11/25/11: Valpo at #3 Ohio State Game Thread

[vu84v2]

OK...so three days until this game.  Surprisingly, no discussion so far.

Ohio State is obviously loaded and talented.  Sullinger is a great post man, Buford a wing that will play in the NBA, Craft a solid point guard, and they have a bunch of good freshman.  Valpo will have 5 days between games while Ohio State will have played cupcakes last night and tomorrow.

Thoughts:
-The game will be a good measure for Van Wijk and Broekhoff since they may match up with Sullinger and Buford.  Both should go into the game very confident and solid games should make that confidence even higher.
-Edwards and Vucic will need to play quality minutes to either give Van Wijk a breather or with Van Wijk to relieve him of dealing with Sullinger for awhile.  Vucic against Sullinger could be...interesting.
-Valpo will probably need to play zone at least 50% of the time.  Ohio State has been inconsistent from the outside - though my guess is that they are a better shooting team than their stats show.
-For Valpo to have any chance, someone has to have a breakout game.  My choice for this is Jay Harris.  He has shown improvement and signs of confidence and maturity.  Get him hot!
-My guess is that with the job Bryce has done and the character of the players, the effort will be there.  Despite the heart, the lack of depth and consistent scoring beyond Broekhoff and Van Wijk will probably make for a long evening with scoring droughts.

Prediction:  Ohio State 79  Valpo 59

[vuweathernerd]

i think it'll be closer than 20, but probably not by much. hopefully we don't get run out of the gym though. we'll have to shoot lights out from three. the kvw-sullinger matchup is intriguing - they're listed as only an inch apart, but sullinger's got 40 pounds on kevin. but i think kevin's ability and willingness to bang around down low could cause a bit of a problem for them. broekhoff and jay are both gonna need good performances, and if vucic can do anything, it'll be good. he's supposedly got 4 inches on sullinger, and 2 inches on their tallest player, amir williams, who's apparently a very lean 6'11"/220lbs. in the end, their depth will overcome. ohio state takes it 86-70

for what it's worth, they opened their season against wright state, and absolutely dismantled them.

[swiftmutiny]

If Valpo can stay within 10-15 points given our current depth issues I'll be impressed. Ohio State is stacked, and our guys are going to have to play at their very best to have a chance.

[valpotx]

Ohio State 82
Valpo 68

We will keep it close for the first half within 6-7 points, and then OSU will storm out of halftime to keep it in double digits the rest of the game.  In other words, what always happens against top teams :-).

[vu72]

It will tell us a lot about how good we really are.  I think we've come a long way since the AZ game and in the end that result was respectable.  Obviously, being on the road at a Big Ten school is never easy.  Still, the matchups are intriguing.  Edwards-Thomas--both 6-7", Kenney-Smith, both 6'4" , Buford-Ryan both about 6'6", Buggs-Craft, Buggs is smaller but faster, and of course Kevin and Sullinger--who knows whether anyone can stop Sullinger.  Depth will be an issue and with Tommy not playing so well any pressure will be potentially a problem.  I don't expect full court stuff however.

A decent showing for a team still growing together and very shorthanded.  Ohio State  79 Valpo 67

[covufan]

Buggs and KVW need to stay out of foul trouble.  Everyone will need to hit the boards.

OSU   -  77
Valpo  -  64

[lowposter]

I think the Craft - Buggs matchup will be just as intriguing as both are very good defensive points. 

Lowposter

[historyman]

Valpo  70
Ohio State  74

I think this Crusader team will make a huge push at the end of the game that will fall just short of upsetting the Buckeyes. Valpo will be down early in the 2nd half by 10-15 points but will storm back in the last 6 minutes for the 4 point loss.

[mj]

This could wind up being a trap game for Ohio State. They played yesterday against North Florida and tomorrow against VMI. They also have a big game against #6 Duke coming up in a week. We might be catching them at just the right time. Plus you add in the fact that Valpo is coming off of two great wins.

I looked back at previous Valpo schedules the past 10 seasons and we've never faced a ranked team with this much momentum. The closest thing I found was back in the 2001-2002 season, when we beat West Virginia 76-57 and then barely lost to #14 Arizona 74-70. The other times we faced ranked teams, have been early in the season or when we've been on long losing streaks.

I know Ohio State is a great team, but I think we have a puncher's chance to pull off the big upset.

[wh]

72-70 Valpo. 

[agibson]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.  Has anyone seen anything about streaming video options?

[valporun]

Has anyone seen anything about streaming video options?

There might be something at www.firstrowsports.tv on Friday night.

[KL31NY]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.

All respect to Mr. Ickow and Mr. Gillogly on WAKE, but I'd say that BTN is worth it if you can access it. Wayne Larrivee of Green Bay Packer/Chicago Bear fame is on play-by-play, a personal favorite of mine whose got a great call for both football and basketball. Jimmy Jackson on color commentary if you care to know. Found this info on the Ohio State athletics site.

[bbtds]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.

All respect to Mr. Ickow and Mr. Gillogly on WAKE, but I'd say that BTN is worth it if you can access it. Wayne Larrivee of Green Bay Packer/Chicago Bear fame is on play-by-play, a personal favorite of mine whose got a great call for both football and basketball. Jimmy Jackson on color commentary if you care to know. Found this info on the Ohio State athletics site.

agibson is not saying anything about the quality of the broadcast on BTN. He's saying he will be in another part of the country and won't have access to BTN therefore his only access will be to the WAKE radio call. Although I would make sure you check the listings. I have know someone in Florida that gets BTN on his TV system.

[valpo04]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.

All respect to Mr. Ickow and Mr. Gillogly on WAKE, but I'd say that BTN is worth it if you can access it. Wayne Larrivee of Green Bay Packer/Chicago Bear fame is on play-by-play, a personal favorite of mine whose got a great call for both football and basketball. Jimmy Jackson on color commentary if you care to know. Found this info on the Ohio State athletics site.

agibson is not saying anything about the quality of the broadcast on BTN. He's saying he will be in another part of the country and won't have access to BTN therefore his only access will be to the WAKE radio call. Although I would make sure you check the listings. I have know someone in Florida that gets BTN on his TV system.

I get the BTN here on Verizon Fios, firmly in the middle of ACC country.

[KL31NY]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.

All respect to Mr. Ickow and Mr. Gillogly on WAKE, but I'd say that BTN is worth it if you can access it. Wayne Larrivee of Green Bay Packer/Chicago Bear fame is on play-by-play, a personal favorite of mine whose got a great call for both football and basketball. Jimmy Jackson on color commentary if you care to know. Found this info on the Ohio State athletics site.

agibson is not saying anything about the quality of the broadcast on BTN. He's saying he will be in another part of the country and won't have access to BTN therefore his only access will be to the WAKE radio call. Although I would make sure you check the listings. I have know someone in Florida that gets BTN on his TV system.

My apologies if it seemed like I was saying anything about agibson's broadcast preferences. All I mean to say is that given the choice between the two, I would go with BTN. Also, since it's a road game, it would probably be Mr. Ickow and Mr. Leavitt instead. Still fun.

[chef]

Mr Gillogly will be on hand.

[KL31NY]

Yeah, just saw it on the game notes. Perhaps Mr. Leavitt is going with volleyball this weekend or getting a well-deserved break.

Also, on the Jessica Carr pick on the front page of ValpoAthletics, you can find a very casual-looking Mark LaBarbera in the temporary bleachers. Enjoy!

[sectionee]

http://sectionee.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-preview-ohio-state-university.html

[valpo4life]

One thing I noticed in reading sectionee's preview was how he stated that zone might be the best option for us to play.  I actually think that man to man would be better because it is easier to trap the big man and I feel that we do a better job of rebounding in man.  When you get into a zone it can get confusing and people go free to the boards and we CANNOT allow a lot of second chance points in this game.  Another thing I think we will do is run a lil of ND's burn offense to shorten the game.  Once the shot clock gets down to 15 seconds, get the ball to Buggs and run a set.  I think Bryce will have a good gameplan and if we can execute, I believe we can give OSU a tougher test than they expect.

[valporun]

Although Wayne Larrivee and Jimmy Jackson are decent broadcasters, I prefer Todd because I'm not as big a fan of the Majors as I am the Mid-Majors.

[bbtds]

Mr Gillogly will be on hand.

Would you rather work with Wayne Larrivee and Jimmy Jackson? 

[sectionee]

One thing I noticed in reading sectionee's preview was how he stated that zone might be the best option for us to play.  I actually think that man to man would be better because it is easier to trap the big man and I feel that we do a better job of rebounding in man.  When you get into a zone it can get confusing and people go free to the boards and we CANNOT allow a lot of second chance points in this game.  Another thing I think we will do is run a lil of ND's burn offense to shorten the game.  Once the shot clock gets down to 15 seconds, get the ball to Buggs and run a set.  I think Bryce will have a good gameplan and if we can execute, I believe we can give OSU a tougher test than they expect.

You are probably right, we probably will play mostly man.  I don't know how well the guys could really execute a zone defense since they don't seem to play it often.  I was just stating that since OSU's outside shooting has been so poor and we will need to focus on stopping the big fella zone could be a good option.  But you are right, it is definitely easier to trap and rebound in man.  I can't wait for Friday!

[Crusader03]

I know the game's on BTN, which we might even get at home on Valpo Comcast.  But, I'm spending Thanksgiving in ACC country.  I guess we'll have the usual WAKE stream of the radio call.

All respect to Mr. Ickow and Mr. Gillogly on WAKE, but I'd say that BTN is worth it if you can access it. Wayne Larrivee of Green Bay Packer/Chicago Bear fame is on play-by-play, a personal favorite of mine whose got a great call for both football and basketball. Jimmy Jackson on color commentary if you care to know. Found this info on the Ohio State athletics site.

agibson is not saying anything about the quality of the broadcast on BTN. He's saying he will be in another part of the country and won't have access to BTN therefore his only access will be to the WAKE radio call. Although I would make sure you check the listings. I have know someone in Florida that gets BTN on his TV system.

My apologies if it seemed like I was saying anything about agibson's broadcast preferences. All I mean to say is that given the choice between the two, I would go with BTN. Also, since it's a road game, it would probably be Mr. Ickow and Mr. Leavitt instead. Still fun.

That's the way I took it too...no harm, no foul

[agibson]

My apologies if it seemed like I was saying anything about agibson's broadcast preferences. All I mean to say is that given the choice between the two, I would go with BTN. Also, since it's a road game, it would probably be Mr. Ickow and Mr. Leavitt instead. Still fun.

Bbtds was right about my intent (and I will double check, but I'm not hopeful, about BTN) - but I did also appreciate the recommendation for the BTN announcers.