Re: Game #11 - Northwestern @ Allstate Arena Thursday, Dec. 14, 7pm BTN

[valpo84]

Also disagree with 62 on travelling well.  As someone who has travelled from coast to coast to see games, we always have a good turnout for a school our size.  Cleveland State games have had tremendous turnouts (in some cases almost as many as CSU turned out in cavernous Wolstein).  Even YSU brings folks from Pittsburgh. We sell out allotments for NCAA games and the NIT turnout is a reason tournaments like Valpo. Our games at UNC, Duke, NCState all had very respectable turnouts. If we have 500 at tonight's game, that is a statement.  Prove me right Valpo fans.

[valpopal]

With our best individual defensive player out, I expect to see much more zone defense from now on, which will be tested by Northwestern's outside shooting.

[VU2014]

It's going to be an interesting contrast of styles. Valpo sort of loves transition offense but Northwestern is slower pace and they run a LOT of half-court sets through Bryant McIntosh. Northwestern has had some defensive clunkers this season. They had an extremely strong games against Chicago State the other day but it's Chicago State...

[VU2014]

Big news. Parker Hazen has been replaced in the starting line up by John Kiser.
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/941464790932877314

[wh]

Someone wake NW up and tell them they're not that good. Uncanny start 19-10.

[wh]

5-5 from 3 crazy.

[wh]

27-10. 6-7 from 3. NW playing so far over their heads. What a shame.

[vufan75]

27-10. 6-7 from 3. NW playing so far over their heads. What a shame.

I don't know why but we seem to R-e-a-l-l-y struggle when we play a P5 team. I just can't understand it. Other mids play close or win games. They(NU) are not that much better as evidenced by closed scrimmages preseason. I know this Valpo squad is young but we always seem to lack confidence that we can compete. Even in the years when we are a more veteran team we struggle. Talk me off the ledge please...[emoji21]


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[FWalum]

 Northwestern has had just great spacing, probably because of the early success from three. They're just carving us up with the side to side skip pass.

[valpopal]

Last year when we lost Alec Peters Valpo went from a very good team to an average team. To be honest, I fear this year's loss of Tevonn has turned Valpo from a good team to a mediocre team. I hope I am proven wrong.

[nkvu]

For a while I was wondering when Chicago State started wearing Valpo uniforms. Then I realized we're just playing like we usually do when we play Big 10 teams.

Afraid I've been spoiled by how we've been able to compete the last two years. Would like to see them play again a couple of years from now.

But we need that Peters type player to make the difference.

[valpotx]

This team is just embarrassing right now.  I mean seriously, we are losing by 30 to Northwestern?  How many bone-headed passes can a team make, how many times can you just run into a defender and expect something positive to miraculously happen, or take a 'fast break' when it is 1 on 3?  This is pitiful...

[wh]

Our 1 senior Max played 4 minutes and was scoreless. Last year's walk-on Kiser started and played 14 min. We have no reliable go-to scorer and the entire team is turnover prone. Yeah, I'd say we're pretty mediocre.

[govalpogo]

How many games am I going to have to turn off this year!?!?!   Are they even practicing basketball anymore?  Embarrassing. 

[VU2014]

This is getting hard to watch....

This team is just embarrassing right now.  I mean seriously, we are losing by 30 to Northwestern?

Embarrassing yes, but Northwestern is playing out of their minds tonight. They're making contested shots. They got off to that huge start and never looked back. The lack of offense is more embarrassing. A terrible offensive effort. Effort is a bad word, because this is inability to score in the half-court. Guys just can't find themselves open and when they do they aren't making shots. But to be totally honest Northwestern is playing GREAT defense right now. Still its a repeating theme. The offense looks atrocious and bland.

[VUGrad1314]

This just hurts... There's no way we're this bad... If we weren't in the MVC already I'm sure they'd be questioning our readiness after these showings. I fear that our MVC brethren will turn against us soon if we don't right the ship soon. We've gotta go out to California and win and hopefully we can carry some positive momentum into conference play. Go Valpo!

[wh]

Play Linssen until he drops, from now on. So much more aggressive than J or Derrik. Heart of a warrior.

[valpotx]

If I were one of the other MVC institutions right now, I would be laughing at us.  We look absolutely pathetic today.  We can't make a pass, we apparently forgot how to dribble, and we give them many open looks.  A half decent D-1 team like Northwestern will knock down these open shots.

[Smj]

This is a really hard game to watch....

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[valpolaw]

I didn't watch but just checked the score and that is embarrassing and very disappointing. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm worried about this team. It could be a very long year.

[nkvu]

A very consistent showing.

Lost the first half by 17.

Lost the second half by 17.

Hopefully this is rock bottom for the season.

[valpotx]

We have lost to teams by 20-30 on several occasions since I have been a Valpo fan, but never can I remember a game as ugly as this one.  I can understand losing by 30 to ranked teams, or during an NCAA tournament game, but 34 to Northwestern?  Come on, man...

[EddieCabot]

Northwestern has had just great spacing, probably because of the early success from three. They're just carving us up with the side to side skip pass.

You're a coach ... can you explain why Valpo doubles the post EVERY time it's thrown in?  Doubling an non scorer like Derek Pardon makes no sense when you're leaving shooters like McIntosh, Law, Lindsey and Skelly wide open.  That strategy may work against Trinity Christian and North Park, but top-100 teams just carve it up.

[vu72]

The first half was explainable, like NW hit 6 of 7 threes but...the second half?  Disaster.  The bubble has been burst.  We'll see where we are when the freshman are juniors.  Bad, just bad...

[valpopal]

Last year when we lost Alec Peters Valpo went from a very good team to an average team. To be honest, I fear this year's loss of Tevonn has turned Valpo from a good team to a mediocre team. I hope I am proven wrong.

The season went from hopeful, through the first 8 games before Tevonn's illness, to tenuous at best, as seen in the three games since then. Clearly, unless and until Tevonn returns totally healthy and at 100% full strength, Valpo merely is destined to be a mediocre team in the MVC.