The Evansville Purple Aces will take on the Belmont Bruins Wednesday at Curb Event Center. Tip-off from Nashville, TN, is at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Bruins are 16.5-point spread favorites and the game total is 148 points.
Evansville, 5-22 SU and 9-16-2 ATS, lost to Missouri State on Sunday. The Purple Aces are 1-4 straight-up in their past five and 1-15 in Missouri Valley Conference competition.
Belmont, 18-9 SU and 13-11-2 ATS, beat UIC on Saturday. The Bruins are 2-3 straight-up in their past five and 11-5 in MVC play.
Belmont defeated Evansville 73-64 on Jan. 25. The Bruins shot 49.1 percent and held the Purple Aces under 40 percent from the field. Belmont leads the series 4-2.
Evansville has lost 13 of its last 14 straight-up but is 2-0-1 against the spread in its last three overall. Are the Purple Aces feelin' lucky?
Evansville covered at home last game versus Missouri State, losing by only six. The Purple Aces were 18-of-46 from the field, 7-of-17 from three, and 17-of-19 at the free-throw line. The Bears overcame 18 turnovers with a +12 rebounding margin with ten offensive rebounds and a higher shooting percentage on more field goals. Senior forward Antoine Smith Jr. led Evansville with 16 points and six rebounds.
Antoine Smith Jr. for the lead!
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??56#ForTheAces ?? pic.twitter.com/L5uHgM7dhA— UE Men's Basketball (@UEAthletics_MBB) February 12, 2023
The Purple Aces average 62.6 points per game (348th) and shoot 40.1 percent (348th), including 32.7 percent from three (264th). They convert 62.8 percent of their free throws (353rd) and average 28.6 rebounds (329th) with a minus 5.9 rebounding margin. Evansville is 356th in schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency and 343rd in effective field goal percentage (45.6%).
The Purple Aces surrender 74.5 points per game on defense (307th), and their opponents shoot 47.0 percent from the floor (341st) with a 36.9 three-point shooting percentage (334th). They're 257th in defensive efficiency and 302nd in assist-per-turnover ratio.
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