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I saw this referenced on TV during the NCAA tournament and checked it out. A website ranked every city in the country with one or more Division 1 basketball programs for "Best Cities for College Basketball Fans." They also include a detailed description of their methodology for the rankings (it's included in the link below).

Valpo comes in 80th out of 289 cities - and the best among the 10 MVC cities.

Valparaiso, IN - 80th
Cedar Falls, IA - 97th
Normal, IL - 102nd
Chicago, IL - 111th
Terre Haute, IN - 155th
Evansville, IN - 159th
Carbondale, IL - 176th
Springfield, MO - 211th
Peoria, IL - 255th
Des Moines, IA - 265th

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-college-basketball/32944/

Take on the Selection Committee's hardest task and decide who is in and who is out. Using only the blind resume information below vote for 8 of the 20 teams and see who we collectively would put in this year's field of 68. Teams are listed from top to bottom in a completely random order and all data is from 3/9. The poll will be open for the next three days.

[Game only - $6/person]

I wanted to start this thread a little early to include information about the bus and pregame event for this game before the registration deadline.

Visit http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1296&cid=2794&ecid=2794&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962 before Midnight on Monday, December 15 to register online. Or call the Alumni Office at 219-464-5142 during normal business hours.

Options:

Game only - $6/person (Game tips at 7pm ET at the Hilliard Gates Center on the campus of IPFW)
Sit with other Valpo fans and cheer the Crusaders on to victory for just $6 with our group ticket rate. We already have 60+ people signed up, so there should be a good Valpo crowd in the stands.

Dinner only - $10/person (4:30pm ET to 6:30pm ET in the Grand Lobby of the IPFW Alumni Center)
Enjoy a dinner of hamburgers, chicken and BBQ pork sandwiches, pasta salad, homestead beans, fresh veggies, fruit and soft drinks, catered by alumni owned Goeglien's. A cash bar will also be available. Coach Homer Drew and Athletic Director Mark LaBarbera (aka ml) will be in attendance as well.

Dinner and game together - $16/person

Bus to/from Ft. Wayne, dinner and game - $40/person
For fans in the Valpo area, get everything all in one! Transportation to and from Ft. Wayne. Dinner with other fans, Coach Homer Drew and Athletic Director Mark LaBarbera and a game ticket in the Valpo section for $40. The bus will leave from the main entrance of the ARC (Union Street) at 1:15pm CT and travel directly to the pre-game dinner. After the game is over the bus should return to Valpo at roughly 10:30pm CT.

Hope you can join us and help bring a little of the ARC home court advantage to IPFW!

Good Afternoon! There are two great Valpo Athletics related events coming up soon. Here are the details.

The first is next Friday, June 20th in Valparaiso. We are having a golf scramble at The Course at Aberdeen followed by cocktails and dinner at Strongbow's. Bryce Drew, Tracey Dorow, Dave Cecchini and Homer Drew will all be at the golf course, along with other coaches. President and Mrs. Heckler will join the group at dinner. There will also be a silent auction which will include (among other items) a VIP experience traveling with the men's basketball team on an away trip. The trip includes traveling with the team on a chartered plane, hotel accommodations the night before and all meals while traveling. Make sure you are there to put in your bid on this unique and exclusive package. Golf and dinner costs $150/person, with $50 of that amount benefiting the Crusader Fund. Click below to see more details and to register.
http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1188&cid=2544&ecid=2544&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962

The second event is Saturday, July 5th at US Cellular Field in Chicago. The Alumni Association is sponsoring an outing at the White Sox game that day. The Sox will be playing against the Seattle Mariners and their manager, Valpo baseball alumnus Lloyd McClendon. The Alumni Association has rented out the Upper Terrace Suite, a premium climate controlled area with outdoor seating included. Dave Cecchini, Tracey Dorow, Bryce Drew and Bryan Schmack will all be attending in the Suite, plus Bryce is throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. The cost for the package also includes all you can eat buffet and an open bar. All of this is just $90 a person. For alumni from 2004 (or more recently), children and current Valpo students the entire package is just $50. There will also be a bus leaving from Valpo for the event for $30/person. Click below to see more info and to register.
http://alumni.valpo.edu/s/1347/index.aspx?sid=1347&gid=1&pgid=1210&cid=2584&ecid=2584&crid=0&calpgid=61&calcid=1962

Both events will be great chances to talk with our coaches and other passionate supporters of Valpo Athletics. Please join us!

The Chicago Cubs have posted that Bryce will be singing during the 7th inning stretch this Friday (5/31).

http://vineline.mlblogs.com/2013/05/29/first-pitchseventh-inning-stretch-lineup-529-62/

The game starts at 1:20pm and is against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game will also be on the radio on WGN 720AM and on TV on Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Good Afternoon Fan Zone Posters!

I am a long time lurker on this board who wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself. My name is Matt LaBarbera and I was just recently hired as the Associate Director of Annual Giving for Athletics (actually today is my first day). I am a 2008 graduate of Valpo with a B.A in Political Science. As a student I spent time as a manager for the basketball team, as well as working for the Community Research and Service Center and as an Assistant Editor for The Cresset. Also my senior year I was involved with the VUCRU and the Student Rewards Program. In 2009 I completed my MBA at Valpo. After that I spent a year at the Wolfpack Club, which is the athletics fundraising organization for North Carolina State University. Since then I have worked at the Harre Union managing events and spent a year and half at Neulion Inc, a company that provides ticketing and donor management software to athletic departments across the country, including Mississippi State, Duke, Utah and a host of smaller schools.

Now I am looking forward to taking what I have learned at these places and helping to apply it back at Valpo! We are going to be taking a very hard look at how we do all of our athletically related fundraising, with an eye toward making sure that all our coaches have the resources they need to win Horizon League championships!

I have always enjoyed this online community since stumbling upon it several years ago, and think that it is a huge positive for the athletics programs and the University in general. I am also hoping to meet many of you in person over the coming months and years. Along those lines, I will be at the game in St. Louis this Sunday (and at the Alumni event on Saturday). If any of you are going please PM me as I would love to introduce myself. Thanks!

-ml2