Game Notes

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Following a pair of exhibition tune-ups, the regular season is finally here as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team will travel to No. 22 Notre Dame to open up the season on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN3.
 
Saturday’s game at Purcell Pavilion will be a part of the 2012 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.  Evansville will continue play in the event next weekend as Buffalo, Yale and Western Illinois will be in town for a round robin event.  Fans who would like to attend next week’s games can get admission to all six contests for just $30 while receiving a free Marty Simmons bobblehead.  Purchases must be made in person at the Carson Center Ticket Office.
 
Evansville played a pair of preseason games over the last two weekends, beginning with a 73-55 win over USI before a 79-54 triumph over Illinois-Springfield a week ago.  Several Aces found their rhythms as the regular season approaches.
 
UE senior Colt Ryan picked up right where he left off last year in the Aces’ two exhibition contests. After opening up with a 33-point effort versus USI, Ryan recorded a game-high 17 points in the win over Illinois-Springfield. He averaged 25.0 PPG in exhibition play while leading UE with 14 assists, six steals and 32 minutes per game. With those numbers, the senior is already in midseason form heading into the opener.
 
Fellow senior Troy Taylor, UE’s starting point guard last season, led the Aces in 2011-12 with 4.9 rebounds per game. One would think that it would be tough for a 6-0 guard to keep up that pace once again, but those people do not know Taylor. The Anderson, Ind. native makes the most of his abilities and seems to be in the right spot at the right time to corral the boards. He led the Aces with an average of 8.5 boards per game in the preseason, tallying eight against USI before hauling in nine in the win over Illinois-Springfield.
 
The exhibition contests marked the first action this season for UE, but also marked the first in almost a year for redshirt sophomore Jordan Jahr.  Limited to just eight games a season ago due to a foot injury, the sharpshooter returned to the floor versus USI and saw 19 minutes of action while hauling in six rebounds and hitting a pair of free throws.
 
He upped the ante against UIS, making his first career start while scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds. He was also 2-3 beyond-the-arc. Jahr’s 6-6 frame combined with his
long-range shooting ability will give Evansville a unique weapon as the season moves forward.
 
Notre Dame has made it to the NCAA Tournament in the last three years and in five of the last six campaigns. They are coming off of an impressive 22-12 season, which was them go 13-5 in the Big East and 16-1 at home. Jack Cooley, a 6-9 forward, led the Irish in scoring (12.5 PPG) and rebounding (8.9 RPG) last season. The Irish return 88.7% of their scoring from a year ago along with their starting five from the last 15 games of the 2011-12 season. That lineup posted an 11-4 mark over UND’s final stretch of the season.
 
Evansville and Notre Dame have not met since December 6, 1992 when the Irish picked up a 76-70 victory in South Bend. The Aces held a 39-32 lead at the half before UND fought back to outscore the Aces by a 44-31 margin. Andy Elkins hit 5-of-6 three-pointers on his way to tying a game-high of 21 points while Parrish Casebier had 18 and Scott Shreffler chipped in 17.
 
The Aces are 4-5 against in-state rival Notre Dame.  Evansville has won three of the last four games and is 4-1 in home games while 0-4 on the road. The last meeting, a 76-70 win for UND in South Bend, was played on December 6, 1992.
 
Fans can watch the game live on ESPN3.com or by listening to WUEV 91.5 and online at www.WUEV.org.