Aces at the ARC 1/28 6 pm

[humbleopinion]

An opportunity for the Beacons to chalk up a win for the hometown fans.

I certainly wouldn't predict a blowout.  Evansville, coming of a close loss to Belmont, must have this date circled on the schedule to notch a victory.

[usc4valpo]

Valpo wins, and if it were to Valpo leadership and trustees, Lottich gets an extension at a lower salary. That would  be such a Valpo decision.

[valpotx]

Valpo 74
Evansville 66

[covufan]

Which team shows up. Can't lay an egg at home.


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[AB]

Over Under 2,000 fans? Official attendance counts the, scores table, media, players and refs.

[Pgmado]

Valpo wins, and if it were to Valpo leadership and trustees, Lottich gets an extension at a lower salary. That would  be such a Valpo decision.

I really don't understand your constant contention about Valpo leadership. AD in his first year. Relatively new president who took over the job in the middle of a pandemic when there were far more important things than basketball on his plate. Those are the two decision-makers. Anything that has happened before them should go out the door IMO. Maybe I'm wrong.

[justducky]

I have no confidence that we will play well tonight and that has kept me at home again. I don't think that anything can change my negativity without a near complete program overhaul. I don't always properly recognize talent and potential but I can recognize failure.

[AB]

Good first half. Aces certainly are the least talented team in the league. Play Bayu more, rest Krikke. I guess Palm is injured, in the dog house?

[tjjvalpo]

We are letting them hang around-certainly concerning. Let's put them away!

[valpotx]

Yay, we won't go 3-17!  Yes, I am going to keep doing this

[VALPO LI]

Over Under 2,000 fans? Official attendance counts the, scores table, media, players and refs.

Just under 2,000 fans (1,969)
The ARC was 39% full.

[tjjvalpo]

Not sure, but sadly it was probably are largest crowd of the season. A hundred or so Evansville fans helped. Student section was still 2/3 empty.

[IndyValpo]

I have no confidence that we will play well tonight and that has kept me at home again. I don't think that anything can change my negativity without a near complete program overhaul. I don't always properly recognize talent and potential but I can recognize failure.

This post aged well. I don't always recognize prediction ability but I can recognize a "true fan".

[wh]

I have no confidence that we will play well tonight and that has kept me at home again. I don't think that anything can change my negativity without a near complete program overhaul. I don't always properly recognize talent and potential but I can recognize failure.

This post aged well. I don't always recognize prediction ability but I can recognize a "true fan".

Call me stupid, but despite all the negativity surrounding the program I still thoroughly enjoyed being there in person tonight. I think you would have too, ducky.

[crusadermoe]

Okay good! I will call the glass half full tonight and not half empty. You got a home win and you had 1,900 fans.

I won't comment on the 1/3 student section on a Saturday night game in late January. Let's just start today with a win and a decent crowd. And then not go backward again. 

[valpotx]

The thing that I have enjoyed the most out of this season, is watching Connor Barrett go from utter disbelief at making his first 3 of the season (and his teammates overly clapping for him on it), to shooting with 100% confidence now.  I think that Maximus Nelson has gone through that same feeling throughout the middle of the season, but he never really quit shooting.  Connor looked completely tepid over his first few games, but now works his a$$ off on both sides of the floor.  Utter joy to see his confidence come back.

[Pgmado]

The thing that I have enjoyed the most out of this season, is watching Connor Barrett go from utter disbelief at making his first 3 of the season (and his teammates overly clapping for him on it), to shooting with 100% confidence now.  I think that Maximus Nelson has gone through that same feeling throughout the middle of the season, but he never really quit shooting.  Connor looked completely tepid over his first few games, but now works his a$$ off on both sides of the floor.  Utter joy to see his confidence come back.

Preach. Absolutely preach.

[usc4valpo]

Pgmado - I can see your confusion. Regarding Small and Padilla, nothing negative can be said about them. They are new, seem to decent, doing the right thing, and care about the basketball program. But do they some level of power to make "executive orders"? My concern is that the overall university leadership and governance,  where there are members apathetic to the basketball program or passive to make bold decisions such as this one. I would guess for some that if we could give the coaching position a pay cut and maintain sub-mediocrity, that is acceptable.  Their view might be, "well as long as Evansville is at the bottom and we are not, that's great!"

[David81]

Pgmado - I can see your confusion. Regarding Small and Padilla, nothing negative can be said about them. They are new, seem to decent, doing the right thing, and care about the basketball program. But do they some level of power to make "executive orders"? My concern is that the overall university leadership and governance,  where there are members apathetic to the basketball program or passive to make bold decisions such as this one. I would guess for some that if we could give the coaching position a pay cut and maintain sub-mediocrity, that is acceptable.  Their view might be, "well as long as Evansville is at the bottom and we are not, that's great!"

Small surely didn't come to Valpo to preside over a MBB program in decline, and Padilla strikes me as being the most enthusiastic sports prez VU has had, perhaps ever. (Did anyone see the fall welcome back video he did, which included funny spoofs of himself on the fields with the football and soccer teams? Each of his predecessors had his strong points for VU, but none would've done something like that.)

But we should understand that Padilla and Small are not in an easy position: What makes a possible head coaching change a "bold decision" is less about the W-L record of the incumbent and more about the money, right? Either way, Padilla will be criticized: Don't make a change or make one on the cheap, and many close fans of the MBB program will be angry over a lack of commitment to winning. Make a big change (presumably including a costly buyout), and others will be angry that VU is paying someone the equivalent of a small academic department's worth of full-time faculty salaries to walk away, while ponying up to pay his successor big $$$ as well. And...he must answer to the VU Board on his decisions as well.

I don't see anyone here or elsewhere suggesting that so long as Valpo isn't at the very bottom of the MVC standings, everything is fine. But Padilla, especially, has a lot on his plate in addition to the fortunes of the basketball team.

In the meantime, I watched the post-game with Coach Lottich, Ben Krikke, and Max Nelson. You know what, no one's quitting. They're not boastful about beating Evansville, but they're not acting beaten, either. They're still taking pride in their craft. I hope the team finishes well, and let the post-season bring what it brings.

[usc4valpo]

Great comments David. Padilla and Smart have a very difficult job ahead in an economic and cultural situation where it's very challenging to be successful in the MVC.

[vu72]

While we all wish things were moving in a better direction, take heart!  Things in other parts of the basketball world are not all roses either!  To wit, Loyola Chicago, with their beautiful practice facility overlooking Lake Michigan, are 1-7 and now sit in last place in a conference just slightly better than our Valley.  Oh, and that Drew kid, you know, the great coach formerly ours,had his team lose to Tarleton State(?) by 18 points and are now fully ensconced in the middle of the pack in the WAC, a conferenced ranked two spots worse than the Valley by Sagarin.  Stuff happens!  It's college basketball.

[Just Sayin]

We should celebrate mediocrity because we are not alone.

[valpopal]

While we all wish things were moving in a better direction, take heart!  Things in other parts of the basketball world are not all roses either...that Drew kid, you know, the great coach formerly ours, had his team lose to Tarleton State(?) by 18 points and are now fully ensconced in the middle of the pack in the WAC, a conferenced ranked two spots worse than the Valley by Sagarin.  Stuff happens!  It's college basketball.

Not so fast there, 72. That Drew kid's team is currently ranked 119 in the NET ratings, 169 spots ahead of Valpo's 288. The Tarleton State team you disparage is also ranked more than 100 places ahead of VU at 173. Plus, the WAC conference is currently ranked in 11th place in the conference NET ratings, while the MVC is ranked in 15th place. In fact, 12 teams in the WAC have higher NET ratings than Valpo. Finally, GCU might be in the middle of their conference standings, but they are only 2 games out of first place.

[valpo64]

It is so easy to be negative....what is so bad about giving credit where credit is due?  I sometimes wonder if some people have ever seen a glass half full.  If the shoe fits, wear it.

[usc4valpo]

Ingetbit 64, we also have to be realistic. Let's see what happens in the next few games.