Game #10 - @Geo Washington - Sat Dec 8 - 3pm - ESPN+ - the Payback continues

[VUBBFan]

Got to get use to these new Brown and Gold uniform. Don't think they look bad just not use to them.

[VUGrad1314]

If you're a sucker for schadenfreude, Northern Iowa losing 50-40 to Dubuque.

Let's just focus on Valpo's performance right now. It's clear that we have plenty of issues to fix on our end as we're behind to what appears to be a bad GW team.

[oklahomamick]

Why are we so bad?  We return 65% of our shots from last year.  We have good players and we are not young.  What gives?

[VUGrad1314]

They're too hot we're too cold this half. Hopefully that evens out a bit in the second half. Last I saw GW was 14-21 and we were 10-28

[crusader05]

We're starting to heat up a bit now. Also, I enjoy the new uniforms!

[VUGrad1314]

That's better! Our shooters have shot us back into the game! Evelyn might finally be coming around!

[nkvu]

Well our shot finally showed up. To bad our defense is still back home again in Indiana.

[VUGrad1314]

Down 2 at the half. I'll take it considering we were down by as many as 10. If the shots keep falling and we tighten up a bit on D we can win this!

[IndyEIT777]

Where the heck was the defense that half??? No hands in shooters faces, wide open, uncontested layups. It's nice we started making shots, but letting a guy who's career high was 10 score 18 in the half??? Comeon guys, get it together!!!

[VU2014]

Where the heck was the defense that half??? No hands in shooters faces, wide open, uncontested layups. It's nice we started making shots, but letting a guy who's career high was 10 score 18 in the half??? Comeon guys, get it together!!!

It looked like a Fred Hoiberg defense out there. Brutal

[NativeCheesehead]

This defense has me ready to start drinking before the sun goes down.

[VUBBFan]

Need to start out the second half with whit the same hot shooting we ended the first half and if my eyes didn't deceive me I thought there was a Mileek sighting.

[VU2014]

Why are we so bad?  We return 65% of our shots from last year.  We have good players and we are not young.  What gives?

I'm not sure. I'm not making excuses but more or less making observations.

-Bakari is having a poor season shooting the ball
-Adding Fazekas has shuffled around some roles and their still learning to play with one another
-Sorolla was out most of the beginning of the season and is slowly coming back

I'm not sure. The coaches and players need figure this out. It's not really that we're bad. We're more or less, highly inconsistent. It's a rollercoaster of up and downs

[VUGrad1314]

Need to start out the second half with whit the same hot shooting we ended the first half and if my eyes didn't deceive me I thought there was a Mileek sighting.

There was indeed. 0-1 1 reb 1 ast 2 stl 0 fouls Not bad. Hopefully that earns him a bit more run and some confidence.

[oklahomamick]

Bakari having a bad year all around.  shooting, free throws, taking care of the ball

He made two 3 pointers as I was typing this.....

[oklahomamick]

Moving the ball...Swinging the ball.  Less dribbling, less isolation.  Emphasis on getting Smits touches.  This has created open looks.  2nd half looks good.  Good job Coach.  Smits has improved a lot. 

[VUBBFan]

Bakari having a bad year all around.  shooting, free throws, taking care of the ball He made two 3 pointers as I was typing this.....

Hey thanks for posting. I think you lit a fire under him.

[NativeCheesehead]

Regardless of how this game turns out, we are not a good basketball team right now. And I don't see enough areas with likely improvements that we finish any higher than 8th in conference play.

[FieldGoodie05]

Bakari having a bad year all around.  shooting, free throws, taking care of the ball He made two 3 pointers as I was typing this.....

Hey thanks for posting. I think you lit a fire under him.

Still sloppy with TO.  But yes, he's making shots like whoaa

[SanityLost17]

Mke no mistake, Smits is the MVP of this game.  They have been doubling him all game which is why we are getting wide open 3's.  He has been GREAT at kicking the ball back out when the double comes.   When they don't double he makes a good move to the basket. 

[vu72]

Whew!!!

[nkvu]

Squeezed by that one.

After blowing a 12 point lead I was afraid we would find another interesting way to lose. But the team played just enough defense to hold on so good for them.

We will need both offense and defense to show up against Ball State.

[craftyrighthander]

I have only been able to watch parts of four games.    From the looks of the stat sheet, Javon looks like he had another nice game.  For a freshman, his stat sheet is really consistent.  Not a lot of games when he disappears.  How did he look today for those who watched?

Just my two cents.  Any win on the road at an A-10 opponent, even in a year in which that team is down, is a nice win.

[FieldGoodie05]

Mke no mistake, Smits is the MVP of this game.  They have been doubling him all game which is why we are getting wide open 3's.  He has been GREAT at kicking the ball back out when the double comes.   When they don't double he makes a good move to the basket.

I won't disagree that he played well, but he only had (2) kick out assists that happened late in the game.

To add to your appreciation of Mr Smits, he played legit D for most of the game and REBOUNDED!!!  If he only scores 9 ppg but continues to Reb and Defend, I'll be ecstatic.  Those two were his Achilles heal for years...

Note: Freeman is a rock.  We kept the game competitive in the first half largely in part to his play in the first half.

[SanityLost17]

Mke no mistake, Smits is the MVP of this game.  They have been doubling him all game which is why we are getting wide open 3's.  He has been GREAT at kicking the ball back out when the double comes.   When they don't double he makes a good move to the basket.

I won't disagree that he played well, but he only had (2) kick out assists that happened late in the game.

To add to your appreciation of Mr Smits, he played legit D for most of the game and REBOUNDED!!!  If he only scores 9 ppg but continues to Reb and Defend, I'll be ecstatic.  Those two were his Achilles heal for years...

Note: Freeman is a rock.  We kept the game competitive in the first half largely in part to his play in the first half.

Doesn't need to get the assist to get the credit.  The speed at which he moved the ball back out when the double came is what is important, and that happened throughout the game.  After that it may take 2-3 more passes to get the open man but somebody is open and after a failed double team the defense was left scrambling to catch up to the play. 

It was obviously their game plan to double him almost every time and to make us move the ball and hit 3's, something they were betting we could not do.