When Valparaiso signed on for the Missouri Valley Conference late last spring, it was widely acknowledged the Crusaders’ well-known men’s basketball program was stepping up another class in competition.
Even conceding the upgrade from the Horizon League to the MVC on some level, though, few would’ve projected what the ledger will say was a disappointing first year for Valpo in the Valley. A finish in the cellar and the 10th seed for its first trip to Arch Madness, the MVC’s prize postseason event, was not what anyone envisioned for a program that had won five of the last six Horizon titles before moving on.
And while the Crusaders’ first trip to St. Louis and the Scottrade Center since their 1998 Sweet 16 game against Rhode Island was cause for excitement before the season, especially as the small Lutheran college has a sizable alumni base in that area, it turned out Valpo’s inital stay at Arch Madness was brief, too. Valparaiso’s first season in the Missouri Valley ended Thursday night, but as was almost always the case this season, it wasn’t without a fight, Missouri State holding on for an 83-79 win in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals at the Scottrade Center.
A year that started with considerable promise in the form of an 8-0 start soon turned the other way. Barring their accepting a bid to the College Basketball Invitational (which has taken teams with losing records in the past), the Crusaders finished 15-17 overall-one of just two teams in the Valley with a losing record-and having lost 11 games by nine points or less. That included each of its last five losses, four of those by six points or less.
The sting of that 10th-place finish should be tempered some by the almost unthinkable parity in the MVC this year. Valpo’s 6-12 record put it just two games out of a tie for sixth, and the Crusaders posted league wins over each of the teams finishing second-through-sixth in the standings, including a sweep of the Drake team that tied for third.
It also must be pointed out: this is not the same Valparaiso team as the one that just missed an NCAA Tournament win in 2015, advanced to the NIT final in 2016, or was on track for postseason success again last year before attrition took its toll on the roster. Alec Peters, Keith Carter, Darien Walker, Vashil Fernandez, Jubril Adekoya, Shane Hammink, E. Victor Nickerson formed the core of athletic, long and rangy teams keyed by defense but with enough athletes and depth to rival almost anyone. All have departed.
Valparaiso was the youngest team in the Valley this year, with a roster including just two seniors and otherwise entirely freshmen and sophomores. Despite that, coach Matt Lottich was clearly thinking far more about his seniors after the game.
“Obviously, it’s hard to talk at the end of the year because it’s been a pretty emotional time for our team,” said an obviously sad Lottich afterwards. “As I reflect on the year and really this game, I thought it’s just hard to say good-bye to players like Max and Tevonn.
“We talk a little bit about what they meant and leaving your mark on a program, and they’ve absolutely done that. They’ve done it by being no-nonsense people. They’ve worked harder than anyone than I’ve ever been around on a basketball court. They’ve just had a presence that’s just been unbelievable.”
Indeed, Walker did about all he could to will Valparaiso to a victory Thursday. The senior guard from Canada scored 25 points, his highest point total since early January, and 22 of those points came in the second half. Walker hit 7 of 10 shots after halftime plus 6 of 6 from the line, and at one point almost single-handedly kept the Crusaders in the game, scoring 13 of the team’s 15 points over a span of seven minutes.
Walker also helped Valpo come back from 14 points down in the second half to get within a single possession on several occasions in the final minute. His three-pointer with six seconds left made it 81-79, but Missouri State’s Ryan Kreklow hit two more free throws, part of the Bears making 8-for-8 from the line in the final 50 seconds.
“He’s a competitor. He didn’t want to go out tonight,” said Lottich. “There’s no doubt about it. We’re a shot away from probably winning that game, and it just didn’t happen. Very proud of him, though. Like I said, he left his mark on the program. It’s senior night, but those guys are always welcome at my house. They’re better people than they are players, and Tevonn was a warrior tonight.”
The Crusaders hurt their cause in this one with a lull towards the end of the first half and early in the second. A three-point game late in the first half turned into a nine-point Missouri State lead late in the half, and the Bears went ahead by 14 early in the second half before Valparaiso fought back in the final minutes.
Where Valpo goes from here will bear significant watching. Youth was a very legitimate culprit this year, but the Crusaders now lose their top scorer and rebounder in Walker and two of their top defenders in Walker and the steady Joseph. The team had just one other double figure scorer at the end of the year-sophomore guard Bakari Evelyn, who became a solid No. 2 to Walker and is a considerably better shooter, too, though 6-foot-6 guard Markus Golder also stepped up down the stretch and appears to be a star on the rise.
Height and length is a plus, but Valparaiso needs continued improvement from seven-footers Derrik Smits and Jaume Sorolla, who both showed glimpses but not enough consistency. Providence transfer Ryan Fazekas also will be counted on to take up some of the scoring load and will also give the team more length.
The Crusaders have to take care of the ball better (an average of nearly 15 turnovers per game won’t cut it). Moreover, Valpo needs to be more consistent and better at putting together complete 40-minute efforts, and perhaps a year of experience will help in both of those areas.
“If you want to win games like this, you’ve just got to execute for 40 minutes,” said Lottich. “For us to say-we’re young, yeah we’re the youngest team in the Valley-but for us to win games like this, we’ve just got to be able to match toughness, got to be able to execute, and for the first 20 minutes, we just didn’t do it.”
