Valpo @ Evansville

[Wufan]

If there is a better player in the Valley than DJ Balentine, I haven't seen him, but then again I haven't seen every player in the league. I guess there might be some as good, but no one BETTER.

I haven't seen Balentine (or several other wing guards) play yet this year, so IDK, BUT I have seen Ron Baker play and I'd be surprised if Ron isn't every bit as good. That isn't to take anything away from Balentine. He is obviously putting himself into the mix for POY honors early on and I would say there isn't a better scorer in the league. Also, Balentine has been more consistent than Baker and the competition he has faced has had no answer for him.

The Aces really have something in sophomores Balentine, Wing, and Mock (though Mock hasn't put up many stats) and freshman Gibson and Simmons. Nice line-up! When is E-ville on TV/ESPN3?

[pafan]

Aces next TV game is at Indiana, next Tuesday night. TV is on Big Ten Network.

[Wufan]

Aces next TV game is at Indiana, next Tuesday night. TV is on Big Ten Network.

Thanks! I will be tuning in (or DVRing)!

[m-v-c]

Haven't seen the Aces play yet, and maybe Evansville fans have already mentioned this, but was really intrigued to see what they did this year with the rules emphasis on actually calling fouls.

This is an interesting quesiton. I don't really think UE is benefitting more from free throws than any other team in the country (although UE's FT% is much improved this year).

It is plausible that teams are defending UE differently this year than in years prior, but UE is also running the offense a little differently.

Let me explain. In 2012, a bunch of players who were shy about taking shots took up a lot of minutes. Or, put another way, 3 players ate up 54% of all shot opportunities while being only 41% of team minutes.

So far this year, DJ Ballentine has been the #1 scorer by far, but there are no "shy" players IMO, making assists much more common. Additionally, the offense is running faster, so you may not be able to observe the "beauty" of the motion. (Most UE fans who have decried the Simmons offense in prior years as "plodding" and not "beautiful", but that's beside the point)

Yeah I can't speak for Evansville fans, just more what saw from outside in past. Really enjoyed watching Evansville's offensive motion in past, if not always the results of it. (Last year it was clear who the focus was on for scoring, and if Colt wasn't scoring it got ugly)

Even if the rules emphasis is helping (like said, haven't seen to make that conclusion), it might not be visible in the # of FT's as much as in there being more space for guys to get free and/or get off shots. In a good motion offense the scoring load typically is shared more, but last year really thought a team like Evansville with its motion was practically penalized for daring to run an offense with guys cutting and screening, because defenders were allowed to manhandle those cutters everywhere they went. Hopefully the re-enforcement of fouls will encourage teams to teach players offensive fundamentals again, instead of the boring isolations, clear-outs and ball screens that become dull in a hurry (and frequently lead to teams taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock).

Either way, looking forward to seeing the Aces play on TV soon, great start to the year.