Sunday, March 04, 2012

It was pure Crusader domination on Saturday night, as the #1 seeded Valpo throttled Butler 65-46 on its way to securing a spot in the Horizon League Tournament Championship Final against #3 seeded Detroit on Tuesday 8 PM on ESPN. With the third Crusader victory over Butler this season, Valpo fights for their 8th NCAA tournament berth (first since 2004). Thanks to the Student Senate, UPC, and WVUR, there will be 200 free student tickets available at the Union Welcome Desk tomorrow (Monday) at 11 AM.

Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff was unstoppable Saturday night, posting an improbable stat line of 19 points, a staggering 16 rebounds, as well as 2 assists and 2 blocks. Van Wijk and Buggs chipped in with 11 points each, while Edwards asserted his post presence in the first half scoring 8 and Harris nailed several crucial second half shots finishing with 9.

To put it simply, the Crusaders controlled tempo from the beginning of the game to the end and never looked back. ESPN commentator Stephen Bardo remarked that Valpo played with "textbook execution." In fact, Valpo's stellar play left Butler demoralized and scrambling for points.

Next up for the Crusaders, the only team standing in their way of an NCAA tournament berth, is Detroit. The Titans are extremely athletic team with substantial interior size and are sure to prove to be a tough challenge for the Crusaders. Valpo has beaten Detroit twice this season, but only by a total of 7 points.

Be sure to come out to the ARC and support the Crusaders in their historic quest to return to the NCAA tournament.