2020-21 Finish: 9-16; 7-11 MVC (t5th)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  9/2
Starters Returning/Lost:  4/1

There is a different vibe around the University of Evansville men’s basketball program heading into the 2021-22 campaign.  Last season saw the Purple Aces improve across the board as they became acclimated to Head Coach Todd Lickliter’s system and staff.  The first order of business was getting into the win column.  Once that box was checked, the team went out and just played basketball.  Picked 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, the Aces won three of the first four conference games on their way to a 5th place finish in the regular season.

An experienced team sees seven of its nine regulars from last year return along with four starters.  Six newcomers round out the team.  A duo of 5th year seniors and 4th year seniors are the team leaders for Evansville and had their best collegiate efforts in 2020-21.  Returning for their fifth seasons in the purple and white are Noah Frederking and Evan Kuhlman.  Frederking was third for UE last year with 10.2 points per game.  His 55 3-point makes led the team while his 33.2 minute-per-game average paced UE and was third in the MVC.  

Kuhlman continued his steady improvement from the stretch run in the winter of 2020, averaging 9.3 points to complete 2021.  He excelled from outside, ranking 6th in the MVC with a 40.2% 3-point tally and 8th with 1.8 outside makes per game.  His top career performance came in a home win over UNI as he totaled 21 points while going 7-for-14 from the field.

Givance and Newton made up what was one of the top guard combos in the conference.  A Second Team All-MVC honoree in 2021, Givance led the league in steals while ranking in the top ten in scoring and minutes.  Averaging 13.3 PPG, Givance increased his scoring average by 9.3 points on his way to a spot on the league’s Most Improved Team.  Highlighted by a career-high 26 points against Missouri State, Jawaun Newton recorded a team-high 13.5 points, finishing 7th in the league.  He finished 7th in the conference in free throw percentage and minutes.

With two notable graduates from last season (Jax Levitch and Devan Straub), the Aces look to returners Iyen Enaruna, Trey Hall, Emmette Page and Gage Bobe to pick up that slack while bringing in six newcomers.  That group includes forwards Blake Sisley, Preston Phillips and Antoine Smith Jr. along with guards Troy Boynton, Blaise Beauchamp and Grant Tichenor.