Evansville at Indiana State 2/17/21 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

The Evansville Purple Aces travel on the road to the Hulman Center to take on the Indiana State Sycamores. This will be a rematch of Sunday, when Indiana State snuck away with a 76-70 win on the road. It was Evansville’s third-loss in a row, and they dropped to 8-11 (6-7 conference). It was Indiana State’s fourth win in their last five games and they improved to 12-8 (9-6 conference) with the win.

Evansville is one of the worst scoring-offenses in the country averaging 64 points per game ranking 320th in the country. The Purple Aces have found success from three, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc on over 26 attempts per game. They’ve struggled inside the arc shooting 48.6%, 237th in the country from two-point range.

Evansville has three-players scoring double-figures, led by junior point guard Shamar Givance. Givance is second on the team in scoring with 12.4 per game and he’s dishing out a team-high 3.9 assists and is shooting a solid 44% from the field. Fellow junior Jawaun Newton has led the way in scoring with 12.8 points per game and is shooting 50.9% from the field. 

Indiana State has too struggled on the offensive end, hence the low-total in this game. The Sycamores are scoring 67.8 points per game ranking 263rd in the country in scoring offense, they’re shooting 43.4% from the field ranking 214th in field-goal percentage. Indiana State prefers to slow it down, coming in at 216th in adjusted tempo.

It all starts with senior Tyreke Key, a 2x All-MVC player and will be making his 95th start in this game, he’s continued to develop and although the efficiency has dipped this year he’s leading the team with 16.6 points. He’s also third on the team with 5.3 rebound and second in assist with 2.1. Sophomore Jake Laravia leads the way in assists with 2.2 and rebounds with 6, whilst adding 12.2 points per game of his own.

Indiana State has managed to play solid defense and is a big reason for their success this season, they’re slow pace has led to the Sycamores allowing 67.4 points per game ranking 101st in scoring defense. Opponents have shot 45.5% from the field, 263rd in field-goal defense, and 33.8% from beyond the arc, 200th in three-point defense. The Sycamores are 114th in KenPom adjusted defense. 

Evansville also slows the game down, even more so than Indiana State coming in 355th in adjusted tempo. The Purple Aces are giving up 67.8 points per game ranking 108th in scoring defense whilst opponents are shooting a blistering 49.7% from the field, 39.4% from three, and are 333rd in effective field-goal percentage.