Four takeaways from Valparaiso's 104-62 exhibition victory over Brescia

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VALPARAISO - After five months of grueling practices and a few scrimmages, the Valparaiso men’s basketball team played its first competitive game in front of fans on Tuesday night.

It’s hard to glean much from Valpo’s 104-62 win over Brescia given the level of competition the Beacons were going up against. Brescia, a NAIA program from Owensboro, Kentucky, went 9-17 last year, including three losses to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Valpo’s exhibition opponent for the last two years.

The Bearcats lost by an average of 20 points to SMWC last season, including by 36 in the 2024-25 finale. Brescia was hardly the competition that Valparaiso has faced in two previous exhibition games under third-year coach Roger Powell Jr., and it was hardly the competition that Valpo will face next Tuesday when Eastern Illinois opens the 2025-26 season at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Still, there were several takeaways from Tuesday’s game that paint a picture as to what to expect from the Beacons this season.