Drake (20-9, 11-5 MVC)
at Valparaiso (13-15, 6-10 MVC)

Game No. 29 – Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6 p.m.
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will close out the home portion of the schedule on Wednesday night as Drake comes to town for the penultimate game of the regular season. It’s Senior Night at the Athletics-Recreation Center as Valpo will celebrate Trevor Anderson, Kevion Taylor and Eron Gordon as well as senior managers, cheerleaders and dance team members before taking on the Bulldogs in an effort to extend its winning streak to three.

Last Time Out: Valpo led by as many as 13 late in the first half on Monday night, but visiting Evansville scored the first 16 points of the second half to build up a 10-point lead. Valpo responded in a positive manner, rallying past the Purple Aces 74-69 to allow the Beacons to complete a four-game Hoosier State sweep of instate foes Indiana State and Evansville for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. Valpo was led in scoring by Kevion Taylor with 23 points, while Ben Krikke had 16. In addition, Sheldon Edwards (13&12) and Kobe King (12&10) both posted double-doubles. Valpo went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line in the final 33 seconds to ice the win.  

Following the Beacons: Streaming – The Valley on ESPN Exclusive (ESPN+) – Mitch Holthus (play-by-play) and David Kaplan (analyst)

Valpo Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Garrett Willis (analyst)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (96-93) is in his ninth season overall at Valparaiso University and sixth as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2021-2022. The 2020-2021 season saw Valpo improve its Arch Madness seeding for the fourth straight year as the program continued to make positive strides in each season as a Missouri Valley Conference member. The team earned a first-round bye in the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the prestigious league. Valpo upset previously-undefeated Drake, the nation’s No. 25 team, 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021 at the ARC, the fourth win over an AP Top 25 team in program history and second under Lottich. The Bulldogs were one of three undefeated teams in the nation prior to that setback, joining Gonzaga and Baylor. Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, Lottich’s team did more than hold its own in 2019-2020, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.

Series Notes: The most recent Athletics-Recreation Center matchup between these two teams was a memorable one as Valpo upset No. 25 Drake 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021, handing the Bulldogs their first loss of the season. At the time, Drake was one of just three undefeated teams in the nation, joining Baylor and Gonzaga. That victory, the fifth in program history against a ranked opponent and the second during the Matt Lottich Era, came a day after giving the Bulldogs a scare in an 80-77 setback. Another memorable game in the recent head-to-head series was Feb. 19, 2020, a battle that saw Valpo rally from 19 down in Des Moines to force overtime in an eventual 77-75 setback. Valpo is 8-7 in the all-time series but Drake owns a 5-4 edge since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2017-18 campaign. The first matchup of the year between these two foes saw Drake prevail 73-66 way back on Dec. 2 at the Knapp Center.

Dec. 2: Drake 73, Valpo 66: The Missouri Valley Conference conducted conference openers across the league in early December, a change to the previous scheduling format to create a nonconference scheduling opportunity in the first window after Christmas. Valpo started league action with a 73-66 road loss to MVC preseason favorite Drake. The Beacons outscored the Bulldogs 34-33 after halftime but an eight-point halftime lead held up for the hosts, who used a key 11-1 burst from the 16:30 mark to the 13:20 mark of the first half. Valpo trailed by 11 with 1:27 remaining in the game, but managed to claw to within four and had the ball with a chance to trim the lead to one possession with 47 seconds on the clock before a Drake steal and subsequent free throws sealed the deal.

A Senior Salute

• Valpo will recognize sixth-years Trevor Anderson and Eron Gordon and fifth-year Kevion Taylor as part of a pregame ceremony.
• Gordon is in his fourth year in the program and third year as an active player after transferring from Seton Hall. Taylor and Anderson both joined the program as graduate transfers this season.
• Senior cheerleaders and dance team members will also be part of the pregame ceremony, as will senior student managers Ben Kukla, Connor Smith, Morgan Fifield and Zac Sewell.
• After the game, Eron Gordon and head coach Matt Lottich will speak to the crowd.
• Valpo did not hold a Senior Night last season since all players were eligible to return for an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Senior Night features only players who are in their final year of athletic eligibility.
• Valpo holds a 26-4 record in its final home game of the season over the last 30 years.

Mr. 2,000?

• Kevion Taylor is the top storyline entering Wednesday’s game as he sits just 15 points away from 2,000 for his collegiate career. That includes 1,635 points over his four seasons at Winona State before joining Valpo prior to this season as a graduate transfer.
• On Feb. 21 vs. Evansville, Taylor scored a team-high 23 points, his fourth 20-point output of the season, all in his last 10 games. He has scored 20 points or more in three of his last six.
• If Taylor reaches the hefty milestone, he would become just the third player in program history to score his 2,000^th collegiate point while playing for Valpo, joining program legends Alec Peters and Bryce Drew.
• Entering Feb. 23 vs. Drake, Taylor has reached double figures 16 times in 28 games this season including 12 performances featuring 15 points or more.
• Taylor reached a milestone on Feb. 12 at Missouri State, when he secured six rebounds to push his career total over 700. Taylor became just the 14^th active player nationally with over 1,900 points and over 700 rebounds.

Arch Madness Scenarios: According to Matt Hackman (@mjhackman on Twitter), Valpo has a 91 percent chance of earning the No. 7 seed at the State Farm MVC Tournament and a nine percent chance of earning the No. 8 seed. The Beacons are locked into either seventh or eighth. Valpo holds a two-game lead on both Indiana State and Illinois State for seventh and would also have the head-to-head tiebreaker over Indiana State. The only way Valpo finishes eighth would be Valpo falling to both Drake and Bradley, Illinois State beating both Southern Illinois and Indiana State and Illinois State finishing ahead of Valpo in NET rating. The Beacons would clinch the seven seed with a win on Wednesday vs. Drake or an Illinois State loss to Southern Illinois.

Sustained Home Success

• The Athletics-Recreation Center has provided a distinct homecourt advantage over the years as Valpo has not finished with a losing mark at the ARC since 1991-92.
• Thanks to the Feb. 21 victory over Evansville, the program will finish with a record of .500 or better at home for the 30^th consecutive season.
• Valpo enters the Feb. 23 game vs. Drake with an 8-7 home mark and has a chance to nail down a winning record within the confines of the ARC.

Century Mark in Sight: Valpo head coach Matt Lottich earned his 96^th career win on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville. He needs just four more to become the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 career victories, joining Homer Drew, Bryce Drew and J.M Christiansen. Earlier this season, Lottich moved into sole possession of fourth place in program history, surpassing the legendary Gene Bartow (1964-1970). On a side note, Valpo assistant coach Matt Bowen worked under Bartow at UAB in 1995.

A No-Quit Attitude: Valpo rallied from 10 points down in the second half to beat Evansville 74-69 on Feb. 21 at the ARC. That represented the 19^th time during the Matt Lottich Era (sixth season) that Valpo has erased a double-figure deficit to come away victorious. It marked the third such victory this season, joining the third-place game of the Nassau Championship vs. Tulane in The Bahamas and the Dec. 20 game vs. Eastern Michigan, when Valpo flipped a double-figure deficit into a double-figure victory. The 19 double-figure comebacks are listed below.

Erasing Double-Figure Deficits Under Lottich

Year                Opponent                   Largest Deficit          Outcome

2021-22           Evansville                   10                                W 74-69

2021-22           Eastern Michigan       11                                W 67-55

2021-22           Tulane                         12                                W 68-64

2020-21           Bradley                       14                                W 91-85 (2ot)

2019-20           Loyola                         18*                              W 74-73 (ot)

2019-20           Bradley                       13                                W 90-78

2019-20           Illinois State               17                                W 65-62

2019-20           Indiana State               11                                W 86-77

2019-20           SIUE                           10                                W 89-76

2019-20           Toledo                         14                                W 79-77

2018-19           Illinois State               12                                W 58-56

2018-19           George Washington    10                                W 82-79

2018-19           UNLV                         11                                W 72-64

2017-18           Bradley                       10                                W 77-64

2017-18           UNCW                        10                                W 79-70

2016-17           Wright State                10                                W 84-74

2016-17           Cleveland State           12                                W 78-67

2016-17           BYU                            12                                W 92-89

2016-17           Trinity Christian         16                                W 89-75

*largest comeback since Jan. 17, 2012 vs. Detroit Mercy

Double the Double-Doubles

• For just the second time in the last five seasons, Valpo had two players enjoy double-doubles in the same game on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville. Kobe King notched 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Sheldon Edwards registered a 13-point, 12-rebound performance.
• The last time Valpo had two players achieve double-doubles in the same game was Jan. 23 of last season at Illinois State (Eron Gordon and Donovan Clay). Prior to that, it hadn’t occurred since Jan. 16, 2017 vs. Green Bay (Alec Peters and Tevonn Walker).
• Edwards attained his second straight double-double after he had 11&11 on Feb. 19 at Evansville. He became the first Valpo player to post back-to-back double-doubles since Alec Peters on Jan. 27 and Jan. 29, 2017 (vs. Wright State, vs. Northern Kentucky).
• The 12 rebounds marked the second straight game that Edwards established a career high in that area. Prior to the weekend series with Evansville, Edwards’ season best was seven and career best was eight. He did not have a double-figure rebounding output in any of his first 53 career contests but has now achieved that feat in consecutive games.
• King’s double-double was his second of the year with the previous coming vs. Indiana State on Feb. 5.
• As a team, Valpo has eight double-doubles this season, the program’s most since 2016-17 (21, 16 of which were Alec Peters).

Rebounding on the Rebound

• After a stretch of being outrebounded in six consecutive games, Valpo has owned a distinct advantage on the boards in each of the last two contests. In terms of rebounding margin, the Beacons were +15 on Feb. 19 at Evansville and +19 on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville.
• The 42-23 advantage on the boards on Feb. 21 marked the team’s best rebounding margin vs. a Division-I team since going +32 vs. Samford on Nov. 21, 2017.
• In terms of offensive rebounds, Valpo outdid Evansville 10-2 on Feb. 21. The 10 offensive rebounds tied for the team’s most vs. D-I competition this season (vs. Eastern Michigan, at Indiana State), while the two offensive boards tied for the fewest allowed by Valpo all season with the Feb. 19 game at Evansville. The Beacons have permitted just four total offensive rebounds in their last two contests.
• Furthermore, the two-game rebounding surge has come with Valpo’s leading rebounder, Thomas Kithier, sidelined with an injury.

Starter Shuffle

• On Feb. 21 vs. Evansville, freshman point guard Darius DeAveiro made his first collegiate start. That represented Valpo’s 13^th different starting lineup combination this season.
• The Beacons have used 10 different starting lineups in conference play alone.
• On top of DeAveiro’s addition, Sheldon Edwards returned to the starting five, making just his fourth start in league play after he had come off the bench in 10 of his previous 11 games.
• No Valpo player has started every game this season.
• The only three players who have played in all 28 contests are Kevion Taylor, Sheldon Edwards and Eron Gordon.
• Gordon has played in all 91 Valpo games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
• Freshman Preston Ruedinger made his first collegiate start on Jan. 8 vs. SIU. Ruedinger became the second nonscholarship player to start a game for Valpo during the Matt Lottich Era as John Kiser started on March 4, 2017 vs. Milwaukee at the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit as a freshman walk-on before earning a scholarship prior to his sophomore campaign.

Ben Coming Up Big

• After posting 16 points on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville, Ben Krikke has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
• During his current nine-game double-figure streak, Krikke has reached the 20-point threshold on three occasions. He has shot 50 percent or better in 18 of his last 19 games.
• As of Feb. 22, Krikke (55.8 percent FG / 83.1 percent free throw) is the only player in the Missouri Valley Conference shooting above 50 percent from the field and above 80 percent from the free-throw line.
• Krikke and Thomas Kithier are both shooting above 55 percent. Valpo hasn’t finished a season with two players above 55 percent since 2013-14 (Vashil Fernandez and Moussa Gueye). Valpo currently accounts for two of the top five players in the league in terms of field-goal percentage.
• Krikke has scored in double figures in 19 of his 25 games this season.
• Entering Feb. 23 vs. Drake, the junior is 71 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate career.
• Krikke’s rebounding totals have been on the rise as he’s squeezed five boards or more in 10 of his last 12 games after doing so just once in his previous seven contests. His season peak in terms of rebounds came on Jan. 30 at Southern Illinois, when he pulled down nine.
• In the Jan. 26 game against Bradley, Valpo held a two-point advantage in the 31 minutes that Krikke played but was outdone by 17 in the nine minutes that Krikke was not in the game.
• Krikke delivered the game-winning shot with six seconds remaining in the victory over Indiana State on Jan. 22, the latest Valpo game-winner since Eron Gordon’s memorable buzzer-beater in the 2020 MVC quarterfinal vs. Loyola.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 21: Valpo 74, Evansville 69

• Eron Gordon had four blocked shots, his first career game with more than two. He boasted a team-best plus-minus of +17, including +14 in the first half alone. The Valpo veteran also had seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.
• Valpo prevailed despite shooting just 22.2 percent from 3-point distance (4-of-18). That marked Valpo’s lowest 3-point percentage in a win since going 0-for-10 on March 5, 2020 in the opening round of the State Farm MVC Tournament, also a win over Evansville. Valpo went 23-of-36 (63.9 percent) from 2-point territory on Monday.
• Evansville had only five free-throw attempts, the fewest by a Valpo opponent since Drake’s four on Jan. 11, 2020.
• Valpo played without the services of Thomas Kithier (back) for the second straight game. He has missed six total games due to the back injury plus two games due to COVID-19 health & safety protocols this season. Furthermore, Preston Ruedinger (ankle) was sidelined due to an injury that occurred in Saturday’s game at Evansville.

The 30-20 Club

• As of Feb. 22, Sheldon Edwards is one of two players in the Missouri Valley Conference with 30 or more steals and 20 or more blocked shots, joining Illinois State’s Kendall Lewis.
• Edwards leads the Beacons in both of those defensive categories with 33 steals and 24 rejections.
• Edwards has a chance to become the first Valpo player to finish a season as the team leader in both steals and blocked shots since Raitis Grafs had 45 steals and 38 blocks during the 1999-2000 season.
• Entering Feb. 23 vs. Drake, Edwards has scored in double figures in six straight games after a stretch of five straight games in single digits.
• Edwards is one of just eight players in the nation with at least 20 blocks, 30 steals, 30 assists and 50 made 3s, as of Feb. 22.
• Edwards is just the third different Valpo player to notch 20 blocks, 30 steals, 30 assists and 50 made 3s in a season since 1992-1993, joining Ryan Broekhoff (three times) and Lubos Barton (twice).

Inside Kobe’s Kingdom

• After missing the first nine games of the season in order to gain NCAA eligibility, Kobe King is averaging 14.2 points per game in 19 contests (18 starts).
• The Feb. 16 game vs. Loyola marked a rare aberration as he was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting. King responded to that in a positive manner in the Feb. 19 game at Evansville, bouncing back with 21 points by knocking down nine of his 12 field-goal attempts. It marked his second-highest scoring output of the season behind a 24-point showing on Feb. 5 at Indiana State.
• King continued the success on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville by posting his second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
• King has made 16 appearances in double figures in his 19 contests. He has scored 15 points or more in eight of his first 19 games in a Valpo uniform.

The Rookie Report

• With sixth-year senior point guard Trevor Anderson out for the season with a back injury, Valpo has relied upon a pair of freshmen in Preston Ruedinger and Darius DeAveiro at the point guard spot.
• In the Feb. 16 game vs. Loyola, Ruedinger tied a career high with eight points, equaling a mark that came in the first matchup with the Ramblers back on Jan. 11 in Rogers Park. The rookie point guard also matched a personal best by dishing out four assists in the Feb. 16 contest.
• Ruedinger owns an impressive ratio of 27 assists to six turnovers, while DeAveiro has handed out 48 assists against 23 giveaways.
• Ruedinger is one of eight players in the nation with 25 or more assists and 10 or fewer turnovers this season. Furthermore, he’s the only player in the nation with more than 25 assists and fewer than seven turnovers this year.
• In a four-game stretch from Jan. 8 vs. SIU to Jan. 22 at Indiana State, DeAveiro had 11 assists against no turnovers.
• Ruedinger has not had more turnovers than assists in any of his 15 Valpo appearances. He made one turnover on Jan. 30 at Southern Illinois, snapping his streak of four straight games without a giveaway. He’s made just four turnovers over his last 10 games despite totaling 169 minutes of action during that stretch.

Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 19: Valpo 72, Evansville 56

• The Beacons shot at a 60 percent clip (27-of-45), the team’s highest shooting percentage against a Division-I opponent since shooting 60 percent (33-of-55) on Dec. 12, 2018 vs. UC Riverside.
• Valpo fired off a season-low 11 3-point attempts, prioritizing high-percentage inside looks. This was Valpo’s fewest 3-pointers attempted since going 0-for-10 in the 2020 MVC Tournament opening-round game against Evansville. This is the third straight season where Valpo’s season low in terms of 3-point attempts came against the Purple Aces.
• The Brown & Gold did knock down five of those 11 triple tries, finishing the day at 45.5 percent. That represented the team’s top 3-point shooting percentage in conference play this year and second-best overall behind a 12-for-22 (54.5 percent) day on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• Valpo held Evansville to 56 points, the fewest points permitted by the Beacons in conference play this year and second-fewest overall this season behind 55 on Dec. 20 vs. Eastern Michigan. This was the fewest points allowed by Valpo in a league contest since holding Loyola to 54 on Feb. 17 of last season at Gentile Arena.
• The Beacons outrebounded the Purple Aces 34-19, snapping a six-game streak of being outrebounded. The +15 rebounding margin was Valpo’s best against a Division-I opponent this season.
• Valpo limited Evansville to 25 percent from 3-point range (6-of-24). That marked Valpo’s best 3-point defense in conference play this season and best in any game since holding Eastern Michigan to 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) on Dec. 20.
• This was Valpo’s first regulation win at Evansville since 1969 and just its second overall road victory against the Aces in that span. Valpo prevailed at the Ford Center 81-79 on Jan. 4, 2020 in overtime.
• The 16-point margin of victory was Valpo’s most lopsided win since Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary (88-66). It was also the program’s largest margin of victory in a head-to-head matchup with Evansville since Jan. 10, 1987 (W 80-58) and the largest in a game at Evansville since Dec. 8, 1943 (66-34).
• The victory came despite playing shorthanded as Thomas Kithier was a late scratch with a back injury and Preston Ruedinger left the game with an ankle injury.
• On the positive side of the medical ledger, Emil Freese-Vilien saw his first action since Nov. 13 vs. UIC and appeared in just his third game of the season. He was dealing with complications from a non-COVID illness that was eventually diagnosed as Lyme disease.
• Eron Gordon was thrust into the starting lineup just minutes before game time and responded in a positive manner with a nine-point performance on 3-of-5 shooting. He also pulled down four rebounds. The nine points marked Gordon’s second-most this season and most since a season-high 13 on Jan. 2 vs. Illinois State.

Down to the Wire & Working Overtime

• Fans prone to bite their fingernails in tense moments may have no nails left to bite as eight of Valpo’s 15 games in the calendar year of 2022 have been decided by three points or fewer or required overtime.
• Overall this season, 13 of Valpo’s 26 games against Division-I opponents have been decided by four points or fewer or needed OT.
• The two-point loss to Loyola on Feb. 16 continued a trend of close calls in the head-to-head series. That marked the sixth time in the last seven matchups between the two teams that the game was decided by three points or fewer or went to overtime.
• The Feb. 9 setback at Illinois State was Valpo’s sixth game this season that went beyond the regulation 40 minutes and the fifth time in 12 conference contests that the Beacons have played overtime. Valpo is 3-3 in the six OT games this year.
• Valpo played back-to-back overtime games (Feb. 5 vs. Indiana State and Feb. 9 at Illinois State) for the first time since 1993 (Feb. 6 at UIC, Feb. 8 vs. Green Bay).
• This is the first time Valpo has played six overtime games in a single season since the program tied an NCAA Division-I record with eight overtime games in 1993. Valpo was the most recent NCAA D-I team with eight OT games in a single season as the program shares the record with Western Kentucky (1978) and Portland (1984). This year’s version of the Beacons is two OT games away from tying that mark.
• When Valpo and Illinois State played beyond 40 minutes on Feb. 9, it was the sixth overtime game of the year for both teams. The two teams are tied for the national lead for number of OT games this season along with UT Arlington.
• Valpo has played eight overtime periods this season (including two double OT games) and is tied with UT Arlington for the national lead. Bradley owns the NCAA Division-I record for number of overtime periods in a season with 14 in 1982 (seven of those came in a single game).
• The Feb. 5 game vs. Indiana State was Valpo’s second double overtime game of the season, joining Jan. 11 at Loyola. The last time the program played multiple double overtime games in the same season was 1992-1993, when the team played double overtime on three occasions.
• Both Valpo vs. Illinois State matchups this season went to overtime. The last time Valpo played multiple OT games against the same opponent in one season was 1992-1993 (UIC).

Scouting the Bulldogs

• Secured a 20-win season on Monday night vs. Indiana State by rallying from down 36-32 at halftime to pull away for a 74-58 victory.
• Lost three straight from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12 (vs. UNI, vs. Missouri State, at Bradley), but have responded with a three-game winning streak that includes wins over Evansville, Loyola and Indiana State.
• Tied for third in the MVC standings entering Wednesday, but just one game separates the top four teams. Loyola and UNI are tied atop the league at 12-4, while Drake and Missouri State are tied for third at 11-5.
• Picked to finish first in the MVC preseason poll.
• Earned an NCAA Tournament at-large berth last season.
• Led in scoring by freshman Tucker DeVries at 14.1 points per game. Garrett Sturtz (11.2 ppg), D.J. Wilkins (10.5 ppg) and Roman Penn (10.5 ppg) all average in double figures as well.
• Five players on their roster went to high school in Northwest Indiana – D.J. Wilkins (Merrillville), Roman Penn (Bishop Noll), Tremell Murphy (Griffith), ShanQuan Hemphill (Michigan City) and Jonah Jackson (Merrillville).

All Good Things Must End

• Kevion Taylor saw his impressive streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer end at 84 when he was held without a triple on Jan. 30, 2022 at Southern Illinois. In the previous game, Taylor extended the streak by the skin of his teeth with a 3 as time expired on Jan. 26 vs. Bradley.
• Taylor was held without a made 3 for the first time since Dec. 15, 2018 while playing for Winona State in a game at Concordia St. Paul. His streak, one of the longest in the history of NCAA college basketball, started on Dec. 19, 2018 at Michigan Tech.
• The highest of the NCAA records (Division I, Division II or Division III) for consecutive games with a made 3 is 93 and belongs to Daniel Park of D-II Rollins from Jan. 26, 1994 to Feb. 28, 1997.
• If Taylor’s streak came in all D-I games, it would rank third in Division-I history. The D-I record is held by Mack Smith (91), who Valpo played against on Dec. 5 at Western Michigan. Smith set the record while at Eastern Illinois. Second is Corey Bradford of Illinois (88).
• He hit at least one triple in each of the first 21 contests this season.
• Taylor became the first Valpo player since at least the start of the 1989-90 season (nearly all the way back to the addition of the 3-point line) to make a 3 in each of his first 21 games of a season. He surpassed the program’s previous longest season-opening streak of 14 by Lance Barker in 1994-95. Three other Valpo players made a 3 in each of the first 13 games of a season – Bryce Drew (1995-96), Casey Schmidt (1992-93) and Mike Jones (1989-90).

#SCTop10 Again: Kobe King nailed a three-quarters court shot to beat the buzzer on Dec. 11 vs. Charlotte. Although the desperation heave was not enough as Valpo fell 68-67, the play checked in at No. 9 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays that evening. It was highlighted again two days later on ESPN’s popular “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” show. This marks the fourth time in a three-year span that Valpo basketball has produced an #SCTop10 play. The previous appearance came courtesy of a Sheldon Edwards dunk in a victory over No. 25 Drake on Feb. 7 of last season. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, Valpo Athletics has been featured on the iconic daily countdown on 10 occasions spanning five sports – men’s basketball (four times), softball (twice), volleyball (twice), women’s basketball and soccer.

#ChampionsInCommunity

• The Valpo basketball program received recognition from the Valparaiso University Student Philanthropy program on Sunday, Nov. 14.
• The team was recognized as part of the University’s annual Generosity Awards Celebration. Head coach Matt Lottich’s group was selected as the 2021 Athletic Team Awardee for the program’s community service and engagement.
• The team’s community engagement activities include participating in the Popcorn Fest, Valparaiso Downtown Trick or Treat, Valpo Day of Caring and beach cleanup at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
• In addition, the team hosts youth camps in the summer, working with children ages 6-14 to provide a fun and positive basketball experience.
• The program makes it a priority to attend as many Valpo Athletics events as possible to support other teams. The Beacons also make an effort to actively participate in the University community and support student organizations while also having an active presence as members of the broader City of Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana communities.
• Of the six core values that make up the foundation of the Valpo men’s basketball program, servanthood and appreciation are among the most prominent.

Beacon Bits

Random off-the-court facts on each Valpo player.

• #0 Thomas Kithier – Is an avid Detroit Lions fan and can name every player on the roster... Mother Jane played college volleyball at Eastern Michigan... Thomas works in Valpo Athletics in ticketing, marketing and sports information.
• #1 Cam Palesse – Enjoys building fish-tank ecosystems.
• #2 Preston Ruedinger – Is an avid golfer in his spare time... Has an interest in coaching in the future.
• #3 Connor Barrett – Is also an avid golfer whose best score is a 73.
• #4 Darius DeAveiro – Father David is the former head coach at McGill University in Montreal and is now the head coach of the Ryerson Rams.
• #5 Keyondre Young – Enjoys observing nature and sightseeing... Enjoys watching movies and lists Blue Chips as his favorite.
• #10 Eron Gordon – Comes from a basketball family including brother Eric who has played in the NBA since 2008 and is currently a member of the Houston Rockets... Enjoys editing videos and podcasting.
• #11 Emil Freese-Vilien – Civil engineering major who spends a lot of time drawing blueprints and houses... His first basketball practice came at age 14... Played serious badminton growing up.
• #12 Kevion Taylor – High school teammates with Tyler Herro of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
• #13 Sheldon Edwards – Has six siblings... Enjoys listening to music... Played for his uncle Louis Graham at TLAP Sports Academy for one year prior to coming to Valpo.
• #15 Luke Morrill – Walk-on who enjoys wakesurfing.
• #20 Tyler Fricke – Walk-on whose father Scott coached Matt Lottich in high school and brother Zach pitches for the Valpo baseball team.
• #21 Trevor Anderson – Father Scott was his high school coach at SPASH and played at UW-Stevens Point... Enjoys visiting coffee shops, traveling and cheering for the Dallas Cowboys.
• #22 Brock Pappas – Walk-on who is majoring in nursing and hopes to one day become a pediatric nurse and work at Riley Children’s Hospital.
• #23 Ben Krikke – Spent over 100 days in quarantine before and during the 2020-2021 season... Enjoys mountain biking and chess, which he learned from his grandfather... Credits his father’s Michael Jordon DVD set for helping hone his skills.
• #32 Joe Hedstrom – Is an avid fisherman and Valpo’s proximity to Lake Michigan added to his desire to play at Valpo... Grandfather Burt Hedstrom played basketball, football and baseball at Northwestern University (1944-47) and both of his parents played college basketball, mother Sharon (Bethel) and father Peter (St. Olaf).
• #33 Trey Woodyard – Maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, earning a place on the honor roll every year.
• #35 Kobe King –Enjoys making music and writing song lyrics.

Forward Trajectory

• Valpo has improved its conference tournament seeding in each of its four Missouri Valley Conference seasons.
• The team entered Arch Madness as a No. 10 seed in 2017-18, a No. 9 seed in 2018-19, a No. 7 in 2019-20 and a No. 6 in 2020-21.
• With Year 4 in The Valley now in the books, Valpo has surpassed Loyola’s conference win total over its first four seasons in the league. Valpo garnered its 29^th MVC victory in the 2020-21 regular-season finale vs. Indiana State.
• The Ramblers went 27-45 over their first four seasons before going 57-16 over the following four seasons.
• Valpo has improved its conference finish in each season during the four-year transitional period after elevating to the prestigious and competitive conference.

More on 2020-21

• The 2020-21 season was highlighted by an upset victory over previously-undefeated Drake, the nation’s No. 25 team, 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021 at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the fourth win over an AP Top 25 team in program history and second under Lottich. The Bulldogs were one of three undefeated teams in the nation prior to that setback, joining Gonzaga and Baylor.
• Valpo came close to two other victories over ranked foes, falling 80-77 vs. No. 25 Drake on Feb. 6 and 54-52 at No. 22 Loyola on Feb. 17.
• Valpo closed the regular season with a stretch of 16 Missouri Valley Conference games in a 39-day span. By comparison, Valpo had played three games over the previous 31 days before beginning the stretch of seemingly nonstop competition. Six of Valpo’s first eight MVC games were postponed due to COVID-19, causing the backlog of makeup games during the busy stretch.

2021-22 Preseason Picks

• Ben Krikke was named to the Preseason All-MVC Second Team.
• Valpo was picked seventh in the 10-team league based on a preseason survey of the conference’s head coaches, media members and sports information directors.
• Drake was tabbed the preseason favorite to win the league, while UNI’s AJ Green earned Preseason Player of the Year accolades.

Big Ten U

• Prior to this season, Valpo had just a pair of Big Ten transfers join the program over the last two decades (Bakari Evelyn and Bobby Capobiano).
• This year, the program has been bolstered by four additions from the Big Ten Conference. Trevor Anderson, Joe Hedstrom and Kobe King have all come in from Wisconsin, while Thomas Kithier joins the fold after beginning his career with three seasons at Michigan State.
• Four of the five transfers that have come in join the team from the Big Ten, while a fifth impact transfer began his career with four seasons at Division-II Winona State. Kevion Taylor was a three-time all-conference performer and was his conference’s preseason player of the year in 2020-21.
• King started all 19 games he played at Wisconsin in 2019-20, Anderson appeared in 60 of Wisconsin’s 62 games over the last two seasons and Kithier appeared in 86 games and made 19 starts for Tom Izzo’s team over his three seasons in East Lansing.

Who’s Back

• Although the team features five freshmen and the five aforementioned transfers, five scholarship players do return from last season.
• The squad brings back 47.9 percent of its scoring and 42.4 percent of its rebounding.
• Four of the team’s top six scorers are back.
• A pair of MVC postseason award winners remain in the fold for the Beacons as Sheldon Edwards was a member of the 2020-21 MVC All-Freshman Team, while Ben Krikke earned All-MVC Third Team, MVC Most-Improved Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, the lone player in the league to receive all three honors.
• Seven letter winners are back from last year’s team, while nine have departed. Three starters return and three left. (Note: Starters based on top five players in number of games started. Six players were considered starters due to a tie for fifth).

Staff Sidebars

• Associate head coach Luke Gore is in his 20^th year on staff and has served under four different head coaches. The Valpo veteran has helped the team to eight postseason berths in the last 11 years and was on staff for the three winningest seasons in program history. He serves as the team’s defensive coordinator in addition to leading Valpo’s scheduling and scouting efforts.
• Assistant coach Matt Bowen returned to Valpo’s staff in 2018-19 after previously spending four seasons with the Brown & Gold from 2002-2006. He was the head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2012-2018. Bowen coordinates the team’s offense.
• Assistant coach Rob Holloway is back for his fourth season after spending the previous two years on staff at Eastern Illinois, his alma mater.
• Director of Basketball Operations Peter Funk is in his first season in that role after spending the previous two years as a graduate assistant and the three years prior to that as a student manager.
• Bob Brooks is in his 18^th year as Valpo Director of Strength & Conditioning at Valpo and returned to oversight of men’s basketball strength & conditioning in 2020-21. He has worked with Valpo teams since 1994.
• Athletic trainer Ken DeAngelis is in his third season full-time at Valpo after previously earning his master’s degree from the University in 2012 while spending two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

Tradition of Excellence

• Valpo has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths in the program’s proud history, with the team’s postseason success highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 1998.
• The program has produced nine All-Americans, won 18 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament crowns.
• Valpo also boasts eight NBA players, 10 conference players of the year and 20 20-win seasons.
• Nine of the team’s NCAA appearances have come since 1996.
• Valpo has qualified for the postseason eight times in the last 11 years, including 2019-20 where Valpo accepted a postseason berth but the tournament was not played due to COVID-19.
• Valpo has developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of NBA players in the last four years. Ryan Broekhoff (class of 2013) signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2018 after spending five seasons playing internationally in Russia and Turkey. Alec Peters (class of 2017) was the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Peters appeared in 20 games for the Suns in 2017-18, highlighted by a 36-point performance in the season finale against Dallas – a new single-game high by a Valpo alum in the NBA. He has gone on to a successful career overseas with CSKA Moscow (2018-2019), Anadolu Efes (2019-2020) and Kirolbet Baskonia (2020-present).
• Valpo has produced over 50 professional players in the last 25 years.