A breakthrough 2025-2026 season coupled with strong retention and recruiting has the Valparaiso University men's basketball team projected to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, according to Blue Ribbon Magazine. This marks the team's highest predicted finish since joining The Valley and if achieved would be the team's highest actual finish since joining the league.
 
In addition, sophomore JT Pettigrew (Lisle, Ill. / Bolingbrook) has been named to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team. Pettigrew is one of only five MVC players to garner this preseason recognition.
 
Pettigrew became the first Valpo freshman to earn all-conference honors since Lubos Barton in 1999 as he was named to the All-MVC Third Team last season. He was the MVC Freshman of the Year Runner-up and achieved all-freshman team status. A four-time MVC Freshman of the Week, Pettigrew averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while playing in all 33 contests and making 31 starts. He played his best basketball down the stretch, averaging 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds over the final month of the season. Pettigrew ranked third in the league in rebounding average in MVC play.
 
The team went 11-9 in league action last year, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, notching the team's first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program's highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-17. The Beacons enjoyed their first winning season overall since 2019-20 and featured a 13-4 mark at the Athletics-Recreation Center, their highest home win total since 2016-17.
 
Last year, Valpo exceeded expectations, finishing just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team conference's preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325^th nationally in Division-I experience prior to the 2025-26 season and finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after beginning at 283, a jump of 133 spots that was the fourth-largest improvement nationally.
 
Valpo will host an exhibition game on Oct. 27 before tipping off the regular season at the ARC on Nov. 2 vs. Western Illinois. Visit tickets.valpoathletics.com to purchase season tickets.
 
BLUE RIBBON FORECAST
1.      UIC
2.      Illinois State
3.      Murray State
4.      Valparaiso
5.      Belmont
6.      Bradley
7.      Drake
8.      Southern Illinois
9.      Evansville
10.    UNI
11.    Indiana State
 
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
F-Chase Walker, SR, Illinois State
F-Roman Domon, SO, Murray State
F-JT Pettigrew, SO, Valparaiso
G-Andy Johnson, SO, UIC
G-Ahmad Henderson, SR, UIC
 
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Chase Walker, SR, Illinois State
 
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Christian Jones, R-JR, Murray State