Men’s basketball opens Arch Madness against Murray State
Aces and Racers face off at 6 p.m. on Thursday
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – On Thursday, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team opens Arch Madness at 6 p.m. when the 7th-seeded Purple Aces face the #10 seed Murray State. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
MVC Awards
– Evansville was well-represented when the league released its postseason awards
– Connor Turnbull – Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team
– Tayshawn Comer – All-MVC 2nd Team and All-Newcomer Team
– Gabriel Pozzato – All-Freshman Team
History Lesson
– This marks the 9th time UE has entered Arch Madness as the 10th seed
– The Aces are 1-8 in those contests with the win coming over #7 Illinois State last season
– Last year’s win over the Redbirds ended a 7-game losing streak at the tournament
Top Freshman
– Gabriel Pozzato finished the regular season with 15.3 points per game and looks to finish the year in elite company as he earned All-Freshman Team recognition
– His scoring average is currently the top for a freshman in UE program history and is in the top ten in the MVC record books
– Pozzato finished with 13 points and a career-high 9 boards while playing all 40 minutes at Illinois State
– It marked the fifth game in a row and 10th time this year that he has played the full 40
– Pozzato is 6th in the MVC with 35.16 minutes per game
MVC Defensive Player of the Year
– Connor Turnbull joined Egidijus Mockevicius as the only two players in program history to earn MVC Defensive MVP honors
– Turnbull garnered the honor along with a spot on the league’s All-Defensive Team
– Mockevicius earned the MVP honor in 2016
– Averaging 1.87 blocks per game, Turnbull paced the MVC while his average against league opponents was even higher at 2.15
– He has recorded multiple blocks in 10 of the last 13 contests
– His total of 58 blocks ranks 25th in the country while his average of 1.87 is 30th
– Turnbull connected on 12 of his 15 shot attempts on his way to a new career mark of 27 points against Valpo on Feb. 16
Earning Recognition
– Tayshawn Comer was named to the All-MVC 2nd Team as well as the All-Newcomer Team on Wednesday morning
– Comer wrapped up the regular season with a team-high 16.0 PPG while his average of 18.5 PPG versus league foes was second in the conference
– Over the last 18 games, Comer is averaging 19.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game
– Included in that tally is a career-high 27 points in the win over Murray State, besting his mark of 26 in the road win at SIU
Scouting the Opponent
– Murray State and Evansville meet up for the first time at Arch Madness
– The Racers enter as the #7 seed following a 15-16 regular season that saw them go 9-11 in their third season as part of the MVC
– After beating Indiana State in their final home game on Feb. 25, the Racers dropped a 70-60 road game at Belmont on Sunday
– Four MSU players average double figures with JaCobi Wood leading the way with his mark of 13.5 PPG
– Terence Harcum and AJ Ferguson average 11.9 and 11.5 PPG, respectively, while Kylen Milton has chipped in 10.6
– Ferguson is the leading rebounder for Murray State with 5.7 per game
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