What To Expect If USI Moves From NCAA Division II to Division I
BY CITY-COUNTY OBSERVER STAFF
The University of Southern Indiana (USI) campus on Evansville’s Westside has been transformed during the last few decades from a commuter campus to a fully equipped campus with state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced degrees, student housing, and a plethora of athletic facilities that are only exceeded by big nationally recognized programs.
Most recently the Screaming Eagle Arena which seats 4,800 spectators has been the scene of an increasingly successful basketball program. USI crowds for home games draw roughly 2,500 to 3,000 attendees on a regular basis. The most notable opponent this year has been the #1 ranked Auburn Tigers, which are coached by former USI coach Bruce Pearl. That is the same Bruce Pearl that coached USI to a Division 2 NCAA championship in 1995 after finishing the 1994 season as a runner-up.
USI has always been competitive in every NCAA Division II intercollegiate that they participate in and starts most years with realistic visions of winning another national championship in multi-sports.
If the USI Trustees elevate the athletic teams to NCAA Division I, Evansville may become one of the smallest markets to have the distinction of being home to two Division I teams. That is a worthy distinction for the people down at “Visit Evansville” and “SPORTS CORP” to tout as worth a visit.
Evansville, Indiana has a long and distinguished history when it comes to NCAA Division II basketball. The University of Evansville Aces have 5 national titles and those banners hang in the downtown Evansville Ford Center. Since making the move to Division I, the Aces have hung no more national championship banners. They have earned a trip to March Madness on several occasions and advanced to the round of 32 once. Their last appearance in March Madness was in 2000. This year’s Aces are struggling and have only won very few games. The official attendance in the 10,500 seats Ford Center for Aces games is typically only 3,000 and the stands never seem like they are that full. When the Aces were in Division II, they usually filled Roberts Stadium to its capacity of over 10,000 people and knocked off some nationally-ranked opponents. Most would conclude that the move to NCAA Division I has not been good for the Aces. It must be noted that college basketball has changed a lot since those good old days at Roberts where the Aces always played up to the competition.
The trend in lifestyle campuses like what USI has transformed into is to move to NCAA Division I. Former conference members Northern Kentucky and Bellarmine are among the teams that have made the jump. NKU is now in the Horizon League and has a 12-10 record. Bellarmine is in their 2nd Division I season and has a 13-10 record with notable losses to the #1 Gonzaga and then #2 UCLA on a west coast tour. Bellarmine has been to four Division II final fours and won one championship during the last decade. They also play their home games in Louisville’s Freedom Hall which seats 18,750. Despite the seating capacity in the off-campus facility, the Bellarmine Knights seldom draw over 2,000 attendees.
We feel that the University of Southern Indiana is most certainly NCAA Division I ready as NKU, Bellarmine, or any of the other teams that have made the transition. From a facilities perspective, USI already has established an impressive collection of on-campus facilities that many NCAA Division I universities would love to have. Millions of dollars have been invested and much will be expected. The City-County Observer would like to encourage USI to grab for the brass ring and become Evansville’s second NCCA Division I athletic program. This move will have positive impacts on campus life and even may serve to enhance academics.
We also would caution against expecting to hang any additional national championship banners. The new goal will be to make the March Madness field of 68 with an occasional victory to advance to the field of 32 or even 16 as teams like Southern Illinois and Murray State have. Both of those programs enjoy much more national visibility for making the transition to NCAA Division I and USI can too. Murray State is likely to be ranked in the top 25 soon with its 21-2 record and being ranked is something our Eagles can aspire to as an NCAA Division I team. The Eagles can also aspire to beat some very good highly ranked teams as the Aces did a few years ago at Rupp Arena knocking off the Kentucky Wildcats.
Go for it USI, former coach Bruce Pearl, College administrators, alumni, student-athletes, coaching staff, faculty and staff, and the people of Evansville will be proud that you did
Finally, we would like to publicly recognize USI President Ronald S. Rochon, USI Board of Trustees Chair Ronald Romain, and USI Athletic Director Jon Mark Hall for the outstanding work they quietly did behind the scene to ensure that USI will be in a position to continue to provide our community with the educational, economic, cultural, and athletically offerings that will make us proud.
