NCAA Basketball: Top mid-major performers from early weeks of 2019-20
By Logan Butts
Evansville
The biggest mid-major win (and maybe biggest win, full stop) occurred on Nov. 12 as the Evansville Purple Aces shocked the Kentucky Wildcats 67-64 in Rupp Arena.
Not only did the Purple Aces walk into Lexington, Kentucky and knock off the top team in the nation, but they also did so with former Wildcat great and Evansville hometown hero Walter McCarty in charge as the head coach.
The monumental upset featured several historical firsts. Evansville had been 0-2 against AP No.1-ranked teams and had never beaten a ranked opponent on the road. Meanwhile, Kentucky entered the matchup 39-0 against unranked, nonconference opponents at home when ranked as the top team in the country.
Evansville led for the majority of the night, holding a four-point lead at the half and leading through most of the second half. Sam Cunliffe sunk a pair of free throws in the waning seconds, two of his 17 points, to ice the game. K.J. Riley added a game-high 18 to lead the Purple Aces in the upset.
The win propelled Evansville to their most votes ever in the most recent AP Top-25 Poll with 43, sandwiched between Saint Mary’s and Oklahoma. The Purple Aces could be the team to beat in the Missouri Valley this year.