EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team tips off the 2010-11 regular season with three games in five days, starting with Ohio Dominican University Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Physical Activities Center. USI completes the quick start to the season against King College Sunday at 1 p.m. and McKendree University November 16 at 7 p.m.
Game coverage, including audio, video, and live stats, can be accessed at gousieagles.com, while fans also can listen to all of the action on ESPN 106.7FM or WPSR 90.7FM. All three games will be televised on the News 25 Sports Channel, with Friday's game being broadcast via tape-delay on Saturday and Sunday and Tuesday's contests being aired live from the PAC.
USI is coming off a tough exhibition schedule at preseason nationally-ranked University of Illinois and Vanderbilt University. The Eagles played well at Illinois, pressing the Illini before falling by nine, 76-67. USI stayed with Vanderbilt for the first 15 minutes, but struggled offensively and lost 77-40.
USI senior guard #C.J. Trotter# (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) led the Eagles in the two games with 14.5 points per contest, including a team-high 19 against Illinois and 10 points against Vanderbilt. Senior center
Mohamed Ntumba (Kinshasa, Congo), who had a double-double at Illinois with 15 points and 10 rebounds, was second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per contest to go with his team-best 7.0 rebounds per appearance.
The Panthers of Ohio Dominican also open their season Friday night after posting a 10-17 mark a year ago. Junior Aaron Gibbs returns to lead Ohio Dominican after recording a team-best 12.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game a year ago. This will be the first meeting between USI and Ohio Dominican.
King, which opens its campaign Saturday at Kentucky Wesleyan College, looks to build on a 24-6 record a season ago. The team reached the NCCAA Division I National Championship game as the team finished second nationally. Sunday's match-up between USI and King is the second in the history of the two programs after the Eagles defeated the Tornados, 87-64, in 2008-09.
The conclusion of USI's whirlwind start is November 16 when future GLVC member McKendree University comes to the PAC. The Bearcats are led by Harry Statham, who starts the 2010-11 campaign as the winningest four-year men's basketball head coach in the country (1,023 victories).
McKendree is already off to a 1-1 start and has three more games before coming to play USI at the PAC. The Bearcats also lead the all-time series with the Eagles, 6-1, with the last meeting coming in the 1973-74 season.
