Game Day: UE-Wright State
Evansville Aces (15-13) at Wright State Raiders (18-9)
Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters Game
Game Time: 1 p.m. Saturday
Location: Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio
Broadcast: WUEV 91.5 FM
Live Coverage: Follow on Twitter (@ECP_Lintner, @davidjabs7)
Game Notes: Click here for UE and here for Wright State
Spread: TBA at Vegas Insider
UE’s Probable Starters: G Troy Taylor, G Ned Cox, F Colt Ryan, F Adam Wing, C Egidijus Mockevicius
Wright State’s Probable Starters: G Joe Bramanti, G Kendall Griffin, G Matt Vest, F Jerran Young, F Tavares Sledge
Series History: Saturday marks the teams’ second-ever meeting. The last time they played was in the 1976 Division II NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal game at Roberts Stadium, where the Aces won 85-75. UE is 4-5 overall in nine BracketBusters games, the latest a 68-45 victory last February over Western Illinois.
Story Clippings:
Feb. 22: Aces break monotony against Wright State
Feb. 22: Wright State coach won’t miss BracketBusters
Feb. 20: Ryan goes for 31 as UE moves up in MVC with win over Illinois State
Feb. 20: Resilient Raiders sweep Cleveland State
Feb. 20: Staying out of foul trouble key for Wright State
Notable:
—UE’s final BracketBusters opponent, Wright State, has won four of its last five games but will play Saturday without its top scorer, Cole Darling (11.3 ppg), who’s out with a foot injury. Second-leading scorer Reggie Arceneaux (9.7 ppg) is questionable after suffering a concussion more than a week ago.
—Against Wright State, UE is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since Jan. 13 versus Wichita State and its first road win since Jan. 9 at Northern Iowa.
—Now UE’s second all-time scorer, senior Colt Ryan is 18 points away from 10th on the Missouri Valley Conference’s all-time list. Former Creighton player Rodney Buford currently occupies that spot. Ryan is on the longest double-figure scoring streak of his career, with his previous high 14 games.
—Ryan is also sixth all-time on the MVC’s made free throws list with 546. His 9-for-12 outing Wednesday against Illinois State passed Indiana State great Larry Bird, who made 542 during his career that lasted from 1976-1979.
—Wright State allows opponents just 58.2 points per game — best in the Horizon League and 26th in the nation. The Raiders also rank third in their league in field goal percentage defense at and give up 31.2 percent 3-point shooting.
—UE’s strengths remain consistent: ball control and free throws. Led by Ryan’s four assists per game, the Aces are 22nd nationally with 15.9 as a team. UE’s hit at least 71 percent of its free throws in 12 of 16 league games and 80 percent on eight different occasions.
Quotable:
UE coach Marty Simmons on the Aces’ final BracketBusters opponent: “It is what it is. If we weren’t playing Wright State, we’d be playing a conference team. We look at them as a team very similar to the ones we play in our league, so yeah, from that standpoint we’re playing a tough opponent on the road and we know we have to prepare and play outstanding basketball to have a chance.”
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