EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Arch Madness opens on Thursday when the University of Evansville men's basketball team faces sixth-seeded UNI at 8:30 p.m. at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. ESPN+ and Purple Aces Radio Network will have the broadcast.
All-MVC
- AJ Casey earned a spot on the All-MVC Third Team when the league announced its postseason awards on Wednesday
- Casey averaged 16.1 points per game against league foes while shooting 54.1%
- Highlighting his league season was 37 points against Valparaiso where he hit the game-winning triple at the buzzer
Last Time Out
- Southern Illinois scored the final 12 points on Sunday to defeat the Aces by a final score of 81-67 in the regular season finale
- Josh Hughes, Trent Hundley, and AJ Casey led UE with 16 points apiece
SC Top 10
- AJ Casey made one of the SportsCenter Top 10 plays on Saturday, Feb. 28 with his game-winning triple at the buzzer to defeat Valparaiso
- Casey set his new career high with 37 points in the contest tying him for the third-highest point total by a UE player at the Ford Center; he matched his career mark with 11 boards for his second double-double
- He heads to St. Louis averaging 23.3 PPG over his last four contests
- His previous career mark saw him record 28 points in the home win over Illinois State
UE at Arch Madness
- Evansville heads to St. Louis as the #11 seed for the first time in program history
- Since an 83-72 win over Indiana State in 2017, UE has lost nine of its last 10 games in the tournament
Series Notes
- Thursday will mark the third meeting of the season between the Aces and Panthers
- UNI took a 62-48 win in Evansville on Jan. 4 before earning a 71-55 victory in Cedar Falls on Jan. 31
- This marks the fifth time the teams have met at Arch Madness - UNI has won the first four meetings
That's a First
- For what is believed to be the first time in program history, UE had three players record a double-double in the Feb. 28 game against Valparaiso
- AJ Casey finished the game with 37 points and 11 boards while Josh Hughes added 10 tallies and 11 caroms
- Leif Moeller picked up 10 points and a career-high 11 assists in the contest
Scouting the Opponent
- UNI enters Arch Madness as the No. 6 seed after going 19-12 in the regular season while posting an MVC mark of 11-9
- The Panthers come to St. Louis on a streak that has seen them win five of their last eight contests including a 75-53 road win at Drake to complete the regular season last weekend
- Trey Campbell leads the Panthers with 13.2 points per game, 121 assists, and 50 steals
- Leon Bond III is averaging 11.5 PPG and a team-high 5.0 rebounds while Will Hornseth has averaged 11.3 points over the course of the season
