Aces To Tangle With Valparaiso
A busy week featuring two games in four days starts on Sunday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to Valparaiso for a 4 p.m. game. The Missouri Valley Conference and the Purple Aces Radio Network have the coverage. Fans in Evansville can watch on Fox Sports Midwest while those in other areas will be able to access the game on ESPN3.
 Lickliter Takes The Helm
– On January 21, it was announced that Todd Lickliter inked a multi-year deal to become the Aces head coach
– An assistant with UE last season, Lickliter has been a head coach at Butler, Iowa, and Marian and was honored as the 2007 NABC National Coach of the Year while at Butler
– He led his alma mater to a pair of Sweet 16 appearances
 Setting The Scene
– Sunday’s contest takes place in a venue that has been kind to the Purple Aces – the Athletics-Recreation Center
– UE has won four of the last five road contests against the Crusaders and both games since Valpo joined the MVC
– Last year, the Aces picked up a 65-63 win over VU in the regular-season finale at the ARC with Marty Hill scoring 21
– The Aces look to right the ship following an 0-7 start to its MVC slate; UE is trying to avoid the 0-13 start to the 2009-10 league schedule
Last Time OutÂ
– Drake scored the first nine points of the game and finished with a 73-50 win on Wednesday evening at the Ford Center
– Evansville got within five points in the first half and after trailing by 20 at the break, UE trimmed its deficit to 14, but the Bulldogs countered both times
– Shamar Givance used a 3-for-3 performance from long range to lead the team with nine points; it marked the first time since 12/8/10 against North Carolina that the team did not have a double-digit scorer
– Jawaun Newton tallied eight points while John Hall scored seven while grabbing a team-best seven boards
– After allowing Drake to shoot 56.3% in the first half, the Aces buckled down in the final 20 minutes, holding them to 33.3%
Adapting To The Next Level
– Freshman Marcus Henderson has done a nice job of filling his role, which continues to grow as the season evolves
– Henderson played a season-high 22 minutes on Wednesday against Drake and responded with six points and three assists
– Over the last two games, Henderson has drained four of his seven 3-point attempts
Coach vs. Valpo
– UE head coach Todd Lickliter is 2-0 in a pair of meetings against the Crusaders, both coming while at Butler
– The Bulldogs defeated Valpo, 72-69, in the 2005 Bracket Buster games at Hinkle Fieldhouse before taking a 60-47 victory at the ARC in 2006
Scouting The Opponent
– Valparaiso heads into Sunday’s game with an overall mark of 10-10 while going 3-4 in Valley action
– The Crusaders dropped a 67-60 contest at Missouri State on Thursday but have won their last two home games against Drake and Indiana State
– Javon Freeman-Liberty continues to be the top player for Valpo
– Freeman-Liberty leads the squad in points (20.7/game), rebounds (5.6/game) and steals (47)
– In the first match-up against the Aces, Freeman-Liberty had 25 points
– Donovan Clay and Ben Krikke added 10 points apiece in the January 4 game at the Ford Center
