2017 NIT?

[FieldGoodie05]

UofI players may not really "want it". We have a punchers chance even with the no Alec and the very short bench.

Good definition. Burn the play book and pretend this is the 17-18 season. Could be fun.

When's the last time the HL sent (3) teams to the NCAA and NIT post season?  Not ideal for us, but turned out the best we could get.

[justducky]

When's the last time the HL sent (3) teams to the NCAA and NIT post season?  Not ideal for us, but turned out the best we could get.

2011 UWM and CSU to NIT. Butler to NCAA.

[agibson]

Tuesday night, 6:15 PM central. VU still on spring break, should be plenty of alums in driving distance (closer than Detroit!) and plenty of students with friends they could crash with.

Babysitter acquired. If anyone wants to car pool from Valpo, feel free to PM me. My first preference would be pretty minimal, more or less straight to the game, straight home.

[usc4valpo]

This is a possible win. It is amazing that Illinois has underachieved in basketball for such a large state, alumni base, and great talent in the Chicago, St. Louis and Peoria areas. same goes for DePaul but we know they have internal "family" issues there.

[agibson]

When's the last time the HL sent (3) teams to the NCAA and NIT post season?  Not ideal for us, but turned out the best we could get.

2011 UWM and CSU to NIT. Butler to NCAA.

Three way tie in the league. Milwaukee got the NIT auto-bid and a 5 seed in the NIT. Butler got the NCAA auto-bid out or the HL 2 seed, was seeded on the 8 line and was national runner-up of course. CSU got an NIT 2 seed at-large. Bizarre.

Paul Oren says the last VU at-large was 2002-03 (think I have that right) when supposedly we got the bid because we agreed to play on 24 hours notice. Not sure I've heard that whole story.

[valpotx]

Surprised and excited that our guys get to play in a good tournament, and that Peters being injured didn't kill that possibility for everyone else.  We have come a long ways in reputation ever since the NIT stiff armed us in 2000-2001.

[agibson]

I'm not seeing anything from Valpo about tickets.

There are pretty good seats available from Illinois. For example, third row.

Looks like everything is $10 or $20 (plus $14 in fees, naturally...).

Well, on my mobile it looked like it was going to let me buy tickets. Now, on the desktop version of their website I see something about 9 AM ticket sales, with an "I FUND Member Presale" until then.

And now I'm getting "due to heavy demand, you have been placed in a virtual waiting room" messages.

But, anyway, some indication that tickets won't be exorbitantly priced. (And that they might be much cheaper walk-up, possibly avoiding fees...)

[vu72]

Who knows, maybe it was a make-up call by the NCAA.   

[agibson]

But, anyway, some indication that tickets won't be exorbitantly priced. (And that they might be much cheaper walk-up, possibly avoiding fees...)

Second hand from the VU ticket manager:

"Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 9am and our [VU] fans should look in sections 134 & 135. All tickets will be sold through Illinois."

[VU75]

Green Bay an UIC both in CBI,  Green Bay gets UMKC,  UIC gets Stony Brook>

[bigmosmithfan1]

This is a great thing. Nice to not see the season go entirely down the drain into no-postseason-land, as it appeared for the past week. I can't believe a few posters are wringing hands and moaning about not wanting to play in the NIT because of worries about "competitiveness." With due respect, that might be the most short-sighted perspective I've ever seen here.

Even if we get blown out (we won't, though), it's still worth it in *every* possible respect. It's still an extra few days of practice (at least), another well-deserved game for our seniors Shane and Nick, another tournament game against a quality Power 5 opponent for the returning players, oh, and another game on *national television* to help recruiting.

Stop moping. VU fans would have happily given up limbs for an NIT berth against *anyone* from 1977 through 1995, much less one against a Big Ten team from a neighboring state. Again... this is a great thing.

[agibson]

But, on a lark, I went through UIUC's mobile interface, I think probably the mobile equivalent of

http://www.fightingillini.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

And clicking on "buy tickets" or whatever was able to buy tickets now.

I'm sure sections 134 and 135 aren't _bad_ seats. They look like they're in a corner, behind a basket, two sections from the floor.

Through the mobile interface I was offered tickets for sale in e.g. section 101 (lowest section, mid-court) row 3 (maybe that's actually the sixth row?).

I wound up with a seat in section 12, somewhere that was called "FL" (tantalizing?), row A. Might be courtside, might be behind the Illinois bench, might be obstructed view behind a column, I'll find out when I get there I guess! Hopefully there are some Valpo fans not too far away.

I know that in Detroit 2016 it was fun to sit in the Valpo fan section. But, this time I took a stab at something closer to the floor. We'll see what happens!

[bigmosmithfan1]

The old Assembly Hall used to have some awkward angles for some of the seats. I think they fixed that during the recent renovation.

[vu72]

But, on a lark, I went through UIUC's mobile interface, I think probably the mobile equivalent of

http://www.fightingillini.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

And clicking on "buy tickets" or whatever was able to buy tickets now.

I'm sure sections 134 and 135 aren't _bad_ seats. They look like they're in a corner, behind a basket, two sections from the floor.

Through the mobile interface I was offered tickets for sale in e.g. section 101 (lowest section, mid-court) row 3 (maybe that's actually the sixth row?).

I wound up with a seat in section 12, somewhere that was called "FL" (tantalizing?), row A. Might be courtside, might be behind the Illinois bench, might be obstructed view behind a column, I'll find out when I get there I guess! Hopefully there are some Valpo fans not too far away.

I know that in Detroit 2016 it was fun to sit in the Valpo fan section. But, this time I took a stab at something closer to the floor. We'll see what happens!

My guess is that the place will be half full and you'll be able to move to great seats as the game moves on.

[bbtds]

Paul Oren says the last VU at-large was 2002-03 (think I have that right) when supposedly we got the bid because we agreed to play on 24 hours notice. Not auei be heard that whole story.

Scott Drew's Valpo team lost to Iowa at Iowa City when Anti Nikkila (I believe) missed a last second shot (possibly an attempt at a tip in) that would have won it for Valpo.

[bbtds]

I looked at my ticket purchasing history at the U of I-Champaign ticket office and I show purchasing 2 tickets for a Valpo at Illinois game on Nov. 13, 2013 so we must have played them then and not any games more recently. At least by my memory that is. 

I'm trying to get my schedule changed a bit and work out a slide through Champaign for tomorrow night (Tue).

[oklahomamick]

Was very shocked to see BYU hosting as a #3 seed. 

[covufan]

I looked at my ticket purchasing history at the U of I-Champaign ticket office and I show purchasing 2 tickets for a Valpo at Illinois game on Nov. 13, 2013 so we must have played them then and not any games more recently. At least by my memory that is. 

I'm trying to get my schedule changed a bit and work out a slide through Champaign for tomorrow night (Tue).

Oren tweeted last night that this years seniors (4 year players) started their VU basketball career at Illinois, and tomorrow night will be playing at Illinois as their VU career winds down, but not ends as we win this game and play at least one more!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[valpo64]

Don't worry...there will be plenty of tickets available.   FYI, both Scott and Bryce Drew are being mentioned as candidates for the Illinois job.

[agibson]

Don't worry...there will be plenty of tickets available.   FYI, both Scott and Bryce Drew are being mentioned as candidates for the Illinois job.

Sure. Seats north of 16k. Supposedly the third biggest "arena" in the state after the United Center and Rosemont. There should be plenty of seats available walk up. Just a nice 21st century problem of -where- to sit.

[VU2014]

FYI, both Scott and Bryce Drew are being mentioned as candidates for the Illinois job.

Illinois already reached out to Bryce last offseason. He told Illinois reps he wasn't interested. And I don't see Scott leaving Baylor for Illinois. Not because Illinois is a bad job but because it just doesn't seem like a match, imo. I've heard that Bryce and Scott preferred private school jobs, because there is less of a bureaucracy you have to deal with.

[crusader05]

I don't know how much it would bleed into the Basketball Program but the Baylor athletic department has been getting some really bad press over the last few years. I wouldn't be surprised if Scott would want to leave just to get away from that atmosphere.

[vu72]

I don't know how much it would bleed into the Basketball Program but the Baylor athletic department has been getting some really bad press over the last few years. I wouldn't be surprised if Scott would want to leave just to get away from that atmosphere.

Living in Texas I can assure you that is true.  However, Baylor is still a very conservative Baptist/Bible school which will continue to provide Scott with the type of atmosphere that best fits his beliefs and morals.  Can't believe he would leave Baylor for a state school even for slightly more money.  Bryce isn't going anywhere.

[bbtds]

I received an email ad from the NIT asking if I was interested in NIT tickets for this year since I bought NIT finals tickets at Madison Square Garden last year. Featured in the picture for the ad is two George Washington players defending against a Valpo player in the NIT championship game. That Valpo player is #23, Jubril Adekoya.

Kind of makes you wonder if anyone in the NIT publicity dept actually researched into who was in the picture.

[NativeCheesehead]

Crazy prediction: Either this year or next, Scott ends up at Indiana.