# 2021–22 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team represented the University of Evansville in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Purple Aces were led by head coach Todd Lickliter in his second full season at Evansville and played their home games at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana as members of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). They finished the season 6–24, 2–16 in MVC play, to finish in last place. They lost to Valparaiso in the first round of the MVC tournament.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Purple Aces finished the 2020–21 season 9–16, 7–11 in MVC play, to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Indiana State in the quarterfinals.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| October 30, 2021* 1:00 p.m. | | Mount St. Joseph | W 74–45 | | Ford Center (3,159) Evansville, IN |
| November 4, 2021* 6:00 p.m. | | Kentucky Wesleyan | W 74–64 | | Ford Center (2,915) Evansville, IN |
| Regular season ||||||
| November 9, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 43–65 | 0–1 | Fifth Third Arena (10,024) Cincinnati, OH |
| November 11, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | IUPUI | W 60–40 | 1–1 | Ford Center (3,145) Evansville, IN |
| November 13, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Belmont | L 43–81 | 1–2 | Curb Event Center (2,421) Nashville, TN |
| November 16, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | DePauw | W 69–58 | 2–2 | Ford Center (2,894) Evansville, IN |
| November 20, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UCF | L 59–75 | 2–3 | Ford Center (3,233) Evansville, IN |
| November 22, 2021* 10:00 a.m., FloHoops | | vs. Rice Gulf Coast Showcase first round | L 104–109 $^{3OT}$ | 2–4 | Hertz Arena Estero, FL |
| November 23, 2021* 11:00 a.m., FloHoops | | vs. Vermont Gulf Coast Showcase Consolation 2nd round | L 49–58 | 2–5 | Hertz Arena Estero, FL |
| November 24, 2021* 10:00 a.m., FloHoops | | vs. Akron Gulf Coast Showcase 7th-place game | L 60–69 | 2–6 | Hertz Arena Estero, FL |
| November 28, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Eastern Illinois | W 70–54 | 3–6 | Lantz Arena (1,011) Charleston, IL |
| December 1, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Southern Illinois | L 52–54 | 3–7 (0–1) | Ford Center (3,318) Evansville, IN |
| December 4, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | Tennessee Tech | W 59–51 | 4–7 | Ford Center (3,275) Evansville, IN |
| December 8, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southeast Missouri State | L 73–75 | 4–8 | Show Me Center (690) Cape Girardeau, MO |
| December 18, 2021* 4:00 p.m., ESPN3 | | UT Martin | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Ford Center Evansville, IN |
| December 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at SMU | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Canceled due to COVID-19 | Moody Coliseum Dallas, TX |
| January 2, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | L 61–83 | 4–9 (0–2) | McLeod Center (1,587) Cedar Falls, IA |
| January 8, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Drake | L 59–60 | 4–10 (0–3) | Ford Center (3,134) Evansville, IN |
| January 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Bradley | L 47–79 | 4–11 (0–4) | Peoria Civic Center (3,606) Peoria, IL |
| January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | No. 22 Loyola–Chicago | L 48–77 | 4–12 (0–5) | Ford Center (3,190) Evansville, IN |
| January 21, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Illinois State | L 56–94 | 4–13 (0–6) | Redbird Arena (2,721) Normal, IL |
| January 23, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Illinois State Rescheduled from January 9 | W 56–53 | 5–13 (1–6) | Ford Center (3,354) Evansville, IN |
| January 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Northern Iowa | L 59–64 | 5–14 (1–7) | Ford Center (2,770) Evansville, IN |
| January 29, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Missouri State | L 58–72 | 5–15 (1–8) | JQH Arena (3,894) Springfield, MO |
| February 5, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Bradley | L 41–76 | 5–16 (1–9) | Ford Center (4,294) Evansville, IN |
| February 8, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Indiana State Rescheduled from January 5 | W 65–56 | 6–16 (2–9) | Hulman Center (2,567) Terre Haute, IN |
| February 10, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Indiana State | L 77–80 $^{2OT}$ | 6–17 (2–10) | Ford Center (3,177) Evansville, IN |
| February 12, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Southern Illinois | L 62–69 | 6–18 (2–11) | Banterra Center (4,554) Carbondale, IL |
| February 16, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Drake | L 51–73 | 6–19 (2–12) | Knapp Center (3,569) Des Moines, IA |
| February 19, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Valparaiso | L 56–72 | 6–20 (2–13) | Ford Center (2,947) Evansville, IN |
| February 21, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Valparaiso | L 69–74 | 6–21 (2–14) | Athletics–Recreation Center (1,107) Valparaiso, IN |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Loyola–Chicago | L 31–82 | 6–22 (2–15) | Gentile Arena (3,843) Chicago, IL |
| February 26, 2022 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Missouri State | L 79–88 | 6–23 (2–16) | Ford Center (3,696) Evansville, IN |
| MVC tournament ||||||
| March 3, 2022 8:30 p.m., MVC TV | (10) | vs. (7) Valparaiso Opening round | L 59–81 | 6–24 | Enterprise Center (2,904) St. Louis, MO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
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