The Valparaiso University men’s basketball program rounded out its schedule for the upcoming 2017-18 season on Tuesday as the Missouri Valley Conference office released this season’s conference schedule.

The balanced slate features two games per week, starting in the last week of December. The nine road and nine home games against each of the other nine schools in The Valley are evenly spread out, as the Crusaders will not be at home or on the road for more than two consecutive games at a time.

Valpo will open its first season of play in The Valley on Thursday, Dec. 28 at Indiana State, and will begin home MVC play three days later, on Sunday, Dec. 31 versus Missouri State. The Crusaders will welcome UNI to the ARC for the final regular season home game on Tuesday, Feb. 20 and will conclude the double round-robin schedule at Drake on Saturday, Feb. 24. The State Farm MVC Tournament will be contested at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. March 1-4, with the conference tournament champion earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Conference game start times and television designations will be finalized at a later date.

2017-18 Conference Schedule
Dec. 28 at Indiana State
Dec. 31 Missouri State
Jan. 3 at Bradley
Jan. 6 Southern Illinois
Jan. 10 Drake
Jan. 13 at UNI
Jan. 17 at Missouri State
Jan. 21 Loyola
Jan. 24 Evansville
Jan. 27 at Illinois State
Jan. 31 Indiana State
Feb. 3 at Southern Illinois
Feb. 7 at Evansville
Feb. 11 Illinois State
Feb. 14 at Loyola
Feb. 17 Bradley
Feb. 20 UNI
Feb. 24 at Drake
Mar. 1-4 at State Farm MVC Tournament (St. Louis, Mo.)