EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the first and only time in the regular season, the University of Evansville men's basketball team will face Southern Illinois in a Sunday game at the Ford Center. Tip is set for 1 p.m. CT with the MVC TV Network and the Purple Aces Radio Network on the call. The game will be live on Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports Indiana Extra, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports South, NBC Sports Chicago Plus and ESPN+.
Last Time Out
- Trailing by a 63-58 margin inside of six minutes remaining, UIC finished on a 30-16 run to take an 88-79 win on Wednesday night in Chicago
- Ben Humrichous put forth a stellar effort with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists
- Kenny Strawbridge Jr. tallied 14 points and 4 assists while Chuck Bailey III checked in with 13
- Gage Bobe was 4-for-4 from outside on his way to 12 points
Another in Double Figures
- In four games between Jan. 27 and Feb. 7, Chuck Bailey III was held to 4.5 points per game, but the last four games have seen major improvements
- Bailey has registered 9.5 PPG in the last four while shooting 55.1% (16-of-29)
- He made the first start of his career at Drake and recorded four of UE's opening six points while grabbing four boards
- His 81.9% showing from the free throw line this season is tied for 9th in the MVC
At His Best
- Kenny Strawbridge Jr. may be playing the best basketball of his collegiate career
- Over the last six games, he has recorded 12.2 points and 4.2 assists per game
- Defensively, he is one of the best in the MVC and is second with 1.74 steals/game
- He has reached double figures in four consecutive games and has multiple assists in each of the last six outings
Back at his Best
- Ben Humrichous continues to get better and better since returning to the floor
- He has scored 18+ points in each of the last three games, averaging 19.7 PPG over that time
- He was 7-of-12 from the field with 6 boards and 6 assists at UIC
- Humrichous was held scoreless in the first half at Illinois State before erupting for 21 points in the final 20 minutes
- He finished the game 8-of-15 from the field and converted five 3-pointers; it was his first 20-point game since posting 27 against SEMO in Chattanooga
- That came on the heels of an 18-point effort versus Drake, his best since tallying 18 against UNI on Dec. 2
Scouting the Opponent
- Southern Illinois comes to the Ford Center with a mark of 18-10 and are 10-7 in the MVC
- After dropping a road game at Belmont on Feb. 14, the Salukis have rebounded with back-to-back home wins over #23 Indiana State and Murray State
- Xavier Johnson has been on of the league's top players throughout the season and leads the team with 22.8 points per game
- He paces the MVC in scoring along with his average of 6.14 assists per contest
- Trent Brown is second on the team with 9.3 PPG
- On the boards, Clarence Rupert holds the top team mark with 6.2 per game
