Final day of a holiday weekend of hoops at Hulman Center. ISU is in its throwback uniforms, nice for the home folks to get a chance to see them.

Speaking of throwbacks, I was calling the accent color black on them in stories and here. It’s actually a very dark blue. It looks black to the naked eye, however.

There’s already some Evansville purple-and-orange in the stands. People down in the Pocket City are excited about the Purple Aces and for good reason. Shy Ely has progressed steadily during his time there and Jason Holsinger doesn’t have to be as depended upon as he was early in his career for offense. I’m looking forward to seeing Kaylon Williams in action, he’s been close to a triple-double in some of his games.

Speaking of the Valley, did any of you get a chance to see the Creighton-Illinois State game on Saturday? I know it was on against the Colts playoff game, but it was an eye-opener if you did catch a view. I was in the office, but I DVR’d it and watched the first 10 minutes or so before I went to bed. The Redbirds looked very, very good. It’s a very strong and much deeper team than I anticipated.

Two players stood for me. First the obvious. After watching just a mere sampling of what Osiris Eldridge is doing, I’m moving him past ex-Southern Illinois guard Darren Brooks as the most talented player I’ve seen in my fifth year following the league. Eldridge keeps adding to his game, becoming more unselfish, helping out talented teammates like Champ Oguchi, whose range is limitless.

The other Redbird who sticks out is center Dinma Odiakosa. I don’t think there’s been another player in the league in my time covering it — save Drake’s Adam Emmenecker — who has made a bigger improvement from his first year to now. Odiakosa was a punch-line in his first season, he was a human foul machine in what little time he got on the floor.

He sat out a year, got better, and was a dependable player inside for Illinois State last season. He’s been even more so this year, with a great nose for getting to the basket and with his rebounding.

Looks like Gerry Pollard, Terry Wynn and the ubiquitous J.D. Collins are today’s officials. I’ve been told Collins is replacing John Higgins for reasons unknown.

Evansville has thrown a monkey wrench into the system, starting James Haarsma in place of Pieter van Tongeren for the first time.

No changes to ISU’s recent starting lineup. However, if Shy Ely is playing the four, expect Brant Leitnaker not to get much time in the game until van Tongeren enters the fray.

Time to start.

First half
[] ISU 9-4, 15:27. Decent start for ISU. The Sycamores didn’t remove Leitnaker, instead, they took advantage of the size advantage to work it to Leitnaker for a shot or to work it to get someone else a shot. ISU has been aggressive inside.

On the defensive end, the Aces haven’t been able to convert anything easy. They were gifted a potential three-point play when Isiah Martin was whistled for a questionable foul on Holsinger beyond the arc, Holsinger made two of the free throws.

Martin is in foul trouble with two fouls.

[] ISU 18-8, 11:04. The Sycamores are doing a great job creating plays for each other and are getting contributions from some surprise sources. Leitnaker is doing an excellent job in the paint on both ends. Jordan Printy is moving well with and without the ball, dishing to Rashad Reed for a 3-pointer to put ISU up 10.

Harry Marshall was not in during ISU’s last stint and it was one of the few times ISU saw no falloff with him out.

ISU is defending OK, Evansville is missing a lot of shots and not getting bounces to go their way on open looks. The Sycamores have an 11-10 rebounding edge, but the Aces do have five offensive boards.

[] ISU 20-9, 7:52. ISU is in control, but this is still the Sycamores and they’re prone to lapses. ISU blew a possession when no one helped Jay Tunnell when he was trapped at the top of the key, resulting in a 5-second call.

It was followed by a bad turnover by Josh Crawford after a Nate Garner free throw miss when he failed to catch an uncontested rebound and dropped it out of bounds. Crawford was called for his third foul on Evansville’s next trip down the floor.

ISU is shooting 53.3 percent. Evansville is an abysmal 3 of 19 … 15.8 percent. ISU must take advantage now and build a big gap on the Aces, because they are better than this.

[] ISU 23-9 or 22-9, 7:24. Collins and Pollard are looking at the replay to see if Reed hit a three or a two. Pollard ruled it a two. I just waved. The camera is showing my good side … the back of my head.

It’s a three. ISU is up 23-9.

[] ISU 26-19, 3:19. ISU has let the paint dry, getting sloppy on the offensive end and its starting to slip into ISU’s defensive effort. ISU has turned it over on two of its last three possessions on some poor turnovers and Evansville has finally converted on its end.

[] ISU 26-19, 2:00. ISU got a couple of stops on Evansville’s last two possessions to stem the tide, but the Sycamores are struggled badly to get an open shot on the offensive side as the Aces’ defense has picked up considerably.

One way or another, Evansville is off the mat and that’s not good for ISU.

ISU has eight blocked shots. It is four shy of the school record. Martin has three, Leitnaker two, Tunnell, Crawford and Printy (?) one apiece. I think Printy’s should actually be credited to Carl Richard.

[] ISU 31-21, halftime. Evansville cut its deficit to five with 1:24 left and the Aces’ sizable contingent started getting rowdy. ISU’s Isiah Martin answered with a three-point play and it awoke the ISU crowd, who gave the Sycamores a boost in the final minute.

Holsinger missed a three, Aaron Carter made a runner and ISU got the defensive stop on the final possession of the half to end it on a positive note.

A very balanced effort for ISU scoring-wise. Reed leads with 6, but Marshall, Carter and Printy each have 5 points, Tunnell has 4, Leitnaker and Martin each have 3. Haarsma leads the Aces with 8 points.

Evansville has 13 points off 10 ISU turnovers, too much on both counts. ISU is shooting 57.1 percent, Evansville is at 24.1 percent and has not hit a three. Are the Sycamores due for the dreaded market correction on the percentages? It happens more often than not.

Still, a good half for the Sycamores, they need another 20 minutes of the same.

Second half
[] Kavon Lacey started the second half for the Aces and got a steal on ISU’s first possession.

[] ISU 39-28, 15:59. ISU is maintaining its gap, but it really needs to tighten up on its passing and ball-handling. Way too many turnovers (three so far this half) are keeping the game close when the Sycamores have a chance to pull away.

ISU is lucking out in one regard. Holsinger is stone cold so far from 3-point range. He is 0-for-4. Ely is starting to get more active, though, and ISU needs to keep him under wraps.

[] ISU 40-32, 13:09. ISU continues to give the ball up at an alarming rate. Richard just turned it over on the baseline when he stepped on the line. Kevin McKenna called a timeout to straighten ISU out.

The Aces are tenative, but ISU is keeping them alive with its own mistakes. The Sycamores must be stronger with the ball.

[] ISU 40-34, 11:40. Evansville is doing a good job keeping ISU from its handoffs and its defending well on screens and away from the ball. Still, it doesn’t account for ISU’s sloppiness.

Evansville has scored 23 points off turnovers. Unconscionable. (Yeah I had to look up how to spell that.)

Ely hit a long two to draw the Aces within six. Evansville still doesn’t project that it’s sure of itself offensively (38.5 percent so far in the second half), if they get confidence, they have a run in them.

[] ISU 44-39, 8:31. ISU can’t solve Evansville’s defense and a second-chance opportunity for the Aces has them within five as Garner got an and-1 at 9:15. He missed his free throw, but the Aces are alive.

[] ISU 46-41, 7:55. Richard at the line for ISU. The Sycamores gave up a leaner to Garner as the Aces drew within three, but Richard responded on the other end with a bucket and foul to give ISU a chance to go back up by six.

Tunnell picked up his fourth foul at 10:34, taking away a scoring option for ISU until he returns.

ISU now has 10 blocked shots after Martin blocked a Garner shot on Evansville’s last possession. The Sycamores are two shy of the single-game school record.

[] ISU 49-47, 6:06. Now ISU can’t get stops. Evansville has scored on its last seven trips down the floor and the Aces tied it on a Garner leaner at 6:26. Marshall responded with a layup to put ISU back up, but the Sycamores have to regain their intensity on the defensive end as the feared Evansville run has finally come.

Marshall made the hoop to put ISU back up, but he’s trying to do too much. Then again, others need to get more involved. Tunnell is back in for ISU.

[] ISU 56-53, 3:45. It’s a holiday miracle! ISU got a stop. The Aces scored on 10 straight trips down the floor before ISU finally stopped Evansville on its last possession. Luckily for ISU, it’s got its scoring act together, scoring on its last five trips. A Tunnell 3-pointer put the Sycamores on top.

Evansville has 39 points from turnovers and second-chance points. Unconscionable. (Word of the day)

After Reed got a block on Evansville’s last possession, ISU is one swat shy of the school record, set in 1984 against SIU-Edwardsville. ISU has 11.

[] ISU 56-55, 2:02. Both teams have taken some poor shots. Marshall drove and was well short on a layup attempt. Holsinger, trying to put Evansville in front, did the same on the Aces’ end. Tunnell missed a turnaround jumper at 2:12 and Evansville currently has the ball.

[] UE 65-59, final. Ely gave Evansville its first lead after, what else?, a putback at 1:43. Marshall answered with a 7-footer, but Ely countered with a teardrop with a minute to go to put the Aces back up by a point.

ISU called a timeout and set it up for Marshall to drive to the hole. His shot was short, Evansville rebounded, Holsinger was sent to the line and he made two. Marshall drove again, was fouled, but only made one at the line to make it 61-59.

ISU lost Evansville’s Garner and Lacey on the inbounds and Garner was fouled. He made a pair of free throws to make it a two possession game.

ISU shot itself in the foot when Marshall stepped on the sideline with 7.6 seconds to go. From there, it was a matter of free throws.

Wow. ISU found a way to lose. Bad loss, not in the respect of who ISU lost to, but the manner in which it gave it away. Evansville’s road conference losing streak ends at 17.

It had to irk ISU’s fans at Hulman Center that the arena rang with the chant, “Let’s go Aces!” in the final minute. ISU’s fall from grace was a downer for ISU fans, but the Sycamores fans didn’t respond in kind with any life, but that’s just a sidebar to a disappointing day for ISU.