EVANSVILLE — The University of Southern Indiana men’s basketball program announced its non-conference schedule for the 2025-26 season on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
All of the bigger matchups for the Screaming Eagles come on the road, including the opener at Butler, which finished 75th in KenPom rankings a year ago with a 15-win season under Thad Matta. USI also travels to Valparaiso, Western Michigan and Indiana State, in addition to competing in the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona, Florida.
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The home opener at Liberty Arena is scheduled for Nov. 7 against Virginia Military Institute.
More: Breaking down Evansville men’s basketball’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule
“It’s not as Power 5 (heavy) as it has been in the past,” USI coach Stan Gouard told the Courier & Press. “We’ve played Michigan State, Duke and Saint Louis (in the past). I think with this group of guys, this schedule gives us a chance early on to gauge who we are. We have three Missouri Valley Conference schools on our schedule. It gives a chance to see where we are against some bigger schools.”
Southern Indiana’s Braxton Jones (1) takes a shot against Eastern Illinois’ Lazar Grbovic (17) as the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles play the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Liberty Arena in Evansville, Ind., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025.
USI went 10-20 last season, a two-win improvement, but failed to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The roster saw another complete overhaul with only Braxton Jones, Josiah Dunham and Cayden Gehlhausen returning. There are currently 11 new players compared to the 2024-25 season – UTEP transfer Ahamad Bynum is no longer listed on the roster.
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Here is the full non-conference schedule.
2025-26 Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball Schedule
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Nov. 7: vs. Virginia Military Institute
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Nov. 20: vs. Incarnate Word (Boardwalk Battle)
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Nov. 22: vs. Illinois Chicago (Boardwalk Battle)
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Nov. 29: vs. Kentucky State
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Dec. 3: at Western Michigan
The visit to Hinkle Fieldhouse will be the only game against a Division I opponent who finished in the KenPom top 150 last season. Illinois-Chicago (171) and Indiana State (197) were next. The Screaming Eagles open OVC play at home against Little Rock (Dec. 18) and Morehead State (Dec. 20) prior to Christmas break.
The 2026 OVC Tournament is scheduled for March 4-7 at Ford Center in Evansville.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Southern Indiana basketball announces 2025-26 non-conference schedule
