Crusaders at No.22 Loyola, Wed., 2/17/21, 7p CT

M · February 17, 2021, 08:06:25 PM

Good first half. I was just hoping they'd keep it close and interesting.

oklahomamick · February 17, 2021, 08:30:10 PM

Wish the announcers would bring up the HL record against each other.

SanityLost17 · February 17, 2021, 08:37:14 PM

3 wide open Loyola 3 pointers are 100% Clay's fault. He is out of position so often it is embarrassing.

oklahomamick · February 17, 2021, 08:41:10 PM

Need some open shots here or 1v1 mismatches. Need some buckets last 3 minutes.

oklahomamick · February 17, 2021, 08:57:18 PM

Bad call

VUSL98 · February 17, 2021, 08:57:39 PM

Foul?

mj · February 17, 2021, 08:57:52 PM

Ugh. Wish we could have hit a few more FTs.

AlaskaCrusader19 · February 17, 2021, 08:58:56 PM

Tough loss for the Crusaders... Not so sure about that final foul call on the offensive rebound, but it's hard to win only scoring 52 points. It's been good to see Zion start to play really well. A shame he's likely done after this year. Can't help but be optimistic about the future of this team, but I'm trying to keep it a cautious level of optimism. Go Valpo!

vok22 · February 17, 2021, 09:00:18 PM

I am sorry, nobody will be convincing me that call wasn't intentional to keep the 2 bid valley alive. Atrocious.

valpopal · February 17, 2021, 09:00:33 PM

Tonight's starting lineup is what I have been recommending: Edwards for Sackey and Krikke in the 4 position. It allows for better spacing and defensive matchups. I hope we continue with this in the future.

VUSWIM08-12 · February 17, 2021, 09:01:02 PM

Valpo Mantra , "oh what a moral victory" ughhh I despise Porter Moser , he's a bitch , complains constantly to the refs n Lottich doesn't say a word . Classic Lottich n Valpo. So inconsistent this season , why can't we play with that intensity all season ?? Great games from Zion n Goodnews !

VUSERF · February 17, 2021, 09:01:31 PM

Heartbreaker. Just like last year. Listened to both those games on the radio.

3 solid games against top 25 teams. Just wish we could come to play/ coach like this every night. If we did, we could be a top 4 MVC team.

valpo64 · February 17, 2021, 09:02:01 PM

What a great effort. Great prep by Lottich and staff and the kids fought hard. They deserved a win against the 22nd ranked team on Loyola's home court. The youngsters are playing well. Hopefully they will be able to do it more consistently as they get more experience.

VUSL98 · February 17, 2021, 09:04:40 PM

Have to ask: where was Sackey? Not that I think he would have made a difference.

nkvu · February 17, 2021, 09:05:36 PM

Tough ending on a tough call. Much better game than I expected. The team played really well but gave too many open three looks that Loyola knocked down. Still, if we knock down our free throws we would have won. Great game from Zion and Goodnews. The team seemed much more under control for most of the game with Sackey out, and except for a few key times, much better on the boards.

covufan · February 17, 2021, 09:06:16 PM

Great effort by the Valpo Men's Basketball Team (just doesn't flow well)!

If Lottich can keep the team playing like this, we have some good games coming up in Arch Madness

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Chairback · February 17, 2021, 09:09:01 PM

The one announcer was a complete ass. Has to be one of the worst I've heard in awhile. Was that Kaplan?

VUGrad1314 · February 17, 2021, 09:13:31 PM

How has this team which has gotten swept by Evansville and won only one non conference D1 game in addition to getting absolutely thrashed by Bradley in a game also come within an eyelash of three victories against top 25 teams securing one? I am absolutely dumbfounded. Are we better than we showed earlier in the year? Is Lottich actually right when he says that we are building something special?

covufan · February 17, 2021, 09:14:36 PM

Ouch!

https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1362237937879035910?s=21

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vok22 · February 17, 2021, 09:17:02 PM

Quote from: Chairback on February 17, 2021, 09:09:01 PM
The one announcer was a complete ass. Has to be one of the worst I've heard in awhile. Was that Kaplan?

Yep. I cannot stand him

AB · February 17, 2021, 09:28:57 PM

Start Morgan and Gordon in the back court. They play under control and defend ball screens well. Game came down to 50/50 balls and missed free throws. Loyola escapes on an off night. Team is improving and played hard on both sides of the ball for 40 minutes.

VUGrad1314 · February 17, 2021, 09:30:15 PM

Quote from: covufan on February 17, 2021, 09:14:36 PMOuch! [tweet]1362237937879035910[/tweet]?s=21 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oof... Minimal at best contact. I probably would have let that one go if I were officiating.

VUGrad1314 · February 17, 2021, 09:38:23 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 16, 2021, 11:14:01 PM
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 16, 2021, 09:06:48 PMWait, this is the same Loyola that was in the Horizon League with us?
Not quite... One program got to the MVC and got serious about basketball. The other one got to the MVC and didn't get serious about basketball. I'll leave it to you to fill in the blanks.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 16, 2021, 09:27:03 PMAlbeit unlikely, this is a chance for Valpo to achieve two wins against top 25 teams in the same season for the first time.
While that would be truly amazing I don't see it happening. This Loyola team might seriously be better than the one that was in the Final 4 four years ago, They're that good. I saw a graphic when they played Drake and this team not only compares very favorable to the metrics of that Final 4 team it even exceeds them. If Moser keeps them focused and motivated to play they should have no trouble, especially since we're not a great matchup for them as evidenced by the shellacking they gave us earlier this year. Let us also not forget that the team that beat Loyola last year had decent senior leadership and a certain someone named JFL who is now playing elsewhere. We'll be lucky to cover.

I'll eat this one... Very bad prediction by me... Maybe I have been unfair... Maybe Lottich isn't as bad a coach as I've made him out to be in my mind... Maybe we really are getting better... I just wish I could see stronger more consistent evidence of that... We'd better put it all together next year though. This kind of inconsistency should not be acceptable next season.

IndyEIT777 · February 17, 2021, 10:00:22 PM

I'll start by saying this, after watching this game, there should be no reason Sackey starts another game the rest of the season. Zion looks far more controlled at the point and seems to run the offense more effectively.

I really don't understand this team though, one game we look like world beaters and the next we look like a D-III school. I really hope Ognocivic gets a start down at SIU this weekend, him and Krikke on the court at the same time seems to open up the offense more.

As painful as the end call was, we played well enough to win. Am I getting tired of moral victories, absolutely. But after getting slammed at home by this same team, to almost go into their place and pulling the upset, I'm optimistic for these last two weeks.

justducky · February 17, 2021, 10:16:11 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on February 17, 2021, 09:38:23 PMMaybe Lottich isn't as bad a coach as I've made him out to be in my mind... Maybe we really are getting better... I just wish I could see stronger more consistent evidence of that... We'd better put it all together next year though. This kind of inconsistency should not be acceptable next season.

I'm not yet worried about next season. I'm more worried about which team Matt will take down to Carbondale. Maybe he should schedule two team buses so that both teams can make the trip?

Goodnews and Zion might be hard to remove from the lineup. Their shots are falling, their confidence is building, and their tandem defensive pressure is starting to impress me. JO also did a decent job against Krutwig even before help arrived. Given time he should mature into a solid MVC defender.