This weekend Valpo will welcome in HL coleaders Youngstown State and Cleveland State Universities to the ARC. YSU has been the surprise of the conference so far and Valpo will have to play a very solid game to come out on top Friday evening. The Penguins have recieved solid productivity from Eargle and Ward (currently ranked 3rd and 9th in PPS). Perry and Allen are in the top 5 in assist while Eargle is the top block man in the league.
CSU has not skipped a beat despite losing conference player of the year Norris Cole to the Miami Heat. While statistically they don't have anyone at the top of any major categories, they have some nice players in Montgomery, Brown and Kamczyc. Those guys share the scoring load pretty evenly. Montgomery does rank in the top 5 of the league in turnovers.
For Valpo to win either of these games they need to decide who is going to be the third scoring option. If it is going to be Bogan they need to get him more shots (1 in the last game after he hit 8/9 in the game before that). If it is going to be Kenney then they need him to provide that punch off the bench. I think it is also imparative that Valpo gets more shots for Ryan. Whether it is him driving to the basket, posting up, or coming off screens for three pointers our best player needs more attempts! The team also needs to be better on the defensive end and play without fouling. Erik has done an excellent job of late of staying out of foul trouble. I do not think these are must win games. It is important to protect home court, but I do believe that 4, 5 or maybe even 6 losses will be challenging for those coveted top two spots for the league tournament.
Predictions
Friday night: Valpo wins 75-70 over YSU
Sunday afternoon: Valpo wins in OT 86-83 over CSU
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