As the summer begins to wind down, the University of Evansville men’s basketball program has announced its regular season non-conference schedule and protocols for the Purple Aces return to the Ford Center.
“When you create a schedule, you look for regional opponents and a challenging schedule that will prepare you for conference play,” UE head men’s basketball coach Todd Lickliter said. “In those regards, I think we have been successful with what we have been able to put together for this season. We were able to balance our home and road games while minimizing the amount of travel as much as possible.”
With Coach Lickliter beginning his first season at the helm of the UE program, the Aces return a strong nucleus while adding a group of impactful newcomers. The squad will begin the regular season with a huge road test at Purdue on Tuesday, November 10. This will mark the first meeting between the programs since December of 2005 when the Aces earned a 75-69 win.
Road play continues on the 14th when UE heads to Muncie, Ind. to face Ball State. This will mark the final contest in a 4-game series that has seen the Aces win two of the first three games dating back to 2019. Last year’s season opener at the Ford Center saw Evansville grind out a 79-75 victory over the Cardinals, who won 18 games on the season.
Southeast Missouri State will mark the home opener on the 18th. Evansville has won eight of the last nine in the series against the Redhawks. Home action continues on the 21st when Belmont comes to town. The Bruins are coming off of a 26-7 campaign that culminated in an Ohio Valley Conference championship. UE won both games in a home-and-home series in 2014 and 2015.
Beginning on November 26, Evansville will be in Dana Point, California for the Dana Point Challenge. The Aces are slated to play three games over the course of three days. The full field will be announced soon.
The month of December gets underway with a visit to UT Martin on the 2nd. It will mark the first contest between the schools since the 2015 CIT, which saw the Aces pick up a 79-66 win on its way to the tournament championship. UE holds an 11-1 lead in the all-time series. In the final contest of a 5-game stretch away from home, the Aces travel to SMU on Dec. 5. The Mustangs defeated the Aces in a grueling 59-57 game at the Ford Center last season.
Evansville returns home for a stretch of three games, which starts against Eastern Illinois on the 9th. The Panthers are another squad that UE defeated in its 2015 CIT run, picking up an 83-68 triumph in Charleston, Ill. IUPUI travels to the Ford Center on the 12th before Tennessee Tech marks the final non-conference home game on the 19th. Last November, UE came out victorious in a road game against the Jaguars, taking a 70-64 decision. The meeting against Tennessee Tech will mark the first since 2012 when UE earned a 62-50 road win in Cookeville, Tenn.
Non-conference play finishes on the road at Belmont on Dec. 21. UE will have two exhibition contests at the Ford Center with opponents and times being announced soon. Those dates will be October 31 and November 4. The Missouri Valley Conference schedule will be following in the coming weeks.
UE athletics has worked closely with the Ford Center on its seating and ticket policy entering the 2020-21 campaign. In accordance with CDC, national, state, local and University guidance, the University of Evansville has developed a capacity limitation of 50% for all campus events and athletic competitions, including events at the Ford Center. To ensure the safety of fans, participants and staff, face coverings will be required at all events, including indoor and outdoor. Attendees must comply with pre-event screen procedures and maintain social distance whenever possible.
Season ticket accounts shall be given priority in securing the limited capacity seating that will be available for sale. Season ticket holders shall have the opportunity to renew their current reserved seating locations without any changes. Seats not purchased on a season ticket basis, shall be released for sale to the general public on a mini-plan or game-by-game basis. The University of Evansville shall make every attempt to create a social distancing buffer between season ticket holder locations and seats made available for sale for mini-plans and individual games.
In order to address social distancing guidelines, several sections have been identified in the Ford Center for social distancing reseating including the south sections and the upper level section of the facility. These sections will function as general admission which allows the patron to choose their location and proximity to other patrons. No tickets shall be sold into these social distancing sections, resulting in the reduced facility capacity and the ability for patrons to reasonably social distance. Patrons choosing to reseat themselves in the social distancing sections shall not be eligible for any refund of ticket value or seat license amount.
In the event of individual game cancellations, season ticket holders who have purchased directly through the UE Athletics Ticket Office will have the option of a refund equal to the total seat cost per game (premium license fee excluded) that is cancelled or restricted. Premium seat license fees will only be refunded in the event the entire 2020-2021 season is cancelled or restricted. Any entitled refund would be eligible to be converted to a fully tax-deductible donation to the University of Evansville.
This policy is subject to change at the discretion of CDC, national, state, local or University guidance on short notice.
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