Winning on road is Aces' next hurdle...

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Halfway through the Missouri Valley Conference basketball season, the University of Evansville has accomplished much in its third year under coach Steve Merfeld.

The Aces (10-7 overall, 4-5 in the MVC) have become winners again as Roberts Stadium - where UE is 9-2 - once again is a daunting place for visiting teams to play. But Merfeld knows there's one hurdle yet to clear. Entering tonight's 7:05 game at Illinois State, the first of a rugged stretch with games to follow at Southern Illinois on Saturday and at Northern Iowa on Feb. 2, Evansville has yet to win on the road in the Valley.

"We've played well on the road in the conference," said Merfeld. "We played at a level that was good enough to win at Southwest Missouri and Bradley, but the bounces didn't go our way at the end.

"We use the term 'next' a lot, win or lose. The next thing this team needs to do is win on the road. It's all part of a process, something you have to learn to do. But all year, this has been a team that responds to learning experiences."

So, Merfeld hopes the couple of defensive rebounds that got away and cost the Aces dearly at SMS, and the missed shot and long rebound that proved critical at Bradley will make the Aces better tonight.

"We just need somebody to step up at the end of the game and make a play," said Merfeld. "We had a little of that Saturday and got a much-needed win (64-59 at home over Indiana State). Now we need to be able to finish on the road. We know it won't be easy at Illinois State."

Along with the Aces, Merfeld considers Illinois State (13-5, 5-3) as one of the most improved teams in the MVC.

"They've won three in a row in the league, with two of those on the road," said Merfeld. "They've got three veteran guards who have been there for three years, and a great addition in the front court in (junior transfer Lorenzo) Gordon."

Gordon, a 6-foot-7 forward, is the conference's leading scorer with an 18.4 average. Senior guard Trey Guidry is the only other Redbird scorer in double figures (13.7).

Evansville counters with a predictable lineup - Lucious Wagner, Kyle Anslinger, Bradley Strickland, Matt Webster and Andre Burton for the 18th straight game - that produces balanced scoring.

Everyone averages between 13.1 points (Wagner) and 9.5 (Anslinger). The other starters' averages are Burton (12.7), Webster (11.5) and Strickland (10.9).

"As good as that sounds, we need those guys to be even more consistent," said Merfeld. "Too often, guys are getting 20 one game and three the next. We need to be able to count on each of them every night.

"But we're getting there. We had a little time to practice over the last week after a tough stretch (five games in 11 days) that just about killed us. But we got through it and everybody's healthy. Now, we just need to go get one on the road."

 

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Illinois State is one of the surprise teams in Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball.

Maybe the biggest surprise. A year ago, in Porter Moser's first season as ISU's head coach, the Redbirds went 10-19 overall and 4-14 in the MVC. This season, they're 13-5 and 5-3.

"At this stage, he's got to be Coach of the Year," Evansville coach Steve Merfeld said.

Probably so. But Merfeld would get a lot of votes, too.

The job he and his staff have done with the Aces is every bit as impressive as what Moser & Co. have done with the Redbirds.

Heading into tonight's game at Illinois State, UE is 10-7 overall and 4-5 in the Valley. That's a whole lot better than last season, when they finished 7-22 and 5-13.

By the way, raise your hand if you thought when the season began that the Aces would be at least three games over the .500 mark heading into the final third of the regular season.

Yeah, right. And you're the same ones who predicted last April that the Boston Red Sox would win the World Series.

At UE's weekly media luncheon on Monday, I asked the first four reporters and broadcasters who walked through the door: "Back in October, how many games did you think UE would win this year?"

I told them my answer would have been 12. Their answers were 12, 12, 14 and 14.

Later, I asked Merfeld the same question. Not surprisingly, he didn't bite. The Aces' third-year head coach said victories aren't one of the preseason goals he sets for his team.

"We're more interested in things like playing hard, playing with emotion and playing as a team," he said.

When you do that, then winning should take care of itself - and that's exactly what's been happening.

Although the Aces already have blown past last season's win total, you could point to three or four more games that they should - or could - have won. They lost by one point to Purdue, by three points to Southwest Missouri State and by five to Eastern Illinois and Bradley - all on the road.

The loss to Bradley on Jan. 15 came during a six-day stretch in which the Aces lost three straight road games after starting the season 9-4. But they beat Indiana State 64-59 at home on Saturday to gain some momentum heading into another three-game road swing that starts tonight.

"That was kind of an ugly win," Merfeld said, "but an ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day. And it was just what we needed to re-establish ourselves."

UE is 1-5 away from Roberts Stadium, but that stat is somewhat misleading.

"Actually, we've played well on the road," Merfeld said, noting several of the losses came down to the final possession. "It's not like we haven't played at a level that allows us to be successful, because we have. Now, we have to find ways to finish it off."

Illinois State has won three straight since losing to UE at the Stadium on Jan. 9, while the Aces have gone 1-3. But the recent skid doesn't concern Merfeld that much, and he's confident it hasn't discouraged his players.

"One thing I tell the team after a tough loss is to forget what just happened," Merfeld said. "I tell them, 'There's nothing you can do about it now. It's gone. Forget it. It's over.' " Apparently, the players have been listening.

"These players respond very well to what we try to teach them," Merfeld said. "This is a team that's very determined, very focused."

And also very confident - a trait it sorely lacked last season.

# This is shaping up as one of the best turnaround seasons in UE history. Here are the seasons in which the Aces have shown the most improvement over the previous year, in terms of victories:

- Plus 21: From 8-17 (9 under .500) in 1966-67 to 20-8 (12 over .500) in 1967-68.

- Plus 18: From 14-14 in 1990-91 to 24-6 in 1991-92.

- Plus 18: From 7-22 last year to 10-7 so far this year.

- Plus 16: From 12-14 in 1969-70 to 22-8 in 1970-71.

- Plus 13: From 8-18 in 1947-48 to 14-11 in 1948-49.

# UE has made at least five 3-pointers in 31 consecutive games, which is second to Notre Dame's 32-game streak among NCAA Division I teams.