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Post by Grizzfan1 on Feb 14, 2017 14:41:23 GMT -5
 VS. OU Golden Grizzlies vs. Valparaiso Crusaders Friday February 17th, 2017 7:00pm(ET) "O'Rena" Rochester, MI Valpo Athletics: www.valpoathletics.com/Crusaders Fan Forum: www.valpofanzone.com/forum/Round two with the Valpoites. A prime time Friday night game on national TV and a chance to inch closer in the HL race and YES, we still have a legit chance for first place. Looking forward to seeing the guys play at home again in what seems like forever. I know their play at home has not been stellar especially during HL play but I think we will see a fired up team that is ready to re-establish dominance that they have displayed at home in recent years and pay back Valpo for humiliating them at the O'Rena last season. A lot still has to happen even if we win Friday night. The guys still have to win out (which is no easy task) and Valpo would have to lose one more game and the best chance for them to lose one is the WSU/NKU trip at the end of the month. Point is that the team still has something to play for despite falling on their face on a few occasions last month. Slowing down Alec Peters will once again be the big task for OU and having a healthy Brock is big as we can keep other players on Peters. The guys did a very good job on Tevonn Walker last meeting and hopefully they can keep him from going off in this matchup as well. Shane Hammink is another player who can put up points in a hurry. The Crusaders are still a very good rebounding team outboarding opponents by a +5.8 margin so limiting them to one and done is crucial especially since teams seem to shoot well in the "O" for some reason. I'm sure there will be a huge crowd on hand Friday night and I expect the team will give them something big to cheer about this time around. I know the last couple of big games at home the team fizzled out but now that we are well into February and with only 5 games left and something to play for I don't see any reason the team or anyone associated with OU can't be motivated or excited for this matchup. Really hope Stevie Clark is back for this game. He made a big difference in the first matchup with Valpo. |
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Post by ouguy on Feb 14, 2017 16:11:18 GMT -5
I'm concerned because for some reason we have not done very well in our "big" home games this year.
The two biggest games in regards to the pomp and circumstance that was around the game were Mercy and Green Bay, which we lost.
Our only big win in the O this year has been Georgia. Some of you may consider Wright State but ehhh I don't know.
A Valpo win Friday would be arguably our best home win this year, although that Georgia game had better name recognition but Valpo is bigge for the conference standings.
This win will really move us in the direction of a 1 or 3 depending on the outcome
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Post by Blackbird on Feb 14, 2017 16:19:37 GMT -5
The last time we swept a two-or-more-game season series against Valpo was 2007. I want this.
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Post by themaniac on Feb 15, 2017 0:26:29 GMT -5
Spring break starts Saturday for students, therefore students will be kicked out of the dorms by 6pm friday night, posing a problem with a 7pm tip. This will make it hard for some students to attend the game, but I am still expecting large crowds due to the big name that Valpo carries.
A sweep of Valpo would be awesome but we haven't seen the shooting ability that we had at the ARC since our last meeting. If we can find the same groove we had at the ARC we should be just fine
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Post by Blackbird on Feb 15, 2017 3:33:15 GMT -5
By the way, does anyone know what Stevie Clark's status is?
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Post by grizzlies2011 on Feb 15, 2017 13:04:34 GMT -5
By the way, if my calculations are correct I believe this will be Coach Kampe's 1,000th career game at Oakland.
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Post by justducky on Feb 15, 2017 13:33:20 GMT -5
By the way, does anyone know what Stevie Clark's status is? Not me and from my VU standpoint I am equally uncertain about Adekoya (seems to be waiting on final NCAA clearance) and Sorolla (.003 blood alcohol) -what a lush! Except for the automatic NIT bid (which VU doesn't want) I continue to see no measurable competitive advantage between being the HL 1 vs 2 seed. Even the third seed will suffer no large penalty. It will all come down to JLA and that could be a great tournament! So does Friday matter? Sure! Pride and ESPN2 should be enough to get the available players and fans up for the game. However if I were Kampe or Lottich would I be employing the March game plans for this February showdown? Maybe or maybe not. |
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Post by Blackbird on Feb 15, 2017 14:06:58 GMT -5
Except for the automatic NIT bid (which VU doesn't want) I continue to see no measurable competitive advantage between being the HL 1 vs 2 seed. Even the third seed will suffer no large penalty. It will all come down to JLA and that could be a great tournament! The other advantage I see this year is in the earlier matches in the tournament: The #2 seed is probably going to get whichever bottom-feeder ends the season on the hottest streak, while the #1 will not. The #2 is likely playing the #3 in the second round, and I know I'd rather play Wright State or NKU in the second round while Valpo and Green Bay beat up on each other. So there's still good reasons beyond pride and the NIT bid to want to win the regular season. And I agree: MCM should be a great tournament this year. |
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Post by justducky on Feb 15, 2017 16:15:28 GMT -5
Except for the automatic NIT bid (which VU doesn't want) I continue to see no measurable competitive advantage between being the HL 1 vs 2 seed. Even the third seed will suffer no large penalty. It will all come down to JLA and that could be a great tournament! The other advantage I see this year is in the earlier matches in the tournament: The #2 seed is probably going to get whichever bottom-feeder ends the season on the hottest streak, while the #1 will not. The #2 is likely playing the #3 in the second round, and I know I'd rather play Wright State or NKU in the second round while Valpo and Green Bay beat up on each other. So there's still good reasons beyond pride and the NIT bid to want to win the regular season. And I agree: MCM should be a great tournament this year. Sometimes the easiest path might not be the best one. Didn't VU and Oakland have the 1 and 2 seeds in 2016? How did that work out? :( We already know that WSU, NKU and GB can beat us so why worry about the combination and sequence? Plus, 3 hard fought close wins at JLA might better pave the way to a first (second) round NCAA upset win. Its all about peaking at the right moment. If you want Wright St in the second round I hope you get them. It is still fresh in my mind that their sweep of VU in 2016 did more to keep the Crusaders out of the tournament than the GB upset. |
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Post by grizzlies21 on Feb 15, 2017 16:52:34 GMT -5
The other advantage I see this year is in the earlier matches in the tournament: The #2 seed is probably going to get whichever bottom-feeder ends the season on the hottest streak, while the #1 will not. The #2 is likely playing the #3 in the second round, and I know I'd rather play Wright State or NKU in the second round while Valpo and Green Bay beat up on each other. So there's still good reasons beyond pride and the NIT bid to want to win the regular season. And I agree: MCM should be a great tournament this year. Sometimes the easiest path might not be the best one. Didn't VU and Oakland have the 1 and 2 seeds in 2016? How did that work out?  We already know that WSU, NKU and GB can beat us so why worry about the combination and sequence? Plus, 3 hard fought close wins at JLA might better pave the way to a first (second) round NCAA upset win. Its all about peaking at the right moment. If you want Wright St in the second round I hope you get them. It is still fresh in my mind that their sweep of VU in 2016 did more to keep the Crusaders out of the tournament than the GB upset. Agree with Just Ducky as it relates to seeding. The only difference I would say is a loss by OU leaves us with 5 losses which puts us in a pack with (3) other schools. Coach Kampe has been spinning the 5,3,2 place improvements over the transition to the Horizon. A so-so finish could lead to back to 5th place. |
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We already know that WSU, NKU and GB can beat us so why worry about the combination and sequence? Plus, 3 hard fought close wins at JLA might better pave the way to a first (second) round NCAA upset win. Its all about peaking at the right moment.