The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 182 is Valparaiso basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Valparaiso basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 1
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 9
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 13.4
- Bids per season: 0.10
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 3
- Conference Players of the Year: 7
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 14
- Conference tournament titles: 10
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Valparaiso basketball
It shouldn’t be legal to start talking about Valparaiso basketball before first mentioning Bryce Drew. His buzzer-beater to help 13-seed Valpo upset 4-seed Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament is as much of a March Madness classic as any highlight in the history of the tourney.
Many people might forget that Valpo was a dominant mid-major under head coach Homer Drew. The then-nicknamed Crusaders went to the big dance in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004 under Drew. But the legendary coach’s son helped advance them to the Sweet 16 in ’98, which is a timeless moment.
Of course, Homer Drew was as good as it gets as a coach at that level, winning 370 games in 22 years, all with Valpo. And it wasn’t just him as a coach getting it done. Many other players starred to make Valpo a force in their conference for years.
And before Drew got there, the program was really nothing to write home about, with zero tournaments. They had a Consensus All-American in Bob Dille in 1944, and like most teams, had some really good seasons, but it didn’t lead to any national attention until the Drews got to town. And yes, that includes Scott Drew, who was the head coach for one season in 2002-03, leading them to a 20-11 record.
Bryce Drew would take the job in 2011 and picked up from his father’s success, leading them to March Madness in 2013 and again in 2015. But he would only stay five seasons, with a 30-7 record in his last go-around, moving to Vanderbilt and now Grand Canyon.
Unfortunately for the program, Matt Lottich and now Roger Powell have not equaled the success of the Drews. If there wasn’t already a Drew University, you could argue Valpo hoops should change their name to that. Nearly every reason they are ranked here is because of the Drew family.