Illinois St. looks to extend streak vs Evansville
Illinois State (9-20, 4-13) vs. Evansville (9-21, 0-17)
Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State looks for its 11th straight win in the head-to-head series over Evansville. Illinois State has won by an average of 9 points in its last 10 wins over the Purple Aces. Evansville’s last win in the series came on Jan. 15, 2016, a 66-55 win.
SUPER SENIORS: Evansville has relied heavily on its seniors this year. K.J. Riley, Sam Cunliffe, Artur Labinowicz and John Hall have combined to account for 56 percent of all Purple Aces scoring this season, though that figure has dropped to 72 percent over the last five games.CLUTCH COPELAND: Zach Copeland has connected on 38.9 percent of the 198 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 14 of 39 over his last five games. He’s also made 78.3 percent of his free throws this season.
WINLESS WHEN: Evansville is 0-16 this year when it scores 66 points or fewer and 9-5 when it scores at least 67.
COLD SPELLS: Illinois State has dropped its last 11 road games, scoring 64.5 points and allowing 77.7 points during those contests. Evansville has lost its last eight home games, scoring an average of 61.9 points while giving up 71.9.
DID YOU KNOW: Evansville is ranked second in the MVC with an average of 68.9 possessions per game, but that number has slipped to 65.4 possessions per game over their 17-game losing streak.
