2/9/12, 6pm: Valpo @ Cleveland State Game Thread

[crusadermoe]

I turned on the game 10 minutes late and saw the 14-1 score.      Thought they had  switched the team names or scores.    Why?  we have always been destroyed on that court and almost always started out horribly.  I can't remember a good start there.
  It actually goes back to the NCAA 1st round game at the Wolstein when we played vs. Mateen Cleaves and the Spartans.   They just crushed us in the first 4-5 minutes and just ruined the night.   It was the very earliest game in the evening and it was lost  before they even were scheduled to go to the next game.     
What a break through and heal quick, Kevin!!

[chairback]

One thing that continues to scare me is how many turnovers we commit.  We are very poor at handling the ball.

Cleveland State played crappy D to start the game.  All of those shots were wide open and we made them pay.  I've never seen our players left so wide open.  A little worried that no one else really contributed at all except for Ryan and Edwards however they were wide open.  Nice to hear CSU head coach in the post game say Ryan is the best in the league.

Bryce did a great job shortening the game and extending possessions with a big lead on the road.  Interesting that he put in the walkons and Vucic at the end but no Kurth.....

[oklahomamick]

Didn't know the walk-ons got some PT.  Bryce trying to save the legs on the road trip. 

[vu84v2]

Well...9 seconds of PT for Stegelman and Shelton.  They walked on the court, turned around, and walked off.  And yes, no Kurth definitely indicates something...

[valpo4life]

I know that Kurth recently made a trip to Indy to have some tests done, I believe he is still struggling to get 100% healthy. I don't believe its something to read into too much.

[agibson]

Well...9 seconds of PT for Stegelman and Shelton.  They walked on the court, turned around, and walked off.  And yes, no Kurth definitely indicates something...

With 9 seconds to go?  Was that after the shot clock violation?  I guess CSU did in-bounds, but I think the last dribble of the game was forty seconds before they came in.

[agibson]

11-22 from beyond the arc, 7-21 from inside.  That doesn't happen very often!

[valpocleveland]

Posted by: oklahomamick
« on: Today at 09:21:20 PM » Insert Quote
I can't believe I missed this game.  Can someone fill me in how Kevin got hurt?  I also understand that one of our players received a Flagrant? Can someone explain what happened?  Did any of the Cleveland state players lose their heads when getting whooped at home and losing 1st place? 

I hope butler beats them Saturday and gives us a little more breathing room.  I'm glad Richie Edwards wasn't kicked off the team, he's come up big as of late.

Kevin and a CSU got tangled up and Kevin was in excruciating pain for a good 5 min. Bryce and Rod came over to the non-moving Kevin to check him out. We thought it was an ankle but turns out it was a knee. He seemed to be able to move better after the game so I hope he is ready for the Butler game. The flagrant was BS in my opinion. The Cleveland State guy jumped out of the gym and got bumped by Kenney (I think it was him) and he fell hard. Great game to be at surrounded by Cleveland State fans. Don't buy tickets through VU because they stick you in the corner. Buy them through CSU and sit among the enemy, that's what I have done 3 out of the last 4 years.

[agibson]

A great line from Bill Potter with the Horizon League, "with the Tasman Tandem accounting for 75 percent of the Crusaders' points."

[valpocleveland]

I was at the game and feel like I saw a different game then the majority of people on this board. Neither team played well. CSU played like absolute crap, pushing the ball and missing layups left and right. Ryan and Richie played well knocking down 3's throughout the game. I felt like Valpo's offense was mediocre at best. They set the occasional screen on their half court sets but overall were very stagnant. I am not trying to be pessimistic but just calling it like I saw it. We won the game and are in first place! I hope Kevin can play again this year. He did not move for a good 5 min after the tie up with the CSU player. We need him to win the regular season, conference tourney, and to knock off some big brother of the poor in the NCAA tourney.

[govalpogo]

I tend to agree that Valpo could have played much better than they did (3pt shooting aside), to still come away with such an impressive victory shows just how high of a ceiling they may have if all cylinders fire on the same night! 

Hmm...11-3...first place...where have I heard that before?  Oh wait! Last year when Valpo went 1-3 down the stretch.  Granted, the space between 1st and 4th place is much greater than last year, but it is certainly not time to celebrate yet.  A lot can happen in four games.

[valpopal]

valpocleveland wrote: "I felt like Valpo's offense was mediocre at best. They set the occasional screen on their half court sets but overall were very stagnant."

Valpo shot 42%, with 50% (11-22) from the 3-point line, despite the fact that our leader in field goal percent (Kevin) was out of the game. Kevin's absence also accounted for a lack of the usual inside passes and offensive flow to the basket. Still, the team had 13 assists, only 1 below their average, which is understandable when so many shots are 3-point attempts. All of this happened against the best defense in the league by a wide margin.

In addition, after getting such a big lead, much of the second half consisted of a "stagnant" slow down offense to eat up the clock. Furthermore, the team had 7 offensive rebounds, only 1 below average, again without Kevin in the game and because more shots went in the basket instead of creating rebounds. As mentioned previously, there were a few more turnovers than anyone would want, but overall not much about which to complain.

[bbtds]

I was at the game and feel like I saw a different game then the majority of people on this board. Neither team played well. CSU played like absolute crap, pushing the ball and missing layups left and right. Ryan and Richie played well knocking down 3's throughout the game. I felt like Valpo's offense was mediocre at best. They set the occasional screen on their half court sets but overall were very stagnant. I am not trying to be pessimistic but just calling it like I saw it. We won the game and are in first place! I hope Kevin can play again this year. He did not move for a good 5 min after the tie up with the CSU player. We need him to win the regular season, conference tourney, and to knock off some big brother of the poor in the NCAA tourney.

I think when good defense meets average offense it makes the offense look really bad and causes many turnovers. Both teams played very good defense and therefore you get what looks like a very ugly game. It can't be all about offense but when the game is mostly about defense the game seems rotten. The lopsided score was because Ryan and Richie shot so well from behind the arc. Also Valpo played a well controlled milk the clock game in the 2nd half and was still able to get some good shots off at some critical moments.

The deal with Kevin going down was unintentional/intentional at best. Kevin got in a knock down scrum with 2 CSU players over a loose ball and one of the CSU players "accidently" rolled over on Kevin's leg. He didn't move for about 5 minutes before they dragged him off the floor. Later Rod Moore told the Valpo Sports Radio Network (Chef) that Kevin's injury was not that severe and that he was questionable for Saturday against Youngstown.

[StlVUFan]

I was at the game and feel like I saw a different game then the majority of people on this board. Neither team played well. CSU played like absolute crap, pushing the ball and missing layups left and right. Ryan and Richie played well knocking down 3's throughout the game. I felt like Valpo's offense was mediocre at best. They set the occasional screen on their half court sets but overall were very stagnant. I am not trying to be pessimistic but just calling it like I saw it. We won the game and are in first place! I hope Kevin can play again this year. He did not move for a good 5 min after the tie up with the CSU player. We need him to win the regular season, conference tourney, and to knock off some big brother of the poor in the NCAA tourney.

I dunno, shooting 50% from beyond the arc hardly seems mediocre.  It certainly could have been mediocre at times, say, when we were committing 17 turnovers, but you have to balance that with incredible shooting.  Overall, I thought Valpo played a good game.  Certainly there is room for improvement.

[StlVUFan]

That was quick

http://www.hoopville.com/2012/02/10/march-to-madness/

Has us as a 13 seed playing San Diego State out in Portland. 

[valpotx]

Good game to watch in regards to the great cushion in points.  It has been awhile since we beat a good team this badly, going back to the Mid-Con days where it was fairly routine for us to win by 10-20 against everyone but the 2nd and 3rd place teams.  Nice to not have to shout at the computer when we make mistakes in a close game 

[valpotx]

Also, in looking at that bracket, that would be an ideal situation for us.  Way too early to put any stock in these, but a first round match-up with a San Diego State, and possible second round against Florida State or Washington, is wayyyyyyy better than some of the games we have played in the tournaments of past: Michigan State, Kentucky, Gonzaga with Turiaf, Boston College, Maryland.

[oklahomamick]

Don't want to offend anyone and I'm very positive about our dominate performance last night BUT I think all the ncaa tourney talk should be put away for now.  I understand it's fun but there is a very long and difficult road ahead of us.  I'm sure Bryce and the boys agree and are taking it one game at a time.  How many teams sweep the Ohio road trip?  Youngstown is a must win or we are back in second....  Granted if playing the conf. Tourney at the arc. will help us, the tourney is still very difficult with so many teams capable of going off and winning it, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland state. 

Good win, celebrate, now onto Saturdays game.

Bryce coach of the year, Ryan player of the year. 

[CSURyan]

Good win guys.  Broekhoff is hands down the best HL player I've seen this year, and I thought he was the POY before last night.

I'm so disappointed that my Vikings didn't come to play last night, but the credit has to go to Bryce Drew and your team.  They had the better game plan and they outplayed CSU from the opening tip.

D'Aundray Brown's injury set us back (he should have never played, he was clearly limping from the beginning), but we just don't have an answer for your big men stepping out and shooting like they do.  I have no idea how our game-plan allowed for so many wide open shots, but again, credit to Drew for out-coaching Waters.

My opinion on the two questionable plays: The play with Van Wijk happened right in front of me.  VW was bending down for a lose ball when one of our guys went to the ground to try to tie him up, then a second CSU player (Brown) dove in to try to grab the lose ball and rolled right up on his leg.  VW fell awkawrdly to the side and then to the ground.  I saw it right away and thought it was a knee.  Knowing the way that Brown plays (all-out hustle, but clean), I don't think for a second that it was an intentional play, but I do think it looked worse than they're reporting.  I hope the big guy is back soon.

And I agree that the flagrant was a bad call.  Our guy (Mason) is a high flyer.  I just think he was up so high and moving so quickly that he lost his balance.  The contact was hard but he mostly hit him with the body as he went for the block.  If he didn't fall as hard, I don't think they call it a flagrant.

As for the rest of the season, I don't see us winning out, in fact I wouldn't be surprised to see us lose 2 more conference games with our remaining schedule.  I think you guys should feel pretty safe with the top seed.

Hopefully I get another chance to come over here come Tourney time.

[vu72]

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/csu/index.ssf/2012/02/cleveland_state_loses_to_valpa.html

[rink]

CSU received a couple of votes in the last AP and ESPN/USA polls.  Maybe we sneak in there?  When was the last time we received votes?  Seems long overdue, but maybe I'm failing to remember something recent.

[StlVUFan]

Don't want to offend anyone and I'm very positive about our dominate performance last night BUT I think all the ncaa tourney talk should be put away for now.  I understand it's fun but there is a very long and difficult road ahead of us.  I'm sure Bryce and the boys agree and are taking it one game at a time.  How many teams sweep the Ohio road trip?  Youngstown is a must win or we are back in second....  Granted if playing the conf. Tourney at the arch will help us, the tourney is still very difficult with so many teams capable of going off and winning it, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland state. 

Good win, celebrate, now onto Saturdays game.

Bryce coach of the year, Ryan player of the year. 

1.  It wasn't a serious reference, just for fun.
2.  How we as fans view the rest of the season has zero impact on how the team does the rest of the season.  They don't take their cue from us (If they do, they are in serious trouble).

I do agree that brackets are silly until the field is set.  In fact, I don't fill one out ahead of time.  I fill mine out "As-They-Go" (tm MidMajority).  Half the time, the bracket projections you see are slapped together in 5 minutes with one-bid leagues being represented by whoever is in first place at the time (don't even get me started on Lunardi).  There's little serious work being done on some of them.  I was just kind of giddy about seeing Valpo's name in one so soon after the win.

[vu72]

Don't want to offend anyone and I'm very positive about our dominate performance last night BUT I think all the ncaa tourney talk should be put away for now.  I understand it's fun but there is a very long and difficult road ahead of us.  I'm sure Bryce and the boys agree and are taking it one game at a time.  How many teams sweep the Ohio road trip?  Youngstown is a must win or we are back in second....  Granted if playing the conf. Tourney at the arch will help us, the tourney is still very difficult with so many teams capable of going off and winning it, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland state. 

Good win, celebrate, now onto Saturdays game.

Bryce coach of the year, Ryan player of the year. 

1.  It wasn't a serious reference, just for fun.
2.  How we as fans view the rest of the season has zero impact on how the team does the rest of the season.  They don't take their cue from us (If they do, they are in serious trouble).

You sure?     

[FWalum]

[/quote]

Don't want to offend anyone and I'm very positive about our dominate performance last night BUT I think all the ncaa tourney talk should be put away for now.  I understand it's fun but there is a very long and difficult road ahead of us.  I'm sure Bryce and the boys agree and are taking it one game at a time.  How many teams sweep the Ohio road trip?  Youngstown is a must win or we are back in second....  Granted if playing the conf. Tourney at the arch will help us, the tourney is still very difficult with so many teams capable of going off and winning it, Detroit, Milwaukee, Cleveland state. 

Good win, celebrate, now onto Saturdays game.

Bryce coach of the year, Ryan player of the year. 

VW was bending down for a lose ball when one of our guys went to the ground to try to tie him up, then a second CSU player (Brown) dove in to try to grab the lose ball and rolled right up on his leg.  VW fell awkawrdly to the side and then to the ground.  I saw it right away and thought it was a knee.  Knowing the way that Brown plays (all-out hustle, but clean), I don't think for a second that it was an intentional play, but I do think it looked worse than they're reporting.

Super win last night. This team has really shown me growth and tenacity as the season has progressed.  I had my doubts after watching us bumble and stumble against IPFW and the other Summit teams.

Broekhoff, what more can be said, he is a complete player, has all the skills and the intangibles that really make him special. 

That being said, I find that I couldn't agree more with oklahomamick.  How quickly everyone has forgotten where we were this time last year and where we ended up in the standings. Not to mention that now we are facing the possible season ending injury to one of our most important players... and posters are talking about our seeding in the big dance? I know that Edwards has been playing very well of late but let's see what happens when a team doesn't have to game plan to stop Van Wijk and can just concentrate on Edwards.  Van Wijk has been a terror for most teams in the league, our team is drastically different and much easier to defend if he is not able to play at a high level.  Kevin has endured much during his basketball career, I hope and pray that this is only a minor injury as some have seemed to indicate.

[vu72]

Clearly Kevin will be missed but, Edwards adds a dimension Kevin will never have--the 3 point shot.  When you have a 6'8" guy who can move as well as Richie AND hit the 3, it makes their bigs try to defend on the perimeter which in many cases just doesn't work.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that he wouldn't be missed, but would the loss be fatal?  I don't think so. We would need more minutes from Ben and Matt which makes us smaller, but quicker with another 3 point shooter on the floor.  Imagine what next year will bring when we add to more skilled bigs to the equation--but, that is next year not this year.  Let's all pray for a quick and full recovery!