Valparaiso returns home after long road trip

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Updated: March 3, 2012 11:42AM

Detroit (12-11, 6-5)
at Valparaiso (15-8, 8-3)

When: 6:30 p.m. today

Radio: 1230-AM, 1500-AM, 95.9-FM

Skinny: After going 6-2 through a travel-heavy January, Valparaiso finally returns home after two straight weeks on the road. The Crusaders are coming off their biggest win of the season, a come-from-behind 55-52 dogfight at Milwaukee that moved them to within a half-game of first-place Cleveland State (18-4, 8-2).

VU will visit Cleveland State next Thursday in a game that could have conference championship implications. But before that game can matter, VU needs to avoid a letdown this week against middling Detroit and Wright State. The Crusaders struggled on the road against both — needing a buzzer-beating coast-to-coast layup by Erik Buggs to win in Detroit, and falling apart in the second half of a 73-55 loss at Wright State.

Tonight’s opponent, Detroit, is doing its best to salvage its season after a poor start. The Titans — with three preseason first-team all-league picks — lost four of their first five Horizon League games, but have won three straight and five of six since, including a home win against Butler and a win at Green Bay. Preseason player of the year Ray McCallum Jr. has taken over the league scoring lead from VU’s Kevin Van Wijk, and Detroit (72.8 ppg) has taken over the league team scoring lead from VU (71.3 ppg). These also are the two worst scoring defenses in the league, so don’t expect another 55-52 affair. McCallum averages 15.6 points and 3.8 assists.

— Mark Lazerus