Poll: Preseason Conference Predictions & Expectations

[Chairback]

It's a shoot around no doubt, but you can tell a lot about talent from watching it.  You can pick up who has a good shoot, who doesn't.  If they look athletic or not, size vs other teams in the MVC, etc.

Who is the leader of this team?  Successful teams in the past always had a leader and hopefully someone has stepped up.  One of our issues last year is we had no leader.

Unless our two bigs step up we are no where near the top half of the MVC.  I think the season comes down to that.  If Bakari is not the point we have a hole in the lineup.  Bradford is not the answer and should not be here and Deion is unknown.  No doubt Sackey is fast but he's a freshman.

If Mileek has improved defensivley this guy is going to be very tough in this league.  You can just see it.  I think he has all the physical skills and is also a good shooter.  If you look back to his HS days and how he kept improving and advancing it's going to continue.

Also, i think this years coaching staff is much stronger than last years.  You can tell there is chemistry there. I really like Matt Bowen and it's huge we have him.

[vu72]

It's a shoot around no doubt, but you can tell a lot about talent from watching it.  You can pick up who has a good shoot, who doesn't.  If they look athletic or not, size vs other teams in the MVC, etc.

Who is the leader of this team?  Successful teams in the past always had a leader and hopefully someone has stepped up.  One of our issues last year is we had no leader.

Unless our two bigs step up we are no where near the top half of the MVC.  I think the season comes down to that.  If Bakari is not the point we have a hole in the lineup.  Bradford is not the answer and should not be here and Deion is unknown.  No doubt Sackey is fast but he's a freshman.

If Mileek has improved defensivley this guy is going to be very tough in this league.  You can just see it.  I think he has all the physical skills and is also a good shooter.  If you look back to his HS days and how he kept improving and advancing it's going to continue.

Also, i think this years coaching staff is much stronger than last years.  You can tell there is chemistry there. I really like Matt Bowen and it's huge we have him.

No mention of Ryan Fazekas.  Any thoughts?  I think Bakari and Marcus will be leaders as well as Deion.

[VU2014]

I attended the open practice, and I really don't think that much can be predicted based on what we saw.  The men were out first messing around shooting dunks (Coach Townsend was setting the bar throwing it down while wearing khakis).  When the women came out there were some three point shooting contests.  When the women competed against the men in the three-point contest, the women won.  Then they had mixed team competition.  Javon at one point hit six consecutive threes.  There was no defense played. 

I really believe that we'll need to wait for an exhibition game to get a hint of what the team brings to the table, but that will only be a hint given the level of the competition.

Agreed. This didn't sound like a real practice where guys were trying. I know some have sat in on some open practices this Fall. You probably can tell more from those practices where they're running drills, scrimmaging and going hard in practice.

I'm relying on someone leaking to Paul and Michael how the team looked in the "secret" scrimmage against UIC on October 27. UIC will be a team full of upperclassmen and have played together for a while now. It will actually be a good test for the team. I wish we had that game in the non-conference schedule.

It's a shoot around no doubt, but you can tell a lot about talent from watching it.  You can pick up who has a good shoot, who doesn't.  If they look athletic or not, size vs other teams in the MVC, etc.

Who is the leader of this team?  Successful teams in the past always had a leader and hopefully someone has stepped up.  One of our issues last year is we had no leader.

Unless our two bigs step up we are no where near the top half of the MVC.  I think the season comes down to that.  If Bakari is not the point we have a hole in the lineup.  Bradford is not the answer and should not be here and Deion is unknown.  No doubt Sackey is fast but he's a freshman.

If Mileek has improved defensivley this guy is going to be very tough in this league.  You can just see it.  I think he has all the physical skills and is also a good shooter.  If you look back to his HS days and how he kept improving and advancing it's going to continue.

Also, i think this years coaching staff is much stronger than last years.  You can tell there is chemistry there. I really like Matt Bowen and it's huge we have him.

Can we really tell much about leadership from an event like this? If they're just goofing around and having fun, it might be difficult to read the team's leadership from this.

Interesting to hear that the coaching staff may be more cohesive than last years crew. I know that coach Dildy and Ragland were very well thought of. Coach Dildy actually recommended Coach Holloway for the job. Coach Lottich and Coach Holloway are obviously really close. But as you said, having Coach Bowen is huge. He has so much experience and is a great resource for a young HC like Coach Lottich.

I've mention it before but I want to see what a real Coach Lottich offense looks like. This will be our first season we get to see his vision for the offense, as long as we don't have any injuries or mid-season exits.

[VU2014]

Current MVCFan Polls for 7th place

https://www.mvcfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5085&p=116456#p116456

7th...
8th... Missouri State
9th... Drake
10th... evansville

With 30 votes totaled UNI is leading the vote with 37%, Indiana State with 33%, and Valpo with 17%.

[VU2014]

If we finish 9th there will another very unhappy and concerned fan base this offseason.

If we finished in the 5-6 range and we were able to win a game against the top couple teams and be very competitive in every game I'd think the arrow sign would be pointing up for the next season and the program.

https://twitter.com/zha5/status/1051965975174754304

[vu72]

If we finish 7-10, not withstanding significant injuries, it will be not only a disappointment but a reason to examine the overall direction of the program.  Our team has 10 juniors (two of which can just practice) but of those, five of them are seniors, age wise.  No longer can we blame youth.  The next two seasons are critical as to whether or not we can recruit players able to compete in The Valley and also whether or not our coaches can properly manage those skills.

[VU2014]

If we finish 7-10, not withstanding significant injuries, it will be not only a disappointment but a reason to examine the overall direction of the program.  Our team has 10 juniors (two of which can just practice) but of those, five of them are seniors, age wise.  No longer can we blame youth.  The next two seasons are critical as to whether or not we can recruit players able to compete in The Valley and also whether or not our coaches can properly manage those skills.

7-11*

Look at how close last season was. Three teams were tied with a 7-11 record. Indiana State finished with a 8-10 record and Bradley finished 9-9.

I think shooting for a .500 Conference record is reasonable this season. But I think what determines if the season is successful, is how we get there. I think .500 is exceptable for this IF the arrow is clearly pointing up and we could reasonably expect to be one of the favorites in 2019-20. We need to see this team step up.

If we were able to finish with a 10-8 record in this particular season Id be very happy considering, that the top 4 teams project to be very strong this season.

[4throwfan]

I'm kinda with VU72 on this.  I think anything less than top third will be a disappointment.  Prior to joining the MVC, if you go back to 12-13 season, and remove the Loyola games (because they were terrible), VU's record against the Valley was 6-1.  Granted, VU didn't play Witchita State or Illinois State when they were really good.  However, to not muster a decent winning record would be disappointing.

[VUGrad1314]

Playing a team once in the earlier portion of the season is a far cry from playing them twice a year in conference. Furthermore, most of those games were with Bryce at the helm and those teams going back to the 12-13 season and a bit beyond that even had NBA talent on them. Do you think anybody on the current roster is going to end up in the NBA? That remains to be seen but I'm not holding my breath

[VU2014]

MVC Fan Poll:

https://www.mvcfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5088&start=0

6th...
7th... Indiana State
8th... Missouri State
9th... Drake
10th... evansville

[4throwfan]

1314, that's the point - the team was previously better than it is now.  Ideally, the team proves that thought wrong, but if they don't, then as VU72 suggests, one has to question whether the team is trending up or down. 

[chef]

After viewing segments of multiple practices, the one thing that sticks out with me is the incredible leap forward by Mileek. He looks like a completely different player.

[FieldGoodie05]

After viewing segments of multiple practices, the one thing that sticks out with me is the incredible leap forward by Mileek. He looks like a completely different player.

Thanks for sharing Todd.  By "looks" so you mean in his physical appearance only?  Can you elaborate?

[IrishDawg]

1314, that's the point - the team was previously better than it is now.  Ideally, the team proves that thought wrong, but if they don't, then as VU72 suggests, one has to question whether the team is trending up or down.

They are clearly trending up this year just based on what they have coming back, and I think long-term they're on an upward trend as well, but it just depends on what they continue to get on the recruiting trail and transfer market.  Getting NBAish talent shouldn't be the standard to measure whether or not the team is trending up or down.

[VU2014]

1314, that's the point - the team was previously better than it is now.  Ideally, the team proves that thought wrong, but if they don't, then as VU72 suggests, one has to question whether the team is trending up or down.

They are clearly trending up this year just based on what they have coming back, and I think long-term they're on an upward trend as well, but it just depends on what they continue to get on the recruiting trail and transfer market.  Getting NBAish talent shouldn't be the standard to measure whether or not the team is trending up or down.

Agreed. I think most of our Valley teams in the future will overall be more talented teams than our Horizon League teams. We might not land another Broekhoff or AP caliber player for a while but the talent surrounding them will probably be higher in the Valley, which is saying something because a few of those teams (ex: 15-16) were very talented. No matter, what we're in a better spot in the Valley then we were in the HL. We're just in a transition period right now.

[4throwfan]

2014, obviously I hope that everything you said is correct.  However, I do have a couple of thoughts.  First, they're not trending in any direction yet this year.  They haven't played any games yet.  Second, the beauty of college basketball is that every year is a transition period for every team. 

[FieldGoodie05]

If we finish 7-10, not withstanding significant injuries, it will be not only a disappointment but a reason to examine the overall direction of the program.  Our team has 10 juniors (two of which can just practice) but of those, five of them are seniors, age wise.  No longer can we blame youth.  The next two seasons are critical as to whether or not we can recruit players able to compete in The Valley and also whether or not our coaches can properly manage those skills.

No disagreement here, our relevance in their minds wane with the years since consistent success (ask Evansville for a time).  Recruits want relevancy and the one saving grace is that we are in the MVC which should give us access to more recruits that are willing to take the phone call/visit.  I am starting to come around to small fish in a bigger pond (MVC).

But make no mistake, we have to work harder and smarter in order to have anywhere near the same level of success now gents!

[VUGrad1314]

1314, that's the point - the team was previously better than it is now.  Ideally, the team proves that thought wrong, but if they don't, then as VU72 suggests, one has to question whether the team is trending up or down.

They are clearly trending up this year just based on what they have coming back, and I think long-term they're on an upward trend as well, but it just depends on what they continue to get on the recruiting trail and transfer market.  Getting NBAish talent shouldn't be the standard to measure whether or not the team is trending up or down.

Agreed. I think most of our Valley teams in the future will overall be more talented teams than our Horizon League teams. We might not land another Broekhoff or AP caliber player for a while but the talent surrounding them will probably be higher in the Valley, which is saying something because a few of those teams (ex: 15-16) were very talented. No matter, what we're in a better spot in the Valley then we were in the HL. We're just in a transition period right now.

Seconded. I personally think that one of the greatest benefits of moving up to the MVC is that if we are on the wrong course it will be much easier to spot and correct. There is no cakewalk stretch to hide behind in this league and rack up easy wins and the job by virtue of conference affiliation alone is more attractive than it otherwise would be.

[VU2014]

Pretty much the way I expected the media to vote. The four Illinois schools in the top 4. And UNI, Indiana St, and Valpo: 5-7. Uni was going to get the nod at 5 because of jacobson

[chef]

It looks like Mileek has dropped about 15 pounds and he's moving around the court so much quicker and more comfortably. He's showing great quickness is small areas, allowing him to make quick moves in the post for easy buckets. Defensively he's really excelling, playing a lot at the 5. His outside shot has also taken a step forward. He's been a high motor high energy guy in the practices I've witnessed. He will have a much greater impact on this season.

[vu72]

It looks like Mileek has dropped about 15 pounds and he's moving around the court so much quicker and more comfortably. He's showing great quickness is small areas, allowing him to make quick moves in the post for easy buckets. Defensively he's really excelling, playing a lot at the 5. His outside shot has also taken a step forward. He's been a high motor high energy guy in the practices I've witnessed. He will have a much greater impact on this season.

Chef, I heard that Deion is expected to be a starter.  Do you have a guess as to the starting five?

[EddieCabot]

It looks like Mileek has dropped about 15 pounds and he's moving around the court so much quicker and more comfortably. He's showing great quickness is small areas, allowing him to make quick moves in the post for easy buckets. Defensively he's really excelling, playing a lot at the 5. His outside shot has also taken a step forward. He's been a high motor high energy guy in the practices I've witnessed. He will have a much greater impact on this season.

Surprising ... a very reliable source said Mileek would only be playing the 4 spot.

[VU2014]

It looks like Mileek has dropped about 15 pounds and he's moving around the court so much quicker and more comfortably. He's showing great quickness is small areas, allowing him to make quick moves in the post for easy buckets. Defensively he's really excelling, playing a lot at the 5. His outside shot has also taken a step forward. He's been a high motor high energy guy in the practices I've witnessed. He will have a much greater impact on this season.

Surprising ... a very reliable source said Mileek would only be playing the 4 spot.

Maybe Coach is planning on running out a "small ball" lineup this season. Remember when we had to go small to play catch up when we were way down last season. (Ex: the near comeback at UNI at the end of the game) If Mileek could play a solid 5 it could be a difference maker. Our 7 footers really struggled against the quicker/more athletic big men in the Valley (ex: fayne).

[VU2014]

This is very enlightening. Mark talks with all the coaches in the MVC and that includes the Valpo Coaches. Mark seems to be tempering expectations for Valpo this season. Maybe I'm reading into this too much but it sounds like he's expecting 8-10 range. Those results won't make some happy on this board.

Loyola's results from year 2 in the Valley; 6th place. Record: 19-13 (Conference: 8-10). They won the CBI this season.

It's important to remember that the 2014-15 Valley wasn't as strong as it's projected to be this season. They had a dominant team with Wichita State and another very good UNI squad, but the bottom half the league was pretty weak.

https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/1053001410147684353
https://twitter.com/EnthusiAdams/status/1053000435785699330

[chef]

Honestly, your source is not correct on this subject. Sorolla, Smits and McMillan will all play minutes at the 5. I think Mileek could average about 10 minutes a game at the 4 and 10 minutes at the 5.
Bakari, Javon and Ryan are the most likely starters. Sorolla appears to have a leg up at the 5 and Deion could start at the 1, allowing Bakari to play off the ball more. Golder and Mileek would be first 2 off the bench. A lot could change but that appears to be where the rotation stands right now. Sackey will definite see significant minutes also.