Men's Basketball plays at Saint Louis on Monday night
12/20/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (10-2) plays at Saint Louis (5-5) on Monday night in a non-conference matchup between regional rivals. The Salukis are off to their best start since 2006, while the Billikens have lost four of their last five at home.
| Southern Illinois (10-2) at Saint Louis (5-5) | |
| Date | Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 |
| Time | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | St. Louis, Mo. • Chaifetz Arena (10,600) |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois  |
| Radio | Saluki Sports Network |
| Watch | Fox Sports Midwest Plus |
| Live Audio | CBS All-Access |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Social Media | @SIU_Basketball |
Series vs. Saint Louis
Saint Louis has won the last five meetings between the schools. Southern's last win came on Dec. 2, 2008 in Carbondale. The Salukis have lost six-straight games at SLU, with the last road victory coming on Nov. 19, 2001. Bruce Weber was SIU's head coach and the game was played at what is now called the Scottrade Center.
Saluki offense better on the road
The Salukis are 3-0 on the road this season -- their best road start since the 2003 team won its first four road games under head coach Matt Painter. The offensive statistics SIU is putting up in road games are nothing short of stunning. In fact, the team has much better offensive numbers on the road than it does at home. Home / Away
Points Per Game 78.4 / 89.7
FG Percentage 47.2 / 56.0
3FG Percentage 32.6 / 50.0
FT Percentage 63.2 / 76.5
One player is signficantly outperforming on the road. Leo Vincent averages 13.3 points in road games and 5.4 at home.
Only 15 teams with 10+ wins
Through games of Dec. 19, the Salukis are one of 15 teams with 10 or more wins. Michigan State and Purdue leads the nation with 12 wins, while Xavier, Providence and Purdue each have 11 wins.
Anthony Beane by the numbers
All-Conference G Anthony Beane (6-2, 178, Sr.) has 1,548 career points -- placing him 8th all-time at SIU.
•Needs 120 points to pass Jamaal Tatum into 7th all-time.
•At his current pace, he will finish third all-time in scoring at SIU behind only Charlie Vaughn and Kent Williams.
•Became only the fifth player in school history with 1,500 points and 100 steals, joining Kent Williams, Darren Brooks, Jamaal Tatum and Sterling Mahan.
•Ranks 26th in the nation in scoring (20.7), second in the MVC behind Evansville's D.J. Balentine (21.8).
•Has topped the 30-point mark twice this season. The last Saluki to have multiple 30-point games was Troy Hudson who had three in 1996-97.
•Has reached double figures in scoring 78 times in his career, reached 20+ points 28 times, and reached 30+ points three times.
•Has taken 30.5 percent of SIU's shots while he is on the floor and has played 83.1 percent of the available minutes.
•Is averaging 4.3 rebounds per game, compared to his 2.6 rebounding average last year.
•The last Saluki to average 20+ points per game was Troy Hudson (1996-97).
Dawg Bites
•The 10-2 start matches SIU's best since the 2006-07 squad opened the season with a 12-2 record.
•The Salukis are averaging 80.3 points per game this season, compared to 59.6 points last year. SIU's offense ranks second in the MVC and 65th in the nation.
•If SIU maintains its 80.3 scoring average the rest of the season, it would mark the highest scoring output since Rich Herrin's 1990 team averaged 80.4 points.
•The Salukis are shooting .488 from the field, which is third in the MVC and 29th nationally.
Salukis deadly from 2-point
The Salukis have converted 55.7 percent of their shots from inside the 3-point line, which ranks 22nd in the nation. SIU's top two-point shooter is Leo Vincent (.741), who ranks ninth in the nation in that category. Other productive two-point shooters are Armon Fletcher (.613), Ibby Djimde (.611), Sean O'Brien (.568) and Beane (.532).
Sean O'Brien ups scoring average
F Sean O'Brien (6-7, 215, Jr.) is averaging 14.2 points, almost double last year's 7.4 average. He posted doubledoubles in points and rebounds in threestraight games from Nov. 27-Dec. 2. The last Saluki to accomplish that feat was Randal Falker in 2006. O'Brien recorded a career-high 25 points against UTEP on Nov. 27. He is shooting 52 percent from the field, compared to 44 percent a year ago. He has reached double figures in nine-straight games.
