Men's Basketball hosts Ball State on Saturday afternoon
12/20/2013 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2013
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois hosts Ball State on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. in a rematch of a BracketBuster game won by the Cardinals in 2012. Both teams are looking for their second Division I win of the year. SIU beat Stetson on Nov. 26, while BSU topped SEMO on Nov. 18. Both teams have rosters with limited Division I experience. The Cardinals play four freshmen in their eight-man rotation, while Southern has two freshmen and three jucos in its nine-man rotation.
| Ball State (2-6) at Southern Illinois (2-8) | |
| Date | Saturday, Dec. 21, 2013 |
| Time | 2:05 p.m. CT |
| Location | Carbondale, Ill. -SIU Arena |
| Radio | Saluki Sports Network |
| TV | None |
| Video Stream | Saluki All-Access |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois  |
| Live Stats | Gametracker |
| Social Media | @SIU_Basketball |
Series versus Ball State
The Salukis hold a 7-5 lead in the all-time series with Ball State, including a 3-1 mark at SIU Arena. The only home loss came in 1972. The teams last met on Feb. 18, 2012 at Ball State, where the Cardinals won, 71-62. The game was part of the BracketBuster tournament. Mamadou Seckled SIU with 26 points and 11 rebounds. No one who played in that game for Southern Illinois is still currently on the team's roster.
Hinson versus the MAC
Barry Hinsonis 6-3 lifetime against the current members of the Mid-American Conference but has never faced Ball State. As head coach at SIU, his only meeting with a MAC opponent was on Feb. 23, 2013, an overtime win versus Miami.
Desmar Jackson approaching 1,500 career points
G Desmar Jackson(6-5, 180, Sr.) has 1,482 career points (804 at Wyoming, 678 at Southern Illinois) and has scored more points in his college career than any active player in the league. He is the league's second-leading scorer (21.8 ppg) and was named to the seven-man MVC Preseason Team.
Desmar Jackson's 20+point games
Desmar Jacksonhas already scored 20+ points six times this season, after reaching that mark seven times last year. If he can hit the 20-point plateau a total of eight times this season, he'll be the first Saluki to do so since Kent Williams had 11 20-point games in the 2001-02 season.
Anthony Beane in the zone
In his last seven games, G Anthony Beane(6-2, 180, So.) is averaging 14.9 points while shooting an impressive 53 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point (13-of-25). Beane was a member of the MVC's All-Freshman team last year.
Sean O'Brien 11th in MVC in rebounding
F Sean O'Brien(6-6, 205, Fr.) has emerged as a key contributor and made his first career start against Western Kentucky. In the last five games, O'Brien has averaged 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and is shooting .514 from the field. He ranks 13th in the MVC in rebounding (4.8) this season.
Salukis shooting 46 percent from field
After 10 games, the Salukis are shooting 46.4 percent from the field, a significant improvement over last year's mark of 44.6. The last Saluki team to shoot better was the 2002-03 squad that shot 47.1 percent from the field.
Odds and Ends
The Salukis rank 339th out of 351 teams in assists per game (9.4)...In the history of MVC coaches, Barry Hinson needs one win to move into ninth place all-time with 186...Desmar Jackson and Anthony Beane have accounted for 49 percent of the team's scoring this season...SIU's opponents are averaging nearly 22 3-point attemtps per game as Southern has played more zone than man-to-man defense...SIU announced its 25-man, 4-coach All-Century team this week. Full details are available on the official webite: SIUSalukis.com
