Horizon League Men's Basketball Weekly Release (March 11) | Tournament Bracket
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- It's hard to know what to expect from the championship game of a tournament that has already featured four buzzer beaters.
Just ask the No. 1-seed Crusaders, who advanced to the championship game thanks to Ryan Broekhoff's 3-pointer at the horn. Or No. 3 Wright State, which advanced when Miles Dixon managed to get off a baseline jumper with time expiring.
Who has the upper hand when both teams are coming off buzzer-beating victories? Who has the momentum?
The "rest vs. rust" argument is already a wash. Wright State had played the day before Dixon's game-winner against Detroit. Valpo had a week off between games thanks to a regular season championship that afforded the Crusaders byes through the first and second rounds.
Both teams will have had the same amount of rest between Saturday night's semifinal round and Tuesday night's championship game. As the No. 1 seed -- and highest remaining seed -- the Crusaders will get to play on their home court, which would seem to give Valpo the upper hand.
But under the same circumstances last year, Valparaiso came up short as Detroit ran away with a 20-point win and the Horizon League's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Crusaders swept Wright State during the regular season by a total of 13 points.
On Jan. 19, Valpo won 69-63 at the ARC led by a double-double by Broekhoff, who scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Kevin Van Wijk also scored 18 points while Matt Kenney added 15 with six assists. In the loss, Cole Darling scored a game-high 22 points for Wright State while Reggie Arceneaux added 14.
Valparaiso then went into the Nutter Center on Feb. 12 and picked up a 68-61 road win, led by Van Wijk's 20 points. Broekhoff added 10 for the Crusaders while Kenney poured in 15 off the bench. None of Wright State's starters reached double-figures, but AJ Pacher scored a game-high 23 off the bench for the Raiders and Dixon scored 13.
Since their most recent meeting, Valpo has gone 5-1, winning five straight, while Wright State has gone 4-2 and won three in a row.
Tuesday night's championship game -- with the Horizon League's auto bid on the line -- tips at 9 p.m. EST and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
