# 2011–12 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team

The 2011–12 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Marty Simmons and they played their home games at the Ford Center. They are members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Purple Aces participated in the 2012 College Basketball Invitational, losing in the first round.

## Previous season

The Purple Aces recorded a 15–14 mark overall in the previous season, including a 9–9 conference record. Led by guard Colt Ryan, the team claimed a win against eventual national runner-up Butler. They were invited to the 2011 College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the quarterfinals.

## Roster

This season, they return three starters and their top four scorers, including Colt Ryan. The team features three seniors and five juniors on the roster. However, the only returning front court player taller than 6'6" is Matt Peeler who saw very limited minutes in prior seasons.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| October 29, 2011* 4:05 pm | | DePauw | W 81–52 | — | Ford Center (3,846) Evansville, IN |
| November 4, 2011* 7:05 pm | | Illinois–Springfield | W 74–61 | – | Ford Center (3,774) Evansville, IN |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 12, 2011* 2:05 pm | | Butler | W 80–77 $^{OT}$ | 1–0 | Ford Center (9,454) Evansville, IN |
| November 16, 2011* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Indiana | L 73–94 | 1–1 | Ford Center (9,640) Evansville, IN |
| November 19, 2011* 2:05 pm | | Oakland City | W 80–53 | 2–1 | Ford Center (3,481) Evansville, IN |
| November 23, 2011* 7:00 pm | | at UIC | L 75–79 | 2–2 | UIC Pavilion (1,987) Chicago, IL |
| November 29, 2011* 7:35 pm | | Alabama State | W 62–55 | 3–2 | Ford Center (3,462) Evansville, IN |
| December 3, 2011* 7:05 pm | | TCU MWC–MVC Challenge | L 68–70 $^{OT}$ | 3–3 | Ford Center (5,198) Evansville, IN |
| December 6, 2011* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 6 North Carolina | L 48–97 | 3–4 | Dean E. Smith Center (15,623) Chapel Hill, NC |
| December 10, 2011* 7:05 pm | | North Carolina A&T | W 86–65 | 4–4 | Ford Center (3,527) Evansville, IN |
| December 17, 2011* 1:05 pm | | Tennessee Tech | L 70–72 | 4–5 | Ford Center (4,235) Evansville, IN |
| December 20, 2011* 6:00 pm | | at Miami (OH) | W 77–75 | 5–5 | Millett Hall (1,565) Oxford, OH |
| December 29, 2011 7:00 pm, MVC TV | | Southern Illinois | W 78–60 | 6–5 (1–0) | Ford Center (6,105) Evansville, IN |
| January 1, 2012 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Northern Iowa | W 76–65 | 7–5 (2–0) | McLeod Center (3,653) Cedar Falls, IA |
| January 4, 2012 7:05 pm | | Wichita State | L 66–67 | 7–6 (2–1) | Ford Center (3,916) Evansville, IN |
| January 7, 2012 1:05 pm | | at Illinois State | L 73–75 | 7–7 (2–2) | Redbird Arena (5,333) Normal, IL |
| January 10, 2012 6:05 pm | | at Indiana State | L 78–80 | 7–8 (2–3) | Hulman Center (6,790) Terre Haute, IN |
| January 13, 2012 7:05 pm | | Drake | L 60–69 | 7–9 (2–4) | Ford Center (4,027) Evansville, IN |
| January 15, 2012 2:05 pm | | at Missouri State | W 87–82 $^{OT}$ | 8–9 (3–4) | JQH Arena (7,654) Springfield, MO |
| January 18, 2012 7:05 pm | | Bradley | W 90–67 | 9–9 (4–4) | Ford Center (3,478) Evansville, IN |
| January 21, 2012 7:05 pm | | Illinois State | W 79–71 | 10–9 (5–4) | Ford Center (6,187) Evansville, IN |
| January 25, 2012 7:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Wichita State | L 74–86 | 10–10 (5–5) | Charles Koch Arena (10,219) Wichita, KS |
| January 29, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Indiana State | L 81–90 $^{2OT}$ | 10–11 (5–6) | Ford Center (5,836) Evansville, IN |
| February 1, 2012 7:00 pm | | at Bradley | W 92–62 | 11–11 (6–6) | Carver Arena (7,638) Peoria, IL |
| February 4, 2012 2:05 pm | | at Southern Illinois | L 52–53 | 11–12 (6–7) | SIU Arena (3,378) Carbondale, IL |
| February 7, 2012 7:05 pm | | No. 17 Creighton | W 65–57 | 12–12 (7–7) | Ford Center (5,128) Evansville, IN |
| February 12, 2012 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Drake | L 54–78 | 12–18 (8–8) | Knapp Center (3,477) Des Moines, IA |
| February 15, 2012 7:05 pm | | Northern Iowa | W 63–62 | 13–13 (8–8) | Ford Center (4,177) Evansville, IN |
| February 18, 2012* 7:05 pm | | Western Illinois Sears BracketBusters | W 68–45 | 14–13 | Ford Center (5,147) Evansville, IN |
| February 21, 2012 7:00 pm, MVC TV | | at Creighton | L 92–93 $^{OT}$ | 14–14 (8–9) | Qwest Center Omaha (16,447) Omaha, NE |
| February 25, 2012 1:05 pm | | Missouri State | W 75–70 $^{OT}$ | 15–14 (9–9) | Ford Center (6,421) Evansville, IN |
| Missouri Valley tournament ||||||
| March 2, 2012 8:35 pm, MVC TV | (3) | vs. (6) Missouri State Quarterfinals | W 72–64 | 16–14 | Scottrade Center (14,412) Saint Louis, MO |
| March 3, 2012 4:05 pm, MVC TV | (3) | vs. (2) No. 25 Creighton Semifinals | L 71–99 | 16–15 | Scottrade Center (16,271) Saint Louis, MO |
| CBI ||||||
| March 13, 2012* 7:00 pm, HDNet | | Princeton First Round | L 86–95 | 16–16 | Ford Center (3,012) Evansville, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Standard Time. ||||||