Push will come to more than shove when the University of Evansville basketball team takes on Creighton at 7:05 tonight at the Qwest Center in Omaha.
It will also come to the ball, offense, defense and rebounders looking for position when two of the most aggressive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference tangle in front of 16,000 or so fans."No question they're one of the most aggressive teams in the league," said UE coach Marty Simmons. "That's at both ends of the floor, too. They're a very good team that's playing well right now."
How well? The Bluejays (21-4, 11-4) have won six games in a row to give the program 20 or more victories for an MVC record of 11 straight seasons. Creighton also owns a 79-57 win over the Aces (15-10, 7-8) at Roberts Stadium on Jan. 20 when Evansville was not playing well.
"They're everything you want in a basketball team," said Simmons. "They've got balance, size, quickness, athleticism and they're playing with great confidence. We've got our work cut out for us."
But Simmons and the Aces also know the method they must employ to clip the pesky Bluejays' wings. They must beat them at their own game.
"We have to be aggressive against their pressure," said senior forward Nate Garner, who's played his best basketball of late on the road. "When a team presses you, and they will, you want to attack."
Garner, like the rest of the Aces, is at his best when he's attacking the basket with the ball and making hard cuts in the motion offense without it. Then guards Jason Holsinger and Kaylon Williams can find him on the move.
"I'm just trying to stay aggressive like coach wants me to," said Garner, a 10.2-point scorer on the season. "I don't know why it's worked better on the road lately."
In Evansville's last three road games, Garner has averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. He's among the MVC's season leaders in field goal percentage (4th at .523) and offensive rebounding (5th at 2.3).
"We've been playing pretty well," said Garner. "We just have to do a better job sustaining it. We know it's going to be a fun environment because they always have a lot of fans. But that gives us energy, too.
"We just have to keep our poise and stick together so we can get through the tough times. We're prepared, though. We just have to be ready to attack when the opportunities are there."
Simmons said the Aces put in a few "new wrinkles" for Creighton, but that his team had to avoid the fouls that plagued it in an 86-79 loss Saturday at Bradley.
"We have to be aggressive defensively, but we have to do it without fouling," said Simmons. "Our guys are giving great effort, we're just not quite getting it done.
"We're in the toughest part of our schedule right now. It's just a matter of finding a way to get it done. But I believe in these guys. I believe they're ready to break through against a good team."
It will also come to the ball, offense, defense and rebounders looking for position when two of the most aggressive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference tangle in front of 16,000 or so fans."No question they're one of the most aggressive teams in the league," said UE coach Marty Simmons. "That's at both ends of the floor, too. They're a very good team that's playing well right now."
How well? The Bluejays (21-4, 11-4) have won six games in a row to give the program 20 or more victories for an MVC record of 11 straight seasons. Creighton also owns a 79-57 win over the Aces (15-10, 7-8) at Roberts Stadium on Jan. 20 when Evansville was not playing well.
"They're everything you want in a basketball team," said Simmons. "They've got balance, size, quickness, athleticism and they're playing with great confidence. We've got our work cut out for us."
But Simmons and the Aces also know the method they must employ to clip the pesky Bluejays' wings. They must beat them at their own game.
"We have to be aggressive against their pressure," said senior forward Nate Garner, who's played his best basketball of late on the road. "When a team presses you, and they will, you want to attack."
Garner, like the rest of the Aces, is at his best when he's attacking the basket with the ball and making hard cuts in the motion offense without it. Then guards Jason Holsinger and Kaylon Williams can find him on the move.
"I'm just trying to stay aggressive like coach wants me to," said Garner, a 10.2-point scorer on the season. "I don't know why it's worked better on the road lately."
In Evansville's last three road games, Garner has averaged 19.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. He's among the MVC's season leaders in field goal percentage (4th at .523) and offensive rebounding (5th at 2.3).
"We've been playing pretty well," said Garner. "We just have to do a better job sustaining it. We know it's going to be a fun environment because they always have a lot of fans. But that gives us energy, too.
"We just have to keep our poise and stick together so we can get through the tough times. We're prepared, though. We just have to be ready to attack when the opportunities are there."
Simmons said the Aces put in a few "new wrinkles" for Creighton, but that his team had to avoid the fouls that plagued it in an 86-79 loss Saturday at Bradley.
"We have to be aggressive defensively, but we have to do it without fouling," said Simmons. "Our guys are giving great effort, we're just not quite getting it done.
"We're in the toughest part of our schedule right now. It's just a matter of finding a way to get it done. But I believe in these guys. I believe they're ready to break through against a good team."
