Aces and Sycamores meet up in Terre Haute
 EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference action resumes on Wednesday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team visits Indiana State at the Hulman Center. Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– Missing two of its top performers and facing a 1-loss Cincinnati team, the Aces put forth a strong effort, but a second-half rally by the Bearcats was too much to overcome in a 76-58 loss on Dec. 29
– UE shot 58.1% in the first half and led by eight at halftime before a 26-4 stretch in the second half turned the tides
– Yacine Toumi had one of the top efforts of his career, posting 17 points and 9 rebounds while playing over 37 minutes
– Kenny Strawbridge Jr. (14 pts) and Tanner Cuff (13 pts) also finished in double digits
Upping His Game
– In one of the top all-around efforts of his career, Yacine Toumi recorded 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists at Cincinnati as UE was down two players
– The contest marked the 5th-consecutive double-digit scoring game for Toumi, who is averaging 13.8 points over that span
– With 10 points and 10 caroms in the triumph over Tennessee Tech, he earned his first double-double of the season and the fourth of his career
– Toumi was Evansville’s top performer in the road game against top 15 squad BYU and followed that up with a 14-point game at Bellarmine
Doing It All
– Junior Tanner Cuff is enjoying his top scoring stretch of the season, averaging 12 PPG over the last three contests
– Cuff put together is top performance of the season against UT Martin, recording a career-high 14 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists
– Following a 9-point game vs. TTU, Cuff scored 13 at Cincinnati on 6-of-12 shooting
– With 43 assists against 13 turnovers, he paces the MVC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.07; that tally is 36th in the NCAA
– Cuff has multiple assists in 8 of the last 10 games with his top total of eight coming at MSU and vs. UTM
First Star
– Freshman Joshua Hughes made the first start of his career at Cincinnati and finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals
– He has scored at least 7 points in 5 of the last 6 games and is shooting 57.5% (19/33) over that span
– He is tied for 5th in the MVC with 1.38 blocks per game
– Converting 8 of his 12 attempts in the Nov. 25 win over SEMO, he reset his UE scoring mark with 21 points
– Hughes scored 11 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting day in the UNI win
Scouting the Opponent
– Indiana State is tied atop the MVC standings with an overall mark of 11-2 and a league record of 2-0
– The Sycamores opened Valley play with wins over Southern Illinois and at Bradley
– Throughout non-conference action, the lone losses for Indiana State have been on the road at Alabama and Michigan State
– Five ISU players average double figures with Isaiah Swope leading the way with 19.6 points per game; he is the #2 scorer in the MVC
– Ryan Conwell and Robbie Avila both check in with averages of 15.5 PPG
