Game set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
The University of Evansville men’s basketball team returns for the Ford Center on Saturday to take on Illinois State at 1 p.m. The game will be carried live on ESPN+. It is Hall of Fame weekend with the 1959-60, 1963-64 and 1970-71 National Championship teams being inducted into the UE Athletics Hall of Fame.
Setting the Scene
– Evansville is riding some momentum heading into Saturday’s game after earning its first road win of the season at Missouri State on Wednesday
– UE looks to reverse a slide against the Redbirds, who have won the last seven games in the series over the Aces
– It is Hall of Fame weekend at UE as the 1959-60, 1963-64 and 1970-71 National Championship teams will be inducted into the UE Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday
Last Time Out
– A late surge saw the Purple Aces earn a 70-64 win at Missouri State on Wednesday
– UE trailed by five points with 5:28 remaining (54-49), but outscored the Bears by a 21-10 margin over the final minutes of the game to take the win
– K.J. Riley led the team with 16 points and 8 rebounds in 35 minutes of work
– John Hall was 4-4 from the floor and 3-3 from outside on his way to 11 points while Shea Feehan finished with 10
Takeaways from Missouri State
– K.J. Riley has now finished in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games; he is 11th in the nation in free throw attempts and 17th in free throw makes
– John Hall matched his career high with three made triples; his tally of 7.11 defensive rebounds per game ranks 27th in the NCAA
– UE hauled in 28 defensive boards and now ranks 15th in the nation with 29.67 per game
– The Aces look to take better care of the ball moving forward; UE has finished with at least 16 turnovers in all five MVC games; the opposition has finished with fewer turnovers in four of those games
– Shea Feehan has reached double figures in three consecutive games, averaging 11.7 points over that span
Everyone is a Threat
– “Everyone is a Threat†is the quote used by Coach McCarty and is has shown in the efforts by UE’s walk-ons
– Devan Straub came off the bench to play 10 minutes at Missouri State and hit a huge three that helped the Aces pull off the win
– Straub has played in four games while Jared Chestnut has seen the court on ten occasions
Scouting the Opponent
– Illinois State topped Southern Illinois by a 59-58 final on Tuesday to improve to 10-8 overall and 3-2 in Valley play
– Milik Yarbrough paces the Redbirds with 16.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game; he is a 49.6% shooter and is 39.0% from outside
– Phil Fayne, who led the Redbirds with 20 points in the first meeting against the Aces, checks in with 15.2 points per game
– Zach Copeland rounds out the double figure scorers with 10.7 points per contest
