@Bradley, MSU, home NIU, Indiana State
I will go with 1-3. I think the results will be choppy the first month of conference play, with a more difficult schedule. The back half of the schedule looks more favorable and I think this team starts to hit its stride second week of February. More scoring ability this year, more depth, perimeter defense still abysmal 12-8 is my fearless prediction in conference play for the Beacons.
UIC, Evansville are still hot garbage, SIU and MSU rebuilding. Ill State much improved and Indiana State better than expected. NIU, Belmont and Murray inconsistent. Drake and Bradley a notch above everyone else.
I also predict 1-3 in the next 4. We always start off with a tough conference schedule.
If we go 11-9 in conference play I will be over the moon. Overall I think 6-14 is more realistic. We have been improved since the Drake game and if we play like that every game we could go 11-9. Too many times we don’t play like that though.
Team gets to 500. That's all I think on the matter.
Burnee, FWIW, when we first joined the MVC, I got all kinds of crap for initially calling Northern Iowa “NIU.” That’s actually Northern Illinois University. It’s the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). Of course, we all knew what you meant, but, ya know, there are some snarkers out there. And even some UNI lurkers who take great offense 🤪
According to KenPom, Valparaiso's non-conference schedule strength was a weak #324. Therefore, I am not sure we can make any accurate assessment when it comes to the competition level of the MVC, where only one team (Evansville at 347) has a NET ranking worse than the 222 for Southern Illinois, Valpo currently sits at 216, 10th in the conference exactly as the preseason poll predicted. Every other conference team is better than 200. The average NET ranking for the four teams in upcoming games is 119. More than one win will be a pleasant surprise.
According to KenPom, Valparaiso's non-conference schedule strength was a weak #324. Therefore, I am not sure we can make any accurate assessment when it comes to the competition level of the MVC, where only one team (Evansville at 347) has a NET ranking worse than the 222 for Southern Illinois, Valpo currently sits at 216, 10th in the conference exactly as the preseason poll predicted. Every other conference team is better than 200. The average NET ranking for the four teams in upcoming games is 119. More than one win will be a pleasant surprise.
Pleasant surprise? This is the team that took drake all 40 min with a career effort from Stirtz in order to pull out a victory. I understand your mindset is more indicative of a certain Christmas themed Charles Dickens character when it comes to your opinions in basketball, but only 1 win for a team that played a competitive game with 1 of 4 undefeated teams left is a very defeated mindset. I'm not saying this is a team that can make it to March Madness, but to say they would only win 1 game is absurd.
Drake shot 4-14 from three, missed 10 free throws and still beat us on the road. We have played better lately, but our signature win came after we dug ourselves a 22 point hole to a 3-8 MAC team, and we haven’t beaten any teams nearly as good as Bradley or UNI. Missouri state is our best chance and even they would be our best win so far.
yes, losing to Drake by 6 was a “quality loss”, but you can ask the bears how many wins quality losses get you.
According to KenPom, Valparaiso's non-conference schedule strength was a weak #324. Therefore, I am not sure we can make any accurate assessment when it comes to the competition level of the MVC, where only one team (Evansville at 347) has a NET ranking worse than the 222 for Southern Illinois, Valpo currently sits at 216, 10th in the conference exactly as the preseason poll predicted. Every other conference team is better than 200. The average NET ranking for the four teams in upcoming games is 119. More than one win will be a pleasant surprise.
Pleasant surprise? This is the team that took drake all 40 min with a career effort from Stirtz in order to pull out a victory. I understand your mindset is more indicative of a certain Christmas themed Charles Dickens character when it comes to your opinions in basketball, but only 1 win for a team that played a competitive game with 1 of 4 undefeated teams left is a very defeated mindset. I'm not saying this is a team that can make it to March Madness, but to say they would only win 1 game is absurd.
"Defeated mindset"? Read again what I wrote and try to be realistic. Do you really think that winning more than one of the next four games with opponents averaging a 119 NET ranking and the first two on the road wouldn't be a pleasant surprise?
They can take 2 of these games. That's the ceiling, and its a very achievable ceiling if the shooting holds up.
I'll go with those saying 1-3. Tough open to the conference season.
Our free throw shooting, low TO numbers and somewhat improved 3 point shooting will keep us in most Valley games this season but we could be close in all 4 of these games and still be winless. Why? Our 2 point shooting and 2 point shooting defense and defensive rebounding are all mediocre and are all somewhat related to the team not playing a center.
I hope for better but 1-3 is most likely.
Speaking of centers I watched Jerome Palm play a bit last night in the Nebraska- Hawaii Diamond Head Classic game. He got some bench minutes with maybe 1 foul and 1 rebound that I saw. I wish him well but I saw nothing that suggested Roger Powell would be playing him.
I am going to go with 2-2 for those 4 games. They beat Indiana State and find one more win between the other three.
