MVC Hoops: 2018-19

[bbtds]

I like your optimism, but I gave up a while ago. My attention is now on VHS making a run in the state tournament, which can happen if they get past a mediocre Merrillville in the sectional on Wednesday night. Other than that, I'm looking forward to getting out of town at the end of March.

I feel sad for you, my friend.

[SanityLost17]

For a non-valpo related post....Or at least an only semi-valpo related post. 

I really hope Drake wins the conference title.   I don't want Loyola to get too much momentum from their final 4 run.  I want them to be really good going forward but don't want them to completely take over and lets face it that sorta thing is possible with the attention garnered from a final 4 run.   

Loyola was not good at all in the MVC until last year.  Drake hasn't been good since 2008 and were not good before that for a few decades. 

2 private schools winning 2 years in a row coming from relative obscurity over the past 20 years would show teams can go from lackluster to really good in short order and should remind us that Valpo can turn the corner at any moment and that fans should not let short term anger effect long term success.   

[VUBBFan]

https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1100802743843774467

[oklahomamick]

I understand you're position on Loyola.  However the more success and power they gain the more success and power the MVC gains.  If they were to get to Butler level (minus the BE) that will only help the league.  Yes it will make me jealous but ultimately the league needs a household name. 

[Valpo2013]

We should hope Loyola does well.
The league as a whole is really struggling and the conference champ may end up a 15 seed
Geez
Horizon League champ will be higher

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/bobbyballcoach/status/1100847559956930562?s=21

[bigmosmithfan1]

Sorry, if Valpo can't win Arch Madness, then we should be rooting for Loyola to win it. Why? Because they'll get a seed line bump or two because of returning from the Final Four last year. Which gives them a better chance to win a first round game and bring more tourney units to the conference.

Which will make it more likely for ESPN to pick up more Valley games nationally next year.

[VU2014]

Sorry, if Valpo can't win Arch Madness, then we should be rooting for Loyola to win it. Why? Because they'll get a seed line bump or two because of returning from the Final Four last year. Which gives them a better chance to win a first round game and bring more tourney units to the conference.

Which will make it more likely for ESPN to pick up more Valley games nationally next year.

I actually think Missouri State could have a chance to win the 1st round if they got the right matchup and the refs allowed for a more physical game.

[valpo64]

MO ST either has lost tonight or is losing vs IL ST

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1101619185275293697

[may know]

"A MVC moderator should cancel the posting privileges of VUGradXXXX"

[FieldGoodie05]

"A MVC moderator should cancel the posting privileges of VUGradXXXX"

What's that all about?

[VUGrad1314]

He apparently doesn't like that I post news about other conferences in appropriate relevant threads for people to read if they wish, and also that I post about realignment in the expansion and realignment threads because I find it interesting. Just a small-minded insular MVC fan who refuses to dream big and challenge the one bid status quo. Did you not see my rebuttal? If not I'll post it here:

I should be banned because I enjoy posting about realignment and college sports news in general? Power trip much? I know plenty about the MVC and do tons of research on its teams but I don't have to prove my bona fides to you or anybody. Don't like it? Don't read it. I post to inform and share my thoughts and defend my school when needed. I would cut out the backseat moderating especially since I've done nothing wrong and hardly ever post anything remotely controversial or tearing down other teams unnecessarily. I'm very supportive and encouraging of the MVC and I want to see it get better but I also follow the college sports landscape in general so I share that news when I think it might be interesting to the discussion. Enjoy the fact that you have a good team and that your school picked a good coach while mine didn't. I wish your team and the MVC nothing but continued success although all it seems like you and most who interact with me want to do is bash and attack me just because I find realignment interesting.

[NativeCheesehead]

Well we have a long history of pissing off the fans at the other schools in our conference. We just usually do it by winning.

[VUGrad1314]

He probably never wanted Valpo to be in the MVC anyway so he's just using my posts to vent that frustration. Whatever. I'm used to it.

[NativeCheesehead]

Some of that group are a little over sensitive. But not like we've done much to prove our detractors wrong.

[UNIFTW]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1101619185275293697

For some comparison, because we've (the rest of is us in the Valley) all read about how hard Valpo has it had this year.

Here is UNIs season

2 year starting PG transfers out

Main back up PG for 2 last 2 years graduated.

2 3 year starters in the front court graduate. They were the top 2 scorers, both top 3 in rebounds, one was second in assists, both top 4 in assists, first and 4th in minutes played.

So before the season starts we are out 3 starters from the year before and a top 7 player.

Then

Starting 2 guard (all freshman team last year) lost for the entire OOC with ankle surgery and shoulder issues. He has also missed more than a couple MVC games with health/injury issues. He was a shell of who he was as an all freshman team player the year before.

So basically down 4 starters from the year before

Then

Starting center lost for the season before the season starts due to a heart issue

So we have our back up center (McDonnell) playing almost all of the minutes at the 5 this year even though he's more a swing 4 and we are left playing without a 4 because the guy brought in to be his back up has been lost for 80% of the season with stress fracture issues.  Meaning we've played the entire season without a true post player and the guy brought in to give depth was lost due to injuries.

We lost our primary gaurd back up to a torn acl half way through the season this year.

Our 6th man has been playing well lately but had back surgery over the off season and wasn't sure he'd ever be able to play again. Took him 70% of the season to feel comfortable on the court. Still some rumors he may have to hang it up after this season for long term health considerations.

Our starting 3, a 3 year starter, is now missing time thanks to taking a shot to the face and testing on that.

A JUCO PG that was recruited to be a key piece for scoring was deemed ineligible by the NCAA because he went to a very poor HS in Alabama that screwed up his transcripts when he went JUCO and no one at the JUCO caught it until UNI stepped in and was going through clearing house certification.



Started a true freshman at PG. Ended up playing a kid at the 2 that was a first year hardship transfer.

So if you're keeping track at home UNI has started it's "best 5" zero times this year. Taking the starting center out if it UNI has started it's "best 5 available" about half the time this season. UNI has had it's full roster available pretty much not at all this season. There was a period UNI has 7 healthy scholarship guys.



Just some food for thought to compare to the rest of the conference


The constant " WOE IS US. WE ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH INJURIES. NO ONE HAS IT AS BAD AS US" gas certainly been noticed by other fan bases. It's left a mark, to say the least. In 2 years your fan base has climbed near WSU and Creighton levels with 1/10000000000 the success.


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[VU2014]

Lol you haven't been reading this board enough have you. People are constantly getting annoyed by the HC bringing up injuries as an excuse. Many on this board and in the fan-base think the problem goes deeper than just injuries and have been very willing to verbalize it.

My Lord, some of you UNI fans are a different breed.

[UNIFTW]

I've been reading.

I've read that the consensus here is that if only Ryan was healthy Valpo wins the league with at  least 12 conference wins.

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[VU2014]

I've been reading.

I've read that the consensus here is that if only Ryan was healthy Valpo wins the league with at  least 12 conference wins.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

I'm not sure we'd reach 12 wins but maybe we win a few more of the close ones at home. Our problems go beyond just losing Ryan. People seem to be more disgruntled with our coaching than the injuries because even with all the injuries we still should have performed better in some of these games. We struggle to finish games and we go inexplicable scoring droughts. I do think we'd be a much better team if the team was healthy but I don't think many are saying we'd win the conference.

[FieldGoodie05]

I've been reading.

I've read that the consensus here is that if only Ryan was healthy Valpo wins the league with at  least 12 conference wins.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Feels like you are trying to dig at VU fans and that's unappreciated.  That being said, whoever thought that is smoking the high THC weed from out west...

There's no winning this league with a single shooter, despite the down year. 

[may know]

The constant "WOE IS US. WE ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH INJURIES. NO ONE HAS IT AS BAD AS US" gas certainly been noticed by other fan bases. It's left a mark, to say the least. In 2 years your fan base has climbed near WSU and Creighton levels with 1/10000000000 the success.

Now time for a reality check on the impression you've left on other fan bases. I searched your name on other Valley boards and here's what came up:

""Anyone recall the two UNI posters who go on 18 paragraph rants about the greatness of almighty Northern Iowa and how terrible the privates are?

They're rebounding from an 82-50 nailbiter to S Dakota St with trailing Dubuque 50-40 midway thru 2nd."

"There is only one UNI poster that is a real tool, something like uniftw. Epic rants. I remember one such one where he was going on and on about the pool at UNI and how it proved how superior they were. I also noticed he has been hanging on the Valpo board of all places, telling them how sucky the private schools are......either he doesn't realize they are private, or he just wants to fill their heads with how great UNI is."

"LOL...at the uniftw posts...that guy is something else...

Him and the wSU baller guy have always been the worst posters."

"Both are clueless."

"For some reason he appears to be picking on the Valpo board alone. It's like he feels he must pound to the newbies that UNI is the greatest program in the league, and beyond approach from all."

"He did the same thing last year after Valpo was brought into the league. Once UNI lost all the conference games in December and January this past season, he quit posting on MVCfans until after the NCAA tournament. He ranks right up there with the worst of WSU posters."

"My favorite is when uniftl thumps his chest thinking he won an argument because he posted 16 paragraphs no one read."

"Yep, looks like he has added more epic novels to their board, luckily, I could stop after the first sentence, when he claims UNI has always been Iowa's real State University. Sure Skippy...I am sure the other 18 paragraphs involve a lengthy analysis of the pools of the MVC. Probably some formula comparing the water temperatures of the pools, divided by the ph factor, added to the chlorine percentage, which shows UNI will be in the ACC within the next 5 years."

"uniftw is totally deranged and has traveled around Valley boards in the past to randomly take shots at UE. When UE isn't living in his head, he's posting 12 paragraph fantasies about Mountain West alignments with UNI in them."

"I went back and didn't fully realize the depth of the rants the UNI rage monkey was posting on there. I still didn't read all of it, it would take some vacation time. I did see at some point he was comparing pools...For some reason he appears to be picking on the Valpo board alone. It's like he feels he must pound to the newbies that UNI is the greatest program in the league, and beyond approach from all. He doesn't bring that garbage to the other league boards because we all know better. He takes plenty of shots at us, but it appears his main fixation is the public/private split. He bags on Loyola just as hard. The irony is he goes to a private schools board, and berates them with how superior UNI and the other publics are, with long drawn out posts about pools and track teams. Deranged and delusional. Everyone in the country knows Loyola and Sister Jean. Most people outside of the Valley still can't differentiate between Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois. Funny, it looks like he doesn't even post on the UNI board...probably got banned."

"Yes, uniftw is now #1 douche on MVCFans now that the WSU rabid fans have stopped posting."

[justducky]

I've been reading.

I've read that the consensus here is that if only Ryan was healthy Valpo wins the league with at  least 12 conference wins.

When we started 5-1 I was one who posted that if Fazekas healed quickly a full strength team would hit 10-8, might get to 11-7 and had an outside chance for 12 wins. I said that both here and on the Valley board. Fazekas did return for a few 70% performances but I'm not certain Golder ever has returned. Some guy is out there wearing his number that struggles to defend, can't get lift in shooting, won't attack the basket and finds fewer rebounds. Something has happened since his ankle injury which I fail to understand. I personally suspect that Golder might be the bigger problem with the team funk and epic collapse. If you can explain it to us give it a shot.

I've seen a lot of HS teams fall completely apart after facing misfortunes. It is far less common in the college game. I'm still trying to figure all of this out so that it doesn't happen again.

[VULB#62]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1101619185275293697

Going back to our initial acceptance into the conference, as I recall, UNIFTW was one of our MVC supporters. He is very opinionated and reacts protectively to UNI criticism - sometimes without activating his filter mechanism. But he also is a keen observer of the scene.

What I got from his initial response to the Osipoff Twitter poll results is actually a bit of a mirror of our fan base (and just about every MVC fan base when you think about it). 55% of responants in NW Indiana (or electronically tied into NW Indiana) stated we faced the most adversity in the MVC. 32% said "no."  And 13% didn't know.  I believe his real point was how could all the respondants really know what all the other teams have gone through when most of us, myself included, only casually monitor MVCFANS, and seldom follow other teams' fan forums (1314 and 2014 being two rather obvious exceptions, and I'm sure there are a couple of others).  IMO, that's what prompted the woe is me comment. In that respect, he's got a point. No need to get our knickers in a bunch about it and certainly no need to counter attack. 2014 put our frustration into perspective — part of our adversity is frustration over coaching, not just injuries or player issues.

[vu72]

I've seen a lot of HS teams fall completely apart after facing misfortunes. It is far less common in the college game. I'm still trying to figure all of this out so that it doesn't happen again.

If you thought we were going to win conference games by 20, then I see your point.  But if not, consider that we lost 2 games in overtime, one by 2, one by 4 and one by 5.  I think the problem was with overall depth.  We started with 10 scholarship players (with Micah being a no show). With Ryan down Matt was practicing running the opponent's offense.  With Ryan, Markus and Kiser down or not at full strength, well, you can see the issues.

Next year is the bellwether year.  Depth should be there, one way or another.  If we keep losing close games then you have to point to the coach.