Valpo Hosts Indiana State Game Thread, Sat., January 18, 2020, 7p

[M]

Attendance was listed at 2805...I sit pretty high up in the mezzanine and it was much more crowded then usual. I thought the number was going to be north of 3,000.

[VALPO LI]

Great crowd for a bitter cold night. Exciting atmosphere. Students were loud. RailCats guy was great. Halftime show was fabulous. Incredible 2nd half and killer instinct.  Doesn't get any better.

Parking situation?

My observations from (watching on TV)
Crowd seemed into the game.
Atmosphere looked rockin.  Tee shirts were flying through the air during time outs.
Arena (gym) looked full for only 2,800 fans for a Saturday game. (200 less than last years Wednesday game against ISUb)
Hat goes off to the Pike fraternity who represented the student section well (again)
Pep Band looked smaller to me.
I liked the Valpo "state farm" banners that were opening up especially during the second half. 
(Not sure if they came out for this game or a previous one) but the red and white state farm logo stood out far more than the Valpo one on tv! - nice advertising strategy state farm!

[VALPO LI]

Attendance was listed at 2805...I sit pretty high up in the mezzanine and it was much more crowded then usual. I thought the number was going to be north of 3,000.

I was surprised when I saw 2,805 for a Saturday prime time evening game!
I also thought Valpo would easily represent north of 3k. for this game.

[wh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4w4HdWtfZQ

[EddieCabot]

[tweet]1218741612081184774[/tweet]

What a way to end the game!  A dunk at the buzzer is a great way to punctuate a big win!

[VUGrad1314]

What I liked the most about it was how excited and happy he was. The way he acted with his teammates and the way he interacted with the crowd afterwards. He looks like he loves the team and the fans and that he loves it here and is thrilled to be a Crusader. And we are thrilled that he is a Crusader. Javon, we love you! Signed, Crusader nation!

[bbtds]

Those numbers speak very loudly to the character of this team under Lottich and how hard they fight for him... Matt I am sorry I let emotion and frustration get in the way of seeing what you were building all along... Keep doing what you're doing! Go Valpo!

Are you just buttering us up so you don't have to eventually eat your hats?

No I'm not going to have to do that because Lottich has about a full hand's worth of national championship rings to get as a head coach before that happens. Read the quote again. "If he gets anywhere near Coach K's resume (which is FIVE national titles I think Maybe six I don't remember) I'll eat my hat. Considering I'm pretty sure only Roy Williams and Jay Wright are active coaches with more than one I feel pretty safe.

Well, in that case, you were safe before you were born. Anywhere near Coach K's resume and Five national titles is not the same thing. Winning conference titles and conference tournaments is what I was thinking.

[NativeCheesehead]

Now comes the challenge. Can we build on this? Got a tough but winnable game coming up next. Health is certainly a factor but our confidence should be high after that second half performance. Running off a streak of 7-10 games where you play well night in and night out (even if you don't win them all) is the next step for us right now. In my opinion, we're at 3.

[IrishDawg]

Now comes the challenge. Can we build on this? Got a tough but winnable game coming up next. Health is certainly a factor but our confidence should be high after that second half performance. Running off a streak of 7-10 games where you play well night in and night out (even if you don't win them all) is the next step for us right now. In my opinion, we're at 3.

FWIW, of their final 12 games in MVC play, by the analytics, Valpo is the underdog in 6-8 of them.

[valpolaw]

Slightly off topic, but do they serve beer at the ARC yet? I live outside the state so unfortunately haven't made it back to the Arc for about 4 years. It seems most are now serving but I wasn't sure

[M]

 

No

[NativeCheesehead]

Don't they sell it in the "ARC Suite"?

[VALPO LI]

Isn't Valpo still considered a dry campus?

[NativeCheesehead]

No idea. But I went to the big kickoff concert for the Forever Valpo campaign at the ARC a few years back and there was plenty of booze.

[FieldGoodie05]

Isn't Valpo still considered a dry campus?

Just making a guess here but if they went away from being a dry campus they probably would've started selling beer at the basketball games because I believe the insurance premiums are pretty and they would need to recoup those costs.

[NativeCheesehead]

I would say "Clearly the department has done the risk assessment for selling alcohol vs insurance / security costs" but if they don't have the money to upgrade the sound system they obviously don't have the money for that.

[valpo84]

Great team win.  This is a deep team and it would be nice to see it at full strength the last 2 weeks going into tourney. 

Again, Krikke is showing very good skill level for a frosh.  His footwork and defensive positioning, and body/arm control on drives have been very good.  It would be nice to see McMillan pick up some of that. Krikke doesn't pick up cheap fouls by swinging arms or trying to block people once they drive past.  Offensively, in the 1st half he was helpful in keeping us in the game when Gordon and Jevon were out.  The offense was moving and passes were being made to the cutters.  All players still need to swing the ball weak side faster, and hit open players faster.  Also, make the entry pass to Morgan or big guys who are posting up (Lost art -- post entry passes).  Noticed the t-shirts said "Do Simple Great."  Wholeheartedly agree!  Make the simple pass.  Execute the cut.  Box out.  Make the layup. 

Also, kudos to Clay for 39 minutes.  Would like to have him play like a 6'8" player -- don't settle for the "off the glass" shot.  Go up strong and dunk the ball.  Make them have to foul you to stop you.  I'm guessing he still has 6'3" habits in the paint, but he is getting to the box and needs to convert at higher rates.  And, Gordon stepping up.  He is going to be a stellar Y league player for decades. 

[vu72]

Love this piece by Brandon Vickery on John Kiser.

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1218755063365107712

I think this also shows why Valpo is at a disadvantage versus an Indiana State school.  One of their players was highlighted as being a student athlete and certainly is an athlete. The student part was telling to me.  John is an honor roll player studying engineering while their guy has a 3.2 avg in recreational sports.

[usc4valpo]

Beer sales at Drake games are well controlled and has been a successful profit maker. Valpo needs to let loose on some of their bogus policies.

[bbtds]

And, Gordon stepping up.  He is going to be a stellar Y league player for decades.

Eron has two brothers in the NBA making major money. I bet Eron gets his own built in NBA size court and invites people over and they come in large numbers.

[Valpower]

Great team win.  This is a deep team and it would be nice to see it at full strength the last 2 weeks going into tourney. 

Again, Krikke is showing very good skill level for a frosh.  His footwork and defensive positioning, and body/arm control on drives have been very good.  It would be nice to see McMillan pick up some of that. Krikke doesn't pick up cheap fouls by swinging arms or trying to block people once they drive past.  Offensively, in the 1st half he was helpful in keeping us in the game when Gordon and Jevon were out.  The offense was moving and passes were being made to the cutters.  All players still need to swing the ball weak side faster, and hit open players faster.  Also, make the entry pass to Morgan or big guys who are posting up (Lost art -- post entry passes).  Noticed the t-shirts said "Do Simple Great."  Wholeheartedly agree!  Make the simple pass.  Execute the cut.  Box out.  Make the layup. 

Also, kudos to Clay for 39 minutes.  Would like to have him play like a 6'8" player -- don't settle for the "off the glass" shot.  Go up strong and dunk the ball.  Make them have to foul you to stop you.  I'm guessing he still has 6'3" habits in the paint, but he is getting to the box and needs to convert at higher rates.  And, Gordon stepping up.  He is going to be a stellar Y league player for decades. 

Good thoughts, 84. The offensive movement seemed improved and the reward was a balanced scoring attack that we haven't seen in some time. While we're talking about about players and their stubborn habits, we'd be remiss in not talking about Sackey, whose absence may partially explain the improved offensive flow.  His speed, which may have served him well in high school, has become his Maslow's hammer (when all you have is a hammer, you tend to see everything as a nail).  He needs to realize that it is not sufficient at the D1 level. Not only are there fast players, but the chances of outrunning even the slower defenders is slim when you are predictable and too out of control to pass or shoot your way out of a premature drive to the basket.

I don't have an astute coaches mind, so I'm not sure what adjustment he needs to (and can) make, but if I continue to see him drive straight into a small gap, at full acceleration and without an apparent outlet, I'll lose faith in him as a point guard. What would you have him do to be less dependent on his speed and reduce his turnovers?

[NativeCheesehead]

Maslow's hammer, Occam's razor, and cognitive dissonance are all references I've seen on this board in the past year. You can't say you see that level of discourse on most basketball message boards.

[Just Sayin]

Maslow's hammer, Occam's razor, and cognitive dissonance are all references I've seen on this board in the past year. You can't say you see that level of discourse on most basketball message boards.

Posters here are near the top of the triangle of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
Near the peak experience.

[vu84v2]

Beer sales at Drake games are well controlled and has been a successful profit maker. Valpo needs to let loose on some of their bogus policies.

I am not at all against this, but actually wonder if it would be profitable at Valpo. Facilities costs, insurance, liquor license, etc. to do so would not be negligible. I am guessing that out of a crowd of 3500 at Valpo, perhaps 500 beers would be sold at the game. If they sold them at $8 per beer, that is $4000 of revenue per game. That is not insignificant revenue, but costs might make it not worth the bother. (note here...I learned my rudimentary modeling knowledge of selling alcohol from my days at Valpo violating countless laws regarding the sale of alcohol).

By the way, there is a hospitality area at games where University Advancement welcomes donors. They serve beer, wine, etc. before and during games.

[oklahomamick]

I want to add that several of the set plays Lottich drew up worked in the second half.  For example, the home run play.  That's 2 easy points in a game decided by 5?  Coaching matters.  X and O's matter.  And Lottich stepped up in the second half for one of the first times I can remember.  If you can do this regularly, he will win me over.