Valparaiso has ACCEPTED* the Invite to become the 10th Member of the MVC!!!!

[valpo64]

Like the video,  especially the solid emphatic final picture saying  "The Valley".  It was  well done and lets everyone know we are ready to compete!

[oklahomamick]

One thing is apparent.  LeCrone and the HL staff love Detroit Madness and praise it at any and every opportunity. 

He did mention how important it is to have a good seeding in the NCAAT. 

Well, how about sending your best team....

[wh]

One thing is apparent.  LeCrone and the HL staff love Detroit Madness and praise it at any and every opportunity. 

"Escalation of commitment refers to a human behavior pattern in which an individual or group—when faced with increasingly negative outcomes from some decision, action, or investment—continues the same behavior rather than alter course."

[jsnhbe1birds]

Now that it's official, welcome to the MVC!  Can't wait to read your list if toughest places to play in the MVC and you should probably kick that horizon league thread to the curb! 

[VULB#62]

I think our admin will replace it with a Valley thread very soon 👍

Now it is time for one of these 🍸

[VULB#62]

BTW, I For  one, really like the MVC logo. I can picture "The Valley" in the freethrow lane already. Truth be told, I never liked the Horizon logo. Glad it's history.

[crusadermoe]

The name Horizon never made any sense anyway. 

One of the very few league names that it surpassed in attractiveness was "Mid-Continent."   

In the rear view now though.

[talksalot]

So as we say adieu to the HL... here are some numbers that absolutely nobody will ever care about...

REGULAR SEASON HL GAMES ONLY
Total Valpo Points:  12,141   69.78 ppg
Total Opponent Points:  11,362   65.30 ppg
Difference:  779
Total Games played:   174
Valpo Record:  115-59  (66.09%)

HL Record at Home:
07-08  5-4
08-09  4-5
09-10  6-3
10-11  7-2
11-12  8-1
12-13  6-2
13-14  5-3
14-15  8-0
15-16  8-1
16-17  8-1

Total:  65-22 at the friendly confines

Road Record
07-08  4-5
08-09  1-8
09-10  4-5
10-11  5-4
11-12  6-3
12-13  7-1
13-14  4-4
14-15  5-3
15-16  8-1
16-17  6-3

Total Road:  50-37

[talksalot]

One of the very few league names that it surpassed in attractiveness was "Mid-Continent."   

AMCU-8 was worse... and we were not supposed to spell it... pronounce it... Am-Q-8
(Association of Mid Continent Universities)

[Pgmado]

I really do think it's revisionist history for people to rail against the Horizon League so harshly. Don't let the last two years cloud what was a good home. It got Butler back on the schedule, got Valpo back to the NCAA tourney twice, a handful of championships, Peters, Bryce as a coach, Chicago recruits once again, lots of ESPN games. The Horizon years were good years.

[M]

They were good years and without them Valpo maybe doesn't get to the Valley.

Let us also not forget several members man crush on Coach Kampe only made possible/stronger by them joining us in the HL.

[crusadermoe]

All good points.  The league was a good fit and Butler was the perfect pairing for a while. 

The Detroit tournament idea definitely soured me.  But taken in total we had a great decade of opportunity and thankfully we seized it.

[bbtds]

They usually make a habit of acknowledging any donors anywhere that donate anything, including the free concerts they can occasionally provide for the students. It's just part of how the university system works. If someone provided the money, you say something about it, even if there's not a big name attached. I wouldn't read too much into it either way.

I understand and appreciate that, but going out of his way to mention the University will not be spending any additional dollars seems unnecessary, especially since it emphasizes a lack of institutional investment. I certainly would have acknowledged the donors but left out that second half of the sentence.

I see this part of the statement as a way to appease those board members that may have been sticks in the mud and may have argued that a large expenditure on the athletics dept changing conferences was unnecessary for the budget. So President Heckler went out of his way to find alumni who are athletic dept supporters who were willing to finance the move who saw the great benefit that being in the MVC will bring to not just the athletic dept but Valparaiso University as a whole. There is obviously still a struggle between board members about this funding going to the athletic department but I do see a change happening that is very exciting.

NOW---SHOW US THE BUILDING/CONCRETE EVIDENCE OF COMMITMENT TO THE MEN'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM!!!!! Put your money where your mouth is!!!!

[Just Sayin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGxSkpqUhYw

[VU2014]

http://www.midmajormadness.com/2017/5/25/15691000/we-should-all-be-as-hyped-as-valparaiso-crusaders-missouri-valley-conference-mvc-realignment-horizon

Conference Realignment: We should all be as hyped as Valparaiso is to join the Missouri Valley Conference
Seriously, they're pretty pumped (but not everyone is).
by Cam_Newton@morrisoncrying  May 25, 2017, 8:30am PDT

........

(Valpo) knows this step up gives their already-superb program a chance to reach even greater heights.

........

Now, while the university might be happy with how things turned out, not everyone feels the same way. Understandably, Jon LeCrone, the Horizon League Commissioner, is not thrilled about losing one of his conference's most prominent members. After losing Butler a few years ago and now seeing Valpo go, the conference has lost a ton of history.

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/867751971138265089

You can just feel the subdued outrage.

Regardless, this is a fantastic moment for a program that's looking to move from its Cinderella status to greater prestige.

..........

[bigmosmithfan1]

AMCU-8 was worse... and we were not supposed to spell it... pronounce it... Am-Q-8
(Association of Mid Continent Universities)

Ha! I remember this. I also recall a quote from former Cleveland State coach Kevin Mackey, during their memorable 1986 run to the Sweet 16 (which was the league's first national publicity of any sort -- and it was the first year the league had an auto-bid to the tourney, if memory serves): "The name of our league sounds like a brand of motor oil."

[VU2014]

This a really good and honest article about some feel about Valpo joining the Conference privately. The writer admits he preferred Murray State over Valpo, but acknowledges we are still a good program. He diagnoses what went into the decision and how academics played a big role in why Valpo got the nod along with geography.

I appreciate his honesty. Curious what you guys think?

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170525/wessler-valparaiso-brings-more-to-mvc-than-basketball

Wessler: Valparaiso brings more to the MVC than basketball
By Kirk Wessler
Journal Star sports editor

[wh]

From the article - the listing of arenas/capacities shows Bradley with 2 venues - Carver Arena (11,442) and Renaissance Coliseum (4200). Just wondering if they play all their men's bb games at Carver?   

[VU2014]

I really do think it's revisionist history for people to rail against the Horizon League so harshly. Don't let the last two years cloud what was a good home. It got Butler back on the schedule, got Valpo back to the NCAA tourney twice, a handful of championships, Peters, Bryce as a coach, Chicago recruits once again, lots of ESPN games. The Horizon years were good years.

Agreed the Horizon was a good home for Valpo when we entered the League 10 years ago and helped us get to where we are today, but the league unfortunately is a far cry from what it was 10 years ago.

I'll have good memories of the Horizon League days but I definitely won't missed a few things about the HL. Overall the HL was a great "stepping stone" to better conference in my opinion.

[valpo04]

The name Horizon never made any sense anyway. 

One of the very few league names that it surpassed in attractiveness was "Mid-Continent."   

In the rear view now though.

I love the "Vale of Paradise"/Missouri Valley symmetry. It was our destiny 

[VULB#62]

This a really good and honest article about some feel about Valpo joining the Conference privately. The writer admits he preferred Murray State over Valpo, but acknowledges we are still a good program. He diagnoses what went into the decision and how academics played a big role in why Valpo got the nod along with geography.

I appreciate his honesty. Curious what you guys think?

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170525/wessler-valparaiso-brings-more-to-mvc-than-basketball

Wessler: Valparaiso brings more to the MVC than basketball
By Kirk Wessler
Journal Star sports editor

From that article:

One of the standards will be the Academic Progress Report (APR). The scale tops out at 1000. Teams that fall below 930 are already subject to penalties, but in two years, those that achieve a 985 or better will earn rewards.

Two Valley basketball teams would have earned payouts this year, based on APR numbers released this month: Bradley at 990 and Northern Iowa at 985. Wichita State was at 981.

Among the schools the MVC considered to replace Wichita, Murray State scored 958, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 961, Nebraska Omaha 984.

And Valparaiso earned a 1000.

Ka-ching!

That made me very proud of our school.

[VU2014]

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-state/valparaiso-makes-it-official-joins-missouri-valley-conference/article_1d22da9e-93f3-5c50-bbc2-829ed0f75d29.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Valparaiso makes it official, joins Missouri Valley Conference
Jim Benson jbenson@pantagraph.com

.........

"That's been something that's been clear since Creighton left (in 2013) that it's all of our jobs to get better, it's not just the job of Valparaiso to come in and replace Wichita State," said Muller. "Valparaiso is joining our league, and it's the job of all 10 of us to continue to improve."

.......

"It is a program that clearly has had a lot of success for a long time," said Muller. "They've had sustained success, high-level players, high-level teams. Matt did a terrific job last year in his first year. I'm really excited to add them to the league."

.......

"The run Wichita State is on would be hard for anyone to duplicate," said Lyons. "Valpo is very strong and with a step up in leagues, they'll be recruiting at a higher level than they've done and will be a good fit."

.........

[VU2014]

An article written by Valparaiso Student.

http://www.thenosebleedseat.com/posts/its-official-valpo-to-the-missouri-valley-conference

IT'S OFFICIAL: VALPO TO THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
5/23/2017
By: Ethan Hennessy

[valpotx]

Very exciting!  The HL was good to us for 10 years, but I don't feel bad about leaving them at this point.  It is karma for what happened in the early-90's, that we elevated our program above what they felt that we could be, and have since surpassed them.

[VU75]

From the article - the listing of arenas/capacities shows Bradley with 2 venues - Carver Arena (11,442) and Renaissance Coliseum (4200). Just wondering if they play all their men's bb games at Carver?   

The women's team plays at Renaissance.