Men's Basketball hosts Kent State on Wednesday night.

Nov. 17, 2015

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois hosts Kent State on Wednesday night in a non-conference matchup at SIU Arena. The Golden Flashes were picked to finish second in the six-team East Division of the Mid-American Conference and return two starters off last year's team that beat the Salukis, 74-51, at the Kent State Classic.

SIU head coach Barry Hinson met with the media prior to Tuesday's practice.

Kent State (1-0) at Southern Illinois (2-0)
Date	Wednesday, Nov. 18., 2015
Time	7 p.m. CT
Location	Carbondale, Ill., SIU Arena (8,339)
Game Notes	Southern Illinois
Tickets	Buy On-Line
Radio	Saluki Sports Network
Watch	ESPN3
Live Audio	CBS All-Access
Live Stats	Stat Broadcast
Social Media	@SIU_Basketball

Coach Hinson Transcript

How big is rebounding going to be against Kent State?
"I think that when you are guarding guys that are 6'8 and 6'9 with a 6'2 and a 6'1 guard, I think that speaks for itself. Obviously, it is a big deal for us. They have a big front line and we are going to be smaller with our starting lineup in that position. It is a big challenge for us, but at the same time they have to guard us on the offensive end as well. I don't know any 6'8 or 6'9 guys that can guard Anthony Beane on the perimeter. It is going to be interesting to see how the chess match goes."

How important is Bola Olaniyan's offense going to be a factor?
"It is not going to be a factor. Bola's factor for us is defense and rebounding. We don't have to have Bola score for us to be successful. Bola's offensive game has improved dramatically, but he has bought in that if he doesn't score a point, but can get 12 rebounds for us, that is huge. The game broke against Air Force when he got an offensive rebound and threw it out to Anthony for a three-pointer that put us up by six. That is how Bola makes an impact."

Are you seeing confidence in your team?
"I think so. I'm not overly concerned with their feelings right now as I am getting them to understand what we need to do. We have five guys that have to grow up really fast. This game tomorrow night will really show a lot for us, specifically for those five guys. Even with our veterans, because we got bombed last year at Kent State. It was amazing and shock and awe at its best. This will be a huge challenge for us."

What are your impressions of Kent State's new guards?
"I think that they are physical. I think that they are going to come in here tomorrow night and do the same thing that they did to us at Kent State, which was take us out of our game in every aspect. We've tried to mimic that in our practice, but it is hard to do it with our scout team because we don't have the athletes that they have. That will be our challenge. Can we fight off their physicalness and aggressiveness?"

How prepared do you think you are after all of the defenses Florida A&M showed?
"We've seen everything but a box-and-one, and we are certainly prepared for that. We know that Kent State will run a 1-3-1 trap and we have prepared for that. We've prepared for their hot press and hopefully we will be better prepared for it."

Is there anything specific you would like to see better from your team from this game?
"I would like to see us fight a little bit. I thought that we got punked last year, and that is nothing but a compliment to Kent State. I showed our guys the Ronda Rousey weigh-in and how (Holly) Holm got punked. I talked to our guys about what do you do and how do you fight back. We showed them Holm in the fight, so hopefully they figured it our a little bit."

How do you compare your program to Kent State, do you compare yourself to them?
"No, because we haven't won 20 games in four of the last five years. If we get to the point where we have a winning season, then maybe we can. In the old days I'd maybe compare my teams at Missouri State. We have never been as athletic as what Kent State has been. That is one of the most athletic teams that I have seen at the mid-major level. There is nobody in the Missouri Valley that is as big as they are on the front line. If they are, its a skinny guy that weighs 115 pounds that only shoots 3-pointers and came from a foreign country. We just don't have that in the Valley."