Valparaiso Crusaders | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
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 |
|||
Uniforms | ||||
|
||||
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, 2017 |
Sport | Men's basketball |
---|---|
Teams |
|
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) |
Mid-Continent Conference
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004
Mid-Continent Conference
1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
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.
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. 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 1944–45 team was billed as "The World's Tallest Team." That year, they defeated Long Island University in a game played in Madison Square Garden.