Last season, the DePauw men's basketball team shocked the University of Evansville with an upset win, 66-62.
There was no shocker this year.
In the first men's basketball game played in the new $127 million Ford Center in Evansville, the NCAA Div. III—Div. I matchup followed the expected script. The Purple Aces of Evansville jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back on their way to an 81-52 win.
"No matter who it is I lose to, I'm always going to want revenge," said Troy Taylor, starting guard for the Purple aces. "We remember everything that happened last year. That's why we came out and played our game."
The starting shooting guard for the Aces scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in the game against the Tigers. Alongside the other guard, Colt Ryan, the two combined for 20 points and 10 assists, utilizing the fast break on offense.
The fast breaks caught the Tigers jogging back on defense instead of sprinting with the Evansville offensive players.
"You can't control if the other guy is bigger and stronger," said Sean Haseley, a senior forward for DePauw. "But you can control how you can sprint back on defense and stop the fast break."
While the Tigers' transition defense is one aspect that needs to be improved, the offensive side is also a work in progress. Starting DePauw point guard Michael Wilkison, a sophomore, led the Tigers with 12 points on just 3-11 shooting from the floor. DePauw sophomore forward Barry Flynn followed with 11 points.
"We are going to need the younger guys to step up this year," Haseley said. "Those guys have been playing great in practice, and I thought when we did get back in our half court defense, we did play pretty well."
Other players who looked impressive on the offensive end were new starting center Camron Burns, a sophomore, and freshman Alex Patton at point guard.
Burns showed aggressive post moves in the key, while Patton played much of the second half and demonstrated effective passing and penetration of the defense on drives.
Despite the loss, the Tigers still drew praise for their quality of competition from Evansville.
"They are a very well coached team. They have a winning tradition and have smart, tough kids," said Marty Simmons, head coach of the Purple Aces. "Our kids came out today and wanted to play well."
The men's basketball team will play next against Marygrove College in Cleveland, Ohio on Nov. 18.