Valparaiso at Detroit

Valparaiso made a splash in its Horizon League debut by going to Wright State and beating a solid  team on the road. The Crusaders bring a lot of firepower on the road, as all five starters return from a year ago, including the top seven scorers. This is a team that finished last year trailing only Butler, Wright State and Loyola in the final RPI rankings. The Crusaders had an eight game losing streak early on, but finished 13-6, and is a team on the rise. They are currently 7-1, so this starting five has now gone 20-7 over its last 27 games. The Titans took a severe blow when Brandon Cotton left the team and took his 18 ppg with him, leaving this team with minimal offensive resources. Valpo has shot better than 40% from beyond the arc, and is holding opponents to 38% FG shooting. Too much experience, and firepower for a lacking Detroit team, that is coming off a highly emotional game vs league best Butler.