2 MVC games Tuesday, Feb. 5

[Da Coach]

There are 2 MVC games Tuesday, Feb. 5 which involve first place teams-
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas.../date/20190205

[Bradleyfan1]

Lets Go Bulldogs and Crusaders. Thatd really almost make sense to me with the way this season is going. The Birds will crush Valpo tho . Drake i could see winning tho.

[BUfan39]

I hate to say it but as I mentioned in another post we need as many losses from Valpo ISUB UNI and Evansville as possible. So I don’t care if ISUR wins tonight.

[Bradleyfan1]

I could see valpo and missouri state losing out. We have to win tomorrow night. 2 more losses probably locks in Thursday maybe get away with a 3rd one. win the rest at home. . make the last game mean something in Chicago fill that place with red and knock em off headed into arch madness. put a 3 game winning streak together and see where you are. College hoops is about feb and march. #arrivealready #wheresboya? #stoplosingathome .

[tornado]

Loyola hammered Drake 86-64 - Marques Townes is a lock for Player of the Week
Valpo hammered ISU 69-51

[Da Coach]

Loyola hammered Drake 86-64 - Marques Townes is a lock for Player of the Week
Valpo hammered ISU 69-51

Ouch...
Valparaiso 69 Illinois State 53 at Redbird Arena- Valpo had lost 4 games in a row before tonight, but Yarbrough (9 points/11 shot attempts), Fayne (8 points, 2 rebounds, fouled out in 16 minutes), and Evans (6 points/5 turnovers) all had terrible games.
Valpo ran out to a 14-0 lead, stretched it to 25-6 and lead by 17 at halftime, expanded their lead to as much as 24 points in the 2nd half, and won easily

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401089304

Loyola shot 71.4% from three and 55.4% overall to easily beat Drake 86-64 in Chicago-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=401089303

[Bradleyfan1]

Ramblers back in the driver seat. Do they cruise now? What a mess. Arch madness is going to be barburner after barnburner. I cant wait.

[Da Coach]

BTW, freshman Javon Freeman of Valparaiso appears to have a pretty good head start for Newcomer of the Week. He scored 27 points tonight, about 40% of his team's total in their 69-53 win over ILSU tonight. He was 11-13 shooting, and 4-6 from three, plus 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

[Da Coach]

ISU head coach Dan Muller rips his team again and throws them under the bus in the post-game press conference:
“The amount of disrespect that team showed the game of basketball and that opponent tonight was disappointing and embarrassing.”
“Certainly some guys were a little tired (with four games in 10 days), but we have a quote that fatigue makes cowards of all men."
“Fatigue will make you relax mentally before physically. We just had guys who thought it would be easy tonight, and Valpo was spectacular defensively, offensively and in every facet of the game. Our lack of competitiveness, maturity and toughness, I just didn't think I would see that again this year.”

[tornado]

ISU's big weakness was again on full display

despite all the ranting by ISU people about how DEEP this team is - it is massively lacking depth...

They rely on all three of their "Big Three" having good games every night out...
if one of them does not have a good game, they are in trouble but...
if 2 or 3 have bad games they get smoked...they have nobody who can step up......
Despite all the kudos about their bench players - they are at best, bench-caliber...
BUT -- if one of their bench guys has to be inserted into the starting lineup, then they struggle -
Chastain, in the last five games - is playing 30 minutes per game but contributing just 2.4 points & 5 reb and only hitting
only 33% from the floor and 25% on 3-pointers - but they have nobody else to go to..

With the MVC Tournament coming up in just 4 weeks, they will have to play 3 games in 3 days with the shortest bench in the MVC

Don't get me wrong - I think Bradley still lacks depth too but I have already conceded it is gonna take a miracle for us to play on Sunday in St. Louis

[tornado]

I went back and watched the final few minutes of the ISU game...
Here's something I don't understand...

Phil Fayne picks up his 5th foul with 6+ minutes to go...
ISU goes on a tear and closes a 23-point Valpo lead (56-33) all the way down to a 7-point game (58-51)...
Valpo actually looks like a deer in the headlights and repeatedly turns the ball over, can't get a shot off or shoots poorly...
but in the absence of Fayne, they finally figure out to get the ball to Derrik Smits.

BUT for some reason, Muller chooses to have inexperienced, 6-6 Matt Chastain (who is not a low post player that can stay with 7-1 Smits) try to defend Smits.
He has big man Idowu plus could use Yarbrough who is way quicker - but he goes with Chastain and Smits just scorches Chastain time and again
as Valpo outscores ISU 11-0 over the next 4 minutes killing the ISU rally and ending any chance ISU had.


I also watched some of the Loyola game against Drake - remember - this was a battle for the top of the MVC between two of the top 3 teams...
and the lower bowl was remarkably empty! The announced attendance was 3611 but a whole lot of those fans must have stayed home.
I am stunned when a fanbase had a FINAL FOUR team that's in 1st place and headed towards another MVC title...hard to believe.

Here's one play from that game...
in the final second before halftime, Loyola's Cooper Kaifes launches a desperation 75-foot buzzer beater - and it swishes
https://www.foxsports.com/college-ba.../1437897795557
..but if youwatch real close on the replay- he travels before he shoots - it wasn't called.
btw- Kaifes was their only bench player to score a basket in the game...they are surprisingly not deep as well with a couple injuries..

[Da Coach]

From what I saw, Muller got angry at his best player Milik Yarbrough when Valpo opened with a couple quick 3-pointers and a 6-0 early lead in the opening 2 minutes, and he also was miffed about Keyshawn Evans' 2 quick turnovers that contributed to Valpo's lead. So he called a timeout at 17:59, barely two minutes into the game and benched Yarbrough and Evans, and put in former walkon Isaac Gassman and William Tinsley. Valpo made Muller pay for his tantrum by going on a tear with those 2 starters out, and expanding the lead to 17-2 over the next 2˝ minutes. Muller called a second timeout at15:27 and took his other 3 starters out (Fayne, Copeland, and Chastain) and reinserted Yarbrough and Evans. With the 3 starters out, Valpo continued to build their lead eventually reaching 25-6. Muller's biggest criticism from fans is his too-frequent and sometimes irrational substitutions, and he continued to make multiple substitutions at most stoppages of the clock in last night's game. It seemed to work against ISU ever getting much momentum going in the first half, and then killing their momentum when they made a comeback in the 2nd half.