Valpo vs UIC 11/13 at noon

[David81]

Kithier is putting up impressive numbers...a higher scoring and rebounding, healthier (fingers crossed) cross between Van Wijk, Johnson, and Igbavboa???

The talent is there. If they're playing well come MVC tourney time, this could be a surprise team.

[justducky]

I agree with you about Gordon needing to lose some minutes, but Taylor has been our 2nd best player through 2 games, I don't think he's going to get minutes taken away. As for Trevor, him and Darius are the only true point guards on the team so Ben and Kobe coming in really aren't going to affect point guard minutes.

Just now worked up some full strength minute projections and if I assume that Krikke and King both play 28 minutes then we need to find 56 minutes for them. Maybe Gordon drops 16 minutes going to 8 per game. Anderson might drop 4 min going from 33 to 29. Kithier drops maybe 5 and settles in with 30?
So we have found only 25 of our 56 needed minutes. OK---  sorry but I think Taylor drops to about 25 minutes giving us an additional 14 which takes us to 39 of our needed 56 minutes and we need 17 more which will come about half from DeAveiro and half from everywhere else.

That is a lot of bench time for some really good developed and underdeveloped players!

[valpotx]

Kithier is putting up impressive numbers...a higher scoring and rebounding, healthier (fingers crossed) cross between Van Wijk, Johnson, and Igbavboa???

The talent is there. If they're playing well come MVC tourney time, this could be a surprise team.

I view him as more of a KVW/Igbavboa, not as much Johnson, since Cory could hit the mid-range shots.  I believe that Kithier is a close-to-the-basket type of guy, like KVW.

[justducky]

Edwards is a good defensive player but he kills the team on offense. He'll make a shot once in a while but otherwise runs the offense out of the game way too often.

Edwards is very talented but his judgement still needs development. Fortunately for this team he could soon drop from being a top scoring option to typically being 3'rd or 4'th. If he can restrain his attack the basket impulses and play with discipline he and the team could still have a fine season.

[VALPO LI]

I understand why the fantactics can't see it or believe it. 

But Vegas is blind to it too. 

Flames plus 150 moneyline.  Easy money. 

I am looking forward to the day you loose your shirt on these bets

[Valpo Joe]

This isn't a bad team. But it's not a good team either. We had an opportunity to win and Edwards blew it.

This is a bad team. Bad teams lose to UIC at home.

Freakin' Beacons now 0 -4,  wait, just wait the coach has a plan. You learn through failure!  Keep failing and they will be ready for ARCH MADNESS! Get your tickets NOW. 

[JD24]

I agree with you about Gordon needing to lose some minutes, but Taylor has been our 2nd best player through 2 games, I don't think he's going to get minutes taken away. As for Trevor, him and Darius are the only true point guards on the team so Ben and Kobe coming in really aren't going to affect point guard minutes.

Just now worked up some full strength minute projections and if I assume that Krikke and King both play 28 minutes then we need to find 56 minutes for them. Maybe Gordon drops 16 minutes going to 8 per game. Anderson might drop 4 min going from 33 to 29. Kithier drops maybe 5 and settles in with 30? So we have found only 25 of our 56 needed minutes. OK---  sorry but I think Taylor drops to about 25 minutes giving us an additional 14 which takes us to 39 of our needed 56 minutes and we need 17 more which will come about half from DeAveiro and half from everywhere else. That is a lot of bench time for some really good developed and underdeveloped players!

Ultimately I think it will end up being Anderson who drops more than you project. Taylor's the better player based on what I've seen although we need to see who else can contribute handling the ball if Anderson and the freshman aren't out there. Edwards has to be off the floor more as well. I don't trust him to not make stupid decisions....a consistent problem...just because two other guys show up.

These things all have a way of working out however. Gordon? If he didn't play a minute would anyone miss him? Why would he even be in the rotation?

[bbtds]

Gordon? If he didn't play a minute would anyone miss him? Why would he even be in the rotation?

Playing Eron Gordon 29 minutes in an game that was so close it went into O.T. has to be one of the poorest decisions Lottich has ever made at Valpo as head coach.

Eron scored no points, went 0-4 from two, and had 2 turnovers. Eron made poor decisions on offense all game long. At least in the UIC game he didn't attempt any threes. Why did Eron play that much? ? ? Why didn't Keyondre, who has actually made more shots in his 18 minutes than Eron has made in his 47 minutes, get more playing time?

[IndyEIT777]

Gordon? If he didn't play a minute would anyone miss him? Why would he even be in the rotation?

Playing Eron Gordon 29 minutes in an game that was so close it went into O.T. has to be one of the poorest decisions Lottich has ever made at Valpo as head coach.

Eron scored no points, went 0-4 from two, and had 2 turnovers. Eron made poor decisions on offense all game long. At least in the UIC game he didn't attempt any threes. Why did Eron play that much? ? ? Why didn't Keyondre, who has actually made more shots in his 18 minutes than Eron has made in his 47 minutes, get more playing time?

It just boggles my mind that Lottich would ride Gordon out like this. My gut says he feels he owes Gordon for his time given at Valpo so he's giving him more playing time. He's definitely not one of our 5 best on our team and he might not be one of our 8 best so I hope his minutes start to drop significantly once Krikke and King come into the picture.

[bbtds]

Valpo post UIC game press conference: https://youtu.be/Uak4I8XuCrw

Coach Lottich says "Keyondre, obviously I thought going into this week, he doesn't practice 2 days ago and Connor did" "Slim came in and performed. I thought he did a really good job. You know it's hard with freshmen that aren't as experienced. I thought he executed, he came in and obviously banged a shot. I thought he guarded well. I thought that pull up that he had was the right read. He also entered the post a couple of times which was fantastic and so we've got to continue to work him in. He's been dealing with a little bit of a thumb thing, it's been painful. There's guys playing through a lot of stuff right now."

I just don't get it. There was no mention at all of Eron playing 29 minutes and not scoring. If you're praising your freshman so much why is he only playing 6 minutes to Eron's 29 minutes? A painful thumb?

[oklahomamick]

Until last year when we also lost to uic.......We had a 17 game winning streak against UIC

[vuny98]

I was actually at the game yesterday.  It was definitely one we should have won.

The pros are Kithier and Taylor both look great.

Darius looked ok for a freshman but he shouldn't have been out there that much in the end. Made too many mistakes.

Anderson is a decent ball handler and distributor but he's not a point guard that can take over the game in the clutch and he is slow on defense.

Gordon seems to have regressed. He's still a decent role player but I'm hoping he doesn't get this many minutes as the year goes on.

Sheldon is so damn athletic, and great on defense, but his decision making is frustrating to say the least. Even my 9 year old daughter who knows nothing about basketball said why is that guy such a ball hog, he never passes. That play at the end killed us.

We need Kobe and Krikke for this team and I truly believe we will be much better with those two in the lineup. So I'm not writing the year off yet. But my main gripe about Lottich has always been his rotations suck. He showed that again yesterday. That's my main worry moving forward. That and Sheldon thinking he has earned the right to do his own thing whenever he wants on offense.

[Just Sayin]

I was actually at the game yesterday.  It was definitely one we should have won.

The pros are Kithier and Taylor both look great.

Darius looked ok for a freshman but he shouldn't have been out there that much in the end. Made too many mistakes.

Taylor is a decent ball handler and distributor but he's not a point guard that can take over the game in the clutch and he is slow on defense.

Gordon seems to have regressed. He's still a decent role player but I'm hoping he doesn't get this many minutes as the year goes on.

Sheldon is so damn athletic, and great on defense, but his decision making is frustrating to say the least. Even my 9 year old daughter who knows nothing about basketball said why is that guy such a ball hog, he never passes. That play at the end killed us.

We need Kobe and Krikke for this team and I truly believe we will be much better with those two in the lineup. So I'm not writing the year off yet. But my main gripe about Lottich has always been his rotations suck. He showed that again yesterday. That's my main worry moving forward. That and Sheldon thinking he has earned the right to do his own thing whenever he wants on offense.

Pretty sure I heard Sheldon say that Matt gave him the green light to do his own thing, which if true, is very bad. He's no Michael Jordan. And why would a good coach let a guy like Gordon, who is only hurting the team's chances of winning, stay in the game? Someone here said perhaps Matt thinks he owes Gordon something. What a horrible way to coach a team.

[Valpo89]

It seems like every year is the same thing.  Here's my take on this season's journey, going back to the off season.
"Great" players transfer in to take the place of what we once considered "great" players or "recruiting steals."
They are hyped up by what is left of the local media. Some of the die-hards on this board get excited and expect great things.
The preseason poll is released, and the team is "disrespected" with a lower-than-expected prediction.
Key players get hurt or sick.
Early season losses against teams that may have been wins prior to, oh, Alec Peters' senior year.
Excuses are made. Better things are on the horizon.
A few games will give a glimmer of hope.
But then reality sets in. Losses will pile up. The great players will become disgruntled.
The season will end in early March, near the Arch. Rumors will circle about some of these once great players not being good program players and it's fine that they want to transfer.
The cycle will repeat again, as long as one certain man remains in charge.

[valpopal]

Valpo has now lost to two D-2 teams and two D-1 teams from conferences lower than the MVC on its home court. UIC is predicted to finish 8th in the Horizon League and ranked about 270 nationally, yet VU seemed the lesser team. This is a sure way to dowse enthusiasm, even among loyal longtime fans, and diminish attendance. In the post-game press conference, the players again appeared to be more aware and more composed than Lottich. As Kithier said: "If you execute in the last five minutes of each game, we are sitting at 2-0." I will pay attention to the team again in three weeks on December 7 when Kobe King is eligible and Krikke should be fully healthy, and I will optimistically hope for a total reboot of the season. 

[Just Sayin]

Valpo has now lost to two D-2 teams and two D-1 teams from conferences lower than the MVC on its home court. UIC is predicted to finish 8th in the Horizon League and ranked about 270 nationally, yet VU seemed the lesser team. This is a sure way to dowse enthusiasm, even among loyal longtime fans, and diminish attendance. In the post-game press conference, the players again appeared to be more aware and more composed than Lottich. As Kithier said: "If you execute in the last five minutes of each game, we are sitting at 2-0." I will pay attention to the team again in three weeks on December 7 when Kobe King is eligible and Krikke should be fully healthy, and I will optimistically hope for a total reboot of the season.

There sure seems to be some glimmer of hope that this team will come together with the addition of King and a healthy Krikke. Seriously. Jury is still out though. Even with a better team than we have now, Matt looks to be easily out-coached in the MVC. Coaching matters. I'm afraid even with a healthy and ready K&K, Valpo89's scenario will play out once again this year. Deja Vu all over again.

[mj]

What happens when King and Krikke return, other than having more talent on the court? Do we have a talent problem or a coaching problem? Do we think we'll have so much talent on the court that it will paper over our coaching failures? Considering his rotation choices so far, do we think that Lottich knows the best combinations to put on the court?

[Smj]

The coach needed to reign in Edwards at the end of the game.    Different outcome of he didn't force things...

Sometimes I wonder if there is a planned attack or if they just hope something comes together at the end of games.

[a3uge]

Valpo has now lost to two D-2 teams and two D-1 teams from conferences lower than the MVC on its home court. UIC is predicted to finish 8th in the Horizon League and ranked about 270 nationally, yet VU seemed the lesser team. This is a sure way to dowse enthusiasm, even among loyal longtime fans, and diminish attendance. In the post-game press conference, the players again appeared to be more aware and more composed than Lottich. As Kithier said: "If you execute in the last five minutes of each game, we are sitting at 2-0." I will pay attention to the team again in three weeks on December 7 when Kobe King is eligible and Krikke should be fully healthy, and I will optimistically hope for a total reboot of the season.

There sure seems to be some glimmer of hope that this team will come together with the addition of King and a healthy Krikke. Seriously. Jury is still out though. Even with a better team than we have now, Matt looks to be easily out-coached in the MVC. Coaching matters. I'm afraid even with a healthy and ready K&K, Valpo89's scenario will play out once again this year. Deja Vu all over again.

Valpo has now lost to two D-2 teams and two D-1 teams from conferences lower than the MVC on its home court. UIC is predicted to finish 8th in the Horizon League and ranked about 270 nationally, yet VU seemed the lesser team. This is a sure way to dowse enthusiasm, even among loyal longtime fans, and diminish attendance. In the post-game press conference, the players again appeared to be more aware and more composed than Lottich. As Kithier said: "If you execute in the last five minutes of each game, we are sitting at 2-0." I will pay attention to the team again in three weeks on December 7 when Kobe King is eligible and Krikke should be fully healthy, and I will optimistically hope for a total reboot of the season.

There sure seems to be some glimmer of hope that this team will come together with the addition of King and a healthy Krikke. Seriously. Jury is still out though. Even with a better team than we have now, Matt looks to be easily out-coached in the MVC. Coaching matters. I'm afraid even with a healthy and ready K&K, Valpo89's scenario will play out once again this year. Deja Vu all over again.

Krikke is likely a backup to Kithier anyway. You can't really put them both on the court at the same time unless you want even worse floor spacing.

[Just Sayin]

Floor spacing? Put the best players on the floor. Find a way to win with them.

[bbtds]

Floor spacing? Put the best players on the floor. Find a way to win with them.

I agree. the only thing is is I don't believe that the coaches will figure out some way to make this happen with Krikke & Kithier on the floor at the same time. I'd almost rather have Ben & Thomas figure it out themselves.

[bb33]

Yesterday's game made me so sick i can't  even comment on our team

I will say Franklin was an excellent high school player. (i saw him play for Nikes North) He would have been a great sign for Valpo and UIC was lucky to get him this year. 

[valpo64]

The game was a great disappointment...I also have questions regarding Matt's performance...also we should not think that when Krikke and Kobe get on the floor everything will be well...once again we will have a new group that has to get used to playing together...I see that factor as our biggest problem, that is playing together as a team...perhaps one reason Gordon is getting so many minutes is that he is one of the few who has had prior experience here.  We cannot lose sight of the point that while we have some talented guys, they all come from different programs...Mich St. Wisc, jr. college, high school.  To all of a sudden have to get all theses new faces to blend is a very tough situation to deal with.  We also need to remember that pre-season practices had Krikke, and maybe another one or 2 people, in the starting lineup and then all of a sudden the season begins and your best player is out.   So we start over.  The important experience of playing together appears to have been forgotten.   While Matt has his faults, especially on offensive, I think the playing time together is very much needed and will determine our team's ;success, and Matt's future.

[a3uge]

The game was a great disappointment...I also have questions regarding Matt's performance...also we should not think that when Krikke and Kobe get on the floor everything will be well...once again we will have a new group that has to get used to playing together...I see that factor as our biggest problem, that is playing together as a team...perhaps one reason Gordon is getting so many minutes is that he is one of the few who has had prior experience here.  We cannot lose sight of the point that while we have some talented guys, they all come from different programs...Mich St. Wisc, jr. college, high school.  To all of a sudden have to get all theses new faces to blend is a very tough situation to deal with.  We also need to remember that pre-season practices had Krikke, and maybe another one or 2 people, in the starting lineup and then all of a sudden the season begins and your best player is out.   So we start over.  The important experience of playing together appears to have been forgotten.   While Matt has his faults, especially on offensive, I think the playing time together is very much needed and will determine our team's ;success, and Matt's future.

UIC played 4 new transfers and 2 freshmen. If Lottich can't get new players up to speed to beat a Horizon League bottom dweller at home that also has a ton of transfers, Valpo should find a coach that can.

[valpopal]

Krikke is likely a backup to Kithier anyway. You can't really put them both on the court at the same time unless you want even worse floor spacing.

Did you forget that Krikke and Kithier started the Ashland game and played together until Krikke got hurt? In that brief time period, they looked like they worked well together.