2014-15 Crusader Men’s Basketball Game Notes Contact: AARON LEAVITT Office: 219.464.6953 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] Cell: 219.476.6680 Athletics-Recreation Center www.valpoathletics.com 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 2014-15 Schedule and Results Valparaiso (13-3, 0-1 Horizon) Date Opponent Time/Result Game #17 - Sunday, January 4 - 1:35 p.m. Nov. 6 Grand Valley State (exhibition) W 60-52 Nov. 14 East Tennessee State W 90-76 Youngstown State (9-7, 0-1 Horizon) Nov. 16 at Missouri L 56-41 Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind. Nov. 19 IU South Bend ! W 91-55 Next Up in Crusader Basketball: Valparaiso looks to bounce back from a loss Nov. 21 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff # W 59-46 Nov. 23 vs. Maine # W 93-70 in its league opener, turning around just 40 hours later to host Youngstown Nov. 28 vs. Drake ! W 66-46 State at the ARC Sunday afternoon. The game with the Penguins kicks off a Nov. 29 vs. Murray State ! W 93-58 three-game homestand this week for the Crusaders. Nov. 30 vs. Portland ! W 70-55 Dec. 3 at Eastern Kentucky W 72-66 Last Time Out: The Valparaiso men’s basketball team rallied from a 16-point Dec. 6 New Mexico L 63-46 first-half deficit in its Horizon League opener Friday evening in Rochester, Dec. 10 Trinity International W 79-54 Mich. and claimed a seven-point lead with less than four minutes to play, but Dec. 13 Ball State W 65-62 this chapter in the Crusaders’ rivalry with Oakland would go the Golden Griz- Dec. 20 at IPFW W 75-72 zlies’ way, as Oakland eventually won 89-75 in overtime. Tevonn Walker scored Dec. 21 Goshen W 82-55 a career-best 22 points, but Valpo could not overcome a 29-free throw disparity. Dec. 29 at James Madison W 79-52 Jan. 2 at Oakland * L 89-75 (ot) Following the Crusaders: Audio - Valpo Sports Network (WVUR, 95.1 FM, Jan. 4 Youngstown State * 1:35 p.m. Valparaiso; WEFM, 95.9 FM, Michigan City; WJOB, 1230 AM, Hammond) - Jan. 8 UIC * 7:05 p.m. Todd Ickow (PxP) and David Huseman (Color) Jan. 10 Cleveland State * 7:05 p.m. Video - Horizon League Network/ESPN3.com Jan. 17 at Wright State * 6 p.m. Links for the audio and video, as well as live stats, will be available at Jan. 20 at Youngstown State * 6 p.m. ValpoAthletics.com. Jan. 23 at Green Bay * 8 p.m. Jan. 26 Milwaukee * 7:05 p.m. Head Coach Bryce Drew: Bryce Drew (79-39) is in his fourth season at the helm Jan. 31 at UIC * 3 p.m. Feb. 4 Detroit * 7:05 p.m. of the Crusader men's basketball program in 2014-15. In his first three years, Feb. 8 Oakland * 1:35 p.m. Drew led Valpo to 66 victories and postseason berths in each of his three Feb. 13 Green Bay * TBD seasons. The 2012 HL Coach of the Year, Drew ascended to the head coaching Feb. 15 at Milwaukee * 1 p.m. position on May 17, 2011 after spending six seasons as an assistant and asso- Feb. 21 Wright State * 7:05 p.m. ciate head coach with the Crusaders. Feb. 25 at Detroit * 6 p.m. Feb. 27 at Cleveland State * 9 p.m. Series Notes: Valpo owns a significant 29-9 edge in the all-time series over Mar. 3-10 Horizon League Championship Youngstown State, and is 13-2 against the Penguins since joining the Horizon League. The Crusaders have not lost to YSU at home in eight such games since All times Central. joining the HL, and have an overall 12-game home winning streak against the Home games in bold and played at Athletics- Penguins. Last season, Valpo won a pair of tight games over the Penguins, Recreation Center. prevailing 74-71 in Youngstown and 68-66 in Valparaiso. ! – Challenge in Music City (Campus sites/Nashville, Tenn.) # - Central Michigan Tournament (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) * - indicates Horizon League game @ValpoBasketball Valpo Men’s #ValpoGameday Basketball #GoValpo 2014-15 Crusader Men’s Basketball Game Notes Contact: AARON LEAVITT Office: 219.464.6953 Valpo Sports Media Relations [email protected] Cell: 219.476.6680 Athletics-Recreation Center www.valpoathletics.com 1009 Union Street Valparaiso IN 46383 @ValpoBasketball... A Baker’s Dozen ...and the @HorizonLeague - @ValpoBasketball reached 13 wins on the year with the win at - @ValpoBasketball has been picked to finish in fourth place in the James Madison on Monday. league standings in 2014-15 in preseason polling. - The Crusaders are one of nine programs nationally with 13 or more - The Crusaders have not finished worse than their preseason pro- victories as of the end of play on Wednesday. jection in the last four years. - This year’s Valpo team has reached the ten, 11, 12 and 13-win - Sophomore Alec Peters was the lone underclassman on the pre- marks earlier in the calendar than any other team in program history. season #HLMBB First Team All-League squad. - The 2007-08 squad earned its tenth win on Dec. 15, the only other team in program history to hit ten wins before Christmas. ...looking back at last year - @ValpoBasketball won 18 games and finished in fourth place in Great Start the #HLMBB regular season. - @ValpoBasketball is still enjoying one of its best starts since the - The Crusaders advanced to the postseason for the fourth straight move to Division I. year, falling in the first round of the CIT to Columbia. - The Crusaders are 13-3 through 16 games, just the second time - Lavonte Dority was a First Team All-League selection and also since the move to D-I they have at least 13 wins in their first 16. earned All-Region honors. - The 1996-97 squad is the only D-I Valpo team to go deeper into the - Alec Peters and Lexus Williams were both named to the league's season before suffering its third loss, winning 14 of its first 16 games. All-Freshman Team. - Valpo won seven games in a row earlier this year to set its longest winning streak under Bryce Drew [won six in a row twice in 2012-13]. ...notes from Oakland - Valpo rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit and led by seven Falling in the League Opener points with less than four minutes to play. - The loss to Oakland marked just the second time in the last five - Keith Carter hit a 3-pointer with 9.9 seconds remaining to force years that @ValpoBasketball has lost its #HLMBB opener. overtime. - The Crusaders’ other opening loss in the last five years came - The Crusaders lost despite a career-high 22 points from Tevonn against Loyola to kick off the 2012-13 league slate. Walker. - Valpo ended up going 13-3 and winning the #HLMBB regular - Valpo lost for the first time this season when shooting at a higher season that year. percentage and out-rebounding its opponent. - Alec Peters was limited to just seven points - Crusaders 0-3 in D- Poll Thoughts I games this year when he’s held to single digits. - With their start to the season, the Crusaders have been steadily - Valpo was tagged with its largest foul disparity (28-12) and matched moving up the Mid-Major top-25 poll. its largest FT disparity (41-12) since joining the Horizon League. - Valpo came in at fourth position in the most recent iteration of the poll, trailing just Gonzaga, UNI and Wichita State. ...looking ahead - Fourth marks the Crusaders’ best-ever ranking in the Mid-Major - @ValpoBasketball continues a three-game league homestand on Top-25 poll. Thursday against UIC before hosting Cleveland State on Saturday. - Valpo also received a vote in the Associated Press top-25 poll in - The Crusaders then have a week off before kicking off a three- the poll dated Dec. 22. game road trip at Wright State the following Saturday. Hitting the Glass ...at the ARC - Valpo has out-rebounded opponents by double figures eight times - @ValpoBasketball has 14 regular season home games scheduled on the year, most recently doing so against JMU (48-38). for the ARC in 2014-15. #ValpoGameday - By contrast, the Crusaders have only been outrebounded on two - The Crusaders posted a 12-6 mark at the ARC last season, and are occasions - losses to New Mexico and Missouri. now 5-1 at home this year. - Valpo leads #HLMBB in rebounding margin (+7.9) by more than - Over the last 20+ years, @ValpoBasketball owns a 240-57 (.808) six boards, and also paces the circuit in both offensive and defen- record on its home court. sive rebounding percentage. - The Crusaders are 19-6 in home #HLMBB games under Bryce Drew. Going Advanced - Valpo’s offense has averaged at least a point per possession in all but @YSUMensHoops three games this year - all three of which were losses. - Youngstown State enters Sunday’s game at 9-7 overall and 0-1 in - Defensively, the Crusaders have surrendered less than a point per league play after falling at UIC Friday afternoon. possession in all but three games, including most recently at Oakland. - The Penguins are just 2-5 in true road games so far this year. - Alec Peters ranks ninth nationally in Offensive Rating among - Three Penguins average in double figures, led by Marcus Keene, players who use at least 24% of their team’s possessions. who scores 16.6 ppg on 42.6% shooting from 3-point range.