Iona @ Valpo Game Thread - Wednesday 7:05, CIT First Round

[a3uge]

Technically, we aren't the last team to win an NCAA game...when Oakland won their "play-in" game, they officially won an NCAA game, and got an extra "full share" of money for it.

If it doesn't count in bracket-pools, it doesn't count as a legitimate tournament win 

[vu72]

OK, here is some stats.  Interestingly enough, Iona looks on paper to be reasonably similar to Valpo.  Their top 5 scorers go 6'7", 6'3", 6'4", 6'1" and 5'11".  They are comprised of one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.

Iona goes 8 deep but their last game three guys scored all but 9 points.

They average 79 ppg while allowing their opponents 69.  They average 47% overall and 37% from the 3.  They shoot 65% from the foul line.  They average 12.8 TOs per game but have an impressive 17.4 assts per game.  They also get 7.5 steals per and 3.2 blocks.

They don't have a big following as they average just 2121 attendance at their home games.

So it looks like an athletic team that may press and like to run.  So do we.  That could make for a wild game with lots of scoring.

I'd love to have Mr. Doom confirm my analysis.

[valpofan56]

OK, here is some stats.  Interestingly enough, Iona looks on paper to be reasonably similar to Valpo.  Their top 5 scorers go 6'7", 6'3", 6'4", 6'1" and 5'11".  They are comprised of one senior, three juniors and a sophomore.

Iona goes 8 deep but their last game three guys scored all but 9 points.

They average 79 ppg while allowing their opponents 69.  They average 47% overall and 37% from the 3.  They shoot 65% from the foul line.  They average 12.8 TOs per game but have an impressive 17.4 assts per game.  They also get 7.5 steals per and 3.2 blocks.

They don't have a big following as they average just 2121 attendance at their home games.

So it looks like an athletic team that may press and like to run.  So do we.  That could make for a wild game with lots of scoring.

I'd love to have Mr. Doom confirm my analysis.

If that's all the taller most of their scorers are, then I really like our chances.

[vuweathernerd]

maybe cory and kevin go off and have a field day?  it'd sure be nice to end the season on a high note.

[valpofan56]

maybe cory and kevin go off and have a field day?  it'd sure be nice to end the season on a high note.

Hopefully if Kevin and Cory have a field day it won't be the end of the season 

[Mr. Doom]

vu72, though I haven't confirmed your stats, they do seem reasonable - overall, a pretty good feel for our team.
As to our high assists, that is primarily due to our junior PG, Scott Machado who has, at times, been referred to as an assist machine.
Our starting lineup fluctuates between the one you cite and 2 seniors, 2 juniors and 1 soph. The one soph is Kyle Smyth who has been hurt during both of our last 2 games - he is our most proficient 3 pt shooter - however, not our only one.
If he is not available Wednesday, that will mean more playing time for a freshman who I think has the most beautiful pure shot on the team. His shot reminds me of a Ray Allen shot - now watch him look horrible, just to make me wrong.
We started off the season with a very short rotation - as the season has gone on that has grown to the point that we can now
go 9 or 10 deep with most being legitimate scoring threats.

[vuweathernerd]

maybe cory and kevin go off and have a field day?  it'd sure be nice to end the season on a high note.

Hopefully if Kevin and Cory have a field day it won't be the end of the season 

well played, good sir.

[bbtds]

There were some interesting names on the selection committee of the CIT:

Jack Bennett (Former head coach, Wisconsin-Stevens Point)

Jim Harrick (Former head coach, UCLA, Georgia, Rhode Island)

Jim Kerwin (Former head coach, Western Illinois University)

Perry Watson (Former head coach, University of Detroit Mercy)

Rich Zvosec (Former head coach, University of Missouri-Kansas City)

[bbtds]

There were already screams being heard in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Iona's home)  

So is the Gaels biggest fan 55 year old Richard Rosebud Petrie? His father was from Danville, IL.
(I know some of the older posters will get this reference)

[chelseadal]

There were already screams being heard in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Iona's home)  

So is the Gaels biggest fan 55 year old Richard Rosebud Petrie? His father was from Danville, IL.
(I know some of the older posters will get this reference)

Richie went to Valpo and graduated in '77. Rob and Laura are Gael fans though. 

[bbtds]

There were already screams being heard in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Iona's home)  

So is the Gaels biggest fan 55 year old Richard Rosebud Petrie? His father was from Danville, IL.
(I know some of the older posters will get this reference)

Richie went to Valpo and graduated in '77. Rob and Laura are Gael fans though. 

That line about "screams being heard in New Rochelle, NY" reminded me of the episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show where Richie goes screaming through the house because he was being chased by a big dog. (I know, I watched too much TV as a child)

Actually that was the only part that Larry Mathews, the child actor, ever played on TV. He did one episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited" in 2004 as an adult where Rob and Laura sold Richie the house in New Rochelle and moved to Manhattan.

Larry Mathews worked behind the scenes on the TV shows Soap and Benson and some other TV shows. He also does voiceover parts.

[wh]

There were already screams being heard in New Rochelle, N.Y. (Iona's home)  

So is the Gaels biggest fan 55 year old Richard Rosebud Petrie? His father was from Danville, IL.
(I know some of the older posters will get this reference)

Richie went to Valpo and graduated in '77. Rob and Laura are Gael fans though. 

That line about "screams being heard in New Rochelle, NY" reminded me of the episode of the Dick Van Dyke Show where Richie goes screaming through the house because he was being chased by a big dog. (I know, I watched too much TV as a child)

Actually that was the only part that Larry Mathews, the child actor, ever played on TV. He did one episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited" in 2004 as an adult where Rob and Laura sold Richie the house in New Rochelle and moved to Manhattan.

Larry Mathews worked behind the scenes on the TV shows Soap and Benson and some other TV shows. He also does voiceover parts.

The Dick Van Dyke show was a great comedy, but Larry Matthews is the worst child actor in the history of television.

[milanmiracle]

There's no making some people happy...I'm just happy that the team is being rewarded for such an outstanding season with a chance to keep playing...and for you that aren't aware, IONA is not a patsy basketball team.  They have a long standing tradition of being pretty good....Jim Valvano started his head coaching career there and took them to the tournament with Jeff Rowland....anyway, let's hope the Crusaders get to play a couple more games against these "bottom" teams...damn I can't figure some of you people out.....

I think its pretty easy to figure out... knowing we weren't making the NCAA, there was hope that we would make the NIT and get a chance to play a "major."  Not making the NIT and "settling" for the CBI/CIT, I'm sure people were hoping that we'd still get a shot at a "major" team, like we did in the CBI.  Instead we are playing in the consolation prize tourney against another mid-major foe. 

I personally don't care and I am glad they are in a tourney with the opportunity to keep playing, but I can certainly understand the disappointment others feel.

Great post, I can't sum it up any better than that. I am not knocking Iona in any way, but I would like to have Valpo beat a name team even if Iona is the better program.

[rlh]

There's a big difference in being disappointed (which we all are) and being negative.  The person in question has yet to post anything in a positive way all season.  I am not happy we didn't win the league as we probably should have, but I also realize we had a tremendously exciting year and it's great that the team gets to keep playing. 

[cmack]

There is also a difference between keeping a positive attitude and blindly selling everything Valpo as perfect.  Sometimes we just suck on a given night.  Sometimes we recruit players who have no right to be on a Division I court except to lift a cheerleader.  Sometimes coaching decisions are even actually the wrong ones.  It happens and it's okay to put it out there for debate.

[valpofan56]

Are we seriously having this debate again?

[VUfan]

Valpo starts slow and comes on strong to win 74 to 69. Iona is a vary good team, this will be a nice win. Enjoy the the game.

[wh]

Valpo opens CIT play tonight at home against Iona

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/article_75a77ff8-bb10-5b3e-ac14-38ed94afb185.html

[agibson]

The person in question has yet to post anything in a positive way all season.  I

He was actually very positive after the Missouri State game!  As was jj. 

[agibson]

Pomeroy has the Gaels at #60 overall, to Valpo's #105.  He has the next game in his computer already, picking Iona to win 74-73, winning with 56% probability.  Should be a good one!

Realtimerpi has a prediction up as well.
http://realtimerpi.com/bin/rtr/rpi/scouting?team1=281&team2=253&gender=1&home=&date=03-16
Valpo 78 - Iona 75, Valpo with a 57% chance of winning.

Will we try to outrun them?  We might be able to beat them at their own game, but it feels less certain. 

Or, can we bring back some of the tough defense we've seen at times this season?

[agibson]

Assuming the quote's in context, Mark Lazerus and Matt Kenney got it about right re seeding, in the Post Tribune piece.

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/4335268-556/crusaders-get-a-fresh-start.html

The Crusaders have the third-best RPI in the field of 24 successful mid-majors, with only Marshall and Iona rated higher. So the players find it a little strange, naturally, that Iona and VU were matched up in the first round.

"I didn't really get how they picked the teams," Kenney said.

[valpo84]

Appears it's been decided we get a bye if we win.....

http://www.collegeinsider.com/tournament/results.html

[agibson]

No surprise, but, nice!  And Ohio, and Northern Iowa as well (and E. TN State). So, we won't see any of those teams until the semi-finals.

If they're going regional, I guess we could think of two other regional teams in our "quarterfinal pod", and three teams from another quarterfinal to form our "semfinal pod".

Not sure which makes more sense for the semifinal - "Northern Iowa + E TN S" (with Valpo + Ohio) or "Northern Iowa + Valpo".
There are some schools from pretty far out west, but none of them with byes (no respect for Mountain West's Air Force, nor the WAC's Hawai or Idaho).

It's almost harder to build our "quarterfinal pod".  Western Michigan is a likely suspect if they win - particularly since we didn't play them this season.  Otherwise, I don't see any particularly natural geographical fits.

[valpofan56]

With Marshall losing, if we beat Iona tonight, I would imagine we would likely be the #1 overall seed for the duration of our time in it.  That would be nice!

[agibson]

Hmm...  Now I wonder if they'll start the next round with a fully seeded, pre-determined bracket, or if they'll reseed after each round (a la CBI, and the old NIT?).

On March 13 their press release said "The entire field will be seeded, based on a number of factors including RPI, strength of schedule, conference ranking, and geographic location. "   Which I thought might mean they'd seed all 24.  Which didn't come true.  It could still mean that the seeds will hold for the whole bracket after the first round.

But, their recently updated "Schedule/Results" page says

FORMAT: 12 teams will advance with four teams receiving a bye into the quarterfinals, based on seeding. The seeding will be determined using RPI, strength of schedule, conference ranking and geographical location.

The tournament format is similar to that of the old NIT model, which had not pre-set bracket, with the results from the previous round determining the matchups in the next round. Ideally teams can be kept within their geographic region to cut down on travel.

Which makes it sound like they might re-seed every round...