| Valparaiso Beacons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
 | ||||
| University | Valparaiso University | |||
| Head coach | Roger Powell Jr. (2nd season) | |||
| Conference | Missouri Valley | |||
| Location | Valparaiso, Indiana | |||
| Arena | Athletics-Recreation Center (capacity: 5,432) | |||
| Nickname | Beacons | |||
| Colors | Brown and gold[1] | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
| 1962*, 1967* | ||||
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1962*, 1966*, 1967*, 1969*, 1973*, 1998 | ||||
| NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
| 1998 | ||||
| NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
| 1962*, 1966*, 1967*, 1969*, 1973*, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2013, 2015 *at Division II level | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| Mid-Continent Conference 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 Horizon League 2013, 2015 | ||||
| Conference regular season champions | ||||
| Mid-Continent Conference 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 Horizon League 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 | ||||
| Sport | Men's basketball |
|---|---|
| Teams |
|
| First meeting | 1934–35 Butler 41, Valparaiso 25 |
| Latest meeting | March 3, 2012 Valparaiso 65, Butler 46 |
| Trophy | none |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 103 |
| All-time series | Butler leads, 67–36 |
| Largest victory | Valparaiso, 85–49 (1945–46) |
| Longest win streak | Butler, 15 (1957–1964) |
| Current win streak | Valparaiso: 4 wins (2011–12) |
The Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The basketball team competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, having joined that league in 2017 after 10 seasons in the Horizon League.[2][3] The Beacons play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016, in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2015.
Its sports teams formerly were named the Crusaders, but the university dropped that name and associated mascot and logos in 2021, because of the "negative connotation and violence associated with the Crusader imagery", and because of its use by certain hate groups.[4] On August 10, 2021, the school announced that its sports teams would be known as Beacons.[5]
- ^ "Valpo University Color Palettes". July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Wessler, Kirk. "Valparaiso accepts invite to join the Missouri Valley". Journal Star. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ Technologies, Streamline. "Valparaiso University to Join Missouri Valley Conference". ValpoAthletics.com. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
- ^ "VALPARAISO UNIVERSITY TO RETIRE CRUSADERS MASCOT". Valpo.edu (Press release). February 11, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Jaipuriar, Rashika. "After retiring Crusaders, Valpo announces new mascot". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2021-08-11.