Game #10 - Ball State @ Worthen Arena Muncie, Saturday, Dec. 9, 1pm ESPN3

[a3uge]

How do you give the same guy that hit the game winner against ND a three foot cushion on that shot?

That was my thought. Could see it coming a mile away, but the refs would have bailed him out with a foul if Burton got too close.

[valpopal]

Valpo led every stat except turnovers. Valpo had 18 to Ball State's 11. Ball State got 7 more shots in the game and scored 7 more points off turnovers. That is giving away the game!

[VU2014]

This one stings.

[valpolaw]

I don't understand why Parker continues to start. I've run out of patience waiting for him to produce. We need him to produce and he hasn't. I think Mileek is better suited to start.

[valpotx]

You could tell that Kiser needed to hit both of those, but you can't blame him for missing one.  It just amazes me that we gave their only good 3-pt shooter enough room to get a shot.  As soon as he shot and you saw that Burton did not get in his face enough, you could feel it going in.

[a3uge]

Lottich will learn some things from this...

1) you don't have to start the second half with the same guys you started the first half
2) don't start players that aren't producing
3) don't run clock with 4 minutes left
4) tell your team to guard the 3 at all costs up 2

[VU2014]

Did I just hear Luke Gore say that Tevonn has mono? That is worse then the flu.

[vu72]

Did I just hear Luke Gore say that Tevonn has mono? That is worse then the flu.

If its mono Tevonn may be done for a month. 

[AranJacobs]

Anyone else getting a bit annoyed by this isolation that coach is letting Bakari do?  Have we made any % on those dribble iso's?  I mean what the heck, it sure takes the other 4 players out of the game.

Yes the offense is horrible and Matt better change something quickly because it made us look like a joke on national television against Purdue and cost us a huge game today. Way too many turnovers. My confidence is very little in Matt actually doing something to change it because it has been like this since game one and nothing has improved at all. I know this team has a lot of potential, but I expect to see change and improvement throughout the year, and I am seeing nothing but regression into more and more turnovers every game. This team still excites me and it is going to take some time, but jesus this one hurt a lot and could have easily been prevented. I expect to see some improvement sometime soon or we are going to waste a golden opportunity to improve this extremely talented team.

[NativeCheesehead]

If TW has mono his a&@ wouldn't  be anywhere near the rest of the team, let alone on the bench.

Edit: So naturally that's what it apparently is.

[valpotx]

Also, did we still have a timeout left on that last play?  I thought that we did.  If so, why didn't we throw a quick pass to get a half-court side inbounds play, which has a higher chance of success than a running shot?

[talksalot]

before the final was posted, VU RPI was 52 and SOS was 190... immediately after, the RPI was 74 and the SOS was 192 !  {although on some sites, the SOS recalculates overnight)

[SanityLost17]

Didn't get a chance to watch the game, but it appears it was a very winnable game even without our best player.  From my experience, if Walker has Mono he will not only be out for a while, but it will effect his stamina for the remainder of the season.  Or perhaps he has had it for a while  (thus the reason he has only been playing 25 minutes per game) and they just thought he needed the rest before he dipped too far into the well, so to speak.   

I am not sure what we are going to do about the 4.  A few posters say it is McMillan's time to start, but he has a tendency to foul out of games playing less than 10 minutes.  The fact is it does not appear that any of the 3 newcomers at the 4 spot are ready to play consistent minutes yet. 

We either go small for the rest of the year or we keep playing Hazen, McMillan, and Linsenn as much as possible in the hopes that they are eventually able to contribute.  Obviously, coach has decided to go with the later.   

I wouldn't get too worked up about this one, we obviously would have won with Walker in the lineup.  A one point loss to a solid team on the road without your leader is not the end of the world. 

[justducky]

I only watched the second half. What was the reason Jay played only 9 minutes? It looked like our strong run started when Smits made his second half return. Did I miss something or does anybody have any observational comments?

We have finally watched enough 2017 VU basketball that we can recognize every players strengths and limitations. All of our guys have some weaknesses but that should not come as a surprise. Winning from here out will be the artwork of balancing these plusses and minuses for the situational advantages that decide the course of the games and the season.

Overall I still like our chances, and if Tevonn might be out for a while I will look forward to Bradford, Golder and Kiser getting the additional opportunity to develop their games.

[wh]

Valpo led every stat except turnovers. Valpo had 18 to Ball State's 11. Ball State got 7 more shots in the game and scored 7 more points off turnovers. That is giving away the game!

Thank you. Nothing else matters unless we get this fixed.

[VULB#62]

I don't understand why Parker continues to start. I've run out of patience waiting for him to produce. We need him to produce and he hasn't. I think Mileek is better suited to start.

Ditto.  Even on subsequent shifts he manages to be a non-factor. McMillan needs to take that slot IMO. He is an inch taller and 10# heavier.  He has shown a pretty good 3. 

As of 12/9/17:
Mileek 102 Minutes -- 3.7 ppg --- 46.6 FG% --- 4/8 3FG ---4 blocks
Parker 133 Minutes --- 1.6 ppg --- 29.4 FG% --- 0/5 3FG --- 1 blocks

AND.... Somehow Marcus needs to be on the floor more (also IMO). 

But I understand that all of these OOC games are intended for experimentation (and with virtually a new roster, experiment is pretty accurate) so when the MVC schedule begins, the true rotation will be in place. Us Monday morning QBs have to let Matt do this his way. In the first 8 games, he freely changed pieces. In this three (PU, BSU, NU), he is learning how his players are reacting to the "real world."  I suggest that out of the west coast trip we will see his adjustments and a refining/reduction of the rotation to a core of maybe 8 or maybe 9.

[FieldGoodie05]

I don't understand why Parker continues to start. I've run out of patience waiting for him to produce. We need him to produce and he hasn't. I think Mileek is better suited to start.

Ditto.  Even on subsequent shifts he is manages to be a non-factor. McMillan needs to take that slot IMO. He is an inch taller and 10# heavier.  He has shown a pretty good 3. 

As of 12/9/17:
Mileek 102 Minutes -- 3.7 ppg --- 46.6 FG% --- 4/8 3FG ---4 blocks
Parker 133 Minutes --- 1.6 ppg --- 29.4 FG% --- 0/5 3FG --- 1 blocks

AND.... Somehow Marcus needs to be on the floor more (also IMO).

Why are we obsessed with STARTERS?  It's MINUTES that I care about now that the season has started.

Starting is prestige, minutes are where it's at.  When we start the season STARTERS are what we talk about, but at this point minutes are mostly what matters.

Scenario #1: Parker loses starting position and loses even more confidence.  Or maybe even gets it in his head to transfer.  As I see it those are the downsides, acceptable or not.

Option #2: Now let's look at McMillan, who was lucky to get a D1 scholarship from what I could gather.  Bring him off the bench and continue to split minutes 50/50 or there abouts.  Start him and you get energy out of the gate, I don't think energy is missing from Parker.  So what's the value to supplanting Hazen at this juncture?

Scoring at the PF position is the 5th option whether it's Hazen or McMillan or Linssen. 

So I repeat, why does supplanting Hazen mean a darn thing?  Let's hurry up and crush a hard working Parker to improve our 5th scoring option the first 5-minutes of the game......YEAH!  That makes total sense.

Either way Go VU!

[VULB#62]

My point is that the first 7-8 need to contribute regardless if they start or come off the bench. And Parker is not doing it in either role. Parker seems to just not be ready, so he is being placed in a no-win position. He has been put under heavy pressure. Back off. Let the kid adjust and develop. His confidence right now is in the toilet.  He is overthinking, pushing and that causes him to be a step slow both on O and D.

[valpolaw]

Who is starting matters tremendously especially when Matt starts the same line up in the second half. The starters set the tone for the whole game and also the start of the second half. For example, at Purdue I recall someone saying the momentum seemed to change when Hazen had that TO when he stumbled while driving early in the game. That's one example of why it matters.

[FieldGoodie05]

My point is that the first 7-8 need to contribute regardless if they start or come off the bench. And Parker is not doing either. Parker seems to just not be ready and he is being placed in a no-win position. He has been placed under heavy pressure. Back off. Let the kid adjust and develop. His confidence right now is in the toilet.  He is overthinking, pushing and that causes him to be a step slow both on O and D.

My concern is mostly with valpolaws statement.  I'm sure he is just frustrated, which I was today as well.

Something else I didn't communicate, I believe we shouldn't start our 5 best players at all times.  Having an effective 6th and 7th man is as important or more so.

I can get behind minutes for the best performing 7/8 players.  Early on, Parker seems to be pressing too hard on Offense as you stated.

My top concern is that only coach knows Parker's mindset.  We aren't losing because McMillan isn't starting.  We are losing (in part) because PG, SF and Centers are handling the ball like idiots.

P.S.  I liked seeing Golder going to the hoop today.  His aggression teamed with Burton's was most welcoming!!!

[a3uge]

I don't understand why Parker continues to start. I've run out of patience waiting for him to produce. We need him to produce and he hasn't. I think Mileek is better suited to start.

Ditto.  Even on subsequent shifts he is manages to be a non-factor. McMillan needs to take that slot IMO. He is an inch taller and 10# heavier.  He has shown a pretty good 3. 

As of 12/9/17:
Mileek 102 Minutes -- 3.7 ppg --- 46.6 FG% --- 4/8 3FG ---4 blocks
Parker 133 Minutes --- 1.6 ppg --- 29.4 FG% --- 0/5 3FG --- 1 blocks

AND.... Somehow Marcus needs to be on the floor more (also IMO).

Why are we obsessed with STARTERS?  It's MINUTES that I care about now that the season has started.

Starting is prestige, minutes are where it's at.  When we start the season STARTERS are what we talk about, but at this point minutes are mostly what matters.

Scenario #1: Parker loses starting position and loses even more confidence.  Or maybe even gets it in his head to transfer.  As I see it those are the downsides, acceptable or not.

Option #2: Now let's look at McMillan, who was lucky to get a D1 scholarship from what I could gather.  Bring him off the bench and continue to split minutes 50/50 or there abouts.  Start him and you get energy out of the gate, I don't think energy is missing from Parker.  So what's the value to supplanting Hazen at this juncture?

Scoring at the PF position is the 5th option whether it's Hazen or McMillan or Linssen. 

So I repeat, why does supplanting Hazen mean a darn thing?  Let's hurry up and crush a hard working Parker to improve our 5th scoring option the first 5-minutes of the game......YEAH!  That makes total sense.

Either way Go VU!

I'm more peeved he started the 2nd half than the game itself. He was abysmal on defense to start the half. Without Ball State's run, I'm not sure they win. He clearly isn't gaining confidence playing along side Bakari, Walker, and Burton, who are the top options on offense. Maybe he'd be more confident off the bench where he can run a bit more with Golder, and Bradford. But right now we're terrible when he's in the lineup.

[VULB#62]

Parker is a freshman. Why not develop an off the bench role for him based on his primary strengths (whatever they might be) and then let him grow into a more well-rounded contributor as he gains experience and maturity? I think he has been rushed for some reason.

Oh, and if the reason is a fear of him transferring, then both he and Valpo made the wrong decisions.

[FieldGoodie05]

Who is starting matters tremendously especially when Matt starts the same line up in the second half. The starters set the tone for the whole game and also the start of the second half. For example, at Purdue I recall someone saying the momentum seemed to change when Hazen had that TO when he stumbled while driving early in the game. That's one example of why it matters.

There's only (1) ball valpolaw... I see where you are coming from to a degree. 

But I'm willing to use (1) ball and share it with (4) teammates on offense to start the first and second half.  Then sub in and out the hot hand.

I want our PF, if always the 5th option anyways, to make his presence felt on defense for now.

I like McMillan coming off the bench and giving us a fresh defender and a little more offensive threat from the 6/7/8th man spot.

Neither of us are wrong, just how we feel.

[Frozenbaugh]

Is this El-Amin related to the former NBA El-Amin?

Yes.....Came from some HS in Minnesota.

[VULB#62]

Matt confirms it is mono.

Talk of a red shirt for 24 year old Tevonn.

The adversity this program has experienced in the last two years is crazy.