Aces open league play on December 30
With the non-conference start date set for November 25 for the 2020-21 men’s basketball season, the Missouri Valley Conference has unveiled the league portion of the upcoming schedule as the University of Evansville prepares for its first full season under the leadership of head coach Todd Lickliter.
Conference action will begin on Wednesday, December 30 with a home matchup against Illinois State. The Redbirds were the #9 seed in the conference last season after going 5-13 and 10-21 overall. UE returns the trip to Redbird arena on Wednesday, January 27,
A trip to Missouri State will open up the new year. The Purple Aces and Bears will tangle inside JQH Arena on Saturday, January 2. MSU is coming off of a 9-9 league mark and were 16-17 overall. Evansville has an even 3-3 mark in its last six trips to Springfield. Four days later, the Aces are back home to face Drake, who was 20-14 overall in 2019-20 and 8-10 in the Valley. Over the last eight home games against the Bulldogs, the Aces have come out on the winning end seven times.
The first 2-game road swing of the league campaign opens on Jan. 9 at UNI. Last year, the Panthers won a league-best 25 games while taking the regular season league crown with a 14-4 mark. On Jan. 13, UE continues its road trek at Valparaiso. In its last trip to the ARC, UE played a spirited game against the Crusaders, trimming an 18-point deficit to just two tallies in the final minute before Valpo escaped with the 67-65 win.
UE travels back home on Saturday, Jan. 16 to take on a Loyola team that went 21-11 a season ago while finishing second in the conference on the strength of a 13-5 mark. In its only Tuesday contest of the MVC season, Evansville welcomes Indiana State to town on Jan. 19. The Sycamores tied for the third-best league mark in 2019-20, going 11-7.
Evansville wraps up its season series against Drake on Saturday, Jan. 23 before heading to Normal, Ill. for the second season match-up against the Redbirds on the 27th. In what is always one of the most highly anticipated home games of the season, the Aces complete the month of January at home against Southern Illinois on the 30th.
February begins on the road with a return trip to Loyola on the 3rd. Saturday, Feb. 6 will see defending MVC Tournament champion Bradley make its way to the Ford Center for its first contest of the year against UE. The Braves posted a 23-11 overall mark last season while winning 11 league outings. A pivotal home stretch wraps up on Wednesday, Feb. 10 when UNI comes to town.
A pair of short road trips comprise the following two contests as UE heads to Terre Haute to face the Sycamores on Feb. 13 before trekking to Carbondale, Ill. to complete the season series against SIU. The final week of home action commences on Saturday, Feb. 20 when the Aces welcome Missouri State. Senior Night is set for Feb. 24 as Evansville plays host to Valparaiso.
Regular season action wraps up on Feb. 27 with a road tilt at Bradley. The State Farm MVC Tournament is scheduled for March 4-7 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Season tickets are currently on sale with single game tickets and mini pack information to be announced when the full schedule is completed. For more information or to purchase your tickets, call 812-488-2237 (ACES). Due to the adjusted start date for the 2020-21 campaign, the Purple Aces non-conference schedule will be released as dates and games are confirmed. Start times for all UE men’s basketball games will be released at a later date.
