EVANSVILLE BASKETBALL

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1 EVANSVILLE BASKETBALL FIVE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FIVE NCAA D-1 TOURNAMENTS 2015 CIT CHAMPIONS Schedule NOVEMBER 2016 Nov. 11 at #13 Louisville ACC Network L, Nov. 14 Alcorn State ESPN3 W, Nov. 19 Morehead State ESPN3 W, Nov. 25 vs. Toledo & L, OT Nov. 26 vs. UNC Wilmington & L, Nov. 27 vs. Middle Tennessee State & L, Nov. 30 Wabash ESPN3 W, DECEMBER 2016 Dec. 3 Boise State ESPN3 W, Dec. 6 Bowling Green ESPN3 W, Dec. 10 Murray State ESPN3 3 p.m. Dec. 14 Norfolk State ESPN3 7 p.m. Dec. 17 at Austin Peay OVC Digital Network 7 p.m. Dec. 22 Mount St. Joseph ESPN3 7 p.m. Dec. 29 at Illinois State* ESPN3 7 p.m. Game #10 - UE vs. Murray State Dec p.m. - Ford Center EVANSVILLE INFORMATION Record: 5-4 Head Coach: Marty Simmons Record at UE: (10th Season) Career Record: (16th Season) MURRAY STATE INFORMATION Record: 4-4 Head Coach: Matt McMahon Record at MSU: (2nd Season) Career Record: Same JANUARY 2017 Jan. 1 UNI* ESPN3 3 p.m. Jan. 4 Bradley* ESPN3 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Drake* ESPNU/3 3 p.m. Jan. 11 at Missouri State* ESPN3 7 p.m. Jan. 14 Southern Illinois* MVC TV 1 p.m. Jan. 17 Wichita State* CBS Sports 8 p.m. Jan. 21 at Loyola* ESPN3 3 p.m. Jan. 25 at UNI* ESPN3 7 p.m. Jan. 29 Illinois State* ESPNU/3 3 p.m. FEBRUARY 2017 Feb. 1 at Indiana State* ESPN3 6 p.m. Feb. 4 Missouri State* ESPN3 3 p.m. Feb. 8 Loyola* ESPN3 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at Southern Illinois* MVC TV 3 p.m. Feb. 14 Drake* ESPN3 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at Bradley* ESPN3 1 p.m. Feb. 21 at Wichita State* ESPN3 7 p.m. Feb. 25 Indiana State* CBS/ESPN 1 p.m. MARCH 2017 March 2-5 Arch Madness - St. Louis, Mo. & - Challenge in Music City * - MVC Game % - Arch Madness Home Games in Bold All Times Central - Another exciting finish saw the Aces improve to 5-0 at the Ford Center this season with a victory over Bowling Green on Tuesday - Jaylon Brown connected on 14 out of 15 free throws en route to a game-high 29 points - Murray State comes to town with a 4-4 mark and have defeated the Aces in six of the last seven match-ups - The 5-game homestand wraps up on Wednesday when UE plays host to Norfolk State #4-Gibson #3-Brown #0-Taylor #23-Wiley #14-Vucetic Contact: Bob Pristash Office: Cell: rp113@evansville.edu 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 1

2 RYAN TAYLOR G r-so - Gary, Ind. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes CHRISTIAN BENZON G SR - Copenhagen, Denmark Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes JAYLON BROWN G SR - Fishers, Ind. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes JAIVEON EAVES G FR - Madisonville, Ky. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes SOLOMON HAINNA F JR - Inglewood, Calif. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes DRU SMITH G FR - Evansville, Ind. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes SERGEJ VUCETIC C r-sr - Vrbas, Serbia Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes DALEN TRAORE C JR - Ivory Coast Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes WILLIE WILEY F r-sr - Springfield, Ill. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes DUANE GIBSON G r-jr - Cleveland, Ohio Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes SILAS ADHEKE F FR - Nigeria Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes JOHN HALL F FR - Philadelphia, Pa. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes DAVID HOWARD F r-sr - Nashville, Tenn. Points Shooting Free Throw Minutes Last Gm: 6 pts, 17 min, 1 blk Notes: Reset career high with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting against Middle Tennessee State Last Gm: 7 pts, 5 rbs, 4 ast, 29 min Notes: Posted first double figure game against Alcorn State, made first career start against UNC Wilmington Last Gm: 29 pts, FT Notes: Scored career-high 39 points on 14-of-28 shooting against Toledo, was top performance in three years for UE Last Gm: 5 pts, 14 min Notes: Set career marks across the board, scoring 7 pts on 3-7 shooting in 21 minutes of action vs. Wabash Last Gm: DNP Notes: Served in the Air Force for 5 years, made Division I college debut on Veteran s Day of 2016; notched 5 pts and 6 rb vs. Wabash Last Gm: 2 pts, 2 ast, 12 min Notes: Recorded 8 points and 3 assists against UNC Wilmington; hit 2 clutch FT s with score tied in final minute vs. Boise State Last Gm: 4 min Notes: Went 4-5 from the floor and was 5-7 from FT line to notch 13 pts and 8 rbs vs. Toledo Last Gm: 8 min, rb, blk, steal Notes: Notched career-high 9 points against Morehead State; hit 2-3 shots in 22 minutes of action Last Gm: 9 pts, 7 rbs, 4-6 FG Notes: Scored 15 points on 7/11 shooting against UNC Wilmington; has started each game for UE Last Gm: 5 pts, 3 rbs, 25 min Notes: Was a threat in all facets against Boise State, finishing with 10 pts, 7 ast and 5 rb Last Gm: Redshirting in Notes: Last Gm: Redshirting in Notes: Last Gm: 6 pts, 3 rbs, 28 min Notes: Registered a career-high eight rebounds in opener at Wabash Career Highs Pts: 22 (vs. MTSU, 11/27/16) Rbs: 6 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Ast: 5 (with Ohio U.) Min: 39 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Career Highs Pts: 10 (vs. ALCN, 11/14/16) Rbs: 7 (Twice) Ast: 4 (vs. BGSU, 12/6/16) Min: 36 (vs. MORE, 11/19/16) Career Highs Pts: 39 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Rbs: 11 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Ast: 7 (vs. IUPUI, 12/6/14) Min: 49 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Career Highs Pts: 7 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Rbs: 3 (vs. ALCN, 11/14/16) Ast: 2 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Min: 21 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Career Highs Pts: 5 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Rbs: 6 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Ast: 1 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Min: 14 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Career Highs Pts: 8 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Rbs: 5 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Ast: 3 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Min: 28 (vs. MORE, 11/19/16) Career Highs Pts: 13 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Rbs: 8 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Ast: 1 (Multiple) Min: 32 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Career Highs Pts: 9 (vs. MORE, 11/19/16) Rbs: 5 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Ast: Min: 22 (vs. MORE, 11/19/16) Career Highs Pts: 15 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Rbs: 8 (vs. Toledo, 11/25/16) Ast: 2 (Twice) Min: 33 (vs. UNCW, 11/26/16) Career Highs Pts: 23 (vs Mercer 11/18/13) Rbs: 8 (vs. Missouri St 2/5/14) Ast: 11 (vs Anderson 11/23/13) Min: 35 (Twice) Career Highs Pts: Rbs: Ast: Min: Career Highs Pts: Rbs: Ast: Min: Career Highs Pts: 16 (vs. IUPUI, 12/6/14) Rbs: 8 (vs. Wabash, 11/30/16) Ast: 1 (Multiple) Min: 28 (vs. BGSU, 12/6/16)

3 0 Ryan Taylor G - 6-6/195 - r-so. Gary, Ind. 2 Christian Benzon G - 6-4/195 - Sr. Copenhagen, Denmark 3 Jaylon Brown G - 6-0/185 - Sr. Fishers, Ind. 4 Jaiveon Eaves G - 6-2/200 - Fr. Madisonville, Ky. 5 Solomon Hainna F - 6-6/195 - Jr. Inglewood, Calif. Dru Smith G - 6-3/190 - Fr. 12 Evansville, Ind. Sergej Vucetic C - 7-1/238 - r-sr. 14 Vrbas, Serbia Dalen Traore C - 6-9/230 - Jr. 15 Ivory Coast Willie Wiley F - 6-7/215 - r-sr. 23 Springfield, Ill. Duane Gibson G - 6-3/195 - r-jr. 25 Cleveland, Ohio Silas Adheke F Fr. 33 Nigeria John Hall F - 6-8/215 - Fr. 35 Philadelphia, Pa. David Howard F - 6-8/225 - r-sr. 44 Nashville, Tenn. Blake Simmons G/F - 6-5/210 - Sr. 50 Newburgh, Ind. Marty Simmons Head Coach Doug Novsek Assistant Coach Lennox Forrester Assistant Coach Geoff Alexander Assistant Coach 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 3

4 The University of Evansville Men s Basketball Roster # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Class Hometown/Previous School 0 Ryan Taylor G R-So. Gary, Ind. / St. John s Northwestern Military 2 Christian Benzon G Sr. Copenhagen, Denmark / The Rock School 3 Jaylon Brown G Sr. Fishers, Ind. / Fishers 4 Jaiveon Eaves G Fr. Madisonville, Ky. / Madisonville-North Hopkins 5 Solomon Hainna F Jr. Inglewood, Calif. / Palisades Charter 12 Dru Smith G Fr. Evansville, Ind. / Reitz 14 Sergej Vucetic C R-Sr. Vrbas, Serbia / Nebraska 15 Dalen Traore C Jr. Ivory Coast / Northwood Temple Academy 23 Willie Wiley F R-Sr. Springfield, Ill. / Vincennes 25 Duane Gibson G R-Jr. Cleveland, Ohio / Villa Angela-St. Joseph 33 Silas Adheke F 6-8 Fr. Nigeria/Hamilton Heights Christian Academy 35 John Hall F Fr. Philadelphia, Pa. / Standard of Excellence Basketball Academy 44 David Howard F R-Sr. Nashville, Tenn. / Montgomery Bell 50 Blake Simmons G/F Sr. Newburgh, Ind. / Castle Head Coach: Marty Simmons (Evansville, 87) Assistant Coach: Doug Novsek (Southern Illinois, 87) Assistant Coach: Lennox Forrester (Evansville, 92) Assistant Coach: Geoff Alexander (Western Illinois, 00) Director of Basketball Operations: Kavon Lacey (Evansville, 11) Video Coordinator: Chad Harmon Assistant Athletic Trainer: Troy Coppus Strength and Conditioning Coach: Sunny Park Director of Development for Men s Basketball: Kim Gentry Senior (6): Christian Benzon, Jaylon Brown, David Howard, Blake Simmons, Sergej Vucetic, WIllie Wiley Junior (3): Duane Gibson, Solomon Hainna, Dalen Traore Sophomore (1): Ryan Taylor Freshman (4): Silas Adheke, Jaiveon Eaves, John Hall, Dru Smith Silas Adheke - SY-lis uh-deck-ee Christian Benzon - BEN-zin Jaiveon Eaves - jay-vee-on Solomon Hainna - HI-nuh Dalen Traore - DAY-lin tray-or-ee Sergej Vucetic - voo-chet-ick Willie Wiley - WHY-lee 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 4

5 - The Racers have a advantage in the series against the Purple Aces and are 6-1 in the last seven meetings against UE - Evansville ended a 6-game losing streak to MSU last season, earning an overtime road win - The Aces are 7-12 in 19 home games against the Racers Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics Evansville vs Murray State 12/5/15 7:30 PM at Murray, Ky. Evansville FG-FGA FG-FGA Off Def Tot ## Player FT-FTA PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 03 Brown, Jaylon * 12 Wing, Adam * Balentine, D.J. * Simmons, Blake * Mockevicius, Egidiju * Brzoja, Mislav Brown, Harris Gibson, Duane Howard, David Team Totals FG % 1st Half: % 3FG % 1st Half: % FT % 1st Half: % 2nd half: % 2nd half: % 2nd half: % OT: % OT: % OT: % Game: % Game: % Game: % 0 - Murray State enters Saturday s game with a 4-4 record and are winners of two of their last three contests, including an win over Detroit Mercy on December 3 - Jonathan Stark leads the Racers with 22.6 points per game and is coming off of a 27-point effort - Stark has been named the OVC Newcomer of the Week four times in a row and is 16th in the nation with his scoring average - The Racers have utilized their outside game this season, knocking down 10.5 triples per game, 16th in the nation Murray State FG-FGA FG-FGA Off Def Tot ## Player FT-FTA PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 00 Langston,Wayne f 02 Moss,Jeffery f Mcghee,Gee f Jones,Bryce g Seymour,Justin g Sanchious,Brion Culbreath,Chad Team Totals FG % 1st Half: % 3FG % 1st Half: % FT % 1st Half: % Officials: Craig Murley, James Hicks, David Carter Technical fouls: Evansville-None. Murray State-None. Attendance: nd half: % 2nd half: % 2nd half: % OT: % OT: % OT: % Game: % Game: % Game: % 1,1 Score by periods 1st 2nd OT Total Evansville Murray State Last FG - UE OT-01:00, MUR OT-00:02. Largest lead - UE by 6 OT-00:07, MUR by 13 1st-13:18. UE led for 12:10. MUR led for 25:24. Game was tied for 07:26. In Off 2nd Fast Paint T/O Chance Break Points Bench UE MUR Score tied - 12 times. Lead changed - 5 times COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 5

6 Follow The Aces You can find the Purple Aces on Facebook and Twitter. The Aces hoops team is on You can also follow all of the University of Evansville athletics teams on and on Facebook at University of Evansville Athletic Department. GoPurpleAces.com is the official home of University of Evansville athletics. GoPurpleAces has the most info on Evansville Athletics and provides daily updates on all UE sports. It is also the one place to find live streaming and audio from several Aces athletics contests. Home Media Stats Members of the media can follow all home games and most on the road by logging on to evansville. statbroadcast.com. You can follow it on any laptop or mobile device. Media Policy University of Evansville Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations Bob Pristash will be serving as the primary media contact for Aces Men s Basketball this season and all interview and media requests must be directed to his attention. He can be reached via at rp113@evansville. edu or at Head coach Marty Simmons and requested players will be available prior to practice each day. All requests must be made by Noon of that day. No exceptions. All scheduled interviews will take place in the arena prior to practice. Please see the schedule in game notes for a full schedule of that week. Please contact Bob Pristash on the day of your scheduled interview to confirm location. With schedules at the Ford Center possibly changing last minute, we want to make sure you end up at the correct place. There will also be no availability on game day prior to the contest and on scheduled off days. Photographers (including TV and other video) are permitted to shoot during the first 10 minutes of practice. All photographers must notify Pristash in advance in order to attend practice. Coach Simmons and selected players will be available following each home game in the media room of the Ford Center following a ten-minute cooling off period. Quotes from road games will be included in the post-game release. The Opening Tip - On Tuesday, the Purple Aces made it a perfect 5-0 at home with a win over Bowling Green at the Ford Center - Jaylon Brown scored 29 points while hitting 14-of-15 free throws to lead all scorers as he put forth the top home effort of his career - The Aces led by as many as 11 before several BGSU rallies kept them within striking distance - With UE up 3 inside the final two minutes, Ryan Taylor made the play of the game; with the Falcons coming in for an open dunk, he came out of nowhere to block the shot and give possession back to UE - Two more games remain in the home stand including the Murray State game on Saturday and a visit by Norfolk State on Wed. On Top - With 29 points against Bowling Green, Jaylon Brown moved to the top of the conference scoring list with 20.0 per game - The effort was the senior s top scoring output at the Ford Center and second-best scoring tally of his career - Brown drained a career-best 14 free throws, a total that was the highest since 2/12/14 when D.J. Balentine knocked down 20 from the line against Illinois State - His 29 points versus the Falcons saw him reach the 20-point plateau for the fourth time in the last seven games; for the season, he has scored 11 or more points in eight out of nine contests - Brown had the best game in almost 3 years for the Purple Aces against Toledo, scoring 39 points on a 14-of-28 shooting to tally 39 points, the highest UE point total since D.J. Balentine had 43 points at UNI in His 14 makes was also the most since Colt Ryan hit 17 shots on his way to 43 points at Creighton in In three games at the Challenge in Music City, Brown averaged 18.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on his way to a berth on the All-Tournament Team - Brown has also been logging minutes at an unbelievable rate, playing 34.6 per game, tops in the MVC - In 34 games as a junior, Brown scored 8 or more points on 26 occasions; as a sophomore, he scored at least 8 points just ten times in 36 games; this season, he is 8-for-9 in that category Trend Continues - Jaylon Brown looks to make it nine seasons in a row that the Purple Aces have had one of the top three scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference as he follows in the footsteps of D.J. Balentine, Colt Ryan and Shy Ely - Brown sits atop the MVC scoring list with 20.0 PPG - Evansville has had the leading scorer in the Valley on four occasions in the last eight seasons and one of the top two seven times in the last eight years - Below is a list of where the Aces scorers have ranked since Jaylon Brown 20.0 PPG D.J. Balentine 20.5 PPG D.J. Balentine 20.1 PPG D.J. Balentine 22.8 PPG Colt Ryan 20.1 PPG Colt Ryan 20.5 PPG Colt Ryan 15.7 PPG Colt Ryan 14.5 PPG Shy Ely 18.9 PPG Everyone is Contributing - Last season, Egidijus Mockevicius led the nation with 14.0 rebounds per game and was the top rebounder in 33 out of 34 games for UE; Mislav Brzoja led the Aces in the MVC semifinal game against Indiana State - This year, seven players have led or tied for the team lead for rebounds in a game - David Howard topped the UE leaders in that category on four occasions while Christian Benzon and Jaylon Brown had led or tied on two occasions - Sergej Vucetic, Duane Gibson, Ryan Taylor and Willie Wiley have done so once in 2016 Shots are Falling - Over his first 22 games, Willie Wiley failed to score nine points in a single contest, but since the UNC Wilmington contest, Wiley has been on a roll - Wiley has scored at least nine points in five consecutive games, including a career-best of 15 versus UNC Wilmington - In his last three games, Wiley has connected on 15 of his 19 attempts - Wiley was extremely efficient against Wabash, knocking down 6 of his 7 attempts on his way to 14 points; he also blocked three shots - In that game, Wiley also eclipsed his scoring total from ; last season he scored a total of 44 points and his 14 tallies pushed his season mark past that; he currently stands with 78 points on the year - He had a strong all-around tournament in three games in Nashville, averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 caroms per game - Wiley has started all nine games for UE and is tied for the team in rebounding with 4.6/gm Strong at Home - The win over Bowling Green marked the third 5-0 start at home for the Aces in the last four seasons - Last season, UE won its first 11 contests at the Ford Center and finished the year with a 13-3 mark at its home venue Model of Efficiency - Another solid game saw Ryan Taylor score 14 points while hauling in five rebounds against the Broncos as his season average stands at 14.2 PPG, 9th in the Valley - In the game against Middle Tennessee State, Taylor knocked down his first seven attempts on his way to a career-best 22 points - After going 2-14 from the field against Louisville, Ryan Taylor kicked it into high gear, hitting 41 of his 82 attempts in the seven games since while averaging 16.7 points over that span - It took just seven shots for Taylor to score 21 points in the win over Alcorn State; Taylor was 5-of-7 from the field with four of those makes being from outside, he also connected on seven of his eight free throw attempts - The last UE player to finish with 20 or more points while attempting seven or few shots was Jason Holsinger, who went 6-of-7 from the field (all 3-pointers) and 5/7 from the free throw line to finish with 23 points; that came on January 19, 2008 in a road game at Bradley Sun. Dec. 11 No media access Mon. Dec. 12 Location and time of practice are TBA due to finals THIS WEEK S SCHEDULE (subject to change) Tues. Dec. 13 Location and time of practice are TBA due to finals Wed. Dec. 14 Home game vs. Norfolk State 7 p.m. Ford Center Thurs. Dec. 15 Location and time of practice are TBA due to finals Fri. Dec. 16 Early practice, depart for Clarksville, Tenn. Sat. Dec. 17 Road game at Austin Peay 7 p.m. Clarksville, Tenn COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 6

7 OVC Success - Evansville has enjoyed success over the Ohio Valley Conference in the last two seasons of play - UE has won 6 in a row over schools from the league, defeating a different school each time - Since March of 2015, the Aces have earned victories over Eastern Illinois, UT Martin, SEMO, Belmont, Murray State and Morehead State MVC/Mountain West Challenge - The Dec. 3 win over Boise State saw the Aces improve to 2-3 in the MVC/Mountain West Challenge; below are the results from all five contests: 12/3/16 - vs. Boise State - W /20/15 - at Fresno State - W /1/12 - at Colorado State - L /3/11 - vs. TCU - L (OT) 12/5/10 - at Air Force - L Three s Company - Opponents are shooting just 29.4% from outside against UE, third in the MVC - Evansville generally does not rely on the long ball in its offense, making just 29 triples this year; that tally ranks 348th out of 351 Division I schools - To put it into perspective conference-wise, the Aces have attempted 83 3-pointers this season while Wichita State has made 84 A Helping Hand - The Purple Aces have recorded assists on at least 60% of their field goals in each of the last eight seasons - Through the first six games of this year, UE had assists on just 48.6% of their makes - In the last three games, things swung back in the Aces direction as they had 45 helpers on 79 makes % Starting Up - In the game against Middle Tennessee State in Nashville, Sergej Vucetic made the first start of his career and finished with six rebounds and four points - He had the best game of his career in the double overtime match-up against Toledo, finishing with 13 points and 8 rebounds in 32 minutes of work, all career highs - The 7-1 center has been steady at the free throw line, hitting 14-of-19 attempts,73.7% - Vucetic has started each of the last four games for the Aces, but his scoring touch has actually been better when coming off the bench; in three starts he is averaging 1.67 points, but coming off the bench, he has recorded 1.25 PPG Mixing it Up - Last season, the Aces utilized one starting lineup for the entire season as Jaylon Brown, D.J. Balentine, Egidijus Mockevicius, Blake Simmons and Adam Wing each started all 34 games - This season, UE has used four lineups, including a different one in four of the last six contests Hitting Double Figures - Christian Benzon notched a career-best 10 points against Alcorn State, marking the first double digit game of his UE career - Benzon drained four of his five shots while knocking down both free throw attempts en route to the mark - He has gotten off to a 17-of-34 start from the field while playing 21.4 minutes per game to begin his senior season; he played a career-high 36 minutes against Morehead State and made his first career start against UNC Wilmington - Entering his senior season, Benzon played 20+ minutes just once, this year, he has already done so five times - He also has 38 rebounds on the season, passing his season high of 36 from Never Forget - December 13 marks the 39th anniversary of the plane crash that killed all 29 people including players, coaches, staff and crew - The program will never forget their contributions and their memories live on forever Running the Offense - The motion offense is a staple of Evansville basketball and when the assists are high, so is the win total, but the opposite is also true - Since the beginning of the Coach Simmons era in 2007, the Aces are just 7-36 when the team is credited with 10 assists or fewer - When the tally is over 10, UE is Since 2007, the Aces are when the assist-to-turnover ratio is even or negative Big Buckets - Freshman Jaiveon Eaves has been a nice weapon off the bench, knocking down big triples in each of the last two games - He had a nice game against Wabash, posting seven points on 3-for-7 shooting from the floor and played 21 minutes while grabbing two rebounds and posting 2 assists - In the victory over Boise State, Eaves played just four minutes, but made it count as his triple in the first half got the Aces within two in the victory Holding His Own - With four starts under his belt, David Howard has done a solid job at the center position - Howard has notched a team-best 4.6 rebounds per game with his top mark coming against Wabash where he finished with eight Hitting a Milestone - Head coach Marty Simmons picked up the 250th victory of his head coaching career on Nov. 14 against Alcorn State - Simmons career has spanned 16 seasons at Wartburg, SIU Edwardsville and UE - The March 4, 2016 win over Missouri State was the 150th for head coach Marty Simmons at his alma mater - He has led the squad to 20-win seasons in three of the last four years Learning to Win - With a young team, one of the most important facets of growth is learning how to win - Through the first seven games of the season, the Aces hit just 8 of their 12 free throw attempts in the final minute of play - Saturday s win against Boise State saw UE hit all six free throws in the final 38 seconds as Dru Smith led it off, hitting a pair of clutch attempts with the score tied - UE was 3-4 in that department in the victory over Bowling Green Solid Debut - Freshman Dru Smith played very well in his collegiate debut, seeing 22 minutes of action against the Cardinals - Smith notched five points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal - His top tally has been an 8-point effort as he hit 3 out of 4 attempts against UNC Wilmington and made his first start versus Wabash - His most important contribuition thus far came against Boise State; with 38 seconds left and the game tied, he hit a pair of free throws that helped UE clinch the win Strong Effort - Junior transfer Dalen Traore became a crowd favorite with his efforts against Morehead State - The forward scored nine points and hauled in four rebounds in 22 minutes of work - His efforts helped the Aces overcome the MSU rally on its way to the second win of the season Quick Facts GENERAL INFORMATION Name... University of Evansville Founded Location...Evansville, Ind. Enrollment... 2,822 Nickname...Purple Aces Colors...Purple, White and Orange National Affiliation...NCAA Division I Conference...Missouri Valley Conference Home Floor/Capacity... Ford Center/8,930 President...Dr. Thomas Kazee Director of Athletics...Mark Spencer Athletic Ticket Office ACES COACHING STAFF Head Coach...Marty Simmons (Evansville, 87) Record at Evansville (.515), 10th season Overall Record (.536), 16th season Assistant Coach... Doug Novsek (Southern Illinois, 87) Assistant Coach... Lennox Forrester (Evansville, 92) Assistant Coach...Geoff Alexander (Western Illinois, 00) Director of Basketball Operations... Kavon Lacey (Evansville, 11) Strength and Conditioning Coach...Sunny Park Assistant Athletic Trainer... Troy Coppus Director Of Development For Men s Basketball...Kim Gentry TEAM INFORMATION Overall Record Missouri Valley Record/Finish /2nd Starters Returning/Lost...2/3 Letterwinners Returning/Lost...7/5 Newcomers...6 Redshirt...1 HISTORY First Year of Basketball Overall Record... 1,350-1,046 (.563), 93 years NCAA College Division National Champions , 60, 64, 65, 71 Missouri Valley Record (.438), 18 years Ford Center Record (.731), 5th season Last Postseason in 2015 CIT W, vs. IPFW; W, at Eastern Illinois; W, at Louisiana; W, vs. UT Martin; W, vs. Northern Arizona NCAA Tournament Appearances... 5 (1982, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1999) Last NCAA Appearance...L, vs. Kansas (1999 First Round) NIT Appearances... 2 (1988, 1994) Last NIT Appearance...L, vs. Tulane (1994 First Round) CIT Appearances...2 (2013) Last CIT Appearance...L, 58-81at East Carolina (2013 Semifinals) CBI Appearances...1 (2011) Last CBI Appearance... L, vs. Princeton (2012 First Round) MEDIA RELATIONS Associate AD for Media Relations (MBB contact)...bob Pristash Office... (812) Cell... (812) rp113@evansville.edu Sports Information Fax... (812) Mailing Address Lincoln Avenue... Evansville, In Official Athletics Website COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 7

8 What a Run - Evansville is an unbelievable in its last 48 games, dating back to the beginning of the CIT Championship run in March of 2015 Special Day - Perhaps nobody truly appreciated the Aces playing their opener on Veteran s Day more than Solomon Hainna - After serving in the Air Force for five years, Hainna is now focused on his college basketball career and made his debut on the holiday - He found his groove against Wabash, registering five points and six rebounds in 14 minutes of work Swatting Away - Willie Wiley and Dru Smith were each credited with three blocked shots against the Little Giants - It marked the first time that anyone NOT named Egidijus Mockevicius had three blocks in a game for UE since Jaylon Moore had three against Grambling State on December 28, 2013 Defense against Wabash - Evansville held Wabash to just 22.2% shooting in their match-up on November 30 - It marked the first time that UE has held an opponents to 25% shooting or lower since January 3, 1994 when Coastal Carolina hit 16 of their 64 attempts (25%) Bench Points - Of the 83 points the Aces scored against Wabash, 51 of those came from the bench - It marked the top bench tally for UE since 11/15/15 when the squad had 54 bench points against Earlham - Prior to the Wabash game, the last time Evansville had over 50% of its points in a game come from the bench was 2/14/15 at Southern Illinois when 37 of the Aces 72 tallies were scored off the bench Did You Know? - UE is 42-1 in its last 43 games when scoring 80 or more points - Since the beginning of the campaign, the Aces are when they win the opening tip - When up at the half since Nov. of 2011, UE has gone In games UE has been holding the lead with five minutes remaining since the beginning of the season, the Aces are UE is victorious in 55 out of the last 61 games that they have shot 50% or higher - Rebounding has been pivotal in determining the Aces success over the last 6 seasons, UE is over that stretch when winning that battle - UE has lost ten in a row when failing to score 60 points, the last win when doing so came in the form of a win at Missouri State in January of Overall, the team is when scoring under that mark since the beginning of the season Season Opener - The 98th season of Evansville Basketball got underway at Louisville on Nov UE fell to in its 98 openers with the defeat at Louisville On the Road to open - A tough game saw the Aces open the year at Louisville, who was ranked in the top 15 in both polls - The Cardinals finished with a win, dealing UE its biggest loss since a game at Indiana in Louisville held the Aces to just 28.1% shooting (16/57), the lowest shooting effort for UE since shooting 25.8% at North Carolina in Last year, the lowest shooting game was 34.8% in the home game against Wichita State Home Court Advantage - Evansville has played five home games this year along with four at road or neutral sites - In the five home games, UE is shooting 51.6% while outrebounding the opposition by 2.2 boards per game - The other four contests have seen UE shoot just 39.5% while seeing a -6.2 differential on the boards - Jaylon Brown and Ryan Taylor have combined to score 36.0 points per game while shooting 52.7% at home - Away from the Ford Center, the duo has averaged 32.1 points while hitting 40% of their attempts Setting the Scene - The Purple Aces are primed for another strong run through the Missouri Valley Conference in as they return seven players and a pair of starters from last year s squad - Complementing that group is six newcomers who will battling for playing time; that group includes: #0 - Ryan Taylor G - r-so. The native of Gary, Ind. spent his freshman year playing at Ohio University where he averaged 8.1 points per game and 2.5 rebounds. He made 28 starts for the Bobcats and played 30.1 minutes per game. He was a redshirt in due to NCAA transfer rules. #4 - Jaiveon Eaves G - Fr. Madisonville, Ky. product notched 19.4 points per game last season as he helped Madisonville-North Hopkins to a 22-8 mark. The 4-time All-District and All-Region player was 4th in school history with 1,688 career points. #5 - Solomon Hainna F - Jr. After serving his country for nearly five years in the Air Force, Hainna comes to UE for his sophomore season. Last year at Midland College, Hainna recorded 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. He was a 48.6% shooter who also has nice range outside, making 8 3-pointers last year. #12 - Dru Smith G - Fr. A member of the 2016 Indiana All-Star Team, Dru Smith averaged 20.3 points per game in his senior season at Evansville s Reitz High School. He led his squad to a 22-5 mark and a berth in the Class 4A regional finals. This came a season after helping his squad to an appearance in the 4A state championship game. #15 - Dalen Traore C - Jr. Junior college transfer Dalen Traore played at Miami Dade College for the last two years. Last season, he posted 5.5 points and 6.3 rebounds. In 2013, he played for his native Ivory Coast at the FIBA U19 World Championships where he notched 12.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. #33 - Silas Adheke F - Fr. Playing at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, he posted 8.0 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for a team that was ranked 19th in the nation. He is a native of Nigeria. #35 John Hall F - Fr. Hall played at the Standard of Excellence Basketball Academy in Charlotte, N.C. last year where he notched 18.3 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest. The athletic forward has a 38-inch vertical leap. Finishing on a High Note - Blake Simmons finished the season on a steady roll, averaging 7.63 points over the final 8 games of the season - One of the main factors in the streak was his accuracy as he connected on 21 out of his last 43 attempts - Simmons ranked third on the team with 100 assists on the season - He had his best performance of the season against UC Irvine as he dished in 15 points while hitting 4 out of 5 shots and all six free throw attempts - Simmons had another strong outing in the home victory over Bradley, hitting four of his six shots, including two 3-pointers, to record 13 points - One of his best outings of the season came in the MVC semifinal win over Indiana State, scoring 13 points while downing three of his five 3-point attempts - Simmons will miss the season due to a knee injury Home Non-Conference Streak - The Nov. 19 victory over Morehead State continued a streak for the Purple Aces that has seen them win 19 out of their last 20 non-conference games at the Ford Center since the beginning of the 2014 season - That included a perfect 7-0 non-conference at home last season and a 3-0 record in the 2015 CIT Valley Streaks - UE won 9 MVC games in five of the last six years, Evansville did not have one 9-win MVC season between 2001 and Coach Simmons has led the Aces to a 5 seed or better in the Valley in four of the last five seasons, it is the first time since joining the league in 1994 that UE has had that type of streak Over It has been a long road that has seen head coach Marty Simmons perform a full rebuilding effort at his alma mater - Over the first three years of his career at the University of Evansville, Simmons posted a mark - Since then, an unbelievable turnaround has seen Simmons lead the Aces to a.500 mark or better in four out of five seasons and with the win over Alabama A&M, his record with the Aces moved above the.500 mark for the first time at UE and he now stands at Between 2000 and 2010, the Aces finished.500 or better just one time - In the last six years, UE has been even or above on five occasions LOOKING BACK 25 Wins - Evansville finished with a 25-9 overall record last season and its win total was the most since the squad went 25-6 on their way to the NCAA Tournament - The 25 wins by the two squads is the most in UE s Division I history, which dates back to 1977 In the MVC Record Book - D.J. Balentine led the MVC with 20.5 points per game and led the conference in scoring in each of the last three seasons, joining Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson as the only three in league history to do so - He has two of the top 23 scoring seasons in the MVC record book; his 752 in ranks 17th while his 723 last year is tied for 23rd Top Ten - After breaking Colt Ryan s program scoring record on February 6, 2016, D.J. Balentine continued to score at his usual pace - With 20 points against UNI, Balentine moved his final career total to 2,464, which saw him finish in 7th place in the history of all NCAA Division I schools in the state of Indiana - Balentine also completed his career in 4th place in MVC history in career scoring - His tally puts him in exclusive company as he is behind just Hersey Hawkins, Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird; those three combined to play in the NBA for 40 seasons - D.J. Balentine led the MVC in scoring again with 20.5 PPG last year, the Aces have had the leading scorer in the league in 4 of the last 8 years; Balentine led the league three years in a row while Shy Ely led the Valley in UE has also had one of the top two scorers in the MVC in seven of the last eight seasons and a top three scorer in each of the last 8 years 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 8

9 Aces vs. Ranked Opponents Since the season, the University of Evansville has squared off against 69 ranked opponents, posting a mark. Evansville has knocked off a ranked opponent in five out of the last seven seasons. Date Rank Team H/A Score 11/11/16 13 Louisville A L, /31/16 22 Wichita State H L, /25/15 10 Northern Iowa A L, /22/15 13 Wichita State A L, /17/15 13 Wichita State H L, /1/15 23 Northern Iowa H W, /7/14 2 Wichita State N L, /16/14 2 Wichita State H L, /1/14 3 Wichita State A L, /16/13 23 Creighton H L, /13/13 23 Wichita State H W, /29/12 12 Creighton A L, /22/12 19 Butler A L, /10/12 22 Notre Dame A L, /3/12 24 Creighton N L, /7/12 15 Creighton H W, /6/11 6 North Carolina A L, /27/10 23 Butler A W, (OT) 2/23/10 25 Northern Iowa H W, /21/09 11 Butler H L, /18/08 1 North Carolina A L, /9/08 16 Drake A L, /17/07 25 Butler H L, /24/07 13 Southern Illinois A L, /22/06 16 Butler A L, /6/04 15 Southern Illinois N L, /18/04 20 Southern Illinois H L, /17/04 24 Creighton A L, /27/03 22 Purdue A L, /23/03 10 Creighton H W, /15/03 13 Creighton A L, /3/02 25 Western Kentucky H W, /21/96 13 Indiana N L, /27/96 22 Indiana N L, /22/94 22 Xavier H W, /18/93 10 Florida State N L, /13/93 22 Xavier N W, /18/90 21 Michigan State A L, /15/90 22 Xavier A L, /18/90 20 Xavier H W, /20/89 25 Michigan State H L, /19/89 11 Seton Hall N L, /21/87 6 DePaul H L, /28/84 5 DePaul A L, /19/83 7 Purdue H W, /10/82 3 DePaul A L, /9/81 3 DePaul H L, /15/80 3 UCLA A L, /26/80 1 DePaul A L, N/A Indiana State A L, Long Beach State H L, Jacksonville H L, Purdue H W, Colorado A L, New Mexico State H L, Purdue H L, Utah A L, Iowa H L, UCLA H W, Maryland N L, Washington (Mo.) N/A L, Murray State N/A L, Eastern Kentucky A L, Murray State N/A L, Dayton N/A W, Louisville N W, Western Kentucky N L, Bowling Green N W, Western Kentucky A L, BIG E - The national leader in rebounds and double-doubles, Egidijus Mockevicius added to his honors by being named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in March - He was also named an All-MVC First Team player for the second time and grabbed a spot on the All-Defensive Team for the third year in a row - Mockevicius had 27 double-doubles last season, the most in the NCAA - The senior led the nation with 14.0 rebounds per game - With 19 rebounds against UNI, Egidijus Mockevicius finished with a season average of 14.0 rebounds per game, he is the first since Xavier McDaniel of Wichita State to average that many; McDaniel notched 14.8 per game in The last MVC player to average at least 10 boards was Joe Breakenridge of UNI, who had 10.5/game in His 476 boards is the most for an MVC player since Xavier McDaniel s 460 in He was the first MVC player to record 300+ rebounds in back-to-back years since Ashraf Amaya of SIU did so in 1992 and His scoring was also stellar as Mockevicius notched 15.7 points per game, ranking 4th in the MVC - The senior registered his 1,000th point against Marian and his 1,000th rebound at Missouri State and became just the 14th person in the 109-year history of the Valley to record 1000/1000; he is the first MVC player to reach that mark since Ashraf Amaya of SIU did so in Mockevicius was the MVC Player of the Week on five occasions last season - Nov. 16, Nov. 30, Dec. 28, Jan. 4 and Jan. 18 New Record - With an unbelievable effort of 17 rebounds in the win at Bradley, Egidijus Mockevicius broke the all-time program scoring mark, which was held by Dale Wise - Wise hauled in 1,197 career rebounds in his career, which spanned from 1958 through Mockevicius finished his career with 1,260 in his career, which put him 4th in the MVC record books; in his final game, he passed Larry Bird who had 1,247 in his illustrious career at Indiana State Putting it into Perspective - Averaging 13 rebounds per game is tough to do for anyone, even the best players to pass through college basketball since Only ten players since then have posted an average of 13 rebounds or more. Egidijus Mockevicius rounded out that list. Here is the fill list: Name/School Year Average Egidijus Mockevicius/Evansville Kenneth Faried/Morehead St Ryan Rossiter/Siena Artsiom Parakhouski/Radford Kenneth Faried/Morehead St Blake Griffin/Oklahoma John Bryant/Santa Clara Rashad Jones-Jennings/UALR Paul Millsap/Louisiana Tech Kenny Adeleke/Hartford He Got It! - Egidijus Mockevicius became just the 14th player in MVC history to record 1000 points and 1000 rebounds. The others include: MVC 1,000-1,000 Club Pts. Reb. Jim McLaughlin, SLU ( ) 1,170 1,128 Oscar Robertson, UC ( ) 2,973 1,338 Paul Hogue, UC ( ) 1,391 1,088 Chet Walker, BRAD ( ) 1,975 1,036 Wes Unseld, Louisville ( ) 1,686 1,551 Ron Robinson, Memphis ( ) 1,150 1,066 Robert Elmore, WSU ( ) 1,186 1,039 Lynbert Johnson, WSU ( ) 1,907 1,027 Larry Bird, Indiana State ( ) 2,850 1,247 Xavier McDaniel, WSU ( ) 2,152 1,359 Benoit Benjamin, CU ( ) 1,575 1,005 Bob Harstad, Creighton ( ) 2,110 1,126 Ashraf Amaya, SIU ( ) 1,864 1,137 Egidijus Mockevicius, UE (2012- ) 1,504 1,260 Points of Interest - Evansville played in its second MVC Championship game in March, the first came in 1999 when the Purple Aces fell to Creighton by a final of The last conference tournament won by the Aces was in 1993 when UE topped Xavier by a final of in the MCC - In its Division I history, which dates back to 1977, the Aces have won three conference championships (1982, 1992, 1993) 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 9

10 Polls AP Top 25 (12/5/16) Team Record Points 1 Villanova (57) 8-0 1,613 2 UCLA (2) 9-0 1,478 3 Kansas 7-1 1,458 4 Baylor (6) 8-0 1,437 5 Duke 8-1 1,389 6 Kentucky 7-1 1,274 7 North Carolina 8-1 1,234 8 Gonzaga 8-0 1,198 9 Indiana 7-1 1, Creighton 8-0 1, Louisville Saint Mary s Xavier Virginia West Virginia Butler Wisconsin Purdue South Carolina Arizona Florida Cincinnati Notre Dame Oregon Iowa State Others receiving votes: Syracuse 45, USC 43, Ohio State 40, TCU 33, Florida State 18, Virginia Tech 11, California 10, Maryland 9, Valparaiso 7, Wichita St 5, Michigan State 3, Temple 3, UNC Wilmington 1, Minnesota 1, Fort Wayne 1 USA Today/Coaches Poll (12/5/16) Team Record Points 1 Villanova (28) UCLA (1) Kansas (1) Duke (2) North Carolina Baylor Kentucky Gonzaga Indiana Creighton Saint Mary s Virginia Louisville Xavier Butler West Virginia Wisconsin South Carolina Purdue Arizona Florida Notre Dame Cincinnati Oregon Iowa State Others receiving votes: Syracuse 48, Maryland 42, TCU 21, USC 15, Ohio State 14, Rhode Island 11, Texas A&M 8, Virginia Tech 7, Oklahoma State 7, Colorado 7, Florida State 7, Arkansas 6, California 6, Wichita St 5, Michigan State 4, Fort Wayne 1, Valparaiso 1, UCF 1 ESPN and the Missouri Valley Conference have announced a 10-year extension to their current media rights agreement that will provide increased coverage of conference events across ESPN platforms through the academic year. The 10-year extension of the ESPN-MVC media rights agreement clearly signals a new era for our Conference, says Commissioner Doug Elgin. Over the term of this new agreement, our member institutions will literally be producing thousands of live events that will be carried on ESPN3. The co-branded network that we are announcing today The Valley on ESPN3 is recognition that the MVC continues to be relevant in an increasingly competitive Division I environment. The exponential increase in exposure will bring significant benefits to men s and women s basketball, and to every Conference-sponsored sport. As part of the deal which continues a business relationship that began in 1986 ESPN, the Missouri Valley Conference and its 10 member institutions will work jointly to develop in-house production capabilities at each campus that will provide significant national coverage for multiple sports on ESPN3 and hands-on educational opportunities for students. As a result, ESPN3 will showcase a minimum of 820 events a year (a minimum of 70 men s basketball) in the final six years of the agreement. ESPN also retains the rights to the Men s Basketball Tournament semifinals and championship and Women s Basketball Tournament championship each year. The agreement will continue to feature multiple men s basketball and Olympic sports game telecasts across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNEWS each year COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 10

11 Home Court Advantage In 55 seasons at Roberts Stadium, the Aces amassed an amazing.723 winning percentage, capturing 604 games. Below is a rundown of the Aces home history at Roberts Stadium and the Ford Center. Year W-L Win % Attend. Avg ,172 2, ,902 6,363 * ,841 7,202 * ,361 8, ,525 6, ,901 7, ,636 8,309 * ,112 9,743 * ,310 10, ,604 9, ,628 7, ,700 7, ,772 5, ,219 7,444 * ,867 6, ,749 7, ,773 4, ,074 7, ,066 4, ,107 5, ,063 5, ,086 6, ,214 8, ,760 7, ,726 8, ,099 10, ,243 8, ,572 7, ,675 6, ,224 6, ,923 7, ,959 9, ,201 9, ,362 9, ,757 10, ,168 10, ,616 11, ,904 10, ,843 10, ,400 10, ,561 8, ,655 8, ,625 8, ,061 8, ,070 7, ,503 5, ,398 6, ,421 6, ,777 6, ,351 6, ,407 5, ,292 5, ,400 5, ,314 4, ,269 5, Years ,280,218 7, ,431 5, ,327 4, ,279 4, ,263 4, ,364 5, ,025 3,605 6th Year ,639 4,631 Evansville 40-Point Games Player Points Class Date/Opponent Result Scott Haffner 65 Sr. 2/18/89 vs. Dayton , W Larry Humes 48 Jr. 1/2/65 at Ball State , W Ed Smallwood 47 Sr. 2/10/60 vs. Butler 86-69, W Larry Humes 46 Sr. 2/9/66 vs. Valparaiso 95-88, W Larry Humes 45 Jr. 12/19/64 vs. LSU 93-73, W Ed Smallwood 44 Jr. 12/27/58 vs. Tenn. Tech , W Larry Humes 44 Sr. 12/18/65 vs. Purdue 97-93, W Parrish Casebier 44 Jr. 12/12/92 vs. Ill. State 86-67, W Dan Godfread 43 Jr. 2/25/89 at Loyola , W Colt Ryan 43 Jr. 2/21/12 at Creighton 92-93, L OT DJ Balentine 43 So. 1/29/14 at UNI 81-95, L John Harrawood 42 Sr. 2/20/57 vs. Ky Wesleyan 95-91, W 2OT Ed Smallwood 42 Sr. 3/4/60 vs. Wabash 89-68, W $ Buster Briley 42 So. 12/23/61 vs. LA State 94-89, W Ed Smallwood 41 So. 3/14/58 vs. Wheaton 95-93, W $ Ed Smallwood 41 Sr. 3/9/60 vs. American , W $ Parrish Casebier 41 So. 3/9/92 vs. Notre Dame 74-56, W Larry Humes 40 Sr. 1/26/66 at DePauw 95-93, W Buster Briley 40 So. 3/8/62 vs. NC A&T 97-82, W $ $ - NCAA Tournament game Mid-Major Poll Mid-Major Top 25 (12/5/16) Team Record Points Prv. Conference 1. Gonzaga (26) West Coast 2. Saint Mary s (5) West Coast 3. Valparaiso Horizon 4. Wichita State Missouri Valley 5. UNCW Colonial 6. Fort Wayne Summit 7. UT Arlington Sun Belt 8. Chattanooga Southern 9. ETSU Southern 10. Monmouth Metro Atlantic 11. Ohio Mid-American 12. Oakland Horizon 13. Illinois State Missouri Valley 14. Belmont Ohio Valley 15. BYU West Coast 16. Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun 17. Tennessee State Ohio Valley 18. New Mexico State NR Western Athletic 19. Loyola (Chicago) NR Missouri Valley 20. UL Lafayette NR Sun Belt 21. Arkansas State Sun Belt 22. Akron Mid-American 23. Elon Colonial 24. North Dakota State Summit 25. Utah Valley Western Athletic OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Northern Iowa 65, Vermont 49, Princeton 39, South Alabama 36, Stephen F Austin 35, Eastern Michigan 33, Yale 31, UMBC 25, Central Michigan 22, Hofstra 20, San Francisco 18, Eastern Washington 17, Charleston 17, Little Rock 14, Iona 12, Texas A&M Corpus Christi 12, South Dakota 10, UC Irvine 10, UT Martin 10, Harvard 9, Winthrop 8, Lehigh 7, UNC Asheville 6, CSU Bakersfield 5, Grand Canyon 5, Albany 2, Siena 2, Buffalo 1, Bucknell 1, UMKC 1, UNC Greensboro 1. *NCAA Championship Season 2015 COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 11

12 Around The Valley Missouri Valley Conference Standings SCHOOL CONF OVERALL Loyola Wichita State Missouri State Illinois State Evansville Indiana State Southern Illinois UNI Bradley Drake Evansville Starting Lineups at Louisville Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Howard vs. Alcorn State Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Howard vs. Morehead State Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Howard vs. Toledo Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Howard vs. UNC Wilmington Gibson Brown Taylor Benzon Wiley vs. Middle Tennessee Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Vucetic vs. Wabash Gibson Brown Smith Wiley Vucetic vs. Boise State Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Vucetic vs. Bowling Green Gibson Brown Taylor Wiley Vucetic MVC Preseason Poll School (First Place Votes) TOTAL 1. Wichita State (37) Illinois State (4) UNI (1) Missouri State Southern Illinois Indiana State Loyola Bradley Evansville Drake 73 Preseason All-Conference Team FIRST TEAM Markis McDuffie, Wichita State MiKyle McIntosh, Illinois State Jeremy Morgan, UNI Brenton Scott, Indiana State Paris Lee, Illinois State SECOND TEAM Milton Doyle, Loyola Dequon Miller, Missouri State Shaquille Morris, Wichita State Sean O Brien, Southern Illinois Reed Timmer, Drake Evansville s Record Against The Valley School Overall Home Away Neutral Bradley Creighton Drake Illinois St Indiana St Loyola Missouri St UNI Southern Ill Wichita St Number of Games With... Double Figure Points Career Jaylon Brown Blake Simmons Duane Gibson Ryan Taylor Willie Wiley David Howard Christian Benzon Sergej Vucetic Points Scored Career Ryan Taylor Jaylon Brown Duane Gibson Points Scored Jaylon Brown Career Points Scored N/A Career Jaylon Brown Career Double-Doubles Career Jaylon Brown Duane Gibson COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 12

13 Ford Center Records Ford Center Firsts Game - UE 80, Butler 77-11/12/11 Overtime game - vs. Butler - 11/12/11 UE win - vs. Butler - 11/12/11 UE loss - vs. Indiana /16/11 Single Game Ind. UE Records Points - 39 (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) FGM - 12 (3x last Balentine vs. BEL 11/21/15) FGA - 23 (Colt Ryan vs. ILST 1/21/12) 3 Made - 8 (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) 3 Att (Colt Ryan vs. BRAD 1/18/12) FT Made - 20 (D.J. Balentine vs. ILST 2/12/14) FT Att - 25 (D.J. Balentine vs. ILST 2/12/14) RB - 20 (Egidijus Mockevicius vs. LOY 1/19/16) Assists - 11 (Duane Gibson vs. AU 11/23/13) Steals - 7 (Colt Ryan vs. Drake, 2/10/13) Blocks - 6 (Egidijus Mockevicius - 4x) Single Game Ind. Opp. Records Points - 32 (Cameron Payne MURR 12/13/14) 32 (Fred VanVleet, WSU, 1/31/16) FGM - 13 (Evan Bradds Belmont 11/21/15) FGA - 22 (by Ladarius Tabb, AAMU, 12/22/15) 3 Made - 7 (Alec Peters VALPO 11/20/13) 3 Att (2x last A. Peters VALPO 11/20/13) FT Made - 15 (Fred VanVleet WSU 1/31/16) FT Att (Ed Daniel MUR ST 12/8/12) 15 (Fred VanVleet, WSU, 1/31/16) RB - 22 (Brandon West Jackson St. 12/14/13) Assists - 9 (Twice, last Paris Lee, ILST, 2/11/16) Steals - 5 (5x, last by D. Jackson SIU, 2/22/14) Blocks - 5 (Jacob Enevold, Drake, 2/25/14) Team Game Highs Points vs. Earlham, 11/15/14 FGM - 50 vs. Earlham, 11/15/14 FGA - 80 vs. Earlham, 11/15/14 FG% vs. Alabama State, 12/1/15 3 Made - 14 vs. Miami Ohio 12/5/12 3 Att - 21 vs. Bradley 1/18/12 3% vs. Miami Ohio 12/5/12 FTM - 44 vs. Illinois State 2/12/14 FTA - 56 vs. Illinois State 2/12/14 FT% vs. NCAT 12/10/11 RB - 58 vs. Mississippi Valley State, 12/12/15 Assists - 26 (2x) last vs. Ind. St. 3/2/13 Steals - 16 vs. Earlham, 11/15/14 Blocks - 9 (3x) last vs. Wabash 11/30/16 Turnovers - 21 vs. Coppin State 12/28/14 Fouls - 27 vs. NCAT 12/10/11 Team Game Lows Points - 41 vs. Wichita State, 1/17/15 FGM - 15 vs. Wichita State, 1/17/15 FGA - 35 vs. Southern Illinois, 1/24/15 FG% vs. Wichita State 1/17/15 3 Made - 0 vs. Missouri State 2/5/14 3 Att - 7 (Twice) last vs. Loyola 1/18/14 3% vs. Missouri State 2/5/14 FTM - 2 vs. Northern Iowa 2/15/12 FTA - 7 (Twice) last vs. UT Martin 3/31/15 FT% vs. Northern Iowa 2/15/12 RB - 20 vs. Wichita State 1/4/12 Assists - 8 vs. Western Illinois 11/17/12 Steals - 2 (3x) last vs. SEMO 11/15/15 Blocks - 0 (3x) Turnovers - 3 vs. Missouri State, 2/10/15 Fouls - 9 vs. Western Illinois, 11/17/12 Opp. Game Highs Points - 98 by Illinois State 2/12/14 FGM - 36 by Princeton 3/13/12 FGA - 73 by Tennessee State 3/19/13 FG% x, last Valparaiso, 11/20/13 3 Made - 14 by UNI 1/8/14 3 Att - 32 Twice last by ILST 2/12/14 3% by Drake 1/13/12 FTM - 29 by Illinois State 2/12/14 FTA - 32 by Illinois State 2/12/14 FT% - 100% (10/10) by Drake, 2/17/15 RB - 50 by Missouri State 2/25/12 Assists - 24 by Indiana 11/16/11 Steals - 14 (2x, last by Wichita St., 2/16/14) Blocks - 9 by Illinois State 2/12/14 Turnovers - 28 by Oakland City 11/19/11 Fouls - 33 by Illinois State 2/12/14 Opp. Game Lows Points - 35 by Bradley 1/9/16 FGM x, last by Wabash, 11/30/16 FGA - 39 by Western Illinois 2/18/12 FG% (12/54) by Wabash, 11/30/16 3 Made - 0 by Western Illinois, 11/17/12 3 Att - 4 by Western Illinois 11/17/12 3% by Western Illinois 11/17/12 FTM - 1 by Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 FTA - 2 by Northern Iowa, 1/29/13 FT% by Western Illinois 11/17/12 RB - 13 by Miami Ohio 12/5/12 Assists - 5 by Bradley 1/9/16 Steals - 0 by Wabash, 11/30/16 Blocks - 0 (Twice) Turnovers - 7 by UNI 1/8/14 Fouls - 8 by UT Martin 3/31/ COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 13

14 POINTS IN THE PAINT Opp. UE-Opp. W/L at Louisville (-26) L vs. Alcorn State (+18) W vs. Morehead St (+8) W vs. Toledo (+10) L vs. UNCW (+10) L vs. MTSU (-1) L vs. Wabash (+34) W vs. Boise State (+4) W vs. Bowling Green (+18) W Record with more points in the paint: 5-2 Record with fewer points in the paint: 0-2 Record when points in paint even: 0-0 Margin for season (+75) Specialty Stats BENCH SCORING Opp. UE-Opp. W/L at Louisville (-7) L vs. Alcorn State (+13) W vs. Morehead St (-2) W vs. Toledo (+1) L vs. UNCW 9-12 (-3) L vs. MTSU 8-6 (+2) L vs. Wabash 51-6 (+45) W vs. Boise State (-7) W vs. Bowling Green (+2) W Record with more bench point: 3-2 Record with fewer bench points: 2-2 Record when bench points even: 0-0 Margin for season (+44) POINTS OFF TURNOVERS Opp. UE-Opp. W/L at Louisville (-8) L vs. Alcorn State (+7) W vs. Morehead St (-1) W vs. Toledo 26-8 (+18) L vs. UNCW (-2) L vs. MTSU 5-22 (-17) L vs. Wabash 20-6 (+14) W vs. Boise State (-5) W vs. Bowling Green 20-3 (+17) W Record with more points off turnovers: 3-1 Record with fewer points off turnovers: 2-3 Record when points off turnovers even: 0-0 Margin for season (+23) In November of 2016, the inaugural class of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame was officially inducted and included a pair of Purple Aces legends - Arad McCutchan and Jerry Sloan. The class was inducted at the Ford Center on Nov. 17 as a prelude to the Hall of Fame Classic, which featured six Division II schools playing in a tournament on the 18th and 19th. The full class included: Dick Barnett (Tennessee A&I), John Ebeling (Florida Southern), Bevo Francis (Rio Grande), Travis Grant (Kentucky State), Bob Hopkins (Grambling State), Lucious Jackson (Pan American College), Phil Jackson (North Dakota), Earl The Pearl Monroe (Winston-Salem State), Willis Reed (Grambling State), John Rinka (Kenyon), Jerry Sloan (Evansville), Clarence Gaines (Winston-Salem State), Arad McCutchan (Evansville), John McClendon (five schools) and Dr. James Naismith, who was the founder of the game of basketball COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS 14