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This Monday, the (0-0) Valparaiso Beacons will travel to Toledo, OH to take on the (0-0) Toledo Rockets. Tipoff will be at 7:00 PM EST inside Savage Arena. This will be the first game of the season for both of these teams, as they will both be looking to jump out to a fast start.
The Valpo Beacons are coming into this one after going (14-8) last season. They also went (6-12) in conference play, and they will be looking to be better this season. They will have to lock up on the defensive end of the court if they want to slow the Rockets down in this game!
The Toledo Rockets are entering this season after going (26-8) and (17-3) in conference play. They were deadly on the offensive end of the court, as they will have to efficiently score if they want to pick up their first win of the year!
This game was written/published before last night's events.
The Valparaiso Beacons are coming into this season after going (14-8) last season and (6-12) in conference play. They are led by Wisconsin transfer Kobe King and Ben Krikke. These two can run a serious two-man game on the offensive end of the court. According to KenPom, the Beacons had an adjusted offensive rating of 96.4, which was the 221st highest in the country. They also scored 70.8 points per game and shot 46% from the field. This was the 181st most points scored per game and the 75th-highest team shooting percentage last season. The Beacons also shot 33% from behind the arc, as they showed that they can score from anywhere on the floor. Valpo also averaged 12.5 assists per game, as they continued to run the pick-and-roll and efficiently look for open shots. This was the 205th most assists per game.
On the defensive end of the court, the Beacons also struggled. According to KenPom, they had an adjusted defensive rating of 100.8, which was the 206th highest in the nation. They surrendered 70.5 points per game and allowed their opponents to shoot 46% from the floor. This was the 218th most points allowed per game and the 300th-highest shooting percentage allowed, as they will have to consistently contest shots from the perimeter and near the rim. The Beacons snatched 32.3 rebounds per game last season, as they will have to secure the ball if they want to keep the Rockets from scoring second-chance points. They also averaged three blocks per game and 6.4 steals. This is the 202nd most blocks per game and the 197th most steals.