Finally, there's a break for the University of Evansville men's basketball team heading into tonight's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at the Savvis Center in St. Louis.
The Aces (11-16 overall, 5-13 in the MVC) face Drake (7-11, 12-15) at 8:35 p.m. Drake is seeded No. 7 and the Aces are No. 10.
It's the same bunch of Bulldogs that twice broke UE's collective hearts with come-from-behind wins that kept the Aces from reversing a season-ending tailspin that has reached four straight losses. UE also has lost nine of its past 10 games.
In the first meeting Feb. 5, Drake made its biggest comeback ever, erasing a 19-point deficit with 9:45 to play and won 76-72 in overtime at Roberts Stadium. Last Saturday, Drake won 83-81 in a game that UE trailed just once until two minutes were left.
But that also means UE led about 80 of 85 minutes played against the Bulldogs, who happened to get hot twice at the right time.
"We definitely have confidence going in," said Aces senior Lucious Wagner, whose 13.9 scoring average leads the team. "We know we can play with them. We wanted to play them again. We just have to take care of the ball for 40 minutes and hit the defensive boards."
Turnovers and rebounding were major factors in the loss last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Aces had 19 turnovers that resulted in 20 points for Drake, which also added 21 offensive rebounds (for a 38-31 edge overall) that resulted in 18 second-chance points. UE had 11 points off turnovers and five second-chance points.
"It's easy to look at the numbers and say we need to do this or that better and we would've won," UE coach Steve Merfeld said. "But in games like this, it still comes down to making plays, offensive or defensive, at the end.
"The games this time of the year are going to come down to the last four or five minutes. So, you've got to have guys willing to step up and make plays when the game's on the line. We're down to a one-game season. We want to play well tonight so we can do it again Saturday."
A win over Drake would put the Aces against No. 2 seed Wichita State (19-8, 12-6) at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
"It would be real easy to say we're happy to be playing Drake, but I'm sure they're looking forward to playing us, too, after the success they've had," Merfeld said. "We've just got to execute the things we do. We have to take care of the basics."
Senior forward Andre Burton, the Aces second-leading scorer (11.8) and leading rebounder (5.4), is certain he knows the path to victory.
"We're real familiar with (Drake)," said Burton. "We've got to take care of the ball so we don't give them easy baskets, and then we have to keep them off the offensive boards. Those are the main things.
"Then we just need to stay aggressive against their press and not give up any long runs. If we do, we'll be fine. We know we can beat these guys."
Bradley (13-14, 6-12) plays Indiana State (10-19, 5-13) tonight at 6:05.
The Aces (11-16 overall, 5-13 in the MVC) face Drake (7-11, 12-15) at 8:35 p.m. Drake is seeded No. 7 and the Aces are No. 10.
It's the same bunch of Bulldogs that twice broke UE's collective hearts with come-from-behind wins that kept the Aces from reversing a season-ending tailspin that has reached four straight losses. UE also has lost nine of its past 10 games.
In the first meeting Feb. 5, Drake made its biggest comeback ever, erasing a 19-point deficit with 9:45 to play and won 76-72 in overtime at Roberts Stadium. Last Saturday, Drake won 83-81 in a game that UE trailed just once until two minutes were left.
But that also means UE led about 80 of 85 minutes played against the Bulldogs, who happened to get hot twice at the right time.
"We definitely have confidence going in," said Aces senior Lucious Wagner, whose 13.9 scoring average leads the team. "We know we can play with them. We wanted to play them again. We just have to take care of the ball for 40 minutes and hit the defensive boards."
Turnovers and rebounding were major factors in the loss last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Aces had 19 turnovers that resulted in 20 points for Drake, which also added 21 offensive rebounds (for a 38-31 edge overall) that resulted in 18 second-chance points. UE had 11 points off turnovers and five second-chance points.
"It's easy to look at the numbers and say we need to do this or that better and we would've won," UE coach Steve Merfeld said. "But in games like this, it still comes down to making plays, offensive or defensive, at the end.
"The games this time of the year are going to come down to the last four or five minutes. So, you've got to have guys willing to step up and make plays when the game's on the line. We're down to a one-game season. We want to play well tonight so we can do it again Saturday."
A win over Drake would put the Aces against No. 2 seed Wichita State (19-8, 12-6) at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
"It would be real easy to say we're happy to be playing Drake, but I'm sure they're looking forward to playing us, too, after the success they've had," Merfeld said. "We've just got to execute the things we do. We have to take care of the basics."
Senior forward Andre Burton, the Aces second-leading scorer (11.8) and leading rebounder (5.4), is certain he knows the path to victory.
"We're real familiar with (Drake)," said Burton. "We've got to take care of the ball so we don't give them easy baskets, and then we have to keep them off the offensive boards. Those are the main things.
"Then we just need to stay aggressive against their press and not give up any long runs. If we do, we'll be fine. We know we can beat these guys."
Bradley (13-14, 6-12) plays Indiana State (10-19, 5-13) tonight at 6:05.
