2020–21 Valparaiso University men's basketball team explained

Year:2020–21
Team:Valparaiso University
Sport:basketball
Conference:Missouri Valley Conference
Short Conf:MVC
Record:10–18
Conf Record:7–11
Head Coach:Matt Lottich
Hc Year:5th
Asst Coach1:Luke Gore
Asst Coach2:Rob Holloway
Asst Coach3:Matt Bowen
Stadium:Athletics–Recreation Center
Prev:2019–20
Next:2021–22

The 2020–21 Valparaiso University men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Valpo, led by fifth-year head coach Matt Lottich, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 10–18, 7–11 in MVC play to finish a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Missouri State in the quarterfinals.[1]

In February 2021, the school officially retired the use of the Crusaders name and mascot due to its use by certain hate groups.[2] [3]

Previous season

The Crusaders finished the 2019–20 season 19–16, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Evansville, Loyola–Chicago, and Missouri State[4] to advance to the championship game where they lost to Bradley.[5] All further postseason play was canceled shortly thereafter due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[6]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
0 G 6'3" 175 Sophomore Transferred to DePaul
John Kiser 33 G/F 6'5" 205 Senior Graduated
Ryan Fazekas 35 G/F 6'7" 220 RS Senior Graduated

2020 recruiting class

Schedule and results

|-!colspan=9 style=| Regular season|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-!colspan=12 style=| MVC tournamentSource[7] [8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Valparaiso vs. Missouri State - Box Score - March 5, 2021 - ESPN. 2021-07-08. ESPN.com. en.
  2. Web site: Correspondent. Paul Oren Times. Mascot debate at Valparaiso has proponents and opponents, just as it did in the 1940s. 2021-07-08. nwitimes.com. en.
  3. Web site: You are being redirected.... 2021-07-08. www.athleticbusiness.com.
  4. Web site: Valparaiso vs. Missouri State - Game Recap - March 7, 2020 - ESPN. 2021-07-08. ESPN.com. en.
  5. Web site: Valparaiso vs. Bradley - Game Recap - March 8, 2020 - ESPN. 2021-07-08. ESPN.com. en.
  6. Web site: NCAA cancels March Madness tournaments, all other winter and spring championships. 2020-12-06. NBC News. en.
  7. Web site: Men's Basketball Schedule. valpoathletics.com. Valparaiso University Athletics. 1 January 2021.
  8. Web site: 2020-21 Valparaiso Crusaders Schedule and Results. 2021-07-08. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. en.
  9. Web site: 2020-21 Valparaiso Schedule. 2021-07-08. ESPN. en-US.