Game #11 - Ball State - ARC - Mon Dec 17 - 7pm - ESPN+ - the Payback continues

[VUGrad1314]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

[VU2014]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

My guess is they've tried but the University doesn't think they'd get fair market value with current offers. Naming rights are usually long-term deals (10, 15years, etc). they probably didn't want to get locked into a low ball deal, just in case they went on deep run and attracted more attention. Just speculation on my part. Or the ARC is viewed as such a dump, nobody wants to attach their name to it.

[crusader05]

Gus is cheap as hell, the White Lodging own is a Purdue guy through and through.

Your best bet is either Centier or NiSource but still probably hard sells. I'd imagine they are working on it. I know a focus is more corporate sponsorships but that's the big one for sure.

Also I get the idea that a big run can help, but it often only increases applications and students from a nearby area, not from nationwide and we are already increasing the number of students we pull from Indiana and the region and the reality is our biggest donors are from an era that seem less interested in Athletics and more interested in Chapel and academics.

[valpopal]

Speaking of sponsors: I don't know if others noticed at the game but there appeared to be increased advertising space for Centier Bank and Porter Regional Hospital permanently placed around the secondary scoreboards at either end of the ARC.

[IrishDawg]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

My guess is they've tried but the University doesn't think they'd get fair market value with current offers. Naming rights are usually long-term deals (10, 15years, etc). they probably didn't want to get locked into a low ball deal, just in case they went on deep run and attracted more attention. Just speculation on my part. Or the ARC is viewed as such a dump, nobody wants to attach their name to it.

I would think unless you're playing in a big-time conference or venue, the naming rights probably wouldn't garner a ton of cash.  Other than Evansville's Ford Center, is there another home arena in the MVC that has corporate naming rights?

[wh]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

My guess is they've tried but the University doesn't think they'd get fair market value with current offers. Naming rights are usually long-term deals (10, 15years, etc). they probably didn't want to get locked into a low ball deal, just in case they went on deep run and attracted more attention. Just speculation on my part. Or the ARC is viewed as such a dump, nobody wants to attach their name to it.

As to your "ARC being a dump" thought, if men's basketball was still drawing the way it did in the early/mid 2000's, the high school gym feel and condition wouldn't mean nearly as much as does now. The ARC was the place to be then. It rocked with excitement. 4000+ crowds were commonplace, there were exciting halftime shows with paid outside performers and acts, creative timeout events, a bigger band with songs that weren't all 20 years old, the band also had a lead guitar with the amps cranked big time, times when you couldn't hear yourself think, affordable family pricing under the tipping point with chairbacks $10-12, bleachers $5-7, sound system was crystal clear, Homer going over to the student section and greeting the student section leaders and waving to the whole section before the game started and the whole bunch chanting "Homer, Homer..." back, close and convenient parking everywhere including streets vacant lots and free, unrestricted lots, before the game started the student section passed out newspapers so everyone could turn pretend they were reading it with their backs turned as the opposing team's starting line-up was announced, at halftime balloons brought out and passed around to harass opposing players shooting free throws at that end - and this was all with a steady diet of Mid Con teams, no less. None of that mattered. The bigger the romp, the happier the crowd. Everyone in the conference hated us with a passion - players, coaches, AD's, fans, beat reporters- everyone, and we loved every minute of it. Going to the Big Dance was almost a certainty, selection parties, buying tournament tickets, making travel plans. I would give anything to have those days back. Unfortunately they're but distant memories now.

From Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd (1 of my 2 all-time rock bands):

When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look, but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb

So apropos to the situation at hand. I'm starting to think that Belmont is a lot smarter than we are. They know when a school their size and limited financial resources is well off, and when to leave well enough alone.

[FWalum]

Defensively, it's rebounding, which doesn't have a lot to do with talent unless the team is significantly smaller than their opponents, but this is a team with above average height (112th) per Kenpom.

Rebounding for this team is a combination of size and positioning.  The starting players we are putting on the floor are small and playing primarily on the perimeter with the possible exception of Derrik.  On offense we run a lot of 4 out 1 in with a high ball screen which often pulls Smits out from the block area.  Fazekas spends at least 75% of his time outside of the 3 point arc and has not really looked for any back to the basket offense.  On defense our "height" consists of Fazekas and Smits both of whom have questionable rebounding histories. Derrik has shown some very good rebounding improvement and Fazekas has also improved on his Providence numbers, but this is not nearly enough. Freeman and Lavender have stuck their nose in the paint and gotten some big rebounds but are at a physical disadvantage against most of our opponents.

0   Javon Freeman   G   6-3   175   Fr.
2   Deion Lavender   G   6-3   205   R-Sr.
4   Bakari Evelyn   G   6-2   180   R-Jr.
21   Derrik Smits   C   7-1   240   R-Jr.
35   Ryan Fazekas   G/F   6-7   200   R-Jr.

[IrishDawg]

Defensively, it's rebounding, which doesn't have a lot to do with talent unless the team is significantly smaller than their opponents, but this is a team with above average height (112th) per Kenpom.

Rebounding for this team is a combination of size and positioning.  The starting players we are putting on the floor are small and playing primarily on the perimeter with the possible exception of Derrik.  On offense we run a lot of 4 out 1 in with a high ball screen which often pulls Smits out from the block area.  Fazekas spends at least 75% of his time outside of the 3 point arc and has not really looked for any back to the basket offense.  On defense our "height" consists of Fazekas and Smits both of whom have questionable rebounding histories. Derrik has shown some very good rebounding improvement and Fazekas has also improved on his Providence numbers, but this is not nearly enough. Freeman and Lavender have stuck their nose in the paint and gotten some big rebounds but are at a physical disadvantage against most of our opponents.

0   Javon Freeman   G   6-3   175   Fr.
2   Deion Lavender   G   6-3   205   R-Sr.
4   Bakari Evelyn   G   6-2   180   R-Jr.
21   Derrik Smits   C   7-1   240   R-Jr.
35   Ryan Fazekas   G/F   6-7   200   R-Jr.

I don't buy the size piece of the puzzle.  Longwood University is the 6th best defensive rebounding team in the country right now and doesn't have a player on their roster bigger than 6'8, 230.  Teams like Wofford, Utah Valley and Texas State are all in the top 20 and aren't any more physically imposing than Valpo.

I do agree that positioning defensively is likely a big part of it.

[VULB#62]

Defensively, it's rebounding, which doesn't have a lot to do with talent unless the team is significantly smaller than their opponents, but this is a team with above average height (112th) per Kenpom.

Rebounding for this team is a combination of size and positioning.  The starting players we are putting on the floor are small and playing primarily on the perimeter with the possible exception of Derrik.  On offense we run a lot of 4 out 1 in with a high ball screen which often pulls Smits out from the block area.  Fazekas spends at least 75% of his time outside of the 3 point arc and has not really looked for any back to the basket offense.  On defense our "height" consists of Fazekas and Smits both of whom have questionable rebounding histories. Derrik has shown some very good rebounding improvement and Fazekas has also improved on his Providence numbers, but this is not nearly enough. Freeman and Lavender have stuck their nose in the paint and gotten some big rebounds but are at a physical disadvantage against most of our opponents.

0   Javon Freeman   G   6-3   175   Fr.
2   Deion Lavender   G   6-3   205   R-Sr.
4   Bakari Evelyn   G   6-2   180   R-Jr.
21   Derrik Smits   C   7-1   240   R-Jr.
35   Ryan Fazekas   G/F   6-7   200   R-Jr.

I don't buy the size piece of the puzzle.  Longwood University is the 6th best defensive rebounding team in the country right now and doesn't have a player on their roster bigger than 6'8, 230.  Teams like Wofford, Utah Valley and Texas State are all in the top 20 and aren't any more physically imposing than Valpo.

I do agree that positioning defensively is likely a big part of it.

I agree too. Positioning on defense is the #1 key to rebounding at that end of the floor.  #2 is a "crash the boards" mentality.  It's about toughness.  On offense it's a little different -- especially if you run a system that almost by default places your players out of position to rebound misses, and it sounds from various posts, that this is what's happening.  But on O, despite an offensive set that puts players at somewhat of a disadvantage, you can still have a "crash the boards" mentality -- it just takes more effort.  One of my best memories of Evansville's Jerry Sloan playing at Hilltop was how he followed every shot to the basket -- even when he knew it was going in.  Today's players almost never follow their shots. Alec was the closest  to doing that that I recall -- and even he sometimes let one fly and back-pedalled.

[wh]

Too small to rebound?  Are they also too small to go after loose balls with a vengeance?  Are they too small to scrap and win some 50/50 balls? Are they too slow to keep from getting back doored? Is Derrik too tall to win the opening tip?  Is Jay to inexperienced to know when to step into the lane on a FT attempt? Is he too short or is he too timid to put the ball up directly underneath the basket, completely negating any reason to be in the game?

We need some smaller players with heart. Think Howard Little at 6-3, Tevonn Walker 6-3, Max Joseph 6-1. Those guys would tear your heart out going for 50-50 balls and come down with rebounds because they were outstanding at boxing out and out fighting opponents in mid air. How soon we forget what real heart is. This team has 3 players that play with heart at both ends all the time - Javon, Daniel and Markus. I'm so tired of all the halfhearted effort out there that minutes should be earned based on effort and desire. Add Daniel and Markus to the starting lineup and these slow lifeless starts that look like people just got out of bed will come to an immediate end.

[IrishDawg]

Too small to rebound?  Are they also too small to go after loose balls with a vengeance?  Are they too small to scrap and win some 50/50 balls? Are they too slow to keep from getting back doored? Is Derrik too tall to win the opening tip?  Is Jay to inexperienced to know when to step into the lane on a FT attempt? Is he too short or is he too timid to put the ball up directly underneath the basket, completely negating any reason to be in the game?

We need some smaller players with heart. Think Howard Little at 6-3, Tevonn Walker 6-3, Max Joseph 6-1. Those guys would tear your heart out going for 50-50 balls and come down with rebounds because they were outstanding at boxing out and out fighting opponents in mid air. How soon we forget what real heart is. This team has 3 players that play with heart at both ends all the time - Javon, Daniel and Markus. I'm so tired of all the halfhearted effort out there that minutes should be earned based on effort and desire. Add Daniel and Markus to the starting lineup and these slow lifeless starts that look like people just got out of bed will come to an immediate end.

I loved watching Howard Little, even against Butler.  I remember a game when Butler was playing at the ARC, it was late in the contest, and the game had already been decided (I want to say it was the 08-09 season), and there was a missed shot on Valpo's end in which Little had fallen to the floor, and I kid you not he literally grabbed the leg of Grant Leiendecker from Butler so that he couldn't get to the rebound.

I will say that Little himself wasn't a great rebounder (He was solid for his size) and his freshman year was the only year in which he was on a good rebounding team (his sophomore - senior campaigns they were ranked anywhere from 215th to 287th in defensive rebounding), but he was a player who would do whatever it took to help the team win.  Walker and Joseph are probably better examples, at least from a pure rebounding standpoint.

[Pgmado]

Where are people seeing the talent on this roster?

After watching the game last night, I think that's a valid question.  I went back to listen to Paul's season preview podcast where both he and the radio guy were absolutely in love with the team and most of the players.  I believe the term "phenomenal, just phenomenal" was used to describe a player who didn't even get off the bench for several games this year.

It might be interesting to hear a follow up podcast where they describe what they saw in the off-season that we're not seeing (at least, not consistently) on the court in games.  Is that from lack of coaching?  Or could it be that the players just looked phenomenal because they were being guarded by other Valpo players?

Mid-term grades are coming up in two episodes.

[VU2014]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

My guess is they've tried but the University doesn't think they'd get fair market value with current offers. Naming rights are usually long-term deals (10, 15years, etc). they probably didn't want to get locked into a low ball deal, just in case they went on deep run and attracted more attention. Just speculation on my part. Or the ARC is viewed as such a dump, nobody wants to attach their name to it.

As to your "ARC being a dump" thought, if men's basketball was still drawing the way it did in the early/mid 2000's, the high school gym feel and condition wouldn't mean nearly as much as does now. The ARC was the place to be then. It rocked with excitement. 4000+ crowds were commonplace, there were exciting halftime shows with paid outside performers and acts, creative timeout events, a bigger band with songs that weren't all 20 years old, the band also had a lead guitar with the amps cranked big time, times when you couldn't hear yourself think, affordable family pricing under the tipping point with chairbacks $10-12, bleachers $5-7, sound system was crystal clear, Homer going over to the student section and greeting the student section leaders and waving to the whole section before the game started and the whole bunch chanting "Homer, Homer..." back, close and convenient parking everywhere including streets vacant lots and free, unrestricted lots, before the game started the student section passed out newspapers so everyone could turn pretend they were reading it with their backs turned as the opposing team's starting line-up was announced, at halftime balloons brought out and passed around to harass opposing players shooting free throws at that end - and this was all with a steady diet of Mid Con teams, no less. None of that mattered. The bigger the romp, the happier the crowd. Everyone in the conference hated us with a passion - players, coaches, AD's, fans, beat reporters- everyone, and we loved every minute of it. Going to the Big Dance was almost a certainty, selection parties, buying tournament tickets, making travel plans. I would give anything to have those days back. Unfortunately they're but distant memories now.

From Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd (1 of my 2 all-time rock bands):

When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look, but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb

So apropos to the situation at hand. I'm starting to think that Belmont is a lot smarter than we are. They know when a school their size and limited financial resources is well off, and when to leave well enough alone.

A very well thought out post here. My only disagreement is the second guessing on joining the MVC. It may be tougher to make the tourney these days but the landscape has changed across the NCAA. Belmont is in a very very rare position of having a HOF coach that has passed up more money and other job opportunities to stay at Belmont because he's happy there. Sounds familiar to a Homer situation a bit but I'll concede I think Byrd is a better coach but that's no slight against Homer who I love.

But back to your above post. It sounds like we need to make the ARC fun again. It's going to take time, resources and a community effort. The University needs to get the students involved again. It really depresses me as an alum to see just how sad the student section has fallen in just a few years. It's not just a generational gap. It's a lack of indoctrination into the culture and a neglect of making these games entertaining. By entertaining I don't just mean the somewhat cheesy halftime performances. It's everything, band, music, sound system, crowd engagement activities during timeouts, promotions, etc.

I don't think I can ever remember a stretch of time in my fandom of this program when morale across the fan-base & student body has been so low.

[valpo64]

To prove a point earlier mentioned regarding rebounding and our offensive sets,  just watch the positioning of our guys when a 3 point shot is taken.  There are usually 4 guys around the 3-point line watching the flight of the shot.  It happens way too often.  Most of the time when that happens they are nowhere near the ball to even hustle after it...they are totally out of position to have a chance at the rebound.

[VULB#62]

Too small to rebound?  Are they also too small to go after loose balls with a vengeance?  Are they too small to scrap and win some 50/50 balls? Are they too slow to keep from getting back doored? Is Derrik too tall to win the opening tip?  Is Jay to inexperienced to know when to step into the lane on a FT attempt? Is he too short or is he too timid to put the ball up directly underneath the basket, completely negating any reason to be in the game?

We need some smaller players with heart. Think Howard Little at 6-3, Tevonn Walker 6-3, Max Joseph 6-1. Those guys would tear your heart out going for 50-50 balls and come down with rebounds because they were outstanding at boxing out and out fighting opponents in mid air. How soon we forget what real heart is. This team has 3 players that play with heart at both ends all the time - Javon, Daniel and Markus. I'm so tired of all the halfhearted effort out there that minutes should be earned based on effort and desire. Add Daniel and Markus to the starting lineup and these slow lifeless starts that look like people just got out of bed will come to an immediate end.

WH, you've hit on the key to coaching this team. I think because this is Matt's first HC job he is approaching it like an assistant — he wants to be a player's coach (like when he was an assistant). His job is to kick butt day in and day out. Let the assistants smooth over the ruffled feathers. In the meantime, he has got to demand unflinching, dedicated adherence to performance expectations — and take the blame when his standards are not met by his team.

[bbtds]

I think Wednesday will be far more telling about the team and how they respond to a poor showing.  They should be ready to play plenty hard on the road at Texas A&M, but if they don't, then I'd say there's more reason to be concerned over guys just not being ready to play after finals.

So what do you think now after the very poor showing against Texas A&M?

[wh]

Why don't we at least try to collect some money by selling the naming rights to the ARC? Wouldn't a local business like Family Express or Centier Bank like to have their name associated with the arena?

My guess is they've tried but the University doesn't think they'd get fair market value with current offers. Naming rights are usually long-term deals (10, 15years, etc). they probably didn't want to get locked into a low ball deal, just in case they went on deep run and attracted more attention. Just speculation on my part. Or the ARC is viewed as such a dump, nobody wants to attach their name to it.

As to your "ARC being a dump" thought, if men's basketball was still drawing the way it did in the early/mid 2000's, the high school gym feel and condition wouldn't mean nearly as much as does now. The ARC was the place to be then. It rocked with excitement. 4000+ crowds were commonplace, there were exciting halftime shows with paid outside performers and acts, creative timeout events, a bigger band with songs that weren't all 20 years old, the band also had a lead guitar with the amps cranked big time, times when you couldn't hear yourself think, affordable family pricing under the tipping point with chairbacks $10-12, bleachers $5-7, sound system was crystal clear, Homer going over to the student section and greeting the student section leaders and waving to the whole section before the game started and the whole bunch chanting "Homer, Homer..." back, close and convenient parking everywhere including streets vacant lots and free, unrestricted lots, before the game started the student section passed out newspapers so everyone could turn pretend they were reading it with their backs turned as the opposing team's starting line-up was announced, at halftime balloons brought out and passed around to harass opposing players shooting free throws at that end - and this was all with a steady diet of Mid Con teams, no less. None of that mattered. The bigger the romp, the happier the crowd. Everyone in the conference hated us with a passion - players, coaches, AD's, fans, beat reporters- everyone, and we loved every minute of it. Going to the Big Dance was almost a certainty, selection parties, buying tournament tickets, making travel plans. I would give anything to have those days back. Unfortunately they're but distant memories now.

From Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd (1 of my 2 all-time rock bands):

When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look, but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown
The dream is gone
I have become comfortably numb

So apropos to the situation at hand. I'm starting to think that Belmont is a lot smarter than we are. They know when a school their size and limited financial resources is well off, and when to leave well enough alone.

I just thought of something else important that made for a better atmosphere back when winning championships was routine and attending games at the ARC was an experience to behold. The Crusader mascot still had a personality. It had a cute and cuddly face with a huge grin. It did hand springs and posed for pictures with kids. It was all over the floor, teased the refs at timeouts, and led special cheers with the adult crowd.

Unfortunately, a group of liberal professors with corncobs up their butts  decided that the male Crusader needed to be neutered in the interest gender equality. Thus, the face was eliminated and all human quality was gone forever. Also gone was the innocence that the "fun" Crusader portrayed. By "masking" the face, it took on a new, almost scary persona nearly identical to what real Crusaders looked like back in the day. So now the corn cob profs have a new problem. Today's "serious" Crusader is offensive to Muslims (the religion of love and inclusivity), and must, therefore, be eliminated. And so it goes on, chapter by chapter, with a group of myopic educators trying to save the world in their own little way, and a foolish university president trying to pacify their every whim.

[NativeCheesehead]

And they say liberals are the snowflakes.......

[VULB#62]

Man, eVerybody has to back off. Everybody has to stop using political labels. Everybody just has to respect opposing ideas, try to understand them, and, most importantly, refrian from knee jerk attacks. Liberal is a four letter word. Conservative is an explitive.

NFW,  We need to have both views, that is so important. — but in a productive dialog.

I am a registered independent. Granted, I lean slightly leftish of what appears to be the "current" center. That is thanks to my history degree from Valpo. That degree enabled me to teach American history, and more importantly, civics (the constitution) to a bunch of young students over several years. Although I later went into business, I have never forgotten the principles that I taught for many years. 

My problem is that the America I see today (not all but many) has either fogotten or never learned what constitutes the foundation of the constitution of this great country.

Sorry.  This is not a political thread and I added too much political crap to this post. But I want to go back to a world where I can sit over a beer and debate politics with someone who is 180 degrees in opposition to mine and when we get the check, we smile and walk away feeling good about the discussion.

[vu72]

Man, eVerybody has to back off. Everybody has to stop using political labels. Everybody just has to respect opposing ideas, try to understand them, and, most importantly, refrian from knee jerk attacks. Liberal is a four letter word. Conservative is an explitive.

NFW,  We need to have both views, that is so important. — but in a productive dialog.

I am a registered independent. Granted, I lean slightly leftish of what appears to be the "current" center. That is thanks to my history degree from Valpo. That degree enabled me to teach American history, and more importantly, civics (the constitution) to a bunch of young students over several years. Although I later went into business, I have never forgotten the principles that I taught for many years. 

My problem is that the America I see today (not all but many) has either fogotten or never learned what constitutes the foundation of the constitution of this great country.

Sorry.  This is not a political thread and I added too much political crap to this post. But I want to go back to a world where I can sit over a beer and debate politics with someone who is 180 degrees in opposition to mine and when we get the check, we smile and walk away feeling good about the discussion.

Thank you 62, for your thoughtful, respectful comments.

[a3uge]

Man, eVerybody has to back off. Everybody has to stop using political labels. Everybody just has to respect opposing ideas, try to understand them, and, most importantly, refrian from knee jerk attacks. Liberal is a four letter word. Conservative is an explitive.

NFW,  We need to have both views, that is so important. — but in a productive dialog.

I am a registered independent. Granted, I lean slightly leftish of what appears to be the "current" center. That is thanks to my history degree from Valpo. That degree enabled me to teach American history, and more importantly, civics (the constitution) to a bunch of young students over several years. Although I later went into business, I have never forgotten the principles that I taught for many years. 

My problem is that the America I see today (not all but many) has either fogotten or never learned what constitutes the foundation of the constitution of this great country.

Sorry.  This is not a political thread and I added too much political crap to this post. But I want to go back to a world where I can sit over a beer and debate politics with someone who is 180 degrees in opposition to mine and when we get the check, we smile and walk away feeling good about the discussion.

Shove it loser, this is a facilies thread!

[wh]

Man, eVerybody has to back off. Everybody has to stop using political labels. Everybody just has to respect opposing ideas, try to understand them, and, most importantly, refrian from knee jerk attacks. Liberal is a four letter word. Conservative is an explitive.

NFW,  We need to have both views, that is so important. — but in a productive dialog.

I am a registered independent. Granted, I lean slightly leftish of what appears to be the "current" center. That is thanks to my history degree from Valpo. That degree enabled me to teach American history, and more importantly, civics (the constitution) to a bunch of young students over several years. Although I later went into business, I have never forgotten the principles that I taught for many years. 

My problem is that the America I see today (not all but many) has either fogotten or never learned what constitutes the foundation of the constitution of this great country.

Sorry.  This is not a political thread and I added too much political crap to this post. But I want to go back to a world where I can sit over a beer and debate politics with someone who is 180 degrees in opposition to mine and when we get the check, we smile and walk away feeling good about the discussion.

Call me out all day long if you ever see me lambast someone personally for merely expressing an opinion with which I disagree. Opinions are harmless and everyone is entitled to theirs. This isn't about political opinion. These individuals are acting on their ideological fantasies and affecting outcomes that I believe: 1. are detrimental and regressive, and 2.
demonstrate that these individuals are not qualified to influence university-level decision making based on the negative impact and unintended consequences of their actions. Having a son who graduated from VU's now defunct law school and as someone who has chosen Valpo as the only university to financially support above my own 2 alma maters makes me a stakeholder. As such, I have every right to call out individuals who I think have a self-serving agenda that is causing harm to the institution I care about.  Nor will my description of individuals engaged in destructive, counterculture activism ever be shrouded in a respectful tone they don't deserve. This is a clarion call, intentionally written in strong, unapologetic terms, to other caring stakeholders to pay attention and hold the leadership of your university accountable for being influenced by the actions of a few far left ideologues who claim a right they don't have to change the university's brand to match their view of the world.

[IrishDawg]

I think Wednesday will be far more telling about the team and how they respond to a poor showing.  They should be ready to play plenty hard on the road at Texas A&M, but if they don't, then I'd say there's more reason to be concerned over guys just not being ready to play after finals.

So what do you think now after the very poor showing against Texas A&M?

Concerned for sure. The atmosphere at Texas A&M was exactly what was needed for an upset and again they let their opponent dictate the game.  Doesn't mean they can't turn things around, but that was a bad way to end the non-conference portion of the schedule.

[tiny707]

Ball State takes down Toledo by 15 in Toledo. 48 points in the paint by Ball State. Sound familiar? They are a very good team.

[VU2010]

Any of you still justifying the shallacking we took from Ball State since "they're a really good team"?

2-6 in conference 🤔✌️