Men’s basketball faces Indiana State at 6 p.m. CT
This week, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will play two road games close to home, beginning on Wednesday when the Purple Aces head to Terre Haute to face Indiana State in a 6 p.m. CT game. The game will be available on ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network presented by Learfield.
Setting the Scene
– Evansville heads into the final eight games of the regular season in 8th place in the MVC; UE will play four games against the top half of the current standings and four against the bottom half over the final month
– UE is looking to half a 3-game losing
streak to the Sycamores along with a 7-game skid against ISU in the Hulman Center
– Overall, the Aces are 6-13 in the last 19 contests versus Indiana State
Last Time Out
– Trailing by three at the half, the Purple Aces outscored Valparaiso by a 40-26 margin in the second half to earn a 64-53 win on Saturday inside the Ford Center
– The win halted a 4-game losing streak
– Marty Hill, who led all players with 14 points, scored eight in a row by himself in what proved to be the game-winning run in the second half
– K.J. Riley added 10 points and 12 rebounds on the way to his third career double-double
Takeaways from Valparaiso
– Evansville’s conference wins this season have come down to their ability to outshoot the opposition; when the Purple Aces are tied or finish with the advantage in shooting percentage, the squad is 4-1; when being outshot in league play, the Aces are 0-5.
– UE connected on 7 3-pointers against the Crusaders; Evansville has connected on at least seven 3-pointers in all ten MVC games; in 18 conference games last year, the Aces did so just six times
Turning the Corner
– Freshman Shamar Givance has rebounded from a tough start in conference play in 2019
– Through his first seven MVC outings, Givance averaged just 2.9 points per game and 14.3 minutes while shooting 23.5%
– In his last three contests, Givance has rebounded in a major way, posting 7.7 points in 17.3 minutes per game while shooting 66.7%.
– Givance recorded 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting at Northern Iowa for his top MVC game
– It was two points off of his career high of 12 points, which came against Wyoming
– Evansville is 7-3 when he scores 6 or more points in a game
Scouting the Opponent
– Indiana State stands at 11-11 overall and are 3-7 in their Valley games in 2019
– ISU has dropped its last three games, including a 68-62 game against Drake on Saturday
– Tyreke Key and Jordan Barnes continue to pace the Sycamores, averaging 16.9 and 16.5 points per game, respectively
– Key is shooting 55.0% on the season while Barnes has a team-best 70 assists
– Christian Williams has 5.1 rebounds per game while Emondre Rickman checks in with 22 blocks
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