It’s almost time for tipoff. For the first time in the regular season — and as NCAA Division I competitors — men’s basketball teams from the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana are about to meet on the court.
The Nov. 7 contest at Ford Center is expected to draw hardcore fans of the Purple Aces and Screaming Eagles, as well as those with divided rooting interests. Ford Center is UE’s home venue, but it’s a neutral setting for the inaugural River City Classic, with tickets split between the universities, UE’s logos pulled from the hardwood, and both teams’ cheer squads, mascots, and bands on hand.
Also unique to the game is the uniform combination: Neither team will wear home whites. In a move that required approval by the NCAA, the Ohio Valley Conference, and the Missouri Valley Conference, the Screaming Eagles will be decked out in red and the Purple Aces in — what else? — purple “to play off the themes for the game,” says Evansville Regional Sports Commission Executive Director Brandon McClish, who helped broker the event. Fans are encouraged to dress to match their team’s jersey color.
Head Coaches Stan Gouard of USI and David Ragland of UE have been looking forward to the matchup. They share a long-standing friendship — “I’m pulling for him and he’s pulling for me,” Gouard told Evansville Living in the January/February 2024 cover story — but rest assured, each is playing to win. “The environment will be electric,” Ragland told Evansville Business in the October/November 2026 cover story. “We have to go out (and play) like there’s no tomorrow.”
Both squads opened their regular seasons Nov. 2. UE defeated Indiana University Kokomo, 80-70, at home, while USI fell, 72-54, against Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. USI hosts Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday night.
The universities have heavily promoted the River City Classic since the game was announced in June. McClish describes a lower-bowl sellout (approximately 5,500 fans) as an unofficial goal for Saturday night, and tickets on Nov. 4 started at $36.30 on Ford Center’s website. (River City Classic tickets are not part of UE or USI season-ticket packages.) The first 500 UE and USI students to arrive Saturday at Ford Center with their student ID will be admitted free, and both schools have offered advance ticket giveaways on campus.
Fans of both teams can join pregame festivities Downtown on Saturday. From 5 p.m. until tipoff at 7 p.m., USI hosts a party with food and drink specials, face painting, spirit item giveaways, door prizes, photo opportunities, and appearances by the cheer team and mascot Archibald T. Eagle at The Rooftop, 112 N.W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. UE’s bash starts at 4:30 p.m. at Arcademie, 22 N.W. Sixth St., and includes specialty drinks, giveaways and door prizes, and appearances by the Aces Spirit Squad, the UE Pep Band, and mascot Ace Purple. UE also is hosting a block party from 3-5 p.m. Saturday on campus, with free shuttle service taking fans from there to Arcademie.
UE and USI have met five times in men’s basketball — all in exhibition contests, and all while USI was a member of NCAA Division II. (USI finished its transition to Division I in 2025, a year early.) The Purple Aces won all of those previous exhibition games: The contests in 2004, 2006, and 2008 were at Roberts Municipal Stadium, while the games in 2012 and 2019 were played at Ford Center. The 2008 and 2019 contests were decided in overtime.
Officials at both universities say they heard the community’s wish for a UE-USI regular-season matchup, and they credit Old National Bank’s presenting sponsorship for helping make the inaugural Classic happen. In the October/November Evansville Business story, UE Vice President for Athletics Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried called the bank’s commitment “a game changer.”
No further men’s basketball matchups are scheduled beyond Saturday — USI officials have long made clear they want a multiyear series with UE, with both schools hosting games. USI Vice President and Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall reiterated that stance in the recent Evansville Business story but called Saturday’s River City Classic at Ford Center “a start.” Siegfried noted Ford Center’s larger seating capacity compared to USI’s on-campus Liberty Arena but added, “We remain open to discussing different arrangements for future games.” The USI and UE women’s basketball teams in July announced a four-season series starting in fall 2027, with USI hosting first.
The best argument for future UE-USI men’s basketball competition would be a good crowd on Saturday night, McClish says. “We need Evansville to show up and show out,” he told Evansville Business this fall. “If the community wants to see this rivalry continue, this is our opportunity to prove it.”
