Not a major deal
Valpo blows out Purdue Northwest, gets ready for Illinois State
No one associated with Valparaiso prefers playing games against non-Division I opponents.
But it’s the reality of scheduling for mid-majors such as the Crusaders, who continue to address the situation.
So they’ll take Saturday’s 9761 win against Purdue Northwest at the Athletics-Recreation Center and move on to Wednesday’s Missouri Valley opener against Illinois State.
After last having played Dec. 19, Valparaiso (7-6) closed its nonconference schedule against Division II Purdue Northwest after beginning with a 121-65 win against Division III Concordia Chicago.
“It’s just really hard to get Division I teams to come here, and at the same time, we’re
required to have a certain amount of home games,” Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich said. “You can see where the problems can come in.”
The Crusaders aren’t making excuses.
Schedules don’t always mesh for home-and-homes with teams from similar conferences. Power conferences are loath to make any deals to play on the road against mid-majors.
It leaves Valparaiso in a difficult position.
Games against low-rated Division I teams hurt for rankings. Games against non-Division I teams don’t factor when calculating those metrics.
Purdue Northwest (4-8) considered the game against Valparaiso an exhibition.
Pride coach Boomer Roberts, who’s in his first season, appreciated the opportunity.
“That’s what these games are for — to get better,” Roberts said. “I wish we gave Valpo a little better challenge, and hopefully we’ll get another chance in the near future. It’s just good for our guys to see the areas we need to grow.”
Regardless of opponent, the Crusaders were happy to win after losing back-to-back games and three of four. They responded after a number of challenging practices, with Lottich liking their toughness and grit.
After starting the same lineup for 11 straight games, the Crusaders made two changes.
Before the game, Valparaiso announced junior guard Bakari Evelyn would be out with a lower-body injury. Graduate transfer point guard Deion Lavender also didn’t start. Lavender and Evelyn had started each of the Crusaders’ first 12 games.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Lottich said when asked about Evelyn.
Junior guard/forward Markus Golder made his first start of the season, and freshman point guard Daniel Sackey made the first of his career.
Sackey had five points and career highs of four rebounds and six assists.
“Our first meeting back, I said there’s no starters,” Lottich said. “You’re going to earn it with grit. We’re going to compete and go in one direction, and Daniel has competed.
“The one thing you’re never going to question is how hard he plays and how gritty and tough he is. I was impressed.”
Five players reached double figures for Valparaiso.
Junior guard/forward Ryan Fazekas scored a game-high 19 points, with the Marquette graduate shooting 5-for-9 from 3-point range.
“It feels good to see the first one go in,” Fazekas said. “It builds confidence going into conference play, shooting the ball well.”
Golder matched his career high with 18 points. Freshman guard Javon Freeman had 15 points and equaled career highs with seven rebounds and four assists.
Junior center Jaume Sorolla had season highs of 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior center Derrik Smits added 10 points, shooting 5-for-5.
“We start a new season Wednesday,” Golder said. “Nonconference is over, so we have to bury that. We have to focus on what’s ahead.”