Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball
Valparaiso Crusaders | ||||
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University | Valparaiso University | |||
Conference | Horizon League | |||
Location | Valparaiso, IN | |||
Head coach | Matt Lottich (1st year) | |||
Arena |
Athletics-Recreation Center (Capacity: 5,432) | |||
Nickname | Crusaders | |||
Colors |
Brown and Gold[1] | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1998 | ||||
NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | ||||
1998 | ||||
NCAA Tournament appearances | ||||
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2013, 2015 | ||||
Conference tournament champions | ||||
Mid-Continent Conference Horizon League 2013, 2015 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
Mid-Continent Conference Horizon League 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 |
Sport | Men's basketball |
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Teams |
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First meeting |
1934–35 Butler 41, Valparaiso 25 |
Latest meeting |
March 3, 2012 Valparaiso 65, Butler 46 |
Trophy | none |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 103 |
All-time series | Butler leads, 67–36 |
Largest victory | Valparaiso, 85–49 (1945–46) |
Longest win streak | Butler, 15 (1957–1964) |
Current win streak | Valparaiso: 4 wins (2011–12) |
The Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Horizon League. The Crusaders play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016 in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2015.
On April 7, 2016, the school promoted former assistant coach Matt Lottich to the head coach position following Bryce Drew accepting the head coaching position at Vanderbilt on April 6, 2016.[2][3][4]
History
The beginning
The Crusaders' first game was in 1917. Under the coaching of Sidney Winters, the team lost to Chicago. The team would finish 7-2 that year.[5] In 1988, Homer Drew took the job as head coach and remained until retiring in May 2011. He was then succeeded by his son Bryce. 1988 was also the year that the Crusaders defeated 19th-ranked Notre Dame in a game that came to be known as "The Lutheran Miracle."
The tallest team
The 1944–45 team was billed as "The World's Tallest Team."[5] That year, they defeated Long Island University in a game played in Madison Square Garden.
Conference affiliation
The Crusaders joined the Indiana Collegiate Conference for the 1950–1951 season. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1961–62. In 1968–69, they hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time.
Division I
The Crusaders joined Division I before the 1978–79 season. After four years as an independent, they became charter members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, now known as The Summit League. In 2007, Valparaiso became a member of the Horizon League.
Championships
Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
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Valparaiso (Mid-Continent Conference) (1982–2007) | |||||||||
1994–95 | Homer Drew | 20–8 | 14–4 | 1st | |||||
1995–96 | Homer Drew | 22–10 | 13–5 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
1996–97 | Homer Drew | 24–7 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
1997–98 | Homer Drew | 23–10 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1998–99 | Homer Drew | 23–10 | 10–4 | T–1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
1999–00 | Homer Drew | 19–13 | 10–6 | T–2nd | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
2000–01 | Homer Drew | 24–8 | 13–3 | T–1st | |||||
2001–02 | Homer Drew | 25–8 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
2002–03 | Scott Drew | 20–11 | 12–2 | 1st | NIT Opening Round | ||||
2003–04 | Homer Drew | 18–13 | 11–5 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round | ||||
Valparaiso (Horizon League) (2007–present) | |||||||||
2011–12 | Bryce Drew | 22–12 | 14–4 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
2012–13 | Bryce Drew | 26–8 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2014–15 | Bryce Drew | 28–6 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
2015–16 | Bryce Drew | 29-7 | 16-2 | 1st | NIT Final | ||||
Total: | |||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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Postseason
NCAA Division I tournament
Under coach Homer Drew, the Crusaders became a conference power. They won their first Mid-Continent championship in 1995, led by star player Bryce Drew. However, the team was not invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders won the 1996 conference championship and received their first invitation to the Division I NCAA Tournament. In the 1998 Tournament, the Crusaders won their first Tournament game, defeating the University of Mississippi on a last second shot by Bryce Drew. The Crusaders won their second round game against Florida State University before losing in the Sweet 16 to the University of Rhode Island. The Crusaders won the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament every year until 2001, when Southern Utah University won the conference tournament. In Coach Scott Drew's only year as head coach, the team advanced to the National Invitation Tournament where, in their first game televised by ESPN, they lost to the University of Iowa. The Crusaders played in the title game of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament every year between 1995 and 2004.
NCAA Division I tournament results
The Crusaders have appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–9.
Date Time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site City, State | ||||||
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1996 CBS |
No. 14(W) | vs. No. 3(W) Arizona First Round |
L 90–51 | 0–1 |
ASU Activity Center Tempe, Arizona | ||||||
1997 CBS |
No. 12(W) | vs. No. 5(W) Boston College First Round |
L 73–66 | 0–2 |
Jon M. Huntsman Center | ||||||
1998 CBS |
No. 13(MW) | vs. No. 4(MW) Mississippi First Round |
W 70–69 | 1–2 |
Myriad Convention Center | ||||||
1998 CBS |
No. 13(MW) | vs. No. 12(MW) Florida State Second Round |
W 83–77 OT | 2–2 |
Myriad Convention Center | ||||||
1998 CBS |
No. 13(MW) | vs. No. 8(MW) Rhode Island Sweet Sixteen |
L 74–68 | 2–3 |
Kiel Center | ||||||
1999 CBS |
No. 15(S) | vs. No. 2(S) Maryland First Round |
L 82–60 | 2–4 |
Orlando Arena | ||||||
2000 CBS |
No. 16(MW) | vs. No. 1(MW) Michigan State First Round |
L 65–38 | 2–5 |
Wolstein Center | ||||||
2002 CBS |
No. 13(E) | vs. No. 4(E) Kentucky First Round |
L 83–68 | 2–6 |
Edward Jones Dome | ||||||
2004 CBS |
No. 15(St. Louis) | vs. No. 2(St.Louis) Gonzaga First Round |
L 76–49 | 2–7 |
KeyArena | ||||||
2013 CBS |
No. 14(MW) | vs. No. 3(MW) Michigan State Second Round |
L 65–54 | 2–8 |
The Palace of Auburn Hills | ||||||
2015 TNT |
No. 13(MW) | vs. No. 4(MW) Maryland Second Round |
L 65–62 | 2–9 |
Nationwide Arena | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed.. |
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Crusaders have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament five times. Their combined record is 7–5.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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1962 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight | Kentucky State Concordia (IL) Sacramento State | W 75–61 W 75–72 L 54–61 |
1966 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Saint Procopius North Dakota | W 107–76 L 82–112 |
1967 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight | Colorado State–Preblo Indiana State Missouri State | W 89–52 W 80–77 L 72–86 |
1969 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Concordia (IL) Illinois State | W 91–81 L 87–103 |
1973 | Regional Semifinals Regional Finals | Capital Kentucky Wesleyan | W 69–64 L 66–74 |
NAIA tournament results
The Crusaders have appeared in the NAIA Tournament two times. Their combined record is 1–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
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1938 | First Round Second Round | Western Oregon Central Missouri | W 57–48 L 24–44 |
1943 | First Round | Eastern Washington | L 42–45 |
NIT Results
The Crusaders have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) three times. Their combined record is 4–3.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
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2003 | Opening Round | Iowa | L 60–62 |
2012 | First Round | Miami (FL) | L 50–66 |
2016 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Game | Texas Southern Florida State Saint Mary's BYU George Washington | W 84–73 W 81–69 W 60–44 W 72–70 L 60–76 |
CBI Results
The Crusaders have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
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2008 | First Round Quarterfinals | Washington Houston | W 72–71 L 67–91 |
CIT Results
The Crusaders have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) two times. Their combined record is 0–2.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
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2011 | First Round | Iona | L 77–85 |
2014 | First Round | Columbia | L 56–58 |
Radio
All Crusader games are broadcast for free on the Valparaiso website at valpoathletics.com. WVUR-FM, the student-run campus radio station, also broadcasts select Crusader games on 95.1 FM and on the station's website.
Crusaders in the NBA
References
- ↑ "Color Palette and Typography | Valparaiso University Brand". Valpo.edu. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
- ↑ "Sources: Vandy, Bryce Drew reach 6-year deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ↑ "Commodores hire Bryce Drew to lead basketball program | Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site - Basketball". vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
- ↑ Tribune, Chicago. "Valparaiso promotes Matt Lottich to be its men's basketball coach". Post-Tribune. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
- 1 2 "2006-2007 Men's Basketball Guide" (PDF). 2006.
External links
- Official website
- "NBA players who attended Valparaiso". Basketball Reference.
- Pahl, Justin (March 17, 2015). "Countdown to March: Life and Death with a Small-Town Team". SBNation. Retrieved March 18, 2015. Archived March 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine..