MBB: Game #2 vs Valapraiso - 11/15/2012

Mascot: Crusaders

Conference: Horizon League

School Location: Valapraiso, Indiana

Shirt not to wear: Brown, Gold, and/or plate of armor

FanSite: Valparaiso Fan Zone

Last game out: Beat Northern Illinois

Probable Starters:

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0)

 3 - Benny Parker - 5-9 - Fr. - G
15 - Ray Gallegos - 6-2 - Jr. - G
24 - Dylan Talley - 6-5 - Sr. - G
13 - Brandon Ubel - 6-10 - Sr. - F
32 - Andre Almeida - 6-11 - Sr. - C 

Valapraiso Crusaders (2-0)

15 - Erik Buggs	 - 5-11 - SR - G
3 - Will Bogan - 6-1 - SR - G
12 - Ben Boggs - 6-4 - SR - G
45 - Ryan Broekhoff - 6-7 - SR - F
55 - Kevin Van Wijk - 6-8 - SR - F

Opposing player to watch: Ryan Broekhoff

Broekhoff is the returning Horizon league player of the year while leading the Crusaders in points and rebounds and nearly making the Australian Olympic team. The Robbie Hummel clone can shoot the three ball or pound inside, depending on the matchup.

Opposing player to watch: Kevin Van Wijk

With the injury to 6'10" Indiana transfer Bobby Capobianco, All-Horizon league player Van Wijk is the only other inside player for the Crusaders who is a threat to score. Considering how many fouls the Netherlands native draws it's possible he'll put Andre in foul trouble early.

You've heard of Valapraiso before and you might hear from them again.

Bryce Drew isn't only the coach of Valparaiso, he's also considered it's greatest player of all time in addition to being the son of all time Valapraiso winning coach Homer Drew and the brother of current Baylor coach Scott Drew. Besides playing in the NBA for a number of years, Bryce Drew is known for one of the all-time March Madness buzzer beaters.

Since taking over for his father two years ago, Bryce Drew has been using the "Fred Hoiberg" plan by bringing in a ton of transfers. (There isn't a single freshman on the squad) Valparaiso has seven Division I transfers on the squad (Hawaii, Ole Miss, South Florida, Indidana, Cal, Virginia Tech, and Rice) as well as 7 seniors on what has to be one of the oldest teams in the country. They're the overwhelming favorites to win the Horizon league, especially with Bulter moving to the A-10. (They beat Bulter 3 times last year, btw.)

The Crusaders have picked up right where they left off as one of the best shooting teams in the nation by shooting a sizzling 54.2% from three point range in easily dispatching a couple of underwhelming opponents. Valparaiso is going to spread out the floor to look for the three or penetrate into the lane to create their shot. The majority of looks should come from a combination of Broekhoff and Wijk unless the Huskers choose to double team.

Nebraska should have a size advantage in this game in almost all positions and they'll potentially need to limit Valpo's possessions by owning the board. While he still might be finding his offense, David Rivers could play a key role in deciding the game as he'll need to guard Broekhoff throughout the game. With the bench so thin Andre will need to be disciplined or he'll foul out quickly.

Look for the Huskers to try and slow down the game, dominate the board, and win the turnover battle against Valpo team that can be careless with the ball. Hopefully the Huskers have worked on generating contact this week in practice as they'll need to be aggressive about getting to the line for some easy points. It's a combination of these things that hopefully can outweigh the advantage that Valparaiso has in shooting and depth.

While Nebraska is capable of winning this game, look for the depth and experience of the Crusaders to be too much in this game. Regardless of the outcome this is a great early season test for the Huskers and should help prepare them for the rest of the year.

Game Prediction: Val 72 - NU 65 with a 73% chance of Runzas