Men's Basketball hosts Charlotte at 1 p.m. Saturday
12/05/2008 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2008
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (3-3) hosts Charlotte (1-6) at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Salukis are looking to improve to 3-0 against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents this season.
Chris Lowery Approaches 100 Wins
Already the fastest coach in school history to reach the 50 and 75-win plateaus, Chris Lowery is just one win shy of 100 career victories.
Series Versus Charlotte
Charlotte holds a 6-1 edge in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings. The 49ers beat the Salukis in Charlotte last season, 71-56. They are one of just six teams to win a game at SIU Arena in the last seven seasons, beating SIU, 64-59, on Jan. 2, 2004. After that loss, the Salukis reeled off 33-straight wins.
Mullins 4th in Nation in Assists
Through games of Dec. 3, G Bryan Mullins (6-1, 185, Sr.) ranks fourth in the nation in assists with 7.7 apg. Brock Young of East Carolina is first at 8.4 apg. Mullins tied the school single-game record for assists with 13 against UMass on Nov. 12. His 432 career assists ranks third all-time at SIU, and he needs just 34 more to break Wayne Abrams' record.
Dillard Leads MVC in 3-Point Shooting
G Kevin Dillard (6-0, 160, Fr.) is shooting 52.2 percent from 3-point range this season, which leads the MVC. Last year, Dillard became the first Saluki signee to win the Illinois Mr. Basketball award. Illinois is well-known for producing top talent. Other winners this decade are NBA players Darius Miles (2000), Eddy Curry (2001), Shaun Livingston (2004), Julian Wright (2005) and Derrick Rose (2007), plus college stars Dee Brown (2002), Shannon Brown (2003) and Jon Scheyer (2006).
Bench Scoring Much Improved
SIU is averaging 24.3 ppg from its bench this season, compared to 13.5 ppg last season. The Salukis have used an 11-man rotation compared to seven or eight players last year.
3-Point Shooting Improved
After six games, the Salukis have had no trouble adjusting to the new 3-point line. In fact, the team is shooting 42.9 percent on the season, compared to 34.0 percent last year.
Salukis Versus Atlantic 10
The Salukis are already 2-0 against the Atlantic 10 Conference this season with home wins over UMass and Saint Louis.
