From Tom Weber, SIU Sports Information
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois hosts Bradley on Sunday at 3 p.m. in a key Missouri Valley Conference matchup as the season enters its final two weeks. With five regular-season games left, seven teams are separated by two games or less in the league standings. At 8-5, the Salukis are both two games out of first place and two games out of eighth place. Meanwhile, the Braves are 7-6 and hoping to sweep the season series and move into a tie with SIU for second place.
Team leader and hybrid guard/forward Armon Fletcher in the game at Carver Arena earlier in the year (SIU Sports Information photo)
SIU has dominated the series since 2002 by a 24-13 margin. The Salukis have won the last four meetings between the schools at SIU Arena — all by double figures and by an average of +13.5 points. Head coach Barry Hinson is 16-13 lifetime against the Braves, including 5-6 during his tenure at SIU.
Bradley won the first meeting between the schools, 68-62, on Jan. 9 in Peoria. The Salukis never led in the second half and trailed by as many as nine points, but four times they cut the deficit to one. Bradley closed the game on a 7-2 run in the final minute.
Four Salukis average double figures
The Saluki have four players averaging double figures in scoring this season — Armon Fletcher, Sean Lloyd, Kavion Pippen and Aaron Cook. The last season this happened was in 2002-03, when Kent Williams, Jermain Dearman, Darren Brooks and Stetson Hairston were all double-figure scorers. Since 1950, there have been 13 Saluki teams that have had four or more double figure scorers.
Kavion Pippen second in scoring among MVC newcomers
Juco transfer C Kavion Pippen (6-10, 240, Jr.) ranks second in scoring (12.3) among MVC newcomers, trailing only Illinois State’s Milik Yarbrough (16.4). Pippen leads the team in field goal percentage (.548) and blocked shots (33), and has scored in double figures in all but six games this season. The nephew of NBA legend Scottie Pippen is a three-time winner of the MVC Newcomer of the Week (Nov. 12, Dec. 4 and Feb. 5). He is 23-of-31 (.741) from the field in the last three games.
Armon Fletcher increases output after move to “hybrid forward”
Since the Salukis switched to a four-guard offense on Dec. 13, and moved G Armon Fletcher (6-5, 207, Jr.) to the “hybrid forward” position, the team is 12-6 and his offensive numbers have shot up.
Position GP PPG RPG FG% 3FG%
Guard 8 11.9 4.7 .460 .296
Hyrbrid 18 15.2 5.3 .516 .355
Fletcher had a career night at Valparaiso on Jan. 6 with 32 points and 14 rebounds. He made the game-winning basket at Missouri State with six seconds left, and the go-ahead 3-pointer versus Valparaiso with less than a minute left on Feb. 3.
Aaron Cook sparks win streak
During SIU’s recent five-game winning streak, G Aaron Cook (6-2, 185, So.) led the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game. Cook has made significant improvement in his offensive game as a sophomore.
2016-17 2017-18
Scoring 3.0 PPG 10.0 PPG
FG Percentage .333 .464
3FG Percentage .185 .395
Tyler Smithpeters from deep
A 24-year-old senior who took a medical redshirt last season, G Tyler Smithpeters (6-4, 203, Sr.) ranks No. 10 all-time at SIU in 3-pointers with 136. The Salukis are 26-17 when Smithpeters makes multiple 3-pointers in a game, including 9-5 this season. Averaging 7.5 points and starting only four games, he is a top candidate for the Sixth Man award.
Dawg Bites
•Ten of SIU’s 13 conference games have been “one-possession games” (three points or less) during the final three minutes of regulation.
•In MVC games, SIU has scored 897 points and allowed 895 points.
•The Salukis are 6-2 in games decided by five points or less this season.
•SIU has shot better than 50 percent during the second half in seven of its last eight games.
•Armon Fletcher has scored double figures in 12-straight games. He’s averaging 15.4 points in MVC games, compared to 8.9 a year ago.
•The Salukis are 13-1 when they hold an opponent under 70 points and 3-9 when an opponent scores 70 or more.
•SIU has gone 109-consecutive games with at least one 3-point field goal.
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