Aces and Skyhawks to square off on Wednesday
In its final contest before opening up the home slate, the University of Evansville men’s basketball squad will travel to UT Martin on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game. ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
Setting the Scene                                                                                                            Â
– UE makes its first trip to UT Martin since 2006 in what is sure to be a somber scene
– The Skyhawks open the season with heavy hearts following the passing of head coach Anthony Stewart in November
– Evansville looks to continue the improvement it made between its first and second games in Louisville
– After shooting 29.8% against the Cardinals, UE rebounded to finish at 35.7% versus Prairie View
– A vast improvement was also made on the glass where the Aces more than doubled their output from 18 against Louisville to 40 versus PVAMU
Party Like It’s 1989
– Evansville opens the 2020 campaign with three games away from home
– On the November 25 opening day, the Purple Aces faced Louisville in the first game of the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic
– UE continued the tournament two days later, facing Prairie View A&M before starting the month of December at UT Martin
– The last time the program opened the season with three games away from home was in 1989-90 with three games in the Maui Classic
Last Time Out                                                                                                          Â
– In a back-and-forth contest, the Aces looked poised to pick up their first victory of the season, but a late run by Prairie View A&M lifted them to a 64-61 win on Friday
– UE jumped out to a 16-6 lead, hitting its first six shots of the day before the Panthers fought back to take their first lead at 23-22
– Prairie View wrestled away the lead in the second half, going up by as many as nine points before fending off a late rally for the win
– Noah Frederking posted the second 20-point game of his UE career, leading all players with 20 points
Looking Back                                                                                                            Â
– The last meeting between the Aces and Skyhawks came in the 2015 CIT, which saw UE take the tournament championship
– In the semifinal contest at the Ford Center, D.J. Balentine recorded 28 points while Adam Wing added 16 to guide the team to a 79-66 win and a berth in the championship game
– Evansville took on Northern Arizona in the final game, earning a 71-65 win
20-20
– For the second time in his Aces career, Noah Frederking reached the 20-point mark, posting a game-high 20 tallies versus Prairie View A&M
– The top outing of his career came in November of 2018 when he registered 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting in a win over Kentucky Wesleyan
– Frederking knocked down six shots, including three triples while draining all five free throw tries
– Through two games, the senior is averaging a team-best 13.5 points
– Over the final 16 games of the year, Frederking was looked upon to log some big minutes, playing 26.6 minutes per game over that span; he ranks second thus far in 2020 with 29.8 minutes per contest
Making the Adjustment
– Freshman Trey Hall had a nice start to his college career at the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic in Louisville
– Hall recorded 9 points in the opener against the Cardinals before adding an 8-point, 8-rebound effort versus Prairie View A&M
– The forward has hit a 3-pointer in each game and ranks second on the team with five rebounds per game
Scouting the Opponent
– UT Martin takes to the floor for the first time since the unexpected death of head coach Anthony Stewart on November 15
– Montez Robinson takes over head coaching duties on an interim basis and leads a team that went 9-20 last season and 5-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference
– Five players return from last year’s team including Preseason All-OVC guard Parker Stewart, who averaged 19.2 points per game a season ago
– The son of Anthony Stewart, Parker led the OVC with 2.8 made 3-point field goals per game
– Eman Sertovic averaged 4.8 PPG in 2019-20
– Ajani Kennedy is set to take the floor after sitting out last season following his transfer from UC Riverside
