EVANSVILLE — Nothing about this season from University of Evansville men’s basketball has come close to expectations.
The first to admit this is coach David Ragland. His stated personal goal in October was a top-half finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, or at least something that signified a step forward for his program. That best-case scenario is well beyond the rearview mirror with two weeks left in the season.
The Purples Aces (6-21, 2-14) are currently last in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“When you’re going through something that we’re going through,” he said, “you don’t have time to feel sorry for yourself. You’ve got to show up and put the work in. Be your best self anytime you have an opportunity to do what you love to do.”
UE is assured a bottom-two finish in the Valley with only Indiana State (3-13) able to be passed in the standings with four games remaining. That closing stretch features trips to Valley leader Belmont and Murray State, as well as home games against Valpo and Southern Illinois on back-to-back days. Three are ranked in the top 120 on KenPom.
Barring a surprising run in St. Louis, the 2025-26 season will be a worst-case scenario.
Evansville already secured back-to-back 20-loss campaigns for the third time since 2019. The Aces are 319th nationally in offensive efficiency following an 84-46 home loss to UIC on Wednesday, Feb. 18 – the defensive rating isn’t much better at 268th. Both currently rank last in the MVC.
The Flames hit 16 three-pointers, extending UE’s struggles. The Aces have one victory since Jan. 10.
“It’s not a happy locker room,” Ragland said. “The guys want to win. You have guys that are out that wish they could help. Then you have guys who are playing through their own sorenesses. It’s tough. It’s not fun. I stole a quote from (Duke coach) Kara Lawson, ‘We don’t get to determine the length of our adversity.’ We just have to show up and fight. Play to the best of our ability.”
The latest outing was Evansville’s worst home loss in the Ford Center era, which began in the 2011-12 season; the previous mark was by 36 against Drake in 2023. UE never led, and it was never close after a 17-0 run by UIC sandwiched around halftime. The Aces shot 32.7% from the field, with only Trent Hundley in double figures with 12 points on 4 of 7 shooting from deep.
Depth has become a repeated concern due to injuries. Connor Turnbull, last year’s MVC Defensive Player of the Year, has only played twice since Jan. 4 with a nagging knee issue. James Dyson-Merwe has been sidelined since Feb. 6. Alex Hemenway was wearing a mask against UIC after breaking his nose in the previous outing.
Evansville currently plays Illinois State or Northern Iowa on the opening night of Arch Madness in the 6/11 game.
“I knew with our lack of depth and numbers that it was going to be a fight,” Ragland said of the UIC loss. “They’re playing really well. One of the hottest teams in our league. They came in and knocked down shots, which that’s not what they’re known for. That buried us even more.
“You still play with passion. You still play with pride. You still respond in the way you need to, regardless of what’s going on. (I want to see) a lot of fight, a lot of resistance and a proper response.”
UE women’s basketball has struggled since the holiday break
Evansville (6-20, 4-11) had back-to-back road victories in early January. It has since fallen into a tie for ninth with nine losses over the past 11 outings and roughly three weeks until the conference tournament in Coralville, Iowa.
A younger lineup has struggled to close out games – four of the last five losses were by single digits – and with injuries. UE is last in the MVC in opponents’ shooting at 44% and ninth in turnovers. Memorial grad Avery Kelley has yet to return from a knee injury in November. Logan Luebbers Palmer, arguably the Aces’ second-best offensive threat at 10.7 points per game, last played on Jan. 18 against Indiana State.
It has resulted in a heavier burden on guard Camryn Runner. The sophomore remains among the top MVC players at 17.5 points (fifth), 5.7 rebounds (18th), and 5.3 assists (2nd). Runner had the first triple-double in program history on Jan. 29 against Belmont and scored 26 in the Aces’ most recent game against Illinois State.
The issue is secondary help with a short-handed lineup. Only freshman Sydney Huber (8.4) is averaging more than six points among the Aces’ current rotation outside of Runner. UE appears locked into the 9 or 10 seed in the MVC Tournament – two games behind Drake, Southern Illinois and UIC in the win column – with three games left against the top five.
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville basketball update entering final Missouri Valley games