University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball begins the regular season with a pair of games in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Friday and Saturday at the Ford Center. USI is slated to play Augustana University (SD) Friday at 6 p.m. and 24th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College Saturday at 6 p.m.
In addition to USI, Augustana, and KWC, the SCB Hall of Fame Classic field is well represented in the official NCAA Division II preseason poll, conducted by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. St. Thomas Aquinas College leads the way in fifth, followed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania in sixth; Ferris State University in10th; the University of Findlay in 20th; and KWC in 24th. Game times for the SCB Hall of Fame Classic are noon, 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. both days. A complete classic schedule is on GoUSIEagles.com.
Game coverage for the USI games in the SCB Hall of Fame Classic, including live stats, video stream, and audio broadcasts, also is available at GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on WEOA 98.5FM/1400AM and 95.7FM The Spin.
USI Men’s Basketball SCB Hall of Fame Classic Quick Notes:Â
USI reaches triple-digits in exhibition game. USI reached triple-digits in the 108-66 victory over Manchester University Monday night. Junior guard Alex Stein led USI with a double-double on 26 points and 10 assists. Freshman forward Emmanuel Little also posted a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
USI in the SCB Hall of Fame Classic. The Eagles enter the SCB Hall of Fame Classic for the second season after going 2-0 in the inaugural tournament last year, defeating Florida Southern College, 108-94, and Kentucky Wesleyan College, 85-81. USI was led by tournament MVP Jeril Taylor, who averaged 30.5 points in the two contests. Junior guard Alex Stein joined Taylor on the All-Tournament team with 19.5 points per game.
USI vs. Augustana & KWC. USI will be meeting Augustana University (SD), who won the 2016 national championship, for the first time in men’s basketball. The Vikings have averaged 27.6 wins per year since 2014-15. The Eagles trail the all-tim.
