A win over Purdue would do wonders for UE
Kyle Anslinger was thinking big on Friday afternoon shortly after the University of Evansville basketball team wrapped up its final preparations for today's game against Purdue.
"It's all big," said Anslinger, a 6-foot-4 junior from Reitz High School. "It's a big game any time you're coming off two (road) losses, because you want to win to get back on track. But when it's a big-time school like Purdue from the Big Ten in front of a big crowd, yeah, it's a big game."
A turnout of more than 11,000 fans is expected to fill Roberts Stadium. Tipoff is at 5:05 p.m., with the gates opening at 3:30. The game also will be televised live on WAZE-WB19.
Anslinger recognizes the rare shot against the Boilermakers (2-2) at Roberts Stadium - where they've lost four times in a row - as a big opportunity for the Aces (1-2).
"Everybody's been talking about this game for a long time," said Anslinger, whose 11.7 scoring average ranks third on the Aces. "We don't get to play in front of a packed house very often, so when you do, you need to take advantage of it."
UE coach Steve Merfeld is excited about the matchup, too.
"Any time you get a Big Ten school like Purdue at your place, you shouldn't have any trouble getting your team ready," he said. "They'll all want to prove themselves against a team from the highest level. But that's already the level we're playing at in the Valley (Missouri Valley Conference). There's a lot of Big Ten teams that would have five road losses playing in our league."
Merfeld credited Purdue officials for taking the risky and rare trip to a smaller in-state rival such as Evansville. The Boilers' last trip to the Stadium in 1983 resulted in an 80-65 loss; Purdue entered the game 7-0 and ranked seventh in the nation.
"You really have to credit Purdue and (retired coach) Gene Keady for scheduling this game," said Merfeld. "The reason was so (former Mater Dei High School standout) Matt Kiefer could play in his hometown. It's a real credit, because a school like Purdue doesn't have to do that.
"That said, we've got to play the game. We've stressed a lot of things this week, different things to different players, but the common denominator has been taking care of the basketball. We must do that."
Anslinger said turnovers were a major reason why the Aces have dropped two straight games on the road, 99-86 at Loyola and 70-67 at Marshall.
"I think we turned it over 19 times at Marshall and 23 at Loyola," said Anslinger. "Any time you do that, it's going to be tough to win. So the first thing we have to do is take care of the ball."
Purdue faces some of the same problems after getting punished 97-57 at Florida State on Tuesday. In that game, the Boilers had 28 turnovers that led to 41 points by the Seminoles.
"We can't match Florida State's athleticism," said Merfeld. "We put in some new things this week to try and pressure the ball a little in certain situations, but the main thing is we just have to play better all over.
"In order to be successful, you have to succeed inside and outside. We had both at times this year, and other times we haven't had either. We'll need everything working against Purdue."
The Aces are led in scoring by 5-11 freshman point guard Jason Holsinger, who averages 17.3 points. He also passes out an average of 5.7 assists. Matt Webster, a 6-7, 250-pound junior forward, averages 15.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds for UE; 6-9 junior center Bradley Strickland averages 10 points and 6.3 boards.
Purdue is led by 6-7 senior forward Carl Landry, who averages 17.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Nate Minnoy, a 6-3, 270-pound freshman forward, adds 14 points and 4.8 rebounds. Keifer averages 6.5 points and 5 rebounds.
Kyle Anslinger was thinking big on Friday afternoon shortly after the University of Evansville basketball team wrapped up its final preparations for today's game against Purdue.
"It's all big," said Anslinger, a 6-foot-4 junior from Reitz High School. "It's a big game any time you're coming off two (road) losses, because you want to win to get back on track. But when it's a big-time school like Purdue from the Big Ten in front of a big crowd, yeah, it's a big game."
A turnout of more than 11,000 fans is expected to fill Roberts Stadium. Tipoff is at 5:05 p.m., with the gates opening at 3:30. The game also will be televised live on WAZE-WB19.
Anslinger recognizes the rare shot against the Boilermakers (2-2) at Roberts Stadium - where they've lost four times in a row - as a big opportunity for the Aces (1-2).
"Everybody's been talking about this game for a long time," said Anslinger, whose 11.7 scoring average ranks third on the Aces. "We don't get to play in front of a packed house very often, so when you do, you need to take advantage of it."
UE coach Steve Merfeld is excited about the matchup, too.
"Any time you get a Big Ten school like Purdue at your place, you shouldn't have any trouble getting your team ready," he said. "They'll all want to prove themselves against a team from the highest level. But that's already the level we're playing at in the Valley (Missouri Valley Conference). There's a lot of Big Ten teams that would have five road losses playing in our league."
Merfeld credited Purdue officials for taking the risky and rare trip to a smaller in-state rival such as Evansville. The Boilers' last trip to the Stadium in 1983 resulted in an 80-65 loss; Purdue entered the game 7-0 and ranked seventh in the nation.
"You really have to credit Purdue and (retired coach) Gene Keady for scheduling this game," said Merfeld. "The reason was so (former Mater Dei High School standout) Matt Kiefer could play in his hometown. It's a real credit, because a school like Purdue doesn't have to do that.
"That said, we've got to play the game. We've stressed a lot of things this week, different things to different players, but the common denominator has been taking care of the basketball. We must do that."
Anslinger said turnovers were a major reason why the Aces have dropped two straight games on the road, 99-86 at Loyola and 70-67 at Marshall.
"I think we turned it over 19 times at Marshall and 23 at Loyola," said Anslinger. "Any time you do that, it's going to be tough to win. So the first thing we have to do is take care of the ball."
Purdue faces some of the same problems after getting punished 97-57 at Florida State on Tuesday. In that game, the Boilers had 28 turnovers that led to 41 points by the Seminoles.
"We can't match Florida State's athleticism," said Merfeld. "We put in some new things this week to try and pressure the ball a little in certain situations, but the main thing is we just have to play better all over.
"In order to be successful, you have to succeed inside and outside. We had both at times this year, and other times we haven't had either. We'll need everything working against Purdue."
The Aces are led in scoring by 5-11 freshman point guard Jason Holsinger, who averages 17.3 points. He also passes out an average of 5.7 assists. Matt Webster, a 6-7, 250-pound junior forward, averages 15.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds for UE; 6-9 junior center Bradley Strickland averages 10 points and 6.3 boards.
Purdue is led by 6-7 senior forward Carl Landry, who averages 17.8 points and 5.3 rebounds. Nate Minnoy, a 6-3, 270-pound freshman forward, adds 14 points and 4.8 rebounds. Keifer averages 6.5 points and 5 rebounds.
