Talk enough with the University of Evansville?s Marty Simmons or Northern Iowa?s Ben Jacobson this week and you?d wonder if either feels he?s got a shot at winning on Tuesday.
That?s how much admiration the Missouri Valley Conference men?s basketball coaches have for one another.
?Ben?s definitely someone as a coach that I have tons of respect for,? Simmons said.
?Marty does the job of getting his team to play that way and understand their roles as good as any team in the country,? Jacobson said.
But since a 4-1 league start, Simmons? Evansville team has lost three of its last four games. Indiana State also defeated Jacobs? Northern Iowa squad by a point over the weekend.
The coaches? common ideologies clash on the basketball court at least twice a season, and someone has to win once the Aces (12-9, 5-4 MVC) and Panthers (11-10, 4-5) tip off for the second time this season in a 7 p.m. game at the Ford Center.
?Ben is just somebody that I guess I?ve gotten to know a little bit over my last few years here in Evansville, and just watching his teams play, they?re very, very intelligent ? very smart,? Simmons said.
Jacobson said two things stick out about the Simmons-coached Aces.
?It?s how hard they play defensively, and then the patience and understanding about what they?re working to get done offensively,? he said. ?I think at both ends, from a program standpoint, (is) the understanding that the team has individually of where they fit as a team and how they do things collectively.?
Within both systems, Evansville and Northern Iowa rely heavily on free throws. While the Panthers are No. 1 in the MVC at 75.8 percent, the Aces are best in conference-only games with an 81.4 percent average.
Each of Northern Iowa?s four players average double figures ? led by senior Anthony James? 12.6 points per game ? and make at least 71 percent of their free throws. Evansville senior Colt Ryan is a 90 percent foul shooter.
Coincidentally, the teams? first meeting, a 62-59 Evansville road win on Jan. 9, came down to free throws. Evansville hit its last 11 attempts while Northern Iowa missed the front end of two one-and-ones inside a minute to play.
?Each one of our teams goes into the game with the thought, ?If we can make more free throws than the other team, we?re going to have the upper hand and a better chance to win that game,? ? Jacobson said. ?How you go about doing that is different each night because of who you?re playing.?
Against Evansville, that means fighting off a full shot clock of screens and cuts. Illinois State did that well while attempting 18 more free throws than the Aces last Saturday.
?When you?re playing against talented, athletic, strong players, that?s sometimes a difficult challenge,? Simmons said. ?But it?s one we have to continue to work at and get better at to be successful.?
That?s how much admiration the Missouri Valley Conference men?s basketball coaches have for one another.
?Ben?s definitely someone as a coach that I have tons of respect for,? Simmons said.
?Marty does the job of getting his team to play that way and understand their roles as good as any team in the country,? Jacobson said.
But since a 4-1 league start, Simmons? Evansville team has lost three of its last four games. Indiana State also defeated Jacobs? Northern Iowa squad by a point over the weekend.
The coaches? common ideologies clash on the basketball court at least twice a season, and someone has to win once the Aces (12-9, 5-4 MVC) and Panthers (11-10, 4-5) tip off for the second time this season in a 7 p.m. game at the Ford Center.
?Ben is just somebody that I guess I?ve gotten to know a little bit over my last few years here in Evansville, and just watching his teams play, they?re very, very intelligent ? very smart,? Simmons said.
Jacobson said two things stick out about the Simmons-coached Aces.
?It?s how hard they play defensively, and then the patience and understanding about what they?re working to get done offensively,? he said. ?I think at both ends, from a program standpoint, (is) the understanding that the team has individually of where they fit as a team and how they do things collectively.?
Within both systems, Evansville and Northern Iowa rely heavily on free throws. While the Panthers are No. 1 in the MVC at 75.8 percent, the Aces are best in conference-only games with an 81.4 percent average.
Each of Northern Iowa?s four players average double figures ? led by senior Anthony James? 12.6 points per game ? and make at least 71 percent of their free throws. Evansville senior Colt Ryan is a 90 percent foul shooter.
Coincidentally, the teams? first meeting, a 62-59 Evansville road win on Jan. 9, came down to free throws. Evansville hit its last 11 attempts while Northern Iowa missed the front end of two one-and-ones inside a minute to play.
?Each one of our teams goes into the game with the thought, ?If we can make more free throws than the other team, we?re going to have the upper hand and a better chance to win that game,? ? Jacobson said. ?How you go about doing that is different each night because of who you?re playing.?
Against Evansville, that means fighting off a full shot clock of screens and cuts. Illinois State did that well while attempting 18 more free throws than the Aces last Saturday.
?When you?re playing against talented, athletic, strong players, that?s sometimes a difficult challenge,? Simmons said. ?But it?s one we have to continue to work at and get better at to be successful.?
