The Redeem Team is here

Column: The CRU is back in the TBT and looking for a new Valpo story

If you’re flipping through the channels on Friday night and come across the Big Ten Network around 7 p.m., you’re bound to do a double take.

The commentators will most likely be spending the majority of their time talking about Assembly Ball, a team comprised of former Indiana basketball players such as Yogi Ferrell, Noah Vonleh and Jordan Hulls.

Assembly Ball is the No. 1 seed in the Butler Regional of The Basketball Tournament, the annual winner-take-all event where the champion receives $1,000,000. While the BTN coverage will undoubtedly be slanted toward the former Hoosiers, their opponents might have a familiar look to subscribers of The Victory Bell.

After a one-year hiatus, The CRU is back in TBT and the Valparaiso alumni team will look to spring an upset when it takes on Assembly Ball at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a place where Valpo hasn’t lost in 4,948 days.

The CRU made its TBT debut in 2022, falling to No. 1 Gutter Cat Gang 88-78 in Omaha. After being left on the outside looking in of the tournament draw last year, a retooled roster full of players is back and looking for some redemption.

In more ways than one.