University of Evansville fans already know that the University of North Carolina and Indiana University are on the Purple Aces' 2010-11 men's basketball schedule. Today, Director of Athletics John Stanley and Head Coach Marty Simmons announced the rest of the non-conference schedule, including the date for the IU game and a November 27 game at Hinkle Fieldhouse against NCAA Tournament runner-up Butler.

 

This will be the fifth year in a row, and the 13th year in the last 15, in which the Purple Aces have played Butler.  In fact, the Bulldogs are Evansville's second oldest rival behind Indiana State.  The Aces hold a 60-55 edge in the 115-game series against Butler, dating back to 1920.

 

Evansville starts the 2010-11 season with a pair of Saturday exhibition games, Oct. 30 against DePauw University and Nov. 6 against Kentucky Wesleyan College. The regular season begins on Homecoming Weekend, Saturday, Nov. 13 at Roberts Stadium against Oakland City University.  Texas-San Antonio, a 19-game winner in 2009-10, comes to Roberts on Wednesday, Nov. 17 before the Aces embark on a four-game road trip.  The first comes Sunday, Nov. 21 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington against Indiana.  This will be Evansville's first game against the Hoosiers since the 1997-98 season, and it begins a three-game series over four years with Indiana.  IU comes to Evansville in 2011-12.  No game time has been set for this season’s contest at Bloomington.

 

Evansville travels to defending Sun Belt Conference co-champion Middle Tennessee for the first game in a home-and-home series on Wednesday, Nov. 24.  Then it's off to Butler on Saturday the 27th, and the road trip ends with UE's first trip to the Air Force Academy, on Sunday, Dec. 5 at Colorado Springs as part of the Missouri Valley Conference-Mountain West Conference Challenge Series. 

 

The Aces return home on Wednesday, Dec. 8 for the highly anticipated game at Roberts Stadium against coach Roy Williams' North Carolina Tar Heels.  ESPN and the Missouri Valley Conference have announced that the game will be aired on ESPNU, and will tip off at 6:00 Evansville time. This will be the second game in a three-game series against the Tar Heels, whose roster includes Washington, Ind. native Tyler Zeller.  The two teams met at Chapel Hill during UNC’s run to the national championship in 2008-09, and they’ll play again at Chapel Hill in 2011-12. 

 

Maryland-Eastern Shore comes to Evansville on Saturday, Dec. 11, the home-and-home series against Middle Tennessee wraps up on Saturday, Dec. 18 at Roberts Stadium, and the Aces play their fourth consecutive home game on Thursday, Dec. 23 against Norfolk State.  UE's final non-conference game is an ESPN Bracketbusters contest on the road Feb. 18 or 19.  It will be scheduled in early February.

 

"It's obviously a schedule that will challenge and prepare us for the conference season," said Coach Marty Simmons. "I feel like our guys are up to it."

 

Still left to be completed is the 18-game Missouri Valley Conference schedule, which should be announced by the league office by the end of August.  The MVC season will begin with a flurry of games, with all 10 teams playing on Dec. 29, Jan. 1, Jan. 4, Jan. 7 and Jan. 9. 

Season tickets are on sale now through the UE athletic ticket office at (812) 488-ACES.

 

This will be the Purple Aces' final season at Roberts Stadium, a building that first opened in 1956.  The Aces' men's and women's teams are scheduled to move into the new, 11,000-seat downtown arena in time for the 2011-12 season.

 

 

2010-11 UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE NON-CONFERENCE

MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

 

Saturday           Oct.     30        DEPAUW (exhibition)                                    7:05    

 

Saturday           Nov.    6          KENTUCKY WESLEYAN (exhibition)         7:05    

 

Saturday           Nov.    13        OAKLAND CITY                                         7:05                

 

Wednesday      Nov.    17        TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO                              7:05                

 

Sunday             Nov.    21        At Indiana                                                      TBA                

 

Wednesday      Nov.    24        At Middle Tennessee                                       7:00

 

Saturday           Nov.    27        At Butler                                                         TBA

 

Sunday             Dec.     5          At Air Force                                                   TBA

 

Wednesday      Dec.     8          NORTH CAROLINA                                     6:00

 

Saturday           Dec.     11        MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE                 7:05

 

Saturday           Dec.     18        MIDDLE TENNESSEE                                  TBA

 

Thursday          Dec.     23        NORFOLK STATE                                        7:05

 

Fri or Sat          Feb 18 or 19    At ESPNBracketbusters (Opponent TBA)       TBA

 

                                                All Times Central