The full schedule for the 2017-18 University of Evansville men’s basketball team has been released as the Purple Aces amp up for a busy campaign starting in November.
“We are very excited about the upcoming season. I think our non-conference schedule gives our team the opportunity to play against some strong competition to get them ready for Valley play,†UE head coach Marty Simmons said. “Our conference will also be very competitive this year. It should be an exciting season.â€
Friday, November 10 will mark the season opener for the team as they welcome Arkansas State to the Ford Center. The annual Fan Fest will take place outside of the arena that day. ASU is coming off of a 20-12 campaign last season. A special match-up will be on Monday, November 13 as North Carolina Central comes to town for an 11 a.m. game. It will be the annual EVSC game with students from around the area coming to cheer on the Aces. The Eagles are the defending MEAC champions, going 25-9 on their way to the NCAA Tournament.
A 4-game homestand to begin the season continues on Nov. 16 with Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks had a nice turnaround last year. After going 5-24 in 2015-16, SEMO improved by 10 wins in 2016-17, going 15-18. Next up is the first-ever game for the program against Binghamton. This contest, along with SEMO, are home games that are part of the Cancun Challenge.
Fresno State marks the first game in Cancun, Mexico as UE meets the Bulldogs for the third time in four years. Evansville took both previous matchups in the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase and the 2015 MVC/Mountain West Challenge. The Bulldogs had a nice year, going 20-13 on their way to the 2017 NIT where they dropped an opening-round game on the road at TCU. Game two in Cancun will be against either George Mason or Louisiana Tech. The Patriots played in the 2017 CBI after going 20-14 while Louisiana Tech won 23 games. These games will be played on November 21 and 22.
The trek continues for UE on November 29 as they head to Albuquerque, N.M. to take on New Mexico. The Lobos are the latest game in the MVC/Mountain West Challenge for UE. Evansville has defeated Fresno State and Boise State in the last two games of the series. This is the first meeting between the schools.
Home play resumes on December 2 against Oakland City before the Aces travel to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on BGSU three days later. Last year, UE topped the Falcons by a 69-66 final at the Ford Center. Three more home non-conference tilts follow, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 9 versus Canisius. The squads met in the 2013 CIT in Buffalo, N.Y. as the Aces advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought 84-83 win. That was also the day when Colt Ryan broke the program scoring record of Larry Humes.
December 16 will see local rival Austin Peay come to town. In the 2016 meeting in Clarksville, Tenn., the Aces were able to grind out a 77-69 win. The next day, UE plays host to Midway of the NAIA for a 3 p.m. contest.
On December 20, Evansville plays in one of the most competitive atmospheres in the sport as it makes its first-ever trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face off against Duke. The Blue Devils went 28-9 last year and lost to eventual Final Four participant South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They are just two years removed from their last NCAA National Championship.
This season, Missouri Valley Conference play will begin before Christmas as the Aces host Illinois State. It will mark the annual West Side Night game as the program will team up with Logan’s Promise and businesses from the west side. League road play commences at Loyola on December 30 with a trip to Southern Illinois on tap January 3.
Other highlights include the first game against Valparaiso as conference foes on Wednesday, January 24 and a trek to Illinois State for a Feb. 3 contest. Home play wraps up with Senior Day on February 24 versus Southern Illinois in a 1 p.m. game.
