MIP and yet he's still playing. Yea. I get what your saying.

Yes, beating your girlfriend is totally the same as drinking 2 beers 3 years after you're legally allowed to drink in your home country.

[M]

No Oakland players were ever mentioned or hinted at...guilty conscience much?

[valpotx]

Seriously Grizz, you have no leg to stand on.  You have taken the worst of the worst over the last decade, with a façade of believing in 'second chances.'  If you beat up a woman, are involved in other violence or theft, etc, you don't magically learn 1-2 years later and become a better man through playing basketball somewhere else.  It is engrained in you to be a complete scumbag, and very small men.  Your players that have this history are terrible people, it is that plain and simple.  Who didn't drink before they hit 21?  It is by sheer luck that I didn't end up with an MIP, like so many of my friends did.  You are comparing that and academic cheating to beating up a woman?  Man, you need a reality check on the character of your program. 

[oklahomamick]

Valpo 72
Second chance U 69

On our way to 5 out of 6 HL season championships. Nice run.  Besides butler any other program dominate the HL like that? 

[NativeCheesehead]

Hey Grizz,

[bbtds]

I have to admit I really enjoyed this quote from Kampe and comparing their current run to a boxing match.

"I don't think it took wind out of our sails, I think they reached inside our chest, and pulled our heart out. We laid on the canvas for nine seconds. I don't think there's any question. Two nights later, we played probably the worst basketball game I probably have ever coached. We laid on that canvas," Kampe said. "I'll tell you the honest-to-God truth. We got a break, because a great free-throw shooter missed three free throws with six seconds left (in the overtime win over Milwaukee that started the four-game win streak). I think maybe Rocky got up because he heard Adrian yelling, or something."

[agibson]

I'm not loving the irredeemable scum bag characterizations.

Been a long time since THEO 100, perhaps.