EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball opens the 2021-22 campaign with exhibition game visit to Auburn University Friday in Auburn, Alabama. Tip-off Friday in the Auburn Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
Game coverage information for the exhibition game, including live stats and audio broadcasts, is available on GoUSIEagles.com. The games also can be heard on 95.7FM The Spin.
USI Men’s Basketball vs. Exhibition Game Quick Notes:
USI picked to win GLVC East. USI is picked to win the GLVC East Division for the second-straight season in 2021-22.
Eagles receive votes for preseason top 25. USI receive votes for the NABC Preseason Top 25 poll.
Back to regular season action. USI resumes a normal schedule in 2021-22 with a full 26 games on tap. The Eagles were 12-5 overall last season, playing 15 regular season games and two NCAA II Midwest Regional contests. USI, which won eight of the last 10 games last year, lost seven regular season games and the GLVC Tournament to COVID in 2020-21.
USI won the GLVC East in 2020-21. Despite missing last month, the Eagles won the GLVC East Division by 3.5 games and were second overall in the GLVC’s Point Rating System.
USI vs. Bruce Pearl. USI has lost its two exhibition contests versus a Bruce Pearl team since he departed from Evansville. The Eagles lost to Pearl’s University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee squad, 99-76, in 2003 and University of Tennessee team, 86-78, in 2005.
Gouard vs. Pearl.  In 2010, Stan Gouard‘s University of Indianapolis squad defeated Bruce Pearl’s Tennessee team, 79-64. Pearl got even with Gouard in 2015 when Auburn defeated UIndy, 114-109.
Pearl at USI. Bruce Pearl departed from USI with a career-record of 231-46 and the Eagles’ all-time winningest head coach. The 231 wins was surpassed by Rodney Watson in 2019-20. Watson had 251 career wins between 2009 and 2020.
Returning Eagle leaders in 2021-22. Junior guard/forward Jelani Simmons, a member of the All-NCAA II Midwest Regional team, leads USI’s returners with 13.5 points per game, while All-GLVC senior guard Mateo Rivera dropped in 12.9 points per outing. Rivera is the leading returning rebounder with 6.4 per game.
Significant loss from last year. USI forward Josh Price was the only senior to depart from last year’s team. The All-GLVC forward led the Eagles with 18.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest.
USI posts winning record for 29-straight years. USI has posted 29-straight winning seasons, dating back to 1992-93 (the first season for Bruce Pearl at USI).
