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Valparaiso Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Beacons

By Harry Schroeder

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Matt Lottich of the Valparaiso Crusaders looks on during a college basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on December 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: Head coach Matt Lottich of the Valparaiso Crusaders looks on during a college basketball game against the George Washington Colonials at the Smith Center on December 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Valparaiso Beacons guard Eron Gordon (10) Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Valparaiso Beacons guard Eron Gordon (10) Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Some good challenges

The Beacons have a variety of challenges in their nonconference schedule. They play three sub-100 N.E.T. teams and a handful of teams ranked under 200. But they also have enough games with weaker teams to build confidence and win totals.

Two of those sub-100 teams happen during the season’s first three games. Valpo opens the season by hosting defending Mid-American Conference champion Toledo. Reigning MAC freshman of the year, Ryan Rollins leads the #79 Rockets.

After a home game with Illinois Chicago (coached by former Illinois State player and coach Luke Yaklich) the Beacons tangle with Lottich’s former team the Stanford Cardinal. Lottich played for the then PAC Ten team from 2000-04 and helped the Cardinal to a league championship. Stanford achieved a 56 NET ranking last season.

Valpo’s ‘multi-team-event’ is in the Bahamas where they will play three games. The Beacons open with (159) Coastal Carolina and they play either Abilene Christian (74) or Jacksonville State (156). So four of the Beacons first five games are against teams with sub-200 rankings and they have the potential of having three of those games could be top-100 teams.

The rest of the nonconference season is definitively easier. There are two non-division 1 teams and two squads with N.E.T. rankings of over 300. Two more MAC squads are on the docket with Valpo facing both Western and Eastern Michigan. The Beacons play their final five nonconference games at home and they play just two, true road games outside of conference play.