Valpo vs Illinois State - 1/2

[VULB#62]

Attendance: 3818

Not bad.

BTW, Loyola beat Indiana State tonight at the Gentile Arena 79-44. That is not a typo.

Attendance: 3102.

Not b.......  nah, just OK.

[oklahomamick]

Do you guys remember a lot of games last year where we would be losing but make a big come back and the score wouldn't look as bad as it really was......

[valpopal]

A picture of the Valpo team at the end of this game might be a good accompaniment for the definition of "gritty" in the dictionary. It was great to hear the ARC get loud again, and the atmosphere tonight was at a level we'd been hoping to see. Kudos to Mark LaBarbera for arranging the Chesterton High band and the Chesterton singers for "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." The band was better than Valpo's, and they played during halftime, which prevented the crowd during the break from becoming stagnant, and the addition of these groups and their friends added about 100 to the attendance (probably more if you count family members) while also creating a presence in the student section!


On the other hand, I hope the victory will not obscure the fact that the Sackey experiment as a starter must end. How can anyone think it was a good idea to start Sackey, a freshman who has potential but is now a detriment on the court, instead of Lavender, a senior who has been the best all-around player in non-conference play? I questioned it as soon as the starting lineup was announced. However, my doubts were confirmed when Valpo started the first half and the second half combined down 14-3 before Lavender subbed for Sackey. Lavender's offensive rating was 124.9 while Sackey's was 10.6.

[usc4valpo]

Well, that was cool. The game made sports center tonight!

[JD24]

Here's Tonagel's shot. I can't think of another game winner from beyond half court. Just one of those special rewards for fandom that comes along once every couple of decades. What an awesome comeback! https://youtu.be/ZsjEXkJcXVg

My immediate reaction to this video is "where was Todd?"

[valpopal]

[a3uge]

A picture of the Valpo team at the end of this game might be a good accompaniment for the definition of "gritty" in the dictionary. It was great to hear the ARC get loud again, and the atmosphere tonight was at a level we'd been hoping to see. Kudos to Mark LaBarbera for arranging the Chesterton High band and the Chesterton singers for "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." The band was better than Valpo's, and they played during halftime, which prevented the crowd during the break from becoming stagnant, and the addition of these groups and their friends added about 100 to the attendance (probably more if you count family members) while also creating a presence in the student section!


On the other hand, I hope the victory will not obscure the fact that the Sackey experiment as a starter must end. How can anyone think it was a good idea to start Sackey, a freshman who has potential but is now a detriment on the court, instead of Lavender, a senior who has been the best all-around player in non-conference play? I questioned it as soon as the starting lineup was announced. However, my doubts were confirmed when Valpo started the first half and the second half combined down 14-3 before Lavender subbed for Sackey. Lavender's offensive rating was 124.9 while Sackey's was 10.6.

There were a lot of things to complain about tonight... Going to try to just enjoy this one and pretend the first 49 minutes never happened.

[M]

39 minutes...it only felt like 49.

[a3uge]

39 minutes...it only felt like 49.

Math minor hard at work.

[VUSWIM08-12]

SC #1 as a matter of fact, we needed this one in the worst way. Can we go on the road and beat Missouri St? I think we can but if we  have another sluggish offensive performance it's going to be tough, Sackey shouldn't be starting but he WILL BE A HELL OF A PLAYER come spring 2020!

[VUGrad1314]

Look at that face in the thumbnail. I can't think of a coach who deserves this moment more. Enjoy it coach you've earned it!

[M]

Neither freshman played well. Freeman I'm not worried about, Sackey will be a nice role player for the next couple years before we need him to shine.

[valpopal]

[tweet]1080692968082821120[/tweet]

[nkvu]

So who was the fan that held up the "GRITTY" sign?  I loved that!  If the team doesn't play that way they get blown out in the second half instead of battling back to give Golder the chance to heave one in at the buzzer.

And for once I'm going to forgo pointing out all the things that could have been better and just enjoy the incredible comeback win the team pulled out tonight. As our friends down under might say, good on ya team!

[justducky]

There were a lot of things to complain about tonight... Going to try to just enjoy this one and pretend the first 49 minutes never happened.

Yes- the offense continues to struggle but those 39 minutes had us playing our best (most consistent) defense of the season. We can start talking about our offensive issues tomorrow and I will join you in complaining. 

[VUGrad1314]

Or we can all just move on to Missouri State full of optimism hope and confidence...

[wh]

Winning shot and celebration:

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=401089256

[VUGrad1314]

Attendance: 3818 Not bad.

Think a few of these folks might come back for Bradley after what they saw tonight? I suspect a few might tell some friends as well.

[valpotx]

Very gritty effort that last 6-7 minutes, when we kept getting below 10, and they would hit us right back.  We could have easily folded.  Hats off to our guys, but that was a very ugly win.

Do we still have the small basketball logo on the court, from where Tonagel hit that shot against Belmont?  We should do the same for Broekhoff's shot, and now Golder .

[wh]

Muller throws Yarbrough under the bus:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-state/halfcourt-shot-at-buzzer-lifts-valparaiso-over-redbirds/article_456e68ee-3dc2-5cce-96a6-865e34305407.amp.html

[nkvu]

Very gritty effort that last 6-7 minutes, when we kept getting below 10, and they would hit us right back.  We could have easily folded.  Hats off to our guys, but that was a very ugly win.

Do we still have the small basketball logo on the court, from where Tonagel hit that shot against Belmont?  We should do the same for Broekhoff's shot, and now Golder .

"True Grit."  Could this be a theme for the team this year?

[valpopal]

Considering another recent thread on the board, it seems a bit ironic that Golder's half-court shot was taken from the big Crusader logo, which has now been shown over and over across the nation on ESPN SportsCenter and many other media! You have to believe that exposure and promotion of the Crusader probably doesn't sit well with some folks at VU! 

[valpotx]

Awesome, I just noticed the, 'you gotta be bleeping me comment' by the other broadcaster.  Classic

[M]

Shout out to Ben Boggs for pulling some strings and getting the ticket taker tables moved after halftime.

The Chesterton Band was fantastic, the singers did a great job, the scouts presented the flags and did the timeout games well. A very enjoyable experience.

[VUGrad1314]

It was fantastic. It really feels like to old ARC feel may be returning. I sure hope so.