[January 8, 2025] Indiana State (9-6) at Valparaiso (9-6)

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Excited to get to see the Sycamores in person this evening. Should be a good game, as it appears to be 2 pretty evenly matched teams.
 

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I'm not sure you could expect a team to get off to a 3-0 start on the road... But considering our other 2 road dubs are vs. absolute bottom feeders in MoState and Evansville - this sure would be a nice one to have. Valpo played both Drake and Bradley tough - given we go Belmont and Drake at home after this then @ Bradley. This is a pretty big game for the Sycamores - I mean they all are once conference play starts but you gotta find a way to go win this ball game.
 
SycamoreStateofMind said:
I'm not sure you could expect a team to get off to a 3-0 start on the road... But considering our other 2 road dubs are vs. absolute bottom feeders in MoState and Evansville - this sure would be a nice one to have. Valpo played both Drake and Bradley tough - given we go Belmont and Drake at home after this then @ Bradley. This is a pretty big game for the Sycamores - I mean they all are once conference play starts but you gotta find a way to go win this ball game.
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Even though Bradley is squeaking out all these close wins, it appears the valley is very tight 2-10. You can make valid arguments that Bradley, Drake, and UNI are maybe a tier above the middle, but they aren't world beaters by any stretch of the imagination. Southern and MSU look to bring up the rear. Basically, it's going to be a CLUSTER in the middle involving about 7-9 teams. I'd imagine it'll play out kind of like 2011-2012 MVC with 5 teams finishing 9-9; we were 8-10. IIRC we were a missed Dwayne Lathan jumper at the buzzer against Creighton away from the 3 seed but instead dropped to 8th place Thursday visit in STL.

Where i'm going is the Valley is going to be a dog fight night and night out for everyone. Every game is going to feel like a "must-win" for most teams. But to your point we can't afford to lose 2+ games in a row and spiral with a young squad. 3-0 over the next 3 and we are over the moon. 2-1 and we are in a very good position. 1-2 is pretty "meh" and now getting worrisome. 0-3 can really affect the trajectory of the season in a bad way. Really i wouldn't be shocked with any of those results. But to your point, this contest seems very "gettable" and we just have to get the "gettable" ones (man that Bradley game stings)
 
SycamoreStateofMind said:
I'm not sure you could expect a team to get off to a 3-0 start on the road... But considering our other 2 road dubs are vs. absolute bottom feeders in MoState and Evansville - this sure would be a nice one to have. Valpo played both Drake and Bradley tough - given we go Belmont and Drake at home after this then @ Bradley. This is a pretty big game for the Sycamores - I mean they all are once conference play starts but you gotta find a way to go win this ball game.
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This game is huge for momentum. We absolutely will have to play better defense tonight if we want to win. Valpo is coming off a huge win and are playing with confidence. Cooper Schwieger is a load, but they have other weapons too. I am hopeful our outside shooting is better tonight as they will help take some of the pressure of the defensive side. Defensive blockouts will be critical as Schwieger and Sepp crash the boards hard. Our guards will have their hands full with Schmidt, Wright and De La Cruz Manegro. All three of these guys can hit the 3 at a good clip and are capable of taking over at times. This isn't the Valpo of the past few years, they are much improved and have shown they can compete with the top of the Valley. This would be real nice road win!
 
It's the morning of Game Day and I have to wonder...

Is Valpo a mirror image of ourselves?
What would Valpo's record be if Isaiah Stafford was healthy?
Will the Sycamore team have a meal at Don Quijote Restaurant for Bruno's sake (https://donquijotevalpo.com/)?
Can any of our guys out-rebound Kaspar Sepp?
Can we contain Cooper Schwieger?
If we contain Cooper Schwieger, can we contain all of their other double-digit scorers?
Can we keep Valpo off the free throw line?
Will JD foul out?
Will any of our other guys foul out?
Who's got better Freshmen, Valpo or State?
Will the ARC see more than 2,000 in attendance for the first time since the last time ISU came to town (2/21/24)?
Could this be the beginning of a nice little in-state rivalry?
 
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We are hitting 3's early, but the defense is getting torched....hope we clean it up and stop leaving our man...looking at you Alocen!!
 
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