Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball plays at Missouri State on Sunday afternoon
01/22/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois (17-3, 6-1) plays at Missouri State (8-11, 4-3) on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Saluki head coach Barry Hinson returns to Springfield, where he coached the Bears for nine seasons from 2000-08. MSU head coach Paul Lusk played three seasons for Southern, leading the team to MVC titles and three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1993-95). He also served as a Saluki assistant coach under Matt Painter's NCAA Tournament team in 2004.
| Southern Illinois (17-3, 6-1) at Missouri State (8-11, 4-3) | |
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 |
| Time | 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | Springfield, Mo. • JQH Arena (11,000) |
| Game Notes | Southern Illinois  |
| Radio | Saluki Sports Network |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| Live Audio | CBS All-Access |
| Live Stats | Stat Broadcast |
| Social Media | @SIU_Basketball |
Head coach Barry Hinson met with the media on Friday before practice
What challenges does Missouri State present?
"The biggest challenge is that I think that they have won 11 of the last 13 meetings. We have never won there since I've been here and they swept us last year. If you are looking for reasons to win this ball game, there is a plethora of reasons. They have had our number in the past. A lot of that has to do with me, and I've taken a completely different approach to this game than I have in the past. I've literally given this to my assistants. I over-analyze this game and made it a bigger deal than it has been. I'm not doing that this time. I'm going to coach this game the very best that I can, but I've let my staff get all of the preparation. I've watched a little bit of film, but not much because I have the tendency to over-analyze everything. We are not going to do that with this game."
Do the games in Springfield mean more to you?
"Not now. I get a chance to see my mom and dad. I've got lots of friends and family there and I get a chance to see my grandson. It's a special deal because I get to see friends and family members. This is just a game and a roadblock in front of our destination. We want to make sure to take care of business."
Are there any comparisons between Dequon Miller and Leo Vincent?
"I think that the comparison is more so because of Mike (Rodriguez). We recruited both of these guys and recruited Dequon hard. We became very close during the recruiting process. Paul (Lusk) did a good job and hired his coach from Motlow State and were able to secure Dequon. You have to do things sometimes to get good players. At the same time, they got the guy they wanted and we got the guy we wanted. He is going to have a huge game against us. He is going to play his tail off because he is going to want to play good and show me how good of a player he is. I think that Michael will do the same."
How different is Obediah Church to some of your big guys?
"We recruited Obediah as well and the big thing that he has that we don't have is that he has extremely great athleticism at the four spot. We don't have that. Our fours and fives are not very athletic. That is no disrespect, that is just the way it is. This is a high twinge and athletic kid. He can explode in a matter of seconds running and he can get up quicker than anybody in the Valley. Consequently, that is why is the leading rebounder as a freshman. He is just pretty impressive."
Missouri State is a team that you matchup height-wise, do coach those games differently?
"No, the only thing that we might do is make a couple of offensive calls based on rotation like we did against Indiana State. When Indiana State went small the other night, we made a couple of interior calls. For the most part we will stick to our gameplan. I am more worried about defensively that offensively. I've always approached a game defensively. I've never approached a game offensively. We have certainly approached games and made changes offensively, but most of my stuff strategy wise is defensively."
Do you ever hear your players talk about last year?
"I think you would have to ask the guys that. I talk about last year quite often and probably too much. I reference it as a motivating factor."
How big a difference has the additions of Brad Autry, Justin Walker, and John Clancy to the coaching to the team?
"I think that it has been a huge difference. If you took the costume off of the Energizer rabbit, I swear that it would be Brad Autry coming out of that pink costume. He has brought that energy. While John Clancy isn't on the floor coaching, he has brought that energy to us in the office and around the arena where the players are at. Justin has a phenomenal relationship with all of the players. He is kind of our player liaison and I am really proud of my staff. They have done a good job and they have had a big difference in the change of this program right now."
