Game Preview: Valpo vs. IU Kokomo.

IU Kokomo
This Saturday will be the second day of the 2k classic Coaches vs. Cancer sub-regional that Valpo is hosting. The Crusaders will be taking IU Kokomo. The Cougars are a first year program, and their first win came against IU Northwest on November 1st in Gary. It appears that IU Kokomo is not a Division 1 program, and is still looking to find an identity as a first year program. Quite honestly, it is difficult to find any substantial information about the team at this point. They are just that new. Their team is made up of mostly freshman, but does have a veteran guard in Anthony Graves. I assume he is the best player for the Cougars.

Valpo
Valpo will come into Saturday evening already have played the Akron Zips on Friday (Check out the game preview for Akron here on SectionEE). This will be the fifth contest of the young season for the Crusaders. The Crusaders are shooting 51% so far on the season, and will look to continue the hot shooting. In the game against Holy Cross, VU shot a sizzling 61%. So the high shooting percentage for the year so far is not necessarily a reflection of consistency, since the Crusaders only shot 41% at Arizona. Even though it is still early on, a few of the new guys seem to be making some strides. Will Bogan, the transfer from Ole Miss, scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting in the victory over Georgia Southern. JUCO transfer scored 25 points on 8-12 shooting as well in the victory over Holy Cross. Look for the usual suspects in leading the team in this game. Ryan Broekhoff, although only shooting at 24% from 3 on the year, has been the most consistent player for Valpo in terms of scoring. He and Kevin Van Wijk are tied for a team leading 15.3 ppg. Interestingly enough, Broekhoff has the edge over Van Wijk in rebounding at 9 per game versus 8.

Prediction
So after looking at some stats, I think it is safe to say this will be a runaway for Valpo. IU Kokomo is a team mostly made up of freshman, in addition to only being a first year program. Perhaps Valpo wanted an easy contest in this tournament that they are getting to host. Look for Van Wijk to be dominate inside, and Broekhoff to continue his season as the high point man. This could be a game to get some playing time for the subs to get them more accustomed to each other. Matt Kenney, interestingly enough, is leading the team in steals so far this season with 6, as opposed to the idea that it might be Erik Buggs. Expect him to keep that up and get some baskets in transition. The Crusaders will get an easy win, and will hopefully be a part of a successful weekend for Valpo overall.

Valpo wins 76-48 (No real science went into this. Just my estimation!)