Roberts Stadium will be a busy place in November and December, thanks to the University of Evansville men’s basketball team.

Coach Marty Simmons and his staff have wrapped up their non-conference scheduling for the 2008-09 season, and the result is that UE will play nine of its 11 non-conference games at home. Season ticket orders are now being taken through the athletics department ticket office at (812) 488-ACES. With two exhibition games added in, plus the nine Missouri Valley Conference home games, UE will play on its own court 20 times this season. The last time UE played that many home games was in 1982-83.

“We’re fortunate that it worked out that way,” Simmons says. “With a young team, hopefully it will work out for the best to have so many home games.”

Even though nine of his 14 players are freshmen or sophomores, Simmons will put a more experienced squad on the floor this season, his second as head coach at UE. All five starters return from last season’s 9-21 team, led by seniors Shy Ely and Jason Holsinger. Ely was fifth in the MVC in scoring last season (14.4), Honorable Mention All-MVC, and a member of the MVC Most Improved Team. Holsinger was first in the MVC in minutes played, fourth in assists, and fifth in 3-point field goals.

In addition to previously announced games against the University of Southern Indiana and the University of North Carolina, highlights include Ball State’s first trip to Evansville since the 1970-71 season and home games against 2008 NCAA Tournament teams Western Kentucky and Austin Peay.

Following the first exhibition game November 1 in the Vectren Community Classic against USI, Earlham College comes to Roberts Stadium for the final pre-season contest November 8. Earlham senior Tristian Gregory is the older brother of Aces’ guard Trevor Gregory. Tristian averaged 18.8 points as a junior, was the Quakers’ Most Valuable Player, and is four points shy of becoming the 25th player in Earlham history to score 1,000 career points.

The regular season gets underway during UE’s Homecoming weekend, on Saturday, November 15 against Austin Peay. After losing six of its first 10 games last season, including a 10-point loss at Evansville, Austin Peay won 20 of its next 25 to win the Ohio Valley Conference for the second straight year and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Governors are 32-8 in OVC play the last two years. Coach Mike Sandifar’s Oakland City University Mighty Oaks come to Roberts Stadium November 18. The Aces and Oaks have played three exhibition games in the past four years, but this will be the first regular season game between the two since 1955. One of OCU’s top newcomers is USI transfer Brandon Hopf, cousin of UE sophomore forward Clint Hopf.

UE’s fourth consecutive Saturday home game in November is the 22nd against the University at Buffalo, a member of the Mid-American Conference. The Aces beat the Bulls 74-44 two years ago at Roberts Stadium to win the four-team America’s Youth Classic, but Buffalo got its revenge last December with an 81-60 victory in New York. The Aces play their first road game November 29 at Butler. Over the past two years, Butler has compiled a record of 59-11 and won three NCAA Tournament games. Evansville is back home December 2 to play Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Cougars are coached by UE graduate and former Aces’ assistant coach Lennox Forrester. He took over the SIUE program in 2007 from another UE alum, Marty Simmons, shortly after Simmons returned to the University of Evansville as head coach. One of Forrester’s assistants is former UE player Mark Allaria.

Ball State comes to Roberts Stadium on Saturday, December 6. Last November’s game at Muncie was the first between the Aces and Cardinals since 1979. This will be Ball State’s first trip to Evansville since January of 1971, when both were members of the Indiana Collegiate Conference. Eastern Illinois visits on December 10 in a BracketBusters return game. The Aces picked up their second straight win in the five-year-old BracketBusters series last February at Eastern Illinois, 63-55. Western Kentucky makes its first trip to Roberts Stadium since the 2004-05 season on Saturday, December 13. The Hilltoppers were 29-7 last year and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 after beating MVC champion Drake in the first round on Ty Rogers’ three-pointer at the buzzer. They have a new coach, Ken McDonald, following Darrin Horn’s departure to South Carolina as head coach. However, the Hilltoppers’ biggest loss may be 2008 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Courtney Lee, the first round draft choice of the NBA Orlando Magic.

The Aces play their second and final non-conference road game December 18 at North Carolina, the team that most expect to be ranked number one nationally in pre-season polls. All five starters and eight other lettermen are back from Roy Williams’ squad that posted a 36-3 record and reached the Final Four in March. This is the first game in a three-game series against the Tar Heels, who will play at Evansville in 2010-11. The Aces are back home December 20 to play another school from the Tar Heel state, North Carolina A&T. The Aggies are coached by former Louisville standout Jerry Eaves, who played for three NBA teams and coached for three others before taking the A&T coaching job five years ago. Evansville’s only other non-conference game is a home contest in the sixth annual BracketBusters series during the weekend of February 21. BracketBusters matchups will be announced approximately three weeks prior to the event.

“This schedule is probably more challenging than last year, even if you don’t count North Carolina,” according to Simmons. “The non-conference games, and even the exhibitions, are all about getting your team ready for conference play.”

All that remains to complete Evansville’s schedule is the Missouri Valley Conference slate of games. Those dates are expected to be set later this month.

2008-09 UE MEN'S BASKETBALL NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Saturday, Nov. 1 USI (exhibition)

Saturday, Nov. 8 EARLHAM (exhibition)

Saturday, Nov. 15 AUSTIN PEAY

Tuesday, Nov. 18 OAKLAND CITY

Saturday, Nov. 22 BUFFALO

Saturday, Nov. 29 At Butler

Tuesday, Dec. 2 SIU-EDWARDSVILLE

Saturday, Dec. 6 BALL STATE

Wednesday, Dec. 10 EASTERN ILLINOIS

Saturday, Dec. 13 WESTERN KENTUCKY

Thursday, Dec. 18 At North Carolina

Saturday, Dec. 20 NORTH CAROLINA A&T

Saturday, Feb. 21 BRACKETBUSTERS