We are about two-thirds of the way into the conference season and the Creighton men’s basketball team Tuesday night plays one of its Valley foes for the first time. In fact, the Bluejays will meet the Evansville Purple Aces in two of the next five games, starting Tuesday at the Ford Center in Indiana.
Creighton is looking to gain a little confidence back after the buzzer beater loss against Northern Iowa on Saturday. The Aces, on the other hand, lost a close game of their own against Southern Illinois. SIU’ Jeff Early stole a pass to Colt Ryan with the game tied and was fouled to prevent an easy layup. Early went on to make one of two free throws and the Purple Aces lost by one. The Aces, having lost three of their last four games, have loads of motivation as they host the nationally ranked Bluejays.
To catch us up on the Evansville basketball team, we caught up with Randy Beard of the Evansville Courier & Press. Here’s what he had to say about the Aces.
White & Blue Review: What were the expectations for Evansville this season? Are they where they expected to be?
Randy Beard: The Aces were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll after finishing sixth a year ago. The loss of post players Pieter van Tongeren and Clint Hopf was an area of concern because the only returning post player was Matt Peeler, who played just 70 minutes a year ago and only scored 14 points and had 18 rebounds. Still, I thought that if incoming freshmen Ryan Sawvell, Rokas Cesnulevisious, and Jaylon More could help give the Aces a post presence by committee that there was enough returning talent in Colt Ryan, Denver Holmes, Kenneth Harris, Ned Cox and Jordan Jahr to again finish in the top half of the Valley.
Preseason, I thought they’d even have a shot at finishing as high as fourth. The loss of Jahr to a broken foot eight games into the season was a huge setback. And Peeler hasn’t progressed, putting the burden on the freshmen. Sawvell has gained confidence in the last 10 games, producing six double-digit scoring efforts and twice pulling down more than 10 rebounds, including his first double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds at Bradley. It’s taken most of the season, but UE is finally close to matching the 12 points and 6 rebounds they got out of the post last season.
As for meeting expectations, no. They are 6-7 in MVC play and face the burden of having to play Creighton twice in the last five games. But some of that is tough luck — they’ve lost six games by two or fewer points, including four in conference. The toughest stretch came in early January when they lost at home to Wichita State by one and on the road by two points to both Illinois State and Indiana State. They just lost another one-point decision at Indiana State in a game when Sawvell played like a freshman, scoring one point and grabbing two rebounds in 31 minutes.
WBR: What is the thing missing from the Aces making the next step as it evolves as a program?
RB: A strong, consistent post presence — particularly on the defensive end. Sawvell is 6-8 but weighs only 200 pounds, so he has his work cut out for him against bigger players. He’d be more effective as a forward. The Aces also need to get mentally tougher. They’ve had a habit of digging themselves a hole in the first half because it takes them time to respond when a team makes a run on them.
WBR: Colt Ryan is an amazing scorer. What does he do that makes it look so easy?
RB: I don’t think anything he does makes it look easy — unless teams leave him open from behind the arc. Colt is tough to guard because he’s in such great condition and is constantly using screens to shake defenders. Teams that switch on him cause him the most problems. He’s become better at driving to the basket, making him less predictable. He’s also spent some time running the offense in games, which puts the ball in his hands. But UE is probably at its best when Colt and Kenny Harris are getting to the foul line because it is a sign that they are attacking the rim. When the Aces aren’t attacking and Colt isn’t getting scoring help from at least two other players, it makes it much easier for teams to guard him and force him into becoming a jump shooter.
WBR: What kind of weaknesses does Evansville have that Creighton could exploit?
RB: The post. And because UE is forced to use double teams on bigger, stronger players in the paint, it often leaves someone open for a mostly uncontested 3-pointer.
WBR: With the way the MVC puts the schedule together, it seems kind of odd that we are in the last third of the conference season and the Bluejays and Aces meet for the first time of the season. Does meeting for the first time this late in the season make a difference?
RB: Normally, I wouldn’t think it’d make a big difference. You could argue that UE has had time to improve before having to face a team like Creighton. But because the Aces have let some wins get away from them, they don’t need what appears to be two guaranteed losses. The fact that UNI upset Creighton probably makes the job even tougher.
WBR: Outside of Ryan, who does Creighton need to look out for from the Purple Aces that casual fans may not know about?
RB: Sawvell. And while point guard Troy Taylor has been inconsistent, he’s proven he can be a game-changer when he’s taking care of the ball and hitting the glass. He’s had four double-digit rebounding efforts in MVC play.
WBR: Evansville now plays in the new Ford Center. What has it been like playing at this new venue? Has it increased attendance?
RB: The average attendance figure is actually up slightly from last season (5,273 to 5,151), but I think UE did lose numerous long-time season ticket holders because of the controversy of replacing Roberts Stadium. And it’s clear that some season ticket holders aren’t coming to every game, even if they are being counted in the official “attendance.” Personally, I think the Ford Center is a major improvement over Roberts Stadium, which was 55 years old.
Still, there has been a backlash over replacing the arena where UE won five college division national titles. Some fans who had been going to Roberts for decades didn’t want to see it replaced with a new downtown arena. They would have been happier if the Ford Center had been built on the same lot as Roberts. Never mind that there is plenty of parking within a three-block walk. I think it will take another year or so before some people warm up to the new arena and get in the habit of using the available lots.
WBR: If fans are making a trip to Evansville, where is the best place to go before the game?
RB: The Ford Center and Roberts are only a few miles apart down the Lloyd, so anyone familiar with Evansville can still go to the same restaurants. There are several restaurants within a block or two of the Ford Center on Main Street and the expectation is that more bars and restaurants will open in the future, especially once a planned downtown hotel across from the arena becomes a reality.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will the Purple Aces need to do to knock of Creighton?
RB: I think the Bluejays will probably win by 8-10 points. To pull off an upset, the Aces will need Colt Ryan to shoot a high percentage and get double-digit scoring help from at least two other players. The Aces also need to generate points off their defense and can’t afford to lose the rebounding by a huge margin.