SportsLine.com Report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Crusaders shut down by Spartans

A 16th seed has never beaten a No. 1 in the tournament, and any thoughts the Crusaders had of making history evaporated shortly after pregame warmups.

Applying the defensive clamps from the start, the Spartans got 15 points and eight assists from Mateen Cleaves and rolled into the second round Thursday night with a 65-38 victory over No. 16 seed Valparaiso in Cleveland.

Michigan State takes great pride in an in-your-face, man-to-man defense. It's a tradition passed down through the years by the Spartans, and in the first half Valparaiso got a full dose of the 2000 edition.

The Spartans hardly gave Valparaiso room to dribble, let alone shoot, and after Milo Stovall made a 3-pointer with 17:18 left in the first half, the Crusaders missed 12 consecutive shots as they went 10:35 without scoring and Michigan State opened a 20-3 lead.

Lubos Barton finally ended the drought with a 3-pointer from the wing with 6:43 left in the half, giving Valparaiso fans a rare chance to cheer. But before they could get too giddy, Cleaves drilled a 3-pointer and then fed Jason Richardson for a spectacular alley-oop dunk as the Spartans opened a 25-8 lead.

The closest Valpo got in the second half was 15 points, at 42-27, as the Crusaders finished the season with a 19-13 record.

Barton led Valpo with 13 points.

How They Got There

Valparaiso received an automatic bid by virtue of winning the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, earning its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Crusaders won 10 of their last 11 regular-season games to grab the top seed in the seven-team conference tournament, which was significant because they only had to win two games in two nights, not three like every other team.

Valpo dismissed Oral Roberts 71-56 in the semifinals and defeated Southern Utah 71-62 in the final. Sophomore Lubos Barton, who scored a game-high 23 points in the title game, was named tournament MVP.

Starting Lineup

• PG Jared Nuness (5-10, 155, So.): Nuness began the season still trying to work his way back from a broken ankle that sidelined him for the majority of last season. Not called upon to do a lot of scoring -- but not because he can't -- his main job is to move the ball around. Nuness is a 43 percent 3-point shooter who will knock down the open jumper if he gets it. He was key reserve on the 1998 Sweet 16 team, and knows how to operate in clutch time.
• SG Dwayne Toatley (6-2, 190, Jr.): Toatley's insertion into the starting lineup 13 games ago made a huge difference. He's a walk-on who is always scrambling after a loose ball or rebound, and his high-energy play and athleticism make him capable of locking up most other point guards or off-guards. He scored a career-high 14 against Southern Utah in the Mid-Con final, earning all-tournament honors.
• C Raitis Grafs (6-10, 215, Fr.): Another one of Valpo's foreign discoveries, Grafs is one of the rising stars of the Mid-Con and a player capable of making a splash on the national level. The Latvian has all the tools you look for in a big man, except one: He sometimes plays soft. When he's got his mean streak going, he's a load. An outstanding leaper and shot-blocker, Grafs also has a nice shooting touch, an excellent turnaround jumper and is a good inside-out passer.
• SF Lubos Barton (6-8, 223, So.): The Mid-Con preseason player of the year had a subpar season by most standards, but was at his best in the conference tournament, putting up consecutive season-highs of 18 and 23 points en route to MVP honors. Barton has struggled with fatigue (he played more than 30 games in Europe over the summer) and an ankle injury, but is finally healthy and rested. A deadly shooter who is just regaining his touch, Barton also has developed into an excellent rebounder, especially on the offensive glass.
• PF Jason Jenkins (6-8, 240, Jr.): Don't let the size fool you. Jenkins is an outstanding ball-handler with excellent vision, and has spent some time playing point guard this season. A streaky shooter who will kill you if you let him, he is the glue of the team.

Keys to Success

Coach Homer Drew calls this his best defensive team ever, and the numbers back him up.

The Crusaders are allowing just 62.6 points per game, and that stat is slightly better during their 12-1 streak: 59.9. Helped by a tall front line, Valpo is also out-rebounding opponents by more than five per game.

The Crusaders need that tough brand of defense to offset their main problem -- turnovers (16.8 per game).

The Coach

For the longest time, Homer Drew was known simply as one of the nicest coaches in America. He tweaked his reputation slightly in the past half-decade, and people are starting to realize there's a keen coaching mind behind the smile. As evidenced by the Crusaders' fifth consecutive NCAA appearance -- highlighted by a run to the Sweet 16 in 1998 -- Drew has built one of the premier mid-major programs in the nation.

The bench

Drew can turn to quality when he goes to the bench, able to bring in two members of last season's Mid-Con all-newcomer team -- center Ivan Vujic and guard Milo Stovall. Both were starters at the beginning of the season but took a seat on the pine during the team's struggles. They still receive lots of minutes and are second and third, respectively, on the team in scoring.

Senior guard Tarrance Price is instant offense; senior forward Aaron Thomason is used for frontcourt support.

Offense

The Crusaders run most of their sets through their forwards, Jenkins and Barton, trying to get them touches so they can create for themselves or get it inside to Grafs and Vujic. From there, the ball will either get kicked out to an open guard or the offense will be re-set and thrown back inside once again. The Crusaders don't run much and average just 67 points per game. ... The Crusaders don't have one go-to guy; they have five players averaging between 7.5 and 11.6 points per game. ... Valpo shoots just 65 percent from the line.

Defense

Valpo will mix it up, depending on the opponent and game situations. The Crusaders primarily play man-to-man but also throw a wicked 2-3 zone at opponents from time to time. Their guards have shown the ability to shut down most other backcourt players and Grafs provides a nice last line of defense with his shot-blocking ability. ... The Crusaders allow just 62 points per game and are holding opponents to 41 percent shooting.