1995–96 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team

1995–96 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball
Mid-Con Regular season champions
Mid-Con tournament champions
ConferenceMid-Continent Conference
Record21–11 (13–5 Mid-Con)
Head coach
Home arenaAthletics–Recreation Center
Seasons
← 1994–95
1996–97 →
1995–96 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Valparaiso † 13 – 5   .722 21 – 11   .656
Western Illinois 12 – 6   .667 17 – 12   .586
Missouri-Kansas City 10 – 8   .556 12 – 15   .444
Buffalo 10 – 8   .556 13 – 14   .481
Northeastern Illinois 10 – 8   .556 14 – 13   .519
Central Connecticut State 9 – 9   .500 13 – 15   .464
Eastern Illinois 9 – 9   .500 13 – 15   .464
Troy State 8 – 10   .444 11 – 16   .407
Youngstown State 7 – 11   .389 12 – 15   .444
Chicago State 2 – 16   .111 2 – 25   .074
† 1996 Mid-Con Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 1995–96 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by eighth-year head coach Homer Drew, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Mid-Continent Conference. Valpo finished atop the conference regular season standings and followed that success by winning the Mid-Con tournament to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Playing as the No. 14 seed in the West region, the Crusaders were beaten by No. 3 seed Arizona in the opening round.[2][3] The team finished with a record of 21–11 (13–5 Mid-Con) which was later adjusted to 22–10.

This season marked the first of five straight trips to the NCAA tournament and seven appearances in and eight-year period.

Roster

1995–96 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G Jamie Sykes 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
—
 So  
G 24 Bryce Drew 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Valparaiso Valparaiso, Indiana
C 33 Zoran Viskovic 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
—
 Fr   Croatia
F 44 Bill Jenkins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
—
 So  
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 24, 1995*
 vs. Minnesota L 66–70  0–1
 Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
Nov 26, 1995*
 vs. Toledo W 84–65  1–1
 Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
Nov 27, 1995*
 vs. Utah State W 79–70  2–1
 Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium 
Hilo, Hawaii
Dec 14, 1995*
 at Wisconsin L 73–90  5–2
 Wisconsin Field House 
Madison, Wisconsin
Dec 21, 1995*
 at Purdue L 53–74  5–3
 Mackey Arena 
West Lafayette, Indiana
Dec 23, 1995*
 Canisius L 68–72  5–4
 Athletics-Recreation Center 
Valparaiso, Indiana
Dec 28, 1995*
 at Illinois-Chicago L 72–84  5–5
 UIC Pavilion 
Chicago, Illinois
Mid-Con tournament
Mar 3, 1996*
 vs. Chicago State
Quarterfinals 		W 118–83  19–10
 The MARK of the Quad Cities 
Moline, Illinois
Mar 4, 1996*
 vs. Eastern Illinois
Semifinals 		W 78–65  20–10
 The MARK of the Quad Cities 
Moline, Illinois
Mar 5, 1996*
 vs. Western Illinois
Championship game 		W 75–52  21–10
 The MARK of the Quad Cities 
Moline, Illinois
NCAA tournament
Mar 15, 1996*
 (14 W) vs. (3 W) No. 11 Arizona
First round 		L 51–90  21–11
 ASU Activity Center 
Tempe, Arizona
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[4]

Rankings

Main article: 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

[5]

References

  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Mid-Continent Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "Arizona 90, Valparaiso 51". AP News. March 15, 1996. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Despite Crushing Loss, Vintage Year for Valpo". The Chicago Tribune. March 16, 1996. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Time Results" (PDF). Valparaiso University Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  5. ^ ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1042–1043. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.