EVANSVILLE, Ind. – With six non-conference games complete, the University of Evansville men's basketball team has its sights set on the Missouri Valley Conference slate, which opens up on Sunday, December 27 with a 3 p.m. game at Southern Illinois.  ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
 

Evansville at Southern Illinois
Game Information	Sunday, Dec. 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Monday, Dec. 28 | 5:00 p.m. | Banterra Center
Game Coverage	ESPN+ (Game 1) | ESPN+ (Game 2) | Live Stats (Both Games) | Live Audio | Game Notes
UE Athletics App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
UE Basketball	Digital Poster | "How to Watch" Guide | Men's Basketball Home Page | Twitter

 
Conference Mini Series
- The 2020-21 MVC schedule will look different than usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Each school will face four Valley squads in a 2-game home series, four in a road series and a home-and-home with its travel partner
- Evansville begins at SIU on the 27th before wrapping up the series on the 28th with a 5 p.m. contest
 
Valley Opener
- Evansville opens its 27th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in the weekend series at SIU
- Through its first 26 conference openers, UE is 11-15
- The last UE win in its Valley opener came on Jan. 2, 2019 when the Aces earned an 82-77 double overtime win over Drake
- Its last victory in its first league road tilt came in Jan. 2, 2016 with a 76-59 win at Missouri State
 
Last Time Out                                                                              
- UE jumped out to an early 10-point lead on Dec. 21 versus Belmont, but the Bruins countered, going up by as many as 15 points before taking a 72-63 win
- In the second half, the Aces kept the deficit around a manageable 9-12 points before getting within five in the final minutes
- Playing his second game for the Aces, Samari Curtis scored a career-high 19 points as he went 3-4 from outside and 8-10 from the line
 
Series Notes
- Sunday will be the 131st meeting between the Aces and Salukis; the only team that UE has faced more is Indiana State (177 games)
- SIU has won four in a row in the series including a 70-53 win in Carbondale last year and a 64-60 overtime triumph at the Ford Center
- Evansville is 4-3 in its last seven trips to Carbondale
- Between 1/29/11 and 2/24/18, UE won 10 out of 15 meetings against SIU
 
Scouting the Opponent
- Southern Illinois has a perfect 6-0 record entering conference play after wrapping up the pre-conference slate on Monday with a 76-73 road win at Butler
- The Salukis also include wins over Murray State, North Dakota, SEMO and Quincy
- Sophomre Marcus Domask paces the Salukis with 17.7 PPG
- Domask is a 49.4% shooter from field and 88.5% from the free throw line
- Ben Harvey has recorded 14 points while shooting 55.1% on the season; he leads the Salukis with 5.7 rebounds
- Lance Jones is the third Saluki to average double figures; he checks in with 10.7 points and a team-best 26 assists
 

• INFO: For all of the latest information on University of Evansville athletics, visit GoPurpleAces.com or follow the program on Twitter via @UEAthletics.

 

• FUTURE UNAFRAID: To make a gift to the Future Unafraid initiative and contribute to the Purple Aces' response to COVID-19, please visit UEAlumniOnline.com/FutureUnafraid  

                                   

• SUPPORT: For information on giving to UE Athletics or its individual athletics programs, visit the SUPPORT tab on the top of GoPurpleAces.com.

 

• TICKETS: To purchase tickets for University of Evansville athletics events, log on to GoPurpleAces.com and click on the TICKETS tab on top of the page.