Evansville – After the Upset – Now What?

Historic Win Followed by Disappointment

(St. Louis, MO) – Evansville’s historic win over Kentucky brought the Purple Aces some national exposure and a taste of the lime-light. Defeating the number one team is a double-edged sword. There is great hype and fresh belief in the program, and then the inevitable letdown.

Walter McCarty’s team put themselves and the Missouri Valley Conference on the proverbial map and put McCarty on numerous national programs and the Purple Aces on the ‘other teams receiving votes’ list. After a victory over IU-Kokomo, gravity took over. The Aces lost three straight. McCarty believes his players started reading their own headlines.

A triple overtime win over Morgan State ended the skid, but UE hall-of-famer and current broadcaster Marcus Wilson says players may not be used to all of the attention and maybe they lose a little of the edge that makes them hungry for a win.

 

 

UE’s loss to SMU was disheartening because they led most of the way and were manhandled on the boards. Their defense fell apart against East Carolina, allowing 89 points. They couldn’t buy a three-pointer in a tight game with George Washington. There were different problems in different games.

Despite the recent difficulties, Wilson says it was a thrilling game for the players and for him and his fellow alumni.

 

 

So Now What?

McCarty says the Aces have to learn how to stay engaged and continue to work hard. He believes he has the right kind of players with the proper priorities, but they are still learning how to stay engaged for longer periods of time.

But the talent is there.

Senior K.J. Riley is having another outstanding season. The 6’5 guard is leading the team in scoring (16.9 points per game), assists (3.4) and minutes (29.1 per game). For the second straight season he is among the national leaders in free throw attempts and made free throws. McCarty describes him as a player that can finish at the rim, get his own shot and has a greatly improved jump shot. He is this team’s leader.

At times, sophomore DeAndre Williams looks like one of the best players in the Missouri Valley Conference. He is scoring 12.7 points per game and leading the team collecting six rebounds per game. Sometimes he looks like a player that missed last season. He’s tied for team worst honors in turnovers and has repeatedly been in foul trouble.

The 6’9 forward can do it all. He leads the team in steals, is tied for the most blocked shots and like every other player in the UE rotation, he makes his free throws. McCarty’s crew is converting .769 from the stripe.

The 1999 ‘Larry Bird Trophy’ winner says he loves Williams’ game and that he has great potential.

 

 

Early Results & Early Concerns

Transfers Artur Labinowicz and Sam Cunliffe have both been productive. They along with Riley and Williams are averaging double figures in scoring and the Aces are deep. Eight players are averaging over 20 minutes of playing time per game.

They don’t rebound well and the Aces commit too many turnovers. Through seven games, they are being out rebounded by six per game and their assist-turnover margin is in the negative numbers. At this point, McCarty’s team is lacking that floor leading point guard that handles the rock and they seem to be lacking the strength to defend the window.

But both of those things can change.

Perhaps Riley can turn into that ‘point-forward’ that NBA squads use, or Shamar Givance can slide to the point. Their size is adequate, but they have been getting jumped over for offensive rebounds. Those are fundamental things that can be corrected.

So what’s next? The league’s preseason poll picked Evansville to finish eighth. We at ValleyHoopsInsider.com figured they would finish fifth. Walter McCarty’s team has a great chance to finish in the upper half of the Valley race for the first time since 2015.

The Aces play IUPUI tonight at 6 pm.

Do Good

 

Cover Photo: Courtesy of gopurpleaces.com.