Game time set for 1 p.m. at the Ford CenteÂ
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference action continues on Saturday when the University of Evansville men’s basketball team plays host to UNI at the Ford Center. Tip is set for 1 p.m. with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network having the coverage.
Last Time Out
– On Wednesday, UE opened its MVC slate on the road at Missouri State with the Bears taking a 90-78 victory
– Chuck Bailey III recorded a career-high 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting
– Ben Humrichous completed the night with 14 points while Kenny Strawbridge Jr. scored 10
– Tanner Cuff put together a solid all-around performance with 8 assists, 7 points and 7 boards
Making a Statement
– With the Aces facing a deficit in the second half on Wednesday at Missouri State, freshman Chuck Bailey III put the team on his back, scoring a career-high 27 points
– His effort was the top output by a freshman this season in the MVC and was just the second 20-point game by a freshman in the league this year
– Bailey connected on 10 of his 17 attempts while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the line
– On Nov. 14, he was recognized as the MVC Freshman of the Week after averaging 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in UE’s first two gamesÂ
Newcomer of the Week
– Averaging 27.5 points per game while leading the Aces to a pair of wins at the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Classic, Ben Humrichous was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 27
– He opened the week with a season-high 28 points versus the Mocs before tallying 27 against the Redhawks
– Humrichous has scored at least 11 points in each game and ranks 5th in the MVC with 18.3 PPG
– Humrichous’ MVC stat rankings include: blocks (T-5 | 1.71/gm), FG% (6th | 58.5%) and 3-point% (6th | 47.4%)
Second in the Nation
– Over the last five games, Tanner Cuff has accumulated an astonishing 21.00 assist-to-turnover ratio
– He has 21 helpers against just one turnover during that span; for the season, Cuff has a ratio of 8.67, which is second in the nation and best in the MVC
– Cuff had an excellent all-around performance at Missouri State, recording 8 assists, 7 points and 7 boards
– He had UE’s first double-double of the season at Chattanooga, totaling 10 points and 11 caroms
Scouting the Opponent
– UNI enters Saturday’s match-up with a 2-5 record after dropping their MVC opener on Wednesday night
– The Panthers fell to Belmont by a 90-70 score to open the league slate
– In the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis, UNI led #14 North Carolina at halftime before dropping a close 72-70 contest to Texas Tech
– In the finale, the Panthers rolled to a 73-51 victory over Stanford
– Nate Heise leads the Panthers with an average of 13.9 points per game while ranking second with 6.3 assists
– Just behind him it Tytan Anderson with 10.4 points and a team-best 6.3 boards per contest
