Weekend Preview: Welcome Home

The Crusaders finally return home after spending the last couple of weeks on the road.  After their road trip, the Crusaders return home in second place and in a perfect spot to make a push for not only one of the coveted double byes, but also for the top seed.  This week, Valpo will host Detroit on Thursday and seek revenge for an earlier loss at Wright State on Saturday.

If you are in the ARC for either game stop by Section EE and say high.  I shouldn't be too hard to find.

Detroit - Thursday, February 2, 6:30pm tipoff
Detroit is a tough team to figure out.  They are clearly the most athletic team in the conference and boast some of the most talented individual players in the entire league.  The question will be whether or not they can play a team style of play for an entire game, and are they willing to play a defensive game if that is what the pace dictates.

In their first matchup at Detroit, Valpo won in thrilling fashion as Erik Buggs drove the length of the court to hit a buzzer beating layup to send Valpo to a 2 point victory.  In that game, Will Bogan went off from three point land hitting 7/8 and leading the Crusaders with 23 point.  KVW chipped in a solid 17 points (he did foul out and only play 23 minutes) and Rowdy finished the night in double figures with 14.  For the Titans, Eli Holman proved nearly too much for our bigs to handle as he hit 8/12 from the field and scored 17 points while Ray McCallum went to the free throw line 13 times and finished the game with 22 points.

The Crusaders have won all three meetings with this group of Titans dating back to last year.  In order to keep that streak alive, Valpo will need to slow down Holman and try to keep McCallum from getting double digit free throw attempts.  Chase Simon and McCallum are going to get their points, just make them throw up a lot of shots (they were both at the top of the FG missed stats at the midpoint) to get those points and limit the offensive rebound/tip dunks.  Note: Detroit has only a 2-6 road record.

Prediction: Valpo wins 77-73.

Wright State - Saturday, February 4, 7pm tipoff
Saturday is a big night at the ARC.  Valparaiso University will induct it's newest class of Athletic Hall Of Famers including Homer Drew. The team will also be trying to get revenge for a disasterous performace a few weeks ago when they got run out of the Nutter Center, 73-55.

In that first matchup, Ryan led the way with a double double (18/14) and KVW had 13.  Everybody else (minus Kenney who had 8) forgot to play on the offensive end that night.  The Raiders were lead by Armond Battle's 23 point performance and Julius Mays added 21.  Mays is having an All Conference caliber season, but has been a bit knicked up lately.  Containing him is essential for a Crusader victory.  WSU outrebounded Valpo in that game and was +7 on the turnover battle. 

I have little doubt that Valpo will get their revenge and maintain their grip on the two seed with a weekend sweep.  Lets just hope they don't start looking ahead to the big road trip through Ohio next week against the other two teams atop the league standings.

Prediction: Valpo wins 73-61.  Here is a shot of WSU's best looking fan.

Weekend Wrap Up: Wisconsin Split

After the debacle on Thursday night at Green Bay, the Crusaders rebounded nicely with a huge win over reigning league champion Milwaukee.  Valpo got solid production from nearly everyone that played today and those who only scored 3 points (Buggs and Bogan) scored those points at huge points in the game.

The beginning of the game had a strange feel to it: lots of offensive fouls, technical fouls, and even an ejection.  Richie Edwards played only four minutes before getting the boot, but it was a productive four minutes.  He manage to score five points and move high up the public enemy list to the Milwaukee fans.  Things settled down about midway through the first half and the game turned into a real defensive struggle.

The two teams shot a combined 35/105 from the field which equates to a 35% clip.  It is known that Milwaukee is not a good offensive team, but what really surprised me was how well the Valpo defense played.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the play of Jay Harris.  He really stepped up and attacked when Valpo needed a spark.  He, Matt Kenney, and Ben Boggs all had nice games and provided other options for Crusader coach Bryce Drew.

I'm not sure what was most impressive in this game.  Valpo was out shot percentage wise, out shot from behind the arc (6 to 5), out rebounded (26 to 33), and out free throwed and still managed to win.  The Valpo defense was outstanding in the second half, holding the Panthers to only 17 points.  Quite a contrast to the defense we have been used to seeing.

I'll probably take some heat for this but that is ok.  I'm not at all impressed by Milwaukee guard Kaylon Williams.  I heard the announcers say that no other team needs their point guard as much as Milwaukee and I'm sure that is true.  I'm just not sold that he is as good as everyone makes him out to be.  He leads the league in assist, he also leads the league in turnovers. He kind of reminds me of Jay Harris, one minute you are gawking at a stellar pass or long three point shot and the next you are scratching your head wondering what he is thinking making that pass (or in Jay's case chucking up a shot). His team's biggest game of the year to date and he scores 5 points on 1-8 shooting and turns it over 5 times.  Granted his one make was a big three pointer and he did chip in 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Kaylon is a nice player, but at this point I don't think he is deserving of the all conference tag a lot of people want to give him.  And what is with the way the guy walks?  Always with that limp.

Player of the Game: Ryan Broekhoff - 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

POTG Runner Up: Jay Harris - 7 points, 3 assists, some huge plays when Valpo needed them most.  This was hard to pick.

The win, combined with the win in this evening by Cleveland State leaves Valpo in second place but still in control of their own destiny.  This coming weekend Valpo will welcome in Wright State and Detroit.  Valpo will also induct a new class of athletic Hall of Famers including the legendary Homer Drew.

Hall of Fame Homer

 The game against Wright State on February 4th at the ARC will undoubtedly be important.  Valpo will be seeking revenge for an earlier loss and trying to stay a top the league standings.  Also on this night, legendary former head coach Dr. Homer Drew will be inducted in the Valparaiso University Athletics Hall of Fame (I guess his own bobble head just didn't do him enough justice)!

Coach Drew patrolled the sidelines of Valparaiso University for over two decades amassing 371 victories during his reign.  Homer led the Crusaders to nine postseason tournaments including seven trips to the NCAA tournament.  These postseason runs were of course highlighted by the teams Sweet 16
appearance in 1998.

Shortly after he retired I was able to have a brief phone interview with the man who's name graces the court in the ARC.  You can read that interview here.  During that interview we reminissed on the previous year, some of the historical games he coached in, his lasting legacy on the university and community, and the joy of coaching alongside his sons. 

All three Drew's have helped make their family name synonomyous with success in college basketball.  Bryce is leading his alma-mater to a winning record and another shot at the conference title.  Scott is the head man at Baylor who was one of the last teams to lose a game this year and are looking to make a deep run in the postseason.  So what about Homer?  Homer has taken on a new position at the university helping raise money.  He is also spreading cancer awareness for prostate and bladder cancer.

SectionEE wants to congratulate all the Drews on this great achievement and wish Homer and Janet the best in their battles with cancer. 

Game Preview: Valpo at Green Bay

Thursday night kicks off the annual Wisconsin road trip for the Crusaders in Horizon League play. As this is being written, Valpo is tied for first in the Horizon at 7-2. Last year they had the same record through 9 conference games, but are hoping to see the winning continue and not collapse like last year. Let's get to it.

Last time out: Valpo downed UIC 60-55 in Chicago, capping off a successful road trip there. Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk competed with each other in who had the best game. This time it was Van Wijk, who is flying is flying a little under the radar considering his recent dominance. The Junior from the Netherlands ended up with 20 points and 6 rebounds - quite a nice stat line. Sophmore Jay Harris also found himself getting back on track by scoring 13 points on 5-12 shooting. Valpo mostly controlled the game, but UIC made a run in the 2nd half. This was answered by a 10-0 Valpo run that put the Crusaders up for good.

Looking to Green Bay: The Wisconsin trip is always challenging for the Crusaders, and considering the position they sit in right now (1st in the league), this is going to be an important couple of games. Green Bay is having a bit of a down year, but let us not forget how quickly they got back into the game when Valpo hosted them at the ARC. Alec Brown is really beginning to blossom into a sensational big man in the Horizon, and honestly, I don't think Kevin Van Wijk matches up with him very well defensively. After all, it is not everyday you draw a defensive assignment against a 7 footer who can step back and hit jump shots, has good quickness and footwork, and can block shots like he's swatting flies. Nevertheless, Green Bay is not a team that is loaded with talent, and I feel Valpo has much greater depth. Any given night can be a night where a player like Jay Harris, or Matt Kenney, or Will Bogan, etc. steps up big on the offensive end. I'm looking for Valpo to continue to stay consistent offensively, but it may be possible they encounter some shooting woes again. Broekhoff will be the man, as usual, and Van Wijk will get his. It is going to come down to the effort of the role players, like Richie Edwards (especially if Van Wijk gets in foul trouble).

Prediction: Horizon League games are more often battles than shootouts, and like Hank mentioned before, I rarely (if ever) pick against Valpo.

VU wins 66-60