With the addition of the 18 Missouri Valley Conference games to the previously announced non-conference slate of games, the 2008-09 University of Evansville men’s basketball schedule is now complete. The Purple Aces’ 20-game home schedule includes two exhibition games, nine non-conference home games and nine MVC home games. The last time UE played that many home games was in 1982-83.
(For the complete schedule, go to the men's basketball page here at GoPurpleAces.com)
Evansville’s only two non-conference road games are November 29 at Butler and December 18 at North Carolina.
“The non-conference games, and even the exhibitions, are all about getting your team ready for conference play,” says Coach Marty Simmons. “The Valley has become one of the premier basketball leagues in the country, and I anticipate the same kind of competition this season.”
Evansville plays twice against each of the other nine Missouri Valley Conference rivals. UE’s first MVC game comes on Sunday, December 28 at Roberts Stadium against defending champion Drake, one of the nation’s most prominent Cinderella teams in 2007-08. Drake was picked to finish ninth in the Valley last season. Instead, the Bulldogs posted a 15-3 league record, won the State Farm MVC Tournament, and finished with a 28-5 overall record after losing on a last-second shot to Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Keno Davis won nearly every national Coach of the Year award, then took the head coaching job at Providence after the season.
After a New Year’s Eve game at Illinois State and a game at Indiana State on January 4, the Aces host Missouri State on January 7. They travel to Southern Illinois January 10, followed by a three-game homestand against Northern Iowa January 13, Indiana State January 17 and Creighton January 20. Three of the next four are on the road–January 25 at Wichita State and January 28 at Drake, followed by a January 31 home game against Southern Illinois and a trip to Missouri State on February 4. Wichita State comes to Roberts Stadium on Saturday, February 7, followed by Illinois State February 11. Evansville meets Bradley for the first time on the 14th at Peoria, followed by a February 17 game at Creighton. The Aces then step out of conference play on Saturday, Feb. 21 to host an ESPNUBracketBusters game. The opponent for that game will be announced around February 1. The final two league games are February 25 at home against Bradley and on the 28th at Northern Iowa. The annual State Farm MVC Tournament is March 5-8 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
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 year’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.
