Hey guys first time posting on your site. I am a Redbirds fan and I was one that was very excited to see Loyola come into the Valley. I am curious how you guys feel about the valley, the competition and other fans. Are you guys excited for Arch Madness? I am sure that Porter will get you guys the talent to succeed in the valley the only question I have is if he is willing to change his style of play along with it. What is the largest crowd you guys have had this year? What are your expectations for the next three years?

I watched Creighton take down DePaul last night And found myself really missing them. But they are gone and I am glad you guys took their place. I see great potential in what Loyola can accomplish in the MVC. Here is going your students begin to feel the same.

Also I would like to thank Rambler63. He has posted on our board a number of times and always brings great insight.

Welcome to the board, and thanks for the compliment.

My expectations for this season were that we would have done much better in non-con than we did, especially because of our weak schedule. I didn't think Milton Doyle would be nearly as good as he has been, but I also didn't think we'd have so much trouble finding a consistent presence in the frontcourt to support Christian Thomas. I didn't think we'd beat UNI or Missouri State at home, but I didn't think we'd lose at home to SIU and Bradley, or that we'd be this far into the season winless on the road.

Attendance has been another unexpected problem. Apparently we had a firm that we contracted with to specialize in marketing the games/building attendance, and they discontinued operations suddenly, leaving us to scramble. My realistic hope for the next three years is that we have a season (possibly next year, given our personnel) in which we finish at .500 or above in MVC play.

I would hope we'd get the attendance problem worked out so we have a much better home court advantage. Our largest home attendance this year has been 2723 against UNI. For comparison, we averaged 2278 last year in a Horizon League without Butler, and had two games over 3200. In 2006-07, we averaged 2831 with two crowds over 4200 (one of which was 4600+). I think it's realistic that we could average 3200 or more at home within the next three years as we develop rivalries within the MVC, which would put us close to what Drake is doing, and we can build from there.

Welcome!

Loving the Valley so far, just wish we had some more wins. It's great to be part of a conference that has an identity. Arch Madness should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to checking it out. Again, just hope we aren't one and done.

Reggie Lynch is my favorite non-Rambler in the Valley so far.

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