Game #5 - Western Illinois in the ARC - 11/21/23

[talksalot]

Next up in the Illinois MTE is an old foe... Western Illinois Leathernecks.   A Tuesday night with no students on campus.

Western is also 2-2 on the year.  two road losses:   78-68 to UT-San Antonio and 90-53 to SMU in Dallas.   Then they came home, beat NAIA St. Ambrose 94-59 to cure what ailed them... and while we were in Champaign, WIU was playing Southern in the other first round game, and won it 88-80 in Overtime.  Shooting 56% from the field and 35% from three.

Here's the recap
MACOMB – Only a handful of days after getting head coach Chad Boudreau his first win as Western Illinois coach, the Leathernecks were able to get the coach his first win against a Division I foe, putting in a little extra work on Friday night, topping Southern University 88-80 in overtime. The win is the second straight for Western, which now hits the road for three-straight games, playing at Valparaiso on Tuesday, Illinois on Friday and Wisconsin next Monday.

"I got a big life insurance policy, but I need a bigger one," Western Illinois coach Chad Boudreau. "But we did it down the stretch. We stuck with it, I thought the guys, we talked before the game, it's like a boxing match, it's going to be head shots, body shots and I thought we did a good job sticking to it.

"We talk about holding the line, not too high, not too low, but we did a good job holding the line down the stretch."

Things were rolling early for the Leathernecks (2-2), who took a lead as large as nine in the game's first five minutes. But Southern managed to hang around, trailing WIU, 35-32 at the break.

Turnovers plagued Western Illinois in the first half, as 16 miscues allowed the Jaguars to hang around. In the second half, it was free throw shooting that hurt WIU as Southern took a lead as large as seven after intermission, but the Leathernecks were able to fight back into the game.

"Turnovers were killing us, 16 in the first half and we were struggling offensively, but we were still leading," Boudreau said. "Kyle, Chris and Clancy have been all over me because they're doing the defensive stuff, but we have to score some points, so despite that many turnovers and that many missed free throws, to still score 88 points is awesome."

Southern led 64-57 with 4:47 to go, but a 9-0 Leatherneck run gave Western a 66-64 advantage as Quinlan Bennett's (18 points, seven rebounds) bucket helped Western Illinois regain the lead with three minutes to go.

From there, it was back and forth as Southern led by four with under a minute to go. But James Dent Jr. (24 points, eight rebounds, three assists) hit a runner, then made a pair of free throws with one second left to force overtime.

"My teammates stayed on me, the first half wasn't really a good half for me but my teammates knew I would pick it up, they stayed on me all the way," Dent Jr. said. "Q (Quinlan Bennett) had a good game, Q kept us in the game. With Jesiah (West) in foul trouble, other players had to step up, Ryan (Myers) had to step up, he was big, we had everyone come together as a team."

In the extra session, Dent Jr. continued his clutch play, scoring Western's first seven points of overtime. After a JJ Kalakon free throw, Dent Jr. hit a pair from the line, giving the Leathernecks an 82-76 lead.

On Southern's ensuing possession, Drew Cisse (12 points, nine rebounds), recorded his fourth block of the night, setting the stage for the Leathernecks to ice the game at the line.

Ryan Myers (20 points) hit a pair of free throws, followed by for straight from the line by Dent, capping the final scoring.

...
James Dent:  (6'5" guard, junior) 24 points on 6 field goals and 11 free throws - 42 minutes
Ryan Myers:  (6'1" guard, junior) 20 points on 6 field goals - 41 minutes
Quinlan Bennett: (6'4" guard, 5th yr senior)  18 points - 34 minutes
Drew Cisse: (6'11" center, senior) 12 points - 37 minutes

They are averaging 17 turnovers per game (valpo 10)  and 9 blocks per game (valpo 7)... and a home attendance averaging 638 (valpo 1639)

They don't shoot FT's particularly well.  22 of 34 against Southern, 13 of 27 against SMU. (WIU % 57.3%, Valpo 70.5%)
They are averaging 15.5 offensive rebounds per game (valpo 13.8)


We've played them 57 times... winning 34 of them.  We have not played them since the 2006-07 season, that year we beat them 80-56 at home and 78-60 in Macomb.  We haven't lost to them at the ARC since January 22, 2000 (64-50)... after which we won 12 of the next 13 games before losing to Michigan State in the NCAA.

[VULB#62]

It should be noted that James Dent just happened to be a guard on last year's JUCO national champs - John A. Logan. Hmmmmmmmmm. 

Dent averaged 11.0 ppg; Isaiah 12.5 last season.  Hmmmmmmm 

Ya think there could be a game within the game Tuesday night?

[covufan]

After the first half against Illinois, I'm really looking forward to watching this team grow.  This is a good game for us.

My guess is that we won't know more about Manyang and Barrett when they show up ready to play.  Is there an injury reason that Scroggins didn't play ahead of Sciarroni last night?

Valpo  78
W Ill    68

We pull out of our shooting slump.  DeAveiro needs to find his offensive rhythm, as we can't have our MVC opponents playing 5 on 4 defense. 

[valpo64]

Does anyone really think that DeVeiro has any offensive promise?  I don't think so.  Not only did he not score vs. Illinois he only had 1 assist.  My prediction is that Coach in using him for the majority of the minutes now until Jahari gets more experience.

[VULB#62]

Does anyone really think that DeVeiro has any offensive promise?  I don't think so.  Not only did he not score vs. Illinois he only had 1 assist.  My prediction is that Coach in using him for the majority of the minutes now until Jahari gets more experience.

Agree. Roger, having been schooled by some very good coaches, has learned this is not a sprint requiring erratic decision making that can discombobulate a team. It's a 4 month-long marathon and a changing of the guard (no pun intended) too early could have some negative repercussions in the season-long team culture. I think we saw some of that negative stuff under Matt - i.e., Jerome inexplainedly disappears.

IMO, Williams will be the anchor PG by the half mark in the season. Bottom line he and Darius have similar PG skills, but Jahari has a greater offense upside mentality and a bit more size to go to the hoop - and we will need all of that if teams focus on Isaiah.  OTOH, Darius can play some lock down D which Roger respects.

Glad I don't have to make these decisions. Time for dinner. I have to put my 20/20 hindsight glasses down and mix a couple of martinis. 👍

[VULB#62]

The WIU game at the ARC, regardless of how many show up, will tell us very early on, a great deal about two things:

1 - How the players internalize defeat and then respond to the new challenge.

2 - How Roger coaches the players through the complex factors of the previous game and positions them to win on Tuesday.

My sense is that our coach can draw incredible resolve and camaraderie out of a bunch of kids who didn't even know each other 6 months ago.

We win by 12.

[JD24]

Does anyone really think that DeVeiro has any offensive promise?  I don't think so.  Not only did he not score vs. Illinois he only had 1 assist.  My prediction is that Coach in using him for the majority of the minutes now until Jahari gets more experience.

Darius gets the ball up the court quickly which Powell seems to want. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes but his offensive game seems to end at the top of the key. He looks neither to shoot or go to the hole which would draw defenders. He plays solid on ball defense which Powell is going to like.

At this point his experience and the skills he shows are the best option out there at PG. That has to change for the team to become more successful either by Darius essentially becoming a different player or another player whether Williamson or not shows themselves to be a better option. With both Palm and Darius on the court at the same time and, so far at least, one other player (Stafford or Edwards as recent for instances) crapping out completely, there's nothing much offensively going on. The one guy who's been consistent as in we pretty much know what we're going to get out of him in a positive way is Schwieger

[wh]

Next up in the Illinois MTE is an old foe... Western Illinois Leathernecks.   A Tuesday night with no students on campus.

Western is also 2-2 on the year.  two road losses:   78-68 to UT-San Antonio and 90-53 to SMU in Dallas.   Then they came home, beat NAIA St. Ambrose 94-59 to cure what ailed them... and while we were in Champaign, WIU was playing Southern in the other first round game, and won it 88-80 in Overtime.  Shooting 56% from the field and 35% from three.

Here's the recap
MACOMB – Only a handful of days after getting head coach Chad Boudreau his first win as Western Illinois coach, the Leathernecks were able to get the coach his first win against a Division I foe, putting in a little extra work on Friday night, topping Southern University 88-80 in overtime. The win is the second straight for Western, which now hits the road for three-straight games, playing at Valparaiso on Tuesday, Illinois on Friday and Wisconsin next Monday.

"I got a big life insurance policy, but I need a bigger one," Western Illinois coach Chad Boudreau. "But we did it down the stretch. We stuck with it, I thought the guys, we talked before the game, it's like a boxing match, it's going to be head shots, body shots and I thought we did a good job sticking to it.

"We talk about holding the line, not too high, not too low, but we did a good job holding the line down the stretch."

Things were rolling early for the Leathernecks (2-2), who took a lead as large as nine in the game's first five minutes. But Southern managed to hang around, trailing WIU, 35-32 at the break.

Turnovers plagued Western Illinois in the first half, as 16 miscues allowed the Jaguars to hang around. In the second half, it was free throw shooting that hurt WIU as Southern took a lead as large as seven after intermission, but the Leathernecks were able to fight back into the game.

"Turnovers were killing us, 16 in the first half and we were struggling offensively, but we were still leading," Boudreau said. "Kyle, Chris and Clancy have been all over me because they're doing the defensive stuff, but we have to score some points, so despite that many turnovers and that many missed free throws, to still score 88 points is awesome."

Southern led 64-57 with 4:47 to go, but a 9-0 Leatherneck run gave Western a 66-64 advantage as Quinlan Bennett's (18 points, seven rebounds) bucket helped Western Illinois regain the lead with three minutes to go.

From there, it was back and forth as Southern led by four with under a minute to go. But James Dent Jr. (24 points, eight rebounds, three assists) hit a runner, then made a pair of free throws with one second left to force overtime.

"My teammates stayed on me, the first half wasn't really a good half for me but my teammates knew I would pick it up, they stayed on me all the way," Dent Jr. said. "Q (Quinlan Bennett) had a good game, Q kept us in the game. With Jesiah (West) in foul trouble, other players had to step up, Ryan (Myers) had to step up, he was big, we had everyone come together as a team."

In the extra session, Dent Jr. continued his clutch play, scoring Western's first seven points of overtime. After a JJ Kalakon free throw, Dent Jr. hit a pair from the line, giving the Leathernecks an 82-76 lead.

On Southern's ensuing possession, Drew Cisse (12 points, nine rebounds), recorded his fourth block of the night, setting the stage for the Leathernecks to ice the game at the line.

Ryan Myers (20 points) hit a pair of free throws, followed by for straight from the line by Dent, capping the final scoring.

...
James Dent:  (6'5" guard, junior) 24 points on 6 field goals and 11 free throws - 42 minutes
Ryan Myers:  (6'1" guard, junior) 20 points on 6 field goals - 41 minutes
Quinlan Bennett: (6'4" guard, 5th yr senior)  18 points - 34 minutes
Drew Cisse: (6'11" center, senior) 12 points - 37 minutes

They are averaging 17 turnovers per game (valpo 10)  and 9 blocks per game (valpo 7)... and a home attendance averaging 638 (valpo 1639)

They don't shoot FT's particularly well.  22 of 34 against Southern, 13 of 27 against SMU. (WIU % 57.3%, Valpo 70.5%)
They are averaging 15.5 offensive rebounds per game (valpo 13.8)


We've played them 57 times... winning 34 of them.  We have not played them since the 2006-07 season, that year we beat them 80-56 at home and 78-60 in Macomb.  We haven't lost to them at the ARC since January 22, 2000 (64-50)... after which we won 12 of the next 13 games before losing to Michigan State in the NCAA.

This preview is outstanding.

[valpotx]

Valpo 74
WIU 66

[David81]

Valpo 75
WIU 59

I'm betting that Coach Powell will hammer home the importance of not resting on the laurels of the 1st half against Illinois.

[historyman]

Western Illinois Leatherjackets & Marines "because everyone knows the best soldiers come from the university in Macomb, IL"   67


Valpo "brotherhood of the flashlight" Beacons  66

[vu72]

After the first half against Illinois, I'm really looking forward to watching this team grow.  This is a good game for us.

My guess is that we won't know more about Manyang and Barrett when they show up ready to play.  Is there an injury reason that Scroggins didn't play ahead of Sciarroni last night?

Valpo  78
W Ill    68

We pull out of our shooting slump.  DeAveiro needs to find his offensive rhythm, as we can't have our MVC opponents playing 5 on 4 defense. 

I think the staff thinks Scroggins will be a star and will red shirt him this year.

[NativeCheesehead]

Unless there's an injury it really makes no sense to redshirt anyone in today's NCAA. The odds of a player staying five years at a school is next to nil. In addition this is clearly a rebuild / transition year for the program. If he has a nagging injury and the staff isn't sure if/when he's available then it makes sense. Otherwise let's see what we have.

[justducky]

I think the staff thinks Scroggins will be a star and will red shirt him this year.

12 largely inexperienced scholarship players with Barrett and Manyang injured and Scroggins likely to redshirt. Ouch! Plenty of playing left for those still able to run, walk or limp down the floor and they need to take advantage of that opportunity.

[valpopal]

VU     70
WIU   67

[tiny707]

I agree NativeCheeseland. Play Scroggins and see what we have. We already have two players out with injuries and the team
seems gassed in the second half. Could use another body.

[tiny707]

VU 70
WI 68

[VULB#62]

I agree NativeCheeseland. Play Scroggins and see what we have. We already have two players out with injuries and the team
seems gassed in the second half. Could use another body.

We have lots of talent that we need to attract/recruit over the next two+ years. 

Our performance over this time will have an enormous impact on that attractiveness.  This is not Gonzaga where you'd be crazy to leave unless you are among the last couple of guys on the bench. Holding out, when he could contribute to that attractiveness, seems counter-intuitive. 

My thought.  Be the absolute best you can be NOW with who you have NOW, cuz the transfer portal always hovers menacingly over every program these days.

[valpo64]

VU favored by 2.5

[crusader05]

"My thought.  Be the absolute best you can be NOW with who you have NOW, cuz the transfer portal always hovers menacingly over every program these days."

While I get the thinking, if the coaches are trying to build a program that asks the players to be patient and build something they have to coach like they're not thinking about the portal. red shirting a freshman to invest in their development for a year or being cautious with an injury is that exact time of decision. To say we're not just thinking of this year but of all our futures sends a message to the players that everyone is making sacrifices and decisions based on the longer term vs right now.

[vu84v2]

Valpo 64 WIU 58

crusader05 - On a broad scale, I think you are correct - but there is another option. You can prioritize players who are also relationship oriented...meaning that you can manage the team towards a longer term vision (a few years rather than one year). This is one of the reasons that I am so optimistic about Coach Powell - he seems to really emphasize relationships within the team.

[JD24]

If Scroggins is ready to play physically and would be part of the rotation he should play as redshirting him would be pointless.

[valpo64]

I would expect the Rev to get his team reved up and respond on a positive note like they did against G B after the bummer vs, IUPUI.

[AB]

over under 1,200 in attendance tonight.? RIP in Jim Kerwin. Great rivalry for 5 years. Garrick Vicks, Janthony Joseph, Milsap, Orlando Patrick Three Mid Con Title Matches. Two were down to the wire. The triple overtime thriller and the lesser talked about one. The title match in the Quad Cities, they had us on the ropes until the final minute!

[SPEEDYPITCHER37]

Valpo 68
WIU 62