The list of issues is long: the standings, the post-season tournament, the home-court advantage and the momentum of coming off impressive upset wins last weekend. More answers about those issues will come in Thursdays 7:05 p.m. Evansville at Illinois State womens basketball game in Redbird Arena.
Illinois State, 7-15 overall, 4-8 in the Missouri Valley, Conferenceis coming off back-to-back road wins at Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State--just the fifth team in 15 years to sweep that trip. Evansville, 10-11, 3-8 in the Valley, capped an eight-game losing streak Sunday with a 60-50 win over Drake. The 60-50 decision capped an eight-game losing streak for the Aces.
Evansville is 0-7 on the road this season. Illinois State, which is guaranteed to finish with more road wins than home wins for the first time in 19 seasons, is just 2-8 at home.
Even though there are three weeks left in the conference season, the Redbirds-Aces game has a chance to become pivotal. A Redbird win not only gives Illinois State two more victories than Evansville, but also gives the Birds a sweep of the season series and the tiebreaker advantage even if the Aces catch Illinois State in the standings.
Evansville coach Tricia Cullop knows the Illinois State game can have huge meaning.
I dont want to put all our eggs in one basket and say its a must game, said Cullop, but winning this game can really help our situation.
Redbird coach Jenny Yopp understands the context of the contest, but wants her players focused on doing the job.
We want to cut down as much as possible on distractions, said Yopp. We want our players focused on playing the game, not the emotional rollercoaster. Pressure is neutral. Stress is negative. We dont want our players creating unnecessary stress for themselves
Both coaches recall the Redbirds 75-73 overtime win at Evansville for the quality of play both teams showed.
I think were better defensively now than we were then, but that was an enjoyable game for a great crowd to watch, said Yopp.
Cullop agreed, even though her team fell short when Sharon Blade of Illinois State rebounded Jenna Hayes missed jumper in the waning seconds of overtime.
Both teams played with aggressiveness and desire, said Cullop. Well do a much better job of matching up with Illinois State this time because of Kendra Snyder being back (from a sprained ankle).
The Redbirds, led by Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Jaci McCormack, matched-up well defensively with both SMS and Wichita State last weekend. The Bears 56 points matched their fewest in a home conference game since 1997. Wichitas 52 points were 21 below the Shockers season average.
Our team displayed a lot of confidence and went into battle with the most focus and determination weve had all year, said Yopp. From the beginning in both games, we played with defensive intensity.
