Salukis Host In-State Rival Illinois State Saturday Night

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois men’s basketball plays host to in-state rival Illinois State Saturday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Banterra Center. Tickets for the game start at just $7 in Section 113. Use the Promo Code “SEVEN” to purchase tickets HERE.

PROMOTIONS
• Free tuition raffle for the Dawg Pound; Saluki Legacy Raffle – More information HERE.
• Halftime cheer performance by Christ the King – Jesuit College Prep from Chicago.
• Purchase tickets for as little as $7 by using promo code “SEVEN” HERE.

THE BROADCAST
• The game will be available nationally on ESPN3 with Mike Trude (play-by-play) and Dominic Hoscher (analyst) calling the action.
• The radio broadcast can be heard on the Saluki Radio Network with SIU Hall of Famer Mike Reis (play-by-play) and Rodney Watson (analyst) on the call.

QUICK HITS
• The Salukis take on Illinois State for the first time this season on Saturday night. SIU travels to Illinois State in its final game in the month of January.
• Southern Illinois is off to its best start under head coach Bryan Mullins in four seasons at 13-5 and 5-2 in The Valley.
• The Salukis currently sit tied for second place in the MVC at 5-2 after knocking off then-undefeated Indiana State Wednesday night in Terre Haute. SIU rallied from a 15-point deficit to hand the Sycamores their first loss in the MVC this season.
• SIU is 7-1 at Banterra Center — winning its last five games at home.
• Since forward Clarence Rupert entered the starting lineup, SIU is 8-1.
• The Salukis check in at No. 24 in the latest CollegeInsider.com men’s basketball mid-major poll.

A DYNAMIC DUO
• Marcus Domask (18th-1,369) and Lance Jones (25th-1,311) each rank in the top-25 in program history in points scored. The duo also ranks in the top 20 in career assists.
• Marcus Domask has scored in double-digits in 16 of 18 games this season to lead SIU. He has scored 20 or more in five games and his 16.9 points per game rank fifth in the MVC.
• Marcus Domask and Lance Jones combined to score the final 20 points in a win on the road against Murray State. Against Drake, Domask scored the final 15 points of the game to defeat DU.
• Lance Jones leads the Salukis with 37 3-pointers this season. The senior has made 172 threes over his career to rank eighth in program history.

IT STARTS ON DEFENSE
• Southern Illinois has held conference opponents to just 58.3 points per game and four of its seven Valley foes to under 57 points. The Salukis held Belmont to 45 points and preseason favorite Drake to 49 points.
• Southern put the clamps on Drake’s Tucker DeVries and Roman Penn. The Salukis gave up just 11 points to DeVries on 4-for-13 shooting while holding Penn to 1-for-15 from the floor and two points.
• SIU’s 60.4 points allowed per game is second in the MVC and 20th nationally.
• The Salukis are holding opponents to just 30.5 percent from behind the arc — ranking third in the MVC and 62nd nationally.
• SIU’s 7.7 steals per game is third in the MVC. Lance Jones leads the team with 1.8 steals per game and has recorded multiple steals in 11 games this season including a career-high six coming at UE.
• Against the League’s top-scoring offense (79.7), SIU held Indiana State to just 61 points on the road.

THE MATCHUP
• Southern Illinois plays host to one of its oldest rivals Saturday when Illinois State comes to town for the 164th meeting between the two programs. The Salukis lead the all-time series with Illinois State, 85-78, winning the last three matchups and six of the last seven games. Overall, SIU is 52-20 at home against Illinois State, 26-50 on the road, 7-8 on neutral courts, and 5-5 when matched up in the MVC Tournament. Head coach Bryan Mullins is 5-1 in his coaching career against the Redbirds with the lone loss coming in 2020 at home.

• Illinois State enters Saturday’s game at 8-10 overall and 3-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds are riding a two-game winning streak in League play after defeating Evansville on the road and knocking off Missouri State at home in overtime.

• Under first-year head coach Ryan Pedon, Illinois State features a balanced scoring attack through 18 games with four players averaging nine points or more. Kendall Lewis leads the charge for ILS with 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while Darius Buford averages 11 points, 3.8 rebounds while leading the team with 43 assists. As a team, Illinois State is averaging 66.9 points per game, shooting 42.7 percent from the field, and 33.2 percent from behind the arc. ILS is also outrebounding opponents by an average of 2.4 per game which ranks fourth-best in the MVC.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Basketball, on Instagram at @SIU_Basketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the “Salukis” Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.