NCAA Tournament March Madness
#251 Valparaiso
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Projection: need to automatically qualify
Valparaiso looks like a team that needs to win its conference tournament because its résumé is built mostly on wins over weak nonconference opponents and a notable road victory at Cleveland State while a brutal trip to Kentucky severely damages any at-large case. The schedule still offers chances to change that perception with tough road tests at Marquette and Northwestern and marquee league trips to Northern Iowa, Belmont and Murray State that would serve as resume-making results, yet most of the remaining winnable games are at home against soft conference opponents like Evansville and Illinois Chicago so momentum into the league tournament matters more than ever. The committee will value road and neutral-site quality wins and those are scarce on this profile, leaving automatic qualification as the realistic path.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/4 | E Illinois | 330 | W66-63 |
| 11/7 | @Kentucky | 12 | L107-59 |
| 11/12 | Nicholls St | 265 | W68-63 |
| 11/16 | Bryant | 322 | W68-50 |
| 11/19 | @Cleveland St | 299 | W90-75 |
| 11/26 | Southern Indiana | 301 | L64-56 |
| 11/29 | W Michigan | 236 | 59% |
| 12/2 | @Marquette | 78 | 8% |
| 12/13 | UNC Wilmington | 114 | 31% |
| 12/16 | @Northwestern | 47 | 4% |
| 12/21 | Murray St | 119 | 32% |
| 12/29 | @Northern Iowa | 93 | 10% |
| 1/1 | @S Illinois | 133 | 18% |
| 1/4 | IL Chicago | 166 | 47% |
| 1/7 | Illinois St | 120 | 32% |
| 1/10 | @Murray St | 119 | 15% |
| 1/13 | @Belmont | 90 | 10% |
| 1/17 | Northern Iowa | 93 | 23% |
| 1/21 | S Illinois | 133 | 36% |
| 1/28 | Belmont | 90 | 23% |
| 1/31 | @Indiana St | 167 | 26% |
| 2/3 | @Bradley | 122 | 16% |
| 2/6 | Evansville | 305 | 71% |
| 2/9 | @Drake | 141 | 20% |
| 2/12 | @Illinois St | 120 | 15% |
| 2/15 | Indiana St | 167 | 47% |
| 2/18 | Bradley | 122 | 33% |
| 2/21 | @IL Chicago | 166 | 26% |
| 2/25 | Drake | 141 | 39% |
| 2/28 | @Evansville | 305 | 49% |