Saturday, January 7
Springfield, MO
3:00 PM
Southern Illinois University
at
Missouri St.
Men's Basketball plays at Missouri State on Saturday
01/06/2017 | 11:32:00 | Men's Basketball
Southern Illinois (9-7, 2-1) travels to Missouri State (11-5, 2-1) for a key Missouri Valley Conference showdown on Saturday at 3 p.m. The game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. The Salukis are 1-5 on the road this year and are looking to snap a four-game road losing slide. SIU is 2-7 all-time at JQH Arena, which opened in 2008. Southern's wins came in 2009 and 2016. The Salukis swept the season series from the Bears last year and have won the last three meetings.
Hinson vs. the Bears
Barry Hinson is in his 14th season as a Missouri Valley Conference head coach. He coached nine seasons at Missouri State (2000-08) and compiled a 167-117 record. Since arriving at SIU in 2013, Hinson is 5-5 against the Bears.
Paul Lusk has Saluki ties
Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk is a Southern Illinois alum, where he scored 1,031 career points and helped lead the Salukis to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1993-95). He returned for one season (2004) as an assistant coach for Matt Painter. That team went 25-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Lusk joined Painter on Purdue's staff the following year.
Sean O'Brien coming off a career night in OT win over Indiana State
F Sean O'Brien (6-7, 215, Sr.) had a career-high 28 points in Wednesday's overtime win over Indiana State. He also had 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. O'Brien is the 45th player in school history to reach 1,000 points in his career. He currently stands 39th in scoring at SIU with 1,050 points. O'Brien is also 15th in career rebounds (662) at SIU. A preseason Second-Team All-MVC pick, O'Brien has 105 career starts, including 82-straight. He is just the 13th player at SIU to start 100+ games.
Measuring Mike Rodriguez impact on Saluki offense
How big of an impact has PG Mike Rodriguez (5-10, 165, Sr.) had on SIU's offense? Consider these stats.
•He has either scored (56) or recorded an assist (73) on 31 percent of SIU's field goals (416).
•By comparison, All-Conference G Anthony Beane either scored or recorded an assist on 32 percent of SIU's field goals last year.
•His 2.02 assist-TO ratio currently stands as the sixth-best single-season mark in school history. Bryan Mullins (3.26 in 2009) holds the school record.
Rodriguez 11th in nation in free throw attempts
Rodriguez ranks 11th in the nation in free throw attempts and 17th in free throws made (83-of-112). He has accounted for 34 percent of the team's made free throws (83/241) and 33 percent of free throw attempts (112/343). Forty-one percent of Rodriguez' points have come from the free throw line.
Armon Fletcher leads Salukis in scoring, 3-pointers, steals
Armon Fletcher (6-4, 190, So.), SIU's leading scorer (13.8 points), has missed the last two games and is day-to-day with a sprained foot. He is shooting a team-best .375 from outside the arc. Fletcher also leads the club and ranks second in the MVC in steals (1.9). He has missed the last two games with a sprained foot and his status remains day-to-day.
Thik Bol 41st in nation, 2nd in MVC in blocked shots
F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks second in the MVC (behind Missouri State's Obediah Church) and 41st in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.1). His 34 blocks are five more than Sean O'Brien's team-leading total of 29 last year. Bol had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's.
Aaron Cook with 16 steals in last six games
G Aaron Cook (6-1, 175, Fr.) has 16 steals in the last six games for SIU, giving him 21 on the season. He had a career-high five thefts against Drake. Versus the Bulldogs, Cook had four steals in a two-minute span during the second half.
Dawg Bites
•SIU is 9-1 when they have an advantage in points in the paint, and 5-1 when they win the rebounding battle.
•O'Brien and Bol combine to account for 46 percent of SIU's rebounding total.
•SIU shoots .517 from inside the 3-point arc, compared to .311 outside the arc.
•SIU's non-conference SOS ranks 117th in the nation. Last year, it was 325th.
•Armon Fletcher has made 13-straight FTs in a streak that started seven games ago versus Texas Southern.
Hinson vs. the Bears
Barry Hinson is in his 14th season as a Missouri Valley Conference head coach. He coached nine seasons at Missouri State (2000-08) and compiled a 167-117 record. Since arriving at SIU in 2013, Hinson is 5-5 against the Bears.
Paul Lusk has Saluki ties
Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk is a Southern Illinois alum, where he scored 1,031 career points and helped lead the Salukis to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances (1993-95). He returned for one season (2004) as an assistant coach for Matt Painter. That team went 25-5 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Lusk joined Painter on Purdue's staff the following year.
Sean O'Brien coming off a career night in OT win over Indiana State
F Sean O'Brien (6-7, 215, Sr.) had a career-high 28 points in Wednesday's overtime win over Indiana State. He also had 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. O'Brien is the 45th player in school history to reach 1,000 points in his career. He currently stands 39th in scoring at SIU with 1,050 points. O'Brien is also 15th in career rebounds (662) at SIU. A preseason Second-Team All-MVC pick, O'Brien has 105 career starts, including 82-straight. He is just the 13th player at SIU to start 100+ games.
Measuring Mike Rodriguez impact on Saluki offense
How big of an impact has PG Mike Rodriguez (5-10, 165, Sr.) had on SIU's offense? Consider these stats.
•He has either scored (56) or recorded an assist (73) on 31 percent of SIU's field goals (416).
•By comparison, All-Conference G Anthony Beane either scored or recorded an assist on 32 percent of SIU's field goals last year.
•His 2.02 assist-TO ratio currently stands as the sixth-best single-season mark in school history. Bryan Mullins (3.26 in 2009) holds the school record.
Rodriguez 11th in nation in free throw attempts
Rodriguez ranks 11th in the nation in free throw attempts and 17th in free throws made (83-of-112). He has accounted for 34 percent of the team's made free throws (83/241) and 33 percent of free throw attempts (112/343). Forty-one percent of Rodriguez' points have come from the free throw line.
Armon Fletcher leads Salukis in scoring, 3-pointers, steals
Armon Fletcher (6-4, 190, So.), SIU's leading scorer (13.8 points), has missed the last two games and is day-to-day with a sprained foot. He is shooting a team-best .375 from outside the arc. Fletcher also leads the club and ranks second in the MVC in steals (1.9). He has missed the last two games with a sprained foot and his status remains day-to-day.
Thik Bol 41st in nation, 2nd in MVC in blocked shots
F Thik Bol (6-8, 205, Jr.) ranks second in the MVC (behind Missouri State's Obediah Church) and 41st in the nation in blocked shots per game (2.1). His 34 blocks are five more than Sean O'Brien's team-leading total of 29 last year. Bol had a career-high six blocks versus Mount St. Mary's.
Aaron Cook with 16 steals in last six games
G Aaron Cook (6-1, 175, Fr.) has 16 steals in the last six games for SIU, giving him 21 on the season. He had a career-high five thefts against Drake. Versus the Bulldogs, Cook had four steals in a two-minute span during the second half.
Dawg Bites
•SIU is 9-1 when they have an advantage in points in the paint, and 5-1 when they win the rebounding battle.
•O'Brien and Bol combine to account for 46 percent of SIU's rebounding total.
•SIU shoots .517 from inside the 3-point arc, compared to .311 outside the arc.
•SIU's non-conference SOS ranks 117th in the nation. Last year, it was 325th.
•Armon Fletcher has made 13-straight FTs in a streak that started seven games ago versus Texas Southern.
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