Game 13- @Belmont

If the Drew family was to win their 1,000th carer game, it would have to come courtesy of Valparaiso and Bryce Drew, with Scott and Baylor falling to Texas A&M by 19 points. With longtime Crusaders coach Homer Drew in attendance, Valpo obliged, rolling over Missouri State 74-45 on Saturday night. Alec Peters again led the way, posting a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Tevonn Walker chipped in 18 in his first game back from injury. Seven players off the bench combined for 19 points, led by Shane Hammink with seven. The Crusaders would shoot 41.4% on threes and would lead by as much as 31 in the second half. Only one Missouri State player would break double digits (Dequon Miller with 12). Camryn Boone tacked on eight points, four rebounds, and one assist, steal, and block. E. Victor Nickerson sat out for Valparaiso with a hairline fracture in his wrist. He is expected to be out for at least a week.


Next Monday, the 28th, the Crusaders will make the trip down to Nashville, TN to take on the Belmont Bruins (7-6, 0-0 OVC), ranked 20th in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Belmont is coming off of a last-second 67-65 defeat at Cleveland St. on Saturday. Both teams have finals this week, which is why there is a nine-day layoff between games for both the Crusaders and the Bruins.
-Valparaiso defeated Belmont 61-57 at the ARC on December 3. In that game, Alec Peters scored 17 and Keith Carter had 14 for Valpo. For Belmont, Craig Bradshaw put up 12 points and Evan Bradds added 11, with eight rebounds.
-The largest home crowd to see Belmont at the Curb Events Center this year was 3253 for a Belmont victory over Western Kentucky. This will be just the fourth home game for the Bruins this season.
-Evan Bradds still leads Belmont with 16.9 ppg and 8.8 rpg. Mack Mercer (11.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) leads the team with eight blocks, and Austin Luke (6.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg) has tallied 84 assists this season.
-Valparaiso leads the all-time series 9-1 after the victory earlier in the season. Belmont's only victory came in Nashville, but back in 2001.
-The game will be televised on the OVC Digital Network and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM).

Game 12- Missouri State

It was a perfect night last time out for Valparaiso, in more ways than one. First off, the Crusaders rolled over Chicago State 71-53, improving to 9-2 on the year. But there were other modes of perfection. Alec Peters would be perfect from downtown, hitting all six of his three-pointers and finishing with 26 points. Peters added seven rebounds, a steal and a block. Darien Walker chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Seven players coming off the Crusader bench combined for 19 points, led by Shane Hammink with seven. Tevonn Walker again didn't play for Valpo with an injury. On the defensive side, Valpo held the Panthers to just 39.6% shooting from the floor. Only one Chicago State player broke double digits, with Kieran Woods scoring 14 off the bench. Trayvon Palmer added eight points and 10 boards. The battle of brothers would be won by Valpo's Jubril Adekoya (6 points, 6 rebounds) over his brother Jawed (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist).

Today, the Crusaders will welcome the Missouri State Bears (4-6, 0-0 MVC) into the ARC. The Bears are coming off of a 85-66 victory over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night, while Valpo hasn't played in over a week (because of finals). Missouri State did defeat Oklahoma State 64-63 in Stillwater, but went 0-3 at the Puerto Rico Tipoff and lost in the MW/MVC Challenge.
-This will be just the third true road game for the Bears this season.
-Missouri St. is led by Camryn Boone (14.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Obediah Church (7.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg).
-Center Tyler McCullough (6'11") is the tallest player on the Bears' roster. Guard Dequon Miller stands just 5'10".
-Both Valpo and Missouri St. were founding members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, playing in the league together from 1982-1990,
-The Bears lead the all-time series 14-5. Valpo won the most recent matchup, a 62-54 victory in 2012.
-With a Valpo victory, the Drew family (Homer, Scott, Bryce) would reach 1,000 career victories. The win would be Bryce Drew's 104th.
-Today's game will be televised on ESPN3 and on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM). Todd Ickow, David Huseman, and Brandon Vickrey will have the call on both platforms.
-Valpo is currently ranked third in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
-This will be the final home game of 2015 for the Crusaders, who won't return to the ARC until January 2, 2016 against UIC.

Game 11- @ Chicago State

Once again, it took a classic defensive effort for Valparaiso to pull out a 69-63 road win last night at Indiana State. The Crusaders locked down on defense in the first half, holding the Sycamores to 19% shooting from the floor, and leading by 10 at the break, although the lead had been as high as 12. In the second half, it was offense that Valpo needed, and though ISU would take a lead midway through the half, it was only by one, and Valpo would come back to put away a tough road victory. Free throw shooting down the stretch nearly doomed the Crusaders, but they would hit on all of their attempts in the final minute, finishing 23-32 on the game, for the win. Alec Peters was again the driving force for Valpo, tallying a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while adding two steals. E. Victor Nickerson, again starting in place of the injured Tevonn Walker, picked up 15 points as well, adding seven rebounds, an assist, and two steals, while Darien Walker and David Skara chipped in 12 points apiece. Four Crusaders combined to score 18 points off the bench, led by Skara with 12. For Indiana State, much of their damage was done by just two players. Matt Van Scyoc and Brenton Scott combined for 36 points, putting up 20 and 16, respectively. No other Sycamore scored more than six, although the ISU bench contributed 27 points. Tevonn Walker was again out for Valpo with injury.

Tomorrow night the Crusaders travel across the state line to take on the Chicago State Cougars (3-6, 0-0 WAC). The Cougars have lost five straight games, most recently falling 96-72 at DePaul on Saturday night. Chicago State has yet to beat a Division I team this season. The Cougars are led by junior guard Elliott Cole (14.3 ppg, 3.3 apg) and senior guard Kieran Woods, who leads the WAC with 2.8 steals per game. The Cougars roster also includes senior guard/forward Jawad Adekoya, the brother of Valparaiso forward Jubril Adekoya.
-Chicago State took part in the Emerald Coast Classic earlier this season, finishing 0-4 but losing their last three games by three points or less.
-The game will take place at the Jones Convention Center, which seats 7,000. The largest home crowd Chicago State has seen this season was 510 for a game against Illinois Tech.
-Valparaiso leads the all-time series between the two teams 28-3. The last meeting came as part of the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic in 2012, with Valpo claiming a 67-46 victory.
-The game can be streamed online at the WAC Digital Network. It will be on the radio on WVUR 95.1 FM in Valparaiso, with Todd Ickow and David Huseman on the call.
-This will be Chicago State's first home game since November 21, against Trinity International. They will begin a stretch of five games in 10 days with the game against Valpo, but won't be at home again until December 19.

Game 10- @Indiana State

When the second-largest home crowd of the season enters the ARC, and the only giveaway is a winter hat to the first 500 fans, you just know that the opponent for Valparaiso warrants attending. Thursday night was one of those games. The Belmont Bruins entered town, ranked 9th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, as the first of a home-and-home series between the Bruins and Crusaders. It turned out to be the high-quality game everyone expected, but not the shootout, high scoring, break-the-scoreboard game that has been common for Belmont. Instead, it was a close, tense, defensive affair, just the way that Valpo likes to play. The Crusaders certainly didn't play perfect, hitting just 35.4% from the floor and 6-25 (24%) on threes, but were able to grind out a 61-57 win, coming back from being four down at the under-eight timeout and scraping out the victory. Valpo was, as usual, led by Alec Peters, who put up a quiet 17 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Keith Carter was also strong, with 14 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal on the day. As has become a Bryce Drew custom in close games, the Crusaders only played eight players total, with David Skara, Shane Hammink, and Jubril Adekoya combining for 15 points off the bench. Skara had perhaps the biggest possession of the game with under four minutes to go, rebounding a missed free throw, then a missed runner in the lane, and finally hitting the and-one layup to help keep Valpo on top. The Crusaders defense held Belmont under 70 for the first time on the season, which looks more impressive considering the Bruins had scored 105 just two days before. Belmont was led Craig Bradshaw's 12-5-4-2-1 line, and Evan Bradds added 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. For the Crusaders, Tevonn Walker sat out with injury, joining Derrik Smits in the tracksuits for the day.

Next up for Valpo will be a Wednesday night fixture in Terre Haute against Indiana State. These two teams have met 79 times in their history, with ISU holding a 50-29 all-time advantage. The Crusaders and Sycamores last met in 2004, a meeting won 70-68 in OT by Indiana State. The Sycamores enter 3-4 (0-0 MVC) on the season. The Sycamores most notably beat Wyoming in the MVC-MW Challenge and went 2-1 at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. However, they have since lost their last two games, falling to Eastern Illinois, and then on the road at nationally ranked Butler on Saturday by a 85-71 score. Indiana State is led by guard Devonte Brown (14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and guard/forward Khristian Smith (12.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg). The Sycamores do give up height in the middle, as their tallest player is just 6'9". The tallest player to have started a game for the Sycamores is Brandon Murphy (6'7", 5.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.14 bpg), who has started all seven games. The game will be at the Hulman Center, seating 10,200; the largest crowd to see a game in the arena this season, however, was just 4131. This will be Indiana State's first home game since November 16, a span of 23 days. The game can be streamed on ESPN3 and will be on the radio in Valparaiso on WVUR 95.1 FM. Todd Ickow and Aaron Leavitt will have the radio call, while the live stream will be called by Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh of WTWO in Terre Haute.

Game #9-Belmont

It's been a while since Valpo was beating up on non-D1 teams in the Beaver Showcase. Since cruising over IU Kokomo, the Crusaders have gone 2-2, with victories over Trinity Christian and Oregon State in the Showcase, but also losses to Oregon and Ball State. This four-game run began at home against the Trolls of Trinity Christian, and was a thorough no-contest. The Crusaders would become the first team in the nation to win five games, in emphatic fashion, leading by 21 at the half and cruising to an 89-42 victory. Valpo was led by Darien Walker, who had a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Vashil Fernandez also had a double-double, scoring 11 points to go with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Off the bench, Max Joseph and Lexus Williams each had nine points. Valpo held TCC to just 15 second-half points. The Trolls would be lead by Jordan Perry, who would put up 17 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block, but Caleb Jonkman (10 points) was the only other player who scored in double figures for Trinity Christian. The game was official for Valpo, but was an exhibition for Trinity Christian.  David Skara sat out for Valpo with an injury, while Shane Hammink served the final of a two-game suspension.

The Crusaders then hit what might be their toughest test this regular season, a game at the #25 Oregon Ducks in Eugene. It was an admirable effort from Valpo, but one that would come up just short in the end by a final score of 73-67. The Crusaders had a two-point halftime lead, but would be outscored by eight in the second half to be defeated. Valpo was lead by Tevonn Walker, who tallied 14 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Alec Peters added 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal, and Darien Walker stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, an assist, and three steals. Off the bench, Shane Hammink had 10 points in his first game back from suspension. David Skara still didn't return from an ankle injury suffered against IU Kokomo. For the Ducks, Dillon Brooks would be the star, tallying a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds, adding in a steal as well. Tyler Dorsey added 21 and Elgin Cook had 13 points. The deciding factor in the game would be free throws, as Valpo attempted six, making five, while Oregon shot 17-24 from the stripe to send the Crusaders to their first loss of the season.

Valpo would conclude its West Coast swing with the de facto championship game of the Beaver Showcase against the Oregon State Beavers at Gill Coliseum. Valparaiso would lead nearly start-to-finish, leading by as much as 17 in the second half and never trailing by more than two. The Crusaders pushed to a nine-point halftime edge, and although they nearly allowed a late Oregon State comeback, Valpo hung on for a 63-57 victory. The Crusaders were led by Tevonn Walker and Shane Hammink, who tallied 15 points each. Alec Peters made an impact inside, picking up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding an assist, a steal, and a block. Valpo largely limited Oregon State's offense outside of Gary Payton II, who had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but needed 25 field goal attempts and three free throws to get his points. The next-highest scoring Beaver was Stephen Thompson, Jr., who scored nine off the bench. With the victory, Bryce Drew earned his 100th victory as Valpo head coach, joining his father, Homer, and J.M. Christiansen as the only coaches in school history to hit that mark.

Valparaiso would wrap up the three-game road swing back in Indiana, playing at the Cardinals of Ball State. The Crusaders would see the return of David Skara from a injury he suffered earlier in the season, but were without the services of Tevonn Walker, who was injured earlier in the week. He was replaced in the starting lineup by E. Victor Nickerson, who would contribute 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in return. The effort to come back from a six-point halftime deficit and a Ball State lead that ballooned to 12 in the second half, the largest deficit faced by Valpo this season, was led by Alec Peters. He would score a season-high 28 points to go along with five rebounds and an assist, but it wouldn't be enough to complete the comeback. Keith Carter would miss on a last-second three, and the Cardinals would escape with a 69-66 victory, dropping Valpo to 6-2. Ball State was led by 15 points from Bo Calhoun, and Franko House added 14 and eight boards. The Crusaders would be done in by poor free throw shooting, as they shot just 13-21 for the game.

Tonight, the Crusaders will be hosting the Belmont Bruins (5-3, 0-0 OVC) in the first game of a home-and -home set. Belmont has won three of their last four games, including a 105-89 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday night. The Bruins are ranked 9th in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 and sit 76th in ESPN's RPI. Belmont is led by Evan Bradds (19.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Craig Bradshaw (17 ppg, 48.1 3P%). Valpo leads the all-time series between the two teams 8-1, but the Crusaders and Bruins last met in 2002 at the ARC, an 83-65 Valparaiso victory. Belmont's only victory came in 2001 at the Curb Event Center. The game can be live-streamed on ESPN3.com and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM) out of Valparaiso. Todd Ickow and David Huseman will be on the call for both mediums. Tipoff from the ARC will be at 7:00 PM.

Game 5-Trinity Christian

Three more games, three more wins for Valpo. After the season-opening victory over IPFW, Valpo has beaten Iona, Rhode Island, and IU Kokomo to become the first team in Division I to four official (not counting exhibition) wins on the season. Shockingly, the victory over Iona on Sunday afternoon, in the first game of the Beaver Classic, was the easiest. The Gaels entered the game 6th in the Mid-Major Top 25 from collegeinsider.com, but were shut down by the Valpo defense. The Crusaders played possibly their best game of the Bryce Drew era, with shutdown D and firepower on offense leading to the win. Valparaiso opened the game quick, led 18-2 at one point, and never let the lead drop below 15 the rest of the way. Tevonn Walker led the Crusaders with 17 points, 3 assists, and a steal, while Shane Hammink chipped in a career-high 16 points to go with 7 rebounds off the bench. Shockingly for Valpo, Alec Peters didn't take a shot until after the under-4:00 media timeout in the first half and only scored 12 points, but added 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist and block. Valpo shut down the preseason MAAC Player of the Year AJ English of Iona to just 12 points on 2-7 shooting. He scored 8 of his 12 on free throws.

As if that wasn't enough, Valpo went on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Kingston, RI to take on the Rams of Rhode Island, another mid-major garnering votes in the AP Top-25 poll at the start of the year. As part of the Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN networks, this game began at 9:00 AM Central Time. The Crusaders seemed to be affected by the early start, and possibly the big stage, with the game being televised on ESPN2. Valpo was down 20-18 after the first half, and it probably should have been more. Ouch. No initiative to score, no fight, and none of the drive that has been common from the Crusaders the last two years. Luckily, that was missing from the Rams as well, opening the door for Valpo to take advantage in the second half. Led by strong guard play from Keith Carter and Tevonn Walker, who each had 12 points, Vashil Fernandez, who also added 12, and Alec Peters, with a team-high 14 points, Valpo pushed the lead as high as 9 in the second half before hanging on in the final seconds to pull out the win. Only four players saw action off the bench, with Shane Hammink scoring 2 points and Jubril Adekoya 4, but that still bettered Rhode Island's four total bench points from three players. Although it was a win, Valpo will lose the services of Darien Walker for a spell. He scored just 2 points in 24 minutes and seemed affected by some injury, just as he had in the first two games. David Skara didn't make the trip with an injury, joining Derrik Smits on the injury list.

Last night, the Crusaders cruised in an uneventful Beaver Classic victory over the Cougars of IU Kokomo. Valpo sat three players, as joining Derrik Smits in sweats were Darien Walker, David Skara, and Shane Hammink (who served the first of a two game suspension). The only time the Crusaders didn't lead was at 2-2, as Valpo would lead 53-18 at the half. In the second half, Valparaiso would play zone defense and run a stall offense, not running a play until there was less than :15 on the shot clock. IU Kokomo would only be outscored 25-22 in the second half, but it made no real difference on the outcome of the game. Valpo would be led by Jubril Adekoya, who had a career-high 20 points to go with 8 rebounds and an assist. Off the bench, Nick Davidson had a career-high 13 points, and chipped in 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Valpo only played eight players, with Vashil Fernandez and Keith Carter not appearing in order to get rest. Chandler Levingston Simon took advantage of that to make his Valpo debut, fouling out after 11 minutes of action with 4 points and 4 rebounds. The biggest news of the game came postgame, when it was announced that Derrik Smits will be out for the season with two torn ligaments in his ankle. The freshman center will redshirt and return next season as a redshirt freshman.

Tonight, the Crusaders play the final of three games in three days, this one also at the ARC. The Trinity Christian Trolls (4-2) come to town out of the NAIA, fresh off of a loss to Olivet Nazarine University last night.

Game #2-Iona

Yes, the Crusaders are 1-0. No, it wasn't terribly pretty. IPFW fought hard, tied the game a couple of times in the second half, and never really went away until the final two minutes. Valpo took care of business, which is good enough at this time of year. Alec Peters would lead the Crusaders with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and a steal. David Skara chipped in 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal off the bench, and Shane Hammink and Keith Carter added ten points apiece. Valpo never trailed by more than two points, and the Crusaders never trailed in the second half, eventually pushing their lead to 14 inside of the final minute. The biggest news coming out of the day was freshman center Derrik Smits suffering a potentially long-term foot injury. He was in a walking boot and sweats during the game, and will be out against Iona.

Game 2, however, becomes much tougher as Valparaiso welcomes the Iona Gaels (0-0) to the ARC today as part of action in the Beaver  The Gaels are the preseason pick to win the MAAC, with 119 of 121 possible votes. The Gaels also are receiving a vote in the AP Top 25. Easily the best player for Iona is AJ English, the preseason pick for MAAC Player of the Year, after being First Team All-MAAC the last two seasons. He averaged 20.1 ppg and 5.1 apg last season in leading Iona to the NIT last season. The Gaels depth consists of Schadrac Casimir (14.5 ppg), a preseason pick to First Team All-MAAC and last season's MAAC Freshman of the Year, as well as Isaiah Williams(13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg), a preseason Second Team All-MAAC pick. Iona is being projected into the NCAA Tournament by both ESPN and CBS Sports.

Valpo will possibly see the return of E. Victor Nickerson after offseason wrist surgery. He will be in uniform, but there are questions as to if he will play or not. 

The game can be viewed at ESPN3.com, and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM). Todd Ickow, David Huseman, and Tommy Mantice have the call on both platforms.

Valparaiso MBB Season Preview

After going 28-5, winning both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles, the Crusaders return to the court for 2015 with the bullseye on their backs. Valpo loses only one senior, David Chadwick (8.8 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg), and returns every other player from that team. Added to the mix are Lexus Williams, who returns after missing 2014-15 with a knee injury, recruit Derrik Smits (Zionsville HS, Zionsville, Ind.), and two transfers who had to sit out last season in Shane Hammink (LSU) and Chandler Levingston Simon (UMKC), who have two and three years of eligibility remaining, respectively. After primarily using an eight-man rotation last season, there are 14 players vying for playing time on a stacked Crusaders roster.


Alec Peters (16.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is still the unquestioned leader of this team. He was First Team All-Horizon League and NABC First Team All-District 12, as well as earning MVP nods at the Challenge in Music City and the Horizon League Championship. Possibly his biggest achievement was reaching the 1,000 point mark in the NCAA Tournament versus Maryland, becoming the first player in program history to hit that mark by the end of his sophomore season. Before this season has fully started, Peters has already picked up where he left off, being named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Award and earning a nod to the Preseason All-HL First Team. In the exhibition game against Indianapolis, Peters had a career-high 34 points to go with six rebounds, an assist, and one block.

The Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, Jubril Adekoya (4.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg), should once again make a large impact for the Crusaders off the bench this year. His role is projected to be diminished with Vashil Fernandez being granted a fourth year of eligibility, but Adekoya should still make a mark on the team. The Tinley Park, Ill. native had a career-high 14 points last season against Youngstown State and added 10 points against UIC earlier in the season. Adekoya scored four points and added six rebounds against Indianapolis.

The only region product on the Valparaiso roster is Nick Davidson (1.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg), from Andrean High School in Merrillville. He appeared in 15 games for the Crusaders last season, tallying a career-high eight points in a win at James Madison. He would be named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Davidson didn't score in under a minute of action in the exhibition against Indianapolis.

As the only freshman on the Valpo, roster, Derrik Smits might feel overshadowed, even at 7'1". It doesn't help that his father, Rik, played 12 NBA seasons and was an All-Star in 1998. Derrik, however, is making a pretty big name for himself. He was an Indiana All-Star last year at Zionsville High School, where he averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game his senior season. In his first game at Valpo, he scored four points and added three rebounds, an assist, and a block against UIndy in the exhibition matchup.

Lexus Williams returns to the court after missing all of last season with an injury. He does still have three seasons of eligibility. In his freshman year of 2013-14, Williams would be named to the HL All-Freshman Team. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 assists per game, as well as leading the team with 35 steals. He scored a career-high 22 points in a February win at Detroit.

Vashil Fernandez (6.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg) was granted a fourth year of eligibility by the NCAA, allowing him to return for what becomes his second senior season with the Crusaders. Fernandez was named as the HL Defensive Player of the Year last season, as his 2.9 blocks per game ranked 11th nationally, and his block percentage of 12.97% was sixth in the nation. He set a Crusader single-game record with eight blocks against Goshen in December, and had a program-record 98 blocked shots last season. Fernandez scored a career-high 15 points last season against UIC. He started the exhibition game with Indianapolis, scoring seven points and tacking on six rebounds and four blocks. Vashil has represented the Jamaica national team since 2012.

David Skara (5.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) returns for his second season with Valpo. Last season, he would be named to the All-Tournament Team at the Horizon League Championship, where he led the Crusaders with 12 points in their title game victory over Green Bay. He scored a career-high 17 points against IU South Bend last season. Against Indianapolis, Skara had two points, three rebounds,  and an assist off the bench.

The second of four seniors on the Valparaiso roster, Darien Walker (10.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) has made a major impact on the Crusaders after just one season. He would be a national finalist for the Riley Wallace Award and would earn All-Tournament Team honors at the Challenge in Music City. Darien would be the second-leading scorer on the team, behind only Alec Peters, and led VU in scoring four times, including a season-high 21 in both games against Detroit. Darien previously played one season apiece at Arizona Western College and John A. Logan College, both community colleges. He scored nine points with eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block against Indianapolis.

One of two products of Canada's Vanier College, along with Tevonn Walker, Valpo's Max Joseph (1.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg) will look to break full-time into the rotation of coach Bryce Drew this season. He appeared in 28 games last season, scoring a career-high nine points in a win over UIC. While Keith Carter was injured, Joseph committed just nine turnovers in 164 minutes of action over 10 games. In the exhibition opener against Indianapolis, he scored two points and added four rebounds and a steal.

The other Vanier College product at Valpo is Tevonn Walker (10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg). He provided the highlight-reel moment of last season with a SportsCenter Top 10 dunk at Milwaukee. That would be part of the reason why Tevonn was named as the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week, as well as the same honor in the Horizon League for his 12 point, six rebound effort. Tevonn would be named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and led the Crusaders with 37 steals. He had a career-high 22 points at Oakland in the conference opener. Tevonn had three points with two rebounds, an assist, and two steals in the victory over Indianapolis.

E. Victor Nickerson (6.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg) will be out temporarily at the start of the season after wrist surgery in September. Last season, his first of eligibility after transferring from Charlotte, he would lead the Crusaders in scoring three times, including a season-high 16 in a win over Oakland. He would be named to the HL All-Tournament Team after scoring 11 in the title game victory over Green Bay. Nickerson would wind up second on the team with 64 assists. He did not appear in the exhibition matchup with Indianapolis after recovering from wrist surgery.

Keith Carter (8.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) returns for a full season after missing 10 games with a foot injury last season. He still averaged a team-high 3.7 assists per game and was second on the team with 30 steals. He had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Youngstown State. Carter transferred from Saint Louis, where he played his freshman season, and made his Valpo debut after the first semester of 2013-14. He will be a senior this season. In the exhibition game against Indianapolis, Carter scored eight points to go with three rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Valparaiso also adds in two transfer players who become eligible this season. Shane Hammink previously played two seasons at LSU, appearing in 47 games and totaling 74 points and 64 rebounds. In his Valparaiso debut against Indianapolis, Hammink scored two points with three rebounds and one assist, steal, and block. He has appeared for the Netherlands national team, mostly at the youth level, although he has played for the senior national team since last summer. Hammink's father, Geert, played 11 years of professional basketball after being a first-round NBA draft pick.

Chandler Levingston Simon also becomes eligible this season for the Crusaders after transferring from UMKC. He will have three years of eligibility. Levingston Simon appeared in eight games his freshman season with the Kangaroos. He did not play against Indianapolis, for unknown reasons. Levingston Simon's father, Cliff Levingston, played 11 seasons in the NBA and won two titles. His siblings David and Kelsey both played Division I basketball as well.


Valparaiso is the favorite to repeat in the Horizon League, after they received 36 of 43 first-place votes in preseason polling, followed by Oakland, Milwaukee, and Detroit. CBS Sports, in a poll of 11 writers, unanimously picked the Crusaders to win the league, and also ranked them as the 41st best team in the nation. Valpo will open the regular season at home this Friday, November 10, against IPFW. Horizon League play opens Saturday, January 2 hosting UIC, and the Crusaders welcome conference newcomer Northern Kentucky to the ARC on Thursday, February 11. For the first time ever, the Horizon League Championships will be at a neutral site, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

CONCACAF Gold Cup- Groups A, B, C

Yes, I know this post comes way too late to really give a preview of the uniforms of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, hosted jointly by the USA and Canada, but maybe it will provide a look at a secondary uniform for a team that had only worn one kit up to this point.




The top team in Group A should be pretty self-explanatory. USA, the 34th ranked team in the world, highest in CONCACAF, and 5-time and defending Gold Cup champions, as well as the co-hosts, are easily the favorite to win this tournament. The Yanks' uniforms are simple ones from Nike: the same primary white kit as the one worn at last year's World Cup (which was worn in both of their games in this tournament so far), and a secondary blue jersey which is new for 2015. (Murica.)

The best chance for the USA to get knocked off of the top of the group comes courtesy of Panama, the 62nd-ranked team in the FIFA rankings. Panama were in the finals in 2013, falling to the United States by a score of 1-0 for their second finals loss. In this tournament, Los Canaleros will be wearing New Balance kits, with white and red options.

The underdog of Group A is Haiti, who sit at 79th in the world, even after being as high as 38 two years ago. Les Grenadiers have never made it past the quarterfinals, a trend they look to break this year. For Haiti, they will have two kit options from Joma this tournament: a primary blue outfit and a secondary red jersey option.

The lowest-ranked team in Group A is, somewhat surprisingly, Honduras, who enter 80th in the world. Los Catrachos qualified for the World Cup last year (although they did finish 31st out of 32 teams), but how far they have fallen is still a surprise, as they were the 12th and last team to qualify for this tournament. Honduras were runners-up in the first-ever Gold Cup, and have made the semifinals three tournaments running, but the odds are still against them to continue that run. At this Gold Cup, Honduras will have two kit options from Joma: a primary blue look as well as a secondary white getup.



Opening up Group B would be the co-hosts, Canada. The Canucks are the lowest-ranked team in the group, at 103rd, but did win the Gold Cup in 2000. This year, Canada has two new jerseys from Umbro: a secondary white kit and a primary red jersey. (Canada.)

If you are looking for a favorite in Group B the best bet would be Costa Rica. Los Ticos made a miracle run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, are ranked 41st in the world, and have appeared in all but one Gold Cup, including finishing as runners-up in 2002. This year marks Costa Rica's first year under New Balance, and they have new kits to go with it, in primary red and secondary white options.

The next-best team in Group B is easily Jamaica, who enter 76th in the world after winning the Caribbean Cup to earn qualification to this tournament. The Reggae Boyz's best finish in the Gold Cup came in 1993, when they placed third. Fresh off of a group-stage elimination in the Copa America, Jamaica do have new jerseys this year from Romai, in primary yellow and secondary green options.

The final team in Group B is El Salvador, who enter ranked 88th in the world. La Selecta have made the Gold Cup quarterfinals four times, including the last two tournaments, but never farther. El Salvador are the only team in this Gold Cup with Mitre jerseys, which feature a primary blue and secondary white options.



The unanimous favorites in Group C are Mexico, the six-time Gold Cup champions. El Tri made the knockout stages of the World Cup last year, and are entering the Gold Cup just weeks after appearing in the Copa America. They are looking for revenge this year after falling to Panama in the semifinals of the 2013 Gold Cup. This year's adidas jerseys for Mexico have caused a lot of controversy, in a sense, as there are only two options: a primary black and secondary white option, which noticeably does not include a green jersey, a staple of Mexican soccer for generations. The jersey issue notwithstanding, Mexico are still one of the top four favorites to win the Gold Cup.

Surprisingly to some, the team with the best odds to defeat Mexico in the group would be Trinidad and Tobago, who enter the Gold Cup ranked 64th in the world and making their 9th Gold Cup appearance, although their highest finish has been third place (in 2000), The Soca Warriors will be wearing Joma kits at this tournament, including a primary red and secondary white options.

In contrast to the other two teams in the group, the next two are the two worst-ranked teams in the tournament. Cuba enters 104th in the world, and their time in this tournament so far has been marred by two players defecting from the country and, before the team's opening game, six players and the head coach had their flight delayed and missed the game. The Leones del Caribe did make the quarterfinals in 2013, but the problems they have had so far don't seem to allow that again. Cuba will be outfitted by Joma at this tournament, wearing two kits: white and blue.

The worst team in Group C, and in all of the Gold Cup, would be Guatemala. Los Chapines are ranked 105th in the world and have never finished higher than 4th at a Gold Cup. At this Gold Cup, Guatemala will have two Umbro uniforms: a primary white and secondary blue option.


Yes, I know how late this was. Yes, I know it serves virtually no point now. But I had to get this off my back at some point. I'm still trying to figure out what I will be doing next, but a post about that should come sometime before August 15. Peace.

Women's World Cup- Groups E and F

With under an hour until kickoff of matches in Group F today, I realize that this post is cutting it quite close to being "before kickoff for each group"; however, in my mind it still hits that requirement. Without further ado, the uniforms for both groups E and F:


The top team in Group E is Brazil, who sit 7th in the world at the start of the World Cup and have one of the best players in the world, Marta, on the field for A Seleção. The interesting thing about Brazil's Nike jerseys is that the women's team has never won a World Cup, their best finish being runners-up in 2007, but both the primary yellow and secondary blue display the five stars won by the men's national team.

Korea Republic, or South Korea as they are more widely known, come into the WWC 18th in the world, making only their second World Cup appearance and first since 2003. The Taegeuk Nangja, even with their inexperience, are still one of the favorites to advance from the group. They will be wearing Nike jerseys as well, with a primary red and secondary white option.

The only kit so far confirmed by Spain, who sit 14th in the world heading into their first World Cup, is a basic red jersey from adidas. As far as I could find, no other kits have been anounced by La Roja; it is likely, however, that they will emulate the men's national team and wear a secondary black jersey (without the World Cup champions patch or star over the crest), and possibly a white third jersey similar to the one worn by the men in 2014.

For Costa Rica, the underdogs of Group E, their hopes look slim heading into the World Cup, but they could still pull off a miracle run like the men's team did in 2014. Costa Rica comes in 37th in the world, the lowest-ranked team from CONCACAF to make the tournament, but will have new New Balance kits in red and white, featuring a giant collar on the white jersey.


The unquestioned top team in Group F is France, who sit 3rd in the world and are one of the favorites to run the table and win the World Cup title. Les Bleues finished fourth in 2011, and have one of the easier groups to escape. France's jerseys for 2015 will be produced by Nike, with primary blue and secondary white options for at least three group stage games.

France's hold on the top of the group isn't secure yet, however, thanks to 6th ranked England. The Three Lionesses are at their highest ranking ever, and appeared in the quarterfinals of Germany 2011. This year, from Nike, England have confirmed a primary white jersey. It seems likely that England will also have available a secondary red jersey similar to the one pictured, just without the championship star, but the availability of that jersey is still in question.

In contrast to those two teams, the other two in Group F pale in comparison. Colombia enter 28th in the world, and although Las Cafeteras are at their highest ranking ever, their odds of advancing seem slim. The Colombia kits mirror the ones worn by the men's team last year, in primary yellow and secondary blue options from adidas.

The final team at this World Cup is Mexico, who enter 25th in the world out of CONCACAF. Unlike the men's jerseys for Mexico, which had virtually no red or green, the national colors. the adidas jerseys for El Tricolor are those two colors, with a primary green and secondary red jersey available to wear.

Under 30 minutes to go with the posting of this rundown, but it is complete. Barely. The uniform rundowns for CONCACAF's 2015 Gold Cup will be coming next, but that tournament doesn't start until July. Enjoy some great soccer until then.

Group D- Women's World Cup

With the FIFA Women's World Cup kicking off tomorrow, I will definitely not finish a uniform rundown for all six groups before the first match kicks off; however, I should finish each successive group before its first match kicks off. With that having been said, here are the uniforms of Group D:



The top team in Group D is the United States of America, who currently sit 2nd in the world, were runners-up at the 2011 World Cup, and lie just a border away from hosts Canada. The Yanks are one of the favorites to win the tournament in 2015, which would place a third star above the crest. However American it might feel to root for the USA this year, the primary kits from Nike are anything but, with no red or blue anywhere, only black and neon yellow. The all-blue secondary kit, although still not incredible, is much better by comparison.

Continuing the idea that Group D is the group of death, Sweden comes in 5th in the world, led by former American coach Pia Sundhage. Sweden, just like the USA, has appeared in all seven World Cups, but has never finished higher than third (although that did come in 2011). Sweden's adidas jerseys for this World Cup are unique in that they were designed with the help of two Swedish designers.

Group D continues with a third team in the top ten in the world, as Australia sits 10th in the world coming into the World Cup. The Matildas will be wearing blue secondary kits from Nike with the same design as the men's secondary kits, but the yellow primary will be of a design more classic to the Australia women.

The outlier team of Group D is Nigeria, who sit 33rd in the world, although they are the top team in CAF and the defending continental champions. They are heavy underdogs to advance out of the group for just the second time in the country's history, although they have appeared in all seven Women's World Cups. Nigeria will be wearing one of these three Nike kits as their primary jersey at this world cup, although I couldn't find any resource that showed the results in English or a secondary jersey.


For the record, in Group D, USA-USA-USA! Murica.

Group C- WWC, Copa America

The final warm-up matches have been played, and the teams have arrived in Canada for the Women's World Cup, and although that might not be the case for the Copa America, the wait is still almost unbearable until we next get to see a major tournament. Continuing with uniform rundowns, today we have Group C for both tournaments.

Japan are the best team in Group C by far: they are the defending champions, winning the World Cup as hosts in 2011, and currently sitting 4th in the world, putting them fifteen spots above the next-best team in the group. The Japanese women will be wearing virtually the same kits as the men did last year in the World Cup, but with one tweak, courtesy of adidas: the secondary kit will have pink numbers, names, and shorts piping on the volt yellow kit, compared to blue for the men. The primary blue kit will be the same as what the men wore last year.

The favorites to advance out of the group behind Japan would have to be Switzerland, who sit 19th in the world heading into this tournament. La Nati will be appearing in the World Cup for the first time, and will face stiff competition, yet are still one of the favorites to advance out of the group. Their Puma kits are unique in that the national crest is on the right side of the jerseys and the flag placed over the heart, on both the primary red and secondary white kits.

The worst team in the group is Cameroon, sitting at 53rd in the world and one of the lowest-ranked teams to get into the World Cup. Cameroon will be appearing in their first-ever world cup, just like Switzerland, but have nowhere near the pedigree of the Swiss. Cameroon will be wearing simpler Puma  primary jerseys than the men's team wore at their World Cup, a green jersey without sublimations. However, the secondary yellow kit will be, by all indications, the same as what was worn by the men.

The final team in Group C is Ecuador, who will mark the third team in the group to be appearing in their first World Cup in national history. La Tricolor will be wearing the exact same kits as the men this year, just cut differently, for both the primary and secondary yellow and blue kits from Marathon, a supplier based in Ecuador.

The top team in Group C, the final group of the Copa America, is Colombia. Brazil should have hosted this tournament, but swapped with Chile, and then had their reputation nearly destroyed by the final two matches of the World Cup. Colombia comes in fresh and with a ballooning reputation for style and speed. Ranked 4th in the world, Colombia come in as the second favorite to win the tournament, behind only Argentina. Los Cafeteros have only won one Copa America, back in 2001, but could add another trophy this time around. Colombia will wear the traditional yellow primary shirt and a blue secondary jersey from adidas, although the blue is dark enough to look black from some angles.

With five World Cup-winning stars above their crest, Brazil would seem like a natural choice as the top team in Group C. However, the disappointments at the World Cup and a new manager have Brazil sitting 5th in the world and not even the favorites to automatically move on from their group. However, they still claim the title of best-dressed team, as the primary yellow kit from Nike is a timeless classic and the secondary blue jersey isn't bad by itself. Even the never-before-worn olive green third kit can be appreciated, although for a country like Brazil it does look more like a training shirt than something to be worn at the Copa America.

Peru hardly have to travel south to get to this tournament, but that might be the only edge they have in this group. Sitting 63rd in the world, the odds are stacked against both Peru and groupmates Venezuela to advance to the knockout stages. This year's Umbro kits for Peru stay nearly the same as 2014, with the primary white kit and secondary red strip keeping the traditional look for another year.

The final team in Group C, and in this uniform rundown, Venezuela are the lowest-ranked team in the group, at 69th in the world. Sadly, they are another team to fall victim to the volt/neon yellow craze sweeping sports, as the Venezuelans will be wearing a classic primary kit in maroon, but an eyeball-burning all-volt secondary strip. For the eyes of viewers, it might be a good thing that the chances of Venezuela advancing in the tournament are very low.

Because of the limited amount of time remaining until the Women's World Cup starts, it appears that I won't complete all six groups before the tournament kicks off June 6; however, I should have all of the rundowns done before games in each successive group start; for Group D, that would be June 8. The Copa America only has three groups however, so I have finished that and will be moving on to the uniforms of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which begins July 7, once the uniforms of the Women's World Cup are done. For now, though, I will be trying to get through all of the women's uniforms for the final three groups as quickly as possible.

Peace.

Group B- WWC, Copa America

As the clock continues to kick to kickoff, with only nine days to kickoff of the Women's World Cup in Canada and fourteen days to the Copa America in Chile, the rundown of the uniforms for the teams in both of these tournaments continues, today with Group B of both tournaments.



At the top of Group B on the women's side sits Germany, the number 1 team in the world and one of the favorites to win this World Cup, along with France, the USA, and defending champions Japan. The Germans, two-time champions, wear a traditional primary kit, all-white with red and black accents, in the style the men's team won the World Cup in last year; their secondary kit, however, is much different from the one worn by the men: solid red with only black accents. No white appears on the secondary adidas jersey.

Côte d'Ivoire, or Ivory Coast in English, are the lowest-ranked team to have qualified for Canada 2015, at 67th in the world. The Ivorians are another one of the teams to have not changed their kits for this season, sticking with the all-orange from Puma for the primary kit and monochrome green for the secondary. Although the kits pictured were worn by the men's team, the only difference for the women is the cut of the jersey itself. One thing to take note of is that there is still a possibility of a third kit being introduced by Ivory Coast, likely in white, to allow for a "light" colored option.

Although the biggest controversy leading up to the World Cup came over some matches being played on turf, in Europe some heads were turned towards the Norway national team, who currently sit 11th in the world. When the first kits for the country from Nike were seen on pitch for the first time, the women's team didn't have the female-cut kits, instead wearing "gender-neutral" jerseys. After some uproar, Nike said that they would provide new kits, but not before the world cup. Therefore, by default, the Norweigans will be the worst-dressed team at this tournament BY FAR. Ouch.

The final team in Group B on the women's side is Thailand, who will be making their World Cup debut this spring and summer. The women, who currently sit 29th in the world, will be sporting new jerseys from Grand Sport, a Thai manufacturer, in primary red and secondary blue options. As with Ivory Coast, there is the possibility of FIFA forcing Thailand to introduce a third kit, most likely in white, to provide a "light" option.




The best team in Group B of the 2015 Copa America is easily Argentina, the 14-time continental champions. Los Albicelestes, who finished runners-up at the last World Cup and currently sit 2nd in the world, are the favorites to take the title this year in Chile. adidas has done another stellar job with the Argentina uniforms, going classic blue-and-white stripes on the primary kit and a full-navy blue look for the secondary kit.

Yet another team in the Puma skintight uniforms, Uruguay help contribute to making Group B the "Group of Death" at this Copa America. The defending champions, currently 8th in the world, had a disappointing showing at the World Cup, but look to bounce back this year. Obviously, karma does not play a major role at Uruguay, as La Celeste will be wearing the same kits for the second year running, sky blue on the primary and all-white for the secondary kit.

On the bottom half of Group B, the future does not look bright in this tournament for either of the bottom two teams. Paraguay sit 81st in the world, next-to-last in CONMEBOL. Although their tournament hopes might not be sharp, their adidas kits are: Paraguay will wear red and white stripes on the primary kit and go with a solid grey secondary kit that includes sublimated light grey hoops down the front.

The final team in Group B is the second of two CONCACAF teams, Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz changed kit manufacturers from 2014 to 2015, going now with Romai Sportswear, a UAE-based manufacturer. The kits were revealed earlier in the year to very little fanfare, showing that the 74th-ranked Jamaicans will be wearing two non-white kits this year, green as the primary and yellow as the secondary kit.

With the Women's World Cup starting in just nine days, it becomes crunc time to finish uniform rundowns. Group C in both tournaments might be up tomorrow, Saturday at the latest. Yes, this will be the quickest I have posted two posts yet, but get used to it. Three major international tournamens this summer requires it.

Group A- WWC, Copa America

Although this is a bit late, the rundown of the uniforms for both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Copa America are here, starting in Group A for both competitions. Firstly, the uniforms of the teams in Group A of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup:

The top team in Group A is the host, Canada. The Canadien women, currently ranked 8th in the world, are making just their fifth appearance at a world cup, this time not having to qualify by virtue of being the host nation. Canada unveiled new primary and secondary kits for 2015, although they don't stray much from previous Canada kits. The primary red kit and secondary white kit both do not stray much from previous jerseys, although the sublimation applied to the white jersey by Umbro is certainly unique in the footballing world.

The second-best team in Group A is the 12th ranked Leeuwinnen, or Lionesses, of the Netherlands, who have qualified for their first ever world cup. The Holland women are sticking with the same primary kit they wore in qualifying for the World Cup, the all-orange ensemble, but have changed their secondary kit to a white jersey that virtually mirrors the primary. This white kit from Nike replaces the blue design worn by the team in qualifying for the World Cup.

The final two teams in Group A are currently ranked 16th and 17th in the world, China PR and New Zealand, respectively. China PR, or the Forceful Roses as they are known in their home country, are in their first year as a Nike team after more than 30 years with adidas. For their first year with a new supplier, China PR will be wearing two heavily templated designs, all red for the primary kit and an all-white secondary. Both jerseys are based off of generic Nike templates, unlike last year's adidas design, which featured a custom-designed look featuring dragon scales on the front of the kit.

The Football Ferns of New Zealand are appearing in their fourth World Cup, but enter as the underdogs of Group A. This position as underdog is reinforced in that New Zealand has never won a World Cup match in nine tries and has only scored five goals in their WWC history. The Football Ferns will be wearing the plainest kits of the group, all white for their primary kit and all black for the secondary from Nike.


Kicking off the 44th Copa America will be the hosts, Chile, who hold the title of being the best team in Group A at 16th in the world. Although things could change between now and the first match for Chile, it appears that they will be wearing the same kits worn at the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the skintight red primaries and white secondary kits from Puma.

One of two guest teams to the tournament, along with Jamaica, Mexico are one of the favorites to advance out of group play, although their adidas jerseys do them no favors. For the first time in national team history, Mexico, who enter 22nd in the world, are not wearing a green kit. To add to the misery, there is no real green on either the primary black or secondary white kits, instead featuring a neon shade of green that might best be described as lime green, not the national color.

Topping the list of "major teams with tiny uniform suppliers" is Ecuador, who sits 34th in the world, but still gets jerseys from Marathon, a company based in Ecuador. The national team kits haven't changed much in the last 15 years, with the same basic design sticking around on the primary yellow and secondary blue jerseys. Just like Chile, it appears that Ecuador will be sticking with the uniforms they wore at last summer's World Cup through 2015 as well.

The final team in Group A of this Copa America is currently the worst team in CONMEBOL, Bolivia, who currently sit 92nd in the world. The Bolivian team made a major jump before this tournament, which many in the country see as a starting point towards international viability, and Bolivia reinforced that idea by getting new uniforms for the first time in three years They join Ecuador as the only two national teams sponsored by Marathon, but will stick with the basic primary green and secondary white jerseys.


Now that school is winding down, the soccer season jumps into full swing, so I should be coming out with more posts on a regular basis, most likely once or twice a week, covering the uniforms of all of the teams in the Women's World Cup, Copa America, and the Gold Cup. If my next post isn't up tomorrow, it will be by next Sunday. Hopefully.

NEW POST SCHEDULE

It seems that college baseball and softball just don't have the coverage of other sports such as basketball, so I will be abandoning the idea of making the next set of posts on them. Instead, with the large amount of international soccer being played this summer (FIFA Women's World Cup, Copa America, Gold Cup), I will instead be turning my attention to the national teams playing in these tournaments. The WWC will be starting on June 6, so I will try to cover the uniforms being worn by the 24 teams in the tournament in the days before it starts, going group by group. I will be doing the same for both the CONMEBOL Copa America and its 12 teams, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the 12 teams participating there. Hopefully, I should have up the uniform rundown for Group A of the Women's World Cup done by Friday at the latest, and the other five groups done by the June 6 kickoff date. Hopefully.

Post Schedule

As the college basketball season ends, it makes no sense to continue to do college basketball uniforms, especially as new jerseys are unveiled and the placing of logos changes during the offseason. Until next January, most likely, I will be shifting gears to another sport. Right now, I am leaning towards covering the same subject, the placing of conference logos on uniforms, with college baseball, possibly softball as well. Now that the school year winds to a close, I hope to be able to make these posts start coming out weekly, barring only a few exceptions. Hopefully, my first post of baseball/softball will be coming this Saturday or Sunday, May the 1st or 2nd. Thanks to everyone that still follows this blog, even through interruptions, and I hope to have the next full post up Sunday night at the latest.

#3 in a series: AAC logo usage

Well, I completely forgot about doing this post for about three weeks, what with finals at school and the start of a new soccer season, then another week for spring break, but now that spring break is over I finally found time to finish up the post on the American Athletic Conference, home of the defending men's and women's national basketball champions, Connecticut. In the AAC, there is a large divide in groupings of the 10 teams. 8 teams are aligned with Nike, but only 2 with Under Armor and 1 with adidas. The conference patch placement is also very uniform, with all schools using the conference's primary logo; 7 schools place it on the front right side of the jerseys, 3 put it on the left side. The school-by-school breakdown is as follows:

SMU Mustangs

The top team in the AAC is the SMU Mustangs, led by Larry Brown, the oldest coach in the conference. The best way to describe SMU's Nike uniforms would be paint-by-numbers: the only change from jersey-to-jersey is changing the placing of colors. SMU is also the only team in the conference to change the color of the conference logo from jersey to jersey: it is in red on the white jerseys, white on the red jerseys, and red on the blue jerseys. On all three, the logo is on the right side of the jersey.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Tulsa holds the dubious record as being the only team in the American with more than three uniforms: Nike provides the Golden Hurricane with four. On all of them, the conference patch is located on the right side of the jerseys, on the white, gold, blue, and black jerseys. The only picture I could find of the Tulsa blue jerseys came from this article, which gives a more in-depth look at the jerseys.

Temple Owls

The Owls of Temple are just one of two teams in the AAC supplied by Under Armor, and just one of three with only two uniform combinations. The most interesting part about Temple's uniforms is that they wear cream, not straight white, at home. On both the home cream and road maroon jerseys, the conference logo is on the player's left collarbone.

Cincinnati Bearcats

The only team in the AAC to be supplied by adidas, the Cincinnati Bearcats are therefore the only team that recieved a special set of postseason uniforms, which to me seem incredibly pointless. On all Cincinnati uniforms, the American logo is placed on the front right side of the uniforms: home whites, road blacks, and the pointless (and sleeved!) postseason uniforms.

Gampel Pavilion-UConn

Connecticut Huskies

XL Center-UConn

The defending national champion UConn Huskies are the only team in the AAC to play multiple home games at two different arenas. They also join the trend of GFGS uniforms, adding a grey alternate to their normal home and road jerseys. UConn placed the conference patch on the left side of all three uniforms, white, grey, and blue.






Memphis Tigers

Sadly, Memphis has joined the growing legion of teams to add a GFGS uniform, which drops down an otherwise solid uniform set. The Tigers, just like UConn and East Carolina, are one of just three teams in the American to put the mandatory conference logo on the left side of the jerseys, doing so on the white, blue, and grey uniforms (which I could not find a definitive picture of, only side shots).

Tulane Green Wave

Add the Green Wave as well to the list of teams with a GFGS uniform, which is quickly becoming more and more prevalent in sports. Tulane has a very modern set of uniforms, in contrast to its 82-year-old arena, Devlin Fieldhouse. Tulane is another of the seven AAC  teams with Nike, and join  the majority by placing the conference logo on the right front of their white, green, and grey jerseys.

East Carolina Pirates

Joining the ranks of Nike teams in the American, the East Carolina Pirates are one of the few teams in the NCAA to utilize purple in their color scheme. However, with the depth of ideas that could be put forward by the pirates, their uniforms fail to appease the imagination. The placement of the conference patch, as well, is confusing. On the white, yellow, and purple jerseys, the conference patch is always on the left side of the jerseys. Surprisingly, with the amount of black used by the Pirates in their color scheme, it doesn't look as if they have a black jersey.

UCF Knights

Now that UCF has cut down on half of the garishness of their basketball program, removing the pinstriped uniforms (although keeping the dark grey court at CFE Arena), you can actually start to look at the Knights more as a D-1 program, and not a minor league start up. With that said, their uniforms now are quite solid (at least compared to what was worn before). The Knights put the conference logo on the right side of the jerseys for each of the three different uniforms worn: white, gold, and black.

Houston Cougars

Houston, one of seven Nike teams in the AAC, is just one of two teams in the conference with just two jerseys. On both, the conference logo is placed on the right side of the uniform, white and red.

USF Bulls

The final team in the AAC, the USF Bulls have fallen hard from three NCAA Tournament victories in 2012 to just 9-23 this season. The Bulls are one of just two teams in the conference to be supplied by Under Armor, and have some of the worst full-time jerseys in the conference. The AAC patch is applied on the right side of the jersey on all three uniforms: the home whites, road greens, and alternate gold uniforms.

The AAC will be expanding to 11 teams in 2015-16, with the addition of Navy from the Patriot League, which will be covered later on in this series. Now that I have the time, I will try to continue working with the Atlantic 10 up next, hopefully within the next week or so.

#2 in a series: America East logo usage

After a couple of days of throwing up prevented me from writing this post, I'm finally able to get back near a computer without being afraid of throwing up on it. Today, I'll continue the series I started with my last post and cover the use of conference logos on uniforms with the 9 teams of the America East conference. The America East is more streamlined than the Horizon League, but still not full conformed. 3 teams use no conference logo, while the remaining 6 use the primary logo of the conference. The AEC also is more convoluted in that there are four different uniform manufacturers for the nine teams: five teams with Nike, two with Under Armor, one with adidas, and one with New Balance. Without further ado, the team-by-team breakdowns:

Albany Great Danes

UAlbany, the defending America East champions, are one of five teams under the Nike brand in the conference. Now that the Great Danes have ditched their two-color spilt shorts they wore last season, most notably in the NCAA tournament, the Great Danes have a solid set of uniforms. They are one of three teams in the conference to not wear a conference logo on either uniform, white or purple.

Vermont Catamounts

Vermont is the one team in the America East to wear adidas uniforms, and the only school with four different uniforms. Although the Catamounts' uniforms look as if they haven't been updated in 10 years, they aren't horrific (except for a completely awful grey road alternate jersey). Vermont also does not use a conference logo on three of their uniforms. The white, yellow home alternate, and road black uniforms do not have a logo anywhere on the uniforms; however, Vermont does use the conference logo on the sleeve of their grey alternate jerseys. Yes, those are sleeved, GFGS uniforms-the worst single uniform in the conference, in my opinion.

Stony Brook Seawolves

The Seawolves of Stony Brook are in the majority as one of five teams under the Nike brand in the America East, and one of six to use the America East logo on their uniforms; however, just like Vermont, the logo doesn't appear on one uniform. The logo appears on the cream home uniforms over the left collarbone, but doesn't appear on the road red set, instead being replaced by a generalized logo used by the NCAA to represent men's basketball.

UMass Lowell River Hawks

Costello Athletic Center

UMass Lowell is the newest member of Division I, having just finished up its second transitional year. The River Hawks also play in the smallest arena in the America East, which doesn't help with recruiting; however, their jerseys are some of the best in the conference. The primary conference logo appears on the back of the jerseys on both the white and blue jerseys, basically taking the place of a nameplate.

Paul E. Tsongas Center

New Hampshire Wildcats

 New Hampshire is another of the five America East teams under the Nike brand and part of the group that does use a conference logo on their jerseys. I wasn't able to find a picture of the back of this season's white home jerseys for the Wildcats (this was the best I could find), but seeing as though the conference logo does appear on the back of the blue jerseys, I would assume that it is in the same place on the white jerseys as well.

Hartford Hawks
The Hawks play in the most interesting arena in the America East, Chase Arena, which can be seen to the left; however, their jerseys aren't nearly as interesting, with the exception of the alternate black uniforms. The Hawks' plain home and road uniforms both have the conference logo on the back, but the alternate black uniforms have no conference logo whatsoever (and are barely legible, to just add to the oddness).

Binghamton Bearcats
To me, the Bearcats have the most confused uniform identity in the America East. Binghamton has three different uniforms, white, black, and grey, from Nike, two of which use the conference logo, one which doesn't. To add to the confusion, only the black jersey has the NCAA patch for men's basketball, while neither of the other two. The white jersey is devoid of a conference patch, while both the black and grey uniforms have the conference logo on the left hip of the shorts. Adding to all of this is the simple fact that the primary color of the Binghamton color scheme is green, but the Bearcats don't have a green uniform or prominently use green on two of their jerseys.

Maine Black Bears
Getting my vote for the worst AEC uniform set is the Maine Black Bears, who, despite their name, don't use black in their color identity at all, instead opting for white, light blue, and navy blue. Throw in some horrible New Balance striping patterns that change from uniform to uniform, and these Maine uniforms earn the prize of worst in the conference. Not even the conference logo placement is standard, as the logo appears on the left hip on the white jerseys but doesn't appear on the blue jerseys.

UMBC Retrievers
To wrap up the America East, we come to the conference doormat, the UMBC Retrievers, who do have one of the nicest arenas and uniform sets in the conference, thanks to Under Armor. The Retrievers have three uniforms, white, black, and grey (although surprisingly no yellow, considering how much of it is used in their logo). All three jerseys do not have the conference logo on them, making UMBC one of just three teams in the conference to not use logos on their jerseys.


Thanks for sticking with me over such a long layover between posts, and I'll hope to have another one up within the next few days (stomach permitting).