Monday, March 24th, 9:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,749) -- Houston, Texas. Television: None. CBI Record: Valpo 1-0, Houston 1-0. Series Record: Houston leads, 3-1.

GAME NOTES: In the second round of play of the CBI Tournament, the Houston Cougars will host the Valparaiso Crusaders at the Hofheinz Pavilion. The Crusaders opened tournament action with a thrilling, 72-71 victory over Washington. It was the first postseason victory in 10 years for Valpo, which is now a strong 22-13 on the season. As for the Cougars, they also had a tough matchup in the first round, but the team was able to grab a slim, 80-79 win over Nevada. Houston is now 23-9 on the season, and snapped a small two-game losing skid with the win over the Wolf Pack. The Cougars have done a tremendous job at the Hofheinz Pavilion, winning 16 of their 18 games on their home court. With respects to the all-time series between Houston and Valpo on the hardwood, the Cougars have won three of the four meetings.

Five players are averaging double figures for Valpo, which heads into this second record matchup averaging 71.2 ppg. Shawn Huff has been extremely dangerous from behind the arc, netting 47.8 percent of his three-point attempts, while pacing the team with 12.7 ppg. Jarryd Loyd has been an outstanding floor general for the Crusaders, as the guard is leading the team with 139 assists, and is also contributing 11.9 ppg. Dominating the paint has been Urule Igbavboa, who is averaging 10.9 ppg to go along with team highs in rebounds (7.3 rpg) and blocks (21). Rounding out the double-figure scorers is Brandon McPherson and Samuel Haanpaa, who are chipping in 10.1 and 10.0 ppg, respectively. In the win over Washington, the Crusaders shot 48.3 percent from the field, and used a 20-point effort from Bryan Bouchie. Brandon McPherson added 18 points, while Igbavboa contributed 17 points to go along with six rebounds.

The Cougars are an extremely dangerous team offensively, and come into this matchup averaging an impressive 78.8 ppg, while shooting 41.0 percent from the floor. Robert McKiver has been without question the top option for Houston, as the guard is averaging a strong 23.1 ppg. McKiver also has 92 assists and 55 steals on the season. Dion Dowell has been the main source of production in the paint for Houston, as the big man is contributing 11.5 ppg to go along with team highs in rebounds (7.0 rpg) and blocks (52). Against Nevada, the Cougars only shot 37.7 percent from the floor, but the team was able to connect on 14-of-35 three-point attempts and 20-of-24 shots from the charity stripe. McKiver paced the team with 22 points in the win, while Dowell posted a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

The Cougars are extremely tough to beat at home and should be able to overcome a less than stellar Valpo squad.

Predicted Outcome

Houston 75, Valparaiso 68