2011–12 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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.[ 1]
2011–12 Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
F
0
Ryan Sawvell
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Fr
Mundelein, IL
G
1
Jordan Nelson
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
Fr
Lincoln, IL
F/C
3
Matt Peeler
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
Sr
Alamogordo, NM
G/F
4
Lewis Jones
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
Jr
Memphis, TN
G
5
Troy Taylor
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
184 lb (83 kg)
Jr
Anderson, IN
F/C
10
Jaylon Moore
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
Fr
Olive Branch, MS
G/F
11
Colt Ryan
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
Jr
Batesville, IN
G/F
13
Jordan Jahr
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
So
Austin, TX
G
14
Andy Chinn
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Jr
Tell City, IN
G
20
Brandon Williams
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Sr
Charlotte, TN
G
22
Ned Cox
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jr
San Antonio, TX
F/C
25
Rokas Cesnulevicius
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Fr
Alytaus, LT
G/F
32
Kenneth Harris
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Sr
Saint Louis, MO
G/F
34
Denver Holmes
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Sr
Olathe, KS
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster Last update: 2011-10-30
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
References
Venues Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold