University of Evansville basketball has earned a 'Gold' rating in the category of Best Local Sporting Event as part of the Evansville Courier & Press 2008 Readers' Choice Awards. The fifth annual contest attracted more than 126,000 votes, according to Courier & Press President and Publisher Jack Pate. One platinum and two gold awards were issued in each of the 105 categories.

"We are very proud of this honor, and we are reminded how important the Aces are to our community," said UE Director of Athletics John Stanley. "Aces Basketball makes a big impact on our University and the Evansville area in general, and with 20 home games coming up this season, our fans will have a lot of opportunities to watch the Aces play."

The first of those games is the Vectren Community Classic on Saturday, Nov. 1 against the University of Southern Indiana. The exhibition game between the city's two universities has attracted an average of more than 10,000 fans in its first two years (2004, 2006).