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

[VU2014]

I love this program but this game is making me feel apathy while I'm watching it. Ball State isn't even play well and we can't even get anything going. I feel no energy or passion from this team tonight.

[valpolaw]

Haven't watched the last few games until tonight. Needed a break and now I think I need another break.

When did lottich start deviating from the gold tie? I always thought the coaches all wearing gold ties was a great professional look.

[VUGrad1314]

I'm very interested to hear how Lottich will spin this one

[may know]

Was that Sorolla's 2nd lane violation?

[SanityLost17]

We aren't looking good. We don't have a real shooter, and nothing about the offense targeted for any one to take control, if needed. Our shooting woes continue. Why don't we have anyone that has the confidence or the drive to take over shooting or leadership?

Been too long to put this on the players.  We have enough talent to compete.  We need somebody who is quick to make in game adjustments.   Lottich is not good at in game adjustments.  Get Tonagel.  I don't care about recruiting adjustments.  You don't win basketball games without being able to adjust to find something that works to win the game in various ways.  Don't care what level it is you don't win that much without knowing how to coach.   

If we are not hot from 3 we don't win.  3 years in a row.  Same story.   Bryce found a way to win games when we didn't play well.  That's coaching.   

[Valpo2013]

We can get a coach MUCH better than Greg
Cmon
Many Div 1 assistants would love this job
With that said

I don't think Lottich is going anywhere for the foreseeable future

[VU2010]

Back door. Back door. Back door. Back door. Back door. How many times? Tonight we got to see what happens without Smitts. Good luck winning a game. Decent crowd ... still not what it once was a few years ago ... in a much worse conference ... against lesser opponents ... oh ya and all this with half price tickets!!!!

Horrible regression. Give up the gold ties and forge your own identity. Painful to watch a team try to crawl back into the game after getting out-coached. Won't win many valley games playing like this. And, at home. Then again they have laundry to get done and may still be tired from those flights.

[hailcrusaders]

Don't have the numbers in front of me to back it up, but can say with reasonable certainty that we got absolutely smoked on the glass. Used to take rebounding for granted in previous seasons.

[VUSL98]

Hard to lay turnovers at the feet of the coach, but ... It does seem like the coach hasn't found a combination of players who gel together ... For the last two years!

[nkvu]

Well.....we really stunk it up.....at pretty much every phase of the game (except free throws tonight).

I wonder what the excuse will be this time.  How about  "The guys had sore wrists from all the finals they had to take last week."

Just a pitiful performance.

[NativeCheesehead]

Lottich isn't going anywhere. Let's keep in mind the state of the women's program when Dorow was given a multi year extension a couple years back. How did that work out?

[a3uge]

Remember when everyone was complaining about the weak home schedule

[M]

The pbp guy on the radio described the team as dysfunctional, spot on! That stems from one place only.

Sorolla has worse hands then a young Vashil, and two lane violations are you kidding me?? My middle school team hasn't had 2 all season.

There is zero upperclassmen leadership and zero toughness. Fazekas plays worse defense then Jabari Parker, Evelyn looks disinterested, Smits couldn't do anything cause the guy weighed more then him....

Thank goodness PNW comes in next. Get a W before the beat down in conference play begins.

[valpo95]

I could only listen to the game, but noticed the following in the box score: VU was 3-16 (18%) from three, had 17 turnovers, 9 assists and 27 rebounds. Ball State shot 26.7% from three, had 10 turnovers, 18 assists and 35 rebounds.

It is really hard to win any basketball game shooting 18% from three and getting doubled up in assists. This was on home court!

[oklahomamick]

Several on the forum have expressed that VU didn't capitalized on opportunities after the sweet 16 and possibly the NIT run.  Fans saw a chance to spring momentum again when moving up to the MVC. 

I think we missed a chance to hire a really good coach from a national search.  We quickly hired the guy at the very end of the bench.  We didn't even go shopping....

[VUGrad1314]

I desperately want to like and support Lottich but he gets harder to defend every game. No leadership. No communication. No flow. No shooting. No defense. No rebounding. No wins. I feel for him because I really believe he's trying but if he doesn't get things turned around soon we might see\hear fire Lottich and\or we want Tonagel signs\chants at home games. Everytime I walk into the ARC I feel an uneasiness\nervousness almost angry restlessness that wasn't there before. Get it together coach!

[historyman]

Looks like Vegas favors Valpo by 1 point.

Vegas was awfully wrong.

[valporun]

Other than us, or long time fans, the student body won't know how good a person Greg Tonagel was to start saying "Hire Tonegal/We Want Greg!" type stuff. They'd be more interested in just wanting to go to the Union, or back to study until we have a winning team, and a coaching staff that turns that corner.

[M]

Why was there only one person taking tickets tonight? They knew it was going to be a good (for Valpo) crowd and left one person at the table and made everyone wait in line. This whole athletics department is really dropping the ball. Oh, and I had to move the table at the end of the game again so people could get out easier.

[VUGrad1314]

12-22 against D1 competition since the win over Utah State last year.

[PlumStreetBum]

Forget the student section, I'm surprised the cheerleaders even show up anymore.

Lottich is making the least of this team's talent. If no one has a strong individual performance, they lose. It's not a team, it's just a group of players.

I keep hoping that there's some coaching in reserve for conference play, but I know I'm going to be disappointed.

[justducky]

Been too long to put this on the players.  We have enough talent to compete.  We need somebody who is quick to make in game adjustments.   Lottich is not good at in game adjustments. 

This was the best we were defended all season. Defensively it looked like what Tubby Smith and High point were doing except Ball St did it with bigger players and better speed. They smothered us outside the arc, closed the driving lanes then had a big muscle man inside if we did penetrate successfully. Did we make any first half adjustments? No- and not many second half adjustments either.

[VUGrad1314]

48 points in the paint?! I knew it was a lot but my goodness That's brutal

[VU2010]

Nice to see some of you are finally seeing the writing on the wall here. Sorry but he's not ready to be a head coach yet.. at least at this level at this place at this time with this team.

Not his fault. How many coaches have we seen rise thru the ranks? High school ... d3 ... d2 ...naia ... etc 1 they learn how to coach how to run a program how to manage the ebbs and flows of a game played by kids with a lot of inconsistencies. Yes - there are Scott Drews out there who were born and bred to be head coaches. Sure. But rare ....

Last year it was all about the process - bunch of experienced players now and some freshmen that play hard. Kiser's entire family was there to watch him, and he got a minute at the end. Why? For Jay? Sorry but Kiser would play harder than he was playing. And why not put Smits in and let him get his fifth foul?

Why? Why? Why? Who knows. I'm just a fan. What do I know? Nothing.
Lottich doesn't know those things because they're acquired through experience ... not his fault. We took a risk knowing Bryce would leave ... took a Rush by hiring from within to preserve the players we had at that time.

Peters and company masked his inexperience. Now, we're reaping the long term setbacks of that present tense decision.

[may know]

Yeah that poor girl who had to scan every ticket.

Positive: our cheerleading squads are really good.