1997–98 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball
Mid-Con Regular season champions
Mid-Con tournament champions
ConferenceMid-Continent Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 23
Record23–10 (13–3 Mid-Con)
Head coach
Home arenaAthletics–Recreation Center
1997–98 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Valparaiso133 .8132310  .697
Oral Roberts124 .7501912  .613
Youngstown State115 .688209  .690
Western Illinois115 .6881611  .593
Buffalo97 .5631513  .536
Missouri-Kansas City79 .438918  .333
Southern Utah412 .250720  .259
Northeastern Illinois313 .188619  .240
Chicago State214 .125225  .074
1998 Mid-Con Tournament winner
Rankings from [1]

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 history[2] 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

1997–98 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G Jamie Sykes 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)
Sr 
G 24 Bryce Drew 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrValparaiso Valparaiso, Indiana
C 33 Zoran Viskovic 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Jr  Croatia
F 44 Bill Jenkins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Sr 
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    Nov 15, 1997
    Bethel (TN) L 75–85  0–1
    Athletics-Recreation Center (3,011)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Nov 17, 1997*
    No. 8 Purdue L 56–73  0–2
    Athletics-Recreation Center (5,412)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Nov 28, 1997*
    vs. Montana
    Big Island Invitational
    W 70–58  1–2
    Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (NA)
    Hilo, Hawaii
    Nov 29, 1997*
    vs. No. 15 Stanford
    Big Island Invitational
    L 65–70  1–3
    Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (NA)
    Hilo, Hawaii
    Nov 30, 1997*
    vs. Pacific
    Big Island Invitational
    W 75–73  2–3
    Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium (NA)
    Hilo, Hawaii
    Dec 6, 1997
    Elmhurst W 85–70  3–3
    Athletics-Recreation Center (3,481)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Dec 9, 1997*
    at Wisconsin–Green Bay L 52–60  3–4
    Brown County Arena (3,096)
    Green Bay, Wisconsin
    Dec 13, 1997*
    at UIC L 51–72  3–5
    UIC Pavilion (3,466)
    Chicago, Illinois
    Dec 20, 1997
    at Missouri-Kansas City W 80–68  4–5
    (1–0)
    Municipal Auditorium (1,823)
    Kansas City, Missouri
    Dec 22, 1997
    at Belmont W 78–62  5–5
    Striplin Gymnasium (230)
    Nashville, Tennessee
    Dec 31, 1997
    at Western Illinois L 62–63  5–6
    (1–1)
    Western Hall (3,144)
    Macomb, Illinois
    Jan 3, 1998
    Chicago State W 82–62  6–6
    (2–1)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (2,214)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Jan 5, 1998
    Northeastern Illinois W 72–69  7–6
    (3–1)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (3,102)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Jan 8, 1998
    at Southern Utah W 79–70  8–6
    (4–1)
    America First Event Center (3,081)
    Cedar City, Utah
    Jan 10, 1998
    at Oral Roberts L 60–68  8–7
    (4–2)
    Mabee Center (6,910)
    Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Jan 17, 1998
    Buffalo W 82–80  9–7
    (5–2)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (3,012)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Jan 21, 1998*
    Northern Illinois W 87–73  10–7
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,339)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Jan 24, 1998
    Youngstown State L 66–69  10–8
    (5–3)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,413)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Jan 26, 1998*
    at Saint Louis L 66–77  10–9
    Scottrade Center (15,977)
    St. Louis, Missouri
    Jan 29, 1998
    at Northeastern Illinois W 88–82  11–9
    (6–3)
    Physical Education Complex (550)
    Chicago, Illinois
    Jan 31, 1998
    at Chicago State W 102–74  12–9
    (7–3)
    Dickens Athletic Center (403)
    Chicago, Illinois
    Feb 5, 1998
    Oral Roberts W 90–68  13–9
    (8–3)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,341)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Feb 7, 1998
    Southern Utah W 66–56  14–9
    (9–3)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,453)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Feb 11, 1998
    at Buffalo W 73–64  15–9
    (10–3)
    Alumni Arena (3,366)
    Buffalo, New York
    Feb 14, 1998
    Belmont W 95–61  16–9
    Athletics-Recreation Center (3,876)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Feb 19, 1998
    at Youngstown State W 70–68  17–9
    (11–3)
    Beeghly Center (5,568)
    Youngstown, Ohio
    Feb 23, 1998
    Missouri-Kansas City W 75–65  18–9
    (12–3)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,019)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Feb 25, 1998
    Western Illinois W 66–56  19–9
    (13–3)
    Athletics-Recreation Center (4,524)
    Valparaiso, Indiana
    Mid-Con tournament
    Mar 2, 1998*
    (1) vs. (5) Buffalo
    Semifinals
    W 84–73  20–9
    The MARK of the Quad Cities (NA)
    Moline, Illinois
    Mar 3, 1998*
    (1) vs. (3) Youngstown State
    Championship Game
    W 67–48[3]  21–9
    The MARK of the Quad Cities (NA)
    Moline, Illinois
    NCAA tournament
    Mar 13, 1998*
    (13 MW) vs. (4 MW) No. 13 Ole Miss
    First round
    W 70–69[4]  22–9
    Myriad Convention Center (13,349)
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    Mar 15, 1998*
    (13 MW) vs. (5 MW) Florida State
    Second Round
    W 83–77 OT[5] 23–9
    Myriad Convention Center (13,369)
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
    Mar 20, 1998*
    (13 MW) vs. (8 MW) Rhode Island
    Midwest Regional semifinal Sweet Sixteen
    L 68–74[6]  23–10
    Scottrade Center (22,172)
    St. Louis, Missouri
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    Source[7][8]

    Rankings

    [9]

    1998 NBA draft

    Round Pick Player NBA Team
    116Bryce DrewHouston Rockets

    [10]

    References

    1. sports-reference.com 1997-98 Mid-Continent Conference Season Summary
    2. "1997-1998 Men's Basketball Team to be Inducted into Valpo's Hall of Fame on February 28". Valparaiso University Athletics. February 23, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
    3. "Colleges: Men's Basketball: Mid-Continent". The Washington Post. March 4, 1998. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
    4. "Valparaiso's 'Miracle Shot' Stuns Ole Miss". The Washington Post. March 14, 1998. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
    5. "Truly, This Is Madness: Valparaiso Writing Its Own Fairy Tail". Spokesman-Review. March 16, 1998. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
    6. "URI, Stanford in Final Eight". The Washington Post. March 21, 1998. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
    7. "Men's Basketball All-Time Results" (PDF). Valparaiso University Athletics. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
    8. "1997-1998 Valparaiso Men's Basketball Stats" (PDF). NCAA Career Statistics.
    9. ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1064–1065. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
    10. "1998 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
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