Assistant coach Luke Gore | 2016–17 record 24–7 (14–4 Horizon) Assistant coach David Ragland | |
Head coach Matt Lottich (1st year) | ||
The 2016–17 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team represents Valparaiso University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crusaders, led by first-year head coach Matt Lottich, play their home games at the Athletics–Recreation Center and are members of the Horizon League.
They finished the regular season 24–7, 14–4 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for first place. Due to tiebreakers, they received the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League Tournament.
Previous season
The Crusaders finished the 2015–16 season 30–7, 16–2 in Horizon League play to win the regular season championship. They lost in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament to Green Bay. As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, the Crusaders received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament. As one of the last four teams left out of the NCAA Tournament, they received a No. 1 seed in the NIT where they defeated Texas Southern, Florida State, Saint Mary's, and BYU to advance to the championship game where they lost to George Washington.
This season was Bryce Drew's final season as Valparaiso head coach. He accepted the Vanderbilt head coaching job on April 5, 2016. He finished at Valpo with a five-year record of 124–49 and went to the postseason every year as head coach. On April 7, the school promoted assistant coach Matt Lottich to head coach.