The women’s basketball teams at the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana will renew their cross-town rivalry after agreeing to a four-year exhibition series beginning in the 2027-28 season.
In a deal announced July 21, the four-game series kicks off at USI’s home court and runs through 2030-31. The last time the women’s teams met was in a 2014 exhibition, when USI was still an NCAA Division II program.
“This is a win for everyone,” first-season UE Women’s Basketball Head Coach Ben Wierzba tells Evansville Business. “It’s a great opportunity for both programs to compete and create excitement for the community.”
The deal follows news that the men’s basketball teams will face each other Nov. 7 on the Ford Center’s hardwood in a matchup billed as the River City Classic. Unlike the one-game men’s deal announced June 15, the women’s basketball teams will meet once a year through the 2030-31 season and alternate home courts between Ford Center in Downtown Evansville and Liberty Arena on USI’s West Side campus. After the Screaming Eagles host the inaugural game, they and the Purple Aces will take turns until the final game at Ford Center in the 2030-31 season. All game dates are still to be determined.
“We would like to play the University of Evansville in every sport, every year, so we are happy that everyone is making this happen in women’s basketball,” USI Vice President and Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall said in a statement released by the university.
Wierzba, who succeeds Robyn Scherr as UE’s 12th women’s basketball head coach, served as the men’s assistant coach from 2007-10. He’s excited about seeing fans of both local teams come together. “Anytime you have UE and USI competing, there is a level of pride and intensity that makes it special,” he tells Evansville Business.
The 2027-28 matchup marks the 23rd time the Purple Aces and Screaming Eagles have met since 1971, but the first since 2014 and first with both competing at Division I. The Purple Aces lead the all-time series 15-7.
“We have had a few exhibitions and some closed-door scrimmages with our two programs, but getting a regular-season matchup started should be a fun and competitive experience for the city of Evansville and fans of both USI and UE,” longtime USI Women’s Basketball Head Coach Rick Stein said in a press release from USI.
Purple Aces Director of Athletics Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried echoed Stein’s sentiments in a UE press release. “Opportunities to compete against a quality program just across town are great for our student-athletes, our fans, and the Evansville community,” Siegfried said.
