EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Basketball fans in the tri-state have a good reason to look ahead today to the 2010-11 season. In November or December of 2010, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels will come to Evansville to play the University of Evansville Purple Aces.
UE Director of Athletics John Stanley and Head Coach Marty Simmons announced today that the two schools have agreed to play a three-game series that spans four seasons. The Aces will play against Roy Williams’ Tar Heels at Chapel Hill on December 18 this year. The series then resumes in 2010-11 with a game at Evansville, and concludes in 2011-12 with the final game at Chapel Hill. Dates have not been set for the final two games in the series.
Evansville and North Carolina have never played before. The Tar Heels’ trip to Evansville in 2010 will be only the third by an Atlantic Coast Conference school. Wake Forest came in 1989 for the Aces’ home opener, and Miami made the trip in 2006 to play three games in the America’s Youth Classic. Georgia Tech, Florida State and Boston College have also played on the Aces’ home court, but those games took place before they joined the ACC.
One factor in getting North Carolina to play at Evansville was UNC incoming freshman Tyler Zeller of nearby Washington, Indiana. Zeller’s former teammate at Washington High School, Bryan Bouchie, recently transferred to Evansville and will be eligible beginning in 2009-10.
“Year in and year out, North Carolina is one of the top five programs in the country,” according to Simmons. “As we’re building our program at Evansville, this is a tremendous opportunity for our players to play against some of the best talent in the country. In fact, this may be the best team North Carolina’s ever had.
“Then, to have Carolina come into Roberts Stadium in two years is really exciting for our players and our fans. I remember games against teams like Indiana and Notre Dame at Roberts Stadium, and how the atmosphere was so amazing.”
A former player and assistant coach at Evansville, Simmons is in his second year as head coach as he attempts to revitalize the Aces’ program. His top five scorers return from a squad that posted a 9-21 overall record.
Added Stanley, “We are always on the lookout to find opportunities for games that our loyal fans will enjoy. Being able to compete against such a prestigious basketball program in the University of North Carolina will be just that. The series is good for the University and the city of Evansville as well. It is a series that will continue to spark interest in our basketball program under the direction of Marty Simmons and his staff.”
North Carolina should be the overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA championship next season. The top six scorers return, including national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough. Carolina went 36-3 in 2007-08, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and Tournament titles and reaching its 17th NCAA Final Four. The 36 wins were a school record.
Hansbrough announced in April that he would return to school for his senior year. Earlier this month, teammates Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson decided to withdraw from tonight’s NBA Draft and return to Chapel Hill for the 2008-09 season. All three entered their names into the NBA Draft pool in April but did not hire agents, leaving open the possibility of returning to school.
The 6-9 Hansbrough averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds as a junior to lead the Tar Heels in both categories. Hansbrough has earned first-team All-America and first-team All-ACC honors in each his first three seasons. He was was the 2007-08 Collegiate Player of the Year by The Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, CBS/Chevrolet, ESPN.com, Basketball Times, the Commonwealth Club of Kentucky (Rupp Award), the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith Award) and the Los Angeles Athletic Club (Wooden Award). The Poplar Bluff, Mo., native has scored 2,168 points and grabbed 943 rebounds. He is the second-leading scorer in Carolina history.
The 6-4 Ellington, who completed his sophomore season in 2007-08, has scored 1,092 points, was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2007-08 and has earned ACC All-Tournament Team honors in both seasons. He was second in scoring last season at 16.6. The 5-11 Lawson, who will be a junior, was third in scoring at 12.7 and led the Tar Heels in assists. A rising senior, the 6-6 Green averaged 11.5 points and was second in rebounding last season with 4.9 per game.
EEVANSVILLE VS. THE ACC
(Evansville is 4-6 all-time against schools currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference)
Year..............Score...............................................Site
1926-27.......Evansville 38, Georgia Tech 36........Evansville
1953-54.......Maryland 66, Evansville 58..............Owensboro, Kentucky
1967-68.......Evansville 76, Florida State 67.........Evansville
1987-88.......Boston College 86, Evansville 81.....Evansville
1988-89.......Wake Forest 79, Evansville 73.........Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1989-90.......Wake Forest 69, Evansville 64 (OT)..Evansville
1991-92.......Evansville 75, Maryland 64 ..............Tucson, Arizona
1992-93.......Florida State 82, Evansville 70.........Orlando, Florida
1993-94.......Evansville 81, Clemson 80..............Honolulu, Hawaii
2006-07.......Miami 74, Evansville 69..................Evansville
