Valparaiso (14-17, 6-12 MVC)
vs. Missouri State (22-9, 13-5 MVC)

Game No. 32 – Friday, March 4, 6 p.m.
Enterprise Center (16,502 full; 8,476 lower bowl) – St. Louis, Mo.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will play for a spot in the semifinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The last time Valpo entered Arch Madness as the No. 7 seed and had an opportunity to play the No. 2 seed in the quarterfinal round, the team knocked off Loyola in 2020. This time, it’s an opportunity to avenge a pair of regular-season defeats in a rematch of last year’s MVC quarterfinals as Valpo faces off with Missouri State. This will mark the third straight season and the fourth time in five years that these two teams have clashed in the MVC Tournament.

Last Time Out: Valpo went on a 10-0 run that concluded with a Sheldon Edwards basket with 1:21 on the clock, doubling a 10-point lead to 20 and solidifying an 81-59 victory over Evansville in Thursday’s MVC Tournament opener. Five Beacons finished in double figures as part of a true team effort, which was led by 18 points apiece from Kobe King and Sheldon Edwards. Ben Krikke didn’t miss a shot, Preston Ruedinger poured in a career high and Thomas Kithier made his return to the lineup after missing the final four games of the regular season with a back injury.

Following the Beacons: Television – MVC TV Network (NBC Sports Chicago Plus, Bally Sports Indiana Extra, Bally Sports Kansas City) – Mitch Holthus (play-by-play), Kevin Lehman (analyst), Tom Ackerman (sideline) and Scott Warman (host)

Streaming – ESPN+ available with no blackout restrictions in the state of Indiana, subject to local blackout in other MVC TV Network footprint states

MVC Radio – KTRS 550 AM – Brendan Wiese (play-by-play) and Rich Zvosec (analyst)

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

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (97-95) 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: Valpo holds a 10-24 record in the all-time series with Missouri State including a 3-10 mark since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The Beacons will look to reverse their recent fortunes in the series as the Bears have won the last five matchups, all by 10 points or more. Valpo ended Missouri State’s 2019-20 season with an 89-82 MVC semifinal victory, but the Bears returned the favor last year by bringing Valpo’s season to a halt with a 66-55 quarterfinal triumph in St. Louis. For the third consecutive year, one of these teams will dash the other’s hopes for an Arch Madness crown.

Regular-Season Matchups

Jan. 15 – Missouri State 74, Valpo 57: Valpo incurred a 74-57 setback to Missouri State in the first matchup of the season in a nationally televised affair at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Isiaih Mosley posted 32 points for visiting Missouri State. Valpo scored nine straight spanning the end of the first half and start of the second half to cut what had been a 14-point deficit to five with 19:23 to play, but Missouri State scored the next eight points and never looked back. Ben Krikke paced the Beacons with 14 points, while freshman Darius DeAveiro chipped in eight points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench. 

Feb. 12: Missouri State 84, Valpo 66: Ben Krikke scored 16 of his 20 points prior to halftime, but Missouri State’s high-powered offense was too much to handle as the Beacons succumbed to the host Bears 84-66 in the second regular-season matchup, which occurred at JQH Arena in Springfield. Valpo had the Missouri State lead down to nine at 59-50 with 11:36 to play, but the Bears pulled away down the stretch. Missouri State superstar Isiaih Mosley poured in 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Gaige Prim scored 15 points, while Ja’Monta Black and Jaylen Minnett went off for five made 3s apiece. Both teams shot over 90 percent at the free-throw line, but a major difference in the game was the 3-point arc, where Valpo went 3-of-12 (25 percent) with all three makes coming in the second half and Missouri State went 12-of-23 (52.2 percent).

With a Win on Friday, Valpo Would...

• Snap a five-game head-to-head losing streak against Missouri State.
• Reach the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament as a No. 7 seed for the second time in the last three years.
• Reach the Arch Madness semifinals for the second time since joining the league.
• Become just the fourth team since The Valley expanded to its current 10-team format in 1997 to play in the opening round and reach the semifinals, and half of those teams would be Valpo. The Beacons would join 2020 Valpo, 2020 Drake and 1997 Bradley as the only teams to play in the opening round and reach the semifinals.
• Play in three or more conference tournament games in the same season for the second time since 2010-11, joining 2019-20. (Valpo needed to win just twice to garner Horizon League titles in 2013 and 2015.)

Third Time’s a Charm?

• The old adage “it’s hard to beat a team three times” will have to come true on Friday for Valpo as Missouri State seeks a three-game sweep.
• This marks the eighth time in the last 18 years that Valpo has faced a team in the conference tournament that it lost to twice during the regular season.
• Valpo is 2-5 in the previous seven instances, including last season vs. Missouri State. The victories came vs. Loyola in 2020 and vs. Indiana State in 2019.

Completing the Hoosier State Sweep

• With Thursday’s triumph over Evansville, Valpo improved to 5-0 this season against instate foes Evansville and Indiana State after completing a four-game regular-season Hoosier State sweep for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
• All three wins over the Purple Aces came in a 13-day span.
• The Beacons secured a three-game sweep of the Purple Aces for the second time in the last three seasons. The 3-0 record against Evansville in 2020 was the first time Valpo swept a conference nemesis since 2015 vs. Cleveland State.

Notes Wrapping Up March 3: Valpo 81, Evansville 59

• Preston Ruedinger, who scored all of his career-high 12 points in the first half, had just one game all season with multiple made triples prior to Thursday. He knocked down three in the opening four minutes and already had a career high in scoring by that early juncture. His previous career high was eight, which came on Jan. 11 at Loyola and Feb. 16 vs. Loyola.
• Valpo’s first-half shooting percentage of 60 marked the team’s highest first-half shooting percentage since 63.3 on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• The team knocked down seven first-half 3s on Thursday, tied for the second-most by the Beacons in a first half this season and the most since eight on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary. The seven 3s was Valpo’s most in any half against a conference opponent this season.
• The 3-point shooting clip of 63.6 in the first half was the team’s highest in any half this season. In fact, it marked the team’s highest 3-point shooting percentage in a single half (minimum five attempts) since the second half vs. Bradley on Feb. 22, 2020 (11-of-15, 73.3 percent).
• The game marked Thomas Kithier’s return after he missed the final four games of the regular season with a back injury. In total, Valpo’s starting center was unavailable for 10 of the 18 regular-season MVC games. While given a lift by the return of Kithier, Valpo remained shorthanded as Darius DeAveiro (thumb) was not in uniform.
• Kithier finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. This was his eighth double-figure scoring output this season.
• Kobe King shared the team lead with 18 points. His performance featured three made 3s, equaling the number of made 3s he had in the final 10 games of the regular season combined. The three made 3s marked King’s season high and tied his career high established on Nov. 22, 2018 vs. Oklahoma while playing for Wisconsin.
• Sheldon Edwards joined King atop the Valpo scoring column with 18 points of his own. He scored 10 points or more for the 19^th time this season and the seventh time in his last nine games. In addition, Edwards pulled down seven rebounds and handed out four assists while swishing four 3s. He has four games with seven or more rebounds this season, and three of them are against Evansville.
• Edwards now has seven assists over the last two games. Prior to that, he had seven assists in his previous 10 games combined. His four assists on Thursday represented his highest total against a Division-I opponent this season.
• Ben Krikke made his way into double figures in the scoring column for the 12^th consecutive game. His 10 points came on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. This was his first perfect shooting performance since his freshman year, when he went 3-for-3 against Indiana State on Jan. 18, 2020.
• By virtue of his two dunks on Thursday, Krikke lifted his team-high season total to 11.
• Five Beacons finished in double figures, the first time that has occurred since the first game of the calendar year, Jan. 2 vs. Illinois State. A sixth Valpo player nearly hit double figures as Kevion Taylor scored nine.
• Valpo won its first game played at Arch Madness for the third time since joining the league. This marks the third time in the last four years Valpo has won its first MVC Tournament contest.
• The 22-point margin of victory tied for Valpo’s largest in an Arch Madness game since joining the league. The Beacons previously beat Indiana State 77-55 in the opening round of the 2019 event. This was Valpo’s largest margin of victory in a head-to-head matchup with Evansville since Jan. 10, 1987, an 80-58 win.
• The Beacons shot 15-of-17 at the free-throw line, shooting 80 percent or better for the third straight contest. Valpo is 32-of-36 (88.8 percent) at the foul line over the last three games.
• The 81 points was Valpo’s highest total in a regulation game against a Valley opponent this season. The last time Valpo surpassed the 80-point threshold in regulation was an 88-point output on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• The team finished the contest with a shooting percentage of 58.3 at 28-of-48. That marked the fourth time in the last six games that the Beacons have shot 50 percent or better.
• Valpo went 10-of-21 from 3-point territory, the sixth time this season that Valpo hit 10 or more 3s and first since Jan. 19 vs. UNI. The 3-point shooting percentage of 47.6 percent was the team’s best against a league foe this year and best overall since 54.5 percent on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• Valpo outdid Evansville 22-1 in bench points.

Inside the Honors

• Ben Krikke was named to the All-MVC Third Team for a second straight season, Kobe King was tabbed to the All-Newcomer Team and walk-on Preston Ruedinger earned All-Freshman Team accolades. In addition, Sheldon Edwards was named the captain of the All-Bench Team and to the Most-Improved Team, while Ben Krikke (MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team) and Thomas Kithier (MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team) were recognized for their academic and athletic prowess.
• Krikke became the first Valpo player to earn All-MVC accolades in two different seasons. The program’s last multi-time all-conference honoree was Alec Peters, who was a first-team all-Horizon League pick in each of his final three seasons, concluding in 2016-17.
• This marks the fourth consecutive season that Valpo has boasted an all-freshman team representative. Ruedinger follows Sheldon Edwards (2020-21), Donovan Clay (2019-20) and Javon Freeman-Liberty (2018-19). Valpo has had either an All-Freshman Team honoree or an All-Newcomer Team performer in each of the five seasons since joining The Valley.
• King becomes Valpo’s second All-Newcomer Team choice since joining the league and first since Bakari Evelyn in 2017-18.
• Edwards boosted his scoring average from 8.1 points per game as a freshman to 11.3 points per game this season. He has blocked 25 shots this season after finishing with seven blocks in 25 games a year ago. He also saw an uptick in his rebounds per game, going from 2.9 to 3.9. He has 34 steals this season after finishing with 24 a year ago. Edwards has bettered his field-goal percentage (.383 to .412), 3-point percentage (.300 to .355) and free-throw percentage (.735 to .773) as well. He has scored in double figures 18 times this season after doing so nine times a year ago.
• This marks the fourth straight season Valpo has boasted at least one member of the Most-Improved Team. This is the team’s fifth Most-Improved Team honoree in a four-year span.
• Edwards becomes the third Valpo player to garner All-Bench Team status, joining Markus Golder (2017-2018) and John Kiser (2019-2020). Edwards becomes the first Valpo player named the team captain of the All-Bench squad.
• Krikke was one of only two players in the league to earn MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team status for a second straight season, joining Drake’s Garrett Sturtz. He is the only Valpo player who has earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team status since the school joined The Valley. Valpo had two prior MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honorees (Derrik Smits 2018-19, John Kiser 2019-20).

Scouting the Bears

• Finished in second place in the regular-season standings, one game behind first-place UNI.
• Won five of their last six to close out the regular season including an 88-79 victory at Evansville in the regular-season finale.
• Led in scoring by Isiaih Mosley at 20.0 points per game.

Arch Madness History

• In 2020, Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to win three games in three days to reach the MVC title game. As a No. 7 seed, Valpo became the lowest seed to ever play in the title game. The Beacons led Bradley 38-36 in the title game and were 20 minutes from clinching an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Braves eventually prevailed 80-66.
• Valpo entered Arch Madness as the No. 10 seed in 2017-18, No. 9 seed in 2018-19, No. 7 in 2019-20, No. 6 in 2020-21 and now No. 7 in 2021-2022.
• After Thursday’s win over Evansville, Valpo is 5-4 all-time in nine Arch Madness games. Three of the five victories came during the 2019-20 run to the title game, which featured wins over Evansville, Loyola and Missouri State.

Valpo in St. Louis

• Although Valpo is the new kid on the block when it comes to Arch Madness (for one final time before UIC, Murray State and Belmont join the fold next season), the program’s history in the building now known as the Enterprise Center goes beyond the team’s three MVC Tournament appearances.
• Valpo’s Sweet Sixteen game against Rhode Island in 1998 was played in the building, which was then known as the Kiel Center.
• Valpo also appeared in the 2002 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, but the first-round date with Kentucky was played at the Edward Jones Dome.
• Head coach Matt Lottich played at Stanford from 2000-2004 and was part of the Cardinal team that participated in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Edwards Jones Dome in 2002. His squad joined Valpo as two of the eight teams competing in St. Louis in the opening round of the tournament that year.

Injury Bug Bites: Valpo has been bitten by the injury bug more frequently than the team would have liked this season. In part for that reason, head coach Matt Lottich has used 14 different starting lineup combinations and had 11 unique lineups in conference play alone over 18 games. No Valpo player started every game this season, and only three (Kevion Taylor, Sheldon Edwards, Eron Gordon) have played in each contest. Here’s a breakdown of the season-long injury report.

• Thomas Kithier: Missed the first two Missouri Valley Conference games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, returned on Jan. 11 at Loyola and played in four games, left on Jan. 22 at Indiana State with a back injury, did not play in the next four games due to the back, returned on Feb. 12 at Missouri State and played in two games, then missed the final four games of the regular season with the back injury. Returned for the March 3 MVC Tournament opener vs. Evansville.
• Preston Ruedinger: Returned on Feb. 26 at Bradley after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.
• Darius DeAveiro: Suffered a thumb injury in the regular season finale at Bradley and missed the Arch Madness opener vs. Evansville on March 3.
• Ben Krikke: Missed the first three games of the season with an ankle injury.
• Kobe King: Sat out the first nine games of the season in order to gain eligibility.
• Keyondre Young: Has only played in eight games and has not played since Dec. 5 due to a thumb/wrist.
• Trevor Anderson: Was limited to 17 games and hasn’t played since Jan. 26 due to a season-ending back injury.
• Connor Barrett: Has only played in 13 games and hasn’t played since Jan. 5 for undisclosed reasons.
• Emil Freese-Vilien: Played in the first two games of the season in November, then missed 25 games due to Lyme disease before returning on Feb. 19 at Evansville.

Not Your Average Walk-On

• Entering Arch Madness, freshman point guard Preston Ruedinger has made 12 starts in his 18 games this season as a nonscholarship player, earning MVC All-Freshman team status.
• Ruedinger’s first collegiate start came on Jan. 8 vs. SIU. He 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.
• Ruedinger owns an impressive ratio of 31 assists against just seven turnovers. Entering March 4, he is one of just three players in the nation with more than 30 assists and fewer than 10 turnovers, joining Iowa’s Connor McCaffery and Missouri State’s Demarcus Sharp.
• No Valpo player has finished a season with 30 or more assists and fewer than 10 turnovers in at least 15 years. The last Missouri Valley Conference player to achieve that feat in that time span was UNI’s Hunter Rhodes (30 assists, 7 turnovers) in 2017-18.
• Ruedinger has not had more than one turnover in any of his 17 games this season while averaging 19.9 minutes per game. He’s played turnover-free basketball in 11 of his 18 contests.

Krikke Approaching 1,000

• Ben Krikke reached double figures for the 12^th consecutive game in the March 3 MVC Tournament opener vs. Evansville.
• Entering March 4 vs. Missouri State, the junior is 35 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate career and is within potential striking distance of reaching the milestone this weekend should Valpo extend its stay in St. Louis.
• During his current 12-game double-figure streak, Krikke has reached the 20-point threshold three times and scored 15 points or more on seven occasions. He has shot 50 percent or better in 19 of his last 22 games.
• During the final 11 regular-season games, Krikke averaged 15.6 points per game, tied with Kevion Taylor for the team’s top mark during that stretch. Krikke also pulled down 6.1 rebounds per contest over the final 11 regular-season games, a significant uptick as he was averaging just 3.6 per game through the season’s first 16 contests. He was the team’s leading rebounder during that 11-game stretch.
• Entering March 5 vs. Missouri State, Krikke (54.5 percent FG / 84.7 percent FT) is one of four players in the Missouri Valley Conference shooting above 50 percent from the field and above 80 percent from the free-throw line. He joins Isiaih Mosley (Missouri State), Malevy Leons (Bradley) and Tate Hall (Loyola). Krikke owns the highest field-goal percentage and second-highest free-throw percentage in that elite group.
• Krikke has scored in double figures in 22 of his 28 games this season.
• Krikke squeezed five boards or more in six straight games and 10 of 11 to close out the regular season.
• 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.

Mr. 2,000 & Other Taylor Tidbits

• Kevion Taylor achieved a noteworthy milestone on Feb. 23 vs. Drake as he surpassed the 2,000-point threshold 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.
• A strong month of February helped Taylor reach that milestone as he averaged a team-best 16.9 points per game during the month, a scoring average that ranked sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference in that time span.
• After averaging just 9.4 points per game through the first 11 games of the season, Taylor averaged a team-best 14.9 points per game over the final 19 regular-season contests.
• Entering March 4 vs. Missouri State, Taylor has scored in double figures 99 times in his collegiate career, meaning his next double-figure scoring output will be his 100^th.
• Taylor became 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.
• He became the 27^th active player at all levels of NCAA basketball to reach that milestone.
• Entering March 4 vs. Missouri State, Taylor has reached double figures 18 times in 31 games this season including 14 performances featuring 15 points or more. Furthermore, he closed out the regular season with four consecutive games in which he scored 16 points or more.
• Taylor also 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.

The 30-20 Club

• During the regular season, Sheldon Edwards was one of three players in the Missouri Valley Conference with 30 or more steals and 20 or more blocked shots, joining Illinois State’s Kendall Lewis and Drake’s Tucker DeVries. Edwards and Lewis are the only two with 25 or more blocks and 30 or more steals.
• Edwards leads the Beacons in both of those defensive categories with 34 steals and 25 rejections, entering March 4 vs. Missouri State.
• The Florida native 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.
• As of March 4, The sophomore is one of just seven players in the nation with at least 25 blocks, 30 steals, 35 assists and 60 made 3s.
• 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 14.4 points per game in 22 contests (21 starts).
• King has made 19 appearances in double figures in his 22 contests. He has scored 15 points or more in 10 of his first 22 games in a Valpo uniform, entering March 4 vs. Missouri State.
• King has reached double figures 12 times in his last 13 games.
• He enjoyed his first career double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds on Feb. 21 vs. Evansville.
• King has scored 20 points or more twice, Feb. 5 vs. Indiana State and Feb. 19 at Evansville.

Century Mark in Sight: Valpo head coach Matt Lottich earned his 97^th career win on March 3 vs. Evansville. He needs just three 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.

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 18 Missouri Valley Conference games were decided by three points or fewer or required overtime.
• Overall this season, 13 of Valpo’s 29 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.
• Valpo has played eight overtime periods this season (including two double OT games). 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).

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 finished with a record of .500 or better at home for the 30^th consecutive season.
• Valpo finished the season with an 8-8 home record.

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.