Evansville at Louisiana-Lafayette, 8:30 PM Eastern, watchcollegeinsider.com
Three spots remain to be claimed in the CIT Final Four after UT-Martin knocked off Eastern Kentucky thanks to a three pointer with 3.3 seconds left last night. The second of those spots goes to tonight’s winner of the contest between the Evansvile Purple Aces (21-12 on the season) and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (22-13). Evansville reached the quarterfinals thank to wins over Fort Wayne and Eastern Illinois, while Louisiana won at Incarnate Word and at Sam Houston State. Tonight, the Ragin’ Cajuns get a home game against Evansville with a berth in the semifinals at stake.
Evansville was one of our picks to be a surprise contender in the Missouri Valley Conference heading into the season. After going 14-19 last season, head coach Marty Simmons has done a great job reloading the program as they look for their 22nd win tonight. The Purple Aces have look great so far in the CIT, blowing out their first two opponents. However, tonight’s road test will be their toughest of the tournament so far.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have not been as dominant, having barely sneaked past Sam Houston State by one point last time out. However, the Sun Belt Conference has certainly proven itself in the postseason so far this year. Not only is Louisiana in the quarterfinals of the CIT, but the conference champions, Georgia State, made headlines with their win over Baylor in the round of 64 in the NCAA tournament followed by a hard-fought loss to Xavier. Louisiana-Monroe has also had a great postseason so far, as the Warhawks are in the best-of-three CBI championship series against Loyola-Chicago, starting Monday night. The Ragin’ Cajuns will look to ride their home court advantage this evening to the next round of the CIT. With Eastern Kentucky now gone from the field, tonight’s winner will likely be the team to beat as the tournament advances.