VALPARAISO | It's a tough week to be a member of the Valparaiso men's basketball program.
On the court, the Crusaders have lost six of their last seven games. Off the court, freshman Logan Jones is currently serving an indefinite suspension because of his arrest early Sunday morning for underage consumption.
To top it all off, the coaching staff is currently trying to devise a plan for when they meet No. 1 North Carolina at the United Center on Saturday. The Tar Heels (9-0) average 97.3 points every time they step on the floor and are defeating opponents by an average of 28.8 points per game.
"It truly is that David vs. Goliath matchup," Valparaiso coach Homer Drew said. "People talk about if you play a team 10 times, maybe you'll beat them once. I'm not sure if it isn't more like a hundred times with North Carolina."
For the fifth straight year, the Crusaders (3-6) are playing the No. 1-ranked team. The program's media guide has an entire page dedicated to what have essentially been four blowout losses.
"It's a thrill for the players, that they'll be able to watch these guys in the NBA and remember when they played against them," Drew said. "I just wish they weren't so dominant."
Scheduling against a team like North Carolina is the ultimate Catch-22 for a mid-major program. It provides a great chance for a lasting memory on a large stage, in this case, the United Center. At the same time, success is generally measured in other ways than the final score.
"Right now we need to gauge success on hard work," Crusader senior Jake Diebler said. "There is an opportunity in this game to see improvements.
"We need to get better at taking care of the ball, better at rebounding, and we can do those things within the game."
In the four most recent games against No.1 teams, the Crusaders have struggled. Last year Valparaiso lost to the Tar Heels 90-58. In 2006, the Crusaders played their closest game against a top-ranked team when they fell to Ohio State 78-58 in Greg Oden's collegiate debut. Games against Illinois (93-56) in 2004 and Duke (104-77) were laughers from the start.
Those outcomes haven't stopped Drew from scheduling the games and it hasn't stopped the players from wanting to play in them.
"One of the things I like about coach Drew is that every year he schedules the best team," Diebler said. "It's just that the task this year is the biggest we've had to face in one of these games."
