Men’s Basketball hosts Jacksonville State on Saturday

Aces and Gamecocks meet for first time

 Another big test is on tap for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team with the Purple Aces playing host to Jacksonville State in a 1 p.m.

“Jacksonville State is an athletic, tough team.  They attack the paint and have guys who are athletic, who play above and attack the rim,” Aces head coach Walter McCarty said.  “We have to guard our yard; do tough things and make them score over us.”

Setting the Scene

– Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between UE and Jacksonville State

– The teams will meet up again next season in Jacksonville, Ala.

– Last week’s win over Ball State saw the Aces move to 5-0 at home for the fourth year in a row; UE has also won 34 non-conference home games in a row

– UE’s bench has outscored its counterparts in six of the last seven games

– The program is averaging 4,759 fans per game through its five opening contests at the Ford Center

Last Time Out  

– Trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half of Sunday’s game against Ball State, the Purple Aces embarked on a 44-11 run that turned a 43-26 deficit into a 70-54 lead

– UE would win the game by a final of 89-77 to improve to 5-0 at the Ford Center this season

– Shea Feehan set his career mark with 29 points and went 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the win

– K.J. Riley (14), Marty Hill (12), Evan Kuhlman (11) and John Hall (10) also posted double figures; Hall led the Aces with 10 rebounds, posting his second double-double of the season

– Evansville shot 90% (27/30) from the line, making a huge difference in the victory

Takeaways from Ball State

– Shea Feehan’s 29 points was the most scored by an Evansville player this season; 17 of those points came during the game-changing 44-11 run

– John Hall grabbed a game-high 10 boards; he has 10+ rebounds in four out of the five home contests and is averaging 9.4 per game at the Ford Center

– The Aces were held to 26.5% shooting in the first half against the Cardinals, but upped that to 58.1% in the second half to finish the game shooting 41.5%

– Evansville’s defense helped BSU to 36.7% shooting in the final 20 minutes after they shot 58.6% in the opening stanza

Perfect at Home  

– For the fourth year in a row, the Aces have started 5-0 at home

– With Sunday’s triumph over the Cardinals, Evansville has now won 34-consecutive home non-conference games

– The last non-conference loss came against Murray State in December of 2014

Tops in the League 

– With 7.11 defensive rebounds per game, John Hall leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is 25th in the nation

– His total of 7.9 caroms ranks third in the MVC; he hauled in 12 boards in home wins over Texas Southern and Albion

– Hall has 10+ rebounds in four out of the five home games

Playing with Pace  

– According to KenPom.com, the Aces are averaging 75.1 possessions per game, which ranks 16th in the nation

– It is a large disparity from last season when UE was 295th in the country, averaging 65.7 possessions

Scouting the Opponent

– Jacksonville State is 5-4 entering Saturday’s contest; the Gamecocks had a 5-game win streak halted on Wednesday as they dropped a 69-65 game at Wichita State

– Jason Burnell leads a trio of double figure scorers for JSU, posting 14.1 points per game

– Burnell is a threat everywhere on the floor, leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game and a total of 31 assists on the season

– Marlon Hunter and Jamall Gregory check in with 11.2 and 10.1 points per game, respectively