EVANSVILLE, Ind. — As college basketball scheduling news has begun to drip out across the county, let's take a look at who the University of Evansville will play in its first season under new coach David Ragland.
Someof the dates and opponents have emerged in recent weeks, whether they've been confirmed by UE's new staff or mentioned by national reporters on social media.
Missouri Valley Conference play will increase from 18 to 20 games after the league expanded. That paired with three games at the Savannah Invitational leaves the Purple Aces with a maximum of eight nonconference contests to schedule.
The Aces also plan on playing two preseason exhibitions. Below is what we know about the bulk of the slate.
Miami (Ohio)
Date: Unknown
Location:Millett Hall, Oxford, Ohio
Ragland said during the first stop of the Aces Summer Roadtrip they would open the year at Miami (Ohio). The men's season officially begins on Nov. 7, so that may be the date for the opener but it's not official.
The Redhawks are coming off a 14-18 campaign and have a new coach, Travis Steele, at the helm. Steele spent the previous four seasons at Xavier.
Savannah Invitational
Dates: Nov. 25-27
Location:Savannah Civic Center, Savannah, Georgia
UE is one of 10 teams that will play in this year's Savannah Invitational, per Stadium's Jeff Goodman. A tournament structure has not been announced yet.
South Alabama, Valparaiso, Nicholls State, South Dakota State, James Madison, Mercer, Towson, Fairfield and Robert Morris are the other teams making the trip to Georgia. The tournament will likely be split into two groups so Valparaiso and UE do not face one another before conference play.
Ball State
Date: Dec. 10
Location: Worthen Arena,Muncie, Indiana
This in-state matchup will showcase a pair of Hoosier-born, first-year head coaches. Ball State hiredJasper native Michael Lewis this spring after he spent three years as an assistant at UCLA. The Cardinalsalso have added to their roster, most notably bringing former Missouri guard Jarron "Boogie" Coleman back to Muncie. Coleman played for Ball State in his freshman season and won Mid-America Conference Freshman of the Year before leaving for the Tigers.
These teams last faced in 2019, with the Aces winning 79-75 in Evansville. UE leads the all-time series, 36-10.
Bellarmine
Date: Dec. 21
Location: Ford Center
One of the only non-conference games organized by Ragland's staff after the late hire,the Aces will host Bellarmine, anup-and-coming mid-major with a noted history in Evansville. The Knights finished 20-13 last season after winning the ASUN conference tournament but were not allowed to participate in the NCAA Tournament because of their recent move up from Division II. They, of course, used to have a bitter rivalry with the University of Southern Indiana.
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Bellarmine is bringing another strong slate of games after opening last year with five consecutive contests against teams that ultimately made the NCAA Tournament.The Knights will face Louisville, Clemson, Duke, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, Kentucky and Miami (OH) before making the trip to UE. They close non-conference play against Murray State.
Saint Louis
Date: Unknown
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis
Renewing an old Midwestern Collegiate Conference rivalry, the Aces will make the trip east acrossInterstate 64. Saint Louis comes into the season as one of the favorites to win the Atlantic 10 Conference, with many pundits having the Billikens in the preseason Top 25. These teams were supposed to play in 2020 but it was canceled because of COVID-19 precautions.
Saint Louis has added valuable pieces in the transfer portal, most notably former Missouri standout Javon Pickett, but its most important piece was retaining point guard Yuri Collins. Those two, paired with Gibson Jimmerson's shooting capability from the outside, make SLU one of the more dangerous teams on UE's schedule.
Southeast Missouri State
Date: Unknown
Location: Ford Center
SEMOsecured a pair of wins against Missouri Valley Conference competition last season, including a 75-73 victory on its home court over UE. The other came against Missouri State.
This season's rematch will be at Ford Center, with the Aces boasting a new-look team and staff. The Redhawks may see this season as a chance to make inroads in the Ohio Valley Conference after Murray State and Belmont departed for the MVC.
Southern Methodist
Date: Unknown
Location: Moody Coliseum, Dallas
UE is finally finishing the second leg of its home-and-home series with SMU after last season's trip to Dallas was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the Aces' program. It also was cut in 2020 when the season was delayed. These teams last met at Ford Center on Nov. 18, 2019 — less than one week after UE defeated No. 1 Kentucky.
Both are going through changes, with UE replacing former coach Todd Lickliter with Ragland and the Mustangs hiring Rob Lanier following Tim Jankovich's retirement. SMU also lost star guard KendricDavis to the transfer portal.
Central Florida
Date: Unknown
Location:Addition Financial Arena, Orlando,Florida
Anotherreturn game after the Aces lost 75-59 to UCF at Ford Center last season.
The Knights are coming off an 18-12 campaign, falling to Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Tournament second round. Theirseason was highlighted by wins over Michigan and Miami, a pair of teams that made runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri Valley Conference
Now that MVC play will increase to 20 games, UE will not play both home and away games against every team in the conference. The MVC is up to 12members following Loyola's move to the A10 and the addition of Murray State, Belmont and Illinois-Chicago.
The MVC has not announced its schedule yet. Arch Madness again will be at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on March 2-5, but only the top four seeds will receive a bye.
Anthony Kristensen is the University of Evansville athletics beat reporter for the Courier & Press. You can reach him by email, akristensen@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @AMFKristensen.