Aces face Valparaiso at 1 p.m
A trip to Valparaiso will mark the final regular-season game for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team when they face the Crusaders on Saturday at 1 p.m. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network presented by Learfield will have live coverage.
Setting the Scene
– UE closes out the regular season against Valparaiso; Evansville’s last win this season came against the Crusaders as UE picked up a 64-53 win on February 2 at the Ford Center
– K.J. Riley notched a double-double in the game with 10 points and 12 rebounds
– Evansville has won all three games over Valpo since the Crusaders joined the league prior to the 2017-18 season
– With Arch Madness less than a week away, UE is locked into the 10th spot and will take on the #7 seed at 8:35 p.m. on Thursday, March 7
– The Aces hope to put an end to a recent slide, falling in its last seven games and 11 out of 12 overall
Last Time Out
– In Wednesday’s home finale, Evansville faced a 19-point deficit against Southern Illinois in the second half before getting within four points in the final minutes before SIU hung on for the 98-91 win
– Hot shooting was the difference with the Salukis finishing at 60.3% while the Aces finished at an even 50%; it was UE’s first loss this season when shooting 50% or higher
– Six players hit double figures for the Aces, led by a 17-point game from Shea Feehan; K.J. Riley finished with 16
– Dainius Chatkevicius posted 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds; both of his double-doubles this season have come against SIU
Takeaways from SIU
– A total of 6,198 fans were in attendance for Senior Day, pushing the average attendance to 5,299 per game, the top mark since the Ford Center opened in 2011
– Despite falling in its last seven games, the Aces have been extremely competitive, especially in the second half; UE has outscored the opposition by 2.3 points in the final 20 minutes over the skid and has tied or outscored the opponent 5 times
– Evansville trailed SIU by 14 at the half; over the last seven games, the Aces have averaged a 13.1-point deficit at the end of the first half
– Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, opponents have outscored UE by a 165-96 tally in the last seven contestsSend Marty to Minneapolis      – Senior Marty Hill is one of 16 finalists for the Dark Horse Dunker Competition- Four rounds of voting will take place with the winner participating in the dunk contest at the Final Four; Hill was victorious in the opening round and is now in the final eight- This year’s Final Four is in Hill’s home town of Minneapolis
