Valparaiso is 7-0 against the Brickies since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Valparaiso Vikings will play host again and welcome the Hobart Brickies, where tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Valparaiso knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past five matchups -- so hopefully the Brickies like a good challenge.
Even though La Porte scored an imposing 61 points on Thursday, Valparaiso still came out on top. Valparaiso pulled ahead with a 62-61 photo finish over the Slicers. 62 seems to be a good number for Valparaiso as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.
Jack Smiley continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, scoring 31 points along with eight rebounds. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Alec Platipodis was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Hobart's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Thursday after their fourth straight loss. They took a 53-47 hit to the loss column at the hands of Kankakee Valley.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Anthony Hnilo, who scored 20 points along with three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Juanta Lewis, who scored ten points along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Valparaiso pushed their record up to 15-4 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.8 points per game. As for Hobart, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Valparaiso have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 26.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hobart struggles in that department as they've been averaging 27 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything came up roses for Valparaiso against the Brickies in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 as the team secured a 64-29 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Hobart's Vonzell Strayhorne, who almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Valparaiso to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
