out an 85-79 victory over Butler in presence of a sellout crowd at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Ryan Broekhoff, Cory Johnson and Matt Kenney all scored 16 points in the winning effort, while Brandon Wood returned from trauma to put up 15 points.Following the Crusaders: Every game this season will be available on the Valpo Sports Radio Network, with Thursday's game broadcast live on WAKE (1500 AM, Valparaiso) and WEFM (95.9 FM, Michigan City). Todd Ickow is support for his 19th season on play-by-play, while Aaron Leavitt will hold the color commentary Thursday. The live audio will likewise be usable at www.valpoathletics.com, as good as live television through the Horizon League Network and live stats. Head Coach Homer Drew: One of only a handful of coaches at the Part I level coaching on a floor named in his honor, head coach Homer Drew is the seventh-winningest active coach in D-I men`s basketball. Drew enters Sunday's game with a 364-299 record in 21 seasons at the helm of the Crusader program and a 633-421 record in 32 years overall as a direct coach. Series Notes: Cleveland State owns a 27-9 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including a 14-3 advantage in Cleveland. The Crusaders have come out with wins in two of the final three matchups, however, including a 64-58 win at the ARC earlier this class on Jan. 9. Valpo overcame an 11-point first-half deficit and led by as many as 15 en route to the win. Cory Johnson paced the Crusader effort with 20 points, while Howard Little grabbed 11 rebounds.The Road Ahead: The Crusaders` swing through northeastern Ohio continues Saturday evening as Valpo heads to the Beeghly Center to hold on Youngstown State. Valpo then returns home, where it will work five of its last 7 games, to host Detroit on Feb. 10 and Wright State on Feb. 12.Scouting Cleveland State: The Vikings enter Thursday`s game atop the league standings by a half-game, owning a 20-3 overall record and a 9-2 mark in Horizon League play. Norris Cole leads CSU and the conference in scoring (20.1 ppg), assists (5.2 apg) and steals (2.4 spg), while Trevon Harmon averages 13.8 ppg and Jeremy Montgomery chips in 11.1 ppg. BracketBuster Matchup: The Crusaders learned Monday that they had earned another national TV appearance as partly of the BracketBusters event, as Valpo will host Missouri State go on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19. This marks the 2nd sentence the Crusaders have made a national TV show for the BracketBusters game, joining the 2007-2008 squad which hosted Miami (Ohio) on ESPN Classic.National Poll Watch: For the start sentence in about 9 years, the Crusaders are receiving votes in one of the two major national polls. Valpo picked up two points in this week`s edition of the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll to be listed among the others receiving votes. Valpo last made an appearance in one of the national polls in Process of 2002, accumulating five points in the last poll prior to the NCAA Tournament that season.Mid-Major Poll Watch: Meanwhile, on the mid-major scene, the Crusaders continue to jump in the Mid-Major Top 25. After checking in at #22 last week, Valpo ascended to a season-best #18 in this week`s poll following the win over Butler.All-Access With Valpo: The Crusaders are currently featured on the CollegeInsider.com All-Access series. The All-Access piece contains conversations with head coach Homer Drew, associate head coach Bryce Drew and a list of players, as good as a behind-the-scenes look at a Crusader practice.Beating Butler: Saturday`s win over the Bulldogs came in the 100th meeting on the hardwood between the two institutions, and was Valpo`s first over Butler since December of 1993. The victory also broke a seven-game losing streak against the Bulldogs since the Crusaders joined the Horizon League prior to the 2007-2008 season. Fight For First Place: The Crusaders enter this week`s road trip tied in the loss column with Cleveland State and one-half game back of the top position in the Horizon League standings. Valpo and CSU are both two games up in the loss column over third-place Wright State, and the Crusaders have continued their best first to league play since joining the Horizon League.Winning With Defense: Valpo has improved its defensive efficiency from 109.4 points per 100 possessions (304th nationally) a twelvemonth ago to 94.7/100 possessions (64th nationally) this year, a big key to their 15 wins so far this year. Seven times this year, the Crusaders have held a D-I opponent to 60 points or fewer, including 4 of their final seven league games, and are 14-1 on the season when holding their opposition under 70 points.How Improved It Is: Last year, the Crusaders surrendered a league-worst 74.3 points per punt and gave up 71.8 ppg in conference play only, which ranked 9th among the ten Horizon League squads. So far this year, it has been a 180 in price of the defensive output, as Valpo is giving up just 65.0 ppg overall, which is right for third in the league. The dod has been still better in conference play so far, as the Crusaders have allowed just 62.4 ppg against league foes, also third-best.A Look at RPI: The Crusaders enter this week as one of three Horizon League teams in the top-60 in the land in RPI in the latest NCAA report. Valpo sits at #55 heading into this week`s action, joining Cleveland State (#29) and Butler (#42) among the nation's best.Who Needs Rally Caps?: Valpo erased double-figure deficits earlier this month in back-to-back wins over Cleveland State and Wright State, a common occurence this year for the Crusaders. In fact, the Crusaders are now above .500 this class in games where they have trailed by 10 or more points at any juncture, going 5-4 in such contests, while on the flip side, they are 14-2 in games where they have led by 10 or more points.Sharp Shooters From Inside: Valpo has cemented itself as one of the best shooting teams in the country this year, entering this week ranked 21st nationally with a .480 field goal percentage. The Crusaders have been particularly proficient inside the arc, hitting at a .558 clip from two-point range, and get hit at least half of their two-point attempts in 11 of their last 13 games, only failing to do so at Butler (12-of-27) and against Green Bay (14-of-34). Among Valpo`s nine-man rotation, seven players are striking at least 50% from within the arc this season. 4 Wins x 3: Valpo`s win over Detroit Jan. 16 gave the Crusaders their third four-game winning streak of the 2010-2011 campaign, something that has not happened for Valpo since the 2001-2002 season. That year`s Crusader squad won seven straight between November and December, captured nine consecutive wins in the essence of Mid-Con play and so won 5 straight games entering the NCAA Tournament.10 Wins Before the New Year: The Crusaders` win over Ball State Dec. 28 assured Valpo of head into the 2011 calendar year with a 10-4 record, matching a program record for most wins prior to January 1. The 2001-2002 team also posted a 10-4 mark prior to New Year`s Day 2002, while the 2007-2008 Crusaders went 10-3 in the 2007 part of the schedule.103-102: The antithesis of about of the Crusaders` games this season was the 103-102 win in regulating at Oakland Dec. 21 to get the Lou Henson Award Tournament. Some notes regarding that high-scoring victory can be base on page six of this release.Dominating Defensively, Part 2: Valpo`s performance on the defensive end against Milwaukee last Friday was one of its best of the year. The Crusaders didn`t surrender a field goal to the Panthers until 13:46 into the back and ended up limiting UWM to 28.3% (13-of-46) shooting, including 9.5% (2-of-21) from outside the 3-point line. Valpo also forced 16 turnovers while giving up just 43 points, its best performance since holding Detroit to 41 on Jan. 8, 2009.Dominating Defensively: Dec. 11's win over IPFW was right up thither with the Milwaukee game for the best defensive effort by Valpo this year. The Crusaders held the Mastodons to just 13 field goals on 26% shooting and limited IPFW to just 47 points overall. In addition, Valpo held IPFW to only three 3-pointers on the even and express the Mastodons to only three assists, the fewest by a Valpo opponent since Dec. 30, 1999.A Big Victory: Valpo easily handled Purdue North Central Nov. 18, limiting the Panthers to only 44 points in a 98-44 victory. The 54-point margin of victory ties for the sixth-highest differential in broadcast history, matching the winning margin in a 66-12 win against Chicago Tech back in the 1920-1921 season.Offensive Explosion: The Crusaders lit up the scoreboard throughout their season opener against IU Northwest, scoring 59 first-half points and adding 52 second-half points. A short-range flip up and in by Cory Johnson with 5:49 to play put Valpo over the century mark as it utilized the 3rd finger on the scoreboard for the start time since a 105-73 win over Longwood on Jan. 7, 2006. The 111 points matched the near the Crusaders have scored in the last 15 seasons as well.Crusaders Match Attendance Record: Valparaiso has sold out a couple of games this year - its Dec. 7 game against Purdue and Jan. 29 against Butler - and matched the ARC all-time attendance record in both contests. The attending of 5,432 for both games tied the cross set on Feb. 5, 2008 when the Crusaders welcomed a sellout crowd for a top-10 Butler squad.Breaking Out the New Gear: The Crusaders unveiled their new uniform design Dec. 7 against Purdue, and also debuted gray uniforms in the nationally-televised contest. The grays will do as alternate uniforms, mainly for use on particular occasions, while Valpo will proceed to wearing white jerseys at national and gold uniforms on the road.Valpo Tabbed Fourth in Preseason Poll: Valparaiso was picked to finish in 4th station in the Horizon League preseason poll, tallying 312 points in the polling. Butler, the ruling national runner-up and last season's regular season and tournament champions, was a unanimous selection atop the league standings. Detroit edged out Cleveland State as the 2nd pick, while Milwaukee and Wright State were picked fifth and sixth, respectively. Green Bay, Loyola, UIC and Youngstown State rounded out the polling.Wood Named Preseason First Team All-League: Brandon Wood was one of 5 players named to the preseason Horizon League First Team All-League squad as proclaimed in mid-October. Wood, the league`s Newcomer of the Class and a Second Team All-League honoree in 2009-2010, led the tour in scoring at 17.7 ppg a twelvemonth ago, while his 565 total points tied for ninth-most in a single season in Valpo history. Also an NABC All-District 12 Second Team choice, he ranked among the league's best as good in 3-pointers per game (1.8, 6th) and free throw percentage (.813, 7th).Johnson a Second Team Honoree: Cory Johnson also earned a point on the preseason All-League Second Team after receiving Second Team and All-Newcomer Team honors last class in his first class with the Crusaders. Johnson averaged 15.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg a twelvemonth ago, good for quarter and 8th among Horizon League players, respectively. He connected at a 55.6% clip from the floor, second-best in the conference and 20th nationally, and hit better than half of his three-point attempts as well. Oh Captain My Captain: The Crusaders will make a couple of captains for the 2010-2011 season. Cory Johnson and Howard Little will do in the role, each for the back consecutive year.Sun, Fun and Basketball: This year`s Crusader squad got the opportunity to tie as a team with a preseason foreign trip to Cancun in August, the 1st time Valpo has taken advantage of the opportunity to have a preseason trip. The Crusaders got 10 years of use in Valpo before taking off for Cancun with all 13 players, including newcomers Jay Harris and Kevin Van Wijk. While land in Cancun, Valpo won all four games, including a come-from-behind 102-84 win over Pioneros de Quintana Roo, which finished 3rd in the 20-team LNBP last year.Players of the Week: Valparaiso has claimed three Player of the Week honors from the Horizon League already this season. Brandon Wood earned the Crusaders` first award of the year, sharing Player of the Week accolades after he averaged 28.0 ppg en route to All-Tournament honors at the Lou Henson Award Tournament. Cory Johnson was tabbed as the league`s Player of the Week Jan. 10 after averaging 23.0 ppg in two league victories for the Crusaders, while Wood was again honored the following week after tallying 21.5 ppg in a couple of league road wins.Wood Leads the Way: Redshirt junior guard Brandon Wood, who lost the Milwaukee and Green Bay games due to injury, returned to the lineup against Butler and played a big part in the Crusaders` win, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the 2nd half against the Bulldogs. Wood has been a consistent double-figure scorer for the Crusaders this year one season after leading the conference in scoring, scoring in double digits 15 times, including 12 of his final 14 contests. Wood has contributed all over the order for Valpo this season, currently leading the squad in scoring (16.0 ppg), assists (3.5 apg) and steals (1.8 spg) and ranking 2nd in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Wood finds himself among the league leaders in a list of categories as well, ranking 3rd in steals, fifth in scoring, seventh in assists and 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.59).Johnson Keeps Producing: Fifth-year senior forward Cory Johnson has been a solid presence inside for the Crusaders this year, ranking second on the squad and 6th in the conference in scoring (15.8 ppg) while scoring in double figures a team-high 18 times this year. Johnson, the MVP of the Lou Henson Award Tournament and Horizon League Player of the Week before this year, has paced Valpo in the scoring column eight times this year, including most recently tying for team-high honors with 16 points in the win over Butler. The elder also ranks among the league`s best in field goal percentage (.504, t-7th).Broekhoff Bombs Away: After playing only three minutes against Milwaukee due to injury, sophomore Ryan Broekhoff stepped up Jan. 23 against Green Bay, connecting on 5-of-6 3-point attempts, including a match in the last 10 seconds to give Valpo a shot at the win. Then last time out against Butler, the sophomore tied for team-high honors with 16 points, 14 of which came in the last 25 transactions of play, including a 4-of-5 performance from behind the arc in the back half and overtime. Broekhoff, who averages 10.1 ppg, now leads the conference in 3-point shooting at a .488 clip and is connecting at a .595 clip from behind the arc in league play.Kenney Steps Up: Sophomore Matt Kenney has put together a run of stellar performances since returning from injury. Looking at the final four games (Detroit, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Butler), Kenney is averaging 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Last time out against Butler, the sophomore tied for the team high with 16 points, 12 of which came after halftime. In fact, Kenney entered the back half just 3-of-35 from behind the arc on the season, but canned a couple of big 3-pointers to serve the Crusader cause.Little With Big Shots: Senior Howard Little had scored only 4 points in the first 43 minutes of the Butler game last Saturday. But the elder came up with a couple of huge baskets as the shot clock was run down, first knock down an 18-foot fadeaway with a deal in his side with 1:32 to bring in overtime to establish the Crusaders a four-point lead. Then, Little found himself 28 feet from the basket with the shot clock nearing zero on the next trip, but his heave rattled in for a 3-pointer that extended the head to 7 points with 37 seconds left.Cracking the Career Charts: A total of Crusaders have already cracked Valpo`s career charts in different categories or are on pace to do so very soon. Little ranks tenth in Valpo history with 132 career steals, while he also continues to be on pace to set the program record for career games played, barring injury. Broekhoff`s career 3-point part of .420 is seventh-best in Valpo history. Wood and Johnson both have accumulated 50 games played for their careers, allowing them to be ranked ninth (17.0 ppg) and 11th (15.7 ppg) on the scoring average chart. Johnson also moved onto the career field-goal percentage chart last month, surpassing 500 career attempts, and currently ranks fifth, shooting at a .534 clip for his career.Quickly: Freshman Jay Harris knocked down all six of his free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of overtime Saturday, the 3rd time this class he has connected on six free throws in a game . Valpo hit just 1-of-8 from 3-point image in the first 20 transactions of the Butler game, but went 9-of-14 from downtown in the 2nd half and overtime . the Crusaders` ten total 3-pointers matched a season high, achieved four times now . Valpo is now 2-1 on the season in overtime games (won at UIC and against Butler, lost at Toledo).
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Global phenomenon Sade, known for their one of a kind timeless sound, announced today that acclaimed singer, songwriter and pianist, John Legend will join every date on their highly anticipated summer tour. Legend is nominated for five Grammy Awards and two NAACP Awards this class for his collaboration with the Roots on the extraordinary new album Wake UP!.
