1997–98 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 23 1997–98 Valparaiso Crusaders Basketball Valparaiso Crusaders wordmark.svg 175 Mid-Continent Conference Mid-Con 23–10 13–3 Homer Drew 10th Athletics–Recreation Center Mid-Con Regular season championsMid-Con tournament champions NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen The 1997–98 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represented Valparaiso University during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by tenth-year head coach Homer Drew, played their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center as members of the Mid-Continent Conference. This season is one of the most memorable in program history1997-1998 Men's Basketball Team to be Inducted into Valpo's Hall of Fame on February 28 https://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2008-09/8735/1997-1998-mens-basketball-team-to-be-inducted-into-valpos-hall-of-fame-on-february-28/ Valparaiso University Athletics February 23, 2009 June 21, 2021 as the Crusaders made a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. The opening round victory over Ole Miss is best known for "The Shot" that sparked the Crusaders' Cinderella run. The team finished with a record of 23–10 (13–3 Mid-Con). Roster 1997 Valparaiso Crusaders y yes Jay Phifer 3 G 6 2 195 sr Troy, Michigan Troy HS Cory Gibson 4 F 6 9 228 so Battle Creek, Michigan Central HS Jamie Sykes 10 G 5 11 185 sr Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee HS Marko Punda 20 G 6 6 210 fr Split, Croatia New Hamption Prep HS Jared Nuness 21 G 5 11 164 fr Eden Prairie, Minnesota Hopkins HS Aric Graham 22 G 6 3 195 fr Valparaiso, Indiana Boone Grove HS Bryce Drew 24 G 6 3 180 sr y Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso HS Aaron Thomason 25 F 6 7 232 so Detroit, Michigan Cass Technical HS Monte Gordon 30 F 6 5 215 fr Gary, Indiana Roosevelt HS Jason Jenkins 32 F 6 8 220 fr East Peoria, Illinois East Peoria HS Zoran Viskovic 33 C 6 11 260 jr Croatia   Bob Jenkins 43 F 6 6 225 sr Glendale, Wisconsin Nicolet HS Bill Jenkins 44 F 6 6 230 sr Glendale, Wisconsin Nicolet HS Antanas Vilcinskas 52 C 7 0 252 sr Vilnius, Lithuania Kankakee HS Homer Drew (William Jewell) Scott Drew (Butler) Jim Harrick Jr. (Pepperdine) Steve Flint (UC San Diego) https://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/1997-98/ Schedule and results 1997-98 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1997 yes yes |- !colspan=9 style=Valparaiso Crusaders| Regular season |- Nov 15, 1997 1997 men Bethel Pilots Bethel (TN) Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 75–85 3,011 0–1 Nov 17, 1997 yes Purdue 8 Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 56–73 5,412 0–2 Nov 28, 1997 yes yes 1997 men Montana Grizzlies Montana Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium Hilo, Hawaii Big Island Invitational 70–58 NA 1–2 Nov 29, 1997 yes yes Stanford 15 Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium Hilo, Hawaii Big Island Invitational 65–70 NA 1–3 Nov 30, 1997 yes yes 1997 men Pacific Tigers Pacific Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium Hilo, Hawaii Big Island Invitational 75–73 NA 2–3 Dec 6, 1997 Elmhurst Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 85–70 3,481 3–3 Dec 9, 1997 yes yes 1997 men Green Bay Phoenix Wisconsin–Green Bay Brown County Arena Green Bay, Wisconsin 52–60 3,096 3–4 Dec 13, 1997 yes yes UIC UIC Pavilion Chicago, Illinois 51–72 3,466 3–5 Dec 20, 1997 yes 1997 men Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos Missouri-Kansas City Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Missouri 80–68 1,823 4–5 1–0 Dec 22, 1997 yes 1997 men Belmont Bruins Belmont Striplin Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee 78–62 230 5–5 Dec 31, 1997 yes 1997 men Western Illinois Leathernecks Western Illinois Western Hall Macomb, Illinois 62–63 3,144 5–6 1–1 Jan 3, 1998 1997 men Chicago State Cougars Chicago State Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 82–62 2,214 6–6 2–1 Jan 5, 1998 1997 men Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles Northeastern Illinois Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 72–69 3,102 7–6 3–1 Jan 8, 1998 yes 1997 men Southern Utah Thunderbirds Southern Utah America First Event Center Cedar City, Utah 79–70 3,081 8–6 4–1 Jan 10, 1998 yes 1997 men Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Oral Roberts Mabee Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 60–68 6,910 8–7 4–2 Jan 17, 1998 1997 men Buffalo Bulls Buffalo Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 82–80 3,012 9–7 5–2 Jan 21, 1998 yes 1997 men Northern Illinois Huskies Northern Illinois Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 87–73 4,339 10–7 Jan 24, 1998 1997 men Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 66–69 4,413 10–8 5–3 Jan 26, 1998 yes yes Saint Louis Scottrade Center St. Louis, Missouri 66–77 15,977 10–9 Jan 29, 1998 yes Northeastern Illinois Physical Education Complex Chicago, Illinois 88–82 550 11–9 6–3 Jan 31, 1998 yes Chicago State Dickens Athletic Center Chicago, Illinois 102–74 403 12–9 7–3 Feb 5, 1998 Oral Roberts Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 90–68 4,341 13–9 8–3 Feb 7, 1998 Southern Utah Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 66–56 4,453 14–9 9–3 Feb 11, 1998 yes Buffalo Alumni Arena Buffalo, New York 73–64 3,366 15–9 10–3 Feb 14, 1998 Belmont Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 95–61 3,876 16–9 Feb 19, 1998 yes Youngstown State Beeghly Center Youngstown, Ohio 70–68 5,568 17–9 11–3 Feb 23, 1998 Missouri-Kansas City Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 75–65 4,019 18–9 12–3 Feb 25, 1998 Western Illinois Athletics-Recreation Center Valparaiso, Indiana 66–56 4,524 19–9 13–3 |- !colspan=12 style=Valparaiso Crusaders| Mid-Con tournament Mar 2, 1998 yes yes 1 Buffalo 5 The MARK of the Quad Cities Moline, Illinois Semifinals 84–73 NA 20–9 Mar 3, 1998 yes yes 1 Youngstown State 3 The MARK of the Quad Cities Moline, Illinois Championship Game 67–48Colleges: Men's Basketball: Mid-Continent https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/04/sports/colleges-men-s-basketball-mid-continent.html The Washington Post March 4, 1998 June 26, 2021 NA 21–9 |- !colspan=12 style=Valparaiso Crusaders| NCAA tournament Mar 13, 1998 yes yes 13 MW Ole Miss 13 4 MW Myriad Convention Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma First round 70–69Valparaiso's 'Miracle Shot' Stuns Ole Miss https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/03/14/valparaisos-miracle-shot-stuns-ole-miss/465212c1-dc80-4c52-aa65-afc34a29e7f3/ The Washington Post March 14, 1998 June 20, 2021 13,349 22–9 Mar 15, 1998 yes yes 13 MW Florida State 5 MW Myriad Convention Center Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Second Round 83–77 OTTruly, This Is Madness: Valparaiso Writing Its Own Fairy Tail https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/mar/16/truly-this-is-madness-valparaiso-writing-its-own/ Spokesman-Review March 16, 1998 June 20, 2021 13,369 23–9 Mar 20, 1998 yes yes 13 MW Rhode Island 8 MW Scottrade Center St. Louis, Missouri Midwest Regional semifinal – Sweet Sixteen 68–74URI, Stanford in Final Eight https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/colbask/longterm/1998/men/articles/uri21.htm The Washington Post March 21, 1998 June 20, 2021 22,172 23–10 AP poll Central Time Sourcehttps://cdn.streamlinehosting.net/valpoathletics/446FBD8E-BDDE-43F7-BB3F-512333EA913D/MBBAllTimeResults_050821.pdf Men's Basketball All-Time Results Valparaiso University Athletics June 20, 2021 February 12, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220212202817/https://cdn.streamlinehosting.net/valpoathletics/446FBD8E-BDDE-43F7-BB3F-512333EA913D/MBBAllTimeResults_050821.pdf dead https://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB1/A/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20I_1998_735_Valparaiso%20University.pdf 1997-1998 Valparaiso Men's Basketball Stats NCAA Career Statistics Rankings 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 1064–1065 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 1998 NBA draft 1998 NBA draft Valparaiso Crusaders Round Pick Player NBA Team 1 16 Bryce Drew Houston Rockets https://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1998.html 1998 NBA Draft Basketball-reference.com June 21, 2021 References Valparaiso Category:Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball seasons Valparaiso Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball Category:Long stubs with short prose