After a home win in the second round of the NIT, a player was asked about advancing to the quarterfinals.
"It feels great," he said. "We felt like we should've gotten into the (NCAA) Tournament, so this is just trying to prove we deserve to be there. We just have to keep playing as hard as we can and see what we can do."
Sound familiar?
It wasn't a Valparaiso player after the Crusaders beat Florida State on Thursday at the Athletics-Recreation Center. It was Saint Mary's freshman center Evan Fitzner after the Gaels beat Georgia on Sunday night at McKeon Pavilion.
Top-seeded Valparaiso and second-seeded Saint Mary's, mid-major regular-season champions among the biggest NCAA Tournament omissions, meet in an NIT quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the ARC. With a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line, the game will be televised by ESPN.
The Crusaders (28-6), who need one win to set a program record, lost in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals to Green Bay. The Gaels (29-5), who set a program record for wins, lost in the West Coast Conference final to Gonzaga.
"Both teams are focused on trying to advance," Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew said. "It's an exciting game. It's an excellent team coming in, and there's a lot at stake."
Valparaiso and Saint Mary's ended the regular season ranked No. 1 and 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 coaches poll.
Crusaders junior forward Alec Peters pointed out the differences.
"They're really good on offense and we really pride ourselves on our defense, so it's a perfect matchup between two contrasting styles," Peters said.
The Gaels are efficient and patient. They lead the country in shooting percentage (50.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75). With the nation's third-longest possession average, they also allow 60.9 points, fifth in the country.
The Crusaders are third nationally in field-goal percentage defense (38.4) and ninth in points allowed (62.7).
Valparaiso center Vashil Fernandez, one of four seniors, was looking forward to the challenge in his final home game. This is the seventh time he's faced that prospect.
"I don't have any rabbits in the hat," Fernandez said. "It's a great community, great fans, great student section. It's going to be a bittersweet moment."
The Crusaders are expecting to be at full strength, including Tevonn Walker. The sophomore guard missed two games with a right ankle injury and was limited against Florida State.
With a quick turnaround, the Gaels were scheduled to practice Monday night at the ARC. They have no seniors and had no returning starters from last season, although they have used the same lineup every game this season.
Four starters average in double figures. Two are from Australia, with six players hailing from that country.
The Gaels' resume includes a loss at California ? their only nonconference road game ? and a win against Stanford.
The Valparaiso-Saint Mary's winner plays second-seeded BYU (25-10) or fourth-seeded Creighton (20-14) at 6 or 8 p.m. on March 29.
"You're going to play a team a lot like you, that's a really good mid-major team," coach Randy Bennett said after the Gaels beat Georgia. "You're going to play them there, and it's probably like playing at Gonzaga.
"I know that program has great tradition. It doesn't get much better than this. You're going to play in a high-level game, high stakes, against a really good team in a really tough environment."
Notes: With a win, Valparaiso would set a home record at 17-1. The 2012-13 team went 16-2 at the ARC. ... The Crusaders have never won three games in a postseason, with the 1998 team winning two.
--posttrib
"It feels great," he said. "We felt like we should've gotten into the (NCAA) Tournament, so this is just trying to prove we deserve to be there. We just have to keep playing as hard as we can and see what we can do."
Sound familiar?
It wasn't a Valparaiso player after the Crusaders beat Florida State on Thursday at the Athletics-Recreation Center. It was Saint Mary's freshman center Evan Fitzner after the Gaels beat Georgia on Sunday night at McKeon Pavilion.
Top-seeded Valparaiso and second-seeded Saint Mary's, mid-major regular-season champions among the biggest NCAA Tournament omissions, meet in an NIT quarterfinal at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the ARC. With a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line, the game will be televised by ESPN.
The Crusaders (28-6), who need one win to set a program record, lost in the Horizon League Tournament semifinals to Green Bay. The Gaels (29-5), who set a program record for wins, lost in the West Coast Conference final to Gonzaga.
"Both teams are focused on trying to advance," Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew said. "It's an exciting game. It's an excellent team coming in, and there's a lot at stake."
Valparaiso and Saint Mary's ended the regular season ranked No. 1 and 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 coaches poll.
Crusaders junior forward Alec Peters pointed out the differences.
"They're really good on offense and we really pride ourselves on our defense, so it's a perfect matchup between two contrasting styles," Peters said.
The Gaels are efficient and patient. They lead the country in shooting percentage (50.9) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.75). With the nation's third-longest possession average, they also allow 60.9 points, fifth in the country.
The Crusaders are third nationally in field-goal percentage defense (38.4) and ninth in points allowed (62.7).
Valparaiso center Vashil Fernandez, one of four seniors, was looking forward to the challenge in his final home game. This is the seventh time he's faced that prospect.
"I don't have any rabbits in the hat," Fernandez said. "It's a great community, great fans, great student section. It's going to be a bittersweet moment."
The Crusaders are expecting to be at full strength, including Tevonn Walker. The sophomore guard missed two games with a right ankle injury and was limited against Florida State.
With a quick turnaround, the Gaels were scheduled to practice Monday night at the ARC. They have no seniors and had no returning starters from last season, although they have used the same lineup every game this season.
Four starters average in double figures. Two are from Australia, with six players hailing from that country.
The Gaels' resume includes a loss at California ? their only nonconference road game ? and a win against Stanford.
The Valparaiso-Saint Mary's winner plays second-seeded BYU (25-10) or fourth-seeded Creighton (20-14) at 6 or 8 p.m. on March 29.
"You're going to play a team a lot like you, that's a really good mid-major team," coach Randy Bennett said after the Gaels beat Georgia. "You're going to play them there, and it's probably like playing at Gonzaga.
"I know that program has great tradition. It doesn't get much better than this. You're going to play in a high-level game, high stakes, against a really good team in a really tough environment."
Notes: With a win, Valparaiso would set a home record at 17-1. The 2012-13 team went 16-2 at the ARC. ... The Crusaders have never won three games in a postseason, with the 1998 team winning two.
--posttrib
