Sunday, March 16, 2003

Valparaiso University will open up the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind. against the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Crusaders, the #15 seed in the East Region, are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Valpo went 18-12 during the regular season and won the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament to earn the automatic bid. The Crusaders defeated Oakland 48-46 in the title game.

Purdue, the region's #2 seed, finished the regular season 26-5 and 12-4 in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament, defeating Ohio State 67-65 in the championship.

#7 Virginia Tech will play #10 Georgia Tech in the other first round game at Mackey Arena. Game times will be determined later in the week.

Tickets will be available beginning Monday morning at 11 a.m. CST by phone only. Individuals may call (219) 548-7700 Monday between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and may charge tickets to their Visa, Mastercard, or Discover card. The ticket price is $15 and is good for both first round games on Saturday along with the second round game on Monday evening. Tickets will not be available at the Athletics-Recreation Center ticket office.