2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record9–23 (0–18 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Bennie Seltzer
  • Logan Baumann
  • Terrence Commodore
Home arenaFord Center
2019–20 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Northern Iowa14–4 .77825–6  .806
Loyola Chicago13–5 .72221–11  .656
Indiana State11–7 .61118–12  .600
Bradley †11–7 .61123–11  .676
Southern Illinois10–8 .55616–16  .500
Missouri State9–9 .50016–17  .485
Valparaiso9–9 .50019–16  .543
Drake8–10 .44420–14  .588
Illinois State5–13 .27810–21  .323
Evansville0–18 .0009–23  .281
† 2020 MVC tournament winner

The 2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Purple Aces played their home games at the Ford Center as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They finished the season 9–23, 0–18 in MVC play to finish in last place. They lost in the first round of the MVC tournament to Valparaiso.

They were coached by Walter McCarty until he was placed on administrative leave on December 27 for alleged Title IX violations[1] and ultimately fired on January 21.[2] Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer acted as interim coach until Todd Lickliter was hired as the new head coach.[3]

Previous season

The Purple Aces finished the 2018–19 season 11–21, 5–13 in MVC play to finish in last place. As the No. 10 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Illinois State in the first round.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Marty Hill1G6'5"180SeniorBrooklyn Park, MNGraduated
Jared Chestnut12G6'2"180SeniorEvansville, INGraduated
Dainius Chatkevičius14C6'9"240RS SeniorKlaipėda, LithuaniaGraduated
Shea Feehan25G6'0"155RS SeniorPeoria, ILGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Peace Ilegomah42F6'9"240JuniorBenin City, NigeriaTransferred from Pittsburgh. Under NCAA transfer rules, Ilegomah will have to sit out until December. Will have one and a half years of remaining eligibility.[4]

2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marcus Henderson
PG		 Charlotte, NC United Faith Christian Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A Oct 10, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Preseason

Evansville was picked to finish eighth in the MVC in the preseason despite returning leading scorer K.K. Riley and incorporating three transfers who sat out the previous season.[5][6]

Season notes

Win over No. 1 Kentucky

On November 12, Evansville scored its first win over a No. 1-ranked team in program history when it upset Kentucky 67–64.[7] Junior guard Sam Cunliffe hit a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds to go to help secure the victory for the Purple Aces and finished with 17 points.[8]

Coaching changes

The season saw Evansville go through several coaching changes. First, second-year head coach Walter McCarty was placed on administrative leave by the school on December 27, 2019 pending a Title IX investigation against him.[9] Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer served as interim head coach of the Purple Aces during McCarty's initial absence.[10] On January 21, 2020, Evansville fired McCarty following additional allegations of misconduct, and named former Butler and Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter (who had served as assistant coach under McCarty a season prior, before resigning due to health problems) as the new head coach.[11]

Roster

2019–20 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Gage Bobe 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrSouth Knox Vincennes, IN
G 1 Marcus Henderson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) FrUnited Faith Christian Academy Charlotte, NC
G 2 Artur Labinowicz 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS JrCombine Academy
Coastal Carolina		 Charlotte, NC
G 3 Jawaun Newton 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)170 lb (77 kg) SoBurges El Paso, TX
G 4 Devan Straub (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS JrMater Dei
IU Kokomo		 Evansville, IN
G 5 Shamar Givance 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)155 lb (70 kg) SoFirst Love Christian Toronto, ON
F 10 Evan Kuhlman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrLakota East Liberty Township, OH
G 11 Thomasi Gilgeous-Alexander 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrThe Potter's House Christian Hamilton, ON
F 13 DeAndre Williams 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS FrKlein Forest Houston, TX
G 20 Sam Cunliffe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrRainier Beach
Kansas		 Seattle, WA
G 30 Noah Frederking 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrOkawville Okawville, IL
G 33 K. J. Riley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrStandard of Excellence
Howard College		 Bronx, NY
F 35 John Hall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS JrStandard of Excellence Philadelphia, PA
F 42 Peace Ilegomah 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)240 lb (109 kg) JrMontverde Academy
Pittsburgh		 Benin City, Nigeria
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2019*
6:00 pm		 Southern Indiana W 71–68 
Ford Center (6,263)
Evansville, IN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 9, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3		 at Ball State W 79–75  1–0
 Ford Center (5,372)
Evansville, IN
Nov 12, 2019*
6:00 pm, SECN		 at No. 1 Kentucky W 67–64  2–0
 Rupp Arena (19,101)
Lexington, KY
Nov 14, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3		 IU–Kokomo W 89–71  3–0
 Ford Center (5,267)
Evansville, IN
Nov 18, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 SMU L 57–59  3–1
 Ford Center (5,639)
Evansville, IN
Nov 22, 2019*
7:00 pm		 East Carolina
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase first round		 L 68–85  3–2
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 23, 2019*
2:00 pm		 George Washington
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase consolation 2nd round		 L 70–78  3–3
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 24, 2019*
11:00		 Morgan State
Islands of the Bahamas Showcase 7th place game		 W 115–112 3OT 4–3
 Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium (300)
Freeport, GB
Nov 30, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 at IUPUI W 70–64  5–3
 Indiana Farmers Coliseum (1,659)
Indianapolis, IN
Dec 4, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3		 Western Illinois W 90–86  6–3
 Ford Center (4,509)
Evansville, IN
Dec 7, 2019*
1:00 pm, ESPN3		 Miami (OH) W 101–87  7–3
 Ford Center (5,264)
Evansville, IN
Dec 14, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Green Bay W 72–62  8–3
 Resch Center (1,924)
Green Bay, WI
Dec 16, 2019*
7:30 pm, ESPN+		 at Jacksonville State L 59–85  8–4
 Pete Mathews Coliseum (2,155)
Jacksonville, AL
Dec 21, 2019*
6:00 pm, ESPN3		 Murray State W 78–76 OT 9–4
 Ford Center (7,316)
Evansville, IN
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
Dec 31, 2019
4:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Missouri State L 52–65  9–5
(0–1)		 JQH Arena (4,206)
Springfield, MO
Jan 4, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 Valparaiso L 79–81 OT 9–6
(0–2)		 Ford Center (5,615)
Evansville, IN
Jan 8, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 Bradley L 52–72  9–7
(0–3)		 Ford Center (4,489)
Evansville, IN
Jan 11, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Loyola–Chicago L 44–78  9–8
(0–4)		 Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,033)
Chicago, IL
Jan 15, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Indiana State L 42–65  9–9
(0–5)		 Hulman Center (2,035)
Terre Haute, IN
Jan 18, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN+		 Missouri State L 58–68  9–10
(0–6)		 Ford Center (4,591)
Evansville, IN
Jan 22, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 Drake L 50–73  9–11
(0–7)		 Ford Center (4,913)
Evansville, IN
Jan 26, 2020
4:00 pm, ESPN3		 at Valparaiso L 65–67  9–12
(0–8)		 Athletics–Recreation Center (3,044)
Valparaiso, IN
Jan 29, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Illinois State L 66–77  9–13
(0–9)		 Redbird Arena (4,022)
Normal, IL
Feb 1, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3		 Northern Iowa L 68–80  9–14
(0–10)		 Ford Center (4,669)
Evansville, IN
Feb 5, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 Southern Illinois L 60–64 OT 9–15
(0–11)		 Ford Center (4,691)
Evansville, IN
Feb 9, 2020
1:00 pm, CBSSN		 at Bradley L 58–69  9–16
(0–12)		 Carver Arena (5,719)
Peoria, IL
Feb 12, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN+		 Loyola–Chicago L 66–73  9–17
(0–13)		 Ford Center (4,272)
Evansville, IN
Feb 16, 2020
3:00 pm, ESPN3		 at Drake L 80–85  9–18
(0–14)		 Knapp Center (4,067)
Des Moines, IA
Feb 20, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Southern Illinois L 53–70  9–19
(0–15)		 SIU Arena (5,466)
Carbondale, IL
Feb 23, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3		 Indiana State L 62–64  9–20
(0–16)		 Ford Center (5,447)
Evansville, IN
Feb 26, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN+		 at Northern Iowa L 64–84  9–21
(0–17)		 McLeod Center (4,934)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 29, 2020
1:00 pm, ESPN3		 Illinois State L 60–71  9–22
(0–18)		 Ford Center (4,983)
Evansville, IN
MVC tournament
March 5, 2020
8:30 pm, ESPN+		 (10) vs. (7) Valparaiso
First round		 L 55–58  9–23
 Enterprise Center (5,212)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

  1. ↑ West, Jenna. "Evansville Places Walter McCarty on Leave". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  2. ↑ Lindskog, Chad. "University of Evansville fires Walter McCarty as head men's basketball coach". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Former Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter hired at Evansville". HawkeyeInsider.com. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ Hickey, Pat (January 11, 2019). "Evansville basketball lands Peace Ilegomah, a Pittsburgh transfer with 7-foot-4 wingspan". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ Lindskog, Chad (October 31, 2019). "Evansville basketball hopes 'next year' is now in Walter McCarty's second season". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  6. ↑ "2019-20 MVC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". mvc-sports.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ Hale, Jon. "Kentucky basketball upset by Evansville in first game as nation's No. 1 team". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  8. ↑ Medcalf, Myron (November 12, 2019). "No. 1 Kentucky stunned at home by unranked Evansville". ESPN. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  9. ↑ Wheeler, Wyatt D. "Evansville coach Walter McCarty placed on administrative leave before it plays MSU on Tuesday". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  10. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (December 27, 2019). "Evansville's Walter McCarty on administrative leave amid Title IX probe". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Evansville fires coach Walter McCarty, names Todd Lickliter replacement". ESPN.com. January 21, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
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