Valpo vs Drake @ The ARC 1/11/20 3pm CST on ESPN3

[JD24]

So, we get out scored by 6 in the 1st 4 minutes of the 2nd half. Matt benches our centers (who were playing badly) and inserts 6-5 John Kiser at the 5 and stays with a short lineup the rest of the way. Drake can't figure out how to counter, so we out score them by 11 over the final 16 minutes to win by 5. That's called out coaching, folks.

I heard we were lucky.

[bbtds]

So, we get out scored by 6 in the 1st 4 minutes of the 2nd half. Matt benches our centers (who were playing badly) and inserts 6-5 John Kiser at the 5 and stays with a short lineup the rest of the way. Drake can't figure out how to counter, so we out score them by 11 over the final 16 minutes to win by 5. That's called out coaching, folks.

I heard we were lucky.

Without John Kiser that Drake center from Davenport (#21) doesn't get shut down. John, through his versatility, may have the second or third greatest impact on this year's Valpo MBB team.

[wh]

FYI for those who weren't there in person. The guy from the RailCats was doing the on-floor contests during timeouts again. This time the students were back and he got them all revved up. Also, one of the students hit a layup, FT, 3-pointer, and half court shot in 1 minute to win free Hungry Howies pizza for the whole section. The place went nuts. So much fun! Starting to feel like the ARC of days gone by again.

[oklahomamick]

Thanks Wh, for adding that.  A lot of fans and almuni have moved too far to attend games.  TV viewers cant see that kind of stuff so thanks for that update.  I used to fly up for 2-3 games a year.  Hopefully I'll get back to that point again. 

[Valpower]

I know that there are a lot of Kiser haters out there, but I am still a fan.  The guy does so many little things for us, and it showed today.

I meant to respond earlier to this, but got sidetracked. I don't think there are ANY Kiser haters out there, unless you're using "hater" in the social media sense, meaning "critic" (in which case, you need to stop).  I think there is just a frustration some of us feel when he gets big minutes because it reminds us that one (or many) of our top-level recruits is under-performing, such as yesterday. Nevertheless, I think the frustration needs to be directed at the under-performing players and any criticism of Kiser needs to consider that that he is the ultimate utility player and not some specialist whose going rack up any particular stats on the offensive or defensive side of things. Honestly, I think everybody loves Kiser, but wishes we needed him less frequently.

[Just Sayin]

I know that there are a lot of Kiser haters out there, but I am still a fan.  The guy does so many little things for us, and it showed today.  Yes, he is not an offensive dynamo.  No, he is not fast, and quicker Guards can blow by him.  Look back at the film, however, and you will see that he battled the hell out of their 7-footer, and made some key plays for us throughout the game.  He is the 'glue guy' for us, in playing whatever role we ask of him, and not panicking when things get rough.  Go Kiser!

Kiser for the season as of 1/11/20


Pom Rankings: Note - Minimum 40% minutes played and 2 shots per game to qualify


EffFG%: 6th Conference rank. 58%. First on team. 2nd Clay 54.1%


2Pt%: 15th in Conference. 55.8%. First on team. 2nd Milleek 51.9%


3Pt%: Did not qualify for Pom MVC ranking because need 2 shots per game. But his 3Pt% is 41.4% which puts him in 2nd place on the team behind Eron 47.4%


OR% (Offensive Rebound %) 20th in conference at 5.8%. 3rd place on team behind Nick Robinson 6.8% and Mileek 6.3%


Turnover% - 37th fewest @ 18.8% in conference. 3rd place in lowest TO% on team behind Javon 13.3% and Clay 18.7%


Assist Rate - 35th place in conference, 5th on team


Steal Rate - 29th in conference, 6th on team


Fouls committed per 40 minutes - 51st place 3.73, 6th fewest on team.


Fouls drawn per 40 minutes - 64th in conference, 6th on team. Leaders in front of Kiser are Javon 5.2 fourth in conference, Mileek 4.2 17th in conference, Nick 33rd in conference, Sackey 42nd in conference, Eron 53rd in conference, Clay 60th in conference. 


Free throw percent. Doesn't qualify in Pom ranking, need two shots per game.
For the team though, he is 13-16, or 81.2%, higher than those who qualified for rankings such as Javon 2nd place 72.5%, Nick 70.6%, Sackey 69.4%

[JD24]

So, we get out scored by 6 in the 1st 4 minutes of the 2nd half. Matt benches our centers (who were playing badly) and inserts 6-5 John Kiser at the 5 and stays with a short lineup the rest of the way. Drake can't figure out how to counter, so we out score them by 11 over the final 16 minutes to win by 5. That's called out coaching, folks.

I heard we were lucky.

Without John Kiser that Drake center from Davenport (#21) doesn't get shut down. John, through his versatility, may have the second or third greatest impact on this year's Valpo MBB team.

Luck....luck.....luck

[Just Sayin]

Say what you want about Kiser. Clumsy, slow, not athletic. Not pleasing to watch. But the numbers don't lie. He gets the job done better than most on the team when given an opportunity.

[wh]

The key to using Kiser successfully is putting him on the floor with 4 capable offensive players, as was the case in the 2nd half yesterday. Playing him and Mileek at the same time is a formula for disaster. John should start at the 5 from now on. As demonstrated once again yesterday when Mileek threw up 10 uncontested bricks, including another 0-4 from 3, he needs to be a role player - never a starter.

[justducky]

The key to using Kiser successfully is putting him on the floor with 4 capable offensive players, as was the case in the 2nd half yesterday.

The only way he finds open inside or outside looks is when the floor is spread with multi threat shooters.

Playing him and Mileek at the same time is a formula for disaster.

True, and it only gets worse if Sackey is out there with them.

John should start at the 5 from now on.

  That might be a bit too extreme.

I don't think it is too early to speculate on who will be losing minutes when Ryan returns. I'll go with Sackey losing 7, McMillan 6, Kiser and Krikke 3 each, and another 9 minutes equally spread across the roster.

[wh]

The key to using Kiser successfully is putting him on the floor with 4 capable offensive players, as was the case in the 2nd half yesterday.

The only way he finds open inside or outside looks is when the floor is spread with multi threat shooters.

Playing him and Mileek at the same time is a formula for disaster.

True, and it only gets worse if Sackey is out there with them.

John should start at the 5 from now on.

  That might be a bit too extreme.

I don't think it is too early to speculate on who will be losing minutes when Ryan returns. I'll go with Sackey losing 7, McMillan 6, Kiser and Krikke 3 each, and another 9 minutes equally spread across the roster.

I should have clarified. Start Kiser at the 5 - until we get a healthy Ryan back. At that point, we go with a 2 guard (Daniel, Javon), 3 forward (Ryan, Nick, Donovan) starting lineup. Eron is the primary backup at guard, and John is primary backup at forward. Mileek and Ben maybe get a combined 10-15 minutes, possibly more depending on foul trouble or matchups.

This rotation will become the most potent offense in the MVC, including speed, athleticism, outside shooting, and slashing ability. Thinking you have to have a true center on the floor is an outdated paradigm (especially at the mid major level where dominant big men just don't exist. Matt has said as much. It's time to walk the talk and throw the 5 position in the scrap heap.

If we get a healthy Ryan back, the outcome of this season is far from determined.

[VUGrad1314]

We were both. Lottich's adjustment putting Kiser on the center was a master stroke but Drake also shot like 2-21 from 3 missing a lot of great looks where they made the extra pass and executed well on everything but the shot. If a few more of those go in earlier in the game we're not talking about that substitution. But in any basketball game there's a combination of luck and skill. A player misses a shot or makes a critical mistake and it sparks a run and allows a coach to make a move that he otherwise may not have been able to make that pays dividends. Happened to us yesterday. Happens all the time. Whether you want to focus on how lucky we were that Drake shot so poorly from outside or how great the move to switch Kiser in at the five was you're not wrong.

[valpo64]

Great effort by the team...from coaches to players.  The stayed the course, played hard, adjusted as needed.  While shooting field goals poorly, they sure got it done on free throws.  Can't emphasize enough their importance in a games outcome.  While not a great Kiser fan, He was a big part of this win, competed hard  like he always does and even hit a couple of 3's.  Sackey???  Has got to learn to finish at the rim and not turn it over.  I am disappointed that he continues to throw the ball away as much as he does.  Good coaching by Matt and the Staff in going small in the second half and keeping the guys playing hard.  Hopefully we will se a good showing at UNI this week then back at home with a big crowd and win vs. IN ST.

[VALPO LI]

FYI for those who weren't there in person. The guy from the RailCats was doing the on-floor contests during timeouts again. This time the students were back and he got them all revved up. Also, one of the students hit a layup, FT, 3-pointer, and half court shot in 1 minute to win free Hungry Howies pizza for the whole section. The place went nuts. So much fun! Starting to feel like the ARC of days gone by again.

That is awesome to hear
Any other updates for the fans that could not make it to the ARC?
Have they addressed earlier concerns from this year?
Concessions?
Long lines?
Stale popcorn?
Nachos?
Pep Band? (Looks to be stronger)
Mic for media at post game  (don't think so still hard to hear the questions being asked by the media)
Any tables needed to be moved when leaving the arena?
How is the intro for the Crusaders?
Lighting, soundsystem, parking ect. can be discussed with facilities for I believe those are bigger goals to address.

[JD24]

We were both. Lottich's adjustment putting Kiser on the center was a master stroke but Drake also shot like 2-21 from 3 missing a lot of great looks where they made the extra pass and executed well on everything but the shot. If a few more of those go in earlier in the game we're not talking about that substitution. But in any basketball game there's a combination of luck and skill. A player misses a shot or makes a critical mistake and it sparks a run and allows a coach to make a move that he otherwise may not have been able to make that pays dividends. Happened to us yesterday. Happens all the time. Whether you want to focus on how lucky we were that Drake shot so poorly from outside or how great the move to switch Kiser in at the five was you're not wrong.

The sarcastic "lucky" posts I made were highlighting previous posts made by other posters. I suppose SIU was lucky in their win over Valpo and we can apply "luck" to any win or loss. Frankly, it is extremely weak analysis.

[vu72]

but Drake also shot like 2-21 from 3

Hmmm.  Central Michigan shot 1 for 17 from the 3.  Could it possibly be that we play lock-down defense against the 3?? 

[wh]

FYI for those who weren't there in person. The guy from the RailCats was doing the on-floor contests during timeouts again. This time the students were back and he got them all revved up. Also, one of the students hit a layup, FT, 3-pointer, and half court shot in 1 minute to win free Hungry Howies pizza for the whole section. The place went nuts. So much fun! Starting to feel like the ARC of days gone by again.

That is awesome to hear
Any other updates for the fans that could not make it to the ARC?
Have they addressed earlier concerns from this year?
Concessions?
Long lines?
Stale popcorn?
Nachos?
Pep Band? (Looks to be stronger)
Mic for media at post game  (don't think so still hard to hear the questions being asked by the media)
Any tables needed to be moved when leaving the arena?
How is the intro for the Crusaders?
Lighting, soundsystem, parking ect. can be discussed with facilities for I believe those are bigger goals to address.

• Popcorn was being popped as they were selling it. Couldn't be fresher.
• No tables on the way out (as I recall).
• Concession lines at halftime were as horrendous as ever.
• Parking as bad as ever. Fortunately, we haven't had any plowed snow to make street parking even harder to find.
• Pep band was lively and larger than normal. Probably 15-18 members.
• Player intros video is ok, nothing to write home about. Kind of depressing to see a happy,!healthy Ryan featured on the video.

[bbtds]

FYI for those who weren't there in person. The guy from the RailCats was doing the on-floor contests during timeouts again. This time the students were back and he got them all revved up. Also, one of the students hit a layup, FT, 3-pointer, and half court shot in 1 minute to win free Hungry Howies pizza for the whole section. The place went nuts. So much fun! Starting to feel like the ARC of days gone by again.

Everybody at the game got free pizza. It took them into the 2nd half to hand out the coupons.

[PlumStreetBum]

The sarcastic "lucky" posts I made were highlighting previous posts made by other posters. I suppose SIU was lucky in their win over Valpo and we can apply "luck" to any win or loss. Frankly, it is extremely weak analysis.

but Drake also shot like 2-21 from 3

Hmmm.  Central Michigan shot 1 for 17 from the 3.  Could it possibly be that we play lock-down defense against the 3?? 

Well, having watched Drake miss a lot of open looks, and knowing that on average this season our opponents shoot at a 34.6% rate from 3 (260th best 3pt defense in D1), and knowing Drake this season is shooting 34.7% on 3pt attempts and they average nearly 8 made 3pt shots per game, yes I'd say we were lucky that Drake made 10% (2 for 20) of their 3pt shots.

Or is that weak analysis? 

I'm glad we won and will take all the luck I can get, but let's not pretend we're suddenly a world-beating lock-down team around the perimeter.

[valpotx]

I know that there are a lot of Kiser haters out there, but I am still a fan.  The guy does so many little things for us, and it showed today.

I meant to respond earlier to this, but got sidetracked. I don't think there are ANY Kiser haters out there, unless you're using "hater" in the social media sense, meaning "critic" (in which case, you need to stop).  I think there is just a frustration some of us feel when he gets big minutes because it reminds us that one (or many) of our top-level recruits is under-performing, such as yesterday. Nevertheless, I think the frustration needs to be directed at the under-performing players and any criticism of Kiser needs to consider that that he is the ultimate utility player and not some specialist whose going rack up any particular stats on the offensive or defensive side of things. Honestly, I think everybody loves Kiser, but wishes we needed him less frequently.

The term 'hater' pre-dates social media, sorry to say .  I am now 38, and remember it being thrown around while I was at Valpo.  I don't need to 'stop' anything, as it is my generation's communication style .

[wh]

I really don't want to hear how we were "lucky" that Drake had an off shooting day. Valpo has been the "unluckiest" team in the MVC over the past 2 seasons in terms of extended injuries to a star player. That's genuine bad luck. Saying we were lucky that Drake had an off shooting day is an insult to our team and the great effort we put forth on defense Saturday.

[vu84v2]

I agree with wh's comments about "luck". You need to deal with the game at hand and Valpo made plays and adjustments to win against Drake (a good win!)

Per KenPom, Valpo for the season has a .000 score for luck (neither lucky or unlucky, though that is a bit hard to figure given Fazekas' injury). Drake on the other hand has been one of the "luckiest" teams (12th in the nation in the "luck" measure).

[valpo84]

It was apparent when you watch the tape (I admit I'm old school in my language) that we were consciously focused on defending the 3.  Drake had some looks, but were rushing their shots as their % was declining for the game.  It was also apparent that Valpo was giving up inside penetration and backdoor cuts to defend the 3 based on the exceptionally high % for 2s by Drake.  Also, Def eff numbers seem to focus intensely on shooting %.  We turned Drake over 18 times leading to 20 points.  Yes, our overall shooting % defense needs to continue to improve.  To win conference, you have to not only score, but stop teams.  But, would not state Drake was unlucky shooting 3s.  We focused on holding them down.  We were more effective at that.  A most interesting stat is that Jonah Jackson has taken 90 of his 92 FGAs as 3 pt shots this year and hits at a 38% clip after going 0-5 Saturday.  He averages about 2 3s a game.  So, if we focused on reducing his volume and his made %, then we were very effective defensively on him (not luck). 

[IrishDawg]

I agree with wh's comments about "luck". You need to deal with the game at hand and Valpo made plays and adjustments to win against Drake (a good win!)

Per KenPom, Valpo for the season has a .000 score for luck (neither lucky or unlucky, though that is a bit hard to figure given Fazekas' injury). Drake on the other hand has been one of the "luckiest" teams (12th in the nation in the "luck" measure).

Kenpom's measure of luck is how a team performs in close games (5 points or fewer) relative to their expectations. If a team wins a lot of close games, especially ones in games they would be favored to lose, that improves their luck rating, the opposite occurrence would cause their luck rating to deteriorate.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://kenpom.com/blog/ratings-explanation/&ved=2ahUKEwie8Z_9-IDnAhUhAp0JHae_AL4QFjADegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw2y4AmtAa_-sI4HqBQggtXj&cshid=1578931336646

[Valpower]

The term 'hater' pre-dates social media, sorry to say .  I am now 38, and remember it being thrown around while I was at Valpo.  I don't need to 'stop' anything, as it is my generation's communication style .

I would have taken "Ok, boomer" as a correct response too.    That said, I do hope no generation so completely characterizes "critical thinking" as "hating" that it becomes offensive and intolerable.