Valpo @ SIU 1/7/2020 7pm CST on ESPN 3

[vu72]

Not sure why you think Powell is a better coach. He has never been a head coach. He was Bryce's top assistant at Vandy and thus must be painted with the same brush. Vandy had a first round draft pick who went down early in the season and they didn't/couldn't adjust. Was that bad coaching? Matt has been blamed for bad coaching but also has had injuries/suspensions etc which had little to do with his coaching ability. True, Matt was in the right place at the right time. He won a conference championship in one of his three years. Vandy was last in the SEC, set a record for not winning one conference game and lost 20 straight games. If they had come here to play we would have beaten them.

Doubtful. They scored more points than we did and had a more efficient offense, they had a better and more efficient defense than we did and thus allowed fewer points to be scored against them than we did, and their shooting percentages were nearly identical with Valpo having the edge in FT%.


2019                    AdjOE            AdjDE          2Pt%             3pt%            FT%   


Vanderbilt          102.2(215)      101.4(116)    50.0(186)      31.1(315)    67.3(296)                   
Valpo                   98.2(291)      103.1(145)    50.1(184)      31.0(324)    69.9(199)

With all of their issues and getting walloped in a very tough conference, their final rankings were Vandy 155, Valpo 220.

Loyola beat them by 8 on a neutral floor.  If they had come to the ARC I think we win.  I'm not talking about last year, I'm talking about them buying out their contract this year.

[vu72]

Gore was next in the pecking order.

I'm guessing this is total speculation.  Think back to Matt's speech after getting the job at the presser. He went out of his way to say how important Luke's role is and basicly apologized for getting the job over Luke.  No way Luke passed on being the head coach.

[vu72]

4. This is a better shooting team than past 2 years,

For the most part, you are correct. 3-pt shooting is better than the previous two years.




Year              2% Shooting       3% Shooting      Free Throw Shooting%


2018                 50.5(153)           34.2(211)                 71.2(181)


2019                 50.1(184)           31.0(324)                 69.9(199)


2020(ToDate)     49.3(162)           34.1(128)                 68.3(229)

The line is a foot farther back this year.

[wh]

Powell is at Gonzaga now so a really good program thought differently than Vandy. 


My opinion is they weren't given enough time and the new AD was not the same AD that hired Bryce and company.  AD wanted his boy. 


This doesn't mean they aren't good coaches.  They certainly have a lot more on the resume than Lottich. 


Let's me honest here, Lottich would never get a head coaching job anywhere like he did at Valpo.  Right time Right place.  He was the 3rd choice.  It worked for him and he has an opportunity.  Would be great for him if he did really well and was able to go to a higher paying job.  That doesn't look the case.....

How do you know Matt Lottich was VU's 3rd choice? Who told you that? Who were the 1st and 2nd choices? 

And to '1314, you're saying Valpo should have conducted a nationwide search because you're not happy with the results of hiring "in-house."  Had Valpo brought in an outsider who produced the same results, undoubtedly you would be criticizing LaBarbara for not promoting from within our own highly successful, nationally recognized program. "That's what Butler does," you would say, "But we're too dumb to figure it out."  It's called perfect 20/20 hindsight.  The decision-makers are always wrong, and you're always right.

One more thing - I agree with Ft. Wayne that we need to stop blaming coaching for every loss, and, I'll add, calling for the coach's head after every loss.  I'm quite sure that the players were adequately prepared for everything SIU was going to do, how to defend them, how to best score off their defense, etc.  But, at the end of the day its the players who have to execute, and they didn't.  They laid a big fat egg.  Coaching doesn't make them miss layup after layup, coaching doesn't cause Daniel to keep turning the ball over, bouncing it off his own feet and knees, coaching doesn't make Mileek foul at an insane rate or not front his man in the low post, coaching doesn't make Zion shoot 1-11 from the FT line, coaching didn't take our premier 3 pt. shooter out of commission for the past 15 games.

BTW I'm 99% certain the guys on the team aren't blaming their coaches either.  They seem like a mature group of guys who take responsibility for their own actions. I think they'll bounce back from this, and play much better on Saturday.   

[Just Sayin]

4. This is a better shooting team than past 2 years,

For the most part, you are correct. 3-pt shooting is better than the previous two years. Year              2% Shooting       3% Shooting      Free Throw Shooting% 2018                 50.5(153)           34.2(211)                 71.2(181) 2019                 50.1(184)           31.0(324)                 69.9(199) 2020(ToDate)     49.3(162)           34.1(128)                 68.3(229)

The line is a foot farther back this year.

Which further supports my comment that we are a better 3pt shooting team this year. What is your point here?

[Just Sayin]

Not sure why you think Powell is a better coach. He has never been a head coach. He was Bryce's top assistant at Vandy and thus must be painted with the same brush. Vandy had a first round draft pick who went down early in the season and they didn't/couldn't adjust. Was that bad coaching? Matt has been blamed for bad coaching but also has had injuries/suspensions etc which had little to do with his coaching ability. True, Matt was in the right place at the right time. He won a conference championship in one of his three years. Vandy was last in the SEC, set a record for not winning one conference game and lost 20 straight games. If they had come here to play we would have beaten them.

Doubtful. They scored more points than we did and had a more efficient offense, they had a better and more efficient defense than we did and thus allowed fewer points to be scored against them than we did, and their shooting percentages were nearly identical with Valpo having the edge in FT%. 2019                    AdjOE            AdjDE          2Pt%             3pt%            FT%    Vanderbilt          102.2(215)      101.4(116)    50.0(186)      31.1(315)    67.3(296) Valpo                   98.2(291)      103.1(145)    50.1(184)      31.0(324)    69.9(199) With all of their issues and getting walloped in a very tough conference, their final rankings were Vandy 155, Valpo 220.

Loyola beat them by 8 on a neutral floor.  If they had come to the ARC I think we win.  I'm not talking about last year, I'm talking about them buying out their contract this year.

One game does not reveal the quality of a team for an entire season. Kentucky got beat by Evansville. Looking at the entire season and the conclusion is that Vanderbilt would probably have beaten Valpo. The numbers don't lie and they reflect what the team actually did for the entire season. Vandy,  despite having a horrible record in a very tough conference was a better team than Valpo. That's not my opinion, the numbers bear that out.

[vu72]

4. This is a better shooting team than past 2 years,

For the most part, you are correct. 3-pt shooting is better than the previous two years. Year              2% Shooting       3% Shooting      Free Throw Shooting% 2018                 50.5(153)           34.2(211)                 71.2(181) 2019                 50.1(184)           31.0(324)                 69.9(199) 2020(ToDate)     49.3(162)           34.1(128)                 68.3(229)

The line is a foot farther back this year.

Which further supports my comment that we are a better 3pt shooting team this year. What is your point here?

Was just adding to and supporting your point.

[Just Sayin]

4. This is a better shooting team than past 2 years,

For the most part, you are correct. 3-pt shooting is better than the previous two years. Year              2% Shooting       3% Shooting      Free Throw Shooting% 2018                 50.5(153)           34.2(211)                 71.2(181) 2019                 50.1(184)           31.0(324)                 69.9(199) 2020(ToDate)     49.3(162)           34.1(128)                 68.3(229)

After taking a second look at the numbers, it appears that except for the better 3Pt% shooting, we were not better than the previous two years in both 2Pt% and FT%.

[Just Sayin]

4. This is a better shooting team than past 2 years,

For the most part, you are correct. 3-pt shooting is better than the previous two years. Year              2% Shooting       3% Shooting      Free Throw Shooting% 2018                 50.5(153)           34.2(211)                 71.2(181) 2019                 50.1(184)           31.0(324)                 69.9(199) 2020(ToDate)     49.3(162)           34.1(128)                 68.3(229)

The line is a foot farther back this year.

Which further supports my comment that we are a better 3pt shooting team this year. What is your point here?

Was just adding to and supporting your point.

Gotcha.

[Just Sayin]

vu72, I guess we were talking past each other about Vandy vs Valpo and "we could have beat them" comment. I'm still not sure to what you were referring.

[vu72]

vu72, I guess we were talking past each other about Vandy vs Valpo and "we could have beat them" comment. I'm still not sure to what you were referring.

I was thinking only about them coming to the ARC THIS YEAR.  Given the fact that Loyola beat them by 9, THIS YEAR, on a neutral court, I think it would not be a stretch to think we would have won the game if it actually happened.

We will know more after Vandy plays Arkansas and Tennessee.  Cincinnati beat Tennessee by 12 and beat us in OT.  We CAN play pretty well but aren't anywhere close to consistent.

[oklahomamick]

VU72 he didn't apologize for getting the job over him, he was thanking and appreciating him for passing. 

[oklahomamick]

1.  Powell
2.  Gore
3.  Lottich

[Just Sayin]

vu72, I guess we were talking past each other about Vandy vs Valpo and "we could have beat them" comment. I'm still not sure to what you were referring.

I was thinking only about them coming to the ARC THIS YEAR.  Given the fact that Loyola beat them by 9, THIS YEAR, on a neutral court, I think it would not be a stretch to think we would have won the game if it actually happened.

We will know more after Vandy plays Arkansas and Tennessee.  Cincinnati beat Tennessee by 12 and beat us in OT.  We CAN play pretty well but aren't anywhere close to consistent.

Got it

[valpo64]

I too have heard enough about every negative thing that happens to this team is Lottich's fault.  For all of you experts, what more than inconsistency can one expect from a young team?  I too wonder where some people say they KNOW who was first, second or third choice for the head coaching position.  When Lottich was hired many said it was great that we continued to hire from within.  Now it is MLB's fault for not going outside.  Some of you think you know it all.  Talk is cheap, it is much easier to criticize than give positive praise.  When we win, players get the accolades.  When we lose it is the coach's fault.  This consistent Lottich bashing is getting old.   Get a life folks!  Sit back, take a deep breath or two and relax.  I too have been disappointed in some of the things that have occurred but you don' throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Players and Coaches make mistakes, we all do.  I don't know what some of you expected from this young, inexperienced team this season.  And now we even hear that is goes back to being MLB's fault for hiring Lottich.   It is time to re-group and move forward and support this young squad and Staff. 

[bbtds]

2. We were down 3 after cutting the lead down from 11.  Suddenly, we can't make a bucket. Kiser rattled a 3, the missed bunnies, and oh the turnovers.

I'll take credit for this one.

So do we stop when we get back to 7 down or does SIU start hitting threes again?

[bbtds]

It's called perfect 20/20 hindsight.  The decision-makers are always wrong, and you're always right.

2020 would be present time sight, would it not? You must specify your 2020's (20/20)!   

[bbtds]

BTW I'm 99% certain the guys on the team aren't blaming their coaches either.  They seem like a mature group of guys who take responsibility for their own actions. I think they'll bounce back from this, and play much better on Saturday.   

Hear hear! Up and down all year is my guess. How that compares to the other possible 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th place teams will determine if we play on Thursday or not in St Louis.

[bbtds]

vu72, I guess we were talking past each other about Vandy vs Valpo and "we could have beat them" comment. I'm still not sure to what you were referring.

I was thinking only about them coming to the ARC THIS YEAR.  Given the fact that Loyola beat them by 9, THIS YEAR, on a neutral court, I think it would not be a stretch to think we would have won the game if it actually happened.

We will know more after Vandy plays Arkansas and Tennessee.  Cincinnati beat Tennessee by 12 and beat us in OT.  We CAN play pretty well but aren't anywhere close to consistent.

It depends on which Valpo team shows up. The one that lost to Arkansas and Cincinnati or the one that lost to SIU last night.

[bbtds]

I too have heard enough about every negative thing that happens to this team is Lottich's fault.  For all of you experts, what more than inconsistency can one expect from a young team?  I too wonder where some people say they KNOW who was first, second or third choice for the head coaching position.  When Lottich was hired many said it was great that we continued to hire from within.  Now it is MLB's fault for not going outside.  Some of you think you know it all.  Talk is cheap, it is much easier to criticize than give positive praise.  When we win, players get the accolades.  When we lose it is the coach's fault.  This consistent Lottich bashing is getting old.   Get a life folks!  Sit back, take a deep breath or two and relax.  I too have been disappointed in some of the things that have occurred but you don' throw the baby out with the bathwater.  Players and Coaches make mistakes, we all do.  I don't know what some of you expected from this young, inexperienced team this season.  And now we even hear that is goes back to being MLB's fault for hiring Lottich.   It is time to re-group and move forward and support this young squad and Staff. 

My relatives have heard MLB state himself that some people on this message board know not nearly as much as they say they know and have spread false rumors.

[NativeCheesehead]

I generally think MLB has done a good job, but if your an AD complaining about a bunch of fans on a message board, you're losing.

[justducky]

I generally think MLB has done a good job, but if your an AD complaining about a bunch of fans on a message board, you're losing.

Ain't that the truth!   

[bbtds]

I generally think MLB has done a good job, but if your an AD complaining about a bunch of fans on a message board, you're losing.

Obviously he doesn't do it anymore but my guess is he found no value in it.

[JD24]

I generally think MLB has done a good job, but if your an AD complaining about a bunch of fans on a message board, you're losing.

Doesn't this depend on the setting of said complaints?

If he's calling a PC to air his complaints that's one thing but if it was a casual comment to someone overheard or maybe a direct response to a question it's a completely different animal.

I don't recall a PC addressing the message board.

...oh...and he's right.

[VUGrad1314]

Okay... I wasn't a poster when Lottich was hired but I had the same reservations at the time of the hiring too. When we're getting down to the very end of the bench for our hiring and hiring a guy that was on Bryce's staff for what ONE SEASON before he was hired to be a HEAD COACH? What even were his responsibilities as like the last guy on the totem pole anyway? Anything game plan related besides recruiting?  It felt like a quick cheap hire of a guy who wasn't ready for the job and sans AP he has shown that to be the case. Don't paint me with this captain hindsight brush This hiring had serious warts and reasons for concern before the ink was even dry on the contract. it felt cheap and It felt rushed. Lottich is not a program guy any more than Assistant coach Dildy was or any of the other assistants that have left after a year for a better gig. This felt as much about getting the search over with as it did hiring from within. Just ticking another box of offseason business. You seriously don't think we could have done any better with a proper search? Isn't that how Missouri State found Ford? Isn't that how Evansville found McCarty (not the best example but still)? Isn't that how Drake found DeVries?

As for the point about Bryce laying an egg against Green Bay I'm still mad about that game but I'm more mad at how lousy the HL was that that one freaking loss kept us out of the tournament. That was the day I started hoping we could get into the MVC because I think we stand a much better chance to get in if that situation ever happens again. If not we're still in the best conference we could ever hope to be in realistically and that's great. But we have to start succeeding. It's hard to take these losses and then go on the MVC boards and hear about how Valpo sucks (They haven't done this as much lately but it really wounded my pride as an alum and I want there to be no reason for anyone to disparage Valpo for any reason. Unfortunately the only way to do that is to have a coach that can get it done. But I digress.

My main point is this: when Lottich builds even a modicum of the goodwill Bryce has built with this program when Lottich accomplishes and does even a scintilla of what Bryce has done and accomplished for this university he will earn a pass for the occasional bad game. That's all it was under Bryce. We would lay the occasional egg sometimes at really bad unfortunate times. If he had been this prone to bad losses I would have been upset with him too and wanted him gone but he didn't. The team was reasonably consistent (albeit against inferior competition) under Bryce. It would have been super interesting to see him coach at the MVC level. That said I have little doubt that while we may not have succeeded to the degree that we did in the HL we would be doing a whole heck of a lot better than we are now in the MVC with Bryce at the helm. Unfortunately we never got that chance. What we do have is a coach who lays more eggs in a season than a brood of prized hens. He lays so many eggs in a season he can feed everyone breakfast at Founder's Table for months. Bryce would lay one or two a year Lottich lays one or two every two weeks.

My support for the squad has not and will not ever waver. I didn't ask for injuries to take playing time away from players unlike somebody on this board. And we're ALWAYS going to be a young inexperienced team. That's the card Lottich ALWAYS plays. He'll probably say it as long as everybody on the roster isn't a senior. We have plenty of experience on this team especially in the starting lineup. The problem is that we have players logging big minutes that were massive recruiting misses (sorry to say it Mileek especially really he's the main and only one but it's a GLARING hole). Youth isn't why we're getting beaten. Youth isn't why we see the same issues over multiple years. Youth isn't why we get outrebounded every game or have scoring droughts all the time or dig holes we can't get out of because we're not ready. Why are we constantly blitzed at the outset of one half (be it the first or the second) in games? Lottich has an excuse for EVERYTHING and I'm just tired of it. Shut up and win. I chose a different life path than becoming a basketball coach and did not grow up around the game as much as Coach Lottich or some on this board so no I probably can't do any better. However, I'm not paid to do better. Lottich is, so Coach Lottich if your listening, please, Do better.