VALPARAISO | An awful, embarrassing effort against IPFW in the eighth game last season caused Valparaiso coach Homer Drew to play the old early-morning practice card.

Drew had to pull it out of his bag of coaching tricks already this season.

Following an 88-83 exhibition loss to Division II University of Indianapolis on Nov. 1, Drew -- not exactly an early-riser himself -- scheduled 6 a.m. practices three days last week.

That came in addition to separate individual workouts and a 90-minute afternoon team session. So a team with seven newcomers was welcomed to Division I basketball with three-a-day workouts.

"I thought the practices were superb," Drew said. "They were always on time, always energetic and always worked hard.

"As a result, we really got better than what we showed. (Against Indianapolis) we did not have a sense of urgency on every possession, and we hope the 6 a.m.'s reminded them of the urgency they need to play with."

Valpo's improvement may not be evident early in the season. The measurement may only come in small increments noticeable by the coaching staff, because the Crusaders again have a meat-grinder of a schedule.

After opening the season Friday at Ball State, the Crusaders play at North Carolina on Sunday. Michigan State, Butler and Purdue also are among VU's first nine opponents.

Drew fully expects his team to improve on last season's disappointing 9-22 campaign, but doesn't venture to make a prediction.

"In the next month, we'll find out exactly how far we are," Drew said. "We haven't talked about our goals or a number of wins or anything like that. We're going to grow, and we need to grow quickly."

Fifth-year senior guard Brandon McPherson returns to the lineup after redshirting last season following microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Drew will rely on McPherson as well as returning starters Michael Rogers (9.9 points per game) and Howard Little (9.6 ppg) to provide experience. Iowa State transfer Cory Johnson also will start, along with Southern Illinois transfer Brandon Wood. Sophomore Erik Buggs also returns.

A talented freshman class is highlighted by Indiana All-Star Matt Kenney of Mooresville and 6-foot-6 Ryan Broekhoff, a shooter in the mold of ex-VU star David Redmon. Another transfer, 6-7 bruiser Milos Milosevic, will provide much-needed muscle inside.

But that was a glaring weakness in the exhibition loss. Indianapolis' two 6-7 inside players combined for 38 points.

If Indianapolis worked the inside so easily, what will happen against North Carolina, Michigan State, Butler and Purdue?

"It's a huge concern," Drew said. "The one thing is each day, we've gotten better. We're working a lot on getting more physical around the basket.

"(The loss) was a real good education for the coaches and the players. We have to get better. We open up with two of the top-five teams in the nation. It's exciting, but our guys are getting better."

MEN'S BASKETBALL | VALPARAISO PREVIEW

Crusaders' Schedule

November

13 at Ball State 6 p.m.

15 at North Carolina 3 p.m.

19 vs. IU-South Bend 7:05 p.m.

22 at Michigan State 11 a.m.

27 at Georgia Southern 6:30 p.m.

28 vs. Troy 2 p.m.

29 vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith Noon

December

5 at Butler 1 p.m.

9 at Purdue 6 p.m.

12 vs. Toledo 2 p.m.

19 vs. Concordia (Wis.) 7:05 p.m.

22 at IPFW 6 p.m.

27 at Akron 1 p.m.

31 vs. Milwaukee 7:05 p.m.

January

2 vs. Green Bay 7:05 p.m.

8 at Detroit 6 p.m.

10 at Wright State 3 p.m.

14 vs. Youngstown State 7:05 p.m.

16 vs. Cleveland State 1 p.m.

21 at UIC 7:05 p.m.

23 at Loyola 3 p.m.

29 at Milwaukee 7 p.m.

31 at Green Bay 1 p.m.

February

4 vs. Wright State 7:05 p.m.

6 vs. Detroit 1 p.m.

8 vs. UIC 7:05 p.m.

11 at Cleveland State 6 p.m.

13 at Youngstown State 6:05 p.m.

17 vs. Loyola 7:05 p.m.

20 at TBA (ESPNU Bracketbuster) TBA

26 vs. Butler 8 p.m.

March

2, 5, 6, 9 Horizon League Championships

Crusaders' Roster

No. Name Ht. Pos. Yr. Hometown

1 Michael Rogers 6-6 G Jr. Kingston, Jamaica

3 Hrvoje Vucic 7-1 C Fr. Split, Croatia

4 Cory Johnson 6-7 F Jr. Duluth, Minn.

5 Cameron Witt 6-9 F So. Launceston, Tasmania

10 Brandon McPherson 6-1 G Sr. Indianapolis

11 Nick Shelton 5-11 G So. Frankenmuth, Mich.

14 Howard Little 6-3 G Jr. Chicago

15 Erik Buggs 5-10 G So. Memphis, Tenn.

20 Tommy Kurth 6-1 G Fr. Osceola

23 Matt Kenney 6-3 G Fr. Mooresville

32 Brandon Wood 6-2 G So. Kokomo

33 Chris Halvorsen 6-8 F Fr. St. Paul, Minn.

42 Milos Milosevic 6-7 F So. Bar, Montenegro

45 Ryan Broekhoff 6-6 F Fr. Frankston, Australia