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25 has it about right--Although when we upgraded to the Valley , we had to accept the expanded travel miles--The better Conferences mostly all have this problem.Look it up. If one likes a cozy little close by group then Horizon is almost perfect BUT where's thge beef ?? Eg--Pac 10 , Tucson to Seattle--Big 14 , Lincoln to Jersey--ACC Va to Fla --Big Least Omaha to NYC--A-10 , Missouri to East Coast and on and on. This IS what it is ! We are now doing what Big-Timers do.

Problem as I see it is that our Alums and STUDENTS had better rise to the occasion--eg Bus trips, Alumni gatherings ( surely I and a handful of others at Kent tells a lot--More Cle Alums should have been there.) Our winning in this Conf should improve things on this front. AND we ARE winning.

Now then, if only we would schedule the Zips !!!

25yearstreak wrote:Definitely enjoying the whole Valley experience a lot more than the Horizon League. Much better competition and rivalry. Give Porter some credit for upgrading the roster as we are on the right track but a year away from being a top four. I just hope we make a top six this year.
Only two bad things about the Valley. The road trips are not as close as the Horizon and also the crappy Wednesday Saturday/Sunday format. It was nice to be able to plan a two road game trip like CSU/YSU but definitely a better caliber of competition. Really like having the Shockers in the league.

I think we are a top four this year. Wichita and UNI are clear and away the top two. After that, we are right there in the next pack. Evansville was widely thought to be the 3rd place team and we beat them in their house. ISUr is looking to be a bust. ISUb is off to a surprising start but I think they will fade. I see no reason why we can't finish 3rd this season.

I know there isn't a whole lot of fear about SIU. The opening Vegas odds just came out and we're a 2.5 favorite, but it's a big game for us. The second half against WSU was demoralizing after leading them by 5 at half, and the Drake game was our worst game offensively since maybe the Tulane game. So far **fingers crossed** we've actually played a little better and more consistently away from home, and getting a win that we're supposed to get on the road at SIU would help get back some confidence after the three mediocre halves against Drake and WSU.

Ok , now here we go once again!!

It does appear that we are not as good YET as WSU---UNI beat us at their place but have not it Gentile as yet so , who knows ?? What must happen is win tomorrow and keep winning--The rest will take care of itself. eg--ISU Sycamores lost finally--helps us but only so long as we continue to win--no mid-season slumps. I believe our depth will help guard against that.
If our minor injuries cure up --starting tomorrow, I hope, we will do nicely.
I see a win here say 71-63--
Tend to business guys !! I truly am proud of these guys and I do see Turk , Milton or Christian going off big time tomorrow.

25yearstreak wrote:Definitely enjoying the whole Valley experience a lot more than the Horizon League. Much better competition and rivalry. Give Porter some credit for upgrading the roster as we are on the right track but a year away from being a top four. I just hope we make a top six this year.
Only two bad things about the Valley. The road trips are not as close as the Horizon and also the crappy Wednesday Saturday/Sunday format. It was nice to be able to plan a two road game trip like CSU/YSU but definitely a better caliber of competition. Really like having the Shockers in the league.

Did the Horizon do the whole travel partners thing for basketball? I know the Valley does that in the non-revenue sports to save money on travel but men's basketball does not. The Tuesday/Wednesday and Saturday/Sunday scheduling is done so that we have more games on TV, be it regional (Fox Sports MidWest/KC/whatever else is in the area) and nationally (ESPN). It means better exposure for MVC teams and the conference as a whole. I'm not sure if it really means much more money as our TV contracts aren't all that great, but exposure can help when it comes to recruiting and even generating some fan interest.

For the numbers crunchers in the crowd (as Brent Musberger would call you), we're now a Pick 'Em game

Pick 'em !! I wonder if that means in the Vegas eyes that we STILL have injuries to some of our key guys !! You think ?? If so , the rest REALLY have to syep up !

GO RAMBLERS !!

Lots and Lots of negativity on the SIU message board!!! Like one of their fans mentioned...hopefully our near loss to Drake wakes up our team for todays game. I don't think there are any MVC road games that should be considered a cake walk. Go Ramblers!!!

A convincing and utterly non-dramatic win would be just fine with me. It's going to take focus, energy, and determination. We had it against Kent State, UTSA, Evansville, Bradley, and at the Vegas tournament; we didn't have it against Drake, Tulane, and Michigan State. Which team will show up today?

Robbie Aces wrote:Lots and Lots of negativity on the SIU message board!!! Like one of their fans mentioned...hopefully our near loss to Drake wakes up our team for todays game. I don't think there are any MVC road games that should be considered a cake walk. Go Ramblers!!!

Yeah...I would hope that the Drake game served as a wake up call not to take any opponent for granted. I think we win today by a comfortable margin, but SIU will probably keep it close in the first half.