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EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Exhibition play for the University of Evansville men's basketball team is just a day away as the Purple Aces play host to McKendree at the Ford Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
Tip is set for 1 p.m. and can also be viewed on AcesTV.  Tickets are still available by calling 812-488-ACES or may be purchased at the game.
 
The Purple Aces return all five starters from last season while adding Mislav Brzoja, Taylor
Stafford and Williey Wiley.  Two returners received preseason accolades from the Missouri Valley Conference, led by junior D.J. Balentine.  The native of Kokomo, Ind. was named a Preseason All-Conference player on Tuesday.
 
Balentine was one of the top ten scorers in the nation last season, posting 22.8 points per game.  He was the top scorer in the league last season while finishing as the second-leading sophomore in the country.
 
Egidijus Mockevicius finished last season as the top rebounder and shooter in the league.  For those efforts, Mockevicius was named a preseason honorable mention player.
 
With that strong nucleus returning, Evansville was picked to finish fourth in the MVC this season.  Wichita State was picked first followed by UNI and Missouri State.  For the Aces, it tied the second-highest pick since entering the league in 1994.  The top preseason ranking was second in the 2000-01 campaign.
 
In each of its first three seasons in the Valley, the Aces were picked to wrap up the season in fourth place.
 
Saturday's opponent is McKendree, who plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference with local schools USI and Kentucky Wesleyan.  The Bearcats were 9-17 last season while winning just once in the last 11 outings of the year.
 
McKendree loses three of its top four scorers with Matt Holmes being the top returner.  He averaged 10.8 points per game.  The team played better at home, going 8-7 as opposed to a 1-10 mark in road outings.
 
Entering his 49^th season at the helm of the McKendree program is head coach Harry Statham.  The Hall of Famer has won 1,077 games at the institution.