EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Regular season play comes to a close on Sunday when the University of Evansville men's basketball team will be in Nashville to face Belmont at the Curb Event Center. Tip is set for 4 p.m. CT with ESPN+ and the Purple Aces Radio Network on the call.
Season Win Notes
- For the first time in five seasons, the Purple Aces have won double digit games, earning win #10 of 2023 with an 82-51 victory over Tennessee Tech on Dec. 20
- With the win, UE clinched its first 10-win season since earning 11 victories in 2018-19; the 10th win also doubled the win total from the entirety of last season
- UE earned its 12th win of the season on Jan. 27 against Illinois State; it is the first time UE has won 12 games since 2017-18
- When UE racked up its 11th win on Jan. 17, the program won as many games this season as the last two years combined
- Victories over Chattanooga and SEMO in the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Classic saw the Purple Aces improve to 6-0 on the season
- It is the first time UE has won its first six games since the 1964-65 undefeated national championship team
Last Time Out
- Shooting 50.8% on the night, Indiana State picked up an 85-67 win over UE in Wednesday's home finale
- Seniors Gage Bobe, Kenny Strawbridge Jr., Antonio Thomas and Yacine Toumi were recognized during Senior Night festivities
- Strawbridge led UE with 14 points while Bobe and Tanner Cuff scored 10 apiece
- Toumi recorded 9 points and a team-high 8 boards
Finishing on a High Note
- As the regular season comes to a close, Gage Bobe is playing his best basketball of the season and finished with 10 points on Senior Night
- He hit 3 of his 5 outside attempts against the Sycamores and has hit a triple in 7 consecutive games, shooting 56.5% (13-of-23)
- At UIC, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range on his way to 12 points; it tied his season mark of 12, which came at home against Murray State where he was also 4-for-4 from outside
Double Digits
- Tanner Cuff scored 10 points in the home finale and has now picked up 9+ points in 7 of the last 11 games while averaging 9.1 PPG (100 points) over that span
- In the home win over UIC, he recorded a career-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting
- Over the last 13 games, Cuff has 21 assists and 11 turnovers; the 6 games prior saw him post 6 assists and 10 turnovers
Finishing Strong
- Wednesday's home finale saw Yacine Toumi finish with a solid 9 points and 8 rebounds
- In the two prior games, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.5 caroms
- After scoring 20 points three times at UE, Toumi reset his high with 22 points against UIC on 8-of-10 shooting
- His season shooting mark of 55.2% ranks 6th in the MVC
Scouting the Opponent
- Belmont and Evansville meet up for the only time in the regular season in the final contest before Arch Madness
- The Bruins stand at 18-12 overall while going 11-8 through 19 MVC contests
- In its last week of action, Belmont earned a 93-78 home win over Missouri State before beating Murray State on the road by an 83-61 final
- Three players average double digits with Ja'Kobi Gillespie leading the way with 17.5 points per game while Malik Dia is just behind with 17.4 PPG
- Cade Tyson checks in with 16.7 points and a team-high 6.0 caroms per contest
