Evansville 2009 CIT Tournament Preview

Evansville Aces - Missouri Valley Conference (17-13, 8-10)

RPI: 96

Big Wins: 12/13 Western Kentucky (72-40), 2/21 Miami Ohio (75-61), 2/25 Bradley (56-49)

Bad Losses: 1/10 at Southern Illinois (63-70), 1/25 at Wichita State (50-51), 2/4 at Missouri State (62-65)

Coach: Marty Simmons

Probable Evansville Starters:

• Kaylon Williams, Freshman, Guard, 6.3 ppg, 4.7 apg, 4.3 rpg

• Jason Holsinger, Senior, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 3.4 apg

• Shy Ely, Senior, Guard, 18.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg

• Nate Garner, Senior, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg

• Pieter van Tongeren, Sophomore, Forward, 4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg

Key Evansville Roleplayers:

• James Haarsma, Freshman, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg

• Kavon Lacey, Sophomore, Guard, 4.3 ppg, 2.0 apg

Why Evansville Can Surprise:

For a team that scores just 66.8 points per game, Evansville sure does have a lot of assists. It seems like just about every bucket the Aces score is coming off of an assist. What that means is that Evansville will pass the ball around and look for a good, open shot. Kaylon Williams leads the team in assists with 4.7 per contest. He is not much of a scorer, but he will always set up the scorers and play solid defense. Fellow guard Jason Holsinger is not a bad passer either. He is also a quality shooter and one of the team’s few scoring options on the perimeter.

The other thing the Aces are pretty good at is rebounding. Four players average at least four rebounds per game and there are quite a few other players who will help out. Nate Garner and Pieter van Tongeren are the usual starters in the frontcourt, but James Haarsma will add some more rebounding to the frontcourt. It is Garner who has emerged as more than just a rebounder. The 6-5 senior is undersized for a forward, but he is a tough player around the basket and the Aces will rely on him to score quite a few points.

Why The Aces Can Disappoint:
This is not a dynamic offense by any means, and the Aces have done pretty well anyway, but the lack of three-point shooting will be an issue in the postseason. Holsinger knocks down over two long balls per game, but nobody else, absolutely nobody, is a threat to hit an outside shot. If Holsinger is having a bad day, the Aces are in deep trouble. And Holsinger has been pretty streaky this year. In the 13 games that he has failed to reach double figures, Evansville has lost nine of them.

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Who To Watch:
If Holsinger is not scoring, Ely better be putting up a ton of points. The 6-4 senior is averaging 18.6 points per game and he has been quite consistent this season. He will need to have a big scoring game if the Aces hope to pull off an upset or two. If Coach Marty Simmons had more scorers to rely on, Ely could still help out his team even if he was not scoring. However, Ely will still get to the basket and at least get fouled even if his mid-range shot is off target. He is a superb rebounder and will even occasionally find his teammates. When Ely and Holsinger are playing their best they compliment each other quite well. If Garner can have an effective game in the paint, the Evansville offense will look a lot better than it usually does.

Evansville By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 66.8 (183rd in nation, 4th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.9 (97, 6)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (117, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (166, 7)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.2 (329, 10)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: na

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.6 (140, 8)

Rebound Margin: 0.6 (168, 4)

Assists Per Game: 14.5 (81, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (128, 6)

By Joel Welser
CollegeSports-fans.com Senior Basketball Writer

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