20-game slate opens on December 3
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Missouri Valley Conference released the league slate for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season on Friday. Start times will be released in the coming weeks.
Since the 2022-23 season, the MVC has utilized a 20-game schedule as the conference expanded to 12 teams. As has been the norm since that time, schools will open the league portion of the schedule in December with regular-season action wrapping up on the first weekend of March.
On Tuesday, December 3, the University of Evansville travels to Murray State for its league opener. Last season, the Racers were 9-11 in the Valley, finishing in a tie for 7th. Non-conference games resume until the final weekend of December when MVC play resumes. The Purple Aces welcome Missouri State to the Ford Center on Dec. 29 in what will be the final home meeting against the Bears as members of the league. Following the upcoming school year, MSU will join Conference USA.
Evansville travels to Southern Illinois to open the New Year. The January 1 game will see the Aces take on a Saluki team that is coming off a 19-13 campaign that saw them win 11 league games. UE’s following two games will be at home as the Aces play host to Indiana State on the 4th and Illinois State on the 8th. Last year, the Sycamores won 32 games on their way to the MVC regular-season championship. Former UE assistant coach Matthew Graves is in his first season at the helm of the program. The Redbirds picked up 15 wins last year while their 9-11 mark in the Valley tied them for 7th. Evansville was victorious in two out of three games against ISU last season including a 59-53 win at Arch Madness.
Back-to-back games in Iowa are up next with UE facing Drake on the 11th and UNI on the 14th. The Bulldogs were 28-7 and 16-4 in the league in 2023-24 and won the conference championship while receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers tied for 4th in the league after going 19-14 overall and 12-8 against league foes.
UE returns to the Ford Center for its next two games starting on Jan. 18 when Belmont comes to town. The Bruins tied for 4th in the MVC last year after going 20-13 while picking up 12 Valley wins. Four days later, the Aces host UIC. After a road game at Valparaiso on the 25th, Evansville wraps up the month with a home game against Murray State.
February begins with a road trip to Belmont on the 2nd with a pair of home games to follow. UE welcomes SIU on the 5th and Bradley on the 8th. On Feb. 12, the Aces trek to Missouri State before returning home for a Feb. 16 game against Valpo. Three of the final four games will take place on the road starting on the 19th when the Aces travel to Terre Haute to face the Sycamores. The Aces remain on the road to face UIC on the 22nd.
In its final home game, Evansville hosts Drake on Feb. 26 with the regular-season finale at Illinois State set for Sunday, March 2. Arch Madness will take place at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis from March 6-9.
