A CBS Sports college basketball expert predicted this week that the University of Evansville will win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. So did BracketologyExpert.com, and a number of other projections see the Aces as at least a top dark horse.
Certainly, and most importantly, nobody?s said Evansville can?t win it all following one of the MVC?s most topsy-turvy regular seasons ever.
No. 1 seed Creighton lost five games, marking the third time in 105 years the league champion finished with that many defeats. And last-place Southern Illinois gutted out six wins ? just the second time that?s happened in MVC history.
As parity abounds, a reminder: This tournament carries the ?Arch Madness? nickname for a reason.
?You?d better be ready to play,? said UE coach Marty Simmons. ?It doesn?t matter who you?re playing. It?s been that way all year long, and if we don?t understand that now, then shame on us because this is one of the best leagues in the country and you?ve got to compete to the highest level to have a chance on any given night.?
Seeking its first NCAA tournament bid since 1999, fourth-seeded Evansville (18-3, 10-8 MVC) is preparing for anything ? even an Indiana State forward who may not play in the teams? 2:30 p.m. Friday game at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Junior Manny Arop has missed the fifth-seeded Sycamores? last two games ? including an 84-68 Aces? win on Saturday ? due to an indefinite suspension. Indiana State?s second-leading scorer averages 12.6 points per game.
?It?s a little different in this regard that we anticipate them getting a major piece back in the lineup, which really changes the dynamics of their basketball team,? Simmons said.
Arop scored a game-high 19 in the teams? first meeting this season, ISU?s 72-62 victory in Terre Haute. Indiana State coach Greg Lansing, two years removed from his team?s Arch Madness title run as a No. 3 seed, spoke this week with uncertainty regarding Arop?s status, saying it could come down to a game-time decision.
The 6-foot-6 Gonzaga transfer did travel with the Sycamores (17-13, 9-9 MVC) to St. Louis.
Arop or not, Simmons has a game plan in postseason contests: defense and rebounding.
?More times than not, in a situation where you?ve played somebody multiple times and they?re familiar and you?re familiar with them,? he said, ?it comes down to being really hard to score against, not giving second-chance opportunities, and then from the other side not giving them opportunities with turning the ball over and good shot selection.?
Certainly, and most importantly, nobody?s said Evansville can?t win it all following one of the MVC?s most topsy-turvy regular seasons ever.
No. 1 seed Creighton lost five games, marking the third time in 105 years the league champion finished with that many defeats. And last-place Southern Illinois gutted out six wins ? just the second time that?s happened in MVC history.
As parity abounds, a reminder: This tournament carries the ?Arch Madness? nickname for a reason.
?You?d better be ready to play,? said UE coach Marty Simmons. ?It doesn?t matter who you?re playing. It?s been that way all year long, and if we don?t understand that now, then shame on us because this is one of the best leagues in the country and you?ve got to compete to the highest level to have a chance on any given night.?
Seeking its first NCAA tournament bid since 1999, fourth-seeded Evansville (18-3, 10-8 MVC) is preparing for anything ? even an Indiana State forward who may not play in the teams? 2:30 p.m. Friday game at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Junior Manny Arop has missed the fifth-seeded Sycamores? last two games ? including an 84-68 Aces? win on Saturday ? due to an indefinite suspension. Indiana State?s second-leading scorer averages 12.6 points per game.
?It?s a little different in this regard that we anticipate them getting a major piece back in the lineup, which really changes the dynamics of their basketball team,? Simmons said.
Arop scored a game-high 19 in the teams? first meeting this season, ISU?s 72-62 victory in Terre Haute. Indiana State coach Greg Lansing, two years removed from his team?s Arch Madness title run as a No. 3 seed, spoke this week with uncertainty regarding Arop?s status, saying it could come down to a game-time decision.
The 6-foot-6 Gonzaga transfer did travel with the Sycamores (17-13, 9-9 MVC) to St. Louis.
Arop or not, Simmons has a game plan in postseason contests: defense and rebounding.
?More times than not, in a situation where you?ve played somebody multiple times and they?re familiar and you?re familiar with them,? he said, ?it comes down to being really hard to score against, not giving second-chance opportunities, and then from the other side not giving them opportunities with turning the ball over and good shot selection.?
