One joined NCAA Division I in 2022. The other has been a top-tier program for nearly 50 years. They’ve met on the court five times but never as two Division I teams. Now, the wait is over, and local sports officials hope resuming the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville’s crosstown rivalry gives each a boost.
“Anytime you have two in-state programs, let alone two Division I programs from the same city, it’s only right to make that happen,” says Stan Gouard, USI Men’s Head Coach since 2020. As a college player, he helped USI win a Division II title in 1995.
UE Men’s Head Coach David Ragland also played college ball at USI. As a senior at Harrison High School in 1999 when UE made its last NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, Ragland remembers watching the Aces play at Roberts Municipal Stadium, “smelling the popcorn in the air, watching a super-competitive team with sleeves on their jerseys playing the game the right way.”
Announced June 15, the Screaming Eagles and Purple Aces will meet Nov. 7 for the River City Classic, their first matchup since 2019. A major sticking point was the home court: The Purple Aces play at Ford Center, while the Screaming Eagles have Liberty Arena on USI’s campus. Both schools wanted home-court advantage.
Bringing UE and USI together was one of Brandon McClish’s primary goals when he joined the Evansville Regional Sports Commission as Executive Director in 2023. “I have a personal connection to both universities and a pretty good understanding of what this rivalry means to Evansville,” says McClish, a 2008 USI graduate who spent five years working with Purple Aces Sports Properties through Learfield, a college sports marketing company, before joining the Sports Commission. “I wanted to find a way to bring these two programs together again in a setting that could be bigger than just a basketball game — something that would be good for both universities and for the entire community.”
McClish worked with Evansville Regional Economic Partnership President and CEO (and University of Evansville graduate) Lloyd Winnecke on a proposal they believed accomplished just that. After three years of negotiations, both schools signed a one-game contract for their men’s basketball programs to meet for the first time as Division I competitors. “Once we established the River City Classic concept, playing at the Ford Center made a lot of sense,” McClish says. Once the universities agreed, organizers took the title sponsor opportunity to a major local player: Old National Bank. “They understood what this game could mean to the community and agreed to come on board,” McClish says. “That’s really what this has been about from the beginning: bringing two Division I programs together in a way that benefits both universities and gives our community an event we can be proud of.”
LONG IN THE MAKING
Although the schools’ decisions ultimately lay with UE Vice President for Athletics Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried and USI’s Vice President and Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall, both programs’ coaches had discussed renewing the rivalry for years.
As an assistant under former USI Head Coach Rick Herdes, Gouard was in his first coaching job when Ragland transferred in 2001 to play for the Screaming Eagles after two seasons with Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. Ragland and his teammates played offseason pickup games against USI players. Who won the most? “It depends on who you ask,” Ragland laughs. “It was really competitive. UE had a team go to the NCAA tournament (in 1999), and USI had teams playing for (Division II) national championships.”
Ragland says only two current players truly understand the significance of the UE-USI rivalry. Aces sophomore guard Luke Ellspermann played one year at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, after graduating from Reitz Memorial High School in 2025. At USI, junior guard Josiah Dunham is a 2024 graduate of Evansville Christian School.
“Young people live in the moment — right now,” Ragland says. “The environment will be electric. We have to go out (and play) like there’s no tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Siegfried underscores that Winnecke and McClish’s work did not stop when the contract was signed. “They continue to invest significant time and energy in making the event a success,” Siegfried says. “Old National Bank’s commitment as presenting sponsor was a game changer.” McClish says the event’s financial terms are part of the private agreements and will not be publicly disclosed.
For the series to continue, Siegfried says both institutions must find an arrangement that makes sense competitively and financially. “We are not opposed to playing at Liberty Arena,” he says while comparing the 4,800-seat arena on USI’s campus to Ford Center’s 11,000-seat capacity Downtown. “However, the Ford Center provides greater capacity and the best opportunity to make this a major community event. We remain open to discussing different arrangements for future games.”
Although the Eagles have played Ohio Valley Conference tournament games at Ford Center since joining the OVC in the 2022-23 season, Hall and Gouard do not agree that the River City Classic at the Downtown arena should be considered a game played in neutral territory. But Hall notes officials will split the arena and both teams’ bands and cheerleaders will be present. “We would want a home-and-home series,” Hall says. “But this is a start.”
Gouard says it’s only fair that part of a proposed series should be held at Liberty Arena. “Everybody said it’s a neutral game at the Ford Center, but it’s (the Aces’) home court,” he says. “They play 16 or 17 games there.”
SCHOOLS SHARE DIVISION I STRUGGLES
Between 1959 and 1971, UE won five national championships in NCAA Division II (called College Division until 1973) and, since joining Division I in the 1977-78 season, has made five trips to the national tournament. However, the Aces were 40-91 (.305 percentage) in Ragland’s first four seasons as head coach, including a 7-25 record in 2025-26. The Aces did advance to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) semifinals in 2023-24.
USI, which moved up from Division II in 2022-23 but was ineligible for NCAA postseason appearances until 2025-26, finished 16-17 in its inaugural Division I season under Gouard and advanced to the CBI. But the Screaming Eagles have posted an overall mark of 25-67 (.272) in the last three seasons, including 7-23 in 2025-26.
It’s no secret that mid-major programs such as UE and USI have struggled in the new era of the NCAA’s transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness campaigns in which student-athletes can earn money from their personal brand. Both options favor the upper-tier collegiate programs that are more flush with cash. And because mid-major players often transfer, UE will have 11 newcomers this season and USI, 12. “That’s normal,” Ragland says.
He reports that he is often asked if two Division I universities can survive in Evansville. “Absolutely,” he responds. “But you can’t survive without support.”
Gouard says it’s an unfortunate situation for schools such as UE and USI, which have to successfully navigate this new era in order to survive. “You can’t blame the university’s operations capacity,” he says. “We have to keep it afloat.”
FUTURE MEETINGS TO BE DETERMINED
Unlike UE and USI’s women’s basketball programs, which this summer inked a four-year series starting in 2027-28, the River City Classic’s contract is just for one year. But Hall says securing the women’s series — which was not negotiated through the Sports Commission, trades host sites, and is being scheduled directly by the universities — was part of sealing the deal for the men’s one-game contract.
“We certainly hope this is the start of something that can continue, but there are several factors in college basketball that must be considered, including NCAA scheduling rules, conference schedules, existing agreements, and, ultimately, the response from the fans,” McClish says.
About that last point: The first UE-USI men’s exhibition matchup in 2004 drew 12,411 at the former Roberts Municipal Stadium. But by 2019, attendance had basically halved to 6,263 at Ford Center. “We need Evansville to show up and show out,” McClish says. “If the community wants to see this rivalry continue, this is our opportunity to prove it.”
The UE-USI game is valuable to both universities as well as the community, Siegfried says. “It creates excitement, generates regional attention, and gives fans of both programs an opportunity to support Division I college basketball in their hometown,” he says. “Evansville remains a great basketball town, and an event like this allows our community to demonstrate that on a significant stage.”
With the landscape of college basketball changing, mid-major programs are trying to navigate those changes while competing with programs operating with multimillion-dollar resources.
“Between the transfer portal, NIL, and the constant movement of players, building and maintaining a roster is challenging for every program. That’s why I believe the River City Classic can be a real boost of energy for both programs and for this community,” McClish says. “These are two tradition-rich universities, and this is a rivalry that matters to Evansville. Rather than focusing on where either program has struggled, I think this is a time for fans and supporters to get behind them.”
Well aware of the significance of the UE-USI matchup, Gouard also cautions, “It’s not the Super Bowl” — the River City Classic is only the third game on the Screaming Eagles’ 2026-27 schedule. Ragland concurs. “The two coaches understand that (the season is) a marathon, too,” Ragland says. “We’re in a time of declining attendance in college basketball, and hopefully this will be a shot in the arm.”
CROSSTOWN TIMELINE
The men’s basketball teams at the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana have met on the court five times, all in exhibition games.
2004: UE 88, USI 75
Attendance: 12,411 at Roberts
Municipal Stadium
2006: UE 77, USI 75
Attendance: 11,597 at Roberts
Municipal Stadium
2008: UE 71, USI 67, 2 OT
Attendance: 9,648 at Roberts
Municipal Stadium
2012: UE 73, USI 55
Attendance: 7,358 at Ford Center
2019: UE 71, USI 68, OT
Attendance: 6,263 at Ford Center
