WSU Versus Illinois State Predictions and Pregame Discussions

[jdshock]

I'm hoping they leave Wichita a little earlier than normal to avoid the weather and have a safe return Saturday night. I hate ice.

I have tickets to the game, but I'm starting to think the weather might prevent the trip.

[wusphlash]

FIFY

That works too.

How about "a little earlier than normal for Normal"?

[Phantom]

Hey there Shockers fans, here we are again!

Big stage for us both here, which historically favors you guys far and away. With the way our season started with crap performances and a couple bad losses, I would've laughed if you would've said we'd start 5-0 in Valley play. But alas, here we are. The reasons for that really are twofold: Defense and Paris Lee. The team has committed to defense first and Paris has led our guys on both ends.

You guys...seemingly nothing new. You're good, again. Period. I watched most of your games @Indy St and @UNI and it was typical, sound WSU basketball. I think we match up fairly well and it should be a good game with a good atmosphere at venerable Redbird Arena. As for the festivities before the game, ISU puts on a few pregame events per year, for marquee Saturday games. One is always before Bradley, the other rotates. It should be a fun day and game though.

Tough one to predict, but I think it'll be close either way. I like our chances if we continue to defend hard and attack the glass, but if anyone can exploit even the slightest of mistakes, it's you guys. Just hoping for a hardfought, clean game and a great showcase for both our teams on national TV.

If any of you are making the trip, be safe. Weather looks like it'll be ok around town and the radar shows the the worst of the ice storm is pushing far south so that's good.

Let's show the ESPN2 audience how the Valley does it!

[Dan]

The poor kid knew what was about to happen and needed comforting.

It's hard to click on that video and not watch it 4 or 5 times

[MadaboutWu]

https://twitter.com/RedbirdHDTV/stat...84746954387456

Pretty good video. I like the shot of HCGM (as the big bad VILLAIN) at about 1:00. I also like that HCGM features more prominently than Muller who I don't think I saw at all.

[WheatShock]

I always wonder why their guy is hugging Lufile.

He just couldn't handle it anymore. He was the guy that transferred to Indiana and got spanked by Fred & Co in the tourney.

[Shocker Mama]

And you notice the perfect passes by Ron and Fred, and the screens by Chadrick and Ron. And then you watch Tekele another five times.

[WheatShock]

And you notice the perfect passes by Ron and Fred, and the screens by Chadrick and Ron. And then you watch Tekele another five times.

Evan actually had the screen on the superman dunk, Ron went towards the backcourt as a decoy.

Beautifully executed short shot clock inbound play.

[SHOCKvalue]

https://twitter.com/RedbirdHDTV/stat...84746954387456

Definitely NOT a Super Bowl. I assume they did a similar video before the Evansville game too?


Don't you need to be competitive for it to be a rivalry? Before last year's game, the last time Illinois State beat WSU in the regular season was in the 2009-10 season. I mean, that's embarrassing.

I remember when our AD used to do stuff like that for the fans. It was a neat time. Maybe we'll get back to that level of fan engagement someday. Fingers crossed.

#HighMajorSportsButLowMajorAtheleticDepartment

Back in the, uh, old days when we did do stuff like that, the quality of the work smoked that ISUr video.

https://youtu.be/kSGf6HXQSUg

[Shocker Mama]

Evan actually had the screen on the superman dunk, Ron went towards the backcourt as a decoy.

Beautifully executed short shot clock inbound play.

You're right. That was Wessel.

[ShockerFever]

I remember when our AD used to do stuff like that for the fans. It was a neat time. Maybe we'll get back to that level of fan engagement someday. Fingers crossed.

#HighMajorSportsButLowMajorAtheleticDepartment

Back in the, uh, old days when we did do stuff like that, the quality of the work smoked that ISUr video.

https://youtu.be/kSGf6HXQSUg

EXCELLENT point. WTF happened? It's almost like they've too grown content over all of the success that is going on. But they sure as hell will continue to take in the buttloads of $$$$ that comes pouring in every year with the season tickets, game-day concessions, and advertising, etc.

They struck while the iron was hot for a bit and then have regressed and given up. The basketball team doesn't deserve the incompetence and low major athletic department that holds them back. Your hashtag deserves to be trending.

And yes that was an exceptional video that blows any other Super Bowl vid out of the water.

[1972Shocker]

Hopefully, the Shocks will have 2 good halves of basketball in their quivers for this game. Something they haven't had or really needed in many cases this season.

[SHOCKvalue]

EXCELLENT point. WTF happened? It's almost like they've too grown content over all of the success that is going on. But they sure as hell will continue to take in the buttloads of $$$$ that comes pouring in every year with the season tickets, game-day concessions, and advertising, etc.

They struck while the iron was hot for a bit and then have regressed and given up. The basketball team doesn't deserve the incompetence and low major athletic department that holds them back. Your hashtag deserves to be trending.

And yes that was an exceptional video that blows any other Super Bowl vid out of the water.

Hard to believe that just a few years ago, WSU won this:

http://www.nacda.com/sports/convention/spec-rel/061413aab.html

The WSU staff member mentioned in that article left, and is now at Oregon.

Instead of naming a new individual to fill the same roll and job title as the departed guy (Associate AD - Marketing and Communications), WSU folded the responsibility into a new, hybird position (Associate AD - Marketing & Ticket Operations). Today, the guy who primarily oversees tickets also oversees marketing, and so instead of having an associate AD in charge of marketing like they used to (alone... as in he or she's specialty and strong suit) the person who effectively leads marketing at the WSU AD actually answers to and is under the fellow who runs the ticket office. Let me know when you figure out the logic there, but the product has obviously changed.

[jdshock]

I remember when our AD used to do stuff like that for the fans. It was a neat time. Maybe we'll get back to that level of fan engagement someday. Fingers crossed.

#HighMajorSportsButLowMajorAtheleticDepartment

Back in the, uh, old days when we did do stuff like that, the quality of the work smoked that ISUr video.

https://youtu.be/kSGf6HXQSUg

Our athletic department won several national awards for its marketing efforts. I've just kind of assumed the (incredibly talented) people responsible for those videos moved on. I have no evidence or anything. I'm just guessing because of the drop off.

I will say that the quality of videos we were putting out weren't just on par with "high major" schools. It was what you'd expect from a perennial type five team with a limitless budget. I don't know what the secret to the success was, but I miss those kinds of videos.

Edit: seems like you explained it

[SHOCKvalue]

Our athletic department won several national awards for its marketing efforts. I've just kind of assumed the (incredibly talented) people responsible for those videos moved on. I have no evidence or anything. I'm just guessing because of the drop off.

I will say that the quality of videos we were putting out weren't just on par with "high major" schools. It was what you'd expect from a perennial type five team with a limitless budget. I don't know what the secret to the success was, but I miss those kinds of videos.

Edit: seems like you explained it

Yep. John Brewer left in April of 2015 according to his LinkedIn page, and you can pretty much chart the decline of WSU marketing since then (outside of the stuff made under contract by Intake Studios, which will always be good). It's like the marketing/communications department disappeared into thin air, in spite of the fact the WSU AD website still shows it has 11 employees.