Aces vs Sycamores

[jlandrus11]

ISU played poorly and when it comes down to it, UE just wanted this game more. UE played lights out in the 2nd half and didn't give up when they got down early.

Kudos to you UE!!!

[beatingrillz]

ISU played poorly and when it comes down to it, UE just wanted this game more. UE played lights out in the 2nd half and didn't give up when they got down early.

Kudos to you UE!!!

and kudos to ISUb for knowing its place outside the top tier.

[Ace Dad]

EVANSVILLE

GETTING INSIDE

After completing an improbable sweep of Indiana State with a 66-63 road win in Terre Haute on Jan. 26, Evansville now has the opportunity to firmly establish itself in the middle of the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

The Aces have a home game Jan. 29 against Southern Illinois.

The Aces improved to 11-9 overall, but more important, they are a stunning 5-5 in the MVC after being picked to finish the season in last place. They have won four of their last five games, all in the Valley, with the only loss being at Southern Illinois. A revenge win against the Salukis would give the Aces a three-game winning streak in the league.

To win Jan. 29, Evansville would have to continue to get offense from different places than leading scorer Colt Ryan, which the Aces proved they could do against the Sycamores (12-9, 7-3). With a career-high 16 points and 14 rebounds from freshman Jordan Jahr, Evansville came from 17 points down against ISU for the win despite getting just two points from Ryan, who entered the game averaging 15.3.

Evansville is 4-1 in the Valley in Roberts Stadium this season after a Jan. 23 win over Bradley. The Aces normally draw a big crowd for SIU, an old rival that dates back to the days when the two storied programs were battling for supremacy in the College Division ranks with the likes of Jerry Sloan for the Aces and Walt Frazier for the Salukis.

Jahr was simply the difference against the Sycamores when Ryan was struggling. The 6-foot-6 freshman had a double-double in the second half alone as Evansville came back from a 39-27 deficit at the half. Denver Holmes added a season-high 15 points and Kavon Lacey a season-high 13 points to more than offset the struggles of the Aces' two leading scorers, Ryan and Kenneth Harris (four points).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: There's a new word being used to describe Evansville, at least new for the last decade with the Aces: depth. Evansville has been trotting out some decent starting fives dating back before the Marty Simmons era, but the Aces couldn't compete when they had to turn to their bench. But Evansville won Jan. 26 when its two leading scorers (Colt Ryan and Kenneth Harris) produced a total of six points. The Aces still put three players in double figures and got 28 points off the bench to top Indiana State in that department 28-25. More important, Evansville went 10 deep, and every player logged at least 11 minutes. That also means there are better days ahead, as the Aces lose just three seniors off this team.

NOTES, QUOTES

--Expect freshman Jordan Jahr to get increased minutes after his performance Jan. 26 against Indiana State. Not only did Jahr post season and career highs of 16 points and 14 rebounds, he also set career highs for minutes played (21) and 3-pointers (three, in just four attempts). A 6-foot-6 graduate of Air Force Prep in Colorado Springs, Jahr had been getting most of his minutes as a designated shooter. But the Jan. 26 performance was his second good one in a row; he had eight points in 15 minutes against Bradley. He's capable of being the other scorer the Aces need.

--Evansville had compiled a 9-2 record at Roberts Stadium this season through Jan. 23. Only once in the last decade had the Purple Aces won 10 or more home games going 15-4 in the 2008-09 season.

--Junior forward Kenneth Harris was held to a season-low three points for the fourth time this season in a loss at Southern Illinois on Jan. 18. Evansville was 0-4 when Harris had scored three points.

BY THE NUMBERS: 600 -- Number of victories for Evansville at Roberts Stadium after a 70-67 win over Bradley on Jan. 23. This is the Purple Aces' final season at 55-year-old Roberts Stadium before moving to a downtown arena next season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It seems guys are getting more comfortable with each other on how we want to play both offensively and defensively." -- Evansville coach Marty Simmons.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

GAME PREVIEW:

--vs. Southern Illinois, Jan. 29

KEY MATCHUP: Southern Illinois' Mamadou Seck and Evansville's Kenneth Harris neutralized each other on Jan. 11 in Carbondale. Seck scored six points, while Harris had three. Neither has a typical power forward build, but Evansville needs Harris to slash inside and provide some scoring if it wants to turn around a 67-55 Salukis victory.

FUTURES MARKET: Of the four players that Evansville signed in the fall period, Dustin Clements and Rokas Cesnulevicius appear to have the best chances of playing right away next season. Both are post players who could step right into the spots vacated by graduating Pieter van Tongeren and Clint Hopf. Clements is a 6-8, 250-pound power forward from Faulkner State (Ala.) Community College, while Cesnulevicius is a 6-8, 225-pound Lithuanian at Hawaii Preparatory Academy who prefers to play facing the basket like many Europeans, but will be needed inside.


PLAYER NOTES

--Senior G Kavon Lacey had his best stat line of the season Jan. 26: 13 points (one off his career high), seven rebounds (tying his career high) and six assists. That means Lacey had 27 assists against just six turnovers in his last seven games through Jan. 26, all in the Valley. That will only enhance an assist-to-turnover ratio of plus-1.5 that ranked fourth in the MVC. He's also a physical defender who is the strongest player on the team.

--Going forward, Evansville almost certainly will try to get 6-foot-10 redshirt senior C Pieter van Tongeren more shots. Through Jan. 26, the Dutch import was the only player in the MVC shooting better than 60 percent, and he'd much better than that at 65 percent. He had just four points at Indiana State, but he didn't hurt his shooting percentage, going 2-for-3 from the floor. Van Tongeren had scored in double figures in consecutive games prior to Jan. 26. Although not a strong rebounder, 'Big Piet' is the team's best help defender and takes more charges than any player in the league.

______________________________________________________________

[Little Eddie]

ISU played poorly and when it comes down to it, UE just wanted this game more. UE played lights out in the 2nd half and didn't give up when they got down early.

Kudos to you UE!!!

and kudos to ISUb for knowing its place outside the top tier.

Didn't your team lose to ISUb??

Kudos to you being able to pown a high school poster though...

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

ISU played poorly and when it comes down to it, UE just wanted this game more. UE played lights out in the 2nd half and didn't give up when they got down early.

Kudos to you UE!!!

and kudos to ISUb for knowing its place outside the top tier.

Didn't your team lose to ISUb??

Kudos to you being able to pown a high school poster though...

Yeah I think beatinggirlz is going a little overboard here. The Trees may not be top tier but they don't need people constantly rubbing their noses in it.