VALPARAISO | The good news is Valparaiso gets its Ohio road trip to Cleveland State and Youngstown State out of the way early.

The bad news is the young Crusaders (2-3) open Horizon League play tonight against the Vikings, the preseason league favorites.

Due to the 18-game round-robin conference schedule, Horizon teams play two conference games in early December as opposed to most leagues, which begin play after Christmas.

"You have mixed feelings about it," Valpo coach Homer Drew said. "I have strong feelings this year that it's too early, but with an experienced team then you're excited.

"Last year we opened up with two games on the road, and with an experienced team back we did well. But now with seven new players, you'd like to get another couple of weeks under your belt, especially playing the team picked No. 1 in the preseason."

The Vikings (4-2) are off to a good start, having won their past three games in Miami to win the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic regional. Senior J'Nathan Bullock, a thorn in VU's side last season, leads the Vikings at 13.3 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Bullock scored 19 points against the Crusaders in the Horizon League tournament last year, and 19 in a win at Valpo. At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, he's a tough defensive assignment for anyone in the Crusaders' lineup.

"Once he touches the ball, we have to swarm around him to make his shots difficult," Drew said. "They have height up front, and then (Cedric) Jackson who can take it to the hole and shoot over you.

"They're a very good team, and that's why they're No. 1."

Valpo is coming off a rough three-game tournament appearance at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Crusaders lost to San Diego, Iona and LaSalle, after winning the first two games of the season at home.

Drew gave the team Wednesday and Thursday off for Thanksgiving, but the players have been back in town practicing since Friday.

"When we came home we talked about the word focus," Drew said. "We let each player define what focus is, and we decided it was concentration and avoiding distractions.

"Focusing for 40 minutes has been a challenge for us. But our practices have been better and we're focusing better on ball movement, learning your assignments and better positioning on defense."

Senior guard Brandon McPherson has not played yet this season coming off knee surgery last spring. He was re-evaluated before the Paradise Jam, and has been taking part in halfcourt drills in practice.

Drew said a decision has not been made yet on McPherson's future.

"The doctor said the knee is getting stronger, so that's very encouraging," Drew said. "We haven't talked about (redshirting) yet. First we want him to get his knee strong and once that happens we'll talk about the options.

"It's tough for him mentally because he wants to be involved with his team and his teammates."