OXFORD, Ohio – It has been eight days since the University of Evansville men's basketball team completed its pre-Christmas schedule with an 80-75 win over Green Bay.
One of the big stories this season for the Purple Aces has been their propensity to shoot 3-pointers. Evansville is attempting 23.9 per game and is on pace to be the most in school history.
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While head coach Walter McCarty's new style has seen the Aces make huge leaps in that statistic, Miami University has averaged even more. The RedHawks have taken an average of 27.9 triples per game and are hitting them at a 34.6% clip. As is the case with any team that shoots like that from outside, it can make or break your day.
Evansville is looking to break a recent streak from outside that has seen them hit under 35% of their attempts in its last seven games. The last contest over that mark came on November 24 when UE connected on 47.1% of its attempts at Ball State.
UE hopes that number rises today on the floor of another Mid-American Conference school – Miami Ohio. On the other side, the Aces have been lights out from the free throw line, hitting at least 70% of their tries in each of the last five games. Last time out against the Phoenix, UE was 24-of-28 (85.7%).
K.J. Riley was the star against Green Bay, scoring a career-high 24 points while draining 12 of his 14 tries from the line. He is in the top 35 in the NCAA in free throw makes and attempts. His recent streak has seen him reach double figures in each of his last seven games.
Free throws may be the difference today. Evansville is making 17.3 per game while Miami stands at 12.0. The Aces are also shooting 74.5% from the line with the RedHawks checking in at 69.6%. UE is also getting to the line an average of 5.9 more times per game than Miami.
The stage is set for a big road contest at noon CT with the Aces and RedHawks squaring off on ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network.
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