Men's Basketball opens MVC slate at Loyola on Wednesday
12/28/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (11-2, 0-0) travels to Loyola (7-5, 0-2) on Wednesday night in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools. The Salukis have won three-straight games and are 4-0 on the road this season.
| Southern Illinois (11-2, 0-0) at Loyola (7-5, 0-0) | |
| Date | Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 |
| Time | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Chicago, Ill. • Gentile Arena (4,963) |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois  |
| Radio | Saluki Sports Network |
| Watch | MVC TV (Fox Sports Midwest, Comcast Chicago) |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| Live Audio | CBS All-Access |
| Live Stats | Stat Broadcast |
| Social Media | @SIU_Basketball |
Series vs. Loyola
The Salukis have won 3-of-4 meetings versus Loyola since the Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference two years ago. Loyola's only win came at home on Feb. 11, 2015, a 66-62 victory in which Montel James scored 19 points to lead Loyola. Deion Lavender led SIU with 17.
Dawg Bites
•Barry Hinson needs one more win to pass Ralph Miller (Wichita State) into sole possession of fifth place all time in wins among MVC coaches.
•The 11-2 start matches SIU's best since the 2006-07 squad opened the season with a 12-2 record.
•Versus the 10 MVC schools, Anthony Beane has his highest career scoring average (19.5) and best shooting percentage (.583) against Loyola.
•SIU is coming off a four-turnover game at Saint Louis, the fewest TOs during the Hinson era.
Saluki offense better on the road
The Salukis are 4-0 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 last time SIU went 5-0 on the road to start a season was in 1947. The Salukis have significantly better offensive numbers on the road than it does at home.
Home / Away
Points Per Game 78.4 / 83.5
FG Percentage 47.2 / 49.6
3FG Percentage 32.6 / 45.9
FT Percentage 63.2 / 75.5
One player is especially out-performing on the road. Leo Vincent averages 11.5 points in road games and 5.4 at home.
Only 14 teams with 11+ wins
Through games of Dec. 27, the Salukis are one of 14 teams with 11 or more wins. Michigan State leads the nation with 13 wins, while Xavier, Providence, Arizona and Purdue each have 12 wins.
Anthony Beane by the numbers
All-Conference G Anthony Beane (6-2, 178, Sr.) has 1,567 career points — placing him 8th all-time at SIU.
•Needs 101 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 22nd in the nation in scoring (20.5), second in the MVC behind Evansville's D.J. Balentine (21.7).
•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 79 times in his career, reached 20+ points 28 times, and reached 30+ points three times.
•Has taken 30.9 percent of SIU's shots while he is on the floor and has played 84.0 percent of the available minutes.
•Is averaging 4.2 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).
Salukis in MVC openers
The Salukis have lost five-straight Valley openers. The last time they started the MVC season in the win column was the 2009-10 season, when they opened with a home victory over Indiana State and then won at Bradley to start 2-0.
Valley road losing streak at 10
SIU has lost its last 10 MVC road games, including an 0-9 mark last season. The last Valley road win came at Evansville on Feb. 22, 2014 — a game in which Anthony Beane had 22 points and Desmar Jackson added 15 points and five steals.
Salukis deadly from 2-point
The Salukis have converted 53.6 percent of their shots from inside the 3-point line, which ranks 48th in the nation. SIU's top two-point shooter is Leo Vincent (.688), who ranks 29th in the nation in that category. Other productive two-point shooters are Bola Olaniyan (.576), Armon Fletcher (.568), Ibby Djimde (.565), Sean O'Brien (.563) and Mike Rodriguez (.507).
