Game Preview: Preseason Finale vs. Augustana

The Crusaders wrap up their preseason Thursday night when they welcome Augustana College to town.  Questions abound after the preseason opener this past Saturday against Hillsdale.  Can this team make three pointers, can they help on defense, and can they defend the ARC?


Get to know your opponent:
The DIII Vikings compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.  Last year they captured their conference crown.  These guys went 27-4 last year and graduated only one of their starters.  They are expected to be one of the best DIIIs in the country as they are ranked #1 in the midwest region and #7 overall in the preseason polls.  This should be a nice final test to see how well the guys are progressing.

Some Interesting Augustana factoids and notable alumni:  Founded in 1860 by Sweedish settlers, Augustana is a DIII athletically, but a DI for the quality of people that leave the school with degrees. The college is known for the excellent dental experts and their Medievil and Renaissance studies graduates that come from their school.   Some notable alumni include former NFL QB Ken Anderson, the first female CEO of Sara Lee and PepsiCo Brenda Barnes, Noble Prize winner Daniel Tsui, and Aaron Kennedy the founder of Noodles & Co.

What to expect:

I expect we will see a group of guys who after a game under their belt and a few more practices will be a bit more in sync.  I suspect we will see a much better shooting effort from the Crusaders, especially from Will Bogan and Richie Edwards.  The team needs to show some improvement in their help defense and double teaming the post defense.  They were a step or two slow in both of these aspects in the first game.  I suspect Erik Buggs will continue to establish himself as a threat to attack the hoop, and I'm hoping to see Matt Kenney play a better game.  Jay Harris will continue to show he is a capable second scorer and will strengthen his hold on the starting shooting guard spot.

Prediction:
Well after Saturday's prediction debacle I'm going to be a bit more reserved.  I don't think Valpo will lose to a DIII team and I don't suspect Augustana will keep this one as close as Hillsdale did.  I will take a Valpo victory 81-64.  The real victory will come as we see Will Bogan hit a couple three pointers, Ryan Broekhoff continue to prove why this is HIS team, and KVW continues to provide an inside scoring presence.