Valparaiso, CSU square off with first place on the line

• Reprints

Valparaiso University's Kevin Van Wijk tries to get the shot off from deep under the basket in the second half of action. IUPUI hosted Valparaiso University in Horizon League action Friday afternoon, December 23, 2011, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. IUPUI defeated Valopraiso 97-88. | Doug McSchooler~for the Post-Tribune

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:40AM

All season long, Bryce Drew and his Crusaders have stuck to the talking points. No matter the time of year, no matter the opponent, no matter the situation, they’ve always said the same thing — the next game is the most important game of the year.

Only this time, they really mean it.

Valparaiso visits Cleveland State tonight in a game that will determine first place in the Horizon League — and which team has the inside track to the top seed and home-court advantage in the Horizon League Tournament.

Cleveland State is 10-2 in league play. VU is 10-3. No other team has fewer than five league losses. And the Crusaders already beat the Vikings at the ARC, so a win tonight would give VU the tiebreak advantage, too.

“We mean it every time, I think,” Ryan Broekhoff said of the team’s season-long mantra. “But this one has quite a lot of significance coming toward the end of the year. They’re just ahead of us in first place, and that’s where we want to be. Being first or second (and getting the double-bye into the semifinals) is very important come tournament time, but if you can get the tournament at your home, it sets things up the way you want it.”

It won’t be easy, though. There’s a reason hosting the tournament is so important — Valparaiso has won the last three meetings at the ARC, and Cleveland State has won all four meetings at the Wolstein Center since VU joined the Horizon League.

Cleveland State has lost just one home game this season, to Youngstown State. The reason CSU is so tough to beat at home? Pretty simple, really.

“They’re a really good team,” Drew said.

And they’re playing really well. The Vikings (20-4, 10-2) have won five straight, all by double-digits. That includes a 26-point throttling of Milwaukee at home, and road wins over Youngstown State, Loyola and UIC.

In each of the past two seasons, VU beat CSU at home, then lost later in the season in Cleveland. The Vikings hope to continue that trend and get a strangehold on the conference race.

“There’s a revenge factor,” said VU center Kevin Van Wijk. “We beat them at home, and people will remember that.”

They’ll also remember that Van Wijk had one of the best games of his career against the Vikings back on Jan. 15. With CSU big man Aaron Pogue in foul trouble early, Van Wijk abused the Vikings for 23 points in 25 minutes.

The Crusaders beat the aggressive Vikings at their own game.

“Our physicality really showed up in that game,” Broekhoff said. “We made sure that we hit first and boxed out the best we could, and tried to do all the little things that end up deciding it in the end.”

The Vikings’ lack of depth hurt them in that one, and it could be a factor again, as all-league guard D’Aundray Brown (11.3 ppg) is dealing with a nagging groin injury. CSU coach Gary Waters said he received an injection earlier this week and that he’s questionable. Waters did say, however, that even though Brown didn’t practice at all this week, that he’ll play if he feels up to it.

The Crusaders certainly expect he will.

“We’re gameplanning like he’ll start and he’ll play,” Drew said. “Besides, (6-8 freshman Anton Grady) has been playing exceptionally well lately (three double-doubles in the last five games). Coach Waters will have them prepared either way.”

VU has its own injury issues to deal with. Broekhoff has a minor ankle sprain, and Van Wijk hurt his wrist in the win over Wright State on Saturday. Both missed some practice time this week, but with this much on the line, both made it quite clear they’ll be in the lineup tonight.

And once it’s over? Win or lose? You guessed it — Youngstown State on Saturday is the most important game of the year.

“Everyone knows if we win tomorrow, we’ll be in first and have the tiebreaker,” Van Wijk said. “But if we win this and lose any others, we’re in the same boat. So it’s big. But every game is important, especially this time of year.”